Patent Application
20100257734
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a radiator, in particular, to a method of manufacturing a radiator that assembles heat dissipation fins on a metal base.
In recent years, Light Emitting Diode (LED) has gradually replaced the traditional light source. Temperatures of the LED module of the LED lamp must be controlled lower than 80 degree Celsius in order to transform the electricity into luminous energy, not thermal energy. That is why the LED lamps have the features of low energy consumption and low heat production. Therefore, the LED lamps are usually equipped with several heat dissipation fins so as to help the LED module quickly dissipating heat.
However, most radiators in the market are mainly categorized into stacked fins and extruded aluminum fins etc. The stacked fins have a plurality of fins connected in series, but the stacked fins can form a ring-shaped body by connecting the first and the last fins, and then be further welded onto a metal base plate to form a radiator; but, after the welding process, the welded joints between the fins and the metal base plate will increase the thermal resistance of the radiator so that it is hard to meet the requirements of the high thermal conductivity. It also requires two phrases refining process, which wastes time and labors, and increases manufacturing cost.
In addition, the extruded aluminum fins are made first by manufacturing a set of extruded aluminum mold; after extruded out, the aluminum is then cut according to the needed fin size; then, the burrs of the fins are removed by a polish process; finally, the appearances of the fins are beautified by a anodizing treatment. The entire procedures are complicated so that the yield is hard to increase, and the overall costs are high.
Accordingly, the present invention is provided, because of the above specified disadvantages of the prior art and based on hands on experience plus academic research and developments, to effectively improve the advantages described above.
A main object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a radiator. The method increases the manufacturing speed, reduces unnecessary assembly processes, largely improves the yield, and decreases the costs, etc.
To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a radiator having a metal base and a plurality of heat dissipation fins. The method comprises a rotating and removing mechanism and preparation, alignment, punching, bending, and shearing and riveting steps. The shearing and riveting and the rotating steps are repeated for a predetermined times.
The preparation step is that placing a metal base on a manufacturing fixture of an aligning-and-moving mechanism of a manufacturing machine having a sheet metal. The metal base has a plurality of slots formed on the periphery of the metal base, and the number of the slots is defined as Y.
The alignment step is that moving the manufacturing fixture and the metal base to a position under the sheet metal by the aligning-and-moving mechanism.
The punching step is first to punch two side-portions of the sheet metal to form a plurality of positioning holes, which the positioning holes are spaced apart by equal distance. A locating pin is then inserted into the located hole. Thereafter, continuously punch the sheet metal to form a plurality of heat dissipation fins on the sheet metal, which the number of the heat dissipation fins is defined as X.
The bending step is to bend the heat dissipation fins downwards.
The shearing and riveting step is that first moving the sheet metal by the manufacturing machine to align one of the heat dissipation fins with one of the slots; then, shearing the heat dissipation fin by a shearing die of the manufacturing machine; the heat dissipation fin is inserted into the slot by the shearing die.
Further, pressing a top surface and a bottom surface of the metal base at two sides of the slot by a riveting blade of the manufacturing machine so as to generate a plastic deformation on the metal base. The deformation causes two side-walls of the slot tightly contacted the two opposite surfaces of the heat dissipation fin.
Furthermore, the rotating step is to rotate the manufacturing fixture so as to rotate the metal base 1/Y round. The shearing and riveting step is repeated for X−1 times, and the rotating step is repeated for Y−1 times. The rest of the heat dissipation fins of the sheet metal are orderly assembled with the Y−1 slots.
After repeating the shearing and riveting step and rotating step, the removing step will be performed. The removing step is to remove the metal base and the heat dissipation fins, after assembly, from the manufacturing fixture. A radiator is achieved.
The efficacy of the present invention is as follows. Via the sheet metal being continuously punched to form the heat dissipation fins in the manufacturing machine, and the heat dissipation fins being orderly inserted into and riveted with the metal base, a radiator can be assembled in an automatic process. The automatic process eliminates the need of a welding process to weld the heat dissipation fins on the metal base, so that thermal resistance problems can be avoided.
The radiator can be manufactured faster, and the unnecessary assembling steps of the radiator can be reduced. Comparing the traditional method for manufacturing the extruded aluminum fins, the method of present invention is simpler and faster, so the yield of the radiator can be improved largely, and the costs of the radiator can be decreased.
In order to further understand the techniques, means and effects the present invention takes for achieving the prescribed objectives, the following detailed descriptions and appended drawings are hereby referred, such that, through which, the purposes, features and aspects of the present invention can be thoroughly and concretely appreciated; however, the appended drawings are merely provided for reference and illustration, without any intention to be used for limiting the present invention.
