GB2346384A

GB2346384A - Recovering metal from dross

Info

Publication number: GB2346384A
Application number: GB9901540A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Der Lugt Nicholas Stuart Van; John Willmore
Original assignee: Lugt Nicholas Stuart V D
Current assignee: Lugt Nicholas Stuart V D
Priority date: 1999-01-26
Filing date: 1999-01-26
Publication date: 2000-08-09
Also published as: GB2349156A; GB9901540D0; GB9926044D0

Abstract

Apparatus for recovering metal from metal-containing dross comprises a heated chamber 12 along which extends a rotary shaft 20 on which are mounted groups of angled vanes (42, fig. 3), the vanes in each group being distributed around the shaft 20. Metal-containing dross placed into the chamber 12 via an opening 24, is transported along its length by the rotating vanes (42, fig. 3), as in the manner of a screw conveyor, with the vanes (42, fig. 3) simultaneously slicing the metal-containing dross. The action of the vanes (42, fig. 3) separates the molten metal from the dross which both exit the chamber 12 from a second opening to enter a heated receptacle 28 where the dross floats on the metal. The receptacle 28 contains a paddle (58, fig. 4) which is used to push dross up a ramp (60, fig. 4) and out of the receptacle 28, the metal is removed by passing over a weir. The dross to be processed may be that arising from lead-tin solder.

Description

T TALE Recovering Metal from Dross DESCRIPTION This invention relates to the recovery of metal from dross.

It is well known that when many molten metals are in contact with the atmosphere, compounds of those metals, primarily oxides, are formed. Especially when there is some movement of the molten metal, the metal and the metal oxide combine to form a material known as dross. Dross consists of droplets of the molten metal which are encrusted with the oxide which forms a sponge-like network. The dross of lead-tin solder, for example, appears like rather fibrous demerara sugar. The dross floats, due to surface tension and/or buoyancy, on the molten metal or sticks to the container holding the metal.

In many industrial processes where dross is formed, it is necessary to remove the dross from time to time. For example, in a wave soldering machine, solder in a bath is pumped to create a static wave in the surface of the solder, and printed circuit boards are fed across the crest of the wave so that the solder kisses the leads of the components and the tracks of the circuit board. If the dross is allowed to build up, it can become entrained in the wave and adversely affect the quality of the soldering, causing low product yields.

The dross could simply be ladled out from the molten metal and disposed of. However, the metal content of the dross can be high and typically, according to one estimate, is in the range of 30 to 90%. The cost of disposing of the raw dross and replacing it with"clean"metal can be a significant.

Attempts have been made in the past to recover the metal content of the dross. For example, patent documents US-A-4,119,136 and US-A-4, 334,664 describe the recovery of tin from tin dross by draining the tin out at high temperature. The recovery of aluminium from aluminium dross is described in, for example : US-A-4, 772,320 (squeezing hot dross between rollers under pressure); US-A-Re. 31,028 (rolling and milling of cold dross); US-A-4, 394,978 (grinding and screening of cold dross) ; and US-A-4,386,956, US-A-4,540,163, US-A-4,565,572, WO-A-82/01, 895 and WO-A-84/03, 719 (squeezing of hot dross between a ram or piston and a trough or cylinder). The recovery of lead-tin alloy from solder dross is described in WO-A-95/25, 823, and this also involves squeezing the hot dross with a piston in a cylinder. These latter"hot-squeeze"techniques require the use of a large and substantial machine in order to apply the required pressure, and this in itself is expensive. In existing soldering production lines, there is often not much spare space near the soldering bath, and therefore it may be necessary to site such a large machine away from the soldering bath, as a result of which the dross needs to be reheated before it can be squeezed. Also, the hot-squeeze machines, as exemplified by WO-A-95/25,823, operate on an essentially five-phase cycle: (1) adding the dross to the machine; (2) raising the dross to the required temperature; (3) squeezing the dross; (4) allowing the metal to drain from the dross; and (5) removing the oxide. (Also, it may periodically be necessary to clean a grille or sieve through which the recovered metal or oxide passes.) Accordingly, dross cannot be added to the machine as and when required, only during phase'1"of the cycle.

The aims of the present invention, or at least of some specific embodiments of it, are: to enable the recovery of a large or significant proportion of the metal from the dross; to do so without requiring the exertion of high pressures and therefore obviating the need for a large and substantial machine so that there is greater flexibility in the siting of the machine near the source of the dross; and to enable dross to be added as and when required, without needing to wait for a particular phase of operation (subject, of course, to the machine not becoming overloaded).

