Abstract: A process and tool for reshaping and resizing grooves that were pre-formed in a pair of ferrules halves of an optical fiber ferrule. The pre-formed grooves are further subject to a separate, subsequent reshaping and resizing step using the tool and a gauge that may be a bare section of optical fiber or a pin. The ferrule halves are aligned, and using the pre-formed grooves as guides for the gauge optical fiber or gauge pin, the ferrule halves are compressed together with the gauge optical fiber or gauge pin therebetween, thereby reshaping and resizing the respective grooves on the ferrule halves. After reshaping and resizing, the resultant groove that is finally formed on each ferrule halve would be precisely shaped, sized and located with respect to the external alignment surface of each ferrule halve. The ferrule halves may be used to terminate an optical fiber cable.

Abstract: A process and tool for reshaping and resizing grooves that were pre-formed in a pair of ferrules halves of an optical fiber ferrule. The pre-formed grooves are further subject to a separate, subsequent reshaping and resizing step using the tool and a gauge that may be a bare section of optical fiber or a pin. The ferrule halves are aligned, and using the pre-formed grooves as guides for the gauge optical fiber or gauge pin, the ferrule halves are compressed together with the gauge optical fiber or gauge pin therebetween, thereby reshaping and resizing the respective grooves on the ferrule halves. After reshaping and resizing, the resultant groove that is finally formed on each ferrule halve would be precisely shaped, sized and located with respect to the external alignment surface of each ferrule halve. The ferrule halves may be used to terminate an optical fiber cable.

Abstract: Plastic pipe is belled under pressure by inserting what is, in effect, a telescoping mandrel into a heat-softened pipe end with great axial force immediately after two mold halves with cavities defining the desired bell configurations have been brought together under pressure. The softened pipe end is not only expanded to a bell configuration by the mandrel, but is compressed by the radial annular end wall of a sleeve which slides axially over the mandrel into the spacing between the mandrel and the mold halves defining the bell-shaped cavity. Thereby, not only may the heat-softened pipe end be molded to assume an exact configuration to a high degree of tolerance, but the normal thinning of the walls of the pipe end which occurs with its belling may be re-thickened by the axial compression of the sleeve to the original pipe wall thickness.

Abstract: A multiple station plastic pipe belling machine in which an endless conveyor periodically receives one of a series of plastic pipes as each pipe is dumped from a V-trough receiving such pipes in sequence after their extrusion and cutting into predetermined pipe lengths, disposes the pipes so received parallel to, but spaced from, each other and advances the thus-disposed pipes in predetermined increments; positions the pipes in such a manner that their ends to be belled are first passed in such increments through a heater adjacent the edge of the endless conveyor, while the pipes are continuously rotated until each pipe passes out of the heater and is then carried in such increments by the endless conveyor into the first of a plurality of belling stations where a pair of semi-circular clamps encircle the pipe end and a mandrel or plug is inserted therein.