JP2017136533A - Cleaning apparatus and cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning apparatus capable of cleaning stains adhering to a treatment object over a wide range.SOLUTION: A cleaning apparatus 1 comprises a transportation conveyor 35, a treatment tank 31, an injector 23, and a cooling tube 34. A treatment object 4 is transported into the treatment tank 31 by the transportation conveyor 35. The injector 23 ejects liquid carbonates by atomization toward the treatment object 4 transported in the treatment tank 31. The cooling tube 34 cools a cold insulation air layer B1 in the treatment tank 31 where the carbonates ejected by the injector 23 collides with the treatment object 4, to a temperature lower than a coagulation point of the carbonates. Thus, the carbonates ejected in a state of being atomized from the injector 23 is cooled and coagulated in the cold insulation air layer B1, and a part or the whole of the cooled and coagulated carbonates collides with the treatment object 4 in a solid state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the manufacturing process of electronic parts, machined parts, etc., in order to ensure the quality and product performance of subsequent processes, cleaning for removing dirt attached to these parts has been performed. Methods for cleaning these parts as objects to be treated include a method for immersing the object in a chlorine-based solvent or a hydrocarbon-based solvent that dissolves fats or oils, or an alkali, acid, or surfactant. There are a cleaning method in which an object to be processed is immersed in a water-soluble cleaning liquid, or a cleaning method in which the water-soluble cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the object to be processed.

  In general, cleaning methods are roughly classified into dry cleaning and wet cleaning. Cleaning methods using a cleaning liquid can be classified as wet cleaning. However, wet cleaning consists of a “cleaning process” that removes dirt with a cleaning liquid, a “rinsing process” that removes the cleaning liquid with a rinsing liquid, and a “liquid draining and drying process” that removes the rinsing liquid. Since the number of processes increases, it can be said that it is not rational.

Further, the cleaning method can be classified into “chemical cleaning” and “physical cleaning” in addition to the above-mentioned classifications such as “dry cleaning” and “wet cleaning”. In the case of cleaning an object to be processed such as the parts described above, there are many cases where a chemical action and a physical action are combined in terms of cleaning efficiency. For example, a cleaning method may be employed in which the cleaning efficiency is increased by immersing in a cleaning solution to chemically dissolve fats and oils and further adding a physical action of ultrasonic waves.
On the other hand, a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method for removing dirt only by a physical action have been put into practical use. For example, it is possible to remove attached dirt such as fats and oils simply by spraying high-pressure water or high-pressure steam onto the workpiece. However, on the other hand, the cleaning apparatus and the cleaning method consume a large amount of energy used for cleaning, and the equipment becomes large.

As a compact method for reducing the amount of energy used for cleaning and removing dirt firmly adhered to the object to be processed, there is a blast cleaning in which the medium collides with the object to be processed. Typical examples of blast cleaning include solid materials such as alumina and glass, or powders such as baking soda, which are used as media. The removal effect is also high. Various media materials and forms have been used, and a cleaning method using thin piece media has been devised (see Patent Document 1).
On the other hand, a cleaning method for spraying dry ice, frozen particles, and the like has been devised (see Patent Document 2).

  In recent years, a cleaning method for injecting a supercooled liquid has been devised. This cleaning method removes and removes dirt adhering to the object to be cleaned by injecting the supercooled liquid with the cleaning liquid at a temperature lower than its freezing point from the injection nozzle to the object to be cleaned under atmospheric pressure. It is. The cleaning liquid in the supercooled state collides with the object to be cleaned, so that the supercooled state is released and solidifies (freezes). At that time, dirt is removed by rubbing the surface of the object to be cleaned by a volume expansion action when the phase changes from liquid to solid (see Patent Document 3).

In addition, it is also disclosed that a medium containing frozen fine particles and supercooled liquid droplets is ejected from an ejection nozzle to be effective for removing fine burrs (see Patent Document 4).
The present inventor has also devised a cleaning method using supercooled droplets that exhibit oleophobicity to fats and oils and a gas-liquid two-phase medium (see Patent Document 5).