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for recovering metal from dross, the apparatus comprising: a chamber, means to allow dross to be placed in the chamber, an agitating member mounted in the chamber, means for driving the agitating member so that it agitates the dross in the chamber so as to release the metal from the oxide of the dross, and means to allow the released metal and the oxide to be removed from the chamber.

It has been found that agitating the dross is effective in separating the metal from the oxide. It would appear that it breaks down the sponge-like network of the oxide which encrusts the metal by"knocking it about a lot", rather than by crushing or squeezing it, as in the prior art.

In order to increase the effectiveness of the apparatus, there is preferably a plurality of such agitating members each arranged to be driven by the driving means.

For mechanical simplicity, the driving means is preferably operable to rotate the, or each, agitating member in the chamber, and, in one embodiment, the driving means includes a rotary shaft extending through the chamber (and driven for example by an electric motor), and the, or each, agitating member is provided by a vane on the shaft.

The, or each, vane is preferably incline relative to the axis of the shaft so as to urge the dross, metal and oxide in the direction of the shaft. The vaned shaft therefore acts not only to break down the dross but also to feed the roateria ! through the chamber so that a continuous, or quasi-continuous, operation can be achieved.

The agitating members or vanes are, for reasons of constructional simplicity and high effectiveness, preferably arranged in groups spaced apart along the shaft, the vanes in each group being distributed around the shaft.

The axis of the shaft is preferably generally horizontal.

Also, the chamber is preferably provided by a tubular member, with the means to allow dross to be placed in the chamber and the means to allow metal and oxide to be removed from the chamber being provided by inlet and outlet openings in the tubular member spaced apart therealong. In the case where the vane or vanes are mounted on a shaft, its axis preferably extends longitudinally of the tubular member. When various of the above features are provided in a single apparatus, dross can simply be ladled into the inlet opening, whereupon it is broken down into metal and oxide by, and fed along the tubular member by, the rotating vaned shaft, so that metal and oxide comes out of the outlet opening.

The apparatus preferably further includes means for heating the tubular member, preferably also with thermostatic control.

The apparatus also preferably further includes a receptacle for receiving metal and oxide which has been removed from the chamber, and means for skimming off oxide which floats on the metal in the receptacle.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of recovering metal (for example solder) from dross (for example solder dross), the method comprising the steps of : placing the dross in a chamber, agitating the dross in the chamber so as to release the metal from the oxide of the dross, and removing the released metal and the oxide from the chamber. The dross is preferably agitated by being sliced, chopped, whipped, whisked and/or stirred, and more preferably by being sliced.

The dross is preferably placed in the chamber immediately after it has been removed from a solder bath and while the solder content of the dross is still molten.

The method preferably also includes any or all of the steps performed by the apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention.

A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a solder dross processing machine; Figure 2 is a perspective view of part of the machine with its tubular member removed; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a slicing element used in the machine of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of a part of the machine of Figure 1 for separating the oxide and the metal.

Referring to Figure 1, a dross processing machine 10 comprises a circular cylindrical tubular member 12 which is mounted with its axis horizontal by mounting members 14,16 on a base 18. A horizontal shaft 20 extends through the tubular member 12 and is mounted on journals which close the opposite ends of the tubular member 12. One end of the shaft 20 is coupled to an electric motor and gearbox 22 which is also mounted on the base 18 and which, in use, serves to rotate the shaft 20.

Adjacent one end of the tubular member 12, an inlet opening 24 is formed in the upper surface of the tubular member 12, and a hopper 26 is mounted on the tubular member 12 to assist in the feeding of solder dross, by ladling, into the tubular member 12 through the inlet opening 24. Adjacent the other end of the tubular member 12, an outlet opening is formed in the lower surface of the tubular member 12, through which solder and oxide can drop into a separation receptacle 28 mounted on the base 18 beneath the outlet opening. An inspection opening 30 is formed in the upper surface of the tubular member above the outlet opening.

