The present invention relates to a forming head, a tube manufacturing unit with said forming head, and use of such a system for manufacture of spirally seamed tubes.
Manufacture of spirally seamed tubes involves the use of a tube manufacturing device. Such a tube manufacturing device is fed with a continuous metal strip which is shaped before it enters the device. The tube manufacturing device is provided with a forming head which is adapted to the shape of the metal strip. When the strip runs through the forming head, the spiral shape is thus imparted. Together with the forming head, the tube manufacturing device comprises an element adapted to putting the edge portions of the strip together to constitute the spirally formed tube. This process and feeding of metal strip to the forming head take place continuously and the feed direction of the tube is parallel with the longitudinal direction of the tube.
As mentioned above, in the state of the art, the forming head is adapted according to how the metal strip is configured. This means that for the strip to run consistently when entering the forming head and leaving the forming head, the forming head has to be so configured that it can receive the configured strip. However, this limits how the user can configure the strip. Accordingly, a different configuration of the metal strip will also mean that the forming head has to be replaced for being adapted to the new configuration.
An object of the present invention is to achieve a forming head adapted to receiving a running metal strip which comprises various types of configurations.
Another object of the invention is to overcome said problems of the state of the art.
A further object of the invention is to propose a device and a method which are cost-effective as compared with traditional technology, which device is easy to construct, making it possible to optimise cost and time.
The aforesaid and other objects are achieved according to the invention by the device described in the introduction being provided with the features arising from claim 1.
An advantage afforded by a device according to claim 1 is that the U-shaped profile can receive a running metal strip with a plurality of different configurations without need for replacement of forming head.
Preferred embodiments of the device according to the invention are further provided with the features indicated by dependent claims 2-7.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the inlet side and the outlet side of the forming head have said U profile, with the effect that the metal strip runs more consistently through the forming head, in which the legs of the U profile are contact surfaces, i.e. slide surfaces on which the strip runs, i.e. slides, during its whole travel through the forming head.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, said U profile comprises two legs linked together by a web, the width of said web being greater than the width of the legs. This makes it possible to choose from a plurality of variant configurations of the metal strip which run through the forming head.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, said U profile comprises two legs linked together by a web, the width of said web being greater than the height of the legs, with the effect that the height of said legs controls the height of the desired configuration of the metal strip so that said strip runs through the forming head in contact with said legs.
According to a further embodiment, the invention relates to a tube manufacturing unit comprising the forming head in accordance with the above.
According to a further embodiment, the invention relates to a system comprising a tube manufacturing unit in accordance with the above and a tube cutting unit.
According to a further embodiment, the invention relates to use of the system as above.
A preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention is described below in more detail with reference to the attached schematic drawings, which only depict the parts which are necessary for understanding the invention.
The forming head 300 including a U-shaped profile is adapted to receiving various configurations of the metal strip 6 which can be imparted by the shaping mill 8. This is depicted in the form of a piece of strip in
The invention is not limited to the embodiment depicted but may be varied and modified within the scope of the claims set out below, as partly described above.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
0900264-3 | Feb 2009 | SE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/SE2010/050218 | 2/25/2010 | WO | 00 | 9/12/2011 |