JP 2007-29945 A JP-A-6-132273 Japanese Patent No. 3323304 JP 2008-264926 A JP 2013-253272 A

  However, media cleaning using a solid or powder as described in Patent Document 1 is classified as dry cleaning and can realize a rational cleaning process. However, since the media has high hardness, There are problems such as damage or aging due to media wear. In addition, because the cleaning method is “dry”, the oil adheres to the media to which the processing oil or other liquid oils adhere, and the fluidity of the media is obstructed. There are problems such as remaining on the object to be processed. Furthermore, in order to prevent a reduction in dirt removal effect due to the media remaining on the object to be processed, it is necessary to enhance post-processing for removing the remaining media. Therefore, it is difficult to apply the media cleaning described in Patent Document 1 to an object to be treated to which liquid oils are attached.

  In addition, media cleaning using dry ice or frozen particles as described in Patent Document 2 can solve the problems of damage to the object to be processed and residual media, but the cost of the media is high, and the media Therefore, the energy consumption for storing the solid in a solid state becomes large. Therefore, the media cleaning described in Patent Document 2 has a problem that the running cost becomes high.

  Further, the cleaning methods described in Patent Documents 3, 4 and 5 are effective for removing local dirt because the processing region is narrow for injecting the supercooled liquid, but the cleaning object is not cleaned. It is difficult to remove a large area of dirt. In order to process a wide area of an object to be cleaned by this cleaning method, problems remain such as installing a large number of injection nozzles or adding incidental equipment for scanning the injection nozzles. However, if it does in that way, while the physique of a washing | cleaning apparatus will enlarge, we are anxious about the manufacturing cost and running cost of a washing | cleaning apparatus increasing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and in blasting (media) cleaning, it is possible to enhance the cleaning capability and to clean a wide range of dirt such as fats and oils or foreign matters adhering to the object to be processed. An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device and a cleaning method.

  The cleaning device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a transport unit, a processing tank, a jetting unit, and a cooling unit. A conveyance part conveys a to-be-processed object. The processing object conveyed by the conveyance unit passes through the treatment tank. The spraying means sprays the liquid cleaning medium atomized toward the object to be processed passing through the processing tank. The cooling means cools the space in the processing tank where the cleaning medium sprayed by the spraying means collides with the workpiece to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the cleaning medium.

  As a result, the cleaning medium sprayed in the atomized state from the spraying means is cooled and solidified by the cooling means to a temperature lower than the freezing point, and a part or all of it becomes a solid and collides with the object to be processed. For this reason, the hardness of the cleaning medium when colliding with the object to be processed is increased, so that the dirt adhering to the object to be processed can be sufficiently removed. Furthermore, since the spraying means sprays the cleaning medium in the atomized state, the cleaning medium can be sprayed over a wide range on the object to be processed. Therefore, the cleaning apparatus can increase the cleaning capability and can clean the object to be processed in a wide range. As a result, the cleaning apparatus can clean the object to be processed in a wide range without providing an auxiliary device for moving the ejection means, and thus the equipment can be downsized.

The second invention is an invention of a cleaning method. This cleaning method includes a transport process, a cooling process, and a jet cleaning process. In the transfer process, the object to be processed is transferred into the processing tank. In the cooling step, the space in the processing tank where the cleaning medium sprayed by the spraying unit collides with the object to be processed is cooled to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the cleaning medium by the cooling unit. In the spray cleaning process, the liquid cleaning medium is atomized and sprayed by the spraying unit toward the processing object passing through the processing tank, and the cleaning medium changed into a solid in the space in the processing tank is made to collide with the processing object. In this way, the workpiece is cleaned.
This cleaning method can achieve the same effects as the first invention described above.

