Coupled Fin Strip Conveyance for Warp-Free Length Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing fin manufacturing apparatus faces challenges in producing high-quality fins due to the low rigidity of elongated strips, which leads to curvature, warping, and erroneous feeding during conveyance, resulting in variance in length when cut to a predetermined size.
Innovation Solution
A fin manufacturing apparatus that includes a first cutting device forming openings and slits in a plate, a second cutting device separating strips partially coupled via uncut portions, and a guiding device maintaining these strips coupled during conveyance to enhance rigidity and prevent deformation, allowing for stable cutting to a predetermined length.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If strips are formed with narrow width for fin manufacturing, then the fin structure is achieved, but the rigidity of strips decreases leading to curvature and warping during conveyance
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple narrow strips are merged by coupling them together at regular intervals to form a coupled strip assembly. This combining approach maintains the narrow width needed for fin structure while achieving the rigidity required for stable conveyance through the coupling points that prevent curvature and warping
2Device complexity
If strips are conveyed individually through the guiding device, then the conveyance path is simple, but the probability of erroneous feeding and variance in length increases due to low rigidity
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple strips are coupled together to form a rigid assembly that can be conveyed as a single unit through the guiding device. This reduces erroneous feeding and length variance while the coupling points are positioned to minimize interference with the guiding mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The coupled strip assembly is divided into segments with uncut portions at regular intervals that serve as coupling points. These segmented coupling regions provide structural rigidity during conveyance while allowing the strips to be separated later for individual fin manufacturing
3Strength
If uncut portions are left to couple strips together, then the rigidity during conveyance is improved, but additional cutting operations are required to separate the strips
Solution Approach 1:
The metal plate is processed with uncut portions left at regular intervals to create coupled strip assemblies. These uncut portions serve as temporary couplings during conveyance and are subsequently removed by the second cutting device, enabling both rigid conveyance and efficient strip separation in an integrated manufacturing process
Data Source
AI summary
A fin manufacturing apparatus includes: a progressive pressing device that forms, by forming in a metal plate having thermal conductivity a plurality of openings for tube-insertion and a plurality of slits while leaving uncut portions, strips that each have openings along a longitudinal direction of the strip and are partially coupled to each other in a width direction; an inter-row cutting device that separates, by cutting the portions via which the strips are coupled to each other, the strips such that each strip has a width of the fin; a cutoff device that cuts the separated strips to a predetermined length; and a guiding device between the inter-row cutting device and an inter-row slit device that guides and supplies, to the inter-row cutting device, the strips that are partially coupled to each other in the width direction, are arranged in the width direction, and are conveyed in the longitudinal direction.