Patent ID: 6935137

Claim:
A method of forming a discharge tube for a low-pressure discharge lamp, the discharge tube having at least one curved section, the method comprising the steps of: fastening a first end of a first bending section of the discharge tube with first clamping means, holding a second end of the first bending section of the discharge tube in an oriented position, the second end being opposite the first end, heating the first bending section to a softening temperature, exerting the bending moment of the softened first bending section between the first end and the second end of the softened first bending section for achieving the desired radius or direction of curvature of the first bending section, in which the holding of the second end of the softened first bending section and the exertion of the bending moment on the softened first bending section is effected at least partly with a re-solidified second bending section of the discharge tube, the re-solidified second bending section being adjacent to the softened first bending section forming a central portion of the discharge tube to an S-shape in a molding form before bending with the bending movement.