CN114152062A

CN114152062A - Heat treatment furnace

Info

Publication number: CN114152062A
Application number: CN202011058556.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 松本琢磨; 小牧毅史
Original assignee: NGK Insulators Ltd
Current assignee: NGK Insulators Ltd
Priority date: 2020-09-08
Filing date: 2020-09-30
Publication date: 2022-03-08
Also published as: JP2022045252A; JP7449203B2

Abstract

The invention discloses a heat treatment furnace, which can inhibit the gas outside a furnace body from entering a treatment chamber. The heat treatment furnace is provided with: the air curtain device comprises a furnace body (12), a conveying device (20), a plurality of guide rollers (22a, 22b, 22c, 24), heating devices (26a, 26b, 28), an air supply device (38) and an air curtain device (50). The transport device transports an object (W) to be treated, which is stretched from an input port (15a) to an output port (16a), from the input port (15a) to the output port (16a) through a treatment chamber (19). The guide rollers (22a, 22b, 22c, 24) guide the object to be processed conveyed by the conveying device. Heating devices (26a, 26b, 28) are disposed in the processing chamber and heat the object to be processed conveyed by the conveying device. A gas supply device (38) supplies a 1 st gas into the processing chamber. The air curtain device (50) is arranged near the input port (15a) and is used for spraying the 2 nd gas to the input port (15 a).

Description

Heat treatment furnace

Technical Field

The technology disclosed in the present specification relates to a heat treatment furnace for heat-treating an object to be treated.

Background

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in patent document 1, a treatment object is stretched from an inlet port to an outlet port through a treatment chamber. The object to be treated is input into the treatment chamber from the input port, conveyed in the treatment chamber, and output from the output port. The object to be treated is heated by a heating device disposed in the treatment chamber, and the object to be treated is subjected to a heat treatment while being conveyed in the treatment chamber. In order to effectively perform the heat treatment of the object to be treated, it is necessary to control the atmosphere in the treatment chamber. Therefore, in the heat treatment furnace of patent document 1, a gas supply device supplies gas into the processing chamber to control the atmosphere in the processing chamber.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2014/163175

Disclosure of Invention

In the heat treatment furnace, the object to be treated passes through the treatment chamber from the inlet and is mounted on the outlet. Therefore, the inlet and the outlet are always open, and the treatment chamber communicates with the outside of the furnace body through the inlet and the outlet. As a result, the gas outside the furnace body enters the processing chamber through the inlet and the outlet, and the atmosphere in the processing chamber deteriorates. In particular, the input port has a problem that, when the object to be treated is conveyed from the outside of the furnace into the treatment chamber, gas outside the furnace easily enters the treatment chamber, and the atmosphere in the treatment chamber near the input port is easily deteriorated. The present specification discloses a technique capable of suppressing the entry of gas outside a furnace into a processing chamber.

The heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification includes: the furnace body, conveyor, a plurality of guide rolls, heating device, 1 st air feeder, and air curtain device, wherein, the furnace body possesses: the processing apparatus includes an input port, an output port, and a processing chamber disposed between the input port and the output port, wherein the transport device transports a processed object stretched from the input port to the output port through the processing chamber, the guide rollers are disposed in the processing chamber and guide the processed object transported by the transport device, the heating device is disposed in the processing chamber and heats the processed object transported by the transport device, the 1 st gas supply device supplies a 1 st gas into the processing chamber, and the air curtain device is disposed in the vicinity of the input port and ejects the 2 nd gas to shield the input port.

In the above heat treatment furnace, the air curtain device is provided in the vicinity of the inlet, and the inlet is shielded by the 2 nd gas jetted from the air curtain device. Therefore, the gas outside the furnace body can be prevented from entering the processing chamber. This can prevent the atmosphere in the processing chamber near the input port from deteriorating.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a heat treatment furnace according to example 1.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a heater according to embodiment 1.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a gas supply tube according to example 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing the vicinity of an inlet port where an air curtain device is disposed.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of an air curtain supply duct according to embodiment 1.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of an opening width adjusting device disposed near an inlet of a heat treatment furnace.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX of fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a bearing portion for supporting the rotary shaft of the guide roller.

Description of the reference numerals

10 heat treatment furnace 12 body

22 upper guide roller 24 lower guide roller

26a, 26b No. 1 Heater 28 No. 2 Heater

38 air supply pipe 48a upper air supply pipe

48b lower

air supply pipes

49a, 49b air supply ports

50 air curtain device

Detailed Description

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the object to be treated may be a thin film body spanning from the inlet port to the outlet port. The air curtain device may include: a 1 st gas supply port arranged on the front surface side of the thin film body and discharging a 2 nd gas toward the front surface of the thin film body, and a 2 nd gas supply port arranged on the back surface side of the thin film body and discharging a 2 nd gas toward the back surface of the thin film body. According to such a configuration, the opening formed on the front surface side of the thin film body as the object to be processed (the opening formed between the wall on the front surface side of the inlet and the front surface of the thin film body) is blocked by the 2 nd gas ejected from the 1 st gas supply port, and the opening formed on the back surface side of the thin film body (the opening formed between the wall on the back surface side of the inlet and the back surface of the thin film body) is blocked by the 2 nd gas ejected from the 2 nd gas supply port. Accordingly, the gas outside the furnace body can be effectively prevented from entering the processing chamber.

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the 1 st gas supply port may be disposed on the processing chamber side in the vicinity of the input port. The direction of the 2 nd gas ejected from the 1 st gas supply port may be: from the 1 st air inlet through the inlet to the outside of the furnace body. The 2 nd air supply port may be disposed on the processing chamber side near the input port. The direction of the 2 nd gas ejection from the 2 nd gas supply port may be: from the 2 nd air inlet through the inlet to the outside of the furnace body. According to such a configuration, since the 2 nd gas is ejected from the processing chamber toward the outside of the furnace body through the inlet, the gas outside the furnace body can be effectively prevented from entering the processing chamber.

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, an angle formed by a direction in which the 2 nd gas is ejected from the 1 st gas supply port and the surface of the thin film body may be in a range of 0 to 90 degrees when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the surface of the thin film body and passing through the input port and the output port. Further, an angle formed by the direction of ejecting the 2 nd gas from the 2 nd gas supply port and the back surface of the film body may be in a range of 0 to 90 degrees. According to this configuration, the 2 nd gas ejected from the 1 st gas supply port and the 2 nd gas supply port collides against the front surface or the back surface of the thin film body, and at least a part of the 2 nd gas flows along the front surface of the thin film body. By such a flow of the 2 nd gas, the gas outside the furnace can be effectively suppressed from entering the processing chamber.

