Patent ID: 7147451

Claim:
An apparatus for restoring a necked-down portion of a tubular plastic core to the nominal internal dimension of the core, the apparatus comprising: a molding station defining an annular shaping chamber having at least one surface engageable with the end of a core; a source of heat operably connected to the molding station to heat the surface of the shaping chamber; a curing station having a fixation member defining a surface engageable with at least the internal surfaces of the end of a core, the engagement surface being tapered with a maximum dimension substantially equal to the nominal inner dimension of the core; a cooling system operably connected to the curing station to cool the surface of the fixation member; and a core handling system for sequentially positioning the end of a core adjacent the molding station and the curing station, the core handling system comprising a carriage having at least one support member engageable with a core.