JP2007284778A - Heat-treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat-treatment apparatus with which the uneven treatment and the wrinkle can be prevented while preventing the warping of a material to be treated, conveyed in a furnace. <P>SOLUTION: The heat-treatment apparatus is provided with a plurality of lower conveying rollers 30 supported so as to be freely rotated along conveying direction (the arrow mark X direction), conveying the material 5 to be treated in the heat-treatment furnace, and a plurality of upper conveying rollers 20, supported so as to be freely rotated between the respective plurality of lower conveying rollers 30. The upper conveying rollers 20 are duplicated with a part of the peripheral surfaces of the lower conveying rollers 30 adjoined with a part of the peripheral surfaces of the upper conveying rollers 20 to the direction (the arrow mark Y direction) crossed at the right angle to the arrow mark X direction. Then, the material 5 to be treated is conveyed in the interval of the ascending position P for conveying between the upper conveying rollers 20 and the lower conveying rollers 30, and the descending position Q, at which the peripheral surface of the upper conveying rollers are not duplicated with the peripheral surfaces of the adjoined lower conveying rollers 30 and the direction of arrow head Y. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus that performs a heat treatment while conveying a thin object such as a metal foil in a furnace for heat treatment.

  A heat treatment apparatus is used for the purpose of changing characteristics such as hardness and softness of a thin object such as a metal foil. The heat treatment apparatus has a heat treatment furnace between a delivery device around which the workpiece is wound and a winding device that winds up the delivered workpiece. The object to be processed is sent out from the delivery device and is taken up by the take-up device after being subjected to heat treatment, cooling treatment and the like while being conveyed in the heat treatment furnace.

  In the heat treatment furnace, a plurality of conveyance rollers are arranged at a plurality of positions along the conveyance direction of the workpiece (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The object to be processed is conveyed on the conveying roller.

Some of these transport rollers adopt a drum-like shape in order to prevent processing unevenness and wrinkles of the workpiece.
JP-A-11-140548

  However, in the configuration of the above-described Patent Document 1, warping may occur in the workpiece due to the influence of applied heat or the like. This warpage is one of the causes of processing unevenness and wrinkles on the workpiece.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment apparatus that can prevent warping of an object to be processed conveyed in a furnace and reliably prevent processing unevenness and wrinkles.

  The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of lower transport rollers, a plurality of upper transport rollers, and a moving means. The plurality of lower transport rollers are rotatably supported in a plurality of positions along the transport direction of the workpiece in the furnace. The plurality of upper conveyance rollers are rotatably supported between the plurality of lower conveyance rollers.

  The moving means includes a first position where a position of a part of the peripheral surface of the upper transport roller overlaps with a position of a part of the peripheral surface of the adjacent lower transport roller in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and the position of the upper transport roller The plurality of upper transport rollers or the plurality of lower transport rollers are moved in a predetermined direction to a second position where the positions of the peripheral surfaces do not overlap with the positions of the peripheral surfaces of the adjacent lower transport rollers in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction.

  Further, the plurality of upper transport rollers and the plurality of lower transport rollers transport the workpieces positioned between the plurality of upper transport rollers and the plurality of lower transport rollers in the transport direction in the first position.

  In this structure, the upper conveyance roller and the lower conveyance roller are alternately arranged along the conveyance direction in the furnace. By moving the upper transport roller or the lower transport roller in a predetermined direction in a direction away from the lower transport roller or the upper transport roller, the position of the peripheral surface of the upper transport roller and the position of the peripheral surface of the adjacent lower transport roller are determined. It will be in the state which does not overlap in the direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction. In this state, the object to be processed is conveyed on the lower conveying roller and set between the upper conveying roller and the lower conveying roller.

  Further, when the transport roller or the lower transport roller moves in a predetermined direction so as to approach the lower transport roller or the upper transport roller, the position of a part of the peripheral surface of the upper transport roller is changed between the peripheral surfaces of the adjacent lower transport rollers. It will be in the state which overlapped in the direction orthogonal to some positions and a conveyance direction. In this state, when the workpiece is conveyed between the upper conveyance roller and the lower conveyance roller, the one surface and the other surface are alternately pressed in the opposite directions by the upper conveyance roller and the lower conveyance roller. Is done.

  Warping of the object to be processed due to heating or the like occurs in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, but the object to be processed is alternately pressed in two directions included in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction by the upper conveying roller and the lower conveying roller. It is possible to prevent the workpiece from warping.

  The predetermined direction in the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention can be a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. Further, the moving unit includes a support mechanism that rotatably supports an upper transport roller or a lower transport roller that moves in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and a drive device that moves the support mechanism in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. Can be.

