Method of cold-forming near net shape metal roller blanks for anti-friction bearings

1. A method of cold-forming near net shape metal roller blanks for anti-friction bearings comprising shearing a blank from wire of a predetermined size to a predetermined length, transferring the blank to a plurality of successive workstations, forming the blank at the workstations to create a main annular surface surrounding a latent rolling surface which can be machined away to produce said rolling surface, opposed roller end faces, and annular radiused corners at the ends of the main surface forming uniform transitions from the main surface to the end faces, the formation of the blank being performed in a manner such that the material forming the original sheared wire end faces is substantially fully excluded from the surface of the radiused corners, the blank being upset between a tool cavity and a die cavity, the blank being constrained by a floating die element capable of moving in the slide direction with the blank material while the blank is driven into the die cavity to shape the radiused corners of the blank so as to reduce the effects of friction between the blank and floating die element in the formation of the corners of the blank in the die cavity.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the blank is transferred from a workstation where the diameter of its mid-section is formed by the floating die element to a subsequent workstation having another floating die element associated with another die cavity.

3. A method as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the floating die elements are rings and the floating ring at the first mentioned workstation is sized to form the blank with a diameter at its mid-section that is a slip fit with the floating ring at the second mentioned workstation.

4. A method of cold-forming near net shape metal roller blanks for anti-friction bearings comprising shearing a blank from wire of a predetermined size to a predetermined length, transferring the blank to a plurality of successive workstations, forming the blank at the workstations to create a main annular surface surrounding a latent rolling surface which can be machined away to produce said rolling surface, opposed roller end faces, and annular radiused corners at the ends of the main surface forming uniform transitions from the main surface to the end faces, the formation of the blank being performed in a manner such that the material forming the original sheared wire end faces is substantially fully excluded from the surface of the radiused corners, said blank at a final workstation being formed by tool and die cavities carried in respective cases, said cases being arranged to limit movement of the final workstation tool and die cavities at the front dead center of a slide carrying said tool cavities.

5. A method of cold-forming near net shape metal roller blanks for anti-friction bearings comprising shearing a blank from wire of a predetermined size to a predetermined length, transferring the blank to a plurality of successive workstations, forming the blank at the workstations to create a main annular surface surrounding a latent rolling surface which can be machined away to produce said rolling surface, opposed roller end faces, and annular radiused corners at the ends of the main surface forming uniform transitions from the main surface to the end faces, the formation of the blank being performed in a manner such that the material forming the original sheared wire end faces is substantially fully excluded from the surface of the radiused corners, the tools being maintained in a limited operating temperature range by circulation of coolant liquid through tool cases on a die breast and reciprocating slide.