JP2022178004A - heat treatment furnace - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a heat treatment furnace having a mechanism that collects components such as a binder released from the object to be treated and is easy to maintain.SOLUTION: A heat treatment furnace comprises: a furnace body 1 heating the object W to be treated stored at the inside; a gas exhaust flow passage L exhausting a released gas released from the object W to be treated; a trap 2 provided on the gas exhaust flow passage L and liquefying or solidifying at least a part of the components in the released gas; a recovery box 3 connected to the trap 2 and recovering the liquefied components in the released gas flowing out from the trap 2; and an enclosure 5 storing the furnace body 1, the gas exhaust flow passage L, the trap 2 and the recovery box 3 at the inside, and a wall body 51 forming a storage space 52 of the enclosure 5 is formed with an opening 53 exposing at least a part of the trap 2 and at least a part of the recovery box 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a heat treatment furnace.

Conventionally, an object to be treated made of metal, magnetic material, or the like is placed in a heat treatment furnace, heated to a prescribed temperature under a prescribed pressure, and degreased or sintered. During such heat treatment, an outgassing gas containing a gaseous binder, particulate dust, and the like is generated from the object to be treated. In order to stably operate a pump that decompresses the inside of the furnace over a long period of time, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a binder that has become gaseous is liquefied and collected by a trap, and wax is connected to the lower part of the trap. It is described to collect in a pod.

JP-A-02-228404

By the way, in recent years, metal 3D printers have been put on the market, and heat treatment furnaces capable of heat treatment of a wide variety of products in small quantities are being sought. Heat treatment furnaces for such applications, unlike conventional heat treatment furnaces used in large-scale factories, need to be downsized so that they can be used in places with limited installation areas such as laboratories and offices. In addition, it is difficult to maintain traps, wax pods, etc. by factory work as in the past.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heat treatment furnace in which the maintenance of a mechanism for collecting components such as binders released from an object to be treated is easy to maintain. and

That is, the heat treatment furnace according to the present invention includes a furnace body for heating an object to be treated which is accommodated therein, and a gas discharge passage for discharging the gas released from the object to be treated from the inside of the furnace body to the outside. a trap provided on the gas discharge channel for liquefying or solidifying at least part of the components of the released gas; and a recovery box connected to the trap for recovering the liquefied components of the released gas flowing out from the trap. , a housing for accommodating the furnace main body, the gas discharge channel, the trap, and the recovery box, wherein at least part of the trap and the recovery An opening is formed to expose at least part of the box.

According to the present invention, since the opening is formed, the trap and the recovery box arranged in the accommodation space can be easily removed from the opening. Therefore, for example, it is easy to remove wax or the like solidified in the trap, or to dispose of the liquefied components recovered in the recovery box. Therefore, it is possible to make the heat treatment furnace easy to use in a laboratory room, an office, or the like.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a heat treatment furnace in one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a schematic diagram showing the details of the trap and the collection box in the same embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the housing|casing with the opening-and-closing door closed in the same embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the open/close door is opened to expose the trap and the recovery box in the same embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows arrangement|positioning of each member in the planar view of the heat processing furnace in the same embodiment.

[Device configuration]
A heat treatment furnace 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG.

The heat treatment furnace 100 is configured to be installed in a limited space such as a laboratory room or an office, and is used for degreasing or sintering an object W to be treated such as a metal or a magnetic material. be done. The heat treatment furnace 100 may be used for semi-sintering, firing, brazing, metallizing, quenching, tempering, annealing, solution treatment, aging heat treatment, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, a heat treatment furnace 100 includes a furnace main body 1 in which a work W to be treated is accommodated and heated, an exhaust pump 4 for exhausting or decompressing the inside of the furnace main body 1, A collection mechanism TM having a trap 2 and a collection box 3 for collecting binders, oil and fat components, and the like from the gas emitted from the processed material W is provided.

The furnace body 1 includes a pressure vessel 11 whose interior is kept at a predetermined pressure, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped heat insulator 12 provided in the pressure vessel 11, and a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape provided in the heat insulator 12. A tight box 13 in which an object W to be processed is stored, and a heater mechanism 14 provided between the heat insulator 12 and the tight box 13 are provided. That is, the pressure vessel 11, the heat insulator 12, and the tight box 13 form a nested structure.

A gas discharge passage L is connected between the furnace main body 1 and the exhaust pump 4 for discharging out of the furnace main body 1 out of the furnace main body 1 the emitted gas generated from the workpiece W in the furnace main body 1 .

A part of the pressure vessel 11 is configured to be openable and closable by a lid, and when the lid is closed, the inside of the pressure vessel 11 becomes an airtight space. The inside of the pressure vessel 11 is depressurized by the action of the exhaust pump 4 or pressurized by an inert gas or the like supplied into the pressure vessel 11 from a gas source (not shown).