  In this configuration, the support mechanism moves in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction by the driving device. Therefore, the upper conveyance roller or the lower conveyance roller supported by the support mechanism also moves in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. Thereby, the upper conveyance roller or the lower conveyance roller can be moved with a simple configuration.

  The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention can further include a timing belt, a rotation drive device, and a tension member. The timing belt is in contact with a part of the peripheral surface of the first rotating body rotating integrally with the rotating shaft of the upper conveying roller, and the other surface rotates integrally with the rotating shaft of the lower conveying roller. It is stretched in a state of being in contact with a part of the peripheral surface of the rotating body 2 and has an endless shape. The rotation driving device rotates the timing belt to rotate the plurality of upper conveyance rollers and the plurality of lower conveyance rollers. The tension member abuts against one surface or the other surface of the timing belt and applies tension to the timing belt.

  In this configuration, the endless timing belt is stretched alternately via the first rotating body and the second rotating body. That is, the timing belt is stretched so that the cross section of the timing belt has a wave shape. By setting the first rotating body and the second rotating body to have the same diameter, the upper conveying roller and the lower conveying roller are rotated at the same speed by the rotation of the timing belt, and the object to be processed is conveyed.

  Further, a tension member that applies tension to the timing belt is in contact with one surface or the other surface of the timing belt. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the timing belt from being loosened by the movement of the upper conveyance roller or the lower conveyance roller by the moving means, and to perform the conveyance reliably.

  The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention can further include an opening, a support mechanism, and a seal member. The opening is formed in the outer wall of the furnace, and the end of the upper transport roller or the lower transport roller that moves in a predetermined direction is penetrated from the inside of the furnace to the outside. The support mechanism abuts against the peripheral surfaces of the rotating shafts at both ends of the upper conveying roller or the lower conveying roller moving in a predetermined direction exposed from the opening to the outside of the furnace, and rotatably supports the rotating shaft. The sealing member has a flexible cylindrical shape through which the upper conveying roller or the lower conveying roller exposed to the outside is inserted, the opening at one end is sealed by the outer wall of the furnace, and the opening at the other end is supported by the support mechanism. It is sealed.

  In this configuration, both end sides of the upper conveyance roller or the lower conveyance roller exposed to the outside of the furnace are sealed with a flexible seal member. Since the sealing member has flexibility, it bends as the upper conveying roller or the lower conveying roller moves in a predetermined direction, so that the sealing member is not peeled off and the airtightness in the furnace can be maintained.

  According to the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, since it is possible to prevent the workpiece being conveyed in the furnace from being warped, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of processing unevenness and wrinkles.

  1A and 1B are a side sectional view and a front sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a heat treatment apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The heat treatment apparatus 100 includes a heat treatment furnace 10 and heat-treats an object to be processed 5 of a metal foil such as a copper foil as an example. The workpiece 5 is wound around and stored in a delivery device (not shown). The workpiece 5 delivered from the delivery device is conveyed through the heat treatment furnace 10 and taken up by a take-up device (not shown).

  In the heat treatment furnace 10, the outer wall is made of a heat insulating material, and a heat treatment and a cooling treatment are performed on an object to be processed which has been conveyed to the inside. In the heat treatment furnace 10, a plurality of processing chambers A <b> 1 to A <b> 11, B <b> 1 are formed along the direction of the arrow X, which is the transfer direction of the workpiece 5. The processing chambers A1 to A11, B1 are formed in a communicating state. The processing chambers A1 to A11 heat the object to be processed 5 that has been conveyed using a heater (not shown). The processing chamber B1 cools the workpiece 5 that has been subjected to the heat treatment. Note that the number and type of processing chambers (for example, the presence or absence of a cooling chamber) are not limited thereto.

  The heat treatment furnace 10 includes a plurality of upper transport rollers 20 and a plurality of lower transport rollers 30 for transporting the workpiece 5 therein. The upper conveyance roller 20 and the lower conveyance roller 30 are alternately arranged in the heat treatment furnace 10 along the arrow X direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the upper conveying roller 20 is supported between a raised position P and a lowered position Q so as to be movable up and down in an arrow Y direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the arrow X direction. Yes. As shown in FIG. 2A, the raised position P, which is the first position of the present invention, overlaps the position of the peripheral surface of the upper transport roller 20 with the position of the peripheral surface of the adjacent lower transport roller 30 in the arrow Y direction. It is a position that does not. As shown in FIG. 2B, the lowered position Q, which is the second position of the present invention, is a position of a part of the peripheral surface of the lower transport roller 30 adjacent to the position of a part of the peripheral surface of the upper transport roller 20. And the position overlapping in the arrow Y direction.

