METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MANUFACTURING PLATE PARTS FOR A HEAT EXCHANGER

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and a device for manufacturing plate part blanks for a heat exchanger. A sheet material (2) in the form of continuous sheeting is worked between two rolls (5, 6) with opposite surface patterns (7, 7, 8) to form profiled plate part blanks (3, 3,3) into the sheet material (2) so that the rolls (5, 6) are synchronized to rotate at substantially same rate by controlling the rotation of them in relation to each other with common synchronization gear (9), which gear is coupled to the rolls (5, 6) by means of shafts (10, 11) with disk pack or gear couplings.

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. A method for manufacturing plate part blanks of a heat exchanger, in which method a sheet material in the form of continuous sheeting is worked between two rolls with opposite surface patterns to form corrugated plate part blanks comprising the grooves and the ridges between them into the sheet material, wherein that the rolls are synchronized to rotate at substantially same rate by controlling the rotation of them in relation to each other with common synchronization gear, which gear is coupled to the rolls by means of shafts with disk pack or gear couplings so that the backlash is less than 0.1 mm, and two or more corrugated plate part blanks of the heat exchanger are formed into the sheet material during one revolution of the rolls, wherein similar surface patterns are arranged to the opposite sides of the rolls.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein that the surface patterns of the rolls are arranged to extend over the whole width of the sheet material.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein that the plate part blanks are cut off from the sheet material by using laser cutting.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein that the sheet material with plate part blanks is conveyed to the laser cutting equipment and the plate part blanks are photographed before the laser cutting.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein that the position of the plate parts to be cut is determined on the basis of the photographs for determining an alignment of the laser cutting equipment.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein that a function of the laser cutting equipment is synchronized with the rotation speed of the rolls.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein that the sheet material with a thickness from 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

20. A device for manufacturing plate part blanks of a heat exchanger, comprising at least a frame part, and two rolls mounted on bearings on the frame part, and which rolls comprises surface patterns opposite to each other to form corrugated plate part blanks comprising the grooves and the ridges between them into the sheet material, wherein that the device further comprises synchronization gear for controlling the rotation of the rolls in relation to each other, which gear is coupled to the rolls by means of shafts with disk pack or gear couplings so that the backlash is less than 0.1 mm, and the rolls comprise surface patterns to form two or more corrugated plate parts of the heat exchanger during one revolution of the rolls, wherein similar surface patterns are arranged to the opposite sides of the rolls.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein that the rolls comprise surface patterns to form two plate part blanks during one revolution of the rolls, which plate part blanks have a same size.

22. The device according to claim 20, wherein that the synchronization gear is equipped with a driving mechanism, such as an electrical motor, which driving mechanism is mutual to both of the rolls.

23. An arrangement for manufacturing plate parts of a heat exchanger, characterized in that the arrangement comprises a device according to claim 19, for forming the plate part blanks into a sheet material, and a laser cutting equipment for cutting plate part blanks from the sheet material, which equipment is synchronized with the device for forming the plate part blanks.

24. The arrangement according to claim 23, wherein that the arrangement further comprises a camera, which is arranged to photograph the sheet material before the laser cutting.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] The invention will be described in more detail with reference to appended drawings, in which

[0035] FIG. 1 shows the device according to an embodiment of the invention for manufacturing plate part blanks,

[0036] FIG. 2 shows a laser equipment according to an embodiment of the invention, and

[0037] FIG. 3 shows an arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention for manufacturing plate parts for a heat exchanger.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0038] In the method according to the invention, the plate part blanks for a heat exchanger can be manufactured with a device of FIG. 1. The device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention comprises a frame part 4, 4 and two rolls 5, 6 mounted on bearings on the frame part 4, 4. The rolls 5, 6 comprise profiling patterns 7, 7, 8 opposite to each other to form profiled plate part blanks 3, 3 into a sheet material 2. The sheet material is conveyed through the rolls 5, 6 in the form of continuous sheeting as illustrated in FIG. 1 and the plate part blanks 3, 3 are shaped of the sheet material 2 between the rolls. According to the invention as illustrated in FIG. 1, two plate part blanks 3, 3 are formed into the sheet material 2 during one revolution of the rolls 5, 6. The profiling patterns 7, 7, 8 are typically fixed to the surfaces of the rolls 5, 6 in a stationary manner.

[0039] The rolls 5, 6 of the device 1 presented in FIG. 1 are synchronized to each other with common synchronization gear 9 so that the gear 9 are coupled to the rolls by means of two shafts 10, 11 with disk pack or gear couplings. One end of the shafts 10, 11 is connected to the rolls 5, 6 and other end of the shafts 10, 11 is connected to the synchronization gear 9. The synchronization gear is equipped with a driving mechanism 12, such as an electrical motor.

[0040] In the method according to an embodiment of the invention, the plate part blanks 3, 3 are cut off from the sheet material 2, and also the openings 14 of the plate parts are cut off simultaneously by using laser cutting equipment 13, as shown in FIG. 2. The laser cutting equipment 13 comprises camera 15 for determining the location of the plate part to be cut.

[0041] FIG. 3 shows an arrangement 16 according to an embodiment of the invention for manufacturing plate parts for a heat exchanger, which arrangement comprises a device 1 for manufacturing plate part blanks 3, 3, 3 into the sheet material and laser cutting equipment 13 arranged to the same production line with the device 1 wherein the function of the laser cutting equipment 13 is synchronized with the rotation speed of the rolls 5, 6 of the device 1.

[0042] Many variations of the present invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art in light of the above detailed description. Such obvious variations are within the full intended scope of the appended claims.