JP2002028915A - Method for manufacturing ceramic honeycomb structure and through hole forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure capable of rationalizing the step of blocking a partial cell end part at an end face of the structure and a through hole forming device used in its manufacturing step. SOLUTION: The method for manufacturing the ceramic honeycomb structure comprises the steps of adhering a film 2 to an end face 861 of a honeycomb structure body 86 so as to cover a partial cell end part 82 on an end face 86 of the body 86 to block the end part 82. The method also comprises the step of then removing the film 2 disposed at the end 82 to be blocked by melting or incinerating by a heat to form a through hole 20. The method also comprises the steps of then dipping the end face 861 in a slurry containing an end face blocking material, and invading the slurry to the end 82 via through holes 20. The method further comprises the steps of thereafter curing the slurry and then removing the film 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure in which a part of a cell end is closed and a through hole forming apparatus used in the manufacturing process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a filter structure for collecting particulates in exhaust gas from an automobile is shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), a ceramic honeycomb structure 8 is provided in which a large number of cells 88 are provided by partition walls 81, and cell ends of some of the cells 88 are provided with closed portions 83 alternately closed by closing materials 830. is there. In manufacturing the ceramic honeycomb structure 8 having this special shape, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a honeycomb structure main body 86 in a penetrating state in which the cell ends at both ends of the cell 88 are opened, and the closing end 830 (FIG. 11) is filled in the cell end opened at the end face thereof and closed. .

Conventionally, the step of closing the cell end of the honeycomb structure main body 86 has been performed as follows. FIG. 12 (a)
As shown in (b), a wax sheet 91 is put on the end face of the honeycomb structure main body 86, and the wax 90 is packed into the cell end of each cell 88 by pressing the wax sheet 91.
Next, as shown in FIG. 12C, the wax 90 packed in the cell end to be closed is manually punched out using a jig or the like to provide an open cell end 880.

Then, the end face filled with the wax 90 is immersed downward in the slurry 60 containing the end face plugging material, and the slurry 60 is immersed in the cell end 880 from which the wax 90 has been removed. Then, the slurry 60 is dried or fired, and the wax 90 is removed. When the closed portions 83 are provided on both end surfaces of the honeycomb structure, the steps up to the above-mentioned slurry immersion are repeated on the other end surface.

[0005]

However, the conventional method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure has the following problems.
That is, as described above, in the step of closing the cell end, the step of removing the packed wax 90 is complicated, and a large number of steps are required. Further, as the thickness of the honeycomb structure is reduced and the size of the cells is reduced, it becomes difficult to remove the wax 90 by manual operation, which further increases the number of steps.

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure capable of streamlining a step of closing a part of cell ends on an end face of the honeycomb structure and a method for manufacturing the same. An object of the present invention is to provide a through-hole forming device used in a manufacturing process.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure in which a part of a cell end located at an end face of a ceramic honeycomb structure is closed. After manufacturing the honeycomb structure main body opened in the above, when closing a part of the cell end on the end face of the honeycomb structure main body, the honeycomb structure main body is so covered as to cover at least a part of the cell end. A film is attached to the above-mentioned end face, and then the above-mentioned film located at the end of the cell to be closed is melted or incinerated and removed by heat to form a through-hole. Then, the above-mentioned end face is converted into a slurry containing an end face plugging material. Soak the slurry into the cell ends through the through holes,
A method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure, comprising curing the slurry and removing the film.

In the present invention, the most remarkable point is that the film attached to the end face is melted or incinerated and removed by heat to form a through hole. As the film, a film made of a resin that can be melted or incinerated by heat is used. For example, a film made of a thermoplastic synthetic resin can be used. In addition, as a method of attaching a film, a method of using an adhesive film in which an adhesive is applied to a film in advance, a method of applying an adhesive to a honeycomb structure body or a film in an attaching process, or a method of using an adhesive without an adhesive is used. There are various methods, such as a method of welding.

The slurry containing the end face plugging material can be hardened by various other hardening treatments in addition to a hardening method by drying or baking. Further, the step of infiltrating the slurry into the cell end can be performed before firing the honeycomb structure body or can be performed after firing. It is preferable to change the components of the slurry, the curing method, and the like by selecting the process order.

Next, the operation and effect of the present invention will be described.
In the present invention, after attaching the film to the end face of the honeycomb structure main body, a desired portion thereof is melted or incinerated and removed by heat to form a through hole. This eliminates the need for the conventional work of punching out the packed wax to the outside. That is, since the through-hole can be formed only by applying heat to the portion where the through-hole is to be formed in the film, there is nothing to be removed and the operation is very simple.
Therefore, even in the case where the operation is performed manually as in the conventional case, the efficiency can be greatly improved as compared with the conventional case where the work of punching out the wax packed in the cell end is performed. Furthermore, automation using a machine can be facilitated.

After forming the through hole, the end face is immersed in a slurry containing an end face plugging material, the slurry is penetrated into the cell end through the through hole, and then the slurry is hardened. As a result, a closed portion is formed, and the cell end can be easily closed.

The final removal of the film can be performed by, for example, incineration by heat. In this case, the removal operation is very easy. The application of heat for removing the film may be performed simultaneously with the drying or firing of the slurry, or may be performed in a separate step. In addition, without burning and removing the above film,
It is also possible to take a method of removing by mechanically peeling off.

