JP2017140605A - Washing method and washing apparatus used for the same method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate the need of temperature control of a washing liquid, suppress generation of bubbles, and to effectively perform washing, in a washing method using air bubbling for washing an object to be washed to which cutting oil or the like is attached.SOLUTION: A washing method in a washing apparatus 1 provided with a washing tank 3 for storing and washing an object U to be washed, a blower 18 for sending air, and a communication pipe 19 which communicates the air sent from the blower 18 toward the washing tank 3 includes: an immersion process of pouring an aqueous solution containing a washing agent liquid into the washing tank 3 and immersing the object U to be washed stored in the washing tank 3 into the aqueous solution; and a washing process of driving the blower 18 and ejecting air into the aqueous solution poured into the washing tank 3, thereby washing the object U to be washed. The washing agent liquid is an alkali washing agent liquid which contains at least one of silicate, phosphate, carbonate, and a chelate agent but does not contain any surface active agents.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning method for cleaning an object to be cleaned to which cutting oil or the like used in metal processing, for example, is attached, and a cleaning apparatus used in this cleaning method.

  Conventionally, as a cleaning method for cleaning an object to be cleaned to which, for example, cutting oil used in metal processing is attached, various cleaning methods described below are exemplified.

  First, there is a method in which the cleaning liquid is fluidly stirred by a pump. Specifically, for example, a cleaning liquid containing a surfactant is poured into a cleaning tank, the object to be cleaned is immersed in the cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid is fluidly stirred by a pump while the temperature of the cleaning liquid is raised. . However, this method requires a considerably large water flow or heating in order to sufficiently remove the cutting oil adhering to the object to be cleaned, particularly the carbon component. For this reason, a large pump that generates a large water flow and a large heating device for raising the temperature of the cleaning liquid are necessary, and there is a problem that the cost is increased.

  Next, there is a method of vibrating the cleaning liquid with ultrasonic waves (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, for example, an object to be cleaned is immersed in a cleaning liquid containing a surfactant, ultrasonic waves having a low frequency are transmitted by an ultrasonic vibrator, and the cleaning liquid is vibrated.

  In such a method using ultrasonic waves, unevenness due to ultrasonic waves (sound pressure distribution) occurs depending on the shape of the object to be cleaned, and all dirt on the object to be cleaned cannot be removed. Therefore, it is necessary to use a plurality of ultrasonic transducers or an ultrasonic transducer that automatically changes the frequency. For example, in order to vibrate about 200 L of cleaning liquid, a relatively large ultrasonic transducer is required. Therefore, the method using ultrasonic waves has a problem that the cost is significantly increased.

  Further, there is a method in which a cleaning liquid is ejected from above to the object to be cleaned. Specifically, the cleaning liquid is guided by a pump upward in the apparatus, and the cleaning liquid is ejected from above the cleaning object to clean the cleaning object. In this method, there is a problem that the cleaning liquid needs to be heated by a heating device in order to enhance the cleaning effect, and that the apparatus itself is enlarged in order to eject the cleaning liquid from above.

  Furthermore, there is a method in which a cleaning liquid is injected at a high pressure using an induction motor. Specifically, this is a method in which the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the respective directions to the object to be cleaned by high pressure. In this cleaning by high-pressure jetting, for example, if the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the direction perpendicular to the plane, cleaning can be performed effectively, but the cleaning power is reduced at the portion where the jetting angle is widened. For this reason, there is a problem that the cleaning effect is remarkably deteriorated in an object having a complicated shape, particularly in a portion which is parallel to the injection direction and is not injected in the vertical direction, and the entire object to be cleaned cannot be cleaned well. is there. Further, in this method, since the cleaning liquid is jetted at a high pressure, there is a problem that the apparatus itself becomes large in order to efficiently collect and reuse the cleaning liquid.

  In addition to the above methods, there are a method of vibrating and agitating the cleaning liquid by vibrating a flat plate member in the cleaning liquid, a method of rotating the object to be cleaned in the cleaning liquid by a motor, etc. In any case, the cleaning power is inferior to the above-described cleaning method.

  On the other hand, there is known an air bubbling cleaning method in which an object to be cleaned is immersed in the cleaning liquid and air is blown into the cleaning liquid to stir the cleaning liquid to clean the object to be cleaned. This air bubbling cleaning method has a problem that a large amount of foam is generated, although the stirring power of the cleaning liquid is remarkably high as compared with other cleaning methods.

