Flexible tubing and novel manufacturing methods for making such a tubing

A thin-walled, flexible and collapse-resistant thermoplastic tubing having a substantially smooth bore and a helical outer support bead structure, the tubing including plural conductors helically disposed within said support bead structure, said tubing comprising:

• a flexible tubing wall formed of an elongate thermoplastic ribbon while molten being helically wrapped repeatedly on itself to partially overlap successive wraps of said ribbon a certain amount forming a helical lap joint where successive wraps of said ribbon heat-bond integrally to one another so that an elongate tubular body is formed;
• a second elongate thermoplastic portion while molten being helically wrapped about said tubular body at said lap joint and heat-bonding integrally thereto to form a plateau, said second elongate thermoplastic portion outwardly defining plural elongate fine-dimension grooves;
• plural elongate conductors disposed one in each of said plural fine-dimension grooves to extend helically around and along said elongate tubular body;
• said tubing further including an outwardly disposed elongate thermoplastic support bead extending helically around and along said elongate tubular body, said support bead being disposed atop of said plateau and said conductors, whereby said tubular body, said plateau and said support bead are integrally heat bonded together to form a unitary structure.

A thin-walled, flexible and collapse-resistant thermoplastic tubing having a substantially smooth bore and a helical outer support bead structure, the tubing including plural conductors helically disposed within said support bead structure, said tubing comprising:

• a flexible tubing wall formed of an elongate thermoplastic ribbon while molten being helically wrapped repeatedly on itself to partially overlap successive wraps of said ribbon a certain amount forming a helical lap joint where successive wraps of said ribbon heat-bond integrally to one another so that an elongate tubular body is formed;
• a second elongate thermoplastic portion while molten being helically wrapped about said tubular body at said lap joint and heat-bonding integrally thereto to form a plateau, said second elongate thermoplastic portion defining plural elongate fine-dimension grooves;
• elongate conductors disposed in said plural fine-dimension grooves to extend helically around and along said elongate tubular body;
• said tubing further including an outwardly disposed elongate thermoplastic support bead extending helically around and along said elongate tubular body, said support bead being disposed atop of said plateau and said conductors, whereby said tubular body, said plateau and said support bead are integrally heat bonded together to form a unitary structure.

A method for making a helically wound, seamless plastic tubing comprising the steps of:

• forming an elongate ribbon of molten thermoplastic, helically wrapping said elongate ribbon so that it partially overlaps itself to form a helical lap joint and simultaneously heat-bonds to itself to form an elongate tubular body;
• forming a second elongate thermoplastic portion defining an elongate groove;
• integrally heat bonding said second elongate thermoplastic portion to said tubular body;
• and
• laying an elongate conductor helically around and along said tubular body within said at least one elongate groove of said second elongate portion.