Apparatus for manufacturing frames from aluminum profile rails

Claim 1

Portable apparatus for precisely shaping by cutting and punching the ends of preformed aluminum rail members of particular complex profile designs for forming in situ frames therewith for windows and doors, comprising in combination, a base member with a shaped groove running therethrough, a lower die support member, means seating in the groove to clamp the lower die support member immovably in place on the base member, a vertically oriented support column reinforced by ribs and orifices to provide handhold members extending from the base member for carrying the apparatus, a horizontally extending gudgeon member extending from the support column substantially parallel above the base member, having a cylindrical shaft journalling cavity above the base member, a cylindrical shaft extending through the cavity with means preventing rotation thereof, manually operable gear means on the gudgeon to position the shaft vertically in the cavity, an upper die set having a plurality of die parts thereon of different profile shapes positioned to receive the rail ends thereinto at various stages of shaping, said die set having support means for vertically moving the dies with the shaft to engage a set of mating die parts on said lower die member for performing a series of shaping die cut operations as said rail member with the rail member end positioned at various positions in the mating die parts of the lower die member, said mating die parts on both the lower die support member and the movable shaft being removably secured thereon and said mating die parts secured on said lower die member being shaped with exactly the same profile design as the rail and surrounding the rail for supporting substantially the entire rail profile being processed without play to receive the impact of the mating dies on the movable shaft without deformation of the rail member profile shape and oriented to receive the ends of the rail members thereinto at said various positions.