JP5008407B2 - Sealing device for honeycomb molded body, sealing device for honeycomb fired body, filling method of sealing material paste, and manufacturing method of honeycomb structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sealing device for a honeycomb formed body, a sealing device for a honeycomb fired body, a method for filling a sealing material paste, and a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure.

Recently, it has become a problem that particulates such as soot contained in exhaust gas discharged from internal combustion engines such as vehicles such as buses and trucks and construction machinery cause harm to the environment and the human body.
Thus, various honeycomb filters using a honeycomb structure made of porous ceramics have been proposed as filters for collecting particulates in exhaust gas and purifying the exhaust gas.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of such a honeycomb filter, Fig. 9 (a) is a perspective view schematically showing a honeycomb fired body constituting the honeycomb filter, and (b). These are the sectional views on the AA line.

In the honeycomb filter 130, a plurality of honeycomb fired bodies 140 as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B are bundled through a sealing material layer (adhesive layer) 131 to form a ceramic block 133. A sealing material layer (coating material layer) 132 is formed on the outer periphery of the ceramic block 133.
In the honeycomb fired body 140, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, a large number of cells 141 are arranged in the longitudinal direction, and the cell walls 143 separating the cells 141 function as a filter. ing.

That is, in the cell 141 formed in the honeycomb fired body 140, as shown in FIG. 9B, either the inlet side or the outlet side end of the exhaust gas is plugged by the sealing material layer 142, and one cell The exhaust gas that has flowed into 141 always passes through the cell wall 143 that separates the cell 141 and then flows out from the other cell 141. When the exhaust gas passes through the cell wall 143, the particulates are separated from the cell wall 143. Captured at the part, the exhaust gas is purified.

Conventionally, when manufacturing such a honeycomb filter 130, for example, first, a ceramic powder, a binder, a dispersion medium liquid, and the like are mixed to prepare a wet mixture. Then, the wet mixture is continuously extruded with a die, and the extruded molded body is cut into a predetermined length to produce a columnar honeycomb molded body.

Then, the honeycomb molded body 140 is manufactured by sealing the ends of the honeycomb molded body in a checkered pattern with a sealing material paste containing ceramic particles as a main component, and then performing degreasing and firing processes ( (See FIGS. 9A and 9B). Here, as a method of filling the cells of the honeycomb formed body with the sealing material paste, for example, methods disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 can be used.

After that, by applying a sealing material paste to the side surfaces of the honeycomb fired bodies and bonding the honeycomb fired bodies to each other using an adhesive, a large number of honeycomb fired bodies are bundled through the sealing material layer (adhesive layer). An aggregate of the honeycomb fired bodies is prepared. Next, the obtained honeycomb fired body aggregate is cut into a predetermined shape such as a cylinder or an elliptical column using a cutting machine or the like to form a ceramic block, and finally, a seal is formed on the outer periphery of the ceramic block. By applying the material paste to form a sealing material layer (coating material layer), the manufacture of the honeycomb filter is completed.

In such a manufacturing method, as a method for filling a predetermined cell of the honeycomb formed body with the plug material paste, there is a method disclosed in Patent Document 4, for example, in addition to the method described above. In Patent Document 4, as a method of filling the sealing material paste, a reference cell having a different opening shape is prepared in advance in a honeycomb formed body, an end face of the honeycomb formed body is imaged, and the reference cell is used as a reference. Thus, a method is disclosed in which the position of the opening of the cell is specified and the sealing material paste is filled through the sealing mask.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-190312 JP 2001-1332 A JP 2001-1326 A JP 2003-285313 A

However, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 4, in order to align the cells of the sealing mask, it was necessary to prepare a reference cell having a shape different from that of other cells in advance in the honeycomb formed body.
Therefore, it is necessary to form a reference cell having a different shape regardless of the cell shape required to ensure the performance of the honeycomb structure, and the shape of the honeycomb structure (cell shape) is limited. The design freedom was reduced.

The present inventors have intensively studied in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and can ensure that a desired cell is filled with a sealing material paste regardless of the shape of the cells of the honeycomb formed body or the honeycomb fired body. A molding body sealing device and a honeycomb fired body sealing device were completed. In addition, the invention about the filling method of the plug material paste and the manufacturing method of the honeycomb structure was also completed.

That is, the sealing device for a honeycomb molded body of the present invention is configured such that any one of the cells of the columnar honeycomb molded body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction with a cell wall interposed therebetween is sealed with a sealing material paste. A sealing device for a honeycomb formed body for sealing,
A paste filling device having a paste filling unit having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions; and a paste supply unit for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit;
An imaging device for photographing the end face of the honeycomb molded body;
An image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device,
The position of the cell is analyzed by the image analysis device from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device, so that the position error between the opening of the sealing plug mask and the cell of the honeycomb formed body is minimized. The mask is brought into contact with the end face of the honeycomb formed body, and the sealing material paste supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. Features.

In the sealing device for a honeycomb molded body, the paste filling device preferably includes a temperature control mechanism for controlling the temperature of the sealing material paste. Moreover, as for the said paste filling apparatus, it is desirable to equip the said paste filling part with the baffle plate.
In the sealing device for a honeycomb formed body, the opening of the sealing mask is preferably smaller than the opening of the cell of the honeycomb formed body.

In the sealing device for a honeycomb molded body, it is desirable that a filter is interposed between the paste filling unit and the paste supply unit, and the paste filling unit and the paste supply unit are configured to supply a sealing material paste. It is particularly desirable that the sealing material paste supply pipes are connected by pipes and have a filter inside.

Moreover, it is desirable that the sealing device for a honeycomb formed body includes a rotary table for moving the honeycomb formed body.

The sealing device for a honeycomb fired body according to the present invention seals one end of each of the above cells of the columnar honeycomb fired body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction with the cell walls being separated by a sealing material paste. A honeycomb fired body sealing device that comprises:
A paste filling device having a paste filling unit having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions; and a paste supply unit for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit;
An imaging device for photographing the end face of the honeycomb fired body;
An image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device,
The sealing mask is configured so that the position error of the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb fired body is minimized by analyzing the position of the cell from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device by the image analysis device. In contact with the end face of the honeycomb fired body, and the sealing material paste supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. And

According to the first sealing material paste filling method of the present invention, a sealing device is provided at any one end of the above-mentioned cells of the columnar honeycomb formed body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction with the cell walls therebetween. A method of filling a sealing material paste by injecting and filling a sealing material paste,
The sealing device includes a paste filling unit having a paste filling unit having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions, a paste supply unit for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit, and the honeycomb molding An imaging device for photographing an end surface of the body, and an image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device,
The position of the cell is analyzed by the image analysis device from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device, and the sealing mask is arranged so that the positional error between the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb formed body is minimized. The sealing material paste that is in contact with the end face of the honeycomb formed body and is supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end portion of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. To do.

In the sealing material filling method, the paste filling device preferably includes a temperature control mechanism for controlling the temperature of the sealing material paste. Moreover, as for the said paste filling apparatus, it is desirable to provide the baffle plate in the said paste filling part.

In the method of filling the plug material paste, it is preferable that the opening of the sealing mask is smaller than the opening of the cells of the honeycomb formed body. Further, the opening area of the sealing mask is preferably 5 to 35% of the opening area of the cells of the honeycomb formed body.

Further, in the filling method of the sealing material paste, it is desirable that a filter is interposed between the paste filling part and the paste supply part, and the paste filling part and the paste supply part include a sealing material. It is particularly desirable that they are connected by a paste supply pipe, and the sealing material paste supply pipe includes a filter inside.

In the method of filling the plug material paste, it is preferable that the sealing device includes a rotary table that moves the honeycomb formed body.

The second sealing material paste filling method according to the present invention includes a sealing device at one end of each of the cells of the columnar honeycomb fired body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction across the cell wall. A method of filling a sealing material paste by injecting and filling a sealing material paste,
The sealing device includes a paste filling device having a paste filling portion having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions, a paste supply portion for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling portion, and the honeycomb firing. An imaging device for photographing an end surface of the body, and an image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device,
The position of the cell is analyzed by the image analysis device from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device, and the sealing mask is arranged so that the positional error between the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb fired body is minimized. The sealing material paste that comes into contact with the end face of the honeycomb fired body and is supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. To do.

In the first method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body of the present invention, after forming a ceramic raw material, a columnar honeycomb formed body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction with a partition wall therebetween, In a manufacturing method of a honeycomb structure, a sealing material is injected and filled into any one end using a sealing device, and this honeycomb formed body is fired to produce a honeycomb structure made of the honeycomb fired body. There,
The sealing device includes a paste filling unit having a paste filling unit having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions, a paste supply unit for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit, and the honeycomb molding An imaging device for photographing an end surface of the body, and an image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device,
The position of the cell is analyzed by the image analysis device from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device, and the sealing mask is arranged so that the positional error between the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb formed body is minimized. The sealing material paste that is in contact with the end face of the honeycomb formed body and is supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end portion of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. To do.

In the first method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body, the paste filling device preferably includes a temperature control mechanism for controlling the temperature of the sealing material paste. Moreover, as for the said paste filling apparatus, it is desirable to provide the baffle plate in the said paste filling part.

In the first method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body, the opening of the sealing mask is desirably smaller than the opening of the cells of the honeycomb formed body. Further, the opening area of the sealing mask is preferably 5 to 35% of the opening area of the cells of the honeycomb formed body.

In the first method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure, it is desirable that a filter is interposed between the paste filling unit and the paste supply unit, and the paste filling unit and the paste supply unit are sealed. It is particularly desirable that the sealing material paste supply pipes are connected by a stop material paste supply pipe, and the sealing material paste supply pipe includes a filter therein.

In the first method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body, the sealing device preferably includes a rotary table for moving the honeycomb formed body.

