Process for the manufacture of a launching tube for missiles

A process for the manufacture of a launching tube for missiles comprising a tubular element having guidance means on the inside for imparting spin to a missile fired from said tubular element, which comprises extruding a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic molding composition through an extrustion die to produce a tubular preform having a flow direction, a longitudinal axis and having at least one guide element located on an inside wall;

• said at least one guide element extending in parallel to the flow direction and to the longitudinal axis of the tubular preform within said extrusion die and exiting from said die in parallel to the longitudinal axis;
• and sizing the preform by passing the preform through a fixed sizing device having contact surfaces that shape and calibrate the preform into the tubular element having said guidance means on the inside, said sizing device imparting an axial twist to the preform as the preform passes through the sizing device to provide the at least one guide element with a helical configuration extending along the longitudinal axis of the tubular element, thereby forming said guidance means;
• the thus-sized tubular element leaving the sizing device with rotation corresponding to the axial twist imparted to said preform.