It is typical sectional drawing of the washing | cleaning apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the II-II line of FIG. It is a flowchart of the washing | cleaning method by 1st Embodiment. It is typical sectional drawing of the washing | cleaning apparatus by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is typical sectional drawing of the washing | cleaning apparatus by 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, in a plurality of embodiments, substantially the same configuration is denoted by the same reference numeral, and description thereof is omitted. Moreover, in each figure, when the same structure is described in multiple places, a code | symbol shall be attached | subjected only to the one part.

<First Embodiment>
A first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. The cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment uses, as a cleaning medium, cyclic carbonates (hereinafter simply referred to as “carbonates”) having a melting point (freezing point) of 30 ° C. to 60 ° C. among carbonates. Carbonates refer to propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, butylene carbonate or the like used as an organic electrolyte.

  In the present embodiment, ethylene carbonate (freezing point: about 35 ° C., boiling point: about 240 ° C., specific gravity: about 1.3) will be described as an example of the cleaning medium. Ethylene carbonate is a colorless crystalline substance having a high boiling point (low vapor pressure) and a large polarity at normal temperature, and is mixed with water and many organic solvents. Although it has a flash point and a fire point, it is not a dangerous material under the Fire Service Act, and it has the characteristics of being an organic material that is low in toxicity and low in cost to the human body.

(Configuration of the cleaning device 1)
The cleaning device 1 of the present embodiment includes a cleaning medium generation unit 2 and a cleaning unit 3.
First, the cleaning medium generation unit 2 will be described. The cleaning medium generation unit 2 includes a carbonate replenishing tank 20, a heat retaining pipe 21, a high-pressure pump 22, an injector 23 as an injection unit, and the like.

  The carbonate replenishing tank 20 is supplied with the carbonates 24 as the above-described cleaning medium and stores it. The form of the carbonates 24 when supplied to the carbonate replenishing tank 20 may be any of a liquid product, a solid product, and a flake product, and is not limited. The carbonate replenishing tank 20 is provided with a heater 25 as a heating means for heating the carbonates 24. The heater 25 heats the carbonates 24 to a temperature higher than the freezing point so that the carbonates are in a liquid state.

A heat retaining pipe 21 is connected to the carbonate replenishing tank 20. The heat insulation pipe 21 has a function of heating or keeping the liquid carbonates in a liquid state, that is, above the freezing point.
A high pressure pump 22 is installed in the middle of the heat insulation pipe 21. The high-pressure pump 22 is a pump capable of transferring a high-viscosity liquid, and can pressurize a carbonate in a liquid state to a high pressure of about 20 MPa, for example.

  An injector 23 is attached to the end of the heat insulation pipe 21. The injector 23 is installed in the processing tank 31 that constitutes the cleaning unit 3. For the injector 23, for example, an electronically controlled fuel injection device used in an internal combustion engine or the like can be applied. The injector 23 injects liquid carbonates pressurized by the high-pressure pump 22 from the injection hole having a small inner diameter. Thereby, carbonates are injected toward the to-be-processed object 4 in the state atomized from the injection hole of the injector 23.

The injection means for pressurizing and injecting carbonates is not limited to the high-pressure pump 22 and the injector 23. For example, a piston type injector may be used as the injection means.
Alternatively, as a jetting unit, a gas-liquid two-phase medium composed of a compressed gas and a carbonate liquid may be sprayed by atomizing carbonates with an external mixing type or internal mixing type two-fluid nozzle. In that case, it is preferable that the temperature of the compressed gas is adjusted to a temperature higher than the freezing point of the carbonates, desirably 5 ° C to 10 ° C plus the freezing point. By setting the solidification point to + 5 ° C. or higher, it is possible to prevent carbonates from being solidified near the injection hole of the injector 23 and causing the injection hole to be clogged. By setting the freezing point to 10 ° C. or lower, the cooling energy for solidifying the carbonates injected from the injector 23 can be reduced.

Next, the cleaning unit 3 will be described. The cleaning unit 3 includes a processing tank 31, a partition wall 32, a rinsing liquid heater 33, a cooling pipe 34, a transport conveyor 35, and the like.
The processing tank 31 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and the upper part is opened. Inside the processing tank 31, a partition wall 32 that partitions the space in the processing tank 31 is provided. Of the space in the processing tank 31 divided into two by the partition wall 32, the space on the side where the injector 23 is installed is referred to as a first space α, and carbonates injected from the injector 23 are separately provided. The blocked space is referred to as a second space β.

