Apparatus and method for forming duct members

摘要

An apparatus and method for forming a duct member, wherein the duct member is a reducer/expander having a first cylindrical portion of a first diameter, a second cylindrical portion of a second diameter, and a frustoconical portion therebetween and coupled to each cylindrical portion in a manner requiring minimized operator handling of the blanks. The apparatus comprises a first work station and a second work station. The first work station comprising a channel for accommodating a first cylindrical work piece of a first diameter and a first positioning member for aligning a frustoconical work piece for coupling to the first cylindrical work piece. The second work station comprising a channel for accommodating a second cylindrical work piece of a second diameter and a second positioning member for aligning a frustoconical work piece for coupling to the second cylindrical work piece. The first and second work stations each have a coupling assembly which cooperates with a respective die to selectively couple the frustoconical work piece and the respective cylindrical work pieces to form an expander/reducer with minimum operator handling.