Sleeve shrinking system with forced fluid adjusted thermal profile
Assignee3SAE Technologies, Inc.
InventorsCarmine J. Vetrano, Robert G. Wiley, Mathew W. Reed
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Abstract
A system and method for quickly heating a shrinkable casing around a relatively non-shrinkable object. As one example, the present invention may be used to shrink a sleeve around a strand, such as fiber or copper. A contact approach to heating the a loaded sleeve is used wherein a predetermined temperature profile is applied to prevent the trapping of air during shrinking. The thermal profile may be selectively controlled by the application of a fluid to the junction where heat is applied to the loaded sleeve.
Claims41
A system for shrinking a sleeve loaded with a strand, said system comprising:
- A. a heater, configured to generate a heat shrink temperature sufficient to shrink said sleeve;
- B. a sleeve holder configured to support said sleeve and to engage said heater, wherein said sleeve holder is configured to transfer heat to said sleeve;
- and
- C. a fluid delivery means configured to selectively direct a nonflammable fluid proximate to a junction of said sleeve holder and said sleeve to remove extraneous heat,
- wherein said sleeve holder and said fluid delivery means collectively affect a predetermined temperature profile defined such that gas is not trapped within said sleeve during said shrinking.
A method of shrinking a sleeve loaded with a strand, said method comprising:
- A. generating with a heater a heat shrink temperature sufficient to shrink said sleeve;
- B. supporting said sleeve with a sleeve holder;
- C. shrinking said sleeve according to a predetermined temperature profile defined such that gas is not trapped within said sleeve during said shrinking, including affecting said predetermined temperature profile, including:
- 1) transferring heat at substantially said heat shrink temperature from said heater to said sleeve via said sleeve holder;
- and
- 2) removing extraneous heat proximate to a junction of said sleeve holder and said sleeve through delivery of a nonflammable fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.