Patents Examined by Teresa M Ekiert
  • Patent number: 11607719
    Abstract: Flanges formed on sheet metal parts to increase the part stiffness or create mating surface for further assembly are created in an incremental sheet forming process using forming tool and supporting tool that move along a specified tool path so as to gradually deform a peripherally-clamped sheet metal work piece into the desired geometry. With two universal tools moving along the designed toolpath on the both sides of the part, the process is very flexible. Process time is can also be reduced by utilizing an accumulative double-sided incremental hole-flanging strategy, in which the flange is formed in only one step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignees: Northwestern University, SHANGHAI JIAO TONG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Huan Zhang, Jian Cao, Kornel Ehmann, Jun Chen
  • Patent number: 11607718
    Abstract: The object of this invention is a rolling mill stand with one pair of work rolls for a rolling metal strip, with intermediate rolls and back-up rolls. Here, the work rolls are supported at the sides by supporting systems, where a supporting force directed towards the work roll can be applied to each supporting system by means of a force generating device and the supporting system can be moved from an idle position into an operating position. According to the invention, the two work rolls can be replaced by work rolls with a different diameter, where only the supporting systems have to be replaced by supporting systems with supporting rolls of a different diameter, but the intermediate rolls and back-up rolls need not be changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: ANDRITZ Metals Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Fritz Kopin, Heinrich Schulte
  • Patent number: 11590548
    Abstract: An assembly for bending a conduit and a portable conduit bender. The assembly may generally include a portable bender including a base having a base surface supportable on a work surface, a housing supported by the base and defining a housing axis, the housing including a handle engageable by an operator to carry the bender, and a shoe supported by the housing for pivoting movement about the housing axis, the shoe defining a channel for supporting a conduit to be bent; and a pipe threader removably supported by the housing, the threader being operable to pivotably drive the shoe relative to the housing to bend the conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: ECM Industries, LLC
    Inventor: Matthew W. Sweeney
  • Patent number: 11590547
    Abstract: There is provided a method of manufacturing a variable wall thickness steel pipe with a hollow tubular raw pipe. The method of manufacturing a variable wall thickness steel pipe includes locking the raw pipe in a die by thrusting a plug into the raw pipe from an one end side, so as to expand an outer shape on the one end side in a state, where the raw pipe is disposed inside the die and movement of the raw pipe in a longitudinal direction is restricted; and performing ironing in which an inner shape of the raw pipe is expanded while the outer shape is maintained so that a thin portion is formed by further thrusting the plug toward the other end side of the raw pipe while the locked state of the raw pipe is maintained, whereas the restriction on the raw pipe is relaxed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaaki Mizumura, Keinosuke Iguchi, Hidehiro Arita
  • Patent number: 11583913
    Abstract: A tool for the internal high-pressure shaping of a workpiece, in particular for producing a tubular structural component for a motor vehicle, is provided. The tool includes at least three movable tool segments, which bound a shaping cavity for accommodating and shaping the workpiece. The movable tool segments, at least in some sections, completely form the shaping cavity in a closed state of the tool. A method for shaping a workpiece by internal high-pressure shaping is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Johann-Stefan Lerch, Thomas Schmolke
  • Patent number: 11583907
    Abstract: Provided are a forming method and a forming apparatus which can secure strength after forming while suppressing deformation. The forming method of the present invention includes a burring step and a pressing step. In the burring step, a branch pipe is formed by causing a cylindrical peripheral wall of a cylindrical member (workpiece) having the peripheral wall to project in an outside direction in a tubular shape. In the pressing step, a distal end surface of the branch pipe is pressed toward a proximal end portion of the branch pipe. In the pressing step, the distal end surface of the branch pipe can be pressed by an end surface pressing punch in a state where a burring punch is inserted in the branch pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: KYB CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomomi Hayase, Ryuichi Kaneko
  • Patent number: 11577301
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a multi-functional fastener includes a preparing operation, a forming operation and a threading operation. The preparing operation prepares a metal blank cut from a length of a metal material. The forming operation is executed so that the metal blank forms a shank, a head, and a drilling portion connected to the shank. The threading operation is executed to roll the metal blank with a thread rolling set having two opposite rolling plates. Each rolling plate has slit grooves and convex units arranged in alternation. Each of the convex units has protrusions each situated between two adjacent slit grooves, which allows the threading operation to equip the shank of the metal blank with thread convolutions, slots formed between the thread convolutions for helping quick removal of chips, and main ribs formed between any two adjacent slots for increasing cutting efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Essence Method Refine Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ling-Fang Chen
