Abstract: In a bending machine for wire or strip materials comprising a machine body (1) defining a work face (2) and having disposed thereon at least one planar and undercut guide path (F1 to F3) for tool mounting carriages (S1 to S4) mounted thereon for displacement therealong at least between operating positions by means of a selectively remote-controlled displacement drive system (7) and for being locked on said guide path in the selected operating position, each tool mounting carriage (S1 to S4) defining an operating axis (A1 to A4) extending substantially perpendicular to the respective guide path, and being provided with a tool carrier (6) mounted for displacement along the operating axis (A1 to A4) by means of an operating actuator (5), at least one guide path (F1, F2, F3) is formed with an arcuate curvature in the guide plane, the curvature preferably following a circular arc (K), and the concave side of the curvature facing towards a material feed axis (3).

Abstract: The guideway for each working carriage has a predetermined parking position in a bending machine for skein-shaped material, in which several working carriages can be adjusted in positions determined by a bending program in a working plate and which comprises at least one working carriage guideway and a drivable working carriage transport device, with which each working carriage can be optionally coupled for adjustment. Each working carriage positioned for working can be adjusted to its parking position with the transport device and can be adjusted again to any optional position from the parking position by the transport device. A program control unit is preferably provided which clears the working carriages after the machining of a lot size of a bending program to their parking positions with leader and trailer programs and, prior to the beginning of a lot size, brings the working carriages from their store parking positions with a new bending program and adjusts them to the new positions.

Abstract: Apparatus for high speed, fully automatic and precise bending of a wire or rod in three dimensions and with the same or different bending radii or bending contours for each bend comprises a passive bending tool (16) having a wire-receiving passage therethrough and a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart bending surfaces or grooves at its exit end and a bending head (B) having an active bending tool (F) thereon. The passive bending tool (16) is selectively rotatable about a first axis (X) along which the wire extends to align a desired bending surface with a desired bending plane. The bending head (B) is also rotatable about the first axis (X) to position the bending tool (F) at the appropriate side of the wire. The bending tool (F) is rotatable about a second axis (Y), which is perpendicular to the first axis (X), to bend the wire along the selected bending surface.

Abstract: The invention relates to a bending apparatus for bending a rod-shaped or ribbon-shaped material, comprising a bending station disposed in a work plane and including at least one bending core or pair of bending cores mounted for displacement perpendicular to the work plane, and at least one rotary body carrying a bending finger mounted for rotation about the bending core and for displacement perpendicular to the work plane. With known bending apparatus it is scarcely possible to vary the bending mode, or the bending radius, respectively, without time-consuming adaptation of the bending station. Such adaptation may be required several times for a single workpiece. In accordance with the invention, the bending core or pair of bending cores is mounted, together with at least one further bending core or pair of bending cores for selectively employ in a bending operation, in a turret head mounted above the work plane for rotation at least to several operating positions.

Abstract: The apparatus of this invention, for bending wire and metal strip, comprises a stationary working plate, a drive shaft rotatable in bearings spaced along its length and fixed relative to the working plate, and a tool guide unit confined to adjustment relative to the working plate in directions parallel to the drive shaft and carrying a tool slide that it guides for reciprocation transverse to the drive shaft. A cam on the drive shaft by which the tool slide is reciprocated is fixed to an axial sleeve portion concentric to the drive shaft and axially slidable along it, which sleeve portion is rotatably received in a cam bearing that is secured in the tool guide unit. The cam bearing thus radially supports the cam and the drive shaft so that the drive shaft can be relatively slender and light.