According to the second method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure of the present invention, a ceramic raw material is formed to produce a columnar honeycomb formed body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction with partition walls therebetween. After firing into a honeycomb fired body, a sealing material paste is injected and filled into any one end portion of the cell using a sealing device, and the honeycomb fired body is further fired or dried to form a honeycomb. A honeycomb structure manufacturing method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure made of a fired body,
The sealing device includes a paste filling device having a paste filling portion having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions, a paste supply portion for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling portion, and the honeycomb firing. An imaging device for photographing an end surface of the body, and an image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device,
The position of the cell is analyzed by the image analysis device from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device, and the sealing mask is arranged so that the positional error between the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb fired body is minimized. The sealing material paste that comes into contact with the end face of the honeycomb fired body and is supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. To do.

In the second method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body, the paste filling device preferably includes a temperature control mechanism for controlling the temperature of the sealing material paste. Moreover, as for the said paste filling apparatus, it is desirable to provide the baffle plate in the said paste filling part.

In the second method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body, the opening of the sealing mask is preferably smaller than the opening of the cells of the honeycomb fired body. Furthermore, the opening area of the sealing mask is desirably 5 to 35% of the opening area of the cells of the honeycomb fired body.

In the method for manufacturing the second honeycomb structure, it is desirable that a filter is interposed between the paste filling unit and the paste supply unit, and the paste filling unit and the paste supply unit are sealed. It is particularly desirable that the sealing material paste supply pipes are connected by a stop material paste supply pipe, and the sealing material paste supply pipe includes a filter therein.

In the second method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body, the sealing device preferably includes a rotary table for moving the honeycomb sintered body.

According to the sealing device for a honeycomb formed body of the present invention, since the position of the sealing mask is determined by using the image analysis apparatus or the like, the positional deviation between the cells of the honeycomb formed body and the opening of the sealing mask is eliminated. It can be kept to a minimum, and all necessary cells can be well filled with the encapsulant paste.
In the sealing device for a honeycomb formed body, the shape of the cells of the honeycomb formed body to be filled with the sealing material paste is not limited.

According to the sealing device for the honeycomb fired body of the present invention, since the position of the sealing mask is determined using the image analysis device or the like, the positional deviation between the cells of the honeycomb fired body and the opening of the sealing mask is eliminated. It can be kept to a minimum, and all necessary cells can be well filled with the encapsulant paste.
In the honeycomb fired body sealing device, the shape of the cells of the honeycomb sintered body to be filled with the sealing material paste is not limited.

Further, in the first filling method of the sealing material paste of the present invention, since the position of the sealing mask is determined by using the image analysis device or the like provided in the sealing device, the cells of the honeycomb molded body and The displacement from the opening of the sealing mask can be kept to a minimum, and all the necessary cells can be filled with the sealing material paste satisfactorily. Material paste can be filled.

Further, in the second sealing material paste filling method of the present invention, since the position of the sealing mask is determined by using the image analysis device or the like provided in the sealing device, the cells of the honeycomb sintered body are used. Misalignment between the sealing mask and the opening of the sealing mask can be minimized, and all the necessary cells can be satisfactorily filled with the sealing material paste. An encapsulant paste can be filled.

Further, in the first method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure of the present invention, when filling a predetermined cell of the honeycomb formed body with the sealing material paste, the sealing mask is formed by using the image analysis device or the like provided in the sealing device. Since the position is determined, it is possible to minimize misalignment between the cells of the honeycomb molded body and the opening of the sealing mask, and to fill all the necessary cells with the sealing material paste satisfactorily. A honeycomb structure in which predetermined cells are filled with the plug material paste can be manufactured without filling defects.

Further, in the second method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body of the present invention, when filling a predetermined cell of the honeycomb sintered body with the sealing material paste, the sealing mask is used by using the image analysis device provided in the sealing device. Therefore, the positional deviation between the honeycomb sintered body cells and the opening of the sealing mask can be minimized, and all necessary cells are filled with the sealing material paste. A honeycomb structure in which predetermined cells are filled with the plug material paste can be manufactured without filling defects.

First, a sealing device for a honeycomb molded body of the present invention and a first filling material paste filling method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The sealing device for a honeycomb formed body of the present invention is plugged with a sealing material paste at one end of each of the above-mentioned cells of a columnar honeycomb formed body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction with a cell wall therebetween. A sealing device for a honeycomb formed body,
A paste filling device having a paste filling unit having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions; and a paste supply unit for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit;
An imaging device for photographing the end face of the honeycomb molded body;
An image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device,
Analyzing the position of the cell from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device by the image analysis device, the sealing mask so that the positional error between the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb molded body is minimized. In contact with the end face of the honeycomb formed body, and the sealing material paste supplied from the paste supply part to the paste filling part is injected into the end part of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. And

Further, the first sealing material paste filling method of the present invention is a method of sealing at any end of the above-mentioned cells of the columnar honeycomb formed body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction with the cell walls therebetween. A method of filling a sealing material paste by injecting and filling a sealing material paste using an apparatus,
The sealing device includes a paste filling unit having a paste filling unit having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions, a paste supply unit for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit, and the honeycomb molding An imaging device for photographing an end surface of the body, and an image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device,
The position of the cell is analyzed by the image analysis device from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device, and the sealing mask is arranged so that the positional error between the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb formed body is minimized. The sealing material paste that is in contact with the end face of the honeycomb formed body and is supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end portion of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. To do.
Therefore, in the filling method of the sealing material paste of the present invention, the sealing device for a honeycomb formed body of the present invention can be suitably used as the sealing device.
In the present invention, the “columnar shape” is not limited to a columnar shape or a quadrangular prism shape, and the shape of the bottom surface may be any shape.

First, a honeycomb molded body to be filled with a sealing material paste using the sealing device for a honeycomb molded body and the first sealing material paste filling method of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1-1 (a) is a perspective view of a honeycomb formed body filled with a plug material paste, and FIG. 1-1 (b) is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1-1 (a).
As the honeycomb formed body, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1-1 (a) and (b), a square columnar shape in which a large number of cells 12 are arranged in the longitudinal direction and the cells 12 are separated from each other by a cell wall 13. Honeycomb formed body 11 and the like.

The honeycomb formed body 11 is mainly composed of ceramic powder and an organic binder.
The material of the ceramic powder is not particularly limited. For example, nitride ceramics such as silicon carbide, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, boron nitride, and titanium nitride, carbides such as zirconium carbide, titanium carbide, tantalum carbide, and tungsten carbide. Examples thereof include oxide ceramics such as ceramic, alumina, zirconia, cordierite, mullite, and aluminum titanate.
In addition, silicon-containing ceramics in which metallic silicon is mixed with the above-mentioned ceramics, ceramics bonded with silicon or a silicate compound, and the like are also mentioned as main components. For example, silicon carbide mixed with metallic silicon is also preferably used. .

Further, the honeycomb molded body shown in FIGS. 1-1 (a) and (b) has a quadrangular prism shape, but the honeycomb molded body to be filled with the sealing material paste has a square shape. It is not necessarily limited to a columnar shape, and may be, for example, another prismatic shape such as a triangular columnar shape or a hexagonal columnar shape, or a cylindrical shape.
Furthermore, in the honeycomb molded body shown in FIGS. 1-1 (a) and (b), the cells have the same shape, but the cells are juxtaposed with the honeycomb molded body to be filled with the sealing material paste. The shape of is not limited to the shape shown in FIGS. 1-1 (a) and (b), and several types of cells having different shapes may be arranged in parallel. Specifically, for example, like the honeycomb formed body 21 shown in FIG. 1-2, the cross section of the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is relatively large and the octagonal large cell 22a is relatively In addition, small cells 22b having a small cross-sectional area perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and having a square cross-sectional shape may be provided side by side. Of course, cells having other cross-sectional shapes may be provided side by side.
In addition, FIG. 1-2 is sectional drawing of another example of the honeycomb molded object used as the object of filling with a sealing material paste. Moreover, in FIG. 1-2, 23 is a cell wall.

A honeycomb structure manufactured using a honeycomb formed body having a large cell having a relatively large cross-sectional area and a small cell having a relatively small cross-sectional area as shown in FIG. Is used as a honeycomb filter, and the large cell is used as the exhaust gas inflow side and the small cell is used as the exhaust gas outflow side, thereby increasing the particulate collection limit and increasing the time required for the honeycomb filter regeneration process. It becomes possible to make it.

Next, the sealing device for a honeycomb formed body will be described.
Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing a sealing device for a honeycomb molded body of the present invention, and Fig. 3 (a) is a conceptual diagram schematically showing a paste filling device constituting the sealing device for a honeycomb molded body. FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view schematically showing a part of the paste filling apparatus in FIG.
The honeycomb molded body sealing device 200 includes a rotary table 201 on which the honeycomb molded body 11 is placed and rotated, an imaging device 205 that images the end face of the honeycomb molded body 11, a sealing mask 204, a paste discharge tank 203, and the like. The honeycomb molded body 11 (see FIGS. 1-1 (a) and (b)) includes a paste filling portion 206 that fills the end portion of the cell 12 with a plug material paste.

The rotary table 201 is set so that the rotation axis is set in the vertical direction and rotates horizontally, and there are eight molded body fixing portions 202 for fixing the honeycomb molded body 11. The turntable 201 intermittently rotates, the honeycomb formed body 11 is fixed to the formed body fixing portion 202, and the sealing process of the honeycomb formed body 11 is performed during approximately one rotation.
Here, the rotary table 201 is provided with eight molded body fixing portions 202, but the number of molded body fixing portions 202 is not particularly limited, and may be six or other numbers. May be.
Thus, it is desirable that the honeycomb molded body sealing device of the present invention is provided with a rotary table, and when the rotary table is provided, the honeycomb molded body sealing device can be miniaturized.

In addition, imaging devices 205 are provided at two locations around the rotary table 201, and two paste filling devices including the paste filling unit 206 are also provided. After photographing different end faces of the honeycomb formed body 11, respectively. The paste can be filled at the end of the cell.

When sealing is performed using the honeycomb molded body sealing apparatus 200, first, the honeycomb molded body 11 placed and conveyed on the belt conveyor 199 is transferred to the honeycomb molded body by a robot arm (not shown). It is fixed to the molded body fixing part 202 of the rotary table 201 constituting the sealing device 200.

