BASELINE CALIBRATION OF AUTOBRAZER FOR QUALITY CONTROL

The measurement and calibration of temperature distribution inside an autobrazer are presented. A production heat exchanger coil is instrumented with thermocouples and a data acquisition system and then used to measure the temperature distribution by passing the coil through the brazing process. Under controlled brazing conditions, this process allows for a detailed study of temperature distribution and variations inside the autobrazer in real time. The knowledge of the temperature distribution is useful for quality control of brazing operations for the production of high quality heat exchanger coils, with a minimum of rejects and rework. It also enables a more effective control of brazing process variables, either automatically or manually, by using an optimum temperature distribution which has been recorded as a reference for good quality brazed joints.