As described above, according to the manufacturing method of the present invention,
It is possible to streamline the process of closing some cell ends on the end face of the honeycomb structure, and to significantly improve the productivity of the honeycomb structure having some cell ends closed. . The film used in the present invention is
For example, natural materials such as cellophane, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PP (polypropylene),
It may be a synthetic material such as polyester.

Next, as in the second aspect of the present invention, the formation of the through hole in the film is performed by irradiating the film with a high-density energy beam to melt or incinerate the film. preferable. In this case, the film can be instantaneously melted or incinerated and removed by the heat transmitted from the high-density energy beam, and the through-hole can be easily formed.
Further, since the irradiation position of the high-density energy beam can be controlled very accurately, the formation position of the through-hole can be controlled accurately and automation can be relatively easily achieved. The formation of the through-holes in the film can, of course, be performed by bringing a heated jig into contact with the film and melting or burning off the film.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when a transparent or translucent film is used as the film and the position to be irradiated with the high-density energy beam is determined, the film attached to the end face is used. The position information of the cell edge is obtained by using image processing means for visually recognizing the position of the cell edge by transmitting light, and the irradiation position of the high-density energy beam is determined based on the position information. preferable. In this case, even if the ceramic honeycomb structure body is inevitably deformed in manufacturing, etc., the position of the cell end is accurately grasped by the image processing means, and based on this, the high-density energy is obtained. Since the irradiation position of the beam can be determined, the accuracy of the through-hole forming step can be improved and automation can be promoted.

It is preferable that the high-density energy beam is a laser beam. In this case, it is possible to easily and accurately obtain light having a heat quantity necessary for melting or incineration removal of the film, and fine adjustment is also easy. As laser light,
Laser light emitted from various laser emitting means such as a CO ₂ laser and a YAG laser can be used.

Next, the invention according to claim 5 is directed to a transparent or translucent film which is attached so as to cover at least a part of the cell end portion opened at the end face of the honeycomb structure. A through-hole forming device for providing a through-hole at a position of the image processing means, wherein the image processing means obtains position information by visually recognizing the position of a cell end portion through the film attached to the end face; Heat irradiating means for irradiating the film with a high-density energy beam; and control means for deciding an irradiation position of the high-density energy beam based on positional information from the image processing means and operating the heat irradiating means. A through hole forming apparatus characterized in that:

In the through hole forming apparatus of the present invention, the irradiation of the high-density energy beam can be performed with high accuracy based on the cell edge position information obtained by the image processing means. Therefore, by using this through hole forming apparatus, the cell end closing step in the case of manufacturing a honeycomb structure in which a part of the cell end is closed can be greatly streamlined as compared with the related art. Further, as in the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the high-density energy beam is a laser beam, similarly to the above.

Next, a seventh aspect of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure in which a part of a cell end located at an end face of a ceramic honeycomb structure is closed, wherein the cell end is formed by cutting the end face. After manufacturing the honeycomb structure main body opened in the above, when closing a part of the cell end on the end face of the honeycomb structure main body, the cell is formed using image processing means for recognizing the position of the cell end. The position information of the end is obtained, and then a film is attached to the end face of the honeycomb structure body so as to cover at least a part of the cell end, and then the cell end to be closed based on the position information The above film located in is melted or incinerated by heat to form a through hole,
The end face is immersed in the slurry containing the end face closing material,
The slurry penetrates into the cell end through the through hole,
Thereafter, there is a method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure, which comprises curing the slurry and removing the film.

In the method of the present invention, before attaching the film to an end face, positional information of a cell end on the end face is collected. Then, after attaching the film to the end face, a through hole is formed in the film according to the position information obtained in advance. Therefore, when collecting the position information of the cell end, since there is no film covering the cell end, very clear image data can be obtained and very accurate position information can be obtained. Can be grasped. Further, since the film may be pasted, the film does not need to be transparent, and a non-transparent film can be used.

Next, an eighth aspect of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure in which a part of a cell end located at an end face of a ceramic honeycomb structure is closed. After manufacturing the honeycomb structure main body opened in the above, when closing a part of the cell end on the end face of the honeycomb structure main body, the cell is formed using image processing means for recognizing the position of the cell end. The position information of the edge is obtained, and then the portion of the film prepared to cover at least a part of the cell edge, which is to be located at the cell edge to be closed based on the position information, is melted by heat. Alternatively, a through-hole is formed by incineration and removal, and then a film is attached to the end face of the honeycomb structure body, and the through-hole is positioned at an end of a cell to be closed. A ceramic honeycomb structure, characterized in that the end face is immersed in a slurry containing an end face plugging material, the slurry is penetrated into the cell end through the through hole, and then the slurry is cured and the film is removed. Manufacturing method.

In the method of the present invention, before attaching the film to an end face, positional information of a cell end on the end face is collected. Further, before attaching the film to the end face, the through hole is provided in the film based on the position information. Therefore, in this case, the process of forming a through hole in the film can be performed on the film alone. Therefore, when forming the through hole, it is not necessary to consider that the honeycomb structure body or the other end is affected, and the workability of the through hole forming operation can be improved.

Next, as in the ninth aspect of the present invention, also in this case, the formation of the through hole in the film is performed by irradiating the film with a high-density energy beam to melt or incinerate the film. It is preferable to perform this. Thereby, similarly to the above, the formation position of the through-hole can be accurately controlled. In addition, automation of the process of forming the through holes is relatively easy.

