Corrugated fin manufacturing apparatus

A corrugated fin manufacturing apparatus for forming a corrugated fin which comprises:

• a lower mold and an opposing upper mold which are adapted to receive a plate member to be conveyed therebetween and to be formed into the corrugated fin,
• said lower mold including a die having a mounting portion with a substantially flat surface and a rib portion defining convex and concave portions, said substantially flat surface of the mounting portion being positioned at the same level as the rib portion and disposed upstream of said rib portion in the conveying direction of the plate member,
• said upper mold including a flat punch portion provided with a substantially flat surface and a machine punch portion having a convex portion,
• energizing members for moving the substantially flat punch portion toward the substantially flat surface of the mounting portion independently from the machine punch portion moving toward the concave portion of the rib portion so that the substantially flat punch surface of the upper mold and the machine punch surface of the upper mold selectively engage the corresponding substantially flat surface and rib portion of the lower mold.

A corrugated fin manufacturing apparatus for forming a corrugated fin with a plurality of ribs from a metal plate member, which comprises:

• a lower mold having a substantially flat, plate-mounting portion and a plurality of convex and concave portions defining a rib forming portion, said plate-mounting portion provided upstream of said rib forming portion,
• an upper mold having a flat punch portion with a surface configuration compatible with said mounting portion of the lower mold, and a machining punch portion compatible with said rib forming portion of the lower mold,
• a first energizing member operatively associated with the flat punch portion and a second energizing member operatively associated with the machining punch portion, said first and second energizing members independently moving said flat punch portion and said machine punch portion toward and away from said lower mold, relative to each other and relative to the lower mold,
• wherein when a metal plate member is introduced into the corrugated fin manufacturing apparatus, the machining punch is shaped so that when the machining punch enters the concave portions of the lower mold, it does not cause resistance to the introduction of the plate member upstream of the concave portions and after the formation of the ribs by the machining punch portion, the flat punch portion moves toward the mounting portion of the lower mold to press down on the plate member disposed upstream of the rib forming portion to press and flatten the plate member yet to be machines into ribs.