Collins Aerospace Team: Maya Kesan, Heather Schapfel, Joyce Lee
2022-2023: In collaboration with Collins Aerospace, this student team explored design improvements for the tab removal process within heat exchanger (HX) assembly. To improve corrosion resistance, heat exchangers are coated with a silver-aluminum paint coat during assembly, which must be smooth and continuous for quality control. The lanced tabs on the heat exchanger parting sheet (a HX component) are a known contributor to blemishes in the silver coat process, so must be removed efficiently before the paint is applied.
The team first reviewed the current tab removal processes, including conducting a time study and dimensional analysis, to understand user needs and HX geometries. The team then generated multiple conceptual design ideas, pursuing the most promising ideas during three subsequent phases of design development. The team collaborated with Collins operators to test their design prototypes on different HX models, evaluating for flushness, speed, and consistency. The team delivered their design ideas and recommendations to their Collins liaisons to incorporate into the assembly process.