JP2013133252A - Honeycomb structure, method of manufacturing the same, method of reading information, and method of inspection - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a honeycomb structure capable of enabling accurate reading of information printed on a surface of the honeycomb structure or accurate inspection of defects in a coating film formed on the surface.SOLUTION: There is provided a honeycomb structure in which a plurality of cells 20a are arranged in parallel in a length direction with cell walls 20c therebetween, and containing aluminum titanate ceramic. On the surface of the honeycomb structure, information 30 related to the honeycomb structure is printed with ink containing an ingredient that emits light by irradiation of ultraviolet rays or a coating film is formed that contains an ingredient that emits light by irradiation of ultraviolet rays.

Description

  The present invention relates to a honeycomb structure, a manufacturing method thereof, an information reading method, and an inspection method.

  Conventionally, a honeycomb structure made of porous ceramics has been used as a ceramic filter (DPF: Diesel Particulate Filter) for collecting fine particles such as carbon particles contained in exhaust gas discharged from an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine. It has been.

  As a method for manufacturing such a honeycomb structure, a method of forming and firing a ceramic raw material is known. Further, a method of manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure by firing a green honeycomb molded body of this raw material mixture using a material mixture further containing an organic additive such as an organic binder and a pore forming agent is known. (See Patent Document 1).

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228561 discloses that information on the end face of the honeycomb structure is displayed on the end face or side face of the manufactured ceramic honeycomb structure. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-260260 discloses that based on this display, it is checked whether or not the honeycomb structure is correctly assembled after installation in the exhaust gas purification device.

Special table 2001-524451 gazette International Publication No. 04/106702 Pamphlet

  Since the information displayed on the honeycomb structure needs to be read accurately, improvement of reading accuracy is one of important issues.

  Moreover, a coating film may be formed on the surface of the honeycomb structure. At this time, a coating film defect such as an extremely thin coating film or a hole in the coating film may occur due to coating unevenness of the coating. It is one of important issues to be able to accurately inspect for the presence or absence of such coating film defects.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and accurately reads information printed on the surface of the honeycomb structure or inspects for defects in the coating film formed on the surface. An object of the present invention is to provide a honeycomb structure that can be performed, a method for manufacturing the honeycomb structure, a method for reading information, and an inspection method.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a honeycomb structure having a structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction across a cell wall, and includes an aluminum titanate-based ceramics. Provided is a honeycomb structure on which information on the honeycomb structure is printed with an ink containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays.

  The honeycomb structure includes aluminum titanate-based ceramics, and information is printed on the surface thereof with ink containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays, so that information is accurately read by irradiating ultraviolet rays. It becomes possible. This is because, when irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the printed information is emitted and appears bright, whereas the aluminum titanate ceramics easily absorb ultraviolet rays, so the underlying honeycomb structure appears dark, and the contrast between the two is low. This is because the information becomes easier to read.

  The present invention also has a structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction across a cell wall, and is a honeycomb structure including an aluminum titanate-based ceramic, and the surface emits light by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. Provided is a honeycomb structure in which a coating film containing components is formed.

  The honeycomb structure includes an aluminum titanate ceramic, and a coating film containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays is formed on the surface thereof. It is possible to inspect well. This is because when the UV light is irradiated, the coating film emits light and looks bright, whereas the aluminum titanate ceramics easily absorb UV light, so the underlying honeycomb structure appears dark and the contrast between the two increases. This is because a coating film defect such as an extremely thin coating film or a hole in the coating film can be easily found.

  The present invention also has a structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction across the cell wall, and information on the honeycomb structure is transferred to the surface of the honeycomb structure containing the aluminum titanate-based ceramics. Provided is a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure, which includes a step of printing using an ink containing a component that emits light upon irradiation. According to this manufacturing method, it is possible to manufacture a honeycomb structure that can accurately read printed information.

  The present invention also has a structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction across the cell wall, and the paint includes a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays on the surface of a honeycomb structure including an aluminum titanate ceramic. There is provided a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure, which includes a step of forming a coating film using According to this manufacturing method, it is possible to manufacture a honeycomb structure that can accurately inspect for the presence or absence of defects in the coating film.