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the input port may exhibit, when viewed in the conveying direction of the film body: a rectangle having a pair of 1 st sides parallel to the surface of the film body and a pair of 2 nd sides orthogonal to the surface of the film body. The 1 st air supply port and the 2 nd air supply port may be disposed along the 1 st side. According to this configuration, the gap between one of the pair of 1 st sides (the side on the front side) and the front surface of the film body and the gap between the other of the pair of 1 st sides (the side on the back side) and the back surface of the film body are blocked from the outside of the furnace by the 2 nd gas ejected from the 1 st gas supply port and the 2 nd gas supply port, respectively.

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, when the length of the 1 st side of the inlet is set to L and the dimension of the 1 st air inlet in the direction parallel to the 1 st side is set to L1, a relationship of L ≦ L1 may be established. According to this configuration, since the dimension of the 1 st gas supply port is set to be equal to or greater than the length of the 1 st side, it is possible to effectively suppress the entry of the gas outside the furnace from the gas inlet port. In addition, the 1 st air supply port may be formed by a single air supply port (for example, a slit-shaped air supply port). In this case, the size L1 of the single air supply port may be set to L or more. Alternatively, the 1 st air supply port may be formed by a plurality of air supply ports arranged at intervals in a direction parallel to the 1 st side. In this case, L1 may be a dimension from the air supply port disposed at one end to the air supply port disposed at the other end among the plurality of air supply ports.

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the input port may exhibit, when viewed in the conveying direction of the film body: a rectangle having a pair of 1 st sides parallel to the surface of the film body and a pair of 2 nd sides orthogonal to the surface of the film body. The heat treatment furnace may further include: an opening width adjusting device for adjusting the size of the 2 nd side of the input port. With this configuration, the degree of entry of the gas outside the furnace into the processing chamber can be adjusted by adjusting the opening width of the inlet.

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the opening width adjusting device may include: a 1 st shielding plate arranged on the front side of the film body, and a 2 nd shielding plate arranged on the back side of the film body. The 1 st shield plate is movable in a direction orthogonal to the surface of the film body. The 2 nd shielding plate is movable in a direction orthogonal to the rear surface of the film body. Furthermore, the size of the 2 nd side of the input port can be adjusted by adjusting the positions of the 1 st shield plate and the 2 nd shield plate. With this configuration, the opening width of the inlet can be adjusted by adjusting the positions of the 2 shield plates.

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the furnace body may include: a bearing portion provided for each guide roller and supporting the guide roller to be rotatable. Each bearing portion may further include: and a 2 nd gas supply device for supplying at least one of the 1 st gas and the 2 nd gas to a space between the bearing and the processing chamber. With this configuration, the gas outside the furnace can be prevented from entering the processing chamber through the bearing.

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the object to be treated can be conveyed from the inlet port to the outlet port via the conveyance path defined by the plurality of guide rollers. The heating device may include a plurality of heaters that are arranged along the conveyance path and that emit electromagnetic waves in the infrared region to heat the object to be processed. With this configuration, the object to be processed can be heated by the plurality of heaters arranged along the conveyance path while being conveyed on the conveyance path.

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the 1 st gas supply device may include: and a plurality of gas supply pipes arranged along the conveying path in the processing chamber and used for spraying the 1 st gas towards the processed object. According to such a configuration, the atmosphere in the heat treatment furnace can be adjusted to a desired atmosphere by the plurality of gas supply pipes arranged along the conveyance path.

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the object to be treated may include: a thin film and a paste applied on at least one of the front and back surfaces of the thin film. The heating device can remove moisture contained in the paste. According to such a configuration, the atmosphere in the processing chamber can be controlled to a desired atmosphere, and therefore, the moisture contained in the paste can be effectively removed.

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the conveyance device may further include: a charging port roller disposed outside the furnace body and in the vicinity of the charging port, around which the object to be treated is wound; and an outlet roller disposed outside the furnace body and in the vicinity of the outlet, and configured to wind the object to be processed conveyed in the processing chamber. The object to be treated wound around the inlet roller can be fed from the inlet roller and conveyed in the treatment chamber by rotating the inlet roller and the outlet roller. With this configuration, the heat treatment can be continuously performed on the object to be treated wound around the inlet roller.

In the heat treatment furnace disclosed in the present specification, the atmosphere in the treatment chamber may be an inert gas atmosphere having a dew point of 0 ℃ or lower. With this configuration, condensation of moisture contained in the atmosphere gas can be suppressed.

Examples

The heat treatment furnace 10 according to example 1 will be described below. The heat treatment furnace 10 of the present embodiment is a drying furnace (dehydration apparatus) for removing moisture contained in a workpiece W (an example of a workpiece). The work W is a sheet continuously extending in the longitudinal direction, and a thin film (an example of a thin film body) used in, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL, a battery, or the like belongs to the work W. In such a film, the film itself may contain moisture, or in the case where the film is coated with a coating layer, the coating layer may contain moisture. Therefore, first, moisture contained in the film is removed, and then, the film from which the moisture is removed is cut into a desired size, thereby manufacturing a final product. The heat treatment furnace 10 of the present embodiment can be used to remove moisture from the sheet.

The structure of the heat treatment furnace 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the heat treatment furnace 10 includes: a furnace body 12 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, a transport device 20 for carrying in and out a workpiece W with respect to the furnace body 12,

heating devices

26a, 26b, and 28 for heating the workpiece W, and a gas supply device 38 for supplying a cooling gas to the surface of the workpiece W.

The furnace body 12 includes: a lower wall 13, an upper wall 14 facing the lower wall 13, side walls 17 and 18 (see fig. 2) having one end connected to the lower wall 13 and the other end connected to the upper wall 14, and an input side wall 15 and an output side wall 16 which close the ends of the

processing chambers

19a and 19b surrounded by the

walls

13, 14, 17, and 18.

The lower wall 13 is a plate material having a rectangular shape in plan view, and is disposed below the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b. As shown in fig. 1, the lower wall 13 is provided with a plurality of exhaust ports 13a at substantially constant intervals in the x direction. Of the exhaust ports 13a, 5 exhaust ports 13a arranged at the center are arranged: and a position opposed to a guide roller 24 described later. Among the exhaust ports 13a, the exhaust port 13a disposed at one end in the x direction is disposed: adjacent to the input sidewall 15. Of the exhaust ports 13a, the exhaust port 13a disposed at the other end in the x direction is disposed: adjacent the output side wall 15. The exhaust ports 13a are connected to an exhaust fan 13 b. When the exhaust fan 13b is operated, the atmosphere gas in the

processing chambers

19a and 19b is exhausted to the outside of the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b.

