Patent ID: 7670528

Claim:
A system of manufacturing a filter cartridge comprising: a tube of laminated and seamed filter media; a media unwind mechanism, the tube of laminated and seamed filter media being operatively positioned on the media unwind mechanism; a mandrel having a cone-shaped staffing point operatively positioned proximate the media unwind mechanism; structure, operatively positioned proximate the mandrel, for feeding the tube of laminated and seamed filter media into the cone-shaped starting point of the mandrel; structure, operatively positioned proximate the mandrel, for pressurizing the tube of laminated and seamed filter media with a gas; a pleater mechanism, operatively positioned proximate the mandrel; at least two blade mechanisms, each blade mechanism comprising three (3) pleating blade mechanisms each comprising a pleating blade, operatively associated with the pleater mechanism, for alternately engaging the tube of laminated and seamed filter media with the at least two blade mechanisms in a filter media pleat forming area; structure, operatively positioned proximate the pleater mechanism, for moving newly formed pleated filter media downstream; structure for compressing the tube of laminated and seamed filter media radially toward the mandrel; structure for engaging the pleated tube of laminated and seamed filter media downstream of the filter media pleat forming area structure, operatively contacting the pleated tube of laminated and seamed filter media, for moving the newly formed pleated filter media downstream of the pleater mechanism structure, operatively positioned downstream of the pleater mechanism, for severing the newly formed pleated filter media a cartridge assembly station having a spindle; and a spin weld arm having a spin-weld chuck operatively positioned therein, the cartridge assembly station being operatively positioned proximate the mandrel.