  When cleaning an object to be cleaned, a cleaning liquid containing a surfactant is usually used in order to increase its cleaning power. However, when a cleaning liquid containing a surfactant is used in the air bubbling cleaning method, bubbles are generated when the temperature of the cleaning liquid is lower than the cloud point of the surfactant. Most cleaning liquids containing a surfactant have a cloud point of the surfactant higher than room temperature. Therefore, when a cleaning liquid containing a surfactant at normal temperature is used, a large amount of bubbles is generated from the start of cleaning. When a large amount of bubbles is generated, the cleaning liquid overflows from the cleaning tank, and there is a problem that the cleaning cannot be completed. In addition, the foam generated in a large amount hinders the stirring of the cleaning liquid by air bubbling and impairs the cleaning effect.

  As described above, since a large amount of foam is generated when the cleaning liquid containing a surfactant is not used at a temperature higher than the cloud point, it is necessary to keep the temperature of the cleaning liquid higher than the cloud point. However, in the air bubbling cleaning method, although the temperature of the air ejected into the cleaning liquid is higher than that of the outside air, the surface of the cleaning liquid is in direct contact with the outside air. Decreases. Therefore, when using a cleaning liquid containing a surfactant in the air bubbling cleaning method, it is necessary to control the temperature of the cleaning liquid at a temperature higher than the cloud point with a large heating device or the like, and the cost is greatly increased. There was a problem.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-104992

  The present invention has been conceived under the circumstances described above, and it is necessary to control the temperature of the cleaning liquid in a cleaning method using air bubbling for cleaning an object to be cleaned to which cutting oil or the like is attached. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning method that can effectively perform cleaning while suppressing generation of bubbles. It is another object of the present invention to provide a cleaning apparatus used in this cleaning method.

  A cleaning method provided by the first aspect of the present invention includes a cleaning tank for storing and cleaning an object to be cleaned, an air supply source for supplying air, and air supplied from the air supply source. A cleaning method in a cleaning apparatus comprising a passage for allowing air to pass toward the cleaning tank, wherein an aqueous solution containing a cleaning liquid is injected into the cleaning tank and is stored in the cleaning tank. A dipping process for immersing the cleaning object in the aqueous solution; and a cleaning process for cleaning the object to be cleaned by driving the air supply source and ejecting air into the aqueous solution injected into the cleaning tank. The detergent solution is an alkaline detergent solution containing at least one of silicate, phosphate, carbonate and chelating agent and not containing a surfactant.

  In the cleaning method of the present invention, the aqueous solution containing the cleaning solution may further contain an antifoaming agent.

  In the cleaning method of the present invention, after the cleaning step, the object to be cleaned is taken out of the cleaning tank, the rinsing step of rinsing the object to be cleaned with water, and the air supply path from the air supply source, A switching step of switching from a route toward the cleaning tank to a route toward the outside of the cleaning device, and after the switching step, the air supply source is driven again to eject air to the object to be cleaned after rinsing. It is preferable to further include a moisture removing step for removing moisture from the object to be cleaned.

  The cleaning apparatus provided by the second aspect of the present invention is a cleaning apparatus used in the cleaning method provided by the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the air supply source rotates the motor. A switching unit that includes a blower that supplies air to the passing path, and that switches the air passing path from the blower to a path that goes from the path toward the cleaning tank to the outside of the cleaning apparatus; and And an external ejection unit that is connected to a path toward the outside and ejects air toward the outside.

  In the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the bottom of the cleaning tank is connected to a path toward the cleaning tank, and a plurality of diffuser tubes having a plurality of fine holes formed on the surface of the hollow main body are disposed. The plurality of air diffusers may be arranged such that one end sides thereof communicate with each other and are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval.

  In the cleaning device of the present invention, the micropores are arranged in a staggered manner between adjacent diffusers, and are predetermined from the vertical line with reference to a vertical line passing through the axis of the diffuser in a cross-sectional view. It is good to be formed in the surface position on the straight line which has this angle.

