Ngk Spark Plug Company, Limited

Masahiro Enuma

Shinichiro Mitsumatsu

Keisuke Kure

Shigeo Fujita

A method and an apparatus for manufacturing a spark plug. A bending apparatus includes a bending unit having a preliminary bending unit and a main bending unit, and a gap adjusting unit. The main bending unit including pressing unit for pressing a distal end of a ground electrode toward a center electrode, and a gap adjusting unit configured to adjust a relative height position of the distal end of the ground electrode relative to a distal end of the center electrode in an axis line direction. The gap adjusting unit includes a gap adjusting unit for relatively moving the distal end of the ground electrode relative to the center electrode in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis line direction, and a restricting unit for restricting relative movement of the distal end of the ground electrode relative to the center electrode in the axis direction.

Spark plug manufacturing method and spark plug manufacturing apparatus

A method and apparatus for manufacturing a spark plug, the spark plug being defined herein, the method including a center electrode position measuring step of measuring an X-directional position of the front end of the center electrode; a regulation member positioning step of positioning an X-directional position of a regulation member based on the X-directional position of the front end of the center electrode measured in the center electrode position measuring step, the regulation member regulating an X-directional position of a front end surface of the ground electrode when the ground electrode is pressed and bent in a Y direction; and a gap forming step of using the regulation member to regulate the X-directional position of the front end surface of the ground electrode while pressing and bending the ground electrode in the Y direction so as to form the spark discharge gap; wherein: the X direction and the Y direction are as defined herein.

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Inuyama, Japan

Masahiro Enuma