Holder for pipe in heat exchanger, method and device for manufacturing heat exchanger using said holder, and air conditioner and/or outdoor unit having said heat exchanger

A tube-grasping body for grasping an insert tube in a heat exchanger, the tube-grasping body

• which is used in a heat exchanger production apparatus 1;
• which is also connectable at the exterior of a tube-enlarging mandrel 2, for moving back and forth, along said tube-enlarging mandrel 2 which is penetrable from the opening 7b of a tube 7 inserted into a heat radiating fin 6 of a heat exchanger 5;
• which is also equipped with a plurality of tube-contacting parts 3f, capable of radially expanding or axially compressing in the cross direction of the longitudinal length of said tube 7;
• which is also equipped with slopes 3b slanting gradually in the widening direction toward the opening 7b of the corresponding tube, wherein each of the slopes 3b is formed on the exterior surface of each of said tube-contacting parts 3f;
• which also radially expands or axially compresses each of said tube-contacting parts 3f, by a sliding means which moves back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the tube, along said slopes 3b of the tube-contacting parts 3f;
• and
• comprising:
• a configuration wherein,
• said tube-contacting parts 3f, capable of radially expanding or axially compressing, are formed and separated by a plurality of slits 3a which are of prescribed widths 3u, and which are formed in the longitudinal direction of the tube-grasping body 3, the same direction of the movement of the tube-enlarging mandrel 2;
• and
• the width of each of said slits 3a is gradually increased from said prescribed width 3u to an expanded width 3x, from a prescribed location toward the opening 7b of said tube 7.