Ardco, Inc.

Douglas B Laird

John T Strickland

William D Daggett

Jerry D Thompson

Larry Newsom, Sr

Steven R Cole

Johnny L Thurmond

John R Strickland

James W Adams

A header machine for drilling specified hole patterns in pipe and for cutting the pipe to a specified length to form headers for use in heat transfer products. The header machine includes hold clamps for selectively holding the pipe during the processing of the pipe and feed clamps for selectively holding the pipe during the feeding thereof through the header machine. The feed clamps are mounted on a feed carriage which is movably mounted for movement forwardly and rearwardly. The feed carriage is driven by a stepper motor operably coupled to the feed carriage for moving the feed carriage and the pipe endwise to various drilling positions. The header machine also includes a spud drill for drilling spud holes in the pipe, a connection drill for drilling connection holes in the pipe, a circular saw for cutting the pipe to a specified length, and provisions for making double circuit patterns of the spud hole. The various movements of the components of the machine are computer controlled and with data concerning the parameters of the header to be processed being entered by the operator into the keyboard of the computer which automatically writes a program for controlling such movements of the components.

Header machine

A mechanical expander for tubing for heat transfer products. The tubing expander includes one or more elongated rods, each having an enlargement on the forward end thereof for insertion into tubing to be expanded. The rods are supported on a carriage which in turn is slidably mount on a frame. The carriage is driven forwardly and rearwardly along the frame by a hydraulic motor operably coupled to the carriage by a continuous chain. Elongated tubes which are respectively fixedly attached to a cross member and which respectively partially surround the rods limit lateral or bowing movements of the rods. There are clamping jaws mounted on the frame for clampingly holding the ends of the tubing to be expanded. The rods along with the supports thereof are removably mounted on the carriage, the cross member is removably mounted on the frame, and the clamping jaws are removably mounted on the frame, so that the number of the rods, supports, elongated tubes, and clamping jaws may be changed to accommodate the number and center line spacing of the tubes in the coils to be expanded. A programmable logic controller controls the motion of the carriage during the operation of the expander.

Tubing expander

Growing community of inventors

Collierville, TN, United States of America

Douglas B Laird