Heat exchanger with laminated header and tank and method of manufacture

The method of manufacturing a heat exchanger having a pair of header and tank assemblies connected by a plurality of parallel tubes comprising the steps of:

• for each header and tank assembly, stamping a flat header plate and a tank plate from flat sheet stock including forming tube receiving apertures in the header plate and a plurality of tank defining indentations in an interface of the tank plate wherein the width of the tank defining indentations at the interface of the tank plate are formed narrower than the width of the tubes so that upon insertion of the tubes into the apertures the tank plate prevents tube insertion into the tanks defining indentations at one tube end and out of the header plate at an opposite tube end,
• stacking the header plate against the interface of the tank plate to form passage means between the two plates for connecting selected ones of the tubes at their ends,
• connecting a plurality of tubes to the header and tank assemblies by inserting their ends into the apertures of the header plates,
• assembling air centers between the tubes, and
• brazing the whole assembly to bond the parts at each joint.