  According to the cleaning method of the present invention, air by air bubbling is spouted into an alkaline cleaning liquid in which an object to be cleaned is immersed and which does not contain a surfactant, thereby stirring the cleaning liquid. Although the cleaning solution of the present invention is inferior in cleaning ability compared with a cleaning solution containing a surfactant, the above-mentioned air bubbling cleaning method has a significant stirring force compared to other cleaning methods. An object to be cleaned to which cutting oil or the like is firmly attached by force can be effectively cleaned. In this case, since the detergent solution does not contain a surfactant and does not have a cloud point, the generation of bubbles can be suppressed.

  Further, since the cleaning liquid of the present invention does not have a cloud point, temperature control is performed such that the cleaning liquid is maintained at a temperature higher than the cloud point even when a cleaning method using air bubbling that lowers the temperature of the cleaning liquid is used. There is no need to do it. Therefore, a large-sized heating device or the like is not necessary, and cost increase can be suppressed.

It is a perspective view which shows the washing | cleaning apparatus with which the washing | cleaning method concerning this invention is applied. It is the internal perspective view seen from the side of the washing | cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. It is the internal perspective view seen from the upper surface of the washing | cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. It is the internal perspective view seen from the front of the washing | cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the basket which accommodated the to-be-cleaned object. It is a top view which shows an air diffuser. It is a partial detail drawing of the diffuser tube which shows the ejection direction of the air ejected from the diffuser tube. It is sectional drawing of a diffuser tube. It is the figure which showed the ejection direction of the air ejected from a diffuser tube, and was seen from the cross-sectional direction of the diffuser tube. It is the schematic which shows each process of a washing | cleaning method, (a) shows an immersion process, (b) shows a washing process, (c) shows a rinsing process. It is the schematic which shows the (d) moisture removal process of the washing | cleaning method.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cleaning apparatus to which a cleaning method according to the present invention is applied. 2 to 4 are internal perspective views of the cleaning device, as viewed from the side, the top, and the front, respectively. In FIG. 3, a part of the cleaning tank 3 is notched. This cleaning device 1 is for cleaning, for example, components of an air cleaner as an object to be cleaned. The air cleaner is used in a machining factory where fine dust, oily smoke, or the like is generated or water-soluble cutting oil is used for friction suppression. The air cleaner is, for example, an electric dust collection type that captures dust and the like and cleans air in a machining factory.

  Examples of the component include an ionization unit that is housed in an air purifier, for example, an ionization unit that generates a discharge state between the electrodes to charge dust and the like, and a dust collection unit that collects dust and the like charged thereto. . The objects to be cleaned in the cleaning apparatus 1 are not limited to these units.

  The cleaning device 1 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 2 having an open top. The housing 2 has a tapered shape in which the side surface slightly expands toward the top. A cleaning tank 3 for cleaning an object to be cleaned is provided inside the housing 2. The cleaning tank 3 has a space that can sufficiently store a basket 25 (see FIG. 5) that stores an object to be cleaned.

  A hollow ridge 4 projecting upward and extending in the left-right direction is formed on the upper front side of the cleaning tank 3, and is fed from a blower 18 (described later) to the front side surface of the ridge 4. A switching lever 5 (switching means) is provided for switching the air transmission path to be noticed. The switching lever 5 will be described later. An external hose 6 (external jetting means) for removing moisture from the object to be cleaned is connected to the left side surface of the ridge 4. A drain pipe 7 for draining water in the cleaning tank 3 and a plurality of casters 8 for moving the cleaning device 1 are provided at the bottom of the housing 2. In addition, the code | symbol 9 in FIG. 3 shows the drain outlet formed in the bottom face of the washing tank 3 and connected with the drain pipe 7. In FIG.

  An operation display unit 10 is provided on a side surface of the housing 2. Although not described in detail, the operation display unit 10 includes an operation lamp indicating that the apparatus is in an operating state, a blower drive switch for driving the blower 18, a blower stop switch and a blower 18 for stopping the drive of the blower 18. A timer switch for presetting the driving time is provided. The timer switch can set the drive time of the blower 18 between 0 and 500 hours.

  In the vicinity of the bottom surface of the cleaning tank 3, a plurality of diffuser tubes 11 for ejecting air are arranged. The air diffuser 11 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, each one end side is provided in communication with each other, and is arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval.