Further, it is preferable that the high density energy beam is a laser beam. In this case, the irradiation position, the amount of heat, and the like can be controlled with high accuracy, and the formation accuracy of the through hole can be improved.

Also, as in the invention of claim 11, the formation of the through hole in the film can be performed by bringing a heated jig into contact with the film and melting or burning off the film. . In this case, it is possible to use a device that is relatively simpler than a device having a high-density energy beam irradiation device, for example, a jig having the same function as a soldering iron, thereby simplifying the configuration of the device. In addition, the equipment cost can be reduced.

It is preferable that the size of the through hole provided in the film attached to the cell edge is changed according to the opening area of each cell edge. . That is, the opening areas of the cell end portions opened on the end face of the honeycomb structure main body are not necessarily all the same, and have some variation. In particular, the opening area of the cell end in contact with the outer peripheral end of the end face is often small. In the case where the opening area varies as described above, the size of the through hole is changed in accordance with the opening area.
When the opening area is small, a small through hole is formed. Thereby, in a subsequent process, an appropriate amount of slurry can be infiltrated in accordance with the opening area, and variation in the thickness of the closed portion can be reduced.

The relationship between the opening area and the diameter of the through hole can be obtained with a proportional relationship. In addition, it is also possible to form a group by dividing the value of the opening area for each predetermined range, and to determine a constant value for each group as the diameter of the through hole. Also, other methods can be used.

It is preferable that the through hole is provided based on the center of gravity of the opening area of the cell end. Here, providing based on the center of gravity means that at least a hole is formed in the center of gravity and the area of the hole is widened so as to extend around the hole. In this case, the holes can be formed smoothly.

Further, it is preferable that the through hole has a shape centered on the center of gravity of the opening area of the cell end. As a result, a smoother hole can be formed. In particular, as in the invention of claim 15, the shape of the opening area of the cell end portion centered on the center of gravity is preferably any one of a substantially circular shape, a substantially square shape, a substantially hexagonal shape, and a substantially triangular shape. . With these shapes, it is possible to suppress the uneven arrangement of the slurry to be penetrated through the through holes in the subsequent steps.

Further, as in the invention of the sixteenth aspect, the film may be a resin film or a wax sheet. As described above, for example, a thermoplastic synthetic resin can be used as the resin film.
Also, as the wax sheet, for example, paraffin wax can be used.

In forming the through-hole by using the high-density energy beam, the high-density energy beam is first applied to the center of the through-hole to be formed. It is preferable that the diameter of the through-hole is increased to a desired size while the irradiation position is relatively shifted spirally so as to gradually increase the diameter.

In this case, it is possible to form a clear through-hole without leaving a residue of the removed film. In this case, a high-density energy beam having a relatively low energy density is irradiated using an energy beam diameter smaller than the diameter of a desired through hole. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the high-density energy beam from passing through the cell and reaching the other end. Therefore, even when a film is already stuck on the other end, it is possible to prevent the film from being damaged.

In forming the through-hole, the high-density energy beam irradiation device is fixed, and the honeycomb structure body is moved to a desired position to form the through-hole. Irradiation with a density energy beam is preferred. When irradiating the high-density energy beam, it is necessary to perform processing while moving one or both of the high-density energy beam irradiating apparatus and the honeycomb structure main body and relatively displacing the positions.

In this case, the device for irradiating the high-density energy beam is a very precise device, and is surely heavier than the honeycomb structure body. Therefore, rather than introducing a device that moves the high-density energy beam irradiation device,
Introducing a device for moving the honeycomb structure body can reduce the equipment cost and improve the stability of the device.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing means, when creating the position information of the cell end, the end face of the honeycomb structure main body is divided into a plurality of blocks. For each block, image data of an area including an overlapping portion overlapping at least a part of the block and an adjacent block is collected, and then the image data of each block is connected by overlapping the overlapping portion. , It is preferable to create positional information of the cell end portion on the entire end face.

In this case, the unit of the image data collected by the image processing means can be divided into the block units to reduce the size. Thereby, the accuracy of each image data can be improved. Further, each image data is sampled so as to have the above-mentioned overlapping portion with the adjacent block as described above. Therefore, each of the above image data is
By overlapping the overlapping portions, the image data of the entire end face of the honeycomb structure main body can be formed with high accuracy, and the position information of each cell end can be made accurate.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, the image processing means collects image data by using a set of cameras, and the positions of the cameras are fixed, and the honeycomb structure It is preferable that the image data is collected by moving the main body and sequentially positioning the blocks within the field of view of the camera.

In order to collect the image data of each block, it is necessary to relatively move the camera and the honeycomb structure main body. In this case, when the camera position is fixed as described above, it is not necessary to move a device including a very precise camera, so that equipment cost can be reduced and the stability of the device can be improved. Further, the device for emitting the high-density energy beam and the device including the camera may be fixed, and the device may be assembled so as to move the honeycomb structure body between the two. In this case, automation of a plurality of steps can be easily achieved.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, the image processing means collects image data by using a set of cameras, and the honeycomb structure body is fixed, and Of course, it is also possible to move the position and sequentially position each of the blocks within the field of view of the camera to acquire the image data. Also in this case, the above excellent method can be implemented.