Subsequently, when the rotary table 201 is rotated by 1/8, the end surface of the honeycomb molded body 11 stops at a position facing the imaging device 205 for photographing the end surface, and the end surface of the honeycomb molded body 11 is moved by the imaging device 205. Taken. The captured image is immediately analyzed by an image analysis device (not shown) connected to the imaging device 205, and the shape of the cell is extracted from the image and sealed while taking into account the inclination of the honeycomb molded body 11 and the like. The position of the cell is specified, the position of the opening of the sealing mask 204 used for sealing is compared, and the position where the positional error between the opening of the sealing mask 204 and the cell of the honeycomb formed body 11 is minimized is calculated. This calculation process will be described in detail later.

The honeycomb formed body 11 that has been photographed is stopped after a 1/8 rotation to the next position. Then, the sealing mask 204 is brought into contact with the end face of the honeycomb molded body 11 so that the position error between the opening of the sealing mask 204 and the cells 12 of the honeycomb molded body 11 is minimized, and the sealing mask 204 is sealed. The stop material paste is filled into the cell through the opening of the sealing mask 204, and the end face of the honeycomb formed body 11 is sealed. The paste filling unit 206 is fixed to a robot provided with an angle adjusting member configured so that the x, y, and z axes can be set at the set positions.

Thereafter, when the turntable 201 is rotated by 1/8, the honeycomb formed body 11 is fixed to the formed body fixing portion 202 and the honeycomb formed body 11 is lifted by a robot arm (not shown), and the sealed end surface faces the center of the rotary table 201. The molded body fixing portion 202 is once again fixed so that the unsealed end face faces outward.

Thereafter, when the rotary table 201 is rotated by 1/8, the end face of the honeycomb molded body 11 which is not sealed is photographed by the imaging device 205 in the same manner as the above-described operation, and subsequently, when the rotary table 201 is rotated by 1/8, The sealing mask 204 is brought into contact with the end face of the honeycomb molded body 11 so that the positional error between the opening of the mask 204 and the cell 12 of the honeycomb molded body 11 is minimized, and sealing processing is performed.
Further, at the position rotated by 1/8, the honeycomb formed body 11 subjected to the sealing process is lifted by a robot arm (not shown) and placed on the belt conveyor 207 in the next step.
In the present specification, the robot arm refers to an arm having an active joint having a motor or the like and further having an inactive joint not having a motor or the like as necessary.

The paste filling device including the paste filling unit 206 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3A, the paste filling device 220 includes a paste filling unit 206 and a paste supply unit that supplies a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit 206. 218, both of which are connected via a sealing material paste supply pipe 213. In addition, the paste filling unit and the paste supply unit may be directly connected without using the sealing material paste supply pipe.
The paste supply unit 218 includes a paste supply hopper 211 and a paste discharge device 212. In the paste supply unit 218, the sealing material paste carried from the paste supply hopper 211 storing a separately prepared sealing material paste, It is sent out to the sealing material paste supply pipe 213 by the paste discharging device 212 and further sent into the paste filling unit 206.

In addition, a filter 216 is interposed in the sealing material paste supply pipe 213, and this massive material can be removed by this filter 216 even if a massive material is mixed in the sealing material paste.
In addition, although the said filter should just interpose as needed, it is desirable to interpose.
The opening of the filter is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.1 to 1.0 mm. If the thickness is less than 0.1 mm, the sealing material paste may be clogged. If the thickness exceeds 1.0 mm, the lump may not be reliably removed.

Further, in the sealing device for a honeycomb formed body of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the paste filling unit 206 and the paste supply unit 218 are connected by the sealing material paste supply pipe 213, and the above-mentioned sealing device is used. It is particularly desirable that the filter 216 is provided inside the stop material paste supply pipe 213.
In the honeycomb molded body sealing device, when the filter is disposed, the filter may be disposed in the paste filling unit or the paste supply unit, but the filter needs to be replaced as the lump is accumulated, It is desirable to be interposed between the paste filling part and the paste supply part because the filter can be easily replaced, and the inside of the sealing material paste supply pipe connecting the paste filling part and the paste supply part Is particularly desirable.

3B, in addition to the sealing mask 204 and the paste discharge tank 203, the paste filling unit 206 includes an agitation unit 224 including an agitation blade 221, an agitation rod 222, and a motor 223, and an inlet ( The rectifying plate 225 disposed on the side of the sealing material paste supply pipe 214), the angle adjusting member 226 and the temperature control member 228 adjacent to the inlet side of the paste discharge tank 203, the sealing mask 204 and the paste discharge tank A buffer member 227 made of silicon rubber, a uniaxial eccentric screw pump (Mono pump) 215, and a sealing material paste supply pipe 214 that connects the uniaxial eccentric screw pump 215 and the paste discharge tank 203 are provided. .

Then, the sealing material paste sent from the paste supply unit 218 is first sent to the uniaxial eccentric screw pump 215, and then, via the sealing material paste supply pipe 214 and the rectifying plate 225 by the uniaxial eccentric screw pump 215. It is fed into the fixed amount paste discharge tank 203 and further filled into predetermined cells of the honeycomb formed body 11 in contact with the sealing mask 204 via the sealing mask 204.
Further, the stirring unit 224 provided in the paste discharge tank 203 is configured such that the stirring rod 222 and the stirring blade 221 are rotated by the motor 223. Then, by filling the sealing material paste while rotating the stirring blade 221, the temperature of the sealing material paste in the paste discharge tank 203 can be made uniform, and as a result, the viscosity of the sealing material paste is reduced. Since it is made uniform, the sealing material paste is uniformly filled in a predetermined cell.
The stirring rod and the stirring blade may be configured to move up and down.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the stirring blade 221 includes four blade main bodies 221 a made of a bent plate-shaped body, and a hollow cylindrical support member 221 b that fixes the blade main body 221 a to the stirring rod 222. Has been. And the screw hole 221c which penetrates to a hollow part is formed in the side surface of the support member 221b, and after the stirring rod 222 is inserted through the hollow part of the support member 221b, the stirring blade 221 is moved to a predetermined position with a screw. It is configured so that it can be screwed.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of a stirring blade constituting the sealing device for a honeycomb formed body of the present invention.
Further, the stirring blade 221 shown in FIG. 4 includes four blade bodies, but when the honeycomb molded body sealing device of the present invention includes the stirring blades, the number of blade bodies is not particularly limited. The number may be 5 or less. A desirable number is 3 to 5. Further, the shape of the blade main body is not limited to the bent plate-like body as shown in FIG. 4, and may be other shapes.

In the paste filling unit 206, an angle adjustment member 226 and a temperature control member 228 are disposed adjacent to the paste discharge tank 203.
Then, when the paste discharge tank 203 is brought into contact with the end face of the honeycomb formed body 11 by the angle adjusting member 226, the sealing mask 204 can be adjusted to come into contact with the end face of the honeycomb formed body 11 at a predetermined position. it can.
Further, the temperature control member 228 includes a heater therein, and the temperature control member 228 can control the temperature of the sealing material paste to a predetermined temperature.
The temperature control member may incorporate a water-cooled or air-cooled cooling pipe. This is because the temperature of the sealing material paste can be controlled more reliably.

The shape formed by the inner wall of the paste discharge tank 203 is not particularly limited, and may be a rectangular parallelepiped or a prismatic shape. However, it is desirable that the paste discharge tank 203 has a cylindrical shape with an inlet side and a discharge side as an upper surface and a bottom surface, respectively.
This is because such a columnar shape makes it easier to enjoy the effect obtained by stirring the sealing material paste in the stirring section.

Examples of the material of the sealing mask 204 include metals such as stainless steel and nickel, resins such as an epoxy resin, and ceramics.
The sealing mask 204 has openings 204a corresponding to the cells filled with the sealing material paste.
Here, the opening area is desirably smaller than the opening of the corresponding cell. Even if there is a slight misalignment between the opening position of the sealing mask and the opening position of the corresponding cell, the sealing material paste is reliably filled only in the cell, and the end face of the honeycomb molded body (the end of the cell) This is because it is possible to prevent the sealing material paste from adhering to (). In addition, since the sealing material paste has fluidity, the cell is surely filled even if the opening of the sealing mask is smaller than the opening of the cell.

The shape of the opening of the sealing mask is not particularly limited, and may be any shape such as a polygon, a circle, an ellipse, etc., but a circle, a shape in which a corner of a rectangle is rounded or a corner of a rectangle A chamfered shape is desirable.
This is because there is little resistance when filling the sealing material paste.
In the present specification, when the shape of the opening of the sealing mask is a shape in which a square corner is R-chamfered or a shape in which the square corner is C-chamfered, the mask opening is actually chamfered. However, it means that the shape of the formed opening is the same as the shape in which the corners of the quadrangle are rounded or rounded.

Further, in the paste filling unit 206, a sealing mask 204 is disposed via a cushioning member 227 made of silicon rubber.
The buffer member does not necessarily have to be disposed, and may be disposed as necessary. However, when the buffer member is disposed, the paste filling portion is brought into contact with the honeycomb formed body. Thus, the buffer member expands and contracts, and the sealing mask more securely adheres to the end face of the honeycomb molded body, and the sealing material paste can be prevented from flowing into the gap between the mask and the honeycomb molded body. Since the variation in the amount of the sealing material paste to be stopped can be minimized, it is desirable to dispose the buffer member.

The material of the buffer member is not limited to silicon rubber, but other than this, for example, fluorine rubber, butyl rubber, urethane rubber, butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, nitrile rubber, acrylic rubber, etc. Also good. Further, a sealing member made of a fluororesin, an epoxy resin, or the like can also be used as the buffer member if an opening is provided at a predetermined position.
Further, the buffer member 227 is formed with openings 227a having a shape including all the openings 204a formed in the sealing mask 204 inside when viewed in plan. Therefore, in the honeycomb molded body sealing apparatus, the cells of the honeycomb molded body are filled with the sealing material paste through the opening of the sealing mask and the opening of the buffer member.
The opening of the buffer member may be formed at a position where an opening having substantially the same shape as the opening formed in the sealing mask communicates with the opening of the sealing mask.