Electric heating elements 32 are mounted on the tubular member 12 between the inlet opening 24 and the outlet opening and also underneath the inlet opening 24. The heating elements are powered by a control circuit (not shown) and at least one temperature sensor (not shown) so as to maintain the temperature of the tubular member 12 above the melting point of the solder which is being processed but below the temperature at which the component metals of the solder de-alloy, for example at a temperature of about 220 C in the case of 60: 40 tin: lead solder.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, a series of slicing elements 34 is mounted along the shaft 20 inside the tubular member 12. Each slicing element 34 comprises a boss 36 having a through-hole 38 to receive the shaft 20 and a disc 40 mounted on the boss 36. The outside diameter of the disc 40 is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the tubular member 12 so that the space between the peripheral edge of the disc 40 and the inner surface of the tubular member 12 is as small as possible but without the two touching during operation. A number of radial cuts, for example four, are made in the disc 40 so as to form a corresponding number of vanes 42, and each vane 42 is twisted through an angle referenced 45 about a radial axis so that each slicing element 34 has some resemblance to a ship's screw. The radial leading edge 46 of each vane is left square-cut, without being sharpened.

In operation, dross is ladled, as and when required, directly from a solder bath into the hopper 26 so that it falls through the inlet opening 24 into the tubular member 12. The shaft 20 and slicing elements 34 are rotated in the direction 44 so that the radial leading edge 46 of each vane 42 slices through any dross, solder or oxide which is resting on the bottom of the inside of the tubular member 12. This slicing action breaks down the sponge-like network of the oxide in the dross so as to release the solder from its encrustation by the oxide. Furthermore, the inclination of the vanes 42 causes the dross, solder and oxide to be urged along the tubular member 12 in the direction from the inlet opening 24 to the outlet opening, whereupon it falls through the outlet opening into the separation receptacle 28.

The size of the machine, the speed of rotation of the shaft 20, the number of vanes 40 per slicing element 34, the twist angle 45 of each vane 40 and the total number of slicing elements 34 are chosen so that, by the time the material reached the outlet opening, substantially all of the dross has been broken down into its constituent metal and oxide. A prototype has been constructed having an inside diameter of the tubular member of 38 mm, a spacing between the inlet opening 24 and outlet opening of 360 mm, four vanes 40 per slicing element 34, a vane twist angle of 20 , 30 slicing elements 34 in total and a speed of rotation of the shaft 20 of 250 r. p. m, In operation, no detectable dross remained in the material exhausted through the outlet opening. It will be appreciated that this prototype performed slicing actions on the material at a rate of 30,000 per minute (i. e. 4 vanes per element x 30 elements x 250 r. p. m.). It was noted during operation of the prototype that the time taken for material to travel from the inlet opening 24 to the outlet opening was approximately 4 seconds, and it will therefore be appreciated that the approximate number of slicing actions while each piece of material passed through the tubular member was 2,000 (i. e. 30,000 slicing actions per minute x 4 seconds travel time/60).

Referring now to Figure 4, the separation receptacle 28 comprises a bowl 48 having a circular cylindrical side wall 50 (shown in phantom line) and a base with a central upstanding boss 52. An electric motor and gearbox 68 mounted beneath the bowl 48 has a shaft which projects through the boss 52 and is coupled to a paddle mechanism 54 so as to rotate the paddle mechanism at a slow speed of, for example, 10 r. p. m., either continuously or intermittently, in the direction 56 about the vertical axis of the bowl 48. The paddle mechanism 54 mounts a paddle 58 so that the paddle 58 rotates around the boss 52 and so that the paddle 58 can be lifted vertically to a limited extent and so that it drops under its own weight.

The base of the bowl 48 includes a ramped portion 60 which is ramped upwardly in the direction 56 of rotation, and this is followed by an opening (not shown) in the base of the bowl 48 leading to a discharge chute 62 for oxide. This is followed, in the direction 56 of rotation, by a ledge 64 having an opening 66 underneath leading to a weir (not shown) over which solder can flow into a discharge chute (not shown) for solder. The level of the weir is slightly lower than the level of the upper edge of the ramped portion 60 of the base of the bowl 48.

A solder ingot tray (not shown) is placed beneath the solder discharge chute, and a collection bag of aluminium foil (not shown) is attached around the lower part of the oxide discharge chute 62.

The separation receptacle also has one or more electrical heaters, a control circuit and one or more temperature sensors (not shown) which operate to maintain the temperature of the bowl 48 at approximately the same temperature as described above for the tubular member 12.

In operation, the bowl 48 is initially charged with molten solder up to the level of the weir. As solder droplets and oxide particles are discharged from the outlet opening of the tubular member 12, they fall into the bowl. The oxide particles float on the solder in the bowl so as to form an oxide layer. The discharged solder droplets are able to penetrate through the oxide layer, provided that the oxide layer does not grow too thick. The solder droplets penetrating through the oxide layer increase the level of molten solder in the bowl 48, and periodically (due to surface tension effects) a quantity of the molten solder overflows the weir and drops through the solder discharge chute into the solder ingot tray. The lower edge of the ledge 64 is beneath the level of the solder so as to prevent the oxide passing to the weir.