A rinsing liquid 36 for rinsing carbonates adhering to the object to be processed 4 is supplied (stored) to the heating and boiling tank 311 provided at the bottom of the processing tank 31. In addition, the process tank 31 and the heating boiling tank 311 are integrally formed continuously. As the rinsing liquid 36, water having extremely high compatibility with carbonates is used. A rinsing liquid heater 33 is provided in the heating boiling tank 311. The rinsing liquid heater 33 heats the rinsing liquid 36 to 50 ° C. or higher, desirably the atmospheric pressure boiling point (100 ° C.) or higher, so that water vapor is generated. Thereby, water vapor fills the space in the processing tank 31.
The heating boiling tank 311 is provided with a drain pipe 37 and a drain cock 38 for replacing the rinse liquid 36. When the drain cock 38 is opened, the rinse liquid 36 is discharged from the heating boiling tank 311 through the drain pipe 37.
The heating boiling tank 311 and the rinsing liquid heater 33 described above correspond to an example of rinsing means.

  In the processing tank 31, a cooling pipe 34 as a cooling means is installed above the heating boiling tank 311. The cooling pipe 34 is provided so as to circulate in the processing tank 31, and cools the first space α and the second space β in the processing tank 31 to a temperature lower than the freezing point of carbonates. Desirably, the cooling pipe 34 cools the first space α in the treatment tank 31 to a temperature 40 ° C. lower than the freezing point of the carbonates. The cooling pipe 34 cools the second space β in the processing tank 31 to a temperature lower than the boiling point of the rinsing liquid. As a result, when the rinse liquid 36 stored in the heated boiling tank 311 is in a boiling state, the cold air layers B1 and B2 cooled by the cooling pipe 34 from the upper side in the treatment tank 31 and the saturation of the rinse liquid The vapor layer C and the boiling liquid layer D of the rinse liquid are formed. The injector 23 described above is disposed in the cold air layer B1 of the first space α, and forms a carbonate injection region A in the cold air layer B1. 1 and 2, the broken line E indicates the upper limit of the cold air layers B1 and B2, and the broken line F indicates the upper limit of the saturated vapor layer C.

  A transport conveyor 35 as a transport unit is provided with a plurality of jigs for fixing the workpiece 4 to a belt or the like, for example. As indicated by arrows G, H, I, J, K, and L in FIG. 1, the transport conveyor 35 transports a plurality of objects to be processed 4 into the processing tank 31. The conveyer 35 conveys the workpiece 4 continuously, or conveys it by a pitch that stops after moving a certain distance. The conveyance conveyor 35 conveys the saturated vapor layer C of the rinsing liquid after passing the workpiece 4 from the opening of the treatment tank 31 through the cold insulation air layer B1 and the carbonate injection region A in the first space α. While passing through the lower side of the partition wall 32 and subsequently passing through the cold air layer B <b> 2 of the second space β, it is carried out of the processing tank 31 through the opening.

  The injector 23 atomizes and injects liquid carbonates onto the workpiece 4 passing through the carbonate injection region A. The carbonates are cooled in the cold air layer B1 and solidified, and part or all of them become solids and collide with the workpiece 4. Further, carbonates that have passed around the object to be processed 4 without colliding with the object to be processed 4 are captured by the partition wall 32. Here, heating means 39 is provided inside the partition wall 32. The heating means 39 heats or keeps the partition wall 32 at a temperature higher than the freezing point of carbonates and lower than the boiling point. Therefore, the carbonates that collide with the partition wall 32 are melted to become a liquid, flow down through the partition wall 32, and are collected in the heating boiling tank 311.

