Patent ID: 7918380

Claim:
A tapered tube manufacturing apparatus, comprising: an entry station adapted to receive a tapered tube having an open, longitudinal seam with spaced longitudinal edges extending the length of the tapered tube; a feed line section moving the tapered tube from the entry section into a welding station while maintaining the longitudinal seam coincident with a pass center line which defines a direction of movement of the tapered tube through the entry station, the feed line section and the welding station; a pair of squeeze rolls in the welding station for moving the tapered tube through the welding station where the edges of the seam are heated, squeezing the open seam closed for welding the edges of the seam together, and moving the welded tapered tube into a cooling and transition station while maintaining the welded seam coincident with the pass center line; a pair of sizing rolls for moving the welded tapered tube from the cooling and transition station and through the sizing station so that a centerline extending longitudinally through the center of the welded tapered tube is coincident with the direction of movement of the welded tapered tube through the sizing station and the welded tapered tube is squeezed so that all cross sections of the welded tapered tube that are perpendicular to the centerline at any point along the length of tube, have the same shape.