FLAT HEAT PIPE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flat heat pipe and a method for manufacturing the same, wherein no recesses are formed even if the degree of flattening process of a metal pipe is rendered large, readily processed in finishing, and cost can be reduced irrespective of the length of the pipe. SOLUTION: A flat heat pipe 3 which is originated from a metal circular pipe 1 comprises a pair of flat parts consisting of an upper flat part 3A and a lower flat part 3B which extend in parallel with each other, and a pair of end parts consisting of a left end part 3E and a right end part 3E which connect both ends of the part 3A and the part 3B, respectively, and have a given curvature. The part 3A and the part 3B are free from inwardly deformed recesses. The pipe 1 is processed by a pair of molds consisting of an upper elliptic mold 10A and a lower elliptic mold 10B and having a recess 10C of an elliptic shape, so that the pipe 1 is shaped into an elliptic form to obtain an elliptic pipe 2. The pipe 2 is further processed by a pair of molds consisting of an upper mold 11A and a lower mold 11B so as to be flattened, thereby obtaining the flat heat pipe having the upper and lower flat parts 3A, 3B and a pair of end parts 3E.