According to the twenty-second aspect of the present invention, the formation of the through holes is performed for each of the block units. Immediately after the formation of the through holes in one block is completed, a block adjacent to the block is formed. If there is a distant block other than the above, it is preferable to form a through hole in the distant block. As a result, deformation of the film due to thermal distortion can be suppressed as compared with a case where adjacent blocks are continuously processed.

[0041]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 A method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this example, as shown in FIG. 11 described above, a ceramic honeycomb structure for a carrier of an exhaust gas purifying apparatus for an automobile, which is a ceramic honeycomb structure in which a part of a cell end located at an end surface thereof is partially closed. This is a method for manufacturing the body 8.

As shown in FIG. 1, after manufacturing a honeycomb structure main body 86 having all the cell end portions opened at the end faces, a part of the cell end portions 82 at the end face of the honeycomb structure main body 86 is closed. In the above, the cell edge 8
A transparent or translucent resin film 2 is attached to the end face 861 of the honeycomb structure main body 86 so as to cover the honeycomb structure 2. Next, as shown in FIG.
The through-hole 20 is formed by melting or burning off the resin film 2 located at the position 2. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the end face 861 is immersed in the slurry 60 containing the end face plugging material, and the slurry 60 is passed through the through hole 2.
Then, the slurry 60 is hardened and the resin film 2 is removed. The details are described below.

In this example, the honeycomb structure main body 86 was manufactured by extrusion molding. Specifically, a cylindrical long honeycomb structure having a large number of square cells is manufactured using a ceramic material forming cordierite, and the honeycomb structure is cut into a predetermined length to form the honeycomb structure. A body 86 was formed. The cell ends 82 of the honeycomb structure main body 86 are all open at both end surfaces 861 and 862.

Next, as shown in FIG.
1. A resin film 2 is attached to the entire surface of 1. In this example, a thermoplastic resin film having a total thickness of 110 μm with an adhesive applied to one surface was used. Next, in this example, as shown in FIG. 2, the resin film 2 located at the cell end portion 82 to be closed is melted or incinerated and removed by heat to form the through hole 20, using the through hole forming device 5. did.

As shown in FIG.
An image processing means 51 for visually recognizing the position of the cell end portion 82 through the resin film 2 attached to the end face 861 and obtaining position information, and a high-density energy beam (laser light ) A heat irradiation means 52 for irradiating 520, and a control means 53 for determining the irradiation position of the high-density energy beam 520 based on the position information from the image processing means 51 and operating the heat irradiation means 52. .

The image processing means 51 has a camera section 511 for capturing an image of the end face, and an image processing section 512 for forming image data. It is preferable to install a plurality of camera units 511 according to the width of the end face. In this example, one camera unit 511 is appropriately moved to sequentially photograph a plurality of regions. The heat irradiation means 52 includes:
It has a CO ₂ laser emitting device 521 and a moving device 522 incorporating its control unit. As the CO ₂ laser emitting device 521, the efficiency is improved by installing a plurality of CO ₂ laser emitting devices. However, in this example, one set of the CO ₂ laser device 521 is used due to equipment cost.

Further, the control means 53 controls each cell edge 82 based on the image data received from the image processing means 51.
Is calculated and the cell end portion 82 to be closed is calculated.
Is determined, and the formation position of the through hole 20 is determined. Further, a contour position 22 (FIG. 3) for cutting off unnecessary peripheral resin film 2 is determined. The information on the through hole forming position and the contour position is instructed to the heat irradiating means 52 to move and control the irradiation of the CO ₂ laser emitting means 521.

As shown in FIG. 2, the end face 861 of the honeycomb structure main body 86 is first photographed by the camera unit 511 to create image data by using the through-hole forming apparatus 5 having such a configuration. Next, the control unit 53 calculates the through hole forming position and the outline position. In this example, the through-hole forming position is determined such that the adjacent cells form a checkered pattern of closed portions where opening and closing are alternately repeated.

Next, the honeycomb structure is moved to below the laser emission main stage or the emission means is moved, and the origin on the coordinates when the honeycomb structure is located immediately below the camera unit is aligned. And
Based on the instruction of the control means 53, the resin film 2 is melted or incinerated by sequentially irradiating the laser light 520 from the CO ₂ laser emitting means 521 to form the through hole 20 and the contour position 22.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the end portion of the honeycomb structure main body 86 is cut off the unnecessary portion 29 on the outer periphery from the contour position 22 and the portion located at the cell end portion at the position to be closed is provided. The resin film 2 provided with the through holes 20 is in a state of being provided. The operation from the attachment of the resin film 2 to the formation of the through hole is similarly performed on the other end face of the honeycomb structure main body 86. At this time,
Each cell has one cell end closed by the resin film 2 and the other cell end formed with the through hole 20. It should be noted that a square with a part of the periphery missing is not formed in a checkered pattern, and all the closing members are packed.

Next, one end face 861 is immersed in the slurry 60 containing the end face plugging material, and the slurry 60 is made to penetrate into the cell end through the through hole. In this example, FIG.
As shown in the figure, the measurement was performed using the dip device 6. As shown in the drawing, the dip device 6 is a handling unit 6 for holding and moving the honeycomb structure main body 86 as a work.
1 and a liquid tank 62 containing a slurry 60 containing an end face plugging material mainly composed of a material which becomes cordierite after firing.
And a control unit 63 for controlling the handling unit 6. In addition, a liquid level sensor 631 for detecting the liquid level position of the slurry 60 is connected to the control unit 63.