Referring now to
Specifically, the method comprises a preparing step (S100), an aligning step (S200), a punching step (S300), a bending step (S400), a shearing and riveting step (S500), a rotating step (S600), repeating the shearing and riveting step (S500), the rotating step (S600), and a removing step (S700). A number of the heat dissipation fins 51 are defined as X, which the X is a natural number. The metal base 1 is a round plate, and manufactured by a stamping process. The metal base has a plurality of slots 11 and a plurality of positioning holes 12. The slots 11 are formed on the periphery of the metal base 1. A number of the slots 11 is defined as Y, which is corresponding to the number X of the heat dissipation fins 51.
To describe further, please referring to
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The aligning-and-moving mechanism 30 comprises a frame 31, a pulling arm 32, and a slide rail assembly 33. The frame 31 is mounted at one end of the manufacturing machine 3. The pulling arm 32 is movably assembled with the frame 31. The slide rail assembly 33 is mounted at the frame 31 and the manufacturing machine 3. A slide chute 42 is provided at the bottom of the manufacturing fixture 40 for engaging with the slide rail assembly 33. The pulling arm 32 is used for pushing the manufacturing fixture 40 sliding on the slide rail assembly 33 to a position under the sheet metal 50.
The aligning step (S200) is as follows. The manufacturing fixture 40 and the metal base 1 are moved to the position under the sheet metal 50 by the aligning-and-moving mechanism 30. To be more specific, the fixture 40 and the metal 1 base are pushed by the pulling arm 32, and then slid on the slide rail assembly 33 to the position under the sheet metal 50.
The punching step (S300) is as follows. Two opposite side-portions of the sheet metal 50 are first punched to form a plurality of positioning holes 52 by a punching mechanism (not shown). The positioning holes 52 are spaced apart by equal distance, as shown at “A” portion of
Among the punching step (S300), after the positioning holes 52 formed, the sheet metal 50 are respectively embossed to form two embossments 53, one of the two embossments 53 is on the top surface of the sheet metal 50, the other one is on the bottom surface of the sheet metal 50, as shown at “B” portion of
Further, the sheet metal 50 is punched to stamp the predetermined shape at one-end of the heat dissipation fin 51, and then stamp the predetermined shape at another end of the heat dissipation fin 51, as shown at “D” portion of
The bending step (S400) (as shown in “F” portion) is to bend the abovementioned heat dissipation fin 51 downwards, and one end of the heat dissipation fin 51 is still connected to the sheet metal 50.
Please referring to
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The rotating step (S600) is performed after the abovementioned steps. The manufacturing fixture 40 is rotated, according to the number Y of the slots 11, 1/Y rounds, then, give order to the next slot 11 to align with the next heat dissipation fin 51 ready to be inserted into the slot 11.
Accordingly, after repeating the above described shearing and riveting step (S500) (X−1) times and the rotating step (S600) (Y−1) times, the heat dissipation fins 51 on the sheet metal 50 can be orderly assembled in the (Y−1) slots 11.
After completing the above described repetitive steps, the removing step (S700) can now be performed. The removing step is to remove the assembled metal base 1 and heat dissipation fins 51 from the manufacturing fixture 40 so as to obtain a radiator.
Please refer to
Specifically, the metal base 1 is a round plate and the round shape is good for inserting the heat dissipation fins 51 into the slots 11 of the metal base 1 in an orderly and accurate fashion, and also good for the rotating step (S600) to accurately rotate 1/Y times.
Further, the natural number X is preferably greater than ten. If X if smaller than ten, the heat dissipation provided by the heat dissipation fins 51 is less effective. In the present preferred embodiment, there are thirty heat dissipation fins 51 of the radiator. Therefore, the X is equal to 30, and the metal base 1 has thirty slots 11. Accordingly, the heat dissipation fin 51 will be riveted in the slot 11 for thirty times by the manufacturing tool 3.
In the present preferred embodiment, the manufacturing fixture 40 is connected with the servo rotating mechanism 80 located under the manufacturing fixture 40, which causes the metal base 1 to steppingly rotate 1/Y times at each of the Y slot 11.
To sum up the present invention, the present invention has made the sheet metal 50 continuously punched to form the heat dissipation fins 51 in the manufacturing machine 3, and the heat dissipation fins 51 orderly inserted into and riveted with the metal base 1, so that the radiator can be manufactured in an automatic process. Accordingly, there is no need to weld the heat dissipation fins 51 on the metal base 1, which avoids the thermal resistance problems induced by welding processes. Further the radiator can be manufactured faster, and the unnecessary assembling steps of the radiator are reduced. Comparing the traditional method for manufacturing the extruded aluminum fins, the method of present invention is simpler and faster. So the yield of the radiator can be improves largely, and the costs of the radiator are decreased.
The above-mentioned descriptions represent merely the preferred embodiment of the present invention, without any intention to limit the scope of the present invention thereto. Various equivalent changes, alternations or modifications based on the claims of present invention are all consequently viewed as being embraced by the scope of the present invention.