  A guide plate 40 is provided below the partition wall 32. The guide plate 40 has a roof shape, and the lower end extends to the outside of the workpiece 4. Therefore, the guide plate 40 can guide the liquid carbonates transmitted through the partition wall 32 to a position excluding the workpiece 4 that passes under the partition wall 32. Therefore, it is possible to prevent liquid carbonates from falling on the workpiece 4 passing under the partition wall 32.

(Cleaning method with cleaning equipment)
Next, a cleaning method for removing dirt on the workpiece 4 by the cleaning apparatus 1 will be described.
As an object to be processed 4 to be cleaned by the cleaning apparatus 1, a machined part that is a component of an automobile part will be described as an example. In general, the processing object 4 has processing oil (oils and fats) by cutting, grinding, press forming, or the like, and fine foreign matter such as cutting scraps or grinding scraps attached thereto. The cleaning method of the present embodiment is intended to remove dirt such as fats and oils and foreign matters. Oils and fats are not limited to processed oils, and greases, waxes, fluxes, liquid crystals, and the like are assumed.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the cleaning method of the present embodiment.
In FIG. 3 and the following description, each step is denoted as S.
This cleaning method includes a conveying step (S1), a cooling step (S2), a jet cleaning step (S3), a rinsing step (S4), a drying step (S5), and the like. In addition, these processes are performed simultaneously or continuously with respect to the some to-be-processed object 4 conveyed in the processing tank 31. FIG.
First, in the transfer step (S1), the workpiece 4 is carried into the processing tank 31 by the transfer conveyor 35. The transport conveyor 35 passes the workpiece 4 through the ejection area A of the first space α at a constant speed, or stops the workpiece 4 in the ejection area A for a certain time.

Next, in the cooling step (S2), the inside of the treatment tank 31 is cooled to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the carbonates by the cooling pipe 34 to form the cold air layer B1. Note that the cooling in the cooling step (S2) may be performed in advance before the transfer step (S1) is started.
Subsequently, in the injection cleaning step (S3), pressurized carbonates of liquid are atomized and injected from the injection hole of the injector 23 toward the object 4 to be processed. Then, the carbonate fine droplets ejected from the injector 23 are immediately cooled by the cold-reserved air layer B1, and change in phase from a liquid to a solid. Then, the particulate solid of carbonate continuously collides with the object 4 to be treated, and the dirt attached to the object 4 is wiped away by the physical action of the jet flow. Thereby, the dirt adhering to the to-be-processed object 4 is wiped away by the injection area | region A.

  Next, in the rinsing step (S4), the transport conveyor 35 transports the workpiece 4 in that state to the saturated vapor layer C. In the above-described spray cleaning step (S3), carbonates remain attached to the workpiece 4 that has passed through the cold air layer B1 in the first space α. Moreover, the to-be-processed object 4 is cooled by the temperature lower than the boiling point of a rinse liquid, when passing cold-reserved air layer B1. Therefore, when the object to be processed 4 passes through the saturated vapor layer C, a liquid rinse liquid obtained by condensing the vapor of the rinsing liquid adheres to the surface of the object to be processed 4, and the rinsing liquid is used in the jet cleaning step (S 3). The carbonates remaining on the workpiece 4 are removed. The rinse liquid containing carbonates on the surface of the workpiece 4 falls from the workpiece 4 and is collected in the boiling liquid layer D.

Subsequently, in the drying step (S5), the transport conveyor 35 transports the workpiece 4 to the cold air layer B2 in the second space β. In the cold air layer B2 in the second space β, the rinse liquid adhering to the workpiece 4 is dried and dried.
The to-be-processed object 4 which passed the drying process (S5) has completed the washing process, and is carried out from the washing | cleaning apparatus 1 by the conveyance conveyor 35. In addition, when drying is inadequate, you may perform the post-process which vaporizes and removes water, such as warm air drying and blower drying, outside the washing | cleaning apparatus 1. FIG.

