Filing Information

Inventor(s)	Song Cheh Ser · Weng How Leong ·
Assignee(s)	Metalform Asia PTE Ltd. ·  View assignee updates
Attorney/Agent(s)	Nixon & Vanderhye P.C. ·
Primary Examiner	Daniel C Crane ·
Application Number	US11289638
Filing date	11/30/2005
Issue date	05/13/2008
Prior Publication Data	US20060117928 - 06/08/2006
Predicted expiration date	03/21/2026
Patent term adjustment	111
U.S. Classifications	723/35  · 723/792  · 723/26  ·
International Classifications	B21D2826  · B21D3100  ·
Kind Code	B2
Foreign Priority	SG2004072518 - 12/01/2004 ·

Patent Family

Abstract

A method of forming blind holes in a sheet material is provided. The method includes punching the sheet material to define a hollow projection through the material and shearing a layer of material from the sheet material to form a sealed end over an opening of the hollow projection to form the blind hole. Further processing of the sheet material may be required depending on the desired diameter of the blind hole. Such further processing includes enlarging the hollow projection to a desired diameter of the blind hole and shearing the layer of material with several tapered pins with progressively decreasing diameters. As the scaled end formed is likely to have an uneven surface, the sealed end may be flattened to render a more refined appearance.

Independent Claims | See all claims (7)

1. 1. A method of forming a blind hole in a sheet of malleable material, comprising: punching a hollow projection through the sheet of malleable material, and then shearing a layer of material on one side of the sheet of malleable material to form a sealed end over an opening of the hollow projection to form the blind hole.