  • Patent number: 11577297
    Abstract: An accurate springback compensation method for sheet hydroforming component based on liquid volume control is related to a springback compensation method for curved surface part hydroformed with liquid as a punch during deep drawing process. According to the difference between a theoretical volume and a post-springback volume of a target part, an elastic deformation of the die is induced by liquid pressure, the die deformation amount is controlled to be equal to the springback amount. The accurate springback compensation control of a curved surface part is realized to overcome the problems of thickness or mechanical properties variations for different batches of sheets, and the manufacture error of the mould is considered to meet the design requirements. The liquid volume compensation is on-line and in-situ performed without mould re-machining. The advantages is good precision, simple process, high efficiency, short cycle and low cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Inventors: Shijian Yuan, Wei Liu
  • Patent number: 11571727
    Abstract: Feeding stock used to form a tapered structure into a curving device such that each point on the stock undergoes rotational motion about a peak location of the tapered structure; and the stock meets a predecessor portion of stock along one or more adjacent edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: KEYSTONE TOWER SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Eric D. Smith, Rosalind K. Takata, Alexander H. Slocum, Samir A. Nayfeh
  • Patent number: 11565301
    Abstract: A metal member manufacturing method according to one form of this disclosure is a method of manufacturing a metal member that is thinner at some portions than at other portions. The method includes a formation step of pressing one surface of surfaces of a metal workpiece that are perpendicular to a thickness direction with a press-working die so as to form a raised portion in the other surface, and a cutting step of moving a cutting blade along the other surface to cut off the raised portion by shaving. In the formation step, the raised portion is formed such that the area of a cross-section of the raised portion that is parallel to a moving direction of the cutting blade and perpendicular to the other surface decreases toward an end of the raised portion on a rear side in the moving direction of the cutting blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shunsuke Tobita, Tetsuji Egawa, Masahide Tatsutomi
  • Patent number: 11548051
    Abstract: The present invention is a press forming method for obtaining a target formed article that has an edge-shaped ridge section and that has a negative surface on one side and a positive surface on the other side with respect to the ridge section as a border, said press forming method including: a first step for forming an intermediate formed article having an intermediate ridge section having a larger radius than the edge radius of the ridge section; and a second step for forming the target formed article from the intermediate formed article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hirokatsu Akiba, Takeshi Sano, Kenji Matsutani, Takayuki Kano
  • Patent number: 11549574
    Abstract: A device for cold working pipe elements has two or more cams, each having a gear. The gears turn synchronously with one another. Each cam has a cam surface with a region of increasing radius and may have a region of constant radius extending around a cam body. Each cam also has a traction surface extending around a cam body. A discontinuity in each cam surface is aligned with a gap in the traction surface of each cam. The discontinuities and gaps provide clearance for insertion and removal of the pipe element between the cams to form a circumferential groove when the cams are rotated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Victaulic Company
    Inventor: Douglas R Dole
  • Patent number: 11541441
    Abstract: Transport system which makes to transport a wire or sheet of any length and with the required quality to the location of the use of the wire or the sheet. The transport system has a transport platform, a receptacle for the wire or the sheet, wherein the receptacle is configured such that the wire or the sheet may be received coiled on the receptacle, a drive, wherein the drive is configured such that the wire or the sheet may be conveyed by the drive in a transport direction, and a straightening device, wherein the straightening device is configured such that the wire or the sheet can be straightened with the straightening device, wherein the receptacle, the drive and the straightening device are arranged on the transport platform such that the wire or the sheet may be drawn automatically from the receptacle and fed to the straightening device by the drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Sandvik Materials Technology Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Christofer Hedvall, Thomas Froböse
  • Patent number: 11541448