  A plurality of fine holes 12 having a diameter of about 2 mm, for example, are formed on the surface of the air diffuser 11. The micropores 12 are arranged in a staggered manner between adjacent diffuser tubes 11 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the fine hole 12 is positioned at a position on a straight line R having a predetermined angle α (for example, 30 °) with respect to a vertical line L passing through the axis O of the diffuser tube 11 in a sectional view. Is formed. Although not shown, a hole having a diameter of about 3 mm is formed in the lower portion of the distal end of the air diffusing tube 11 for discharging dust accumulated inside the air diffusing tube 11.

  Thus, by arranging the fine holes 12 of the adjacent diffuser tubes 11 in a staggered manner, the direction of the air jetted from the fine holes 12 directly collides in a plan view as shown in FIG. There is nothing to do. In addition, since the microhole 12 is formed at the position of the surface of the air diffuser 11 having a predetermined angle α in a cross-sectional view, the air ejected from the microhole 12 spreads as shown in FIG. Erupted. Therefore, for example, compared with the case where air is simply ejected in the vertical direction, coupled with the fact that air is ejected from the fine holes 12 arranged in a staggered manner, the turbulent flow is caused in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3. The cleaning solution can be sufficiently stirred.

  An antifoaming tank 13 is formed on the front side of the cleaning tank 3 (see FIG. 2). The defoaming tank 13 is for breaking bubbles generated on the surface of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3. A bubble moving plate 14 is formed at the upper end of the cleaning tank 3 on the defoaming tank 13 side. When bubbles of the cleaning liquid generated during cleaning reach the bubble moving plate 14, they flow on the bubble moving plate 14. Then, it falls into the defoaming tank 13 from the tip of the bubble moving plate 14. Therefore, the bubbles are broken by the impact at that time.

  An outlet 15 is formed at the bottom of the defoaming tank 3 and communicates with an inlet 17 formed on the lower side wall of the cleaning tank 3 through a return pipe 16. The cleaning agent liquid that has broken in the defoaming tank 3 naturally flows into the cleaning tank 3 through the return pipe 16.

A blower 18 as an air supply source for supplying air to the air diffuser 11 and the outside (described later) is provided on the side of the cleaning tank 3 and below the defoaming tank 13. The blower 18 rotates a motor (not shown) to send air into the diffuser tube 11 or the external hose 6. For example, the blower 18 has a specification with an air volume of about 3 m ³ / min and a discharge pressure of about 40 kpa. It is what you have. Note that a suction port (not shown) through which the blower 18 sucks outside air is formed on the bottom surface of the housing 2 in the vicinity of the blower 18.

  Here, the blower 18 in the present embodiment can be operated by supplying commercial power. Accordingly, the present cleaning device 1 can be used in a place where commercial power can be supplied, and the cleaning device 1 can be moved by the casters 8, so that the cleaning device 1 can be highly convenient.

  The blower 18 is connected to one end of a feed pipe 19 that guides the air that is sent from the blower 18. As shown in FIG. 4, the other end of the above-described delivery pipe 19 is connected to a three-way valve 20 connected to the switching lever 5. Here, the switching lever 5 and the three-way valve 20 are disposed on the ridge 4 protruding upward from the upper end of the cleaning tank 3. In this way, if the switching lever 5 and the three-way valve 20 are arranged at a position higher than the upper end of the cleaning tank 3, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3 from entering the delivery pipe 19 by mistake. Therefore, it is possible to avoid adversely affecting the blower 18 or providing a check valve or the like separately.

  One output of the three-way valve 20 is connected to one end of the transmission pipe 21, and the other end of the transmission pipe 21 is connected to the air diffusion pipe 11. Further, one end of the transmission pipe 22 is connected to the other output of the three-way valve 20, and the other end of the transmission pipe 22 is connected to an external hole 23 formed on the side surface of the cleaning tank 3. The external hole 23 is connected to the external hole 23 for use in removing water from the object to be cleaned (described later).

  The air transmission path from the blower 18 is switched by the three-way valve 20, and the path from the blower 18 to the sprinkler pipe 11 via the transmission pipe 19, the three-way valve 20 and the transmission pipe 21, and the transmission from the blower 18. The path is switched to the path reaching the external hose 6 through the pipe 19, the three-way valve 20, the feed pipe 22, and the external hole 23.

