Patent ID: 8191393

Claim:
An apparatus for extruding at least one part from a plurality of billets, the apparatus comprising: an extrusion container having a first chamber and a second chamber for receiving a first billet and a second billet, respectively; and a die assembly including a plate and a mandrel, wherein the apparatus is operable to simultaneously force a first billet and a second billet into the die assembly to extrude a first part and a second part corresponding to the first billet and the second billet, respectively; wherein at least one of the first billet and the second billet is formed of copper or a copper alloy; wherein the extrusion container and the die assembly are preheated to a predetermined temperature; wherein the mandrel includes at least one weld chamber, the at least one weld chamber being operable to receive simultaneously a metal stream corresponding to the first billet and a metal stream corresponding to the second billet to join the first part and the second part within the die assembly to form a third part; wherein the third part is a multi-channel tube having a plurality of channels; wherein the first part is a first portion of the multi-channel tube; wherein the second part is a second portion of the multi-channel tube; and wherein the first and second portions are forced together in the weld chamber to produce solid-state welds to form continuous internal walls of the multi-channel tube, each of said continuous internal walls separating a pair of adjacent channels of the multi-channel tube.