Hand held flaring tool

A hand held flaring tool for flaring an end of a pipe or tube, said hand held flaring tool comprising:

• a body portion having a receiving end configured for receiving the pipe or tube therein and a stop element that is movably disposed at said receiving end and is movable to a stopping position, where said stop element limits insertion of the pipe or tube in said receiving end to set the pipe or tube at an appropriate location for flaring the end of the pipe or tube;
• wherein said body portion comprises a locking actuator operable to actuate and power a locking mechanism at said receiving end to secure the pipe or tube at said receiving end when the pipe or tube is inserted into engagement with said stop element in the stopping position;
• wherein said locking mechanism comprises a multi-piece collet that has a plurality of collet portions and that receives the pipe or tube therethrough and that is movable relative to a collar to cause collapsing of said collet onto the pipe or tube to clamp and secure the pipe or tube relative to said collet and said receiving end, and wherein said collet comprises an internal biasing element that urges said collet portions away from the pipe or tube when said collet is positioned relative to said collar to allow for expansion of said collet;
• wherein said body portion comprises a flaring actuator operable to actuate and power a flaring mechanism to move a flaring mandrel at the end of the pipe or tube to flare the end of the pipe or tube when the stop element is moved from the stopping position;
• wherein said body portion comprises a housing that encases said flaring actuator, said locking actuator, said locking mechanism and said flaring mechanism;
• a handle portion extending from said body portion, wherein said handle portion comprises a grip portion that is configured to be grasped by a user's hand operating said hand held flaring tool for supporting said body portion of said flaring tool during a flaring process of the pipe or tube;
• a user input disposed at and accessible at said handle portion, said user input being spaced from the flaring mechanism and the locking mechanism;
• wherein, while the user is holding the handle portion to support the hand held flaring tool, the user is able to access and actuate said user input;
• wherein one of said flaring mechanism and said locking mechanism is actuated and powered by actuation of said user input by the user holding said handle portion and supporting said hand held flaring tool;
• and
• wherein the other of said flaring mechanism and said locking mechanism is actuated and powered by the user holding said handle portion and supporting said hand held flaring tool.

A method for flaring an end of a pipe or tube with a hand held flaring tool, said method comprising:

• providing the hand held flaring tool comprising a body portion and a handle portion extending from the body portion;
• wherein the handle portion comprises a grip portion that is configured to be grasped by a user for supporting the body portion of the hand held flaring tool while flaring the pipe or tube;
• while the user is holding the handle portion to support the hand held flaring tool, receiving the pipe or tube in a receiving end of the body portion of the hand held flaring tool;
• limiting insertion of the pipe or tube in the receiving end by a stop element movably disposed at the receiving end, wherein the stop element is positionable at a stopping position to contact the end of the pipe or tube to set the pipe or tube at an appropriate location for flaring the end of the pipe or tube;
• while the user is holding the handle portion to support the hand held flaring tool, actuating by the user a locking mechanism at the receiving end to secure the pipe or tube at the receiving end when the pipe or tube is inserted into engagement with the stop element in the stopping position;
• wherein said locking mechanism comprises a multi-piece collet that has a plurality of collet portions and that receives the pipe or tube therethrough and that is movable relative to a collar to cause collapsing of said collet onto the pipe or tube to clamp and secure the pipe or tube relative to said collet and said receiving end, and wherein said collet comprises an internal biasing element that urges said collet portions away from the pipe or tube when said collet is positioned relative to said collar to allow for expansion of said collet;
• while the user is holding the handle portion to support the hand held flaring tool, actuating by the user a flaring mechanism to move a flaring mandrel in the body portion to flare the end of the pipe or tube when the stop element is moved from the stopping position;
• and
• while the user is holding the handle portion to support the hand held flaring tool, one of the flaring mechanism and the locking mechanism is actuated and powered by actuation of a user input that is disposed at the handle portion, spaced from the flaring mechanism and the locking mechanism, and accessible by the user holding the handle portion to support the hand held flaring tool.