Workers at Heatcraft, an HVAC heat exchanger manufacturer, shaped copper tubes for hours each shift using a handheld, air-powered tool to widen tube ends and form funnel-like lips for joining tubes with heat and filler metal. Repeated use causes strain, fatigue, and pain in operators’ hands and wrists. We partnered with Heatcraft to reduce operator strain while maintaining production rates.
We designed and built a lever-driven tool that forms the same tube ends without harsh vibrations. Our device uses rotating expansion bits, similar to those on handheld drills, to smoothly widen tubes and create the required lips for assembly. We utilized leverage to minimize operator effort. We created multiple prototypes and selected a driving system matching current production pace, which allowed us to scale down our prototype design for initial testing and perform calculations for the final device specifications.
Testing demonstrated that our finished device performed quality reshaping of copper tubing at speeds similar to the air-powered device while reducing strain on operators. Our device enables Heatcraft to manufacture quality heat exchangers at the same pace without putting employees at risk of injury.