(How to update the rinse solution)
Next, the update method of the rinse liquid 36 of the heating boiling tank 311 is demonstrated.
If the above-described cleaning method is continuously performed, the amount of carbonates and removed processing oil mixed into the rinse liquid 36 stored in the heated boiling tank 311 increases, and the boiling point of the rinse liquid 36 increases. . Therefore, since the generation rate of water vapor | steam falls and the space of the saturated vapor layer C becomes small, the time and distance for the to-be-processed object 4 to pass through the saturated vapor layer C become short. Therefore, it becomes difficult to sufficiently rinse the carbonates adhering to the object 4 to be processed, and there is a possibility that the quality is deteriorated.

  Therefore, at the stage where the concentrations of carbonates and processing oil contained in the rinsing liquid 36 have become control values specified from the cleaning quality, or at the stage where the boiling point of the rinsing liquid 36 has become a control value specified from the cleaning quality. It is preferable to update the rinse liquid 36. The rinsing liquid 36 is updated by opening the drain cock 38 provided in the drain pipe 37 connected to the heating boiling tank 311 with the temperature of the rinsing liquid 36 in the heating boiling tank 311 being higher than the freezing point of the carbonates. Then, the rinse liquid 36 is discharged from the heating boiling tank 311 to the outside. Thereafter, a new rinse liquid 36 is supplied to the heating boiling tank 311.

(Function and effect)
The cleaning device 1 according to the first embodiment has the following operational effects.
(1) In the first embodiment, the carbonates injected in the atomized state from the injector 23 are cooled and cooled at a temperature lower than the freezing point in the cold air layer B1 cooled by the cooling pipe 34, Part or all of it becomes a solid and collides with the workpiece 4. Therefore, the hardness of the carbonates when colliding with the object to be processed 4 is increased, so that the dirt attached to the object to be processed 4 can be sufficiently removed. Furthermore, since the injector 23 injects the carbonates in a state of being atomized, it is possible to inject the carbonates over a wide range onto the workpiece 4. Therefore, the cleaning apparatus 1 can increase the cleaning capability and clean the workpiece 4 in a wide range. As a result, the cleaning apparatus 1 can clean the object to be processed 4 in a wide range without providing an auxiliary device for moving the injector 23, so that the equipment can be downsized and its manufacturing cost can be reduced. Can do.

(2) In the first embodiment, the injector 23 injects carbonates having a melting point of 30 ° C. to 60 ° C. toward the workpiece 4.
Even when the carbonates are in a solid state, the hardness thereof is lower than that of sand or metal, so that damage to the workpiece 4 can be reduced.
Moreover, since carbonates have oleophobic properties, it is possible to reliably remove liquid oils and fats such as processing oil attached to the workpiece 4. Therefore, the cleaning apparatus 1 can be applied to the workpiece 4 to which liquid oils such as processing oil, which has been a problem of media cleaning, are attached.

Furthermore, since carbonates are less expensive than dry ice or the like, the running cost can be reduced.
In addition, since carbonates have hydrophilicity, media residues can be easily removed with water, and running costs can be reduced.
Furthermore, by using carbonates having a melting point of 30 ° C. to 60 ° C., since the melting point is close to the atmospheric temperature, it is possible to reduce the amount of cooling energy consumed by the cooling pipe 34.

(3) In 1st Embodiment, the rinse liquid heater 33 fills the space which the to-be-processed object 4 passes using the water as a rinse liquid as a vapor | steam.
Thereby, since the to-be-processed object 4 can be rinsed with a pure water, the washing | cleaning effect can be improved and the carbonate residue adhering to the to-be-processed object 4 can be removed.
Also, carbonates are flammable substances that do not fall under the category of hazardous materials under the Fire Service Law, but have a flash point or ignition point. By using water as the rinse liquid, the risk of combustion (fire) is reduced. Carbonates can be used safely.

(4) In 1st Embodiment, the cooling pipe 34 makes the space in the processing tank 31 the temperature lower than the freezing point of carbonates, and lower than the boiling point of a rinse liquid.
As a result, the liquid carbonates injected into the treatment tank 31 by the injector 23 are changed to solids and collide with the non-treatment object, and the vapor of the rinsing liquid filling the treatment tank 31 is caused on the surface of the object 4 to be treated. It is possible to condense into a liquid and rinse the workpiece 4.