Further, in the paste filling unit 206, a rectifying plate 225 is disposed on the inlet side of the paste discharge tank 203 (the side opposite to the side on which the sealing mask is disposed).
By providing the rectifying plate 225, the flow rate of the sealing material paste at the inlet of the paste discharge tank 203 can be made uniform at the center and the outer edge of the inlet. As a result, the sealing material paste is applied to the cell. When the cell is filled, the filling amount of each cell can be made uniform. If the rectifying plate is not provided, the paste inflow rate at the center of the inlet tends to be higher than the inflow rate at the outer edge of the inlet at the inlet of the paste discharge tank 203. The filling amount of the sealing material paste in each cell may be different.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are plan views schematically showing an example of a rectifying plate constituting the sealing device for a honeycomb formed body of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 5A, the disc-shaped rectifying plate 225 has a shape in which an opening is formed at a predetermined position. Specifically, an imaginary square 225d is drawn on the disc-shaped rectifying plate main body so that the center of the rectifying plate main body is overlapped with the center, and the vertices of the virtual square 225d are the same at the vertexes and the midpoints of the sides. An opening 225a having a diameter is formed.
Note that the virtual square 225d is not actually drawn.
By providing such a rectifying plate having no opening in the central portion, it is possible to avoid an increase in the flow velocity at the central portion of the inlet when the sealing material paste flows into the paste discharge tank 203. It is.

Further, the shape of the rectifying plate is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 5A, and as shown in FIG. 5B, a shape in which three types of openings having different diameters are formed at predetermined positions. You may have. Specifically, the rectifying plate 325 has a virtual square 325d drawn on the disc-shaped rectifying plate main body so that the center of the rectifying plate main body and the center thereof overlap, and three large squares are arranged on the upper side of the virtual square 325d. The openings 325a are formed at equal intervals, the three small openings 325c are formed at equal intervals on the lower side, and the middle openings 325b are formed at the midpoints of the side sides. Note that the virtual square 325d is not actually drawn.
In this rectifying plate 325, the position where the opening is formed is the same as that of the rectifying plate 225 shown in FIG. 5A, but the diameter of the opening formed on the lower side is smaller. As described above, when the sealing material paste flows into the paste discharge tank 203, the flow velocity at the center of the inlet is increased as described above. In addition, due to the influence of gravity, the lower flow velocity is higher than the upper flow velocity. Therefore, the flow rate of the sealing material paste can be made more uniform by reducing the diameter of the opening formed on the lower side of the current plate.

The shape of the rectifying plate is not particularly limited as long as the flow rate of the sealing material paste can be made uniform. Usually, an opening is not formed in the center portion, or the center The opening formed in the part is preferably an opening having a small diameter (specifically, an opening smaller than the cell). It is more desirable that the opening formed at a relatively low position has a smaller diameter than the opening formed at a relatively high position.
The absolute value of the opening diameter and the number of openings are not particularly limited.

Next, a method for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device using the image analysis device and a method for filling the sealing material paste based on the image analysis result will be described with reference to flowcharts.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing steps (means) from analysis of the end face image of the honeycomb formed body to filling of the plug material paste.

(A) First, the molded body fixing portion 202 of the honeycomb molded body sealing device 200 has an outer shape (that is, a rectangular parallelepiped) similar to that of the honeycomb molded body except that no cells are formed as a standard sample. A master work having a plurality of bottomed holes formed thereon is fixed, and an image of the end face of the master work having the bottomed holes formed is imaged (step S1), and the coordinates of the bottomed hole forming positions are registered in the image analyzer. Thus, the origin coordinates are determined (step S2).

(B) Next, the position of the opening formed in the sealing mask is registered in the image analysis device with reference to the origin coordinates determined in the step (a) (step S3).
Further, the center of gravity of the area of the opening formed in the sealing mask is acquired based on the position and size of the opening registered in step S3 (step S4).
In the image analysis apparatus, the steps (a) and (b) are performed prior to filling of the sealing material paste into the cells of the honeycomb formed body.

(C) Next, an image of the end face of the honeycomb molded body fixed to the molded body fixing portion 202 of the honeycomb molded body sealing device 200 and moving with the rotation of the rotary table 201 is captured and registered in the image analysis apparatus ( Step S5).
Then, in the image analysis device, the captured end face image is analyzed, the number of cells different from the design is calculated, and when the number is larger than a predetermined number, the honeycomb formed body is determined as a defective product, The non-defective product is distinguished from the non-defective product by determining that the honeycomb formed body is a good product (step S6).
Then, the next step S7 is performed for the honeycomb molded body determined to be a non-defective product, and the sealing process is terminated for the honeycomb molded body determined to be a defective product without filling with the subsequent sealing material paste.

(D) Next, for the end face image of the honeycomb formed body determined to be non-defective, the binarization process is first performed on the image, and then the area of each cell based on the image obtained by the binarization process The center of gravity is acquired (step S7).
In addition, before and after the binarization process, various filter processes may be performed on the end face image as necessary in order to make the outline of each cell clear.

(E) Next, a deviation amount between the area centroid of the opening of the sealing mask acquired in step S4 and the area centroid of each cell acquired in step S7 is calculated by the least square method (step S8).
Here, the openings and cells that are subject to calculation of the deviation amount between the area centroid of the opening of the sealing mask and the area centroid of the cells of the honeycomb molded body may be all openings and cells, or some openings and The cell, specifically, for example, an opening and a cell other than the two outer peripheral rows may be used.

When there is a cell having a displacement larger than a predetermined value, the honeycomb formed body is determined to be defective, and other honeycomb formed bodies are determined to be non-defective, thereby distinguishing the non-defective product from the non-defective product. (Step S9).
Then, the next step S10 is performed for the honeycomb molded body determined to be a non-defective product, and the sealing process is terminated for the honeycomb molded body determined to be a defective product without filling the subsequent sealing material paste.
Note that the cause of the displacement of the cell position of the honeycomb formed body is, for example, that the honeycomb formed body is distorted or dust is attached to the cells.

(F) Next, the sealing mask is formed into the honeycomb molded body while the sealing mask (paste discharge tank 203) is moved and the position of the sealing mask is adjusted based on the deviation amount of the area center of gravity calculated in the step (e). Then, the sealing material paste is filled into the cells of the honeycomb formed body from the paste discharge tank 203 (step S10), and the sealing process of the end face of one of the honeycomb formed bodies is completed.
Note that the position adjustment of the sealing mask can be performed by the angle adjusting member 226.
Further, here, the alignment between the sealing mask and the cell is performed based on the shift amount of the center of gravity of the area calculated in the step S8. When only the amount is calculated, after performing the alignment based on the deviation amount of the area center of gravity, the manual alignment may be performed separately for the two outer peripheral portions.

In addition, since the operations (a) to (f) are operations performed on one end face of the honeycomb formed body, the above-described (( The operations a) to (f) are repeated.

As described above, in the sealing device for a honeycomb formed body of the present invention, the position of the sealing mask 204 is determined by the above method using the image analysis device. The honeycomb formed body 11 can be manufactured to a minimum and can be satisfactorily filled with the sealing material paste in all necessary cells, and has no poor filling.

Further, in the honeycomb molded body sealing device 200, the sealing material paste is filled in such a manner that the honeycomb molded body is fixed at a predetermined position of the molded body fixing portion 202 provided on the rotary table. In some cases, the position may be misaligned. If the fixed position is misaligned, the honeycomb molded body having a predetermined shape may be determined as a defective product in the above-described step S6 or S8. Therefore, it is desirable to inspect whether or not the honeycomb molded body is fixed at a predetermined position of the molded body fixing portion 202 before the process from the analysis of the end face image of the honeycomb molded body to the filling of the sealing material paste. .
Further, in this case, the inspection may be performed every time the honeycomb formed body is fixed. However, for example, eight formed body fixing portions are provided on the rotary table at a ratio of one to the plurality of honeycomb formed bodies. In such a case, it is desirable to inspect at a rate of one in eight.

In the above embodiment, the sealing mask 204 is moved to align the cells formed on the end face of the honeycomb molded body 11 with the sealing mask. However, the honeycomb molded body 11 is moved. The cell and the sealing mask 204 may be aligned.

Next, the sealing device for a honeycomb fired body of the present invention will be described.
In the honeycomb fired body sealing device of the present invention, the honeycomb fired body to be filled with the sealing material paste is obtained by firing the honeycomb molded body described so far, and the shape thereof is substantially the same as the honeycomb molded body described above. It is the same. Therefore, as the honeycomb fired body sealing device of the present invention, the same device as the honeycomb molded body sealing device as described above can be used.

In the sealing device for the honeycomb fired body of the present invention, since the position of the sealing mask is determined using the image analysis apparatus or the like, the positional deviation between the cells of the honeycomb fired body and the opening of the sealing mask is minimized. Thus, all the necessary cells can be satisfactorily filled with the sealing material paste.
Further, in the honeycomb fired body sealing device, the shape of the cells of the honeycomb fired body to be filled with the sealing material paste is not limited.

Next, the filling method of the 1st sealing material paste of this invention is demonstrated.
As described above, the first sealing material paste filling method of the present invention can be suitably performed using the honeycomb molded body sealing device of the present invention as the sealing device.
That is, a sealing material paste prepared separately in advance is put into the paste supply hopper 211 of the paste supply unit 218, sent out from the paste supply unit 218 to the paste filling unit 206, and via this paste filling unit 206, the honeycomb paste is supplied. The sealing material paste is filled in predetermined cells 12 of the molded body 11 (see FIGS. 2, 3A and B).

As the sealing material paste, for example, a wet mixture prepared by mixing the powder raw material containing at least one kind of powder and the liquid raw material containing at least the dispersion medium liquid, which is adjusted in the manufacturing method of the honeycomb structure of the present invention described later. And the like having the same composition.

As for the temperature of the said sealing material paste, 30-110 degreeC is desirable. If it is less than 30 ° C., the viscosity of the sealing material paste tends to be high, and the cell may not be filled. If it exceeds 110 ° C., the viscosity of the sealing material paste tends to be low, and the filled sealing material paste May be inferior in shape retention.

