Fin Machine Company
Cleckheaton & Sedgefield, County Durham.
The Fin Machine Company was a leading international supplier of both automatic and semi-automatic equipment for the manufacture of all automotive heat exchangers.
Working at Fins from 1989 to 1994.
Machines included fin machines, core builders, clinch machines and tube mills.
Fin machines incorporated a DC motor decoiler system, DC motor driven nip rolls, DC back tension, dancing arm/slackbox, strip lubrication system, DC motor ratio lock system, pitching station and AC clutch/ brake rotary guillotine.
Radiator tubes were transported in bulk supply to a magazine feed mechanism. Fins were automatically conveyed from the fin machine into the core assembly machine. The feed system automatically integrated alternate tubes along with fins to produce a continuous matrix of tubes and fins.
Productivity rates in excess of 60 heat exchangers per hour could be achieved.
Below are some of the many machines I was involved with while working at Fins, along with shop floor life and client installations.