The thermal insulator 12 consists of a heat-resistant material such as graphite felt or graphite foil. The heat insulator 12 prevents the heat generated by the heater mechanism 14 from radiating to the outside of the heat insulator 12 .

The tight box 13 (inner case) is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box that forms a heating space inside.

A heater mechanism 14 is provided between the heat insulator 12 and the tight box 13 .

A collection mechanism TM having a trap 2 and a collection box 3 separates and collects components such as binders and waxes from gas released from the object W discharged from the discharge port 13B of the tight box 13 . In the present embodiment, the collection mechanism TM is substantially cylindrical and arranged such that its central axis (longitudinal direction) is vertical.

As shown in FIG. 2, the trap 2 is elongated in the vertical direction and has a double-tube structure with a labyrinth formed therein. Specifically, the trap 2 has an outer cylindrical body 21 configured so that the released gas flows in from the bottom and the gas from which the binder, wax, etc. are removed flows out from the upper side, and an inner cylindrical body 23 through which the cooling medium flows. and a fin mechanism 22 which consists of a large number of fins detachably provided in the outer cylindrical body 21 and liquefies or solidifies at least part of the components of the released gas on the surface thereof.

The released gas flowing from the lower side of the outer cylinder 21 is cooled by the fin mechanism 22 and the inner cylinder 23 to liquefy or solidify the gaseous binder and wax. The liquefied component of the released gas moves to the lower side of the outer cylindrical body 21 by its own weight and flows into the recovery box 3 from the liquid outlet 24 which is the lower opening of the outer cylindrical body 21 . Moreover, solidified binders and waxes adhere to the fins. A piping heater 25 is provided so as to cover the outer circumferential surface of the outer cylindrical body 21 in order to remove such solidified binder and wax from the fins. Specifically, after the heat treatment process of the object to be processed in the furnace body 1 , the outer cylindrical body 21 is heated by the pipe heater 25 to liquefy the binder and wax adhering to the fins and flow them into the recovery box 3 . ,to recover. In addition, the upper closed end of the outer cylindrical body 21 is configured to be openable and closable so that the fin mechanism 22 housed inside can be taken out during maintenance.

A recovery box 3 is detachably attached to the lower portion of the trap 2 by a vacuum clamp VC, and stores the liquefied components flowing from the trap 2 . Specifically, the recovery box 3 includes an inner cup 31 into which the liquefied component flows from the trap 2 and a wax pod 32 that is an outer case provided to cover the outer side of the inner cup 31 .

The inner cup 31 is a disposable cup made of a material such as resin, and stores therein the liquefied component separated from the released gas by the trap 2 or the re-solidified liquefied component. The inner cup 31 is detachably attached so that its upper end opening covers the liquid outlet 24 of the outer cylindrical body 21 from the outside. During maintenance, the inner cup 31 is replaced with an unused inner cup 31. - 特許庁

The wax pod 32 is configured to prevent the liquefied component from scattering outside even if the liquefied component or the like leaks from the inner cup 31 for some reason. Specifically, it has a volume for accommodating the entire inner cup 31 inside, and has a cylindrical shape with a pair of handles provided on the side surfaces and one end of which is open. The wax pod 32 is detachably attached to the outer cylindrical body 21 with the entire inner cup 31 accommodated therein. In the envisioned mode of use, all the liquefied components are stored in the inner cup 31, so only a simple cleaning of the wax pod 32 is required during maintenance.

The furnace main body 1, the collection mechanism TM, the exhaust pump 4, the pressure-reduced exhaust flow path L1, and the gas discharge flow path L are accommodated in a housing 5 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. The housing 5 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an accommodation space 52 in which each member is accommodated is formed inside which is formed by a wall 51 . In addition, the front side of the housing 5 is configured such that a loading port 15 for loading the workpiece W into the furnace body 1 is exposed.

An opening/closing door 54 is provided on the front surface of the housing 5, and when the opening/closing door 54 is opened, the upper portion of the trap 2 and the collection box 3 are exposed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper part of the trap 2 and the opening 53 for exposing the recovery box 3 to the outside of the housing 5 are formed in the part of the wall 51 closed by the opening/closing door 54 . ing. Further, a space in which no other members are provided is provided above the trap 2 in the vicinity of the accommodation space 52 where the opening 53 is formed. Similarly, in the accommodation space 52, a space of a predetermined volume is provided below the recovery box 3 without any other member. In this manner, the fin mechanism 22 in the trap 2 can be removed upward and the recovery box 3 can be removed downward. This opening 53 is closed when the opening/closing door 54 of the housing 5 is closed. In other words, the user cannot touch the trap 2 and the recovery box 3 from the outside while the workpiece W is being heat-treated in the furnace body 1 and the high-temperature released gas is flowing. .