  The workpiece 5 is pulled out from the state of being wound around the feeding device in a state where the upper conveying roller 20 shown in FIG. Is set in a state of being connected to the winding device. The set workpiece 5 is sandwiched between the upper conveyance roller 20 and the lower conveyance roller 30 in a state where the upper conveyance roller 20 shown in FIG. In this state, it is conveyed in the direction of arrow X. That is, one surface and the other surface of the workpiece 5 are alternately pressed in opposite directions by the upper transport roller 20 and the lower transport roller 30.

  Thereby, since it can prevent that the to-be-processed object 5 warp, generation | occurrence | production of a process nonuniformity and a wrinkle can be prevented reliably. In this embodiment, the upper transport roller 20 is lifted and lowered, but the lower transport roller 30 may be lifted and lowered. Further, in the present embodiment, the upper conveyance roller 20 and the lower conveyance roller 30 are alternately arranged. However, even if the upper conveyance roller 20 and the lower conveyance roller 30 are not completely arranged alternately, the workpiece 5 is arranged in two directions included in the arrow Y direction. What is necessary is just to be able to press.

  As shown in FIGS. 1B and 3, the upper conveying roller 20 is supported by a lifting mechanism 40 so as to be rotatable and freely movable up and down. The raising / lowering mechanism 40 which is a moving means of this invention is comprised from the support part 41, the raising / lowering part 42, etc. FIG. FIG. 3 shows the configuration around the upper transport roller 20 and the lower transport roller 30 disposed in the processing chambers A1 and A2.

  The support portion 41 corresponding to the support mechanism of the present invention is located outside the heat treatment furnace 10, and can freely rotate the rotary shaft 21 of the upper transport roller 20 that passes through the opening 11 and is exposed to the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10. To support. The support part 41 includes a support member 411, a bearing part 412 and the like. The support member 411 supports the bearing portion 412. The bearing portion 412 abuts on the circumferential surface of the rotation shaft 21 of the upper conveying roller 20 and rotatably supports the rotation shaft 21.

  The elevating unit 42 is located outside the heat treatment furnace 10 and includes a jack 421, a shaft 422, an elevating motor 423, and the like. A lifting motor 423 which is a driving device of the present invention transmits a rotational force to a jack 421 via a shaft 422. The jack 421 converts the transmitted rotational force into a force in the arrow Y direction, and raises and lowers the support member 411 in the arrow Y direction. The jack 421 is fixed outside the processing chambers A1 and A2. The rotation shaft of the upper conveying roller 20 in the processing chambers A3 to A11 and B1 is also supported by the same configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the lower conveying roller 30 is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 31 that passes through an opening (not shown) and is exposed to the outside of the heat treatment furnace 10. The support part 51 includes a support member 511, a bearing part 512, and the like. The support member 511 is a member similar to the support member 411 and supports the bearing portion 512. The bearing portion 512 is a member similar to the bearing portion 412, and abuts on the circumferential surface of the rotation shaft 31 of the lower transport roller 30 to rotatably support the rotation shaft 31. Further, the support member 511 is fixed. The rotation shaft of the lower conveyance roller 30 in the processing chambers A3 to A11 and B1 is also supported by the same configuration. In FIG. 1B, illustration of both end portions of the lower conveyance roller 30 is omitted for the explanation of the configuration of the upper conveyance roller 20.

  Both end sides exposed to the outside of the upper conveying roller 20 are sealed with bellows (metal seal) 25 as shown in FIG. The bellows 25 has a cylindrical shape, and the upper conveying roller 20 exposed to the outside is inserted. The bellows 25 has an opening at one end sealed by an outer wall of the heat treatment furnace 10 and an opening at the other end sealed by a bearing portion 412.

  Since the bellows 25 is made of metal and has flexibility, the bellows 25 bends flexibly by raising and lowering the upper conveying roller 20. Further, since the bearing portion 412 maintains the airtightness of the contact portion with the rotating shaft 21, the airtightness inside the heat treatment furnace 10 can be maintained regardless of the elevation of the upper conveying roller 20. Although not shown, the lower conveyance roller 30 has a bellows arranged in the same configuration.

  Further, the upper conveyance roller 20 and the lower conveyance roller 30 include an upper pulley 22 and a lower pulley 32 at the end portions of the rotation shafts 21 and 31. A timing belt 60 is stretched around the upper pulley 22 and the lower pulley 32 of the upper conveying roller 20 and the lower conveying roller 30 in the processing chamber A1, as shown in FIG.

  The timing belt 60 is a double-tooth type, and one surface abuts on the rotating shaft 21 of the upper conveying roller 20 via the upper pulley 22, and the other surface rotates on the rotating shaft of the lower conveying roller 30 via the lower pulley 32. It is stretched while being in contact with 31. That is, the timing belt 60 is stretched alternately through the upper conveyance roller 20 and the lower conveyance roller 30 so that the cross section of the timing belt 60 has a wave shape. The upper pulley 22 and the lower pulley 32 have the same diameter and correspond to the first rotating body and the second rotating body of the present invention.