The upper wall 14 is a plate material having the same shape as the lower wall 13, and is disposed above the

process chambers

19a and 19 b. As with the lower wall 13, the upper wall 14 is also provided with a plurality of exhaust ports 14a at substantially constant intervals in the x direction. The exhaust ports 14a are respectively disposed: and positions opposed to the exhaust ports 13a, respectively. The exhaust ports 14a are connected to an exhaust fan 14 b. When the exhaust fan 14b is operated, the atmosphere gas in the

processing chambers

19a and 19b is exhausted to the outside of the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b.

The input sidewall 15 is provided with an input port 15a, and the output sidewall 16 is provided with an output port 16 a. The input port 15a and the output port 16a are at the same position in the height direction, and the input port 15a and the output port 16a are opposed to each other. As can be seen from fig. 1: the processing

chambers

19a and 19b are disposed between the input port 15a and the output port 16 a.

The inner surfaces of the

walls

13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 constituting the furnace body 12 (i.e., the surfaces on the

treatment chambers

19a, 19b side) are mirror-finished. As a result, the reflectance of the electromagnetic wave in the infrared region of the surface (specifically, the electromagnetic wave radiated from the

heaters

26a, 26b, and 28 described later) is 50% or more. This enables the electromagnetic waves emitted from the

heaters

26a, 26b, and 28 to be effectively radiated to the workpiece W.

The conveyance device 20 includes: a charging port roller 21 disposed outside the furnace body 12 and in the vicinity of the charging port 15 a; an outlet roller 25 disposed outside the furnace body 12 and in the vicinity of the outlet 16 a; and a plurality of

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, 24 disposed in the

process chambers

19a, 19 b.

The work W is wound around the inlet roller 21. The workpiece W wound around the inlet roller 21 is stretched from the inlet 15a to the outlet 16a through the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b. Specifically, the work W is bridged from the entrance roller 21 to the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24 through the entrance 15a, and further bridged from the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24 to the exit roller 25 through the exit 16 a.

The outlet rollers 25 are: and a roller for winding the workpiece W output from the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b. A driving device, not shown, is connected to the delivery-out roller 25, and the delivery-out roller 25 is rotationally driven by the driving device. When the delivery exit roller 25 rotates, the workpiece W wound around the delivery exit roller 21 is delivered to the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b. The workpiece W fed out from the inlet roller 21 is guided by the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24, moves on predetermined conveyance paths in the

processing chambers

19a and 19b, is fed out from the outlet 16a to the

processing chambers

19a and 19b, and is wound around the outlet roller 25. That is, the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24 define a conveyance path of the workpiece W in the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b.

The

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24 include: a plurality of

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c disposed near the upper wall 14, and a plurality of lower guide rollers 24 disposed near the lower wall 13. In the present embodiment, the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24 are contact rollers that contact the workpiece W, but non-contact rollers that guide the workpiece W in a non-contact manner may be used.

The

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, and 22c are arranged at a constant interval in the x direction. Specifically, the upper guide roller 22a is disposed adjacent to the inlet port 15a, and the upper guide roller 22c is disposed adjacent to the outlet port 16 a. The guide rollers 22b are disposed at equal intervals between the upper guide roller 22a and the upper guide roller 22 c. The

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, and 22c are each at the same position in the height direction.

The plurality of lower guide rollers 24 are arranged with a constant interval in the x direction, similarly to the

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, and 22 c. The interval in the x direction of the adjacent lower guide rollers 24 is the same as the interval in the x direction of the

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22 c. The positions of the plurality of lower guide rollers 24 in the x direction are at the center positions of the adjacent

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22 c. The positions of the plurality of lower guide rollers 24 in the height direction are the same.

As described above, since the

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, and 22c and the lower guide roller 24 are arranged, the workpiece W conveyed in the x direction from the input port 15a is conveyed downward by the upper guide roller 22a, then conveyed upward by the lower guide roller 24, and then repeatedly conveyed in the up-down direction by the upper conveying roller 22b and the lower conveying roller 24. Then, the workpiece W conveyed upward from the lower conveying rollers 24 disposed closest to the output port 16a is conveyed toward the output port 16a by the upper guide rollers 22 c. By repeating the vertical conveyance in the

processing chambers

19a and 19b in this manner, the space in the

processing chambers

19a and 19b can be effectively used, and a processing time for drying the workpiece W can be ensured. Further, as can be seen from fig. 1: the processing

chambers

19a and 19b are divided into an upper processing chamber 19a provided on the upper wall 14 side and a lower processing chamber 19b provided on the lower wall 13 side by the work W mounted on the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24. As is clear from fig. 2, the upper processing chamber 19a and the lower processing chamber 19b are connected at a position where the workpiece W is absent (at positions outside both ends of the workpiece W in the y direction).

The heating device is disposed in the

processing chambers

19a and 19b and heats the workpiece W conveyed by the conveying device 20. The heating device is provided with: 1

st heaters

26a, 26b disposed in the vicinity of the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, 24; and a 2 nd heater 28 disposed at a height between the

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, and 22c and the lower guide roller 24. As shown in fig. 2, the 1

st heaters

26a, 26b and the 2 nd heaters 28 extend in the axial direction of the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, 24, and can heat the entire width direction (y direction) of the workpiece W.

As shown in fig. 1, the 1

st heaters

26a and 26b include: a plurality of 1 st upper heaters 26a disposed above the

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, and 22 c; and a plurality of 1 st lower heaters 26b disposed below the lower guide roll 24. The 1 st upper heater 26a is configured to: the 1 st lower heater 26b is disposed so as to face the corresponding

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, and 22 c: respectively, are opposed to the corresponding lower guide rollers 24. Therefore, the workpiece W is positioned between the 1 st upper heater 26a and the

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, and 22c, and the workpiece W is directly heated by the 1 st upper heater 26 a. Similarly, the workpiece W is positioned between the 1 st lower heater 26b and the lower guide roller 24, and the workpiece W is directly heated by the 1 st lower heater 26 b.

