Patents Assigned to GEC Alsthom Cyril Bath
  • Patent number: 5910183
    Abstract: A stretch-forming machine of the type wherein a pair of opposed curving jaws grips opposing ends of a metal sheet to be stretch-formed in a curved configuration. Each of the jaws are formed of an array of adjacent grippers movable relative to each other by respective hydraulic cylinders to define a part of the curve of the jaw. The improvement to the stretch-forming machine which is the subject of this application comprises a closed-loop servo-control means for moving each one of the grippers into a predetermined position relative to each other. Each of the servo-control means comprises a hydraulic cylinder position controller carried by the hydraulic cylinder of the one gripper for controlling hydraulic fluid flow to the hydraulic cylinder responsive to stored data representing the desired predetermined position of one of the grippers. A motor is provided for actuating the position controller in response to the data received by the position controller to move the hydraulic cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1999
    Assignee: GEC Alsthom Cyril Bath
    Inventors: Jesse Carl Ford, Larry Alexander Polen