Method and apparatus for manufacturing filters
First Claim
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1. A method of fabricating a filter, comprising the steps of:
- positioning a bundle of tube-shaped filters opposite a heat source;
regulating a distance between said heat source and said bundle such that a relative motion therebetweeen is required to maintain a predefined non-zero separation distance between said bundle and said heat source while tips of said bundle melt due to heating;
causing a liquid to flow into a receiving space to surround ends of fibers of said bundle;
hardening said liquid to form a plug;
cutting said plug to form a header.
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Abstract
A problem in the manufacture of filters using tubular membrane bundles is keeping potting material from flowing into the openings at the ends of the tubes. A preferred embodiment of a method for manufacturing a tubular membrane filter employs a non-contact heat source such as radiant heating to melt the tips of the tubular membranes. This prevents the migration of potting material into the tubes when the potting material is flowed into the ends of tube bundles during the manufacturing process for a filter.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method of fabricating a filter, comprising the steps of:
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positioning a bundle of tube-shaped filters opposite a heat source;
regulating a distance between said heat source and said bundle such that a relative motion therebetweeen is required to maintain a predefined non-zero separation distance between said bundle and said heat source while tips of said bundle melt due to heating;
causing a liquid to flow into a receiving space to surround ends of fibers of said bundle;
hardening said liquid to form a plug;
cutting said plug to form a header. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A device for fabricating a filter, comprising:
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a centrifuge turntable with a fixture for holding a filter fiber bundle;
at least one heater movably mounted to be positioned at a first time to irradiate at least one end of said bundle when said turntable is in a first position and to retract away from a heating position at a second time;
said centrifuge being adapted for flowing potting fluid to ends of said filter housing and permitting said fluid to harden. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of fabricating a filter, comprising the steps of:
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positioning a bundle of tube-shaped filters opposite a planar heat source held offset from said bundle such that a lower portion thereof is slightly closer to said bundle than an upper portion thereof;
said heat source having a spacing from said bundle and a temperature such that a heating of said fibers is effective to melt said fibers by means of radiation. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of fabricating a filter that contains parallel tubular filter fibers that receive fluid at their ends which is filtered by the walls of said tubular filter fibers, in which fluid is distributed by a first header of the filter and collected by a second header, each header being located at a respective end of said tubular filter fibers, comprising the steps of:
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positioning a bundle of said tubular filter fibers opposite a heat source such that said heat source is near at least one of said ends of said tubular filter fibers;
after said step of positioning, irradiating the ends of said tubular filter fibers to melt them and thereby seal them with said heat source without contacting said heat source with said tubular filter fibers;
distributing potting material to the ends of the tubular filter fibers after said step of irradiating such that said potting material is prevented from entering said tubular filter fibers by a result of said step of irradiating and consequent sealing;
hardening said potting material to form a plug;
cutting said plug to form at least one of said headers. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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Specification