Machine and method of bending a longitudinal cylindrical pipe
AssigneeStelia Aerospace
InventorsDamien Sireude, Daniel Perherin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Machine for bending at least one longitudinal cylindrical pipe, the bending machine having at least one heating module configured so as to heat a longitudinal cylindrical pipe and at least one deformation module configured so as to deform a longitudinal portion of a longitudinal cylindrical pipe in order to bend it, said heating module having a plurality of heating units, each heating unit can include a peripheral heating body defining an internal opening adapted to allow the passage of a longitudinal portion of a longitudinal cylindrical pipe to be heated.
Claims23
A bending machine for bending a longitudinal cylindrical pipe, the bending machine comprising:
- a heating module configured to heat a longitudinal portion of the longitudinal cylindrical pipe comprising a thermoplastic material;
- and
- a deformation module configured to deform the longitudinal portion of the longitudinal cylindrical pipe in order to bend the longitudinal cylindrical pipe;
- wherein the heating module comprises a plurality of heaters emitting heat in the form of infrared radiation,
- wherein each heater of the plurality of heaters comprises a peripheral heating body defining an internal opening adapted to allow passage of the longitudinal portion of the longitudinal cylindrical pipe to be heated, and
- wherein the heating module comprises a peripheral support casing extending axially which comprises an inner face supporting the plurality of heaters, and
- wherein two consecutive heaters of the plurality of heaters are spaced between 5 mm and 50 mm apart along a longitudinal axis of the peripheral support casing.
A method of bending a longitudinal cylindrical pipe, the method comprising:
- a step of inserting a longitudinal portion of the longitudinal cylindrical pipe into internal openings of a plurality of heaters of a heating module,
- wherein the plurality of heaters are supported on an inner face of a peripheral support casing that extends axially, and
- wherein the longitudinal portion comprises a thermoplastic material;
- a step of heating at least part of the longitudinal portion to produce a heated part of the longitudinal portion by activating at least some of the heaters of the plurality of heaters to emit infrared radiation;
- and
- a step of deforming the heated part of the longitudinal portion of the longitudinal cylindrical pipe to bend the longitudinal cylindrical pipe.
A bending machine for bending a pipe comprising:
- a heating module for heating the pipe comprising a plurality of heaters in a spaced relationship,
- wherein each heater of the plurality of heaters is configured to emit infrared radiation when activated, and
- wherein each heater of the plurality of heaters comprises a peripheral heating body defining an internal opening adapted to allow a portion of the pipe to be heated to pass therethrough;
- a peripheral support casing having a wall, an exterior surface, and an interior surface defining an interior cavity having the plurality of heaters located therein in spaced relationship;
- a deformation module located downstream of the heating module, wherein the deformation module is configured to deform a thermoplastic portion of the pipe after the thermoplastic portion of the pipe is heated by the heating module.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.