  The switching lever 5 described above is connected to the three-way valve 20 inside the housing 2, and as described above, the air transmission path from the blower 18 is a path or ridge toward the air diffuser 11 of the cleaning tank 3. The path is switched to the path toward the external hose 6 through the external hole 23 of the portion 4.

  The switching lever 5 is rotatable about 90 degrees. For example, when the switching lever 5 is tilted in the horizontal direction, the air transmission path from the blower 18 is set to the path toward the air diffuser 11, while when the switch lever 5 is stood in the vertical direction, the path is switched to the path toward the external hose 6. It is done.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cage 25 that houses the component U as an object to be cleaned is formed of, for example, a stainless steel grid-like frame member. When the basket 25 is accommodated in the cleaning tank 3, the spacer member 26 is disposed at the bottom of the cleaning tank 3, and the basket 25 is placed on the top of the spacer member 26. The spacer member 26 is formed of a substantially U-shaped frame member in a side view. Thereby, it can prevent that the diffuser tube 11 contacts the cage | basket 25. FIG. The spacer member 26 may be always installed in the cleaning tank 3.

  Here, the cleaning liquid used by diluting with water in this cleaning method will be described. The cleaning agent solution is an alkaline cleaning agent solution containing at least one of silicate, phosphate, carbonate and chelating agent which is exclusively used in this cleaning method and does not contain a surfactant. This alkaline detergent solution does not contain a surfactant, in other words, does not have a cloud point, and therefore does not foam in the washing process described later.

  Examples of silicates include alkali metal (sodium, potassium, etc.) salts and ammonium salts of metasilicic acid and orthosilicic acid.

  Examples of the phosphate include alkali metal (sodium, potassium, etc.) salts such as monophosphoric acid, pyronic acid, triphosphoric acid, and polyphosphoric acid hexametaphosphoric acid, ammonium salts, and the like.

  Examples of carbonates include alkali metal (sodium, potassium, etc.) salts, ammonia carbonates, bicarbonates, sesquicarbonates, and the like.

  Examples of chelating agents include ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic acid, hydroxyethyliminodiacetic acid, dihydroxyethylglycine, hydroxyethyl diphosphonate alkali metal (sodium, potassium, etc.) salts, ammonium salts, etc. Can be mentioned.

  Moreover, the pH of the cleaning liquid according to the present embodiment is 7 to 12, preferably 8 to 11. As described above, since the cleaning liquid is almost weakly alkaline, there is an advantage that the corrosiveness with respect to the metal object to be cleaned (for example, the extreme version of the dust collecting electrode) is low.

  In the cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a cleaning method using air bubbling is used. That is, an object to be cleaned is immersed in the cleaning liquid injected into the cleaning tank 3, and air generated by air bubbling is ejected into the cleaning liquid, thereby stirring the cleaning liquid. Although the cleaning liquid according to the present embodiment is inferior in cleaning ability compared to a cleaning liquid containing a surfactant, the air bubbling cleaning method has a remarkable stirring power of the cleaning liquid compared to other cleaning methods. Therefore, the object to be cleaned can be effectively cleaned by this stirring force.

  That is, if the cleaning agent liquid of the present embodiment is used to slightly soften and dissolve the dirt of the object to be cleaned, to which the cutting oil or the like is firmly attached, the dirt of the object to be cleaned can be surely removed by the stirring force of the air bubbling. Can be cleaned effectively. Therefore, the cleaning liquid of the present embodiment can sufficiently exhibit the advantages of air bubbling.

  Further, the cleaning liquid used in the air bubbling cleaning method of the present embodiment does not contain a surfactant and does not have a cloud point. Therefore, generation | occurrence | production of a bubble can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the cleaning liquid of this embodiment does not have a cloud point, even if a cleaning method using air bubbling that lowers the temperature of the cleaning liquid is used, the temperature of the cleaning liquid is kept slightly higher than the cloud point. There is no need for temperature control. Therefore, a large-sized heating device or the like is unnecessary, and cost increase can be suppressed.

  Note that the detergent solution may contain an antifoaming agent. If an antifoaming agent is included, the contamination of the object to be cleaned can be more effectively reduced when it contains foaming substances such as oils and fats, or when it contains substances that induce saponification with alkali. Occurrence can be suppressed.