In performing work using the dip device 6, first, as shown in FIG. 4, the honeycomb structure main body 86 is placed on the reference base 64 with the end face to be processed at the lower end.
Place on top. Next, the honeycomb structure main body 86 is gripped by the clamp portion 611 of the handling portion 6 and lifted by a predetermined amount. Next, the handling unit 6 is moved to move the honeycomb structure main body 86 above the slurry 60. Next, the handling unit 6 is lowered, and the end face of the honeycomb structure main body 86 is immersed in the slurry 60.

At this time, the controller 63 calculates the dip depth from the data of the liquid level sensor 631 and the amount of vertical movement of the handling unit 6, and controls the handling unit 6 so as to obtain a desired immersion depth. I do. As a result, at the end face of the honeycomb structure main body 86, the through hole 2
At the cell end 82 provided with 0, the slurry 60 enters the cell end from the through hole 20. Next, the operation using the same dip device 6 is performed by the honeycomb structure main body 86.
The same is done for the other end face of.

Next, the honeycomb structure main body 86 having the slurry 60 penetrated into the cell end portions 82 is dried and fired. As a result, the slurry 60 is baked and solidified to form the closing member 830 to form the closing portion 83, and the resin film 2 attached to the end face is incinerated and removed. As a result, the honeycomb structure 8 in which some of the cell ends 82 are closed is obtained.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described. In this example, as described above, after the resin film 2 is attached to the end surface of the honeycomb structure main body 86, a desired portion thereof is melted or incinerated and removed by heat to form a through hole. Therefore, the operation of forming the through holes is much easier than in the past. In particular, in this example, the resin film 2 is irradiated with a laser beam 520 as a high-density energy beam to form the through hole 20. Thereby, the through-hole 20 can be formed very easily and accurately.

Further, in this embodiment, the image processing means 51
Is used. Therefore, even in the case of a ceramic honeycomb structure in which it is difficult to avoid delicate deformation inevitable in manufacturing, the position of the cell end on the end face can be accurately grasped. Especially in this example,
Since a transparent or translucent resin film is used, the image processing means can be effectively used.
Therefore, by using the through-hole forming device 5 described above,
By automating the through-hole forming operation, the efficiency can be greatly improved as compared with the case of the conventional manual operation.

As described above, in this example, the process of closing a part of the cell end on the end face of the honeycomb structure can be rationalized, and the production of the honeycomb structure 8 in which a part of the cell end is closed can be achieved. Performance can be greatly improved as compared with the related art.

Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, as described above, the hardening of the slurry 60 is performed by firing the slurry 60 at the same time as firing the honeycomb structure main body 86. On the other hand, in the present example, the slurry 60 is mixed with the honeycomb structure main body 86.
Before the honeycomb structure body 86 enters the cell end portion of the honeycomb structure,
Was fired. After filling, the slurry 60 was air-dried at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes, and then dried at 110 to 120 ° C. for 1 hour.
A sealing material (for example, Sumiceram (trade name)) containing a ceramic having a property of being cured by a curing treatment in a procedure of holding for a time is used. Also in this case, Embodiment 1
The same operation and effect as described above can be obtained.

Embodiment 3 This embodiment is a modification of the honeycomb structure main body 86 of Embodiment 1.
Is an example in which the cell shape is changed. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the present embodiment is an example in which the honeycomb structure main body 86 has a triangular cell shape.
Has a triangular shape. Also in this case, the closing portion 83 can be formed by disposing the closing member 830 on a part of the cell end portion 82 in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments. The operation and effect of the invention can be obtained.

Further, it should be noted that the same through-hole forming apparatus 5 as in the first embodiment can be used in this embodiment. As described above, the through-hole forming device 5 can determine the irradiation position of the high-density energy beam in a non-contact manner by image processing, and can very easily respond to changes in the shape and size of the irradiation target. Therefore, if the through-hole forming apparatus 5 is used, not only one kind but a plurality of kinds of honeycomb structures can be manufactured on the same line.
Significant process rationalization can be achieved.

Fourth Embodiment As shown in FIG. 6, this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the position of the cell end portion 82 on the end surface 861 is recognized before the resin film 2 is attached to the end surface 861 of the honeycomb structure. In this example, the position information is created, and then the end face 861 to which the resin film 2 is attached is irradiated with the laser beam 520 to form the through hole 20.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, an apparatus having substantially the same configuration as the through-hole forming apparatus 5 shown in the first embodiment is used. In addition, the same code | symbol was used for the same function part. And
In the present example, first, the end face 861 of the honeycomb structure 86 (a) is moved from above to the camera unit 511 by using the through-hole forming device 5.
Was used to collect image data.

At this time, photographing by the camera unit 511
The end face 861 was divided into a plurality of blocks, and each was performed.
Then, the image data obtained for each block is connected to form the position information of the cell end portion 82 on the entire end surface 861 in the image processing section 512. When a plurality of blocks are photographed by the camera unit 511, the position of the camera unit 511 is fixed, and the honeycomb structure main body 86 (a) mounted on a transfer device (not shown) is moved. Do.

