JP2004167399A - Conveying equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide conveying equipment wherein coating material attached to a conveyer chain is prevented from drying up and sticking thereon, the coating material attached to the chain during the conveyance is peeled off and cleaned automatically, and the productivity is prevented from being decreased. <P>SOLUTION: The conveying equipment for conveying a to-be-coated article includes the conveyer-chain for conveying the to-be-coated article, and a washing tank storing a washing liquid. In the equipment, the conveyer chain conveys the article placed thereon. In the course of conveyance, the article is coated with a water-soluble coating, and the conveyer chain is dipped at least partly in the washing liquid in the tank, and passed therethrough. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for transporting articles, and more particularly, to a transport apparatus used in a step of applying a binder flux to aluminum heat exchanger parts and a transport chain thereof.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Transport devices are used in various fields. For example, the transport of materials for articles to be produced on a production line, the transport of parts constituting a product to be assembled on an assembly line, the transport of products assembled on an inspection line, the transport of articles to be painted on a painting line, etc. Used in In the coating or coating line, it is preferable from the viewpoint of production efficiency that the article to be transferred is coated (or coated) while being transferred by the transfer chain of the transfer device. However, in such a case, the paint (applied material) is unavoidable to adhere not only to the object to be applied (applied) but also to the transport chain, and is usually used on an endless track. Cleaning is required to remove paint from the transport chain.
[0003]
In the production process of an aluminum heat exchanger, it is necessary to apply a binder flux to the component. In general, such a binder flux is applied while the object to be coated is being conveyed.
FIG. 3 shows an example of a conventional transport device used in such a case. The transport device 50 of this example includes a belt conveyor (or a transport chain) 8 for transporting the workpiece 4. The belt conveyor 8 is driven by a driving device (not shown), and further, as shown in FIG. 3, is guided by a plurality of rollers and moves in a trackless manner. The object 4 is placed on the upper surface of the belt conveyor 8 and is conveyed from left to right in FIG. 3. At this time, the application nozzle 3 is set on the upper surface of the belt conveyor 8. A binder flux, which is a coating material to be sprayed, is applied.
[0004]
The binder flux that has not been applied to the object 4 adheres to the surrounding belt conveyor 8. In this conventional example, the attached binder flux is removed by a scraping spatula 9 below the endless track path of the belt conveyor 8 as shown in FIG. As described above, the conventional general cleaning method of the transport chain (or the belt conveyor 8) is intended to scrape off the attached matter on the belt conveyor 8 with the spatula 9, but the attached matter is dried and adhered. It was impossible to remove it. For this reason, after using for constant-time coating production, conveyance is stopped, production is stopped, and the belt conveyor 8 is manually cleaned to remove extraneous matter from the belt conveyor 8. However, this method has a problem that productivity is reduced because production is stopped, and workability and work environment due to manual cleaning are poor.
[0005]
There is a document related to such a transfer device (for example, see Patent Document 1), but this does not relate to cleaning of a transfer chain as proposed in the present invention.
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2001-119135 (page 4)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and can prevent a coating substance attached to a transport chain of a transport apparatus from drying and sticking, and can peel and automatically clean an application substance attached to the transport chain during transport. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer device.
Apart from this, the present invention provides a transport device as described above, which makes it possible to increase the interval of the period for stopping and cleaning the equipment, thereby preventing a decrease in productivity and improving workability and It is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer device capable of improving a working environment.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above-described object, the transport device for transporting the workpiece is a transport chain for transporting the workpiece, and a cleaning tank for storing a cleaning liquid. Is provided. In the transport device, the transport chain places and transports the object to be applied, and the object to be coated is coated with the object during transport. At least a part of the transport chain moves (travels). It is characterized by being immersed in and passed through a cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank.
[0008]
With such a configuration, before the applied matter adhered to the transport chain is dried and hardened, the transport chain is caused to travel through the cleaning liquid and pass therethrough. The adhered coating material can be separated from the transport chain. Therefore, it is possible to improve a decrease in the operation rate of the apparatus and a decrease in productivity due to stopping the apparatus including the transfer apparatus for cleaning the transfer chain.
[0009]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the transport device further includes an overflow tank into which the cleaning liquid overflows from the cleaning tank. The cleaning liquid is always supplied and overflows from near the liquid level of the cleaning tank.
With this configuration, the coated material separated from the transport chain by the cleaning liquid overflows from the cleaning tank together with the cleaning liquid and flows into the overflow tank, so that the separated coated substance is re-attached to the transport chain. Can be prevented.
[0010]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first and second aspects, the transport device suctions a cleaning liquid from the overflow tank and circulates the cleaning liquid to the cleaning tank; And a circulating line connecting the circulating pump and the cleaning tank.
In a third embodiment, a mode that further embodies the second mode is disclosed.
[0011]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the transport chain includes a plurality of substantially cylindrical pins arranged to extend laterally in a moving direction; A chain connecting the plurality of pins. The pin includes a holding portion on which the object is placed, and a work guide portion disposed on both sides of the holding portion to prevent the object from moving laterally.
