Method for assembling serpentine heat exchangers

Abstract

A serpentine heat exchanger tube structure is formed with spaces between opposite runs of the tube structure that are smaller than the fins which must be inserted into the spaces. The tube structure is pressed onto a series of spreader blades at a fin inserting station to spread the runs of the tube structure, the fins are loaded into a series of compartments of a shuttle at a remote fin loading station, the shuttle is moved to the fin inserting station to position the compartments opposite the respective spaces of the tube structure on the side of the tube structure opposite the side from which the spreader blades entered, and a series of insertion blades are moved into the compartments to move the fins out of the compartments and into the tube spaces as the spreader blades are simultaneously withdrawn. Timing pins associated with the insertion blades engage timing pins associated with the spreader blades so that the spreader blades are moved in unison with the insertion blades to avoid crushing the fins between the blades during the fin insertion process.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.