Abstract: An apparatus for bending leaf-spring blanks is combined with a vessel containing a bath of a hot treatment liquid and defining a longitudinal treatment path below a surface of the liquid, a center guide extending longitudinally along the path in the bath, and a pair of side guides extending longitudinally along the path and spacedly horizontally flanking the center guide. Each guide has an upper element and a lower element spaced therebelow. A loader engages the blank in the bending apparatus generally centrally for removing the engaged blank form the bending apparatus, and for depositing the blank in the bath between the upper and lower guide elements. In addition a conveyor including center and side pushers is displaceable longitudinally along each of the respective guides for engaging the blank engaged therein and displacing same along the path through the guides between the upper and lower elements.

Abstract: An apparatus for bending a leaf spring from a generally straight into an arcuate shape has a frame and a lower jaw assembly on the frame including a fixed central jaw having a flat upper face and a pair of normally curved side jaws flanking the central jaw, each formed by a group of shape-defining fingers, and pivotal about an axis generally centrally between them between a position defining an angle of about 180.degree. and a position defining an angle substantially smaller than 180.degree.. An upper jaw assembly on the frame includes a vertically displaceable central jaw having a generally flat lower face above the lower central jaw, a pair of normally curved side jaws flanking the upper central jaw above the lower side jaws and each formed by a group of shape-defining fingers, and structure supporting the upper side jaws for angular movement about generally parallel axes adjacent the upper central jaw. Thus the upper side jaws can be positioned generally parallel to the lower side jaws.