Next, the honeycomb structure main body 86 (a) is moved to the position 86 (b) in FIG. Then, the resin film 2 is attached to the end face 861 of the honeycomb structure main body 86 (b) so as to cover all the cell end portions 82. In this example, the same film as that of the first embodiment was used. The film does not need to be transparent and can be changed to another material. Further, it is not always necessary to cover the entire end face 861 with one film, and a plurality of films may be combined. Further, depending on the specification of the honeycomb structure to be obtained, the end face 861 may not be entirely covered but may be partially covered.

Next, the honeycomb structure main body 86 (b) is
It is moved to the position of 6 (c) by the transfer device. In moving the honeycomb structure 86, the origin in the position coordinates when the honeycomb structure 86 is located immediately below the camera unit 511, and the CO ₂ laser emitting device 52 in the heat irradiation unit 52
It is set so that the origin at the position coordinates when it is located immediately below 1 coincides with the origin.

Next, in forming the through-hole 20, the irradiation position of the laser beam 520 and the irradiation position of each laser beam 520 are determined by the control means 53 based on the image data received from the image processing means 51, as in the first embodiment. The size of the through hole 20 is obtained by calculation. Here, in the present example, the size of the through hole 20 was changed according to the opening area of the cell end to be closed.
Specifically, as shown in Table 1, a matrix of the opening area of the cell end portion and the size of the through hole was created, and the diameter of the through hole was determined correspondingly.

[0067]

[Table 1]

Next, a laser beam 520 is irradiated to sequentially
The through holes 20 were provided one by one. At this time, in forming the through-hole 20, the center of the through-hole 20 to be formed is first irradiated with the laser beam 520, and then the irradiation position is spirally adjusted so that the diameter gradually increases. The diameter of the through hole 20 was increased to a desired size while being shifted. Then, a substantially circular through hole 20 was provided centered on the center of gravity of the opening area of the cell end.

In order to form the through hole 20 in such a procedure, it is preferable that the light diameter of the laser beam 520 is small, and in this example, the light diameter is 0.1 mmφ. In addition, the laser light 520
It is preferable that the strength of the resin film 2 is set to a minimum value at which the resin film 2 can be incinerated. In this example, the output is set to 3 to 5 W. At this time, the irradiation device for the high-density energy beam is fixed, and the positions of the through-holes within the irradiation range provided in the irradiation device are sequentially irradiated. The main body 86 (c) is moved by the above-mentioned transfer device to move the laser beam 5 to a desired position.
20 were irradiated.

Next, a through hole 20 was formed in the other end of the honeycomb structure main body 86 in the same manner as described above. Thereafter, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, a process of infiltration of the slurry into the cell end, a drying process, and a firing process were performed.

In the case of this example, when the position information of the cell edge 86 is obtained by the image processing, the cell edge can be directly seen. Therefore, as compared with the case where the resin film 2 is seen through and photographed as in the case of the first embodiment,
Accurate image data can be obtained. Therefore, the calculation accuracy of the formation position of the through hole 20 can be improved.

In this example, as described above, the through hole 2
The size of 0 was changed according to the opening area of each cell end 82. Thereby, an appropriate amount of slurry can be penetrated according to the opening area of the cell end portion 82, and the closed portion 83
Can be reduced in thickness.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the shape of the through hole 20 is substantially circular with the center of gravity of the opening area of the cell end as a center, so that the slurry can be smoothly and without bias when infiltrated. Was. When forming the through hole 20, the center of the through hole 20 to be formed is first irradiated with the laser beam 520, and then the irradiation position is spirally adjusted so that the diameter gradually increases. The diameter of the through-hole 20 was increased to a desired size while shifting. By performing this treatment, the resin film 2 existing in the portion of the through hole 20 was surely incinerated and removed, and the debris could be prevented from remaining.

Further, in this embodiment, the positions of the camera unit 511 and the CO ₂ laser emitting device 521 are fixed, and the honeycomb structure main body 86 is relatively moved by a transfer device (not shown). As a result, it was possible to reduce the equipment cost of the entire apparatus and improve the stability. Otherwise, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

Fifth Embodiment As shown in FIG. 7, this embodiment is different from the first and fourth embodiments in that the position of the cell end portion 82 on the end surface 861 before the resin film 2 is attached to the end surface 861 of the honeycomb structure. In this example, the position information is created by recognizing the position of the honeycomb structure, the through hole 20 is formed in the resin film, and the through hole 20 is attached to the end face 861 of the honeycomb structure.

Also in this example, as shown in FIG. 7, an apparatus having substantially the same configuration as the through hole forming apparatus 5 shown in the first embodiment was used. In addition, the same code | symbol was used for the same function part. And
In this example, as in the fourth embodiment, first, the image processing means 51 of the through-hole forming apparatus 5 was used to obtain the position information of all cell edges.

Next, in the present embodiment, as shown in the figure, the resin film 2 wound in a roll shape is stretched horizontally, and a laser beam 520 emitted from the CO ₂ laser emitting device 521 is applied to the resin film 2. Thus, a through hole 20 was formed. At this time, the relative movement between the CO ₂ laser emitting device 521 and the resin film 2 is performed while the resin film 2 is fixed.
This was performed by moving the CO ₂ laser emitting device 521. Further, the origin of the position coordinates when the honeycomb structure 86 is located immediately below the camera unit 511 and the origin of the position coordinates when the resin film 2 is stretched horizontally are set so as to coincide with each other at an optimum position. .

