Flattened Tube Fin Manufacturing Without Through-Holes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchanger fin manufacturing apparatuses struggle to efficiently produce and stack flattened tube fins without through-holes, leading to alignment and weight balance issues during stacking.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing apparatus that forms cutaway portions for flattened tubes in a metal strip, uses an inter-row slit apparatus to cut the strip into predetermined widths, and a cutoff apparatus to cut the strips into lengths, allowing for stable stacking in box-like magazines without the need for through-holes, improving weight balance and storage reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If through-holes are formed in heat exchanger fins for stacking, then alignment and stacking stability are improved, but manufacturing complexity and time are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the through-holes from the fin structure. Instead of forming holes through the fin material, the patent uses surface markings (protrusions or recesses) on one side only, thereby achieving stacking functionality without the complexity of through-hole formation while maintaining alignment stability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the stacking function from the fin body structure. Rather than integrating through-holes into the fin, it uses separate surface markings that can be formed independently, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining the stacking capability
2Stability of the object's composition
If through-holes are formed in heat exchanger fins, then stacking alignment is improved, but manufacturing time and productivity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the time-consuming through-hole formation step by extracting this function and replacing it with simpler surface markings that can be formed more quickly while achieving the same alignment purpose
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary marking on the fin surface during the forming process itself, rather than requiring subsequent through-hole formation. The protrusions or recesses are created as part of the initial shaping, enabling immediate stacking without additional manufacturing steps
3Ease of manufacture
If flattened tube fins without through-holes are stacked using existing apparatus, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but stacking reliability and weight balance are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by creating asymmetric surface markings (protrusions or recesses) at specific locations on the fin surface. This localized feature provides the necessary weight balance and alignment guidance for reliable stacking, while maintaining the overall simplicity of the fin structure without through-holes
Data Source
AI summary
A manufacturing apparatus manufactures flattened tube fins in which cutaway portions for inserting flattened tubes for heat exchanging are formed. The manufacturing apparatus includes: a press apparatus with a mold apparatus that forms the cutaway portions in an unmachined metal thin plate to produce a metal strip; an inter-row slit apparatus cutting the metal strip with the formed cutaway portions into predetermined widths to form metal strips of product width arranged in the width direction; and a cutoff apparatus cutting each metal strip of the product width formed by the inter-row slit apparatus into predetermined lengths. A plurality of box-like magazines whose upper surfaces are open are arranged in the width direction downstream of the cutoff apparatus to stack the flattened tube fins formed by the cutoff apparatus cutting into lengths.