The 2 nd heaters 28 are disposed below the

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, and 22c at intervals in the z direction. Further, 2 heaters 28 are disposed above the lower guide rollers 24 with an interval in the z direction. Thus, it is configured to: the 11 2 nd heaters 28 are arranged with an interval in the x direction, and the 2 nd heaters 28 are arranged with an interval in the y direction. As can be seen from the figure: the 2 nd heater 28 is disposed at a position facing the workpiece W bridged between the

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, and 22c and the lower guide roller 24 (i.e., in the vicinity of an intermediate position between adjacent guide rollers in the conveying direction of the workpiece W). Since the 2 nd heater 28 extends in the axial direction of the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, 24, the entire width direction of the workpiece W bridged between the

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c and the lower guide roller 24 is heated by the 2 nd heater 28.

The 1

st heaters

26a, 26b are: the 1

st heaters

26a and 26b and the 2 nd heater 28 have the same configuration as the known wavelength-controllable heaters that emit electromagnetic waves in the infrared region. Therefore, the structure of the 2 nd heater 28 will be briefly described here.

As shown in fig. 3, the 2 nd heater 28 includes: a filament 30, an inner tube 32 for receiving the filament 30, and an outer tube 34 for receiving the inner tube 32. The filament 30 is a heating element made of, for example, tungsten, and is supplied with power from an external power supply not shown. When the filament 30 is supplied with power and reaches a predetermined temperature (for example, 1200 to 1700 ℃), electromagnetic waves including infrared rays are emitted from the filament 30. The inner tube 32 is formed of an infrared-transmitting material through which only electromagnetic waves in a specific wavelength region (infrared region in this embodiment) of the electromagnetic waves emitted from the filament 30 can transmit. By appropriately selecting the infrared-transmitting material for forming the inner tube 32, the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave emitted from the filament 30 to the outside of the inner tube 32 can be adjusted to a desired wavelength. The outer tube 34 is also formed of the same infrared-transmitting material as the inner tube 32. Therefore, the electromagnetic wave transmitted through the inner tube 32 is transmitted through the outer tube 34 and radiated to the outside. The space 36 between the inner tube 32 and the outer tube 34 is: a cooling medium flow path through which a cooling medium (for example, air) flows. By supplying the refrigerant to the space 36 (i.e., the refrigerant passage), the temperature of the outer tube 34 can be prevented from becoming excessively high. Accordingly, the workpiece W can be prevented from overheating. Further, a heater in which the wavelength of an electromagnetic wave emitting in the infrared region is controllable has been disclosed in detail in, for example, japanese patent No. 4790092.

The air supply device (an example of the 1 st air supply device) includes: a plurality of gas supply pipes 38 extending in the y direction within the

process chambers

19a, 19 b; and a gas supply fan (not shown) disposed outside the

processing chambers

19a and 19b and configured to supply a cooling gas (an example of the 1 st gas) to the plurality of gas supply pipes 38. As shown in fig. 4,

ejection holes

39a, 39b are formed at 2 in the circumferential direction of the air supply pipe 38. Therefore, the cooling gas supplied from the supply fan to the supply pipe 38 is ejected from the ejection holes 39a and 39b into the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b. In the present embodiment, the orientation for setting the gas supply pipe 38 is adjusted so that the ejection direction of the cooling gas ejected from the

ejection holes

39a, 39b is orthogonal to the surface of the workpiece W. As shown in fig. 4, the discharge holes 39a and 39b are disposed: opposite to each other with the axis of the gas supply pipe 38 therebetween. Therefore, when the workpiece W is positioned on the input port 15a side and the output port 16a side of the gas supply pipe 38, the cooling gas injected from the injection holes 39a of the gas supply pipe 38 is injected toward one workpiece W, and the cooling gas injected from the injection holes 39b of the gas supply pipe 38 is injected toward the other workpiece W. As shown in fig. 2, a plurality of

discharge holes

39a and 39b of the air supply pipe 38 are formed at intervals in the y direction. Therefore, the cooling gas ejected from the

ejection holes

39a, 39b is ejected over the entire width direction (y direction) of the workpiece W.

As shown in fig. 1, 2 air supply pipes 38 are disposed below the

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, and 22c at intervals in the z direction. Further, 2 air supply pipes 38 are disposed above the lower guide rollers 24 with an interval therebetween in the z direction. As can be seen from fig. 1: the air supply pipe 38 is disposed at a position different from the positions where the 1

st heaters

26a and 26b and the 2 nd heater 28 are disposed. Specifically, the 2 nd heater 28 and the air supply pipe 38 are alternately arranged with equal intervals in the z direction (conveying direction). As described above, the

processing chambers

19a and 19b are divided into the upper processing chamber 19a and the lower processing chamber 19b by the work W mounted on the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24, and the air supply pipe 38 is disposed in each of the upper processing chamber 19a and the lower processing chamber 19 b.

As the cooling gas to be supplied to the gas supply pipe 38, for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen or Ar gas can be used. The atmosphere gas in the

processing chambers

19a and 19b is adjusted by gas injected from the gas supply pipe 38 into the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b. In this embodiment, in order to remove moisture contained in the workpiece W, the atmosphere gas in the

processing chambers

19a and 19b is adjusted to: gas with dew point below 0 ℃. Further, as the cooling gas, an atmosphere having a dew point of 0 ℃ or lower may be used.

As shown in fig. 1, 5, and 6, the heat treatment furnace 10 further includes: and an air curtain device 50 disposed adjacent to the input port 15 a. The air curtain device 50 includes: a lower gas supply pipe 48b extending in the y direction in the processing chamber 19b, an upper gas supply pipe 48a extending in the y direction in the processing chamber 19a, and a gas supply fan (not shown) disposed outside the

processing chambers

19a, 19b and supplying a shielding gas (an example of the 2 nd gas) to the upper gas supply pipe 48a and the lower gas supply pipe 48 b.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the lower air supply pipe 48b is disposed: the processing chamber 19b is located near the input sidewall 15 and on the back side of the workpiece W. Specifically, the lower air supply pipe 48b is located slightly below the lower edge 151b of the inlet port 15a and is disposed along the lower edge 151 b. That is, the inlet 15a is formed in a rectangular shape having a pair of upper and

lower sides

151a and 151b (an example of the 1 st side) extending in the y direction and a pair of side sides 152 (an example of the 2 nd side) extending in the z direction, as viewed in the conveying direction of the workpiece W. The lower gas supply pipe 48b is disposed along a lower side 151b parallel to the back surface of the workpiece W, one end of the lower gas supply pipe 48b is located more toward the-y direction than one end of the lower side 151b (the end in the-y direction), and the other end of the lower gas supply pipe 48b extends outside the processing chamber 19 b. That is, the dimension of the lower air supply pipe 48b in the y direction is longer than the dimension L of the lower side 151b, and the lower air supply pipe 48b is disposed entirely below the lower side 151 b.