  The present invention also includes an ink having a structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged side by side across a cell wall in a longitudinal direction, and the surface of a honeycomb structure including an aluminum titanate-based ceramic contains a component that emits light by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. Provided is an information reading method for reading information on the honeycomb structure printed by using ultraviolet rays. According to such a method, printed information can be accurately read.

  The present invention further includes a coating material having a structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction across a cell wall, and the surface of a honeycomb structure including an aluminum titanate ceramic includes a component that emits light by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. Provided is an inspection method for inspecting the presence or absence of defects in a coating film formed by irradiating with ultraviolet rays. According to this method, the presence or absence of a coating film defect can be accurately inspected.

  According to the present invention, a honeycomb structure capable of reading information printed on the surface of the honeycomb structure or inspecting for the presence or absence of defects in the coating film formed on the surface with high accuracy, a manufacturing method thereof, and information Can be provided, as well as an inspection method.

Fig.1 (a) is a perspective view which shows suitable one Embodiment of the honeycomb structure of this invention, FIG.1 (b) is a front view of the end surface of the honeycomb structure of Fig.1 (a). Fig. 2 (a) is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the honeycomb structure of the present invention, and Fig. 2 (b) is a front view of the end face of the honeycomb structure of Fig. 2 (a). Fig. 3 (a) is a perspective view of a green honeycomb molded body used for manufacturing a honeycomb structure, and Fig. 3 (b) is a front view of an end face of the green honeycomb molded body of Fig. 3 (a). FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the green honeycomb molded body after sealing, and FIG. 4B is a front view of the end face of the green honeycomb molded body of FIG. 4A.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Further, the positional relationship such as up, down, left and right is based on the positional relationship shown in the drawings unless otherwise specified. Further, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are not limited to the illustrated ratios.

(Honeycomb structure)
Fig.1 (a) and (b) are the schematic diagrams which show one Embodiment of the honeycomb structure of this invention. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are schematic views showing another embodiment of the honeycomb structure of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 (a), 1 (b) and 2 (a), 2 (b), the honeycomb structures 200, 210 have one end surface of a through hole extending from one end surface to the other end surface as a sealing portion 20b. The sealed cells 20a are pillars having a structure in which a large number of cells 20a are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction with a porous cell wall 20c therebetween. The honeycomb structures 200 and 210 include aluminum titanate ceramics. An outer wall 20d that suppresses passage of fluid such as exhaust gas is formed on the outer peripheral portions of the honeycomb structures 200 and 210. As shown in FIG. 1B and FIG. 2B, on one end face (first end face) of the honeycomb structures 200 and 210, a cell 20a closed with a sealing portion 20b, an open cell 20a, Are alternately arranged in a grid pattern. The cell 20a closed at the first end face by the sealing portion 20b is open at the second end face opposite to the first end face. The cell 20a that is open at the first end face is closed by the sealing portion 20b at the second end face. Therefore, also on the second end face, the cells 20a closed by the sealing portions 20b and the opened cells 20a are alternately arranged in a lattice pattern. Note that the cell 20a in the vicinity of the outer wall 20d is distorted in cross-sectional shape and may not have a sufficient opening area. Such a cell 20a having an insufficient opening area is desirably closed by the sealing portion 20b on both the first end surface and the second end surface. When the fluid is supplied from the first end surface side to the honeycomb structures 200 and 210 having the above structure, the fluid flows into the cell 20a in which the sealing portion 20b is not formed on the first end surface side, and is porous. It passes through the cell wall 20c and moves into the cell 20a where the sealing portion 20b is not formed on the second end face side, and flows out from the second end face side.

  Although the outer shape of the honeycomb structures 200 and 210 is not particularly limited, for example, a cylindrical column, an elliptical column, a rectangular column (for example, a regular polygonal column such as a regular triangular column, a square column, a regular hexagonal column, a regular octagonal column, or the like, A triangular prism, a quadrangular prism, a hexagonal prism, an octagonal prism, etc.). The cross-sectional shape of each cell 20a is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a polygon such as a circle, an ellipse, a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a hexagon, and an octagon. Cells 20a may have different diameters or different cross-sectional shapes. In addition, the arrangement of the cells 20a viewed from the axial end faces of the honeycomb structures 200 and 210 is also a square arrangement in FIG. 1B, but is not limited to this, and the central axis of the cells 20a is a vertex of an equilateral triangle. An equilateral triangle arrangement, etc. arranged in

  The diameter of the cell 20a is not specifically limited, For example, when a cross section is a square, it can be 0.5-2.5 mm per side. The thickness of the cell wall 20c that separates the cells 20a can be set to, for example, 0.05 to 0.5 mm. Moreover, the thickness of the outer wall 20d formed in the outer peripheral part of the honeycomb structure 200 can be 0.5-1 mm, for example.