Next, in the present embodiment, the resin film 2 provided with the through holes 20 was cut into a predetermined length, and attached to the end face 861 of the honeycomb structure main body 86 by an operator's hand.
Then, an extra portion of the resin film 2 was cut off. Such an operation was also performed on the other end face of the honeycomb structure main body 86. Others are the same as the fourth embodiment.

In the case of this example, the through-hole 20 is formed in a state where the resin film 2 exists alone.
Therefore, the laser beam 5 is applied to the honeycomb structure main body 86.
There is no fear that the resin film 2 will be irradiated with the resin film 20 or the resin film 2 already disposed on the other end side will be incinerated, and the work of forming the through hole 20 can be easily performed. Otherwise, the same operation and effect as those of the fourth embodiment can be obtained.

Embodiment 6 This embodiment shows an example of a method of processing image data by the image processing means 52 in Embodiments 1, 4, and 5. In this example,
As shown in FIG. 8, when the image processing means 51 creates the position information of the cell end portion 82, an area including the end face 861 of the honeycomb structure main body 86 is divided into nine blocks S1 to S1.
Divided into S9. Then, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10,
For each block, image data of an area including an overlapping portion that overlaps with the block and at least a part of the block adjacent thereto is collected.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the outline of the block S1 has a rectangular shape surrounded by the boundaries of R11 to R14. The outline of the block S2 is R21 to R21.
It has a rectangular shape surrounded by the boundary line of R24. Similarly, the outline of the block Sn is a rectangle surrounded by the boundary lines of Rn1 to Rn4.

Therefore, there is always an overlapping portion belonging to both at the boundary between adjacent blocks. For example, at the boundary between the blocks S1 and S2, there is an overlapping portion S12 of both. Further, at the boundary between the block S1 and the block S6, there is an overlapping portion S16 of both. Therefore, FIG.
As shown in (1), when collecting the image data of the block S1, the image data including the overlapping portions S12 and S16 is collected.

Further, as shown in FIG.
When the image data of the blocks S1 and S5 are collected, the overlapping portions S12 and S25 of the blocks S1 and S5 and the block S3 (not shown)
Image data including the overlapping part of And
Similarly, when the image data of the other blocks S3 to S9 is collected, the image data including the overlapping part with the adjacent block is collected.

Next, in the image processing unit 512, the image data of each of the blocks S1 to S9 is connected by overlapping the above-mentioned overlapping parts, and the position information of the cell end on the entire end face is created. At this time, the alignment of each image data is performed by accurately overlapping the images of the same cell end portions 82 existing in the overlapping portion.
As a specific control algorithm, there are various methods.

By employing such a method of collecting image data, very accurate position information can be obtained. That is, in the image data obtained from one camera, a portion far from the center is viewed obliquely, so that the narrower the visual field, the more accurate information becomes. In addition, since the size of the cells of the honeycomb structure is very small, and it is very important to grasp the area thereof, very high-precision image data is required. Therefore, it is effective to combine a plurality of image data collected in a relatively small field of view.

In the present embodiment, in particular, by creating the image data including the above-mentioned overlapping portion, the joining accuracy of each image data can be improved. Therefore, the position information of the cell end portion 82 over the entire end surface of the honeycomb structure main body can be unconditionally and accurately grasped.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a step of attaching a resin film to a honeycomb structure main body in the first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a through-hole forming step in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a through hole and a contour position are formed in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a step of immersing in slurry in Embodiment 1;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a cell shape of a honeycomb structure according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a process up to a through-hole forming process in a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a process up to a through-hole forming process in the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a divided state of a block according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an area of a block S1 in a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an area of a block S2 in a sixth embodiment.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are cross-sectional views of a honeycomb structure according to a conventional example, and FIGS.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing a step of closing a cell end in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

2. . . 20. resin film, . . Through-hole, 22. . . 4. contour position; . . Through-hole forming device, 51. . . Image processing means, 511. . . Camera section, 512. . . Image processing unit, 52. . . Heat irradiation means, 520. . . 521. Laser light (high-density energy beam) . . CO ₂ laser emitting means, 522. . . Mobile device, 53. . . Control means, 6. . . Dip device, 60. . . Slurry, 61. . . Handling part, 611. . . Clamp part, 62. . . Liquid tank, 8. . . 81. honeycomb structure, . . Partition wall, 82. . . Cell edge, 83. . . Obstruction, 830. . . Blocking material, 86. . . Honeycomb structure body, 861, 862. . . End face,

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Akinobu Muto 1-1-1, Showa-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi F-Term in Denso Co., Ltd. (Reference) 3G090 AA02 BA02 4D019 AA01 BA05 BB06 BC12 CA01 CB04 CB06 4G055 AA08 AC10 BA35 BA40

