Heat exchanger manufacturing system
US6487768B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 16, 2001 |
| Grant date | Dec 3, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 16, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/53361
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
Improved plastic heat exchanger production systems are described. The production systems are arranged to extrude plastic tubing, cut the tubing into segments of desired length and convey the tubing to a plurality of aligned tube inserters. Clip strips are feed through the tube inserters which sequentially automatically insert tube segments into the clip strips. The clip strips are then cut at desired lengths to provide tubing panels of a desired size or sizes. In a preferred system, header pipes are attached to the respective ends of the cut tubing panels to provide completed heat exchanger panels. When desired, heat exchangers having laterally offset tubes may be created by cutting one or more middle clip strips into spacer segments and rotating the spacer segments to laterally offset at least some of the tubes. In another aspect of the invention, improved tube inserters suitable for inserting plastic tubing into a plastic clip strip are described.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.