Making mechanical tube joints

摘要

A method of making mechanical tube joints in whichfirst and second metal working operations, applied through a ferrule installed in a tube end in a header plate, effect initially a tight fit of the tube end in the plate followed by a sealing contact. The method proposes a machine operation in which multiple header plates, each providing multiple tube positions, are supported for indexing movements relative to a bank of tools for performing the second of the first and second metal working functions, complete sealed joints of all tube positions in all plates being effected in a single series of automatic operations.