  Further, it is preferable to use a cleaning liquid that does not contain an organic acid. If the organic acid is not contained, the object to be cleaned can be prevented from corroding, and the decrease in the durability of the object to be cleaned due to the cleaning can be suppressed.

  Next, the cleaning method implemented using the said cleaning apparatus 1 is demonstrated.

  This cleaning method includes (1) an immersing step for immersing an object to be cleaned in a cleaning liquid, (2) a cleaning step for cleaning the object to be cleaned, (3) a rinsing step for rinsing the object to be cleaned, (4) an object to be cleaned. It is performed in the order of a water removal process for removing water from the object.

  In the dipping process (see FIG. 10A), the cleaning liquid is injected into the cleaning tank 3 and the object to be cleaned is accommodated. First, a cleaning liquid (about 150 L) diluted about 20 times is injected into the cleaning tank 3. The cleaning liquid is, for example, 7.5 L of cleaning liquid diluted with, for example, 142.5 L of normal temperature water.

  In addition, as a cleaning agent, the thing of the composition shown next is mentioned as an example. That is, the detergent is sodium metasilicate with a blending amount of 15% by weight, sodium pyrophosphate with a blending amount of 5% by weight, sodium bicarbonate with a blending amount of 3% by weight, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid triacetate with a blending amount of 3% by weight. It consists of sodium and an aqueous solution containing 74% by weight.

  When the cleaning liquid is injected into the cleaning tank 3, the basket 25 containing the object to be cleaned is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3. Note that the basket 25 storing the object to be cleaned may be stored in the cleaning tank 3 first, and then the cleaning liquid may be injected into the cleaning tank 3.

  Next, in the cleaning step (see FIG. 10B), the operator sets the switching lever 5 to be tilted in the horizontal direction, and operates the blower drive switch of the operation display unit 10. As a result, the blower 18 is driven, and air is supplied into the delivery pipe 19 from the blower 18 toward the diffuser pipe 11.

  The supplied air passes through the transmission pipe 21 through the three-way valve 20 from the transmission pipe 19 and is ejected from the fine holes 12 of the air diffusion pipe 11 to the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9, the air jetted into the cleaning tank 3 advances so as not to collide directly and spreads, causing turbulent flow in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3. The cleaning liquid can be sufficiently agitated by the jetted air. Therefore, due to the synergistic effect of the air bubbling stirring force and the alkaline detergent liquid that does not contain a surfactant, the object to be cleaned is cleaned while exhibiting better cleaning power while suppressing the generation of bubbles. be able to.

  When the driving time of the blower 18 reaches a predetermined time (for example, about 30 minutes), the cleaning process is finished. In this case, the operator may set the cleaning time in advance with the timer switch of the operation display unit 10, and the cleaning process may be ended by the timer switch timing the cleaning time, or the blower stop switch is operated. As a result, the cleaning step may be terminated.

  In the rinsing step (see FIG. 10C), the object to be cleaned is rinsed. Specifically, the basket 25 in which the object to be cleaned is stored is taken out from the cleaning tank 3, and for example, tap water is separately discharged to the object to be cleaned. Thereby, the cleaning agent liquid adhering to the object to be cleaned is washed away.

  After completion of the rinsing process, a water removal process (see FIG. 11D) is performed. In the moisture removing step, the object to be cleaned is taken out from the basket 25 and placed in a suitable place near the cleaning device 1. Next, the operator operates the switching lever 5 of the cleaning device 1 from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction. As a result, the opening and closing direction of the three-way valve 20 is changed, and the air transmission path from the blower 18 is directed from the path toward the air diffuser 11 of the cleaning tank 3 to the external hose 6 via the external hole 23 of the cleaning tank 3. Switch to a route.

  Next, the operator directs the tip end of the external hose 6 toward the object to be cleaned and operates the blower drive switch of the operation display unit 10. As a result, the blower 18 is driven again, and air is supplied into the delivery pipe 22 from the blower 18 toward the external hole 23. The supplied air is ejected from the tip end of the external hose 6 through the external hole 23. For this reason, the air ejected from the external hose 6 collides with the object to be cleaned, whereby the water adhering to the surface of the object to be cleaned is scattered by the air.

