Apparatus and method for pressing an outer wall of pipe

1. A method of pressing an outer wall of polymer pipe, the method comprising:

extruding a layer of polymer onto a pipe to form an outer wall of pipe;

conveying the pipe including the outer wall of pipe through a pressing apparatus having: a frame having an annular carriage configured to rotate about an axis; a translating member configured to translate radially inward and radially outward relative to the annular carriage, and having opposing angled faces; at least two opposing spring-biased cam followers configured to engage the opposing angled faces and bias the translating member in a direction that is radially inward; and a press roller attached to the translating member and configured to orbit around said axis on a path defined by the annular carriage; and

urging the press roller against an exterior surface of the outer wall as the press roller orbits about the pipe conveyed through the pressing apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pipe is a dual-wall pipe comprising a smooth inner wall and a corrugated wall, and said extruding a layer of polymer includes extruding a layer of polymer from a cross-head die onto the corrugated wall.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the method further includes rotating the annular carriage about the pipe such that the press roller orbits about the pipe conveyed through the pressing apparatus.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the press roller is rotatably mounted to a bracket disposed on the annular carriage, said method further includes rotating the press roller about a portion of the bracket while urging the press roller against the exterior surface of the outer wall of polymer pipe.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the step of rotating the annular carriage comprises providing a drive belt around the annular carriage and rotating the drive belt so as to rotate the annular carriage.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said rotating the drive belt comprises providing a motor in connection with the drive belt and operating the motor so as to selectively rotate the annular carriage.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: rotating the annular carriage at a pre-determined angular velocity.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the pre-determined angular velocity is calculated based on an outer diameter of the pipe and an axial velocity of the pipe being conveyed through the pressing apparatus.

9. An apparatus for pressing an outer wall of polymer pipe, the apparatus comprising:

a frame having an annular carriage configured to rotate about an axis;

a translating member configured to translate radially inward and radially outward relative to the annular carriage, said translating member having opposing angled faces;

at least two opposing spring-biased cam followers configured to engage the opposing angled faces and bias the translating member in a direction that is radially inward; and

a press roller attached to the translating member and configured to orbit around said axis on a path defined by the annular carriage;

wherein the press roller is configured to press an outer wall of polymer pipe when the pipe is conveyed through the annular carriage.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the frame comprises a bearing, and the annular carriage is configured to rotate about a center point of the annular carriage, as guided by the bearing.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the frame comprises four bearings, each of the four bearings being disposed on a quadrant of the frame, and the annular carriage is configured to rotate about a center point of the annular carriage, as guided by the four bearings.

12. An apparatus for pressing an outer wall of polymer pipe, the apparatus comprising:

a frame having a bearing;

an annular carriage configured to rotate about an axis as guided by the bearing;

a translating member configured to translate radially inward and radially outward relative to the annular carriage, said translating member having opposing angled faces;

at least two opposing spring-biased cam followers configured to engage the opposing angled faces and bias the translating member in a direction that is radially inward; and

a press roller translatably mounted to the translating member and configured to orbit around said axis on a path defined by the annular carriage;

wherein the press roller is configured to press an outer wall of polymer pipe when the pipe is conveyed through the annular carriage.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising a bracket configured to mount the press roller to the translating member, wherein the press roller is configured to rotate about a portion of the bracket.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the frame comprises four bearings, each of the four bearings being disposed on a quadrant of the frame, and the annular carriage is configured to rotate about a center point of the annular carriage, as guided by the four bearings.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the press roller is generally cylindrical in shape and, at either end of the cylindrical shape, is angled toward an axis about which the press roller rotates.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein each of the spring-biased cam followers is engaged with a threaded bolt configured to adjust an axial length of a compression spring disposed in the spring-biased cam follower, for modifying an amount of bias provided by the spring biased cam follower.

17. The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising a bracket configured to mount the press roller to the translating member, wherein the press roller is configured to rotate about a portion of the bracket.

18. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the press roller is generally cylindrical in shape and, at either end of the cylindrical shape, is angled toward an axis about which the press roller rotates.

19. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the frame comprises four bearings, each of the four bearings being disposed on a quadrant of the frame, and the annular carriage is configured to rotate about a center point of the annular carriage, as guided by the four bearings.

20. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the each of the spring-biased cam followers is engaged with a threaded bolt configured to adjust an axial length of a compression spring disposed in the spring-biased cam follower, for modifying an amount of bias provided by the spring biased cam follower.