Claims (22)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure in which a part of a cell end located at an end face of a ceramic honeycomb structure is closed, wherein the cell end is opened at the end face. After manufacturing the honeycomb structure body, a film is attached to the end face of the honeycomb structure body so as to cover at least a part of the cell end when closing a part of the cell end on the end face of the honeycomb structure body. Then, the film located at the end of the cell to be closed is melted or incinerated by heat to form a through-hole, and then the end face is immersed in a slurry containing an end face plugging material. A ceramic honeycomb structure characterized in that the slurry is hardened and the film is removed by infiltrating into cell ends through holes. How to make the body. 2. The ceramic honeycomb according to claim 1, wherein the through holes are formed in the film by irradiating the film with a high-density energy beam to melt or incinerate the film. The method of manufacturing the structure. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein a transparent or translucent film is used as the film, and a position to be irradiated with the high-density energy beam is determined.
Image processing means for visually recognizing the position of the cell end portion through the film attached to the end face is used to determine the position information of the cell end portion, and the high-density energy beam is determined based on the position information. A method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure, comprising: determining an irradiation position of a ceramic honeycomb structure. 4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the high-density energy beam is a laser beam. 5. A through-hole is provided at a desired cell edge position for a transparent or translucent film attached so as to cover at least a part of a cell edge portion opened at an end face of a honeycomb structure. An image processing means for transmitting the film stuck to the end face and visually recognizing the position of the cell end to obtain positional information; and applying a high-density energy beam to the film. A through-hole forming device comprising: a heat irradiating means for irradiating; and a control means for determining an irradiation position of the high-density energy beam based on positional information from the image processing means and operating the heat irradiating means. apparatus. 6. The through hole forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the high density energy beam is a laser beam. 7. A method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure in which a part of a cell end located at an end face of a ceramic honeycomb structure is closed, wherein the cell end is opened at the end face. After manufacturing the above, when closing a part of the cell end on the end face of the honeycomb structure main body, the position information of the cell end is obtained by using image processing means for recognizing the position of the cell end, Next, a film is attached to the end face of the honeycomb structure body so as to cover at least a part of the cell end,
Then, based on the position information, the film located at the cell end to be closed is melted or incinerated and removed by heat to form a through hole, and then the end face is immersed in a slurry containing an end face plugging material. A method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure, comprising: injecting the slurry into cell ends through the through-holes; thereafter, curing the slurry and removing the film. 8. A method for producing a ceramic honeycomb structure in which a part of a cell end located at an end face of a ceramic honeycomb structure is closed, wherein the cell end is opened at the end face. After manufacturing the above, when closing a part of the cell end on the end face of the honeycomb structure main body, the position information of the cell end is obtained by using image processing means for recognizing the position of the cell end, Next, for the film prepared to cover at least a part of the cell end, a portion to be located at the cell end to be closed is melted or incinerated by heat based on the position information to form a through hole. Then, a film is attached to the end face of the honeycomb structure main body, the through hole is positioned at the end of the cell to be closed, and then the end face includes an end face closing material. A method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure, comprising: immersing the slurry into the cell end through the through hole; and curing the slurry and removing the film. 9. The film according to claim 7, wherein the through hole is formed in the film by irradiating the film with a high-density energy beam to melt or incinerate the film. A method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the high-density energy beam is a laser beam. 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the through hole is formed in the film by melting or burning out the film by bringing a heated jig into contact with the film. A method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure. 12. The cell according to claim 1, wherein the size of the through hole provided in the film attached to the cell end is determined by the size of the opening at each cell end. A method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure, wherein the method is changed according to an area. 13. The ceramic honeycomb structure according to claim 1, wherein the through hole is provided based on a center of gravity of an opening area of the cell end. How to make the body. 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the through hole is
A method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure, wherein the shape is centered on the center of gravity of the opening area of the cell end. 15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the shape of the opening area of the cell end portion centered on the center of gravity is any one of a substantially circular shape, a substantially square shape, a substantially hexagonal shape, and a substantially triangular shape. Of manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure. 16. The method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure according to claim 1, wherein the film is made of a resin film or a wax sheet. 17. The method according to claim 2, wherein in forming the through hole using the high-density energy beam, the center of the through hole to be formed is determined. First irradiating the high-density energy beam, and then expanding the diameter of the through hole to a desired size while relatively shifting the irradiation position in a spiral so as to gradually increase the diameter. A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure. 18. The method according to claim 2, wherein, when forming the through hole, the high-density energy beam irradiation device is fixed.
A method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure, comprising: moving the honeycomb structure main body to irradiate a desired position with the high-density energy beam. 19. The image processing means according to claim 3, wherein said image processing means includes a plurality of said end faces of said honeycomb structure main body when creating the position information of said cell end portion. , And for each of the blocks, image data of an area including an overlapping portion overlapping with the block and at least a part of the block adjacent thereto is collected. Then, the image data of each block is divided into the overlapping portion. Are connected by overlapping each other to create position information of the cell end portion on the entire end face. 20. The image processing device according to claim 19, wherein the image processing means performs image data collection using a set of cameras.
The position of the camera is fixed, and the main body of the honeycomb structure is moved to sequentially position the blocks within the field of view of the camera to collect the image data. How to make the body. 21. The image processing device according to claim 19, wherein the image processing means performs image data collection using a set of cameras.
The ceramic honeycomb structure is characterized in that the honeycomb structure main body is fixed, the position of the camera is moved, and the respective blocks are sequentially positioned within the field of view of the camera to collect the image data. How to make the body. 22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the formation of the through holes is performed for each of the blocks, and immediately after the formation of the through holes in one block is completed, the through holes are formed in the blocks. A method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure, comprising: forming a through hole in a distant block when there is a distant block other than the adjacent block.