The lower air supply pipe 48b is formed with: an air supply port 49b (an example of the 2 nd air supply port) through which the shielding gas supplied from the air supply fan is discharged toward the back surface of the workpiece W (see fig. 7). In the present embodiment, the air supply port 49b is formed as: a slit shape extending along the axial direction (y direction) of the lower air supply pipe 48 b. The air supply port 49b formed in a slit shape is formed in the range of L1 shown in fig. 6. Therefore, the dimension L1 of the air supply port 49b in the y direction is equal to or greater than the dimension L of the lower side 151b of the input port 15a (L. ltoreq.L 1). As is clear from fig. 6, one end of the air supply port 49b is located at a position closer to the-y direction than one end of the lower side 151b (the end in the y direction), and the other end of the air supply port 49b is located at a position closer to the + y direction than the other end of the lower side 151b (the end in the + y direction). Therefore, the gas supply port 49b is always located below the input port 15a, and the shielding gas from the gas supply port 49b is ejected toward the entire y-direction of the input port 15 a.

Although the air supply port 49b of the present embodiment is a single slit-shaped air supply port extending in the y direction, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the air supply port 49b may be formed by a plurality of air supply ports arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval in the y direction. In this case, the air supply port arranged at one end of the plurality of air supply ports may be located at a position closer to the-y direction than one end (-y direction end) of the lower side 151b, and the air supply port arranged at the other end (+ y direction end) may be located at a position closer to the + y direction than the other end (+ y direction end) of the lower side 151b, whereby the shielding gas is ejected toward the entire input port 15 a.

As shown in fig. 7, the air supply port 49b is formed at one position in the circumferential direction of the lower air supply pipe 48 b. Therefore, the shielding gas ejected from the gas supply port 49b is ejected toward a specific direction in the circumferential direction of the lower gas supply pipe 48 b. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, the direction of the shielding gas ejected from the gas supply port 49b (the direction of the arrow 62 a) is: the shielding gas passes through the inlet 15a from the gas supply port 49b and is directed to the outside of the furnace body 12. As is clear from fig. 5, the shielding gas ejected from the gas supply port 49b collides with the back surface of the workpiece W outside the furnace body 12, and is divided into: flow out of the furnace (arrow 62c) and flow into the furnace (arrow 62 b). In the present embodiment, since the shielding gas collides with the rear surface of the workpiece W outside the furnace body 12, the flow toward the outside of the furnace (arrow 62c) is stronger than the flow toward the inside of the furnace (arrow 62 b). This effectively prevents the atmosphere outside the furnace body 12 from entering the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b.

The direction in which the blocking gas is ejected from the gas supply port 49b is not limited to the direction shown in fig. 5 as long as the direction can block the input port 15 a. For example, when viewed in a cross-section perpendicular to the front surface (or the back surface) of the workpiece W and passing through the inlet port 15a and the outlet port 16a (i.e., when viewed in a cross-section shown in fig. 5), the direction in which the shielding gas is ejected from the gas supply port 49b may be set so that the angle (θ in fig. 5) formed by the direction in which the shielding gas is ejected from the gas supply port 49b and the back surface of the workpiece W is set₂) Is in the range of 0 to 90 degrees. According to the structure, the shieldingThe gas collides against the back surface of the workpiece W, and a flow to the outside of the furnace is sufficiently generated, so that the atmosphere outside the furnace body 12 can be prevented from entering the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b.

On the other hand, the upper gas supply pipe 48a is disposed in the vicinity of the input side wall 15 in the processing chamber 19a and on the front side of the workpiece W (see fig. 5 and 6). Specifically, the upper air supply pipe 48a is located slightly above the upper edge 151a of the inlet port 15a, and is arranged along the upper edge 151a parallel to the surface of the workpiece W. The upper gas supply pipe 48a has one end located more toward the-y direction than one end of the upper side 151a (the end in the-y direction), and the other end extending out of the processing chamber 19a, as in the lower gas supply pipe 48 b.

The upper gas supply pipe 48a is formed with: and an air supply port 49a (an example of the 1 st air supply port) for ejecting the shielding gas supplied from the air supply fan toward the front surface of the workpiece W (see fig. 7). The air supply port 49a is formed in a slit shape extending in the axial direction (y direction) of the upper air supply pipe 48a, similarly to the air supply port 49b, and is formed within the range of L1 shown in fig. 6. Therefore, the dimension of the air supply port 49a in the y direction is equal to the dimension L1 of the air supply port 49b and is equal to or greater than the dimension L (L. ltoreq.L 1) of the upper side 151a of the input port 15 a. Even in the upper air supply pipe 48a, the air supply port 49a is always positioned above the inlet port 15a, and the shielding gas from the air supply port 49a is ejected toward the entire inlet port 15a in the y direction. Similarly to the air supply port 49b, the air supply port 49a may be formed by a plurality of air supply ports arranged to be spaced apart by a predetermined interval in the y direction.

As shown in fig. 5, the direction of the shielding gas ejected from the gas supply port 49a (the direction of the arrow 60 a) is: the shielding gas passes through the inlet 15a from the gas supply port 49a and is directed to the outside of the furnace body 12. In the present embodiment, the shielding gas ejected from the gas supply port 49a collides with the surface of the workpiece W outside the furnace body 12, and is divided into a flow (arrow 60c) toward the outside of the furnace and a flow (arrow 60b) toward the inside of the furnace. As is clear from the figure, the flow (arrow 60c) to the outside of the furnace is stronger than the flow (arrow 60b) to the inside of the furnace, and therefore, the atmospheric air outside the furnace body 12 can be effectively prevented from entering the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b.

As is clear from fig. 6, the position (y-direction position) where the shielding gas ejected from the gas supply port 49a collides with the workpiece W and the position (y-direction position) where the shielding gas ejected from the gas supply port 49b collides with the workpiece W are set to the same position. Therefore, at a position where the workpiece W is not present (position in the y direction (see fig. 6)), the shielding gas ejected from the gas supply port 49a collides with the shielding gas ejected from the gas supply port 49b, and flows to the outside of the furnace and flows to the inside of the furnace are formed. By making the flow of the shield gas from the upper gas supply pipe 48a and the flow of the shield gas from the lower gas supply pipe 48b collide with each other to form a flow toward the outside of the furnace, the entry of the atmosphere outside the furnace body 12 into the

processing chambers

19a and 19b can be effectively suppressed.