  Further, the length of the honeycomb structures 200 and 210 in the direction in which the cells 20a extend is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 30 to 500 mm. Moreover, the outer diameter of the honeycomb structures 200 and 210 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 30 to 500 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, information 30 related to the honeycomb structure 200 is printed on the surface of the honeycomb structure 200. The information 30 is printed with ink containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays.

  Examples of the component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays include fluorescent pigments, nocturnal paints, fluorescent dyes, phosphorescent pigments, and phosphorescent dyes. These are used singly or in combination of two or more.

  The ink containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays is preferably a heat-resistant ink having a heat-resistant temperature of 100 ° C. or higher.

  Examples of the printing method of the information 30 include an ink jet method and a stamp method.

  The printing position of the information 30 is not particularly limited as long as it is the surface of the honeycomb structure 200, but is usually a side surface as shown in FIG. The printing position in the side surface may be a position close to one of the end faces of the column body, or may be an intermediate position from both end faces. From the viewpoint of low thermal shock when used as a DPF, the printing position in the side surface of the information 30 is preferably a position close to the end face on the inlet side of the exhaust gas when used as a DPF. Further, for example, when the outer shape of the honeycomb structure 200 is a polygonal column, the printing position of the information 30 may be any side of the polygonal column, and may be a position near or far from the corner where each side is in contact.

  The information 30 is, for example, numbers, characters, symbols, figures, patterns, barcodes, two-dimensional codes, combinations thereof, and the like. Examples of the two-dimensional code include a stack type two-dimensional code such as PDF417, and a matrix type two-dimensional code such as DataMatrix, MaxiCode, and QR code (registered trademark). The number of the printed information 30 is not particularly limited, and the information 30 may be printed at one place on the surface of the honeycomb structure 200, or the information 30 may be printed at a plurality of places.

  The direction of the printed information 30 is not particularly limited. However, since the printed information 30 is easy to read and can be printed at the time of manufacture, as shown in FIG. It is preferable that printing is performed so that the longitudinal direction of the honeycomb structure 200 matches.

  Examples of the printed information 30 include various information related to the honeycomb structure 200. Specifically, the information 30 includes, for example, an orderer, a supplier, an order date, an order number, a product name, a size, a cell density, a manufacturing date, a raw material, a price, manufacturing conditions, a manufacturing line, a manufacturing apparatus, and a lot. Examples include manufacturing history such as numbers and manufacturing numbers, information on dimensional accuracy, information on mass, pressure loss, information necessary for maintaining quality such as expiration date, and the like. These pieces of information may be printed alone or in combination. In addition, it is preferable that only information that can identify each product, such as a production number, is printed as the information 30 so that various kinds of inspection information accumulated for the product can be confirmed from the identification information.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a coating film 40 is formed on the surface of the honeycomb structure 210. The coating film 40 is formed using a paint containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. The coating film 40 is formed for the purpose of protecting the surface of the honeycomb structure 210 and improving heat resistance.

  Examples of the component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays include fluorescent pigments, nocturnal paints, fluorescent dyes, phosphorescent pigments, and phosphorescent dyes. These are used singly or in combination of two or more.

  The coating film 40 containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays preferably has a heat resistant temperature of 100 ° C. or higher.

  The coating film 40 can be formed, for example, by applying a coating containing a component that emits light by irradiation of ultraviolet rays to the surface of the honeycomb structure 210 and drying it. Examples of the application method include a spray method.

  The coating film 40 may be formed on the entire surface of the honeycomb structure 210 or may be formed only on a part of the surface, but as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), the side surface Preferably, it is formed on the entire surface. Moreover, the thickness of the coating film 40 is not particularly limited, but is usually 10 to 100 μm, and preferably 30 to 60 μm.

  The preferred embodiment of the honeycomb structure of the present invention has been described above, but the honeycomb structure of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the honeycomb structures 200 and 210 in which the sealing portion 20b is formed have been described. However, the honeycomb structure of the present invention may not have the sealing portion 20b.

