JP2001148566A - Apparatus for removing solder from printed board - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate unnecessary waiting period until a prescribed engaging part arrives, and difficulty of engaging a carrier with a chain conveyer, by solving a problem that engaging with only the prescribed part of a chain conveyer is possible, when a carrier is to be engaged with the chain conveyer, in a conventional apparatus which eliminates solder by rubbing a soldered surface of a waste printed board with a rotating brush. SOLUTION: An engaging part in which a roller is installed, is formed in the upper part of a chain conveyer, and shafts which can engage with the engaging part are fixed to both sides of a carrier.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for removing solder from a printed circuit board discarded.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Electronic devices such as televisions, videos, and computers are disposed of without being repaired when they are broken or old. Electronic devices are made of plastic, metal, glass, and the like, and these materials cannot be incinerated. Therefore, disposal is landfill. When an electronic device is disposed of in a landfill, there is a concern that a lead component is eluted from a soldered portion of a printed circuit board incorporated in the electronic device and mixed into groundwater.

That is, in recent years, since a large amount of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides have been released into the atmosphere due to heavy use of fossil fuels, the atmosphere has become an acidic atmosphere. While the rain passes through the atmosphere of the oxidizing atmosphere, the rain becomes acid rain, which penetrates into the ground and comes into contact with the printed circuit board of the electronic device which has been landfilled. This acid rain elutes the lead component from the soldered portion of the printed circuit board, which penetrates deeper into the ground and mixes with the groundwater. When drinking ground water containing lead components for a long time, it is said that lead components accumulate in the body and cause lead poisoning.

When an electronic device is landfilled, the solder attached to the printed circuit board remains permanently buried. However, tin in solder has a small reserve, which is a component that will eventually be depleted from the earth, and landfilling and disposing of electronic equipment as it is is a waste of resources. For this reason, various industries have been calling for recycling in which the solder is collected from the printed circuit boards to be discarded and reused.

In view of the above, solder has been conventionally collected from a printed circuit board before landfilling and disposing of electronic equipment, and a number of such devices have been proposed.

For example, a solder removing apparatus proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-316549 rubs a soldering surface of a printed circuit board with a rotating brush so as to remove solder attached to a soldered portion of the printed circuit board. It was done.

An apparatus for removing solder by rubbing a soldering portion of a printed circuit board with the rotating brush (hereinafter referred to as a brush type removing apparatus) includes a heating device such as a heater or a blower, a rotating brush, a collecting container, and a transporting device. And so on. The removal of the solder by the conventional brush type removing device is performed by heating the printed circuit board with the heating device while the printed circuit board is being conveyed by the conveying device to melt the solder adhering to the printed circuit board, and then rotating the printed circuit board with the rotating brush. Rub the soldering surface to scrape molten solder. Then, the solder scraped by the rotating brush is received in the collection container. The recovery rate of the solder here is 90% or more, which can be removed efficiently, and the printed circuit board from which the solder has been removed to this extent, the amount of lead component eluted by acid rain even if it is landfilled as it is. It is said that there is very little contamination of groundwater because it is extremely small.

[0008] The transfer device of the conventional brush type removing device has been constituted by a pair of chain conveyors, a pair of rails and a carrier. The pair of chain conveyors run at the same speed in the same direction, and a number of engaging rods are bridged between them. The distance between the engaging rods is the same as the length of the front engaging piece and the rear engaging piece of the carrier. That is, since the carrier is placed on the engaging rods and the spacing between the engaging rods does not exactly match between the engaging pieces of the carrier, the engaging pieces of the carrier are placed on the engaging rods. When placed, it cannot be placed in the normal position.

[0009] The pair of rails are respectively installed near the pair of chain conveyors, and a holding rail is installed above the rotating brush. The carrier had four wheels mounted on both sides, and an L-shaped engagement piece was formed at the front of the carrier, and a step-shaped engagement piece was formed at the rear.

In the transfer of the printed circuit board in the conventional rotary brush type removing apparatus, after firmly holding the printed circuit board on the carrier, the engaging piece of the carrier is placed on the engaging rod of the traveling chain conveyor. Then, the carrier's wheels run smoothly on the rails such that the front L-shaped engaging piece engages with the engaging rod and is pulled by the running of the chain conveyor. The printed circuit board held by the carrier is preheated by a preheater, the solder is melted by a blower, and the solder is removed by a rotating brush.
The carrier is disengaged from the engagement bar of the chain conveyor, and the printed circuit board is removed from the carrier.

[0011]

However, in the conventional brush-type removing device, it is difficult to engage the carrier with the chain conveyor. In other words, the transport device of the conventional rotary brush type removing device has a structure in which the front and rear engaging pieces of the carrier are engaged and placed on the two engaging rods of the pair of chain conveyors. The carrier must be kept on standby until the engaging rod reaches the engaging position of the carrier, and the continuous solder removal operation cannot be performed due to the waiting time.

