FIELD: mechanical engineering; application of coatings. SUBSTANCE: spacer metal tube includes imprinted colored strip having gas-exchange openings. Metallic tape made, for example, of aluminum and used for manufacture of spacer tubes incorporates several longitudinal parallel imprinted colored strips. Essence of method for manufacture of spacer tubes resides in that several colored strips are imprinted in metallic tape surface one close another using rotary printing mechanism, paint is allowed to dry, metallic tape is longitudinally divided in between colored strips into separate lengths, and resultant metallic tapes are profiled and cut to length to produce spacer tubes. Apparatus designed for manufacture of spacer tubes or metallic tape incorporates printing mechanism, dryer, divider, profiling device preferably together with sealing device, and cutting device all positioned downstream of printing mechanism. EFFECT: more sophisticated design. 4 ind cl, 25 cl, 3 dwg