Further, as for the direction in which the shielding gas is ejected from the gas supply port 49a, the direction in which the shielding gas is ejected may be set so that the angle (θ in fig. 5) formed by the direction in which the shielding gas is ejected from the gas supply port 49a and the surface of the workpiece W when viewed in cross section as shown in fig. 5, similarly to the gas supply port 49b₁) Is in the range of 0 to 90 degrees.

As the shielding gas to be injected from the

gas supply ports

49a and 49b, the same gas as the cooling gas to be supplied to the gas supply pipe 38, for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen or Ar gas, or a gas different from the cooling gas to be supplied to the gas supply pipe 38 may be used. In the present embodiment, in order to remove moisture contained in the workpiece W, it is preferable to adjust the atmosphere gas in the

processing chambers

19a and 19b to: gas with dew point below 0 ℃. Therefore, for example, the inert gas or the atmosphere having a dew point of-40 ℃ may be supplied from the air supply pipe 38, and the inert gas or the atmosphere having a dew point of-60 ℃ or-20 ℃ may be supplied from the air curtain device 50.

As is clear from the above description, the opening from the workpiece W of the inlet port 15a to the upper side 151a is blocked by the blocking gas injected from the gas supply port 49a, and the opening from the workpiece W of the inlet port 15a to the lower side 151b is blocked by the blocking gas injected from the gas supply port 49 b. On the other hand, as is clear from the figure, the distance from the workpiece W to the upper side 151a of the input port 15a is shorter than the distance from the workpiece W to the lower side 151b of the input port 15 a. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to set: the flow rate of the shielding gas ejected from the gas supply port 49a is smaller than the flow rate of the shielding gas ejected from the gas supply port 49 b. However, it may be set such that: the flow rate of the shielding gas ejected from the gas supply port 49a is the same as the flow rate of the shielding gas ejected from the gas supply port 49 b.

The controller 44 is composed of a processor including a CPU, ROM, and RAM, and controls the transport device 20, the

heating devices

26a, 26b, and 28, and the air supply device. Specifically, the controller 44 controls the conveying speed and tension of the workpiece W by controlling the conveying device 20, controls the heating amount of the workpiece W by controlling the

heating devices

26a, 26b, and 28, and controls the flow rate and flow velocity of the cooling gas ejected from the gas supply pipe 38 toward the workpiece W by controlling the gas supply device. Further, the controller 44 controls the flow rate and the flow velocity of the shielding gas ejected from the air curtain device 50.

Further, the heat treatment furnace 10 is provided with: and a penetration device for attaching the workpiece W wound around the entrance roller 21 to the exit roller 25. As shown in fig. 1, the penetration device includes: a chain 42 that circulates inside the

processing chambers

19a and 19b and outside the

processing chambers

19a and 19b, and a driving device (not shown) that drives the chain 42. Similarly to the workpiece W mounted on the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24, the chain 42 extends from the input port 15a to the output port 16a while changing its orientation in the vertical direction, and passes through the output port 16a and outside the

processing chambers

19a and 19b to return to the input port 15 a. As shown in fig. 1, the path along which the work W is erected (i.e., the conveying path of the work W) intersects at a plurality of points with the path along which the work W is erected. The chain 42 is disposed at the following positions: since the workpiece W is located at the outer side in the width direction (y direction), the chain 42 and the workpiece W do not interfere with each other (see fig. 2). In order to attach the workpiece W to the delivery outlet roller 25 by the penetration device, first, the workpiece W wound around the delivery outlet roller 21 is clamped by a jig, not shown, provided on the chain 42. Next, the chain 42 is circulated by the driving device, and the workpiece W is sent out from the inlet roller 21. Accordingly, the workpiece W held by the gripper of the chain 42 moves together with the chain 42 in the

processing chambers

19a and 19b, and moves to the output port 16 a. When the workpiece W moves to the delivery port 16a, the gripper is operated, the workpiece W is released from the chain 42, and the workpiece W is mounted on the delivery port roller 25. Finally, the work W is stretched from the entrance 15a to the exit 16a by rotating the exit roller 25 and applying tension to the work W, and the work W is stretched by the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24.

Next, a process of removing water from the workpiece W by using the heat treatment furnace 10 will be described. First, a cooling gas is supplied from the gas supply pipe 38 into the

processing chambers

19a and 19b, and the inside of the

processing chambers

19a and 19b is adjusted to a predetermined atmosphere. At this time, the air curtain device 50 is operated to shield the input port 15a from the outside of the furnace body 12 by the shielding gas injected from the

air supply ports

49a and 49 b. This can prevent the gas outside the furnace body 12 from entering the

processing chambers

19a and 19b through the inlet 15 a. Next, the controller 44 drives the transfer device 20 to transfer the workpiece W from the input port 15a to the output port 16a through the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b. At this time, the controller 44 controls the

heating devices

26a, 26b, and 28 to irradiate the workpiece W with electromagnetic waves in the infrared region and to eject cooling gas from the gas supply pipe 38 toward the surface of the workpiece W. When electromagnetic waves in the infrared region are irradiated from the

heating devices

26a, 26b, 28, moisture contained in the workpiece W absorbs the irradiated electromagnetic waves, so that the moisture is evaporated. The moisture evaporated from the work W is removed from the surface of the work W by the cooling gas ejected from the gas supply pipe 38. The atmosphere gas containing the moisture removed from the surface of the workpiece W (wherein the moisture contains a slight amount of the organic solvent) is discharged from the exhaust port 13a of the lower wall 13 and the exhaust port 14a of the upper wall 14 to the outside of the

processing chambers

19a and 19b, respectively. The workpiece W is deprived of moisture while being conveyed from the input port 15a to the output port 16 a. The workpiece W from which the moisture is removed is wound around the delivery-out roller 25.

According to the heat treatment furnace 10 described above, the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24 include, in the vicinity thereof: and 1

st heaters

26a and 26b opposed to the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24. Further, a 2 nd heater 28 is provided between the

upper guide rollers

22a, 22b, and 22c and the lower guide roller 24. The

heaters

26a, 26b, and 28 can control the heat balance of the workpiece W in a state of being in contact with the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24, and can also control the heat balance of the workpiece W in a state of not being in contact with the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24. Therefore, the heat budget of the workpiece W can be well controlled, and the efficiency of the process of removing moisture from the workpiece W can be significantly improved. For example, when the workpiece W is cooled too much due to heat flowing from the workpiece W to the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24 caused by contact between the workpiece W and the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24, the amount of heat supplied from the 1

st heaters

26a and 26b to the workpiece W is increased so that the workpiece W is not cooled too much. Accordingly, a decrease in the efficiency of removing water from the workpiece W can be prevented.