[0012]
According to the present embodiment, the shape of the pin of the transport chain on which the object is placed is a simple shape of a substantially cylindrical shape. . Further, since the pins of the transport chain have a substantially cylindrical shape, the work guide unit guides the object to be applied in response to slippage caused by low frictional resistance between the object to be applied and the pin holding unit. At the same time, it is prevented from falling off from the holding portion.
[0013]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the transport device is a chain arranged near an outlet of the transport chain from the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank. A cleaning brush is further provided. The chain cleaning brush assists in removing the coating material attached to the transport chain.
According to the present embodiment, a mode for promoting and assisting the removal of the coating material attached to the transport chain is disclosed.
[0014]
Further, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the transporting device includes a levitation and recovery device and a centrifugal separator for removing the coating material from the cleaning liquid. It is further characterized by comprising:
In the present embodiment, a mode for removing the coating material peeled from the transport chain and mixed in the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid is disclosed.
[0015]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the transport chain is an endless track.
In the present embodiment, the configuration of the transport chain is further embodied.
[0016]
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, the transfer device is applied to a production line of an aluminum heat exchanger.
In this embodiment, the use of the transport device of the present invention will be more concretely described.
[0017]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the cleaning liquid is water-soluble.
In the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid is further embodied.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 schematically show one embodiment of a transfer device according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows a schematic overall configuration of a transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 schematically shows the details of the transport chain in one embodiment of the transport device of the present invention. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the elements of FIGS. 1 and 2 that are the same as or similar to the elements of the example of the conventional transport apparatus shown in FIG. 3 have the same reference numerals. Is specified by
[0019]
Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a transfer apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The transfer device 10 of the present invention is used in a line for applying, for example, a water-soluble binder flux to a component (object to be coated 4) of an aluminum heat exchanger. The transport device 10 is similar to the example of the conventional transport device in FIG. 3, and includes a chain conveyor (transport chain) 2 of an endless track type transport pin type, and further has a top surface of the chain conveyor 2. A coating nozzle 3 is provided thereon. When the object 4 is placed on the upper surface of the chain conveyor 2 and transported, the application nozzle 3 applies the binder flux to the object 4. Here, the excess binder flux adheres to the chain conveyor 2 as in the conventional case.
[0020]
The transport device 10 further includes a circulating water (washing) tank 1 for storing a cleaning liquid, and an overflow tank 11 for storing a cleaning liquid overflowing from the circulating water tank 1. In this embodiment, the chain conveyor 2 is guided by six types of rollers 13 (may be other than six types) to form an endless track. As shown in FIG. The upper part is a flat part for transporting the object 4 to be coated, and the lower part is a part protruding in a convex shape by four rollers. This protruding part, which is a part of the chain conveyor 2, is just immersed in the circulating water tank 1 at the return part after the work of transporting the coating object 4, and the attached binder flux is washed with a cleaning liquid before solidifying. As a result, it is removed from the chain conveyor 2. At this time, resistance occurs when the chain conveyor 2 moves in the cleaning liquid, and this resistance acts as an acting force for peeling off the applied matter adhered from the chain conveyor 2 and promotes peeling. A chain cleaning brush 5 is disposed in the circulating water tank 1 at a position before the chain conveyor 2 comes out of the cleaning liquid, thereby facilitating removal of the applied matter from the chain conveyor 2.
[0021]
The overflow tank 11 is provided downstream of the circulating water tank 1, and the cleaning liquid overflowing the circulating water tank 1 flows in. A circulation line 14 is connected to a lower portion of the overflow tank 11, and the circulation line 14 returns to the circulation water tank 1. The circulation line 14 is provided with a circulation pump 12. The circulation pump 12 sucks the cleaning liquid from the overflow tank 11 and returns the cleaning liquid to the circulation water tank 1. The cleaning liquid overflows by being circulated in this manner. The binder flux separated from the chain conveyor 2 by the cleaning liquid also flows into the overflow tank 11. The circulation line 14 may be provided with a filter for removing foreign matter and the like.
In the present embodiment, since the binder flux has a specific gravity smaller than that of the cleaning liquid, it gathers at the upper part of the cleaning liquid. In order to remove the binder flux, a floating recovery device 7 is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the suction part of the floating recovery device 7 is provided so as to float in the overflow tank 11, and the binder flux collected near the liquid surface of the overflow tank 11 is recovered together with the cleaning liquid by the floating recovery device 7. .
[0022]
The cleaning liquid and the binder flux collected by the floating recovery device 7 are further sent to the centrifugal separator 6, where the binder flux and the cleaning liquid are centrifuged by utilizing the above specific gravity difference. The separated binder flux may be treated by discarding or the like, and the separated cleaning liquid may be reused.