(Manufacturing method of honeycomb structure)
The above-described honeycomb structures 200 and 210 can be manufactured by the following method. That is, the honeycomb structure 200 has a step of printing information 30 on the honeycomb structure on the surface of the columnar honeycomb structure containing the aluminum titanate-based ceramics using an ink containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. It can be manufactured after that. Further, the honeycomb structure 210 can be manufactured through a process of forming the coating film 40 on the surface of the columnar honeycomb structure containing the aluminum titanate-based ceramics using a paint containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. it can.

  Moreover, the honeycomb structure before performing each of the above steps can be produced by firing a columnar green honeycomb formed body containing a ceramic raw material that forms an aluminum titanate-based ceramic by firing.

  The green honeycomb molded body is a columnar green honeycomb molded body having a structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction with a cell wall therebetween. In this green honeycomb molded body, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a large number of cells 10a each having a through hole extending from one end surface to the other end surface are formed in a honeycomb shape with a cell wall 10c therebetween. This is a column having a different structure. An outer wall 10 d is formed on the outer periphery of the green honeycomb molded body 100.

  The green honeycomb molded body 100 is a green body (unfired body) that becomes an aluminum titanate ceramic by firing later, and is particularly preferably a green body that becomes a porous aluminum titanate ceramic. Specifically, the green honeycomb molded body 100 includes a ceramic raw material that forms an aluminum titanate ceramic by firing. In addition, the aluminum titanate-based ceramics can further contain magnesium and / or silicon.

  The green honeycomb molded body 100 preferably includes an inorganic compound source powder that is a ceramic raw material, an organic binder such as methylcellulose, and an additive that is added as necessary.

  The inorganic compound source powder, which is a ceramic raw material, includes an aluminum source powder such as α-alumina powder, a titanium source powder such as anatase type or rutile type titania powder, and / or an aluminum titanate powder. Furthermore, magnesium source powders such as magnesia powder and magnesia spinel powder and / or silicon source powders such as silicon oxide powder and glass frit can be included.

  Examples of the organic binder include celluloses such as methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxyalkylmethylcellulose, and sodium carboxymethylcellulose; alcohols such as polyvinyl alcohol; and lignin sulfonate. The amount of the organic binder is preferably 20 parts by mass or less, more preferably 15 parts by mass or less, and further preferably 6 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the inorganic compound source powder. Moreover, it is preferable that the minimum amount of an organic binder is 0.1 mass part, More preferably, it is 3 mass parts.

  Examples of the additive include a pore-forming agent, a lubricant and a plasticizer, a dispersant, and a solvent.

  Examples of the pore-forming agent include carbon materials such as graphite; resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polymethyl methacrylate; plant materials such as starch, nut shells, walnut shells, and corn; ice; and dry ice. It is preferable that the addition amount of a pore making material is 0-40 mass parts with respect to 100 mass parts of an inorganic compound source powder, More preferably, it is 0-25 mass parts.

  Lubricants and plasticizers include alcohols such as glycerin; higher fatty acids such as caprylic acid, lauric acid, palmitic acid, arachidic acid, oleic acid and stearic acid; stearic acid metal salts such as Al stearate, polyoxyalkylene alkyl Examples include ether. The addition amount of the lubricant and the plasticizer is preferably 0 to 10 parts by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 5 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the inorganic compound source powder.

  Examples of the dispersant include inorganic acids such as nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid; organic acids such as oxalic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, malic acid and lactic acid; alcohols such as methanol, ethanol and propanol; ammonium polycarboxylate Surfactant etc. are mentioned. It is preferable that the addition amount of a dispersing agent is 0-20 mass parts with respect to 100 mass parts of an inorganic compound source powder, More preferably, it is 2-8 mass parts.

  As the solvent, for example, alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, butanol and propanol; glycols such as propylene glycol, polypropylene glycol and ethylene glycol; and water can be used. Of these, water is preferable, and ion-exchanged water is more preferably used from the viewpoint of few impurities. It is preferable that the usage-amount of a solvent is 10 mass parts-100 mass parts with respect to 100 mass parts of an inorganic compound source powder, More preferably, they are 20 mass parts-80 mass parts. Moreover, although the mass of the solvent with respect to the mass of the whole molded object is not specifically limited, if it is an undried product after shaping | molding, it is about 10-30 mass% normally. Moreover, if it is after drying by a microwave etc., it is about 0.1-5 mass% normally.