In order to prevent the oxide layer growing too thick, the paddle 58 is operated. As the paddle 58 begins passing over the ramped portion 60 of the base of the bowl 48, its lower edge is slightly below the level of the molten solder, and it skims the oxide layer over the surface of the solder. The lower edge of the paddle 58 then engages and starts to ride up the ramped portion 60, pushing the oxide ahead of it up the ramped portion 60. Any small quantity of molten solder which has become entrained immediately ahead of the paddle 58 is allowed to escape back down the ramped portion 60 through a small gap between a side of the paddle 58 and the boss 52 and/or the side wall 50 of the bowl 48. As the paddle 58 continues, it pushes the oxide over the apex of the ramped portion, whereupon it falls through the oxide discharge chute 62 into the aluminium foil collection bag. The paddle 58 continues, dropping down over the ledge 64 and back to the position initially described above.

Once the solder ingot tray is full, it is replaced with an empty one, and the ingot of recovered solder can then be reused. Once the collection bag for the oxide is full, it is sealed, disposed of, and replaced by a fresh bag.

It will be appreciated that many modifications and developments may be made to the embodiment of the invention described above. The above embodiment uses the leading edges 46 of the steadily rotating vanes 42 to perform a slicing action through the dross. In an alternative embodiment, the direction of rotation of the vanes 42 could be reversed periodically so as possibly to cause more agitation of the dross, and the period of driving in one direction could be made unequal to the period of driving in the opposite direction so that the dross, metal and oxide are still caused to travel overall from the inlet opening 24 to the outlet opening. Also, the vanes 42, or agitating members, could be moved in a different fashion, for example with a reciprocating movement so as to perform a chopping action on the dross. Other forms of agitation are also envisaged, such as a whipping, whisking or stirring action, but still having the effect of causing pieces of dross to collide with an agitating member or with each other so as to break down the sponge-like network of the oxide in the dross and thus release the metal therefrom.

It should be noted that the embodiment of the invention and modifications thereto have been described above purely by way of example and that many other modifications and developments may be made thereto within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An apparatus for recovering metal from dross, the apparatus comprising: a chamber, means to allow dross to be placed in the chamber, an agitating member mounted in the chamber, means for driving the agitating member so that it agitates the dross in the chamber so as to release the metal from the oxide of the dross, and means to allow the released metal and the oxide to be removed from the chamber.
2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein there is a plurality of such agitating members each arranged to be driven by the driving means.
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim I or 2, wherein the driving means is operable to rotate the, or each, agitating member in the chamber.
4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the driving means includes a rotary shaft extending through the chamber, and the, or each, agitating member is provided by a vane on the shaft.
5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the, or each, vane is inclined relative to the axis of the shaft so as to urge the dross, metal and oxide in the direction of the shaft.
6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 or $ when directly or indirectly dependent on claim 2, wherein the vanes are arranged in groups spaced apart along the shaft, the vanes in each group being distributed around the shaft.
7. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the axis of the shaft is generally horizontal.
8. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the chamber is provided by a tubular member, and the means to allow dross to be placed in the chamber and the means to allow metal and oxide to be removed from the chamber are provided by inlet and outlet openings in the tubular member spaced apart therealong.
9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 when directly or indirectly dependent on claim 4, wherein the axis of the shaft extends longitudinally of the tubular member.
10. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, further including means for heating the tubular member.
11. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, further including a receptacle for receiving metal and oxide which has been removed from the chamber, and means for skimming off oxide which floats on the metal in the receptacle.
12. An apparatus for recovering metal from dross, substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
13. A method of recovering metal from dross, the method comprising the steps of : placing the dross in a chamber, agitating the dross in the chamber so as to release the metal from the oxide of the dross, and removing the released metal and the oxide from the chamber.
14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the dross is agitated by being sliced, chopped, whipped, whisked and/or stirred.
15. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the dross is agitated by being sliced.
16. A method as claimed in any of claims 13 to 15, wherein the dross is solder dross.
17. A method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising the step of removing the dross from a solder bath before placing it in the chamber and while the solder content of the dross is still molten.
18. A method of recovering metal from dross, substantially as described with reference to the drawings.