Shutter-type crimper

A crimping device for crimping a first work piece onto a second work piece located internal to said first work piece, said crimping device comprising, in combination:

• at least two jaws forming a throat surface about the first work piece and movable between a partially closed position wherein the first work piece is not crimped onto the second work piece and a closed position wherein the jaws engage and crimp the first work piece onto the second work piece;
• wherein the throat surface is substantially continuous about the first work piece as the jaws move from the partially closed position to the closed position;
• wherein at least two of the jaws overlap in a longitudinal direction of the throat surface and slide against each other as the jaws move from the partially closed position to the closed position;
• wherein the overlap of the jaws in the longitudinal direction interlocks each of the jaws with adjacent jaws to constrain the jaws against longitudinal movement relative to one another in both longitudinal directions and coordinates movement of the jaws so that each of the jaws can only move along one sliding path relative to adjacent jaws;
• and
• wherein the throat surface has a longitudinal centerline and the overlap of the jaws in the longitudinal direction is formed by planar contact between the jaws substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline.

A method for crimping a first work piece onto a second work piece located internal to said first work piece, said method comprising steps of, in combination:

• providing at least two jaws forming a throat surface about the first work piece;
• moving the jaws from a partially closed position wherein the first work piece is not crimped onto the second work piece to a closed position wherein the jaws engage and deform the first work piece onto the second work piece to form a fluid-tight seal;
• maintaining the throat surface substantially continuous about the first work piece as the jaws move from the partially closed position to the closed position;
• overlapping at least two of the jaws in a longitudinal direction of the throat surface and sliding the overlapping jaws against each other as the jaws move from the partially closed position to the closed position;
• and
• overlapping the jaws in the longitudinal direction to interlock each of the jaws with adjacent jaws to constrain the jaws against longitudinal movement relative to one another in both longitudinal directions and to coordinate movement of the jaws so that each of the jaws can only move along one sliding path relative to adjacent jaws.

A crimping device for crimping a work piece, said crimping device comprising, in combination:

• at least two jaws forming a throat surface about the first work piece and movable between a partially closed position and a closed position wherein the jaws reduce a perimeter of the work piece along a contact path of the through surface;
• wherein the throat surface is substantially continuous about the first work piece as the jaws move from the partially closed position to the closed position;
• wherein each of said jaws is in continuous sliding area contact with adjacent ones of said jaws on surfaces parallel to a central axis of the throat surface as the jaws move from the partially closed position to the closed position;
• and
• wherein each of the jaws rotates relative to at least one other of said jaws with said rotation in a plane normal to the central axis of said throat surface.

A circumference reduction device comprising, in combination:

• at least two jaws forming a throat surface about a work piece and movable between a partially closed position wherein the work piece is not circumferentially reduced and a closed position wherein the jaws engage and circumferentially reduce the work piece;
• wherein the throat surface is a substantially continuous surface about the work piece as the jaws move from the partially closed position to the closed position;
• and
• wherein the substantially continuous throat surface provides uniform compression to circumferentially reduce the work piece without non-uniformities as the jaws move from the partially closed position to the closed position.