As for the viscosity of the said sealing material paste, 35-50 Pa.s (measurement temperature 25 degreeC) is desirable. If it is less than 35 Pa · s, the fluidity of the sealing material paste is too high, and when the cells of the honeycomb formed body are filled, they may flow toward the inside of the cells and may not be reliably sealed. When it exceeds s, the sealing material paste is easily clogged with the sealing mask or the filter, and the cells of the honeycomb formed body may not be reliably filled.

Further, in the first sealing material paste filling method of the present invention, it is desirable that the opening of the sealing mask constituting the sealing device is smaller than the opening of the cells of the honeycomb formed body, the opening area of the sealing mask is It is more desirable to be 5 to 35% of the opening area of the cell.
If it is less than 5%, the plug material paste may not be filled in the cell. If it exceeds 35%, the plug material paste may adhere to the end face of the honeycomb molded body (the end of the cell wall). Because there is. Further, if it exceeds 35%, it is difficult to align the mask and the cell, and the opening of the mask and the opening of the cell may not be aligned at the outer peripheral portion of the honeycomb formed body.

Moreover, in the filling method of the 1st sealing material paste of this invention, when a sealing apparatus is equipped with a stirring part, it is desirable for the said stirring part to stir at the rotation speed of 160 rpm or more and less than 300 rpm.
If the rotation speed is less than 160 rpm, the temperature of the encapsulant paste becomes non-uniform and the viscosity of the encapsulant paste becomes non-uniform, which may cause variations in the filling amount of each cell. The viscosity of the sealing material paste tends to be low, and the shape retention of the filled sealing material paste may be inferior.

In the second method of filling the plug material paste of the present invention, the cells of the honeycomb fired body are filled with the plug material paste.
In this filling method, the sealing material paste for honeycomb fired bodies of the present invention is used, and the cells of the honeycomb fired body are filled with the sealing material paste in the same manner as the first sealing material paste filling method of the present invention described above. To do.

Also in this case, since the position of the sealing mask is determined by using the image analysis device or the like provided in the sealing device, the positional deviation between the cells of the honeycomb fired body and the opening of the sealing mask is minimized. Thus, all the necessary cells can be satisfactorily filled with the sealing material paste, filling defects are less likely to occur, and predetermined cells of the honeycomb fired body can be filled with the sealing material paste.

Next, the manufacturing method of the 1st honeycomb structure of this invention is demonstrated.
In the method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body of the present invention, after forming a columnar honeycomb formed body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction with partition walls formed by molding a ceramic raw material, A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body, in which a sealing device is injected and filled into an end portion, and a honeycomb structured body made of the honeycomb fired body is manufactured by firing the honeycomb formed body,
The sealing device includes a paste filling unit having a paste filling unit having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions, a paste supply unit for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit, and the honeycomb molding An imaging device for photographing an end surface of the body, and an image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device,
The position of the cell is analyzed by the image analysis device from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device, and the sealing mask is arranged so that the positional error between the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb formed body is minimized. The sealing material paste that is in contact with the end face of the honeycomb formed body and is supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end portion of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. To do.

Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the first honeycomb structure will be described in the order of steps.
Here, the manufacturing method of the present invention will be described by taking silicon carbide as a main component of the constituent material as an example.
Of course, the main component of the constituent material of the honeycomb structure is not limited to silicon carbide, and examples thereof include other ceramics described above, silicon-containing ceramics, ceramics bonded with silicon or silicate compounds, and the like.

First, a wet mixture is prepared by mixing a powder raw material containing at least one powder and a liquid raw material containing at least a dispersion medium in a wet mixer.
The silicon carbide powder can be preferably used as a powder contained in at least one kind of powder raw material.
Although the particle size of the silicon carbide powder is not particularly limited, for example, 100 parts by weight of powder having an average particle size of 0.3 to 50 μm and 5 to 65 parts by weight of powder having an average particle size of 0.1 to 1.0 μm A combination of these is preferred. When the average particle size is in the above range, the shrinkage in the subsequent firing step is small and preferable.
In order to adjust the pore size and the like of the honeycomb fired body, it is necessary to adjust the firing temperature, but the pore size can be adjusted by adjusting the particle size of the silicon carbide powder.

As the ceramic powder, silicon carbide having different average particle diameters as described above can be preferably used.
Moreover, it does not specifically limit as said organic binder, For example, methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, polyethyleneglycol etc. are mentioned. Of these, methylcellulose is desirable.

Furthermore, a pore-forming agent such as balloons that are fine hollow spheres containing oxide-based ceramics, spherical acrylic particles, and graphite may be added to the powder raw material as necessary.
The balloon is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include an alumina balloon, a glass micro balloon, a shirasu balloon, a fly ash balloon (FA balloon), and a mullite balloon. Of these, alumina balloons are desirable.

When two or more kinds of raw materials are contained in the powder raw material, these raw materials may be dry-mixed in advance using a stirrer or the like before being put into the wet mixer.

On the other hand, the dispersion medium liquid contained at least in the liquid raw material is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include water, an organic solvent such as benzene, and an alcohol such as methanol.

In addition to the dispersion medium liquid, the liquid raw material may further contain a liquid plasticizer, a lubricant, and the like.
It does not specifically limit as said plasticizer, For example, glycerol etc. are mentioned.
The lubricant is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include polyoxyalkylene compounds such as polyoxyethylene alkyl ether and polyoxypropylene alkyl ether.
Specific examples of the lubricant include polyoxyethylene monobutyl ether and polyoxypropylene monobutyl ether.

Furthermore, a molding aid may be added to the liquid raw material.
The molding aid is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include ethylene glycol, dextrin, fatty acid, fatty acid soap, polyalcohol and the like.
Such a liquid raw material containing a plurality of raw materials may be mixed in advance before being introduced into the wet mixer, similarly to the powder raw material.

Next, the obtained wet mixture is put into an extruder, and a honeycomb formed body having a predetermined shape is formed by extrusion. In addition, the opening diameter of the cell of the honeycomb formed body produced in this step may be the same in all the cells or may be different.
In order to manufacture honeycomb molded bodies with different gas inflow cells and gas outflow cells, the molds used for extrusion are designed and manufactured using general techniques to obtain the desired shape. do it.
Next, if necessary, the honeycomb formed body is dried using a microwave dryer, a hot air dryer, a dielectric dryer, a vacuum dryer, a vacuum dryer, a freeze dryer, or the like.

Next, a predetermined amount of a plug material paste serving as a plug is filled in the end of a predetermined cell of the honeycomb formed body, and the cells are sealed.
In the first method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure of the present invention, in this step, a predetermined cell is sealed by the above-described sealing device for a honeycomb formed body of the present invention and the first sealing material paste filling method of the present invention. Stop.
In addition, since the sealing material paste to be filled has already been described here, the description thereof is omitted here.
In addition, as for the sealing material paste with which it fills at this process, what has the porosity of 30-75% of the sealing material manufactured through a post process is desirable.

Next, the ceramic dried body filled with the sealing material paste is degreased (for example, 200 to 500 ° C.) and fired (for example, 1400 to 2300 ° C.) under a predetermined condition, so that the whole fired body is one. A honeycomb fired body is manufactured in which a plurality of cells are juxtaposed in the longitudinal direction across the cell wall, and either one of the end portions of the cells is sealed.
Conventionally used conditions for producing a filter made of porous ceramics can be applied to the degreasing and firing conditions of the ceramic dried body.

Next, a sealing material paste serving as a sealing material layer (adhesive material layer) is applied to the side surface of the honeycomb fired body with a uniform thickness to form a sealing material paste layer. The process of laminating other honeycomb fired bodies is repeated to produce an aggregate of honeycomb fired bodies having a predetermined size.

As said sealing material paste, what consists of an inorganic binder, an organic binder, an inorganic fiber, and / or an inorganic particle etc. are mentioned, for example.
Examples of the inorganic binder include silica sol and alumina sol. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among the inorganic binders, silica sol is desirable.

Examples of the organic binder include polyvinyl alcohol, methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, and the like. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among the organic binders, carboxymethyl cellulose is desirable.

Examples of the inorganic fiber include ceramic fibers such as silica-alumina, mullite, alumina, and silica. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among the inorganic fibers, alumina fibers are desirable.

Examples of the inorganic particles include carbides and nitrides, and specific examples include inorganic powders made of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and boron nitride. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among the inorganic particles, silicon carbide having excellent thermal conductivity is desirable.

Furthermore, a pore-forming agent such as a balloon, which is a fine hollow sphere containing an oxide-based ceramic, spherical acrylic particles, or graphite, may be added to the sealing material paste as necessary.
The balloon is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include an alumina balloon, a glass micro balloon, a shirasu balloon, a fly ash balloon (FA balloon), and a mullite balloon. Of these, alumina balloons are desirable.

Next, this aggregate of honeycomb fired bodies is heated to dry and solidify the sealing material paste layer to form a sealing material layer (adhesive layer).
Next, using a diamond cutter or the like, an aggregate of the honeycomb fired bodies in which a plurality of honeycomb fired bodies are bonded via a sealing material layer (adhesive layer) is cut to produce a cylindrical ceramic block.

A cylindrical shape in which a plurality of honeycomb fired bodies are bonded via the sealing material layer (adhesive material layer) by forming a sealing material layer (coating material layer) on the outer periphery of the honeycomb block using the sealing material paste. A honeycomb structure in which a sealing material layer (coat layer) is provided on the outer periphery of the ceramic block can be manufactured.

Thereafter, if necessary, a catalyst is supported on the honeycomb structure. The catalyst may be supported on the honeycomb fired body before producing the aggregate.
When the catalyst is supported, it is desirable to form an alumina film having a high specific surface area on the surface of the honeycomb structure, and to apply a promoter such as platinum and a catalyst such as platinum to the surface of the alumina film.

