Patent ID: 7013778

Claim:
A tube cutting device for producing a plurality of cuts around tubing which has a profiled exterior surface and which is passed through the device, said device including a plurality of cutting stations located at different circumferential positions around a tube passage through said device, said cutting stations being radially adjustable to different radially adjusted cutting positions relative to said tube passage to accommodate cutting of different tube diameters, each cutting station comprising a power driven mounting shaft having a threaded means rotatable therewith and slidable along said mounting shaft, said threaded means including a changing pitch profiled exterior surface for pushing the tubing through said device and moving said threaded means on said shaft between an upstream position and a downstream position as a function of a drive speed of said power driven mounting shaft, said threaded means including a cutting member extending from one side of said threaded means, said changing pitch profiled exterior surface being sized to engage the profiled exterior surface of the tubing and causing said cutting member to move into and away from a cutting position at the tubing and to move said threaded means and said cutter along the mounting shaft axially of the tube passage at the speed of said tubing during engagement of said cutting member with said tubing; said changing pitch profiled exterior surface of said threaded means, the drive speed of said drive shaft and the profiled surface of the tubing cooperating to move said threaded means along the mounting shaft between said upstream position and said downstream position axially of the tube passage; and wherein at least some of said cutting stations include a common linkage arrangement for common movement of the radial position of said cutting stations from a cutting position to a clear position; wherein each mounting shaft includes a bearing arrangement supporting said mounting shaft intermediate its length to define a cantilevered tree end of said mounting shaft with a spring arrangement captured on said cantilevered end, said spring arrangement cooperating with said mounting shaft to exert a bias force on said threaded means urging said threaded means towards said upstream position, said spring arrangement moving said threaded means to said upstream position when said cutting stations are moved to a clear position.