Matsushita Electronics Corporation

Shunji Asai

Toshiyoshi Oga

Masaru Saito

A device for manufacturing a spiral fluorescent tube is disclosed. The device includes a rod aerially supported in a first predetermined direction; a first clamp supporting a straight fluorescent tube in a second direction which is at right angles to the first predetermined direction; heating device for heating a part of the straight fluorescent tube, which is not facing the rod, to a glass softening temperature; two second clamps disposed in a direction parallel to the rod for clamping ends of the straight fluorescent tube; and device for winding the straight fluorescent tube around the rod by rotating the two second clamps in opposite directions to each other around an axis of the rod while shifting the two second clamps away from each other in a direction parallel to the first predetermined direction.

Apparatus for manufacturing spiral fluorescent tube

A fluorescent tube which is used for bulb-type fluorescent lamps is spirally wound, so that the effective length of the tube is increased. While a fluorescent tube is kept vertical, it is rotated and heated evenly at the part to be wound to a glass softening temperature or above by a heating device. The rotation of the fluorescent tube is stopped, and the part which is not facing a rod are heated. Then, the tube is clamped from a horizontal direction by a pair of clamps, and is wound around the rod at least 2.5 times by rotating the clamp arms in opposite directions while the arms gradually shift away from each other.

Growing community of inventors

Otsu, Japan

Shunji Asai