(5) In 1st Embodiment, the washing | cleaning apparatus 1 is the carbonate which is injected from the injector 23 by the 1st space (alpha) in which carbonates are injected into the to-be-processed object 4 from the injector 23 in the space inside the process tank 31. A partition wall 32 is provided for partitioning into a second space β that is cut off.
Thereby, the structure of the washing | cleaning apparatus 1 can be simplified and reduced in size by partitioning the one process tank 31 into the 1st space (alpha) and the 2nd space (beta) by the partition wall 32. FIG.

(6) The cleaning device 1 of the first embodiment includes a heating unit 39 that heats the partition wall 32 to a temperature that is higher than the freezing point of the carbonates and lower than the boiling point of the carbonates.
As a result, the carbonates that are solid and adhere to the partition wall 32 can be recovered by melting into a liquid. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the carbonates that have become solid from accumulating on the partition wall 32.

(7) The cleaning device 1 of the first embodiment includes a guide plate 40 that guides the liquid that travels through the partition wall 32 to a position excluding the workpiece 4.
Thereby, it is possible to prevent the carbonates transmitted through the partition wall 32 from falling from the partition wall 32 and adhering to the object to be processed 4 to be recontaminated.

The cleaning method of the first embodiment has the following operational effects.
(8) In the cleaning method according to the first embodiment, in the spray cleaning step (S3), liquid carbonates are atomized by the injector 23 and sprayed, and the carbonates changed to solid in the cold air layer B1 are processed 4 The object to be processed 4 is washed by colliding with.
Thereby, while improving washing | cleaning capability, the to-be-processed object 4 can be wash | cleaned extensively.

(9) In the first embodiment, in the rinsing step (S4), water as the rinsing liquid is vaporized by the rinsing liquid heater 33 to fill the space through which the workpiece 4 passes.
Thereby, since the to-be-processed object 4 can be rinsed with a pure water, the cleaning effect can be improved.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. In the cleaning apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, the transfer conveyor 35 immerses the workpiece 4 in the rinse liquid 36 in the boiling liquid layer D of the heating boiling tank 311. In the second embodiment, when the object to be treated 4 has a complicated shape, or when the object to be treated 4 is simply passed through the saturated vapor layer C, removal of carbonates remaining on the object to be treated 4 is insufficient. It is suitable for the case.

<Third Embodiment>
A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. In the cleaning device 1 of the third embodiment, the configuration of the cleaning medium generation unit 2 is different from the configurations of the first and second embodiments.
The cleaning medium generation unit 2 of the third embodiment includes a cold compressed gas supply device 41, a temperature control hopper 42, a heat retention pipe 43, a mixer 44, an injector 45, and the like.
The cold insulated compressed gas supply device 41 stores a high-pressure gas or a low-temperature liquefied gas (hereinafter referred to as “cold compressed gas”) adjusted to a temperature lower than the freezing point of carbonates. The cold insulated compressed gas supply device 41 is configured to supply the cold insulated compressed gas to the temperature control hopper 42 and the mixing device 44.

The temperature control hopper 42 stores carbonated flakes or solids that are pulverized and atomized. The inside of the temperature control hopper 42 is kept cool by a temperature controller 46 at a temperature lower than the freezing point of the carbonates.
The temperature control hopper 42 is connected to a heat retaining pipe 43 for pumping carbonates. The temperature inside the heat retaining pipe 43 is adjusted to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the carbonates. A mixing device 44 is provided in the middle of the heat insulation pipe 43. In addition, an injector 45 is attached to the end of the heat retaining pipe 43.

