Baffle support fixture for machines for assembling tubes in a heat exchanger

A baffle stabilizing fixture for a machine for assembling tubes and perforated baffles in a heat exchanger, said machine including a work table having capacity for selected vertical and horizontal movements, a tube and baffle holding fixture mounted on the work table and guide rod means for advancing selected quantities of tubes from a tube supply to the tube and baffle holding fixture for insertion into the perforated baffles, characterized by

• (a) a master plate located in spaced relation to the tube and baffle holding fixture,
• (b) plural pairs of closely spaced baffle support plates extending from the master plate to the tube and baffle holding
• (c) each said pair of baffle support plates having a narrow space intermediate the plates of which said pair is constituted to provide a slot for reception of a baffle supported by the tube and baffle holding fixture during tube assembly, said pairs of baffle support plates being operative to stabilize the baffles during insertion of the tubes into the baffles, and
• (d) a supporting structure for mounting said baffle stabilizing fixture at a fixed location relative to the tube and baffle holding fixture during tube assembly,
• (e) said supporting structure including movable support bars for said baffle stabilizing fixture, said bars having a retracted position when said fixture is mounted at the fixed location and an advanced position for removal of said fixture from the machine.

Apparatus for assembling heat exchanger tubes with perforated baffles in an automatic tube assembling machine having a movable work table, a tube supply, a tube and baffle holding fixture secured to the work table and two sets of guide rods for advancing successively selected quantities of tubes from the tube supply to the tube and baffle holding fixture, said apparatus being characterized by

• (a) a plurality of relatively flat support components for supporting a plurality of baffles in axially spaced relation to each other in the tube and baffle holding fixture,
• (b) a fixture for stabilizing the baffles during assembly of the tubes and baffles in the tube and baffle holding fixture,
• (c) said baffle stabilizing fixture being positioned at a fixed location relative to the tube and baffle holding fixture and comprising
• (i) a master plate disposed in spaced relation to the tube and baffle holding fixture and
• (ii) plural pairs of closely spaced baffle support plates extending from the master plate to the tube and baffle hold
• fixture,
• (iii) said pairs of baffle support plates each defining narrow spaces for reception of one of the baffles supported by the tube and baffle holding fixture, whereby said pairs of baffle support plates stabilize and support the baffles during tube assembly, and
• (d) the guide rods of one of the two sets of guide rods each having distal ends of reduced cross-section and enlarged protuberances adjacent said distal ends to facilitate penetration of said guide rods through the perforated baffles during passage of the rods to and from the tube supply.