Manufacture of insulated electric conductors

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A CONDUCTOR INSULATED WITH POWDER AND ENCLOSED IN A METAL TUBE, BY A CONTINUOUS PROCESS, COMPRISING CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS LENGTH A METAL STRIP, SUBJECTING THE SAID STRIP, AS IT ADVANCES, TO A TRANSVERSE BENDING TO EFFECT RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF APPROACH OF ITS LONGITUDINAL EDGES AND TO GIVE TO THE STRIP A TUBULAR SHAPE WITH A GAP BETWEEN ITS LONGITUDINAL EDGES, CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING A CONDUCTOR IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS LENGTH INTO THE TUBULAR SHAPED PART OF THE STRIP, SUPPLYING INSULATING MATERIAL IN THE FORM OF POWDER THROUGH THE GAP BETWEEN THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF THE TUBULAR PART OF THE STRIP TO THE INTERIOR OF THAT PART, JOINING TOGETHER THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF THE TUBULAR PART AT A PLACE IN ADVANCE OF THAT AT WHICH THE SUPPLY OF INSULATING POWDER TAKES PLACE THEREBY FORMING A COMPLETE TUBE, PUSHING FORWARD THE POWDER IN THE TUBULAR PART TO A PLACE ADJACENT THAT AT WHICH THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES HAVE BEEN JOINED TOGETHER AND REDUCING THE DIAMETER OF THE COMPLETE TUBE, THEREBY COMPRESSING THE POWDER THEREIN.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A CONDUCTOR INSULATED WITH POWDER AND ENCLOSED IN A METAL TUBE, BY A CONTINUOUS PROCESS, COMPRISING CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS LENGTH A METAL STRIP, SUBJECTING THE SAID STRIP, AS IT ADVANCES, TO A TRANSVERSE BENDING TO EFFECT RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF APPROACH OF ITS LONGITUDINAL EDGES AND TO GIVE TO THE STRIP A TUBULAR SHAPE WITH A GAP BETWEEN ITS LONGITUDINAL EDGES, CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING A CONDUCTOR IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS LENGTH INTO THE TUBULAR SHAPED PART OF THE STRIP, SUPPLYING INSULATING MATERIAL IN THE FORM OF POWDER THROUGH THE GAP BETWEEN THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF THE TUBULAR PART OF THE STRIP TO THE INTERIOR OF THAT PART, JOINING TOGETHER THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF THE TUBULAR PART AT A PLACE IN ADVANCE OF THAT AT WHICH THE SUPPLY OF INSULATING POWDER TAKES PLACE THEREBY FORMING A COMPLETE TUBE, PUSHING FORWARD THE POWDER IN THE TUBULAR PART TO A PLACE ADJACENT THAT AT WHICH THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES HAVE BEEN JOINED TOGETHER AND REDUCING THE DIAMETER OF THE COMPLETE TUBE, THEREBY COMPRESSING THE POWDER THEREIN.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE, AS A CONTINUOUS OPERATION, OF A POWDER-INSULATED CONDUCTOR ENCLOSED IN A METAL TUBE, COMPRISING A SHAPING DIE WHICH TRANSVERSELY BENDS A METAL STRIP PASSING THERETHROUGH TO FORM AN INCOMPLETE TUBE HAVING A GAP BETWEEN ITS LONGITUDINAL EDGES, A RECIPROCABLE RAM WORKING IN A BORE IN THE SHAPING DIE, A DEVICE FOR FEEDING A POWDER INSULANT THROUGH THE GAP IN THE INCOMPLETE TUBE TO THE INTERIOR OF THE LATTER IN FRONT OF THE RECIPROCABLE RAM, MEANS FOR CLOSING THE GAP IN THE INCOMPLETE TUBE TO FORM A COMPLETE TUBE, THE SAID GAP-CLOSING MEANS BEING MOUNTED IN ADVANCE OF THE POWDER-FEEDING DEVICE, A DRAWING-DOWN DIE MOUNTED IN ADVANCE OF THE GAP-CLOSING MEANS, AND MEANS FOR DRAWING THE COMPLETE TUBE TOGETHER WITH A WIRE AND POWDER INSULANT THEREIN THROUGH THE DRAWING-DOWN DIE, REDUCING THE DIAMETER OF THE TUBE AND COMPRESSING THE POWDER THEREIN.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE, AS A CONTINUOUS OPERATION, OF A POWDER-INSULATED CONDUCTOR ENCLOSED IN A METAL TUBE, COMPRISING A SHAPING DIE WHICH TRANSVERSELY BENDS A METAL STRIP PASSING THERETHROUGH TO FORM AN INCOMPLETE TUBE HAVING A GAP BETWEEN ITS LONGITUDINAL EDGES, A RECIPROCABLE RAM WORKING IN A BORE IN THE SHAPING DIE, A DEVICE FOR FEEDING A POWDER INSULANT THROUGH THE GAP IN THE INCOMPLETE TUBE TO THE INTERIOR OF THE LATTER IN FRONT OF THE RECIPROCABLE RAM, MEANS FOR CLOSING THE GAP IN THE INCOMPLETE TUBE TO FORM A COMPLETE TUBE, THE SAID GAP-CLOSING MEANS BEING MOUNTED IN ADVANCE OF THE POWDER-FEEDING DEVICE, A DRAWING-DOWN DIE MOUNTED IN ADVANCE OF THE GAP-CLOSING MEANS, AND MEANS FOR DRAWING THE COMPLETE TUBE TOGETHER WITH A WIRE AND POWDER INSULANT THEREIN THROUGH THE DRAWING-DOWN DIE, REDUCING THE DIAMETER OF THE TUBE AND COMPRESSING THE POWDER THEREIN.