Patent 7114358 was granted and assigned to Arrow Fabricated Tubing on October, 2006 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A method and apparatus for expanding a free end of a tube by use of a fluted spinning tool. The fluted spinning tool of the present invention, when rotated at a predetermined speed into the free end of the tube, produces a combination of force, rotation, and heat which results in uniform expansion of the free end of the tube. Further, the fluted spinning tool of the present invention allows for the rapid and efficient production of expanded tube parts, such parts being evenly formed with minimal bias on the expanded free ends of the tubes.