    Abstract: A wire shaping tool and method of using the tool to reshape wire, including the discrete sections of wire in a wire mesh panel, is provided. The tool includes a pair of levers joined at a fulcrum positioned closer to one end of the levers, a pair of jaws on one side of the fulcrum, and a pair of handles on the other side. The first jaw can include an elongate body with a concave surface having a pair of opposing lateral edges. The second jaw can include a complementary convex surface configured to converge toward contacting the concave surface of the first jaw. The concave and complementary convex surfaces can transform the shape of a wire positioned between the jaws when they are actuated. The second jaw can include a third shaping component that allows for the simultaneous reshaping of two adjacent wire sections in a wire mesh panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Inventor: Timotheos G. Simos
  • Patent number: 11534810
    Abstract: A cooling-water injection control device and a cooling-water injection control method for a rolling mill suppress influence by change in flow rate characteristics of water injection headers. The cooling-water injection control device for a rolling mill includes a water injection amount control unit. When a plurality of water injection headers are controlled to make temperature of a material to be rolled on a delivery side of a rolling mill coincident with a target value, in a case where a flow rate of any one of the plurality of water injection headers is less than a transient flow rate between a minimum flow rate and a maximum flow rate, the water injection amount control unit controls a flow rate of any one of the plurality of water injection headers based on priority.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MITSUBISHI-ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Mitsuhiko Sano
  • Patent number: 11534814
    Abstract: One aspect of the present disclosure is a manufacturing device for a bent pipe by which the bent pipe is obtained by bending a double pipe. The manufacturing device for a bent pipe includes an inner core metal, an intermediate core metal, a bending mold, and a controller. The controller executes a first bending process, a second bending process, and a re-bending process. In the first bending process, a first pipe and a second pipe are bend in a first direction in a first area. In the second bending process, the first pipe and the second pipe are bent in a second direction in a second area. The second area has more distance from a coupling portion than the first area does. In the re-bending process, the second pipe is bent in the same direction as the second direction in the second area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: FUTABA INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Koichiro Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11529663
    Abstract: Tube bending machines configured to bend a tube at a target bend location. The tube bending machines include a frame, a bending die assembly, and an alignment stem. The bending die assembly is supported on the frame and configured to bend the tube. The bending die assembly includes a bending die, a wheel frame, and a clamp. The wheel frame is coaxially mounted to the bending die. The clamp is configured to secure the tube to the wheel frame. The bending die, the wheel frame, and the clamp cooperate to define an actual bend location where the tube will be bent by the bending die assembly. The alignment system is operatively supported on the frame and configured to align the target bend location with the actual bend location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Rogue Fabrication, LLC
    Inventor: Joseph Gambino
  • Patent number: 11517955
    Abstract: A pilot assembly having a shaped portion and a shaped fastener relief for attachment to a die. The pilot assembly includes a fastener with a shaped washer that engages the shaped fastener relief to permit installation and removal of the pilot from the die. The shaped portion of the pilot assembly helps to locate and center the stock down the pilot assembly toward the die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: STANDARD LIFTERS, INC.
    Inventors: Scott M. Breen, Joel T. Pyper
  • Patent number: 11511329
    Abstract: A method for obtaining a three-dimensional curve in a tubular product starting from a tube extending along a rectilinear longitudinal axis includes performing, by a first bending device, a first bending operation on a bending plane passing through the rectilinear longitudinal axis (x), so that the tube leaving the first bending device has a curved portion lying on the plane of curvature, and performing on the tube leaving the first bending device, by a second bending device, a second bending operation, so that the curved portion of the tube at the output of the second bending device has a first tangent and a second tangent (t1, t2) at its opposite ends lying on a cylindrical surface having generatrices orthogonal to two planes (A1, A2) respectively containing the first and second tangents (t1, t2). A method for manufacturing complex-curvature tubular products is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: CTE SISTEMI S.R.L.
    Inventor: Marco Dani
  • Patent number: 11498104
    Abstract: An extrusion apparatus and a method for manufacturing an aluminum capillary tube using the same are provided. The extrusion apparatus includes a container, a housing mold provided on one side of the container and including a plurality of dies formed with a plurality of holes, and a ram pressing an aluminum billet accommodated in the container in a direction from another side to the one side of the container so that the aluminum billet accommodated in the container is extruded into a plurality of aluminum capillary tubes having cross-sectional shapes corresponding to the plurality of holes, and the number of the plurality of holes is determined based on an inner diameter of the container and a diameter of each of the plurality of holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sungtae Park, Myounghun Kim, Sangjun Park, Won Ju, Jungsoo Lim, Kookjeong Seo