Patent ID: 6953420

Claim:
A heated roller for warming a thermoplastic film, said roller having a tubular shape with an inner and outer surface and heating cartridges or passages for a heating medium positioned along the inner surface for the substantially uniform warming of the thermoplastic film positioned on the outer surface, which has a nonstick coating between it and the thermoplastic film, and wherein said roller comprises a series of detachably connected one-piece elements of a light weight metal, each element having an inner surface and an outer non-stick coated surface and two longitudinal edges, each longitudinal edge has a centering device that comprises either a groove or a projection, which groove or projection cooperates with the corresponding projection or groove on an adjacent element to form a smooth surface between the adjacent elements, and a web, located on the inner surface of the element near the lateral edge, which cooperates with a web on an adjacent element to provide a detachable connection between the longitudinal edges of adjacent elements, wherein the elements collectively define the tubular shape and can be individually replaced with a new element and wherein the tubular structure is maintained when inserting the new element.