Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Michael A Breda

George K Snyder

Peter A Lyon

Terry J Hunt

A loose assembly of parts which are not secured is moved from a pallet on a conveyor to a banding station. The assembly may vary in size and a machine readable tag on the pallet bears the size information. A transfer apparatus reads the tag and adjusts a clamp size to fit the assembly. An elevator lifts the assembly from the pallet to the clamp and guide fingers hold the assembly together during the transit. The clamp is suspended from an overhead trolley which carries the clamp and assembly to the banding station where the assembly is released. A lift cylinder on the trolley raises the clamp to clear the assembly and the clamp is then returned to its position above the conveyor, lowered, and adjusted to receive another assembly.

Transfer method for various sizes of assemblies

A flat tube and fin heat exchanger comprises a plurality of tubes arranged in spaced parallelism and a plurality of louvered fins are located between each of the tubes in heat exchange relationship with the tubes. The fins are formed as a series of sinusoidal corrugations defining axial air flow passages in a direction generally transverse to the longitudinal axes of the tubes. A predetermined series of fin panels have louvers formed therein to create turbulence in the axial air flow through the fins. A second series of fin panels are dammed to channel air flow through the tubes so as to maximize heat transfer characteristics of the heat exchanger.

Heat transfer fin with dammed segments

A machine with counter-rotating rotors moves heat exchanger plates two at a time with vacuum assist through paths which converge in a vertical mating plane. Arcuate guides engage the plate ends to control the plate path. The rotors are servomotor controlled to synchronously index the rotor in increments separated by dwell periods. After assembly the merged pairs drop between spaced guides into an assembly fixture. At a subsequent brazing operation each plate pair becomes a tube for carrying refrigerant.

Method for assembling heat exchanger plate pairs by snap fit

A method and apparatus for assembling heat exchanger elements includes a pallet comprising a frame and a plurality of blocks slidably aligned on each side of the frame with opposed pairs of blocks slotted to receive pairs of plates dropped into the pallet. Lead screws driven by servomotors and engaging the blocks position the blocks at the loading station and control the block spacing (determined at each station by the screw pitch) to allow plate insertion or to allow insertion of fin elements between the plates. To quickly move the pallet into the station auxiliary lead screws connected to the main screws engage the blocks of the pallet outside the loading station to assert positive controlled advancement force on the pallet.

Jump indexing pallet and method for heat exchanger assembly

An apparatus for assembling heat exchanger elements includes a pallet comprising a frame and a plurality of blocks slidably aligned on each side of the frame with opposed pairs of blocks slotted to receive pairs of plates dropped into the pallet. Lead screws driven by servomotors and engaging the blocks position the blocks at the loading station and control the block spacing (determined at each station by the screw pitch) to allow plate insertion or to allow insertion of fin elements between the plates. To quickly move the pallet into the station auxiliary lead screws connected to the main screws engage the blocks of the pallet outside the loading station to assert positive controlled advancement force on the pallet.

Variable pitch indexing pallet for heat exchanger assembly

A method and apparatus for assembling heat exchanger elements includes a pallet comprising a frame and a plurality of blocks slidably aligned on each side of the frame with opposed pairs of blocks slotted to receive pairs of plates dropped into the pallet. Lead screws driven by servomotors and engaging the blocks position the blocks at the loading station and control the block spacing (determine at each station by the screw pitch) to allow plate insertion or to allow insertion of fin elements between the plates. To quickly move the pallet into the station auxiliary lead screws connected to the main screws engage the blocks of the pallet outside the loading station to assert positive controlled advancement force on the pallet.

Method for assembling pairs of heat exchanger plates

A method for assembling heat exchanger plate pairs by snap fitting with counter-rotating rotors move heat exchanger plates two at a time through paths which converge in a vertical mating plane. Arcuate guides engage the plate ends to control the plate path. The rotors are servomotor controlled to synchronously index the rotor in increments separated by dwell periods. After assembly the merged pairs drop between spaced guides into an assembly fixture. At a subsequent brazing operation each plate pair becomes a tube for carrying refrigerant.

Method for assembling heat exchanger plate pair by snap fit

Pairs of standard plates and special plates are assembled and inserted into a fixture along with side plates and intervening fins at respective assembly stations along a conveyor in accordance with a programmed order of insertion. The fixture separates elements already in place by a variable amount as needed to accommodate the insertion of each additional element. The insertion of fins is coordinated with the manufacture of the fins for direct insertion upon formation.

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East Amherst, NY, United States of America

Michael A Breda