  Such a green honeycomb molded object 100 can be manufactured as follows, for example. First, an inorganic compound source powder, an organic binder, a solvent, and an additive added as necessary are prepared. Then, these are mixed by a kneader or the like to obtain a raw material mixture, and the obtained raw material mixture is extruded from an extruder having an outlet opening corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the green honeycomb molded body, cut to a desired length, and necessary By drying accordingly, the green honeycomb molded body 100 can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, a process of sealing the through hole is performed on the obtained green honeycomb molded body 100. 4A and 4B are schematic views showing the green honeycomb molded body 110 after sealing. As shown in FIG. 4B, some of the plurality of through holes are closed with a sealing material 10 b on the first end surface of the green honeycomb molded body 110. On the first end surface, the through holes closed with the sealing material 10b and the open through holes are alternately arranged in a lattice shape. The through hole closed by the sealing material 10b on the first end surface is open on the second end surface opposite to the first end surface. The through hole opened on the first end surface is closed with the sealing material 10b on the second end surface. Therefore, also on the second end surface, the through holes closed by the sealing material 10b and the open through holes are alternately arranged in a lattice shape. In the green honeycomb molded body 110, a large number of cells 10a are formed by through holes that are closed by the sealing material 10b on either the first end face or the second end face. Note that the through-hole in the vicinity of the outer wall 10d may be distorted in cross-sectional shape and may not have a sufficient opening area. Such a through-hole having an insufficient opening area is preferably closed by the sealing material 10b on both the first end surface and the second end surface.

  The material of the sealing material 10b is not particularly limited as long as it can suppress passage of fluid such as exhaust gas at a desired place after firing. As the sealing material 10b, normally, the same material as the material constituting the cell wall 10c and the outer wall 10d of the green honeycomb molded body can be used, but a different material can also be used. Moreover, it is preferable that the sealing material 10b contains the powder of an aluminum titanate ceramic. As the ceramic powder, ceramic powder obtained by pulverizing ceramic scraps or damaged honeycomb structure obtained in the manufacturing process of the honeycomb structure may be reused. The sealing material 10b may or may not include a ceramic raw material that forms the aluminum titanate-based ceramic by firing as described above. In addition to the above, the sealing material 10b may contain an organic binder, a pore former, a solvent, and the like. From the viewpoint of suppressing the passage of fluid, the sealing material 10b preferably does not contain or contain a pore-forming agent.

  Next, the green honeycomb molded body 110 is fired. The firing is performed by calcining (degreasing) the green honeycomb molded body 110 and then firing. A honeycomb structure is obtained through firing. The sealing material 10b is integrated with the cell wall 20c and the outer wall 20d through firing to form a sealing portion 20b that suppresses the passage of fluid. In the honeycomb structure, the shape of the green honeycomb molded body 110 before firing is substantially maintained.

  The calcination (degreasing) is a process for removing the organic binder in the green honeycomb molded body 110 and the organic additive blended as necessary by burning or decomposing. A typical calcining process corresponds to an initial stage of the firing process, that is, a temperature raising stage (for example, a temperature range of 300 to 900 ° C.) until the green honeycomb molded body 110 reaches the firing temperature. In the calcination (degreasing) step, it is preferable to suppress the temperature increase rate as much as possible.

  The firing temperature of the green honeycomb molded body 110 is usually 1300 ° C. or higher, preferably 1400 ° C. or higher. The firing temperature is usually 1650 ° C. or lower, preferably 1550 ° C. or lower. By heating the green honeycomb molded body 110 in this temperature range, the inorganic compound powder and the ceramic powder in the green honeycomb molded body 110 are surely sintered. The rate of temperature increase up to the firing temperature is not particularly limited, but is usually 1 ° C./hour to 500 ° C./hour.

  Firing is usually performed in the atmosphere, but depending on the raw material powder used, that is, the aluminum source powder, the titanium source powder, and the types and usage ratios of the magnesium source powder and the silicon source powder added as necessary, nitrogen is used. It may be fired in an inert gas such as gas or argon gas, or may be fired in a reducing gas such as carbon monoxide gas or hydrogen gas. Further, the firing may be performed in an atmosphere in which the water vapor partial pressure is lowered.