In the heat treatment furnace 10, the gas supply pipe 38 and the 2 nd heater 28 are alternately arranged in the conveyance direction, and the cooling gas from the gas supply pipe 38 is ejected from the direction orthogonal to the surface of the workpiece W. Accordingly, the moisture evaporated from the inside of the workpiece W is quickly removed from the surface of the workpiece W, and the removal of the moisture from the workpiece W is promoted. This can improve the efficiency of removing moisture from the workpiece W.

The

processing chambers

19a and 19b are divided into an upper processing chamber 19a and a lower processing chamber 19b by the work W mounted on the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24, and the air supply pipe 38 and the

exhaust ports

14a and 13a are disposed in the upper processing chamber 19a and the lower processing chamber 19 b. Therefore, the cooling gas supplied to the upper processing chamber 19a and the cooling gas supplied to the lower cooling chamber 19b are quickly discharged to the outside of the

processing chambers

19a and 19b together with the removed moisture. This makes it possible to optimize the gas flow in the

processing chambers

19a and 19b and improve the moisture removal efficiency of the workpiece W. In the present embodiment, the air curtain device 50 is disposed in the vicinity of the inlet 15a, and thus, the gas outside the furnace body 12 can be prevented from entering the

processing chambers

19a and 19b through the inlet 15 a. Therefore, deterioration of the atmosphere in the

processing chambers

19a and 19b can be suppressed, and the moisture removal efficiency of the workpiece W can be improved.

The

heaters

26a, 26b, and 28 can adjust the wavelength range of the emitted infrared rays by selecting an infrared ray transmitting material for forming the inner tube and the outer tube. Therefore, the heat treatment efficiency of the workpiece W can be improved by adjusting the wavelength of the emitted electromagnetic wave according to the characteristics of the workpiece W. For example, it is conceivable that the workpiece W is dried from a solid content (phenol-epoxy resin, 10 to 90 wt%) and a solvent (water or solvent (e.g., IPA (isopropyl alcohol, NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone), etc.)) having the solid content in a slurry or paste form, and when such a workpiece W is dried, the water or solvent may be dried by the

heaters

26a, 26b, and 28 having a wavelength selected from near infrared rays in the first half of the heat treatment furnace 10, and annealed by the

heaters

26a, 26b, and 28 having a wavelength selected from far infrared rays in the second half of the heat treatment furnace 10.

In the above-described embodiment, the

heaters

26a, 26b, and 28 emit electromagnetic waves in all the same wavelength regions, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave emitted from the

heaters

26a, 26b, and 28 may be adjusted according to the position on the transport path. For example, when moisture is removed from the workpiece W in the heat treatment furnace 10, the amount of moisture contained in the workpiece W gradually decreases from the input port 15a toward the output port 16 a. Therefore, by gradually increasing the wavelength of the electromagnetic waves emitted from the

heaters

26a, 26b, and 28 from the input port 15a to the output port 16a, the electromagnetic waves corresponding to the moisture content can be irradiated to the workpiece W.

In the above-described embodiment, the 1

st heaters

26a and 26b are disposed in the vicinity of the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24, and the workpiece W is heated by the 1

st heaters

26a and 26b, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, a flow path through which a heating medium flows may be provided inside the guide roller, and the workpiece W may be heated by the guide roller. With this configuration, the heat balance of the workpiece W in the state of being in contact with the guide roller can be controlled, and the heat treatment efficiency of the workpiece W can be improved.

The heat treatment furnace 10 according to the above-described embodiment may further include: an opening width adjusting device for adjusting the opening width (dimension in the z direction) of the inlet 15a in the vertical direction. For example, as shown in fig. 8 and 9, the opening width adjusting device includes: an upper shield plate 52 (an example of a 1 st shield plate) disposed on the front surface side of the workpiece W, and a lower shield plate 54 (an example of a 2 nd shield plate) disposed on the back surface side of the workpiece W. The upper shield plate 52 is mounted on the outer surface of the input sidewall 15 at a position above the input port 15 a. The upper shield plate 52 is a plate material having a rectangular shape in front view, and is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the input sidewall 15 by a manual operation of a user. The lower shield plate 54 is mounted on the outer surface of the input sidewall 15 at a position below the input port 15 a. The lower shielding plate 54 is also a plate material having a rectangular shape in front view, and is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the input sidewall 15 by a manual operation of a user. Therefore, the user can reduce the opening width of the inlet port 15a in the vertical direction by moving the upper shield plate 52 downward to a position close to the front surface of the workpiece W and moving the lower shield plate 54 upward to a position close to the rear surface of the workpiece W, as shown in fig. 8 and 9. This can further suppress the entry of the atmosphere outside the furnace body 12 into the

processing chambers

19a and 19b through the inlet port 15a, and thus can easily control the atmosphere in the

processing chambers

19a and 19b to a desired state. The upper shield plate 52 and the lower shield plate 54 may be moved in the vertical direction by an electric motor or the like.

In the heat treatment furnace 10 according to the above-described embodiment, the bearing portions of the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24 may include: the gas outside the furnace body 12 is prevented from entering the

processing chambers

19a and 19 b. For example, as shown in fig. 10, the

guide rollers

22a, 22b, 22c, and 24 include a rotating shaft 56, and the rotating shaft 56 is rotatably supported by

bearings

58 and 59 provided on the

side walls

17 and 18. The

side walls

17 and 18 are provided with: a space 60 between the bearing 59 disposed on the processing chamber side and the bearing 58 disposed outside the furnace, and an air supply passage 62 (an example of the 2 nd air supply device) having one end opening into the space 60 and the other end opening outside the furnace. An air supply fan, not shown, is connected to the other end of the air supply passage 62. When the air supply fan is operated, cooling air (air supplied to the air supply pipe 38) or shielding air (air supplied to the air curtain device 50) is supplied to the other end of the air supply passage 62. As a result, the cooling gas or the shielding gas is supplied into the space 60 from one end of the gas supply passage 62. This can prevent the atmosphere outside the furnace body 12 from entering the

processing chambers

19a and 19b through the

bearings

58 and 59.