  When the cold compressed gas from the cold compressed gas supply device 41 is supplied to the temperature control hopper 42, carbonates stored in the temperature control hopper 42 are pumped to the mixing device 44. In addition, the cold compressed gas supplied from the cold compressed gas supply device 41 is also supplied to the mixing device 44. In the mixing device 44, a two-phase medium of a carbonate solid and a low-temperature gas is formed, and the two-phase medium is jetted from the injector 45 toward the object 4 to be processed which is conveyed through the processing tank 31. The carbonates collide with the workpiece 4 while maintaining the solid state in the cold air layer B1. Thereby, the dirt adhering to the to-be-processed object 4 is wiped away.

Thus, in the third embodiment, the injector 45 injects atomized solid carbonates together with pressurized gas instead of injecting liquid carbonates as carbonates.
Thereby, also in 3rd Embodiment, it is possible to show | play the effect similar to 1st, 2nd embodiment mentioned above.

(Other embodiments)
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the partition plate is arranged vertically in the processing tank 31. On the other hand, in another embodiment, the partition plate may be disposed sideways inside the processing tank 31. In this case, it is possible to perform the rinsing process by performing the jet cleaning process by the injector 23 with the upper side of the partition plate as the cold insulation air layer B1 and the saturated vapor layer C at the lower side of the partition plate.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, water is used as the rinse liquid. On the other hand, in another embodiment, a fluorine compound having high compatibility with carbonates may be used as the rinsing liquid.
Thus, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cleaning apparatus 4 ... To-be-processed object 23 ... Injector (injection means)
31 ... Processing tank 34 ... Cooling pipe (cooling means)
35 ... Conveyor (conveyor)

Claims (13)

A transport section (35) for transporting the workpiece (4);
A processing tank (31) through which the workpiece to be transported by the transport section passes;
An injection means (23) for atomizing and injecting a liquid cleaning medium toward the object to be processed passing through the processing tank;
A cleaning apparatus comprising: cooling means (34) for cooling the space in the processing tank where the cleaning medium sprayed by the spraying means collides with the object to be processed to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the cleaning medium.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spraying unit sprays cyclic carbonates having a melting point of 30 ° C. to 60 ° C. as a cleaning medium.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rinsing means (32, 33) for rinsing the cleaning medium attached to the object to be processed using a rinse liquid (36) having high compatibility with the cleaning medium.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the rinsing means fills a space through which the object to be processed passes with steam as a rinsing liquid.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the cooling means sets the space in the processing tank to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the cleaning medium and lower than the boiling point of the rinse liquid.   The space inside the processing tank is cut off from the first space (α) that solidifies the cleaning medium sprayed onto the object to be processed by the spraying means, and the cleaning medium sprayed onto the object to be processed by the spraying means. The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a partition wall (32) that partitions the second space (β).   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising heating means (39) for heating the partition wall to a temperature higher than a freezing point of the cleaning medium and lower than a boiling point of the cleaning medium.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising a guide plate (40) provided on an upper side in the gravity direction of the object to be processed and for guiding the liquid transmitted through the partition wall to a position excluding the object to be processed.   9. The jet means (45) is one that jets atomized solid cyclic carbonate together with pressurized gas instead of jetting a liquid cleaning medium. The cleaning apparatus according to item. A transporting step (S1) for transporting the object to be processed into the processing tank;
A cooling step (S2) of cooling the space in the processing tank where the cleaning medium sprayed by the spraying unit collides with the object to be processed to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the cleaning medium by the cooling unit;
A liquid cleaning medium is atomized and sprayed by the ejecting means toward the object to be processed passing through the processing tank, and the cleaning medium changed into a solid in the space in the processing tank collides with the object to be processed. And a jet cleaning step (S3) for cleaning the object to be processed.   The cleaning method according to claim 10, wherein in the spray cleaning step, pressurized cyclic carbonates are sprayed by the spraying means as a cleaning medium.   The cleaning method according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising a rinsing step (S4) of rinsing the cleaning medium attached to the object to be processed using a rinsing liquid having high compatibility with the cleaning medium.   The cleaning method according to claim 12, wherein in the rinsing step, water as a rinsing liquid is vaporized by a rinsing means to fill a space through which the object to be processed passes.

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