  Firing is usually performed using a conventional firing furnace such as a tubular electric furnace, a box-type electric furnace, a tunnel furnace, a far-infrared furnace, a microwave heating furnace, a shaft furnace, a reflection furnace, a rotary furnace, or a roller hearth furnace. Firing may be performed batchwise or continuously. Moreover, you may carry out by a stationary type and may carry out by a fluid type.

  The time required for firing may be sufficient time for the green honeycomb molded body 110 to transition to the aluminum titanate-based crystal, and depends on the amount of the green honeycomb molded body 110, the type of firing furnace, the firing temperature, the firing atmosphere, and the like. Usually, it is 10 minutes to 24 hours.

  Note that the green honeycomb formed body 110 may be calcined and fired individually or continuously. In the calcining step, the green honeycomb molded body 110 may be heated at a temperature equal to or higher than the thermal decomposition temperature of the organic binder and other organic additives and lower than the sintering temperature of the inorganic compound powder. In the firing step, the green honeycomb molded body 110 after the calcining step may be heated at a temperature equal to or higher than the sintering temperature of the inorganic compound powder.

  In the present embodiment, the information 30 is printed or the coating film 40 is formed on the honeycomb structure manufactured by the above method. When the information 30 is printed, the information 30 relating to the honeycomb structure is printed on the surface of the honeycomb structure using an ink containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Thereby, the honeycomb structure 200 on which the information 30 is printed can be obtained. When the coating film 40 is formed, the coating film 40 is formed on the surface of the honeycomb structure using a paint containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Thereby, the honeycomb structure 210 in which the coating film 40 is formed can be obtained. Here, the ink and the printing method, and the coating material and the coating film forming method are as described above.

  The preferred embodiment of the method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the green honeycomb formed body before firing is sealed has been described, but the sealing may be performed after firing. However, it is preferable to perform sealing before firing, because the subsequent firing is only required once.

  The use of the honeycomb structure is not limited to DPF. The honeycomb structure includes an exhaust gas filter or catalyst carrier used for exhaust gas purification of an internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine, a filter used for filtering food and drink such as beer, and gas components (for example, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, etc.) generated during petroleum refining. , Nitrogen, oxygen, etc.) can be suitably applied to ceramic filters such as a selective permeation filter. In particular, when used as a ceramic filter or the like, aluminum titanate-based ceramics have a high pore volume and an open porosity, so that good filter performance can be maintained over a long period of time.

  The honeycomb structure 200 on which the information 30 is printed facilitates lot management for each product based on the information 30. Moreover, based on the printed information 30, the inspection information for each product in each manufacturing process can be managed by linking with the product.

(How to read information)
The information reading method of the present embodiment is a method of reading the information 30 printed on the honeycomb structure 200 described above by irradiating ultraviolet rays. More specifically, the printed information 30 is emitted by irradiating the surface of the honeycomb structure 200 with ultraviolet rays using an ultraviolet light source that generates ultraviolet rays, and the emitted information 30 is read by an image sensor or the like.

  The honeycomb structure 200 includes aluminum titanate-based ceramics, so that ultraviolet reflection is small. This is because aluminum titanate-based ceramics easily absorb ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the honeycomb structure 200 looks dark in the state irradiated with ultraviolet rays. On the other hand, the information 30 is printed with ink containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and thus appears bright when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Therefore, in the state irradiated with ultraviolet rays, particularly in the state where only ultraviolet rays are irradiated, the contrast between the information 30 and the honeycomb structure 200 which is the underlying layer becomes very large, and the readability of the information 30 is greatly improved. Therefore, according to the information reading method of the present embodiment, the reading accuracy of the information 30 can be greatly improved.

  Here, the wavelength of the ultraviolet rays to be irradiated is preferably 100 to 450 nm, and more preferably 350 to 400 nm. By irradiating the ultraviolet rays having the above wavelength, the light reflection of the honeycomb structure 200 which is the base can be sufficiently suppressed, and the reading accuracy of the information 30 can be further improved.

  As the ultraviolet light source, an LED, a UV fluorescent lamp, or the like can be used.

  The light irradiated when reading the information 30 may include visible light in addition to ultraviolet rays, but from the viewpoint of further improving the reading accuracy of the information 30, it is preferable that only the ultraviolet rays be used. Further, the irradiation with ultraviolet rays may be performed on at least a portion of the honeycomb structure 200 where the information 30 is printed.