  Note that the blower 18 discharges air having a relatively high temperature as compared with a compressor or the like, and thus is suitable when the moisture of the object to be cleaned is blown away. In addition, it is more desirable to provide a standing time of about 1 to 2 hours after the removing step in order to sufficiently dry the object to be cleaned. Further, in the moisture removing step, after the object to be cleaned is taken out from the basket 25, the basket 25 may be turned over and placed on the bottom of the basket 25, and air may be supplied.

  Conventionally, in order to dry an object to be cleaned after rinsing as described above, the object to be cleaned is left in the shade for about half a day. The water removal step can be completed in about several minutes by scattering the water using the air blown through the air. Thereafter, even if a standing time of several hours is provided, the drying time can be greatly shortened.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning process and the rinsing process are performed in one cleaning apparatus 1. However, two cleaning apparatuses 1 are used for cleaning with one cleaning apparatus 1, and the other cleaning apparatus is used. 1 may be used for rinsing. In this way, when there are a plurality of objects to be cleaned, each cleaning device 1 can perform cleaning, rinsing, or water removal (blowing off) at almost the same timing, so the overall cleaning time can be shortened. Can be planned.

  As described above, the air supply path from the blower 18 is switched by the three-way valve 20 so that the air supplied from the blower 18 is used for air bubbling at the time of cleaning and also for removing moisture from the object to be cleaned. Can be used. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a cleaning method using the highly convenient cleaning apparatus 1.

  In the present embodiment, in the cleaning process and the water removal process by air bubbling, since the cleaning and the blowing of water can be performed with a relatively low discharge pressure, the blower 18 having a relatively low discharge pressure may be used. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a large compressor having a large discharge pressure, and thus the cost of the cleaning apparatus 1 can be reduced.

  The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the cleaning apparatus 1 is not limited to the one described in the above embodiment, and the shape, size, quantity, and the like of each member such as the housing 2, the cleaning tank 3, the water spray pipe 11, the blower 18, and the three-way valve 20 are necessary. It can be changed accordingly.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning apparatus 2 Housing 3 Cleaning tank 5 Switching lever 6 External hose 10 Operation display part 11 Air diffuser pipe 12 Fine hole 18 Blower 19,21,22 Delivery pipe 20 Three-way valve 25 Basket U Washing object

Claims (6)

A cleaning tank for containing and cleaning the object to be cleaned, an air supply source for supplying air, and a passage for transmitting the air supplied from the air supply source toward the cleaning tank A cleaning method in a cleaning apparatus comprising:
An immersion step of injecting an aqueous solution containing a cleaning agent solution into the cleaning tank and immersing an object to be cleaned stored in the cleaning tank in the aqueous solution;
A cleaning step of cleaning an object to be cleaned by driving the air supply source and ejecting air into the aqueous solution injected into the cleaning tank.
The cleaning method, wherein the cleaning solution is an alkaline cleaning solution containing at least one of silicate, phosphate, carbonate and chelating agent and not containing a surfactant.   The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous solution containing the cleaning liquid further contains an antifoaming agent. After the cleaning step, the object to be cleaned is taken out of the cleaning tank and the object to be cleaned is rinsed with water;
A switching step of switching the air transmission path from the air supply source to a path toward the outside of the cleaning apparatus from a path toward the cleaning tank,
A water removal step of removing the moisture of the object to be cleaned by driving the air supply source again after the switching step to eject air to the object to be cleaned after rinsing. Or the cleaning method of 2. A cleaning apparatus for use in the cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The air supply source is
It consists of a blower that rotates the motor to send air to the passage.
A switching means for switching a passage of air from the blower from a path toward the cleaning tank to a path toward the outside of the cleaning device;
A cleaning apparatus comprising: an external ejection unit that is connected to a path toward the outside of the cleaning apparatus and that ejects air toward the outside. At the bottom of the washing tank,
Connected to the path toward the cleaning tank, a plurality of diffuser tubes having a plurality of fine holes formed on the surface of the hollow main body are arranged,
The plurality of air diffusers are:
The cleaning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the one end sides are communicated with each other and are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval. The micropores are
Arranged in a staggered manner between adjacent diffusers,
The cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the cleaning device is formed at a surface position on a straight line having a predetermined angle from the vertical line with respect to a vertical line passing through the axis of the air diffuser in a cross-sectional view.

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