  The timing belt 60 is also stretched around a tension pulley 61 and pulleys 62, 63, and 64. The tension pulley 61 which is a tension member according to the present invention is rotatably supported by a pulley support member 611. The pulley support member 611 is rotatably supported on the outer wall of the heat treatment furnace 10 at an end portion not connected to the tension pulley 61.

  Further, the pulley support member 611 applies the upward force in the arrow Y direction applied by the air cylinder 612 to the timing belt 60 as tension. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the timing belt 60 from being loosened due to the raising and lowering of the upper conveying roller 20. The timing belt 60 is stretched with the same configuration for the upper conveyance roller 20 and the lower conveyance roller 30 in the processing chambers A2 to A11, B1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a drive belt 70 is stretched between adjacent pulleys 64 and 62. The drive belt 70 is also stretched around the pulley of the drive motor 71. The drive motor 71 transmits the rotational force to the pulleys 64 and 62 via the drive belt 70. Thereby, the timing belt 60 rotates, and all the upper conveyance rollers 20 and the lower conveyance rollers 30 of the adjacent processing chambers A1 to A11, B1 can be rotated in the arrow direction shown in FIG. 3 at the same speed. The drive motor 71 corresponds to the rotational drive device of the present invention.

  The drive of the drive motor 71 is controlled by the control unit 80 via the motor driver 72. The motor driver 72 receives information on the sending speed and the winding speed from the connected sending device and winding device, and drives the drive motor 71 so that these speeds and the conveying speed are equal (synchronized). The control unit 80 controls the operation of the entire apparatus. All the adjacent pulleys 64 and 62 are similarly configured.

  In this embodiment, although the heat processing apparatus which heat-processes to metal foil was demonstrated, this invention is applicable also to the heat processing apparatus which heat-processes not only to metal foil but to a to-be-processed object.

It is side surface sectional drawing and front sectional drawing which show the structure of the outline of the heat processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the raising / lowering operation | movement of an upper conveyance roller. It is explanatory drawing which expanded the one part structure of the heat processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 To-be-processed object 10 Heat processing furnace 20 Upper conveyance roller 21 Rotating shaft 25 Bellows 30 Lower conveyance roller 40 Elevating mechanism 41 Support part 42 Elevating part 421 Jack 422 Shaft 423 Drive motor 60 Timing belt 61 Tension pulley 70 Drive belt 71 Drive motor

Claims (4)

A plurality of lower transport rollers rotatably supported at each of a plurality of positions along the transport direction of the workpiece in the furnace, and a plurality of rotatably supported between each of the plurality of lower transport rollers An upper conveying roller;
A first position where a part of the peripheral surface of the upper transport roller overlaps with a position of a part of the peripheral surface of the adjacent lower transport roller in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and the periphery of the upper transport roller The plurality of upper conveyance rollers or the plurality of lower conveyance rollers are moved in a predetermined direction to a second position that does not overlap with the position of the circumferential surface of the lower conveyance roller adjacent to the surface in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. And moving means,
The plurality of upper transport rollers and the plurality of lower transport rollers transport a workpiece positioned between the plurality of upper transport rollers and the plurality of lower transport rollers in the transport direction at the first position. A heat treatment apparatus characterized by The predetermined direction is a direction orthogonal to the transport direction;
The moving means includes a support mechanism that rotatably supports the plurality of upper transport rollers or the plurality of lower transport rollers moving in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and the support mechanism in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drive device that moves the heat treatment apparatus. One surface is in contact with a part of the peripheral surface of the first rotating body that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft of the upper conveying roller, and the other surface rotates integrally with the rotating shaft of the lower conveying roller. An endless timing belt stretched in contact with a part of the peripheral surface of the rotating body;
A rotation driving device that rotates the timing belt to rotate the plurality of upper conveyance rollers and the plurality of lower conveyance rollers;
The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a tension member that abuts against one surface or the other surface of the timing belt and applies tension to the timing belt. An opening formed in the outer wall of the furnace, the end of the upper transporting roller or the lower transporting roller moving in the predetermined direction penetrating from the inside of the furnace to the outside,
A support mechanism that rotatably contacts the peripheral surfaces of the rotary shafts at both ends of the upper transport roller or the lower transport roller that moves in the predetermined direction exposed from the opening to the outside of the furnace; ,
A flexible cylindrical seal member through which the upper conveyance roller or the lower conveyance roller exposed to the outside is inserted, wherein an opening at one end is sealed by an outer wall of the furnace, and an opening at the other end is The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a seal member sealed by a support mechanism.

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