Apparatus for weaving fin and tube radiators

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR WEAVING FIN-AND-TUBE RADIATORS OF THE TYPE HAVING SPACED PARALLEL FINS AND ALSO HAVING TUBES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE FINS THROUGH ALIGNED HOLES THEREIN, EACH FIN HAVING ITS HOLES SPACED UNIFORMLY ALONG A ROW EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF THE FIN, THE APPARATUS COMPRISING A FIXTURE HAVING AN INLET END FOR RECEIVING A GROUP OF FINS AND AN OUTLET END, THE FIXTURE INCLUDING MEANS FOR GUIDING AND SUPPORTING THE FINS IN PARALLEL SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER DURING LENGTHWISE MOVEMENT OF THE FINS THROUGH THE FIXTURE, MECHANISM FOR ADVANCING THE GROUP OF FINS STEP-BY-STEP LENGTHWISE THROUGH THE FIXTURE FROM SAID INLET END TO SAID OUTLET END, SAID MECHANISM BEING OPERABLE IN EACH ADVANCING STEP TO ADVANCE SAID GROUP A DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE SPACING OF ADJACENT HOLES IN A ROW AND WITH THE HOLES OF THE DIFFERENT FINS FORMING SETS EACH COMPOSED OF HOLES ALIGNED WITH EACH OTHER TRANSVERSELY OF THE FINS, A HOLDER FOR POSITIONING A TUBE AT ONE SIDE OF SAID GROUP AND WITH THE TUBE IN ALIGNMENT WITH ONE OF SAID HOLE SETS AT THE OUTLET END OF THE FIXTURE, THE HOLDER INCLUDING MEANS FOR GUIDING SAID TUBE ENDWISE TOWARD THE ALIGNED HOLES OF SAID ONE SET, A TUBE-PUSHING MEMBER RECIPROCABLE TRANSVERSELY OF SAID GROUP AND OPERABLE IN A FORWARD STROKE TO ENGAGE A TUBE IN THE HOLDER AND PUSH SAID TUBE ENDWISE ALONG SAID GUIDING MEANS INTO THE HOLES OF SAID ONE SET, AND MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID ADVANCING MECHANISM AND THE RECIPROCABLE TUBE-PUSHING MEMBER TO MOVE SAID MEMBER THROUGH ITS FORWARD STROKE DURING EACH DWELL PERIOD IN SAID STEP-BY-STEP ADVANCE OF THE FINS.