In the above-described embodiment, the air curtain device 50 is provided inside the

processing chambers

19a and 19b, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and the air curtain device may be provided outside the processing chambers (for example, the outer surface of the input sidewall 15). In the above-described embodiment, the air curtain device 50 is provided only at the input port 15a, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and an air curtain device may be provided at the output port 16 a.

In the above-described embodiment, the upper air-supply pipe 48a and the lower air-supply pipe 48 are not rotatable about their axes, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and the upper air-supply pipe 48a and the lower air-supply pipe 48b may be rotatably supported by the

side walls

17 or 18, for example. With such a configuration, the direction in which the shielding gas is ejected can be adjusted by rotating the upper air supply pipe 48a and the lower air supply pipe 48b about the axis. Accordingly, the shielding effect of shielding the input port by the air curtain device can be adjusted.

In the above-described embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, the upper air supply pipe 48a is disposed along the upper side 151a of the inlet port 15a, and the lower air supply pipe 48b is disposed along the lower side 151b of the inlet port 15a, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the air supply pipe may be disposed along one of the pair of side edges 152, 152 of the input port 15 a. That is, the gas supply pipe may be arranged so as to extend in the z direction along any one of the side edges 152, and the shielding gas may be ejected from the gas supply pipe in the horizontal direction. According to such a configuration, since the shielding gas is ejected in parallel with the front surface (back surface) of the workpiece W, the entire input port 15a can be shielded by disposing the gas supply pipe only on one of the pair of side edges 152.

Technical elements described in the specification and drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the techniques illustrated in the present specification or the drawings achieve a plurality of objects at the same time, and the technique itself achieving one of the objects has technical usefulness.

Claims

1. A heat treatment furnace is characterized in that,

the heat treatment furnace is provided with:

a furnace body having an inlet, an outlet, and a processing chamber disposed between the inlet and the outlet;

a transport device that transports the object to be treated, which is mounted from the inlet port to the outlet port, from the inlet port to the outlet port through the treatment chamber;

a plurality of guide rollers disposed in the processing chamber and configured to guide the object to be processed conveyed by the conveying device;

a heating device disposed in the processing chamber and configured to heat the object to be processed conveyed by the conveying device;

a 1 st gas supply device for supplying a 1 st gas into the processing chamber; and

and the air curtain device is arranged near the input port and is used for ejecting the 2 nd gas to shield the input port.

2. The heat treatment furnace according to claim 1,

the processed object is a film body which is erected from the input port to the output port,

the air curtain device is provided with: a 1 st gas supply port disposed on a front surface side of the thin film body and discharging the 2 nd gas toward the front surface of the thin film body, and a 2 nd gas supply port disposed on a rear surface side of the thin film body and discharging the 2 nd gas toward the rear surface of the thin film body.

3. The heat treatment furnace according to claim 2,

the 1 st air supply port is disposed on the processing chamber side in the vicinity of the input port,

the direction of ejecting the 2 nd gas from the 1 st gas supply port is: a direction from the 1 st gas supply port toward the outside of the furnace body through the supply port,

the 2 nd air supply port is disposed on the processing chamber side in the vicinity of the input port,

the direction of the 2 nd gas ejection from the 2 nd gas supply port is: and 2 nd air inlet through the inlet toward the direction outside the furnace body.

4. The heat treatment furnace according to claim 3,

when viewed in cross-section orthogonal to the surface of the membrane body and through the input port and the output port,

an angle formed by the direction of the 2 nd gas ejected from the 1 st gas supply port and the surface of the thin film body is in a range of 0 to 90 degrees,

an angle formed by the direction of the 2 nd gas ejected from the 2 nd gas supply port and the back surface of the thin film body is in a range of 0 to 90 degrees.

5. The heat treatment furnace according to any one of claims 2 to 4,

the input port, when viewed along the direction of transport of the film body, exhibits: a rectangle having a pair of 1 st sides parallel to the surface of the thin film body and a pair of 2 nd sides orthogonal to the surface of the thin film body,

the 1 st air supply port and the 2 nd air supply port are disposed along the 1 st side.

6. The heat treatment furnace according to claim 5,

when the length of the 1 st side of the input port is set to L and the dimension of the 1 st air supply port in the direction parallel to the 1 st side is set to L1, a relationship of L < L1 holds.

7. The heat treatment furnace according to any one of claims 2 to 6,

the heat treatment furnace further includes: an opening width adjusting device for adjusting the size of the 2 nd side of the input port.

8. The heat treatment furnace according to claim 7,

the opening width adjusting device is provided with: a 1 st shielding plate arranged on the front surface side of the film body and a 2 nd shielding plate arranged on the back surface side of the film body,

the 1 st shielding plate can move in the direction orthogonal to the surface of the film body,

the 2 nd shielding plate is movable in a direction orthogonal to the rear surface of the film body,

adjusting the size of the 2 nd edge of the input port by adjusting the positions of the 1 st shield plate and the 2 nd shield plate.

9. The heat treatment furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the furnace body is provided with: a bearing portion provided for each of the guide rollers and supporting the guide roller to be rotatable,

each bearing portion further includes: and a 2 nd gas supply device for supplying at least one of the 1 st gas and the 2 nd gas to a space between the bearing portion and the processing chamber.

10. The heat treatment furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

the object to be processed is conveyed from the input port to the output port via a conveyance path defined by the guide rollers,

the heating device includes a plurality of heaters that are arranged along the conveyance path and that emit electromagnetic waves in the infrared region to heat the object to be processed.

11. The heat treatment furnace according to claim 10,

the 1 st air supply device includes: and a plurality of gas supply pipes arranged along the transport path in the processing chamber and configured to discharge the 1 st gas toward the object to be processed.

12. The heat treatment furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 11,

the object to be treated is: a thin film body comprising a thin film and a paste applied to at least one of the front and back surfaces of the thin film,

the heating device removes moisture contained in the paste.

13. The heat treatment furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 12,

the conveying device further includes:

a feed inlet roller disposed outside the furnace body and in the vicinity of the feed inlet, the feed inlet roller being configured to wind the object to be treated; and

a delivery outlet roller disposed outside the furnace body and in the vicinity of the delivery outlet, the delivery outlet roller configured to wind the object to be processed conveyed in the processing chamber,

the object to be treated wound around the inlet roller is fed out from the inlet roller by rotating the inlet roller and the outlet roller, and is conveyed in the treatment chamber.

14. The heat treatment furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 13,

the atmosphere in the processing chamber is an inert gas atmosphere having a dew point of 0 ℃ or lower.