As a method for forming an alumina film on the surface of the honeycomb structure, for example, a method in which a honeycomb structure is impregnated with a solution of a metal compound containing aluminum such as Al (NO ₃ ) ₃ and heated, an alumina powder is contained. For example, the honeycomb structure may be impregnated with a solution to be heated and heated.
Examples of a method for applying a promoter to the alumina film include a method in which a honeycomb structure is impregnated with a solution of a metal compound containing a rare earth element such as Ce (NO ₃ ) ₃ and heated. .
As a method for imparting a catalyst to the alumina membrane, for example, a dinitrodiammine platinum nitric acid solution ([Pt (NH ₃ ) ₂ (NO ₂ ) ₂ ] HNO ₃ , platinum concentration 4.53% by weight) or the like is applied to the honeycomb structure. Examples of the method include impregnation and heating.
Alternatively, the catalyst may be applied by a method in which a catalyst is applied to the alumina particles in advance, and the honeycomb structure is impregnated with a solution containing the alumina powder to which the catalyst is applied and heated.

The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure described so far is a honeycomb structure having a configuration in which a plurality of honeycomb fired bodies are bundled through a sealing material layer (adhesive layer) (hereinafter also referred to as a collective honeycomb structure). However, the honeycomb structure manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention may be a honeycomb structure in which a cylindrical ceramic block is composed of one honeycomb fired body (hereinafter also referred to as an integral honeycomb structure). Good.

When manufacturing such an integral honeycomb structure, first, the aggregated honeycomb structure is formed except that the size of the honeycomb molded body formed by extrusion molding is larger than that when manufacturing the aggregated honeycomb structure. A honeycomb formed body is manufactured by using the same method as that for manufacturing.
Here, the method for preparing the wet mixture by mixing the powder raw material and the liquid raw material is the same as the method for manufacturing the aggregated honeycomb structure, and therefore the description thereof is omitted here.

Next, similarly to the production of the aggregated honeycomb structure, the honeycomb formed body is dried using a microwave dryer, a hot air dryer, a dielectric dryer, a vacuum dryer, a vacuum dryer, a freeze dryer, or the like. . Next, a predetermined amount of a sealing material paste serving as a sealing material is filled in the outlet side end portion of the inlet side cell group and the inlet side end portion of the outlet side cell group, and the cells are sealed.
Here, since the method of filling the plug material paste is the same as the method of manufacturing the aggregated honeycomb structure, the description thereof is omitted here.
Thereafter, in the same manner as in the production of the aggregated honeycomb structure, a ceramic block is produced by degreasing and firing, and if necessary, a sealing material layer (coat layer) is formed, whereby an integral honeycomb structure is obtained. Can be manufactured. Further, the above-mentioned integral honeycomb structure may be loaded with a catalyst by the method described above. The main constituent material of the integral honeycomb structure is preferably cordierite or aluminum titanate.
Thus, in the method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure of the present invention, a honeycomb structure in which predetermined cells are reliably sealed can be efficiently manufactured.

In the second method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure of the present invention, a second sealing material paste filling method is used. In this case, instead of filling the cells of the honeycomb molded body with the sealing material paste, the sealing material produced by firing the honeycomb molded body using the honeycomb fired body sealing device of the present invention is filled. The cells of the honeycomb fired body not filled are filled with the plug material paste.
Thereafter, the honeycomb fired body filled with the plug material paste is further fired or dried, and a honeycomb structure is manufactured using the obtained honeycomb fired body.

Also in the second method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure of the present invention, when filling a predetermined cell of the honeycomb sintered body with the sealing material paste, the sealing mask is formed by using the image analysis device provided in the sealing device. Since the position is determined, the positional deviation between the honeycomb sintered body cells and the opening of the sealing mask can be minimized, and all the necessary cells are filled with the sealing material paste satisfactorily. It is possible to manufacture a honeycomb structure in which a predetermined cell is filled with a sealing material paste without filling failure.

In the honeycomb molded body sealing device, the honeycomb fired body sealing device, the sealing material paste filling method, and the honeycomb structure manufacturing method of the present invention described so far, the sealing device provided with the rotary table as the sealing device is provided. Although the example used was shown, the sealing device is not necessarily provided with the rotary table, and instead of the rotary table, functions similar to the rotary table (that is, a honeycomb molded body or a honeycomb fired body is used). A device having a function of sequentially moving to a predetermined position may be provided.
Specifically, for example, a conveyor such as a pallet conveyor or a belt conveyor may be provided, and the honeycomb formed body or the honeycomb fired body may be sequentially moved by the conveyor, or a rail and a movable table that moves along the rail may be provided. The honeycomb formed body may be placed on the movable table and the honeycomb formed body may be moved sequentially, or may be provided with a plurality of fixed tables and robot arms installed at predetermined positions. The placed honeycomb formed body or honeycomb fired body may be moved by a robot arm. In addition, the apparatus which has a function similar to the said rotary table is not limited to what was illustrated here.

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples .

( Examples 1 to 19 )
(1) 250 kg of α-type silicon carbide powder having an average particle size of 10 μm, 100 kg of α-type silicon carbide powder having an average particle size of 0.5 μm, and 20 kg of an organic binder (methylcellulose) were mixed to prepare a mixed powder.
Next, separately, 12 kg of lubricant (Unilube manufactured by NOF Corporation), 5 kg of plasticizer (glycerin), and 65 kg of water are mixed to prepare a liquid mixture, and this liquid mixture and the mixed powder are mixed in a wet mixer. And mixed to prepare a wet mixture.
Next, extrusion molding using this wet mixture and subsequent cutting were performed to prepare a honeycomb molded body. Thereafter, the honeycomb formed body was dried using a microwave dryer.
In addition, the shape of the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cells of the honeycomb formed body is a design value and is a square having a side of 1.17 mm.

(2) Next, using a sealing device for a honeycomb molded body having the configuration shown in FIGS. 2, 3 (a) and (b), a sealing material paste having the same composition as that of the honeycomb molded body is applied to a predetermined cell. Filled. Here, the specification of the following structural member is common in each Example, and is as follows.

Sealing paste temperature: 70 ° C (in the paste discharge tank)
Viscosity of sealing material paste: 42 Pa · s (measurement temperature: 25 ° C. during preparation)
Uniaxial eccentric screw pump ... Hyoshin Equipment Co., Ltd., Robot dispenser 3NDPL06G15
Sealing material paste discharge time: 1.6 seconds

In addition, the opening shape of the sealing mask, the area ratio of the opening of the sealing mask to the cell, the type of rectifying plate, the number and rotation speed of the stirring blades, the rotation speed of the uniaxial eccentric screw pump, and the filling amount of the sealing material paste, As shown in Table 1.

Moreover, when using a baffle plate, either of baffle plates AC shown to FIG.5 (b) and Fig.7 (a), (b) was used.
That is, the rectifying plate A has a rectifying plate 325 shown in FIG. 5B, that is, a disc-shaped rectifying plate main body having a thickness of 1 mm and a diameter of 55 mm so that the center and the center of the rectifying plate main body overlap each other. A virtual square 325d having a length of 16 mm is drawn, three large openings 325a are formed at equal intervals on the upper side of the virtual square 325d, and three small openings 325c are formed at equal intervals on the lower side. This is a rectifying plate having a shape in which a middle opening 325b is formed at each of the midpoints of the sides. The diameters of the small opening 325c, the middle opening 325b, and the large opening 325a are 2 mm, 4 mm, and 5 mm, respectively. Note that the virtual square 325d is not actually drawn.

Further, the current plate B has a shape in which a small opening 425c is formed at the center of the virtual square 425d in the current plate 425 shown in FIG. 7A, that is, the current plate A shown in FIG. 5B. It is a baffle plate which has. In the figure, 425a is a large opening and 425b is a medium opening.
Further, the rectifying plate C has a shape in which a rectifying plate 525 shown in FIG. 7B, that is, the rectifying plate A shown in FIG. 5B, further has an inner opening 525b formed at the center of the virtual square 525d. It is a baffle plate which has. In the figure, 525a is a large opening and 525c is a small opening.

(3) Next, the honeycomb formed body filled with the sealing material paste is again dried using a dryer, and then degreased at 400 ° C. and fired at 2200 ° C. for 3 hours in an atmospheric argon atmosphere. As a result, a sealing material layer is formed on one end of the cell as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the porosity is 40%, the average pore diameter is 12.5 μm, and the size is large. A honeycomb fired body made of a silicon carbide sintered body having a length of 34.3 mm × 34.3 mm × 150 mm, a cell number (cell density) of 49 cells / cm ² , and a cell wall thickness of 0.25 mm was manufactured.

(Evaluation of honeycomb fired body)
About the manufactured honeycomb fired body, the filling property of the sealing material paste was evaluated by the following evaluation items 1 to 4.
(Evaluation 1)
The honeycomb fired body was cut so as to cross each cell, and the length (length in the longitudinal direction) of the sealing material layer was measured on the cut surface and evaluated according to the following criteria.
○ The length of the sealing material layer is 1 to 7 mm.
Δ: The length of the sealing material layer is less than 1 mm, or longer than 7 mm. X: There are cells that are not formed so that the sealing material layer completely blocks the cells.

(Evaluation 2)
About the length of the sealing material layer measured by the method similar to the evaluation 1, the difference of the length was evaluated by the following reference | standard. In addition, the length of the sealing material layer was compared for every same end surface side.
A: The maximum difference in length of the sealing material layer is less than 1 mm.
O: The maximum difference in length of the sealing material layer is 1 mm or more and less than 2 mm.
Δ: The maximum difference in length of the sealing material layer is 2 mm or more and less than 3 mm.
X: The maximum difference in length of the sealing material layer is 3 mm or more.

(Evaluation 3)
The shrinkage (dent) from the end face of the honeycomb fired body of the formed sealing material layer was measured by inserting a rod-like body having a scale on the side surface into each cell, and evaluated according to the following criteria.
○: The shrinkage (dent) is less than 1 mm.
Δ: The shrinkage (dent) is 1 mm or more.
X: Some cells are not formed so that the sealing material layer completely blocks the cells.