[0012] In addition, the transfer device of the conventional rotary brush type removing device is such that the two engaging rods of the chain conveyor are connected to the L of the carrier.
It is necessary to engage the letter-shaped engaging pieces and place the step-like engaging pieces, and it is difficult to accurately engage and place them on the engaging rods of the chain conveyor that is running. There was also a problem. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a rotary brush type removing device which can be engaged at any position on a chain conveyor and can easily engage a carrier with the chain conveyor.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present inventors have made it possible to engage the carrier at any position on the chain conveyor if the carrier can be directly engaged with the chain conveyor. The present invention has been completed by paying attention to the fact that the carrier can be easily engaged with the chain conveyor.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for removing solder by rubbing a soldering portion of a printed circuit board with a rotating brush while transporting a carrier holding a printed circuit board on a chain conveyor. And a carrier is provided with a shaft capable of engaging with an engaging portion of the chain conveyor.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The rotary brush type removing device of the present invention has a structure in which a carrier is conveyed by engaging an engaging portion formed on an upper portion of a chain conveyor with a shaft of the carrier. The chain conveyor has an inner plate and an outer plate rotatably connected by pins. The chain conveyor used in the present invention has an engaging portion formed on one of the inner plate and the outer plate. The engaging portion is formed on the inner plate of the chain conveyor so as to protrude upward as shown in FIG. The engaging portion may have any shape as long as it can engage with the shaft. However, if a roller is provided in the engaging portion, the mounting / removing of the shaft becomes easy.

When the roller is installed in the engagement portion, the roller is installed so that the axis of the roller is slightly higher than the center of the shaft, and when the carrier shaft is placed on the chain conveyor from above. In addition, even if the shaft is placed on the roller, the roller rotates so that the shaft can be easily stored between the engaging portions,
Also, when removing, the roller rotates to facilitate removal. Moreover, even if the shaft placed between the rollers of the chain conveyor is pushed laterally by the roller, the roller axis is above the center of the shaft, so the roller does not rotate for the lateral force The shaft does not get out of between the rollers easily. In other words, the roller
The shaft rotates when the shaft moves in the vertical direction, but does not rotate when the shaft moves in the horizontal direction, but keeps the shaft.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus for removing solder from a printed circuit board according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating an engagement state between a chain conveyor and a shaft.

The removing apparatus of the present invention comprises a preheater 1, a blower 2, a roll-shaped rotating brush 3, a partition 4, a chain conveyor 5, a carrier 6, and the like.

The preheater 1 is an electric heater,
The pre-heating is performed so that the solder S attached to the printed circuit board P is not melted.

The blower 2 is a device that blows out hot air at a temperature high enough to completely melt the solder S adhered to the printed circuit board P, and is installed with the outlet facing upward.

The roll-shaped rotary brush 3 is installed adjacent to the blower 2. The roll-shaped rotating brush is rotated by a motor 7, and its rotating direction is as follows.
It is a forward direction (arrow B: right rotation in the figure) with respect to the traveling direction of the printed circuit board (arrow A: right in the figure). The roll-shaped rotating brush 3 is installed in a chamber 8 having a drawer at a lower part with an upper part slightly protruding.

The blower 2 and the roll-shaped rotary brush 3 are combined, and two sets of a first set and a second set are arranged side by side in this combination. The reason why the two sets of the blower and the roll-shaped rotary brush are arranged in parallel is that the solder on the printed circuit board, which could not be removed in the first set, can be completely removed in the second set.

A partition 4 is provided in front of the roll-shaped rotary brush. The partition is rotatably held by a spring hinge 9 and is upright in normal times, that is, when the carrier does not pass, but is pushed by the carrier and tilts (arrow C) when the carrier passes. . The screen 4 is installed in a drawer 11 in the box-shaped container 10, and the drawer 11 can be pulled out when the screen is completely defeated. The screen prevents the fine solder blown by the rotating brush from being scattered farther.

The chain conveyor 5 engages the carrier and travels in the direction of arrow A. An engagement portion 12 is formed on the chain conveyor. In the chain conveyor 5, an inner plate 13 and an outer plate 14 are connected by pins 15, and engaging portions 12 are formed in all the inner plates 13 above in the traveling direction (arrow A). If the roller 16 is installed in the engaging portion, the shaft is brought into contact with the roller and the roller rotates when the shaft is engaged and removed, so that the shaft can be easily engaged and removed.

In the vicinity of the chain conveyor 5, the rail 1
7 are laid in parallel, and a pressing rail 18 is installed above the roll-shaped rotary brushes 3, 3.

