ABSTRACT
Records indicate that the first slide forming machines were conceived in the mid1800s for production of buckles for military uniforms. The slide machines most commonly used today are likely the result of an evolutionary process that began with special machine builders that were confronted with requests to design and build a specific machine to produce a wire or flatcstock component in high quantities. At some point, it became evident that a previous design, with modifications, could be utilized to produce several different parts by changing the tooling. Over time, a standard line of machine sizes became available, and this evolution continues today as new models are developed to take advantage of new technologies. The parts illustrated in Fig. 1 represent the types of wire forms, flat-stock-formed stampings, and assemblies that can be produced economically on slide forming machines.