(Evaluation 4)
The end face of the honeycomb fired body was visually observed to confirm whether or not the sealing material paste filled in one cell protruded to other adjacent cells, and evaluated according to the following criteria.
○ ... It did not protrude at all.
Δ: The sealing material paste protruded from some cells.
X: The sealing material paste protruded from all cells.

As is clear from the results shown in Table 1, in the honeycomb fired bodies according to Examples 1 to 7, the evaluation results of the filling properties according to the evaluations 1 to 4 were all good.
Moreover, in the honeycomb fired body according to Example 8, the result of Evaluation 2 was slightly inferior to the honeycomb fired bodies according to the other examples, but the filling properties were generally good.

On the other hand, in the honeycomb fired body according to Example 9 , the length of the sealing material layer was shorter than that of the honeycomb fired body according to Example 1 . This is presumably because the area ratio occupied by the opening of the sealing mask was as small as less than 5%.
In the honeycomb fired body according to Example 10 , the sealing material paste protruded into adjacent cells in some cells. This is considered to be because the area ratio occupied by the opening of the sealing mask was larger than 35%.

In the honeycomb fired body according to Example 11 , the variation in the length of the sealing material layer was larger than that of the honeycomb fired body according to Example 1 . Specifically, the length of the sealing material layer formed in the cell near the center of the end face of the honeycomb fired body is longer than the length of the sealing material layer formed in the cell near the outer peripheral part of the end face. . This is considered to be due to the use of the rectifying plate C, that is, the rectifying plate having an opening formed in the central portion.

In the honeycomb fired body according to Example 12 , the variation in the length of the sealing material layer was larger than that of the honeycomb fired body according to Example 1 . Specifically, the length of the sealing material layer formed in the cell near the center of the end face of the honeycomb fired body was shorter than the length of the sealing material layer formed in the cell near the outer peripheral part of the end face. . This is considered to be because the sealing material paste was not sufficiently stirred in the paste discharge tank because the number of stirring blades was small.

In the honeycomb fired body according to Example 13 , the shrinkage (dent) of the sealing material layer formed in the cell formed near the center of the end face of the honeycomb fired body was large. This is considered to be because the rotational speed of the stirring blade was fast, the viscosity of the sealing material paste was lowered, and the shape retention of the filled sealing material paste was low.

In the honeycomb fired body according to Example 14 , the variation in the length of the sealing material layer was larger than that of the honeycomb fired body according to Example 1 . Specifically, the length of the sealing material layer formed in the cell near the center of the end face of the honeycomb fired body was shorter than the length of the sealing material layer formed in the cell near the outer peripheral part of the end face. . This is thought to be because the rotation speed of the stirring blades was slow and the viscosity of the sealing material paste varied within the paste discharge tank.

In the honeycomb fired body according to Example 15 , the shrinkage (dent) of the sealing material layer formed in the cell formed near the center of the end face of the honeycomb fired body was large. The center of the end face of the honeycomb molded body in which the amount of the plug material paste discharged from the paste discharge tank tends to be filled easily in proportion to the high rotational speed of the uniaxial eccentric screw pump Since the cell formed in the vicinity of the part was filled with a large amount of the sealing material paste, it was difficult to dry, and it was considered that the shrinkage (dent) became large after the firing process.
Furthermore, in the honeycomb fired body according to Example 15 , as described above, since the amount of the sealing material paste discharged from the paste discharge tank was large, it was observed that the sealing material paste protruded into adjacent cells. It was.

In the honeycomb fired body according to Example 16 , cells in which the sealing material layer was not formed so as to completely block the cells were observed. This is probably because the rotational speed of the uniaxial eccentric screw pump was low and the amount of the sealing material paste discharged from the paste discharge tank was small.
Note that, in the honeycomb fired body according to the present example , since there was a cell in which the sealing material layer was not completely formed, the difference in the length of the sealing material layer was not calculated.

In the honeycomb fired body according to Example 17 , when the sealing material paste was filled, the length of the sealing material layer was larger by 3 mm or more between the cells located above and the cells located below. There was a difference. This is presumably because the rectifying plate was not provided, so that the sealing material paste was easy to flow into the cells located below due to the action of gravity.
Furthermore, in the honeycomb fired body according to the present example , the length of the sealing material layer of the cell located below was as long as 7 mm or more.

In the honeycomb fired body according to Example 18 , the variation in the length of the sealing material layer was larger than that of the honeycomb fired body according to Example 1 . Specifically, the length of the sealing material layer formed in the cell near the center of the end face of the honeycomb fired body is 3 mm or more shorter than the length of the sealing material layer formed in the cell near the top of the end face. It was. This is because it is difficult to supply the sealing material paste to the central part of the honeycomb molded body using the rectifying plate A, and since the stirring part is not provided with the stirring blade, the sealing material paste is sufficient in the paste discharge tank. Therefore, it is considered that the fluidity is lowered because heat is not transmitted to the lower part.

In the honeycomb fired body according to Example 19 , the maximum value of the difference in the length of the sealing material layer was larger than that of the honeycomb fired body according to Example 1 . Specifically, the length of the sealing material layer formed in the cell near the center of the end face of the honeycomb fired body is 3 mm or more shorter than the length of the sealing material layer formed in the cell near the outer peripheral part of the end face. It was. This is considered to be because the viscosity variation of the sealing material paste generated in the paste discharge tank is increased because the rotation speed of the stirring blade is very slow.

(Examples 20 to 24 )
(1) A wet mixture was prepared in the same manner as in the step (1) of Example 1.
Next, extrusion molding using this wet mixture and subsequent cutting were performed to prepare a honeycomb molded body. Thereafter, the honeycomb formed body was dried using a microwave dryer.
In addition, the shape of the cross section perpendicular | vertical to the longitudinal direction of the cell of a honeycomb molded object is a square of 1.49 mm of one side by a design value.

(2) Next, using a sealing device for a honeycomb molded body having the configuration shown in FIGS. 2, 3 (a) and (b), a sealing material paste having the same composition as that of the honeycomb molded body is applied to a predetermined cell. Filled. Here, the specifications of the temperature of the sealing material paste, the viscosity of the sealing material paste, the type and rotation speed of the uniaxial eccentric screw pump, the discharge time of the sealing material paste, the type of rectifying plate, and the number and rotation speed of the stirring blades These are the same as in Example 1.

Further, the opening shape of the sealing mask, the area ratio of the opening of the sealing mask to the cells, and the filling amount of the sealing material paste are as shown in Table 2.
The opening of the sealing mask used in Examples 20 to 24 has an R chamfered shape or a circular shape in which each vertex of a square is 0.2 mm. In Table 2, the length or diameter of one side of the square is described.

(3) Next, the honeycomb formed body filled with the sealing material paste is again dried using a dryer, and then degreased at 400 ° C. and fired at 2200 ° C. for 3 hours in an atmospheric argon atmosphere. Thus, in a shape in which a sealing material layer is formed at one end of the cell, the porosity is 40%, the average pore diameter is 12.5 μm, the size is 34.3 mm × 34.3 mm × 150 mm, A honeycomb fired body made of a silicon carbide sintered body having a number (cell density) of 28 cells / cm ² and a cell wall thickness of 0.4 mm was manufactured.

With respect to the honeycomb fired bodies manufactured in Examples 20 to 24 , the filling property of the sealing material paste was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 2.

As is clear from the results shown in Table 2, in the honeycomb fired bodies according to Examples 20 to 22 , all of the evaluation results of the filling properties according to the evaluations 1 to 4 were good.
On the other hand, in the honeycomb fired body according to Example 23 , the length of the sealing material layer was less than 1 mm in some cells, which was shorter than that of the honeycomb fired body according to Example 1 . This is presumably because the area ratio occupied by the opening of the sealing mask was as small as less than 5%.

Moreover, in the honeycomb fired body according to Example 24 , the result according to the evaluation 2 is slightly inferior to the honeycomb fired body according to Example 1 , and in some cells, the sealing material paste Protruded into adjacent cells. This is considered to be because the area ratio occupied by the opening of the sealing mask was larger than 35%.

(Examples 25-29 )
(1) A wet mixture was prepared in the same manner as in the step (1) of Example 1.
Next, extrusion molding using this wet mixture and subsequent cutting were performed to prepare a honeycomb molded body. Thereafter, the honeycomb formed body was dried using a microwave dryer.
The shape of the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cells of the honeycomb formed body is the shape shown in FIG. 1-2, that is, the large cells are octagonal and the small cells are square. The length of the longer side (A portion in FIG. 1-2) is 1.08 mm, the length of the shorter side (B portion in FIG. 1-2) is 0.5 mm, a small cell Is a shape in which the length of one side (the portion C in FIG. 1-2) is 1.08 mm. All numerical values are design values.

(2) Next, using a sealing device for a honeycomb molded body having the configuration shown in FIGS. 2, 3 (a) and (b), a sealing material paste having the same composition as that of the honeycomb molded body is applied to a predetermined cell. Filled. Here, the specifications of the temperature of the sealing material paste, the viscosity of the sealing material paste, the type and rotation speed of the uniaxial eccentric screw pump, the discharge time of the sealing material paste, the type of rectifying plate, and the number and rotation speed of the stirring blades These are the same as in Example 1.

Further, the opening shape of the sealing mask, the area ratio of the opening of the sealing mask to the cells, and the filling amount of the sealing material paste on each end face of the honeycomb formed body are as shown in Table 3.
The opening of the sealing mask used in Examples 25 to 29 has an R chamfered shape or a circular shape in which each vertex of a square is 0.2 mm. In Table 3, the length or diameter of one side of the square is described.

(3) Next, the honeycomb formed body filled with the sealing material paste is again dried using a dryer, and then degreased at 400 ° C. and fired at 2200 ° C. for 3 hours in an atmospheric argon atmosphere. Thus, in a shape in which a sealing material layer is formed at one end of the cell, the porosity is 40%, the average pore diameter is 12.5 μm, the size is 34.3 mm × 34.3 mm × 150 mm, A honeycomb fired body made of a silicon carbide sintered body having a number (cell density) of 25 cells / cm ² and a cell wall thickness of 0.4 mm was manufactured.