The carrier 6 holds and transports the printed circuit board P, and is provided with a fixture 19 so that the printed circuit board does not rise or move sideways when the solder is removed. Since the fixture is not related to the present invention, a detailed description is omitted. Four engagement shafts 20 and four wheels 21 are mounted on both sides of the carrier 6. When the carrier is transported, the engagement shaft 20 engages with the engagement portion 1 of the chain.
It is placed between the engaging portion 12 and the adjacent engaging portion 12. Therefore, the thickness of the shaft 20 must be slightly smaller than the width between the engaging portion 12 and the adjacent engaging portion 12. The shaft may have an elliptical column shape or a rectangular column shape other than the columnar shape as shown in the figure. The shaft 20 is adapted to travel by engaging the engaging portion and pulling the carrier 6 by a chain. The wheels 17 run on the rails 13 described above, and the wheels are pressed from above by the holding rails 14 installed above the roll-shaped rotary brush 3 so that the carrier does not float when the solder is removed.

Next, the removal of the solder by the removal apparatus of the present invention having the above configuration will be described. First, the printed circuit board is taken out of the electronic device to be discarded, and is held on the carrier 6. In the carrier 6, the printed circuit board P can be firmly held by the fixture 19. Then, the engaging shaft 20 is engaged with the engaging portion 12 of the running chain. At this time, the engaging portion of the chain conveyor may be any part, and the operator can place the carrier by a simple operation of simply placing the carrier on the chain conveyor. When the carrier is engaged with the chain conveyor in this manner, the carrier 6 travels in the direction of arrow A along with the traveling of the chain.

The printed circuit board P held by the carrier 6 is
First, it passes over the preheater 1, where the whole is preheated uniformly so that the solder does not melt.

Next, the soldering surface is heated by the first set of blowers 2 to the melting point of the solder or higher, and the rolled rotary brush 3 rubs the soldering surface. Then, since the solder adhering to the printed circuit board is melted, the solder is easily scraped off with a roll-shaped rotating brush. The solder scraped here is chamber 8
Fall into or be blown forward. The solder blown forward hits the screen 4 and does not protrude further. Most of the solder is removed by the first set of blowers and the rotating brush, but a small amount of solder remaining on the printed circuit board is completely removed by the second set of blowers and the rotating brush as the carrier advances. Even when the solder is removed in the second set, the scattered solder falls into the chamber 8 and hits the partition 4 so that it does not jump forward any further. The fine solder that has hit the partition accumulates in the drawer 11 of the box-shaped container 10 along the partition.

When the solder on the printed circuit board is removed by the second set of blowers and the roll-shaped rotating portion brush, the carrier 6 advances while the partition 4 is inclined forward. After the carrier 6 has passed through the partition, the partition is upright as before by the bias of the spring to prepare for the next solder removal of the printed circuit board. If a large amount of fine solder is accumulated in the drawer 11 of the box-shaped container 10, the partition 4 is tilted sideways to pull out the drawer, and the fine solder is collected and refined.

The carrier that has passed the partition can now be removed from the chain conveyor by a simple operation of simply lifting the carrier upward. This carrier removal operation can be performed manually or by a machine such as an unloader.

[0032]

As described above, in the removing device of the present invention, the engaging portion is formed on the upper portion of the chain conveyor, and the carrier is provided with the shaft capable of engaging with the engaging portion. Since the shaft can be engaged with the engaging portion at any position of the chain conveyor during the conveyance, the present invention is suitable for a continuous operation that does not require any waiting time unlike the conventional removing device. In addition, the removal device of the present invention is excellent in workability in that even if the carrier shaft is placed at an appropriate position on the chain conveyor, the shaft can always be accurately engaged with the engagement portion, so that the operation is extremely easy. It is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an apparatus for removing solder from a printed circuit board according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating an engagement state between a chain conveyor and a shaft.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Preheater 2 Blower 3 Roll-shaped rotary brush 4 Screen 5 Chain conveyor 6 Carrier 12 Engaging part 16 Roller 20 Shaft

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Tochichi 23F, Senjuhashido-cho, Adachi-ku, Tokyo Senju Metal Industry Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 4D004 AA24 AB03 BA05 CA12 CA22 CA29 CB36 CB45 5E319 AC01 CD57

Claims (2)

[Claims] An apparatus for removing solder by rubbing a soldered portion of a printed circuit board with a rotating brush while transporting a carrier holding a printed circuit board on a chain conveyor, wherein the chain conveyor has an engaging portion projecting upward. A device for removing solder from a printed circuit board, wherein the shaft is formed and is provided on the carrier so as to be engageable with an engagement portion of a chain conveyor. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a roller is provided at an engagement portion of the chain conveyor with a shaft positioned above a center of the shaft.