Press brake tooling technology

Abstract

The invention provides press brake and press brake tooling technology. Certain embodiments of the invention provide a press brake tool that has an elongated, retractable safety key. In certain embodiments, the invention provides click-in/slide-out press brake tools. In some of these embodiments, the tool has a safety key defining a flat (i.e., a planar wall section/planar surface) that is adapted for sliding along a surface of a tool holder when the tool is dismounted from the holder by moving the tool horizontally out of the holder. In certain embodiments, the flat has a longitudinal length of at least about 0.008 inch (in some cases, at least about 0.010 inch, at least about 0.015 inch, or at least about 0.020 inch), ranging up to the full longitudinal length of the tool. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a press brake tool and a tool holder in combination. Finally, the invention in some embodiments provides methods of press brake operation.

1 . A press brake tool that is adapted for being mounted in a tool holder by moving the tool vertically into a channel defined by the tool holder, wherein the tool is adapted for being dismounted from the tool holder by moving the tool horizontally out of the channel, and wherein the tool is not adapted for being dismounted from the tool holder by moving the tool vertically out of the channel, the tool having a shank that is provided with a safety key, wherein the safety key is biased toward an extended position when the shank is moved to an operative position in the channel of the tool holder, and wherein the tool has no externally accessible actuator for retracting the safety key such that once the tool's shank is moved into its operative position in the channel of the tool holder a press brake operator is prevented from retracting the safety key and removing the tool vertically from the tool holder.