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:
Jul. 25, 2006
Filed:
Apr. 20, 2004
Gary A. Kruger, Troy, MI (US);
James G. Schroth, Troy, MI (US);
Richard Harry Hammar, Utica, MI (US);
Gary A. Kruger, Troy, MI (US);
James G. Schroth, Troy, MI (US);
Richard Harry Hammar, Utica, MI (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A hot blow-forming apparatus includes opposed and complementary forming tools adapted for hot blow forming a surface of a heated sheet-metal workpiece against a forming surface of one of the tools. The tools are also adapted to close upon and grip a peripheral edge of the workpiece and perform work on a central portion of the workpiece to produce a formed panel. The tools incorporate an improved extraction apparatus, which includes a plurality of opposed and complementary spring-loaded extractor pads. Opposed extractor pads are spring-loaded to different levels so as to apply spring-load differentials therebetween and thereby apply different extraction forces in different locations of the resultant formed panel for distortion-free removal of the formed panel from the working surfaces of the tooling.