Apparatus for fabricating drip irrigation tape

摘要

An apparatus is disclosed for fabricating drip irrigation tape from a water impervious polyethelene film. A shaping assembly with a water-cooled vacuum drum preforms a groove along one edge, a folding device folds the strip lengthwise to form a first conduit, and a sealing assembly with an electrically-heated heat sealing wheel joins the edges along opposite sides of the groove to form a seam in which the groove defines a secondary conduit that is resistant to deformation. Flat spots on a pair of outwardly-extending annular ribs around the circumference of the heat sealing wheel produce breaks in the seam for inlet ports and outlet ports.