Next, the layout of the furnace body 1, the trap 2, the recovery box 3, and the exhaust pump 4 in the accommodation space 52 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the internal structure of the furnace body 1, the decompression exhaust flow path L1, and the gas discharge flow path L are omitted in FIG. In the housing 5, the furnace body 1 is arranged on the left side in the width direction, and the trap 2 and the collection box 3 are provided on the right side in the width direction, which is the side of the furnace body 1. And the exhaust pumps 4 are collectively arranged. Furthermore, the collection mechanism TM including the trap 2 and the collection box 3 is arranged in the housing 5 on the front side of the exhaust pump 4 . Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the furnace main body 1 is arranged in the upper part of the housing 5, and the collection mechanism TM and the exhaust pump 4 are positioned almost below the housing 5, which is lower than the furnace main body 1. It is arranged near the bottom surface. Here, the low position means, for example, that the entire collection mechanism TM is at a position lower than the lower surface of the furnace main body 1, or that the lower surface of the collection mechanism TM is at a position lower than the lower surface of the furnace main body 1. do.

[Operation during heat treatment]
Next, a heat treatment method for the used workpiece W in the heat treatment furnace 100 will be described. (1) The object W to be processed is placed in the tight box 13, and the pressure vessel 11 is closed with a lid. (2) Turn on the heater mechanism 14 to raise the temperature inside the tight box 13 to a predetermined temperature, introduce a predetermined gas from the gas source into the pressure vessel 11 and the tight box 13, and heat the workpiece W to a predetermined temperature. heat treatment. (3) If necessary, the exhaust pump 4 is driven to forcibly exhaust the gas from the pressure vessel 11 or the tight box 13, and the air in the furnace body 1 and the released gas generated from the workpiece W are discharged from the gas source. Replace with supplied gas. The release gas discharged from the tight box 13 flows through the gas discharge channel, and the gaseous binder and wax contained in the release gas are liquefied or solidified in the trap 2 by cooling. The liquefied component of the released gas flows from the trap 2 into the collection box 3 by its own weight and is collected. (4) After the processing of the object W to be processed is completed, the object W to be processed is cooled, then the pressure vessel 11 and the tight box 13 are opened and the object W to be processed is taken out.

[Maintenance of collection mechanism TM]
Next, maintenance of the collection mechanism TM will be described. After the heat treatment process described above, the fin mechanism 22 of the trap 2 has a solidified binder, wax, or the like attached thereto. In order to liquefy them again and flow them into the collection box 3, pipe cleaning is carried out. That is, while the exhaust pump 4 is stopped, the trap 2 is heated by the pipe heater 25, and the solidified component is again liquefied and flowed to the recovery box 3 by its own weight. Such cleaning of the pipes is performed, for example, during the process of cooling the object W to be processed.

Even if such pipe cleaning is performed regularly, the fin mechanism 22 gradually accumulates solid components derived from binders, waxes, and the like. 22 is cleaned or replaced. That is, in a state in which the furnace main body 1 and the exhaust pump 4 are stopped, the opening/closing door 54 of the housing 5 is opened, and the trap 2 and the collection box 3 are exposed through the opening 53 as shown in FIG. Next, the trap 2 or the recovery box 3 is removed through the opening 53 for cleaning or replacement.

Specifically, the upper surface of the outer cylindrical body 21 of the trap 2 is opened, and the fin mechanism 22 is pulled out upward from the inside to the front side of the housing 5 . After the components and the like adhering to the fin mechanism 22 are cleaned, the fin mechanism 22 is inserted into the outer cylinder 21 through the opening 53 again.

Further, when the vacuum clamp VC that connects the trap 2 and the collection box 3 is removed, the wax pod 32, which is the outer structure of the collection box 3, is pulled downward, and the housing 5 is pulled out to the front side. Next, after the inner cup 31 is removed and replaced with another inner cup 31, the wax pod 32 is again attached to the trap 2 from the outside of the inner cup 31. - 特許庁Finally, the work is completed by closing the opening/closing door 54 .

[effect]
In the heat treatment furnace 100 configured as described above, the opening 53 for exposing the trap 2 and the collection box 3 to the outside is provided on the front side of the housing 5, which is the operation surface, so that Each part of the collection mechanism TM can be easily removed to the outside of the housing 5 during maintenance. Specifically, the collection mechanism TM having a substantially cylindrical shape is arranged at a position lower than the furnace main body 1 and near the bottom surface of the housing 5, and each device is compactly configured. Therefore, for example, the fin mechanism 22 can be pulled upward without using a stepladder or the like, and then it can be easily taken out from the front side of the housing 5 . Similarly, the user can easily access the inner cup 31 of the