Patent ID: 8056229

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a substantially cylindrical, cage-like, tubular structure, comprising: providing at least two exo-skeleton subassemblies each including a plurality of arch supports interconnected and fixed relative to one another by longitudinal members to provide a relatively stiff structural base upon which the substantially cylindrical, cage-like, tubular structure is assembled; placing a plurality of n-packs of tubes on a first one of the exo-skeleton subassemblies and longitudinally welding the n-packs of tubes to each other to form a first portion of an enclosure wall of the tubular structure; placing a plurality of n-packs of tubes on a second one of the exo-skeleton subassemblies and longitudinally welding the n-packs of tubes to each other to form a second portion of an enclosure wall of the tubular structure; rotating one of the exo-skeleton subassemblies towards the other exo-skeleton subassembly causing one of the plurality of n-packs of tubes to be rotated towards the other plurality of n-packs of tubes so that ends of the first and second portions of the enclosure wall are adjacent to one another and securing the exo-skeleton subassemblies together to form an exo-skeleton assembly; and welding the adjacent ends of the first and second wall enclosure portions to one another to form the substantially cylindrical, cage-like, tubular structure within the exoskeleton.