  Reading of the information 30 is preferably performed by an image sensor, but may be performed visually.

  The preferred embodiment of the information reading method of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this.

(Inspection method)
The inspection method of this embodiment is a method of inspecting the presence or absence of defects in the coating film 40 formed on the honeycomb structure 210 by irradiating ultraviolet rays. More specifically, the coating film 40 of the honeycomb structure 210 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays using an ultraviolet light source that generates ultraviolet rays to cause the coating film 40 to emit light, and the presence or absence of defects in the coating film 40 is determined by an image sensor or the like. Inspect by.

  The honeycomb structure 210 includes aluminum titanate-based ceramics, so that ultraviolet reflection is small. This is because aluminum titanate-based ceramics easily absorb ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the honeycomb structure 210 looks dark in the state irradiated with ultraviolet rays. On the other hand, since the coating film 40 is formed using a paint containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays, it looks bright when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the contrast between the coating film 40 and the honeycomb structure 210, which is the underlying layer, becomes very large in a state in which ultraviolet rays are irradiated, particularly in a state in which only ultraviolet rays are irradiated. Thereby, when the thickness of the coating film 40 is extremely thin due to coating unevenness of the coating or the like, or when a hole is opened in the coating film 40, the defective part looks darker than the normal part, Discovery is easy. Therefore, according to the inspection method of the present embodiment, it is possible to accurately inspect for the presence or absence of defects in the coating film 40.

  Here, the wavelength of the ultraviolet rays to be irradiated is preferably 100 to 450 nm, and more preferably 350 to 400 nm. By irradiating the ultraviolet rays having the above wavelength, light reflection on the surface of the honeycomb structure 210 as a base can be sufficiently suppressed, and the presence or absence of defects in the coating film 40 can be inspected with higher accuracy.

  As the ultraviolet light source, an LED, a UV fluorescent lamp, or the like can be used.

  The light irradiated when inspecting whether there is a defect in the coating film 40 may contain visible light or the like in addition to ultraviolet rays, but from the viewpoint of further improving the accuracy of the inspection, it is preferable to use only ultraviolet rays. Further, the ultraviolet irradiation is performed on the portion of the honeycomb structure 210 where the coating film 40 is formed, but it is not necessary to irradiate the entire surface with the ultraviolet rays simultaneously. That is, it is not necessary to inspect the entire coating film 40 at the same time, and the inspection may be performed for each predetermined region.

  The inspection for the presence or absence of defects in the coating film 40 is preferably performed by an image sensor, but may be performed visually.

  The preferred embodiment of the inspection method of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this.

10a, 20a ... cell, 10b ... sealing material, 20b ... sealing part, 10c, 20c ... cell wall, 10d, 20d ... outer wall, 30 ... information, 40 ... coating film, 100, 110 ... green honeycomb molded body, 200, 210 ... honeycomb structure.

Claims (6)

  A honeycomb structure having a structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction across a cell wall, and includes an aluminum titanate-based ceramics, and an ink containing a component that emits light by irradiation with ultraviolet rays on the surface thereof A honeycomb structure on which information on the honeycomb structure is printed.   A honeycomb structure having a structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction across a cell wall, and is a honeycomb structure including an aluminum titanate-based ceramic, and a coating film including a component that emits light upon irradiation with ultraviolet rays A honeycomb structure in which is formed.   A component that has a structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction across the cell wall, and emits information on the honeycomb structure on the surface of the honeycomb structure containing aluminum titanate ceramics by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure, the method including a step of printing using an ink containing.   Using a paint containing a component that has a structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction across the cell wall and contains a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays on the surface of a honeycomb structure containing aluminum titanate ceramics A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure, comprising the step of forming   Printed with ink containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays on the surface of a honeycomb structure containing aluminum titanate-based ceramics with a structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction across the cell wall An information reading method for reading information on the honeycomb structure by irradiating ultraviolet rays. The cell has a structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction across the cell wall, and the surface of the honeycomb structure including the aluminum titanate ceramic is formed using a paint containing a component that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. An inspection method in which the presence or absence of defects in the coating film is inspected by irradiating ultraviolet rays.

Images