Method of making tubing have drainage holes
A method for manufacturing a kink-resistant tube having drainage holes is provided. A wire is coated with plastic material and wound around a mandrel forming a plurality of windings. The wound coated wire is heated until the plastic coating material melts and bonds the wire windings to form a wire-reinforced sheath having wire-containing sections and non-wire containing sections. Alternatively, a coated or non-coated wire is wound around a mandrel together with separate polymer filament material and then heated. A filament having an elongated cross-section may be employed with the major axis of the elongated cross-section substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sheath. At least one non-wire containing section is identified by passing light through at least one wall of the wire-reinforced sheath. Image capture and analysis via an optical system and microprocessor automatically identify regions to target a drill for forming holes in the non-wire containing sections.
1. A method for manufacturing a kink-resistant tube having holes, comprising:
coating a wire with a plastic material;
winding the coated wire into a single coil around a mandrel forming a plurality of windings;
heating the wound coated wire until the plastic material of the wire melts and bonds the windings forming a wire-reinforced sheath having wire-containing sections and polymer-filled non-wire containing sections;
removing the sheath from the mandrel;
placing the wire-reinforced sheath between a source of light and a camera after removing the sheath from the mandrel;
directing light through the sheath from the exterior source of light;
identifying at least one non-wire containing section;
detecting with the camera adjacent darker wire-containing sections relative to the lighter non-wire containing sections using light transmission through the coated wire;
drilling through the detected lighter sections; and
forming at least one hole in the non-wire containing section.
2. The method of claim 1 further including the step of using light transmission through the wire-reinforced sheath to identify the non-wire containing sections.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of identifying at least one non-wire containing section includes using a light sensor to detect relative light and dark areas.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of coating the wire having a longitudinal axis includes coating a wire with plastic material formed into an elongate cross-section taken perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of winding the wire around the mandrel such that the major axis of the elongate cross-section is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mandrel.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of forming at least one hole includes forming an elongate hole having a major axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sheath.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of identifying at least one non-wire containing section includes the step of detecting at least one wire-containing section.
8. A method for manufacturing a kink-resistant tube having holes, comprising:
coating a wire with a plastic material;
winding the coated wire into a single coil around a mandrel forming a plurality of windings;
heating the wound coated wire until the plastic material of the wire melts and bonds the windings forming a wire-reinforced sheath having wire-containing sections and polymer-filled non-wire containing sections;
removing the sheath from the mandrel;
placing the wire-reinforced sheath between a source of light and a camera after removing the sheath from the mandrel;
directing light through the sheath from the exterior source of light;
identifying at least two adjacent wire containing sections;
detecting with the camera adjacent darker wire-containing sections relative to the lighter non-wire containing sections using light transmission through the coated wire;
drilling through the detected lighter sections; and
forming at least one hole between the two adjacent wire-containing sections.
9. The method of claim 8 further including passing a light through at least one wall of the wire-reinforced sheath.
10. The method of claim 8 further including the step of increasing the pitch of the wire coil to increase the width of the light sections when light is passed.
11. The method of claim 1 further including the step of directing a drill to incorporate holes anywhere except dark sections of the sheath.
12. The method of claim 1 further including the step of directing a drill to incorporate holes within a specified distance of a dark section.
13. The method of claim 1 further including the step of transmitting at least one information pertaining to the light and dark sections to a processor.
14. The method of claim 13 further including the step of analyzing the at least one information according to an algorithm to direct a drill safely through the light sections.