The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 04, 2018
Filed:
Jul. 06, 2016
Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI (US);
Liang Huang, Troy, MI (US);
Evangelos Liasi, Royal Oak, MI (US);
Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
An exemplary die assembly includes a die member, a blankholder, and a collapsible spacer moveable back-and-forth between an extended position and a collapsed position. The collapsible spacer establishing a first gap between the die member and the blankholder in the extended position. The collapsible spacer establishing a second, smaller gap between the die member and blankholder in the collapsed position. An exemplary forming method includes maintaining a distance between a die member and a blankholder with a collapsible spacer when forming a workpiece into a desired shape, and collapsing the collapsible spacer to permit the die member and the blankholder to move closer together.