With respect to the honeycomb fired bodies manufactured in Examples 25 to 29 , the filling property of the sealing material paste was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3.

As is clear from the results shown in Table 3, in the honeycomb fired bodies according to Examples 25 to 27 , all of the evaluation results of the filling properties according to the evaluations 1 to 4 were good.
In contrast, in the honeycomb fired body according to Example 28 , in some cells, the length of the sealing material layer was less than 1 mm, which was shorter than that of the honeycomb fired body according to Example 1 . This is presumably because the area ratio occupied by the opening of the sealing mask was as small as less than 5%.

Further, in the honeycomb fired body according to Example 29 , the result according to Evaluation 2 was slightly inferior to the honeycomb fired body according to Example 1 . This is considered to be because the area ratio occupied by the opening of the sealing mask was larger than 35%.

(A) is a perspective view of the honeycomb formed body filled with the plug material paste, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of (a). It is sectional drawing of another example of the honeycomb molded object used as the object of filling with a sealing material paste. 1 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing a sealing device for a honeycomb formed body of the present invention. (A) is a conceptual diagram which shows typically the paste filling apparatus which comprises the sealing apparatus for honeycomb molded objects, (b) is the partial expanded cross section which shows typically a part of paste filling apparatus of (a). FIG. It is a perspective view which shows typically an example of the stirring blade which comprises the sealing apparatus for honeycomb molded objects of this invention. (A), (b) is a top view which shows typically an example of the baffle plate which comprises the sealing apparatus for honeycomb molded objects of this invention, respectively. 3 is a flowchart showing steps (means) from analysis of an end face image of a honeycomb formed body to filling of a plug material paste. (A), (b) is a top view which shows typically another example of the baffle plate which comprises the sealing apparatus for honeycomb molded objects of this invention, respectively. It is a perspective view which shows typically an example of the conventional honeycomb filter. (A) is a perspective view which shows typically the honeycomb calcination object which constitutes the conventional honeycomb filter, and (b) is the AA line sectional view.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11, 21 Honeycomb molded object 12, 22a, 22b Cell 13, 23 Cell wall 200 Honeycomb molded object sealing apparatus 201 Rotary table 202 Molded object fixing | fixed part 203 Paste discharge tank 204 Sealing mask 205 Imaging device 206 Paste filling part 218 Paste supply part 211 Paste supply hopper 212 Paste discharge device 213, 214 Sealing material paste supply pipe 215 Uniaxial eccentric screw pump 216 Filter 220 Paste filling device 221 Stir blade 222 Stir bar 224 Stirrer 225, 325, 425, 525 Rectifier plate 227 Buffer member 228 Temperature Control member

Claims (33)

A sealing device for a honeycomb molded body that seals one end of each of the cells of a columnar honeycomb molded body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction across a cell wall with a sealing material paste,
A paste filling device having a paste filling unit having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions; and a paste supply unit for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit;
An imaging device for photographing an end face of the honeycomb formed body;
An image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device;
The sealing mask is designed so that the position error of the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb molded body is minimized by analyzing the position of the cell from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device by the image analysis device. In contact with the end face of the honeycomb molded body, and the sealing material paste supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end portion of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. A sealing device for a honeycomb formed body. The sealing device for a honeycomb formed body according to claim 1, wherein the paste filling device includes a temperature control mechanism for controlling a temperature of the sealing material paste. The said paste filling apparatus is a sealing apparatus for honeycomb molded bodies of Claim 1 or 2 provided with the baffle plate in the said paste filling part. The opening device of the said sealing mask is a sealing apparatus for honeycomb molded objects in any one of Claims 1-3 smaller than the opening of the cell of the said honeycomb molded body. The sealing device for a honeycomb formed body according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a filter is interposed between the paste filling unit and the paste supply unit. The said paste filling part and the said paste supply part are connected with the sealing material paste supply pipe | tube, The said sealing material paste supply pipe | tube is for honeycomb forming bodies of Claim 5 provided with the filter inside. Sealing device. The sealing device for a honeycomb molded body according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a rotary table for moving the honeycomb molded body. A sealing device for a honeycomb fired body in which a large number of cells are plugged with a sealing material paste at one end of the cells of the columnar honeycomb fired body arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction across the cell wall,
A paste filling device having a paste filling unit having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions; and a paste supply unit for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit;
An imaging device for photographing an end face of the honeycomb fired body;
An image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device;
The sealing mask is configured so that the position error of the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb fired body is minimized by analyzing the position of the cell by the image analysis device from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device. In contact with the end face of the honeycomb fired body, and the sealing material paste supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end portion of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. A sealing device for a honeycomb fired body. Sealing in which a sealing material paste is injected and filled into any one end of the cells of a columnar honeycomb formed body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction across a cell wall A method of filling material paste,
The sealing device includes a paste filling unit having a paste filling unit having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions, and a paste supply unit for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit, and the honeycomb molding An imaging device for photographing an end surface of the body, and an image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device,
The position of the cell is analyzed by the image analysis device from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device, and the sealing mask is arranged so that the positional error between the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb formed body is minimized. The sealing material paste that is in contact with the end face of the honeycomb formed body and is supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end portion of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. The sealing material paste filling method. The said paste filling apparatus is a filling method of the sealing material paste of Claim 9 provided with the temperature control mechanism which controls the temperature of the said sealing material paste. The said paste filling apparatus is a filling method of the sealing material paste of Claim 9 or 10 provided with the baffle plate in the said paste filling part. The method for filling a sealing material paste according to claim 9, wherein an opening of the sealing mask is smaller than an opening of a cell of the honeycomb formed body. The method of filling a sealing material paste according to claim 12, wherein an opening area of the sealing mask is 5 to 35% of an opening area of a cell of the honeycomb formed body. The sealing material paste filling method according to claim 9, wherein a filter is interposed between the paste filling unit and the paste supply unit. The said paste filling part and the said paste supply part are connected with the sealing material paste supply pipe | tube, and the said sealing material paste supply pipe | tube is equipped with the filter inside, The sealing material paste of Claim 14 Filling method. The method for filling a sealing material paste according to any one of claims 9 to 15, wherein the sealing device includes a rotary table for moving the honeycomb formed body. Sealing in which a sealing material paste is injected and filled into any one end of the cells of the pillar-shaped honeycomb fired body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction across the cell wall A method of filling material paste,
The sealing device includes a paste filling device having a paste filling unit having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions, and a paste supply unit for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit, and the honeycomb firing An imaging device for photographing an end surface of the body, and an image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device,
The position of the cell is analyzed by the image analysis device from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device, and the sealing mask is arranged so that the positional error between the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb fired body is minimized. The sealing material paste that comes into contact with the end face of the honeycomb fired body and is supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end portion of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. The sealing material paste filling method. After forming a columnar honeycomb formed body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction with partition walls being formed by molding a ceramic raw material, a sealing device is used to seal at either end of the cells. A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure for injecting and filling a stopping material paste, and firing the honeycomb formed body to manufacture a honeycomb structure made of the honeycomb fired body,
The sealing device includes a paste filling unit having a paste filling unit having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions, and a paste supply unit for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit, and the honeycomb molding An imaging device for photographing an end surface of the body, and an image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device,
The position of the cell is analyzed by the image analysis device from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device, and the sealing mask is arranged so that the positional error between the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb formed body is minimized. The sealing material paste that is in contact with the end face of the honeycomb formed body and is supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end portion of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body according to claim 18, wherein the paste filling device includes a temperature control mechanism for controlling a temperature of the sealing material paste. The said paste filling apparatus is a manufacturing method of the honeycomb structure of Claim 18 or 19 provided with the baffle plate in the said paste filling part. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein an opening of the sealing mask is smaller than an opening of a cell of the honeycomb formed body. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to claim 21, wherein an opening area of the sealing mask is 5 to 35% of an opening area of a cell of the honeycomb formed body. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body according to any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein a filter is interposed between the paste filling unit and the paste supply unit. The honeycomb structure according to claim 23, wherein the paste filling unit and the paste supply unit are connected by a sealing material paste supply pipe, and the sealing material paste supply pipe includes a filter therein. Production method. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 18 to 24, wherein the sealing device includes a rotary table for moving the honeycomb formed body. By forming a ceramic raw material, a columnar honeycomb formed body in which a large number of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction with a partition wall therebetween is manufactured, and the honeycomb formed body is fired to form a honeycomb fired body. A sealing structure is used for injecting and filling a sealing material paste into any one of the ends, and further firing or drying the honeycomb fired body to produce a honeycomb structured body made of the honeycomb fired body. A manufacturing method comprising:
The sealing device includes a paste filling device having a paste filling unit having a sealing mask in which a large number of openings are formed at predetermined positions, and a paste supply unit for supplying a sealing material paste to the paste filling unit, and the honeycomb firing An imaging device for photographing an end surface of the body, and an image analysis device for analyzing an image obtained by the imaging device,
The position of the cell is analyzed by the image analysis device from the image of the end face taken by the imaging device, and the sealing mask is arranged so that the positional error between the opening of the sealing mask and the cell of the honeycomb fired body is minimized. The sealing material paste that comes into contact with the end face of the honeycomb fired body and is supplied from the paste supply unit to the paste filling unit is injected into the end portion of the cell through the sealing mask and filled. A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure. 27. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body according to claim 26, wherein the paste filling device includes a temperature control mechanism for controlling a temperature of the sealing material paste. 28. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body according to claim 26, wherein the paste filling device includes a current plate in the paste filling portion. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein an opening of the sealing mask is smaller than an opening of a cell of the honeycomb fired body. 30. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body according to claim 29, wherein an opening area of the sealing mask is 5 to 35% of an opening area of a cell of the honeycomb fired body. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 26 to 30, wherein a filter is interposed between the paste filling unit and the paste supply unit. 32. The honeycomb structure according to claim 31, wherein the paste filling unit and the paste supply unit are connected by a sealing material paste supply pipe, and the sealing material paste supply pipe includes a filter therein. Production method. The manufacturing method of the honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 26 to 32, wherein the sealing device includes a rotary table that moves the honeycomb sintered body.

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