PEX expansion tool
AssigneeMilwaukee Electric Tool Corporation
InventorPeter J. Davies
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An expansion tool includes a housing, a motor supported by the housing, a mandrel, and a drive mechanism configured to convert a rotational input from the motor into translational movement of the mandrel between an extended position and a retracted position. The expansion tool is configured to perform cycles of axially extending and retracting the mandrel. An elapsed time for one cycle of moving the mandrel from the retracted position to the extended position and back to the retracted position defines a cycle time of the expansion tool. The cycle time is one second or less.
Claims19
An expansion tool comprising:
- a housing;
- a motor supported by the housing;
- a working element coupled to the housing and including a plurality of jaws;
- a first mandrel;
- a second mandrel coupled to the first mandrel;
- and
- a drive mechanism configured to convert a rotational input from the motor into translational movement of the first mandrel and the second mandrel between an extended position and a retracted position,
- wherein the expansion tool is configured to perform cycles of axially extending and retracting the first mandrel and the second mandrel,
- wherein the first mandrel includes a first portion defining a first contact surface engageable with the jaws and the second mandrel includes a second portion defining a second contact surface engageable with the jaws,
- wherein the first contact surface is spaced from the second contact surface,
- wherein the first mandrel and the second mandrel are engageable with the jaws to move the jaws from a closed position toward an expanded position to expand an end of a tube in response to movement of the first mandrel and the second mandrel from the retracted position toward the extended position,
- wherein an elapsed time for one cycle of moving the first mandrel and the second mandrel from the retracted position to the extended position and back to the retracted position defines a cycle time of the expansion tool, and
- wherein the cycle time is one second or less.
An expansion tool comprising:
- a housing;
- a motor supported by the housing;
- a working element coupled to the housing, the working element including a plurality of jaws;
- a first mandrel;
- a second mandrel coupled to the first mandrel;
- and
- a drive mechanism configured to convert a rotational input from the motor into translational movement of the first mandrel and the second mandrel between an extended position and a retracted position,
- wherein the expansion tool is configured to perform cycles of axially extending and retracting the first mandrel and the second mandrel,
- wherein the first mandrel includes a first portion defining a first contact surface engageable with the jaws and the second mandrel includes a second portion defining a second contact surface engageable with the jaws,
- wherein the first contact surface is spaced from the second contact surface,
- wherein the first contact surface and the second contact surface bear against the jaws to expand the jaws when the first mandrel and the second mandrel move from the retracted position toward the extended position,
- wherein the first mandrel and the second mandrel are movable from the retracted position to the extended position in a first time period,
- wherein the first mandrel and the second mandrel are movable from the extended position to the retracted position in a second time period different than the first time period, and
- wherein the first time period and the second time period collectively define a cycle time of the expansion tool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.