[0023]
FIG. 2 is a II section in FIG. 1 showing details of the chain conveyor 2 of the present embodiment. The chain conveyor 2 is configured by connecting a large number of substantially cylindrical pins 20 as unit elements by a chain 23. The pins 20 include a cylindrical rod-shaped holding portion 21 for supporting the object 4 and a It has a cylindrical work guide portion 22 for guiding the coated object 4 while preventing it from moving in the lateral direction, and for preventing the coated object 4 from falling off from the holding portion 21. The diameter of the work guide part 22 is larger than the diameter of the holding part 21.
The chain conveyor 2 has a special pin type that is easy to clean. In addition, since the pin type has low resistance when submerged in water, the corresponding transport speed can correspond to 50 m / min. To summarize the above, the chain conveyor 2 enters the circulating water tank 1 on the transport return side and is cleaned. The brush 5 and the like also act for cleaning. The circulating water tank 1 has a structure in which the circulating cleaning water overflows by the circulating pump 12. Since the cleaning liquid surface of the circulating water tank 1 for cleaning the chain conveyor 2 always removes the removed matter to the lower overflow tank 11, This prevents re-adhesion of the removed material to the chain conveyor 2. Further, the removed matter accumulated in the circulating water tank 1 is constantly collected by the centrifugal separator 6 and the floating object collecting device 7, thereby preventing an increase in dirt in the circulating water tank 1.
[0024]
Next, effects and operations of the above embodiment will be described.
The following effects can be expected by the transfer device according to the above embodiment of the present invention.
Before the applied matter adhered to the transport chain is dried and hardened, the applied matter adhered due to the action including the resistance of the cleaning liquid to the transport chain by passing the transport chain running through the cleaning liquid and the like. From the transport chain. Therefore, it is possible to improve a decrease in the operation rate of the apparatus and a decrease in productivity due to stopping the apparatus including the transfer apparatus for cleaning the transfer chain.
The overflow of the coating material separated from the transport chain by the cleaning liquid together with the cleaning liquid from the cleaning tank to the overflow tank can prevent the separated coated substance from re-adhering to the transport chain.
-By making the shape of the pin of the transport chain on which the object is placed a simple shape of a substantially cylindrical shape, the releasability of the applied material at the time of washing the transport chain, particularly at the pin portion, is improved. Further, since the pins of the transport chain have a substantially cylindrical shape, the work guide unit guides the object to be applied in response to slippage caused by low frictional resistance between the object to be applied and the pin holding unit. At the same time, it is prevented from falling off from the holding portion.
[0025]
Further, in the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the transfer apparatus of the present invention is applied to the transfer of parts of an aluminum heat exchanger. However, the present invention may be applied to other uses, and the present invention is applied to an aluminum heat exchanger. It is not limited to the exchanger.
Apart from this, in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention, a floating recovery device and a centrifugal separator are provided as devices for separating the binder flux (applied matter) from the cleaning liquid. A separation device may be used.
A conveyor device other than the chain conveyor used in the above embodiment may be used.
[0026]
The above embodiment is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited by the embodiment, but is defined only by matters described in the claims. It is feasible.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic overall configuration of one embodiment of a transfer device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II, schematically illustrating details of a transfer chain of the transfer device in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows a schematic overall configuration of an embodiment of a conventional transport device.
[Explanation of symbols]
1. Circulating water tank (washing tank)
Reference numeral 2: Chain conveyor 3 ... Application nozzle 4 ... Application object 5 ... Chain cleaning brush 6 ... Centrifuge 7 ... Floating and collecting device 10 ... Transport device 11 ... Overflow tank 12 ... Circulation pump 13 ... Roller 14 ... Circulation line

Claims (9)

In a transfer device for transferring an object to be coated, the transfer device includes:
A transport chain for transporting the object,
A cleaning tank for storing a cleaning liquid,
In the transfer device,
The transport chain transports the object to be loaded thereon, and the object to be coated is coated with the object during transport,
A transport device, wherein at least a part of the transport chain is immersed in and passed through a cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank during movement. The transfer device,
Further comprising an overflow tank into which the cleaning liquid overflows from the cleaning tank and flows in,
2. The transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid is constantly replenished and overflows from near the liquid level of the cleaning tank. The transfer device,
A circulating pump that sucks the cleaning liquid from the overflow tank and circulates the cleaning liquid to the cleaning tank;
A circulation line that connects the overflow tank and the circulation pump, and connects the circulation pump and the cleaning tank;
The transport device according to claim 2, comprising: The transport chain,
A plurality of substantially cylindrical pins arranged to extend laterally with respect to the movement direction,
A chain connecting the plurality of pins,
The pin is
A holding unit for placing the object,
A work guide portion disposed on both sides of the holding portion to prevent the application object from laterally moving;
The transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: The transport device further includes a chain cleaning brush disposed in the cleaning tank near an outlet of the transport chain from the cleaning liquid,
The transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the brush for cleaning the chain assists in removing an applied matter attached to the transport chain. In order to remove the coating material from the cleaning liquid,
A floating recovery device,
A centrifuge,
The transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: The transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the transport chain is an endless track. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the transfer device is applied to a production line of an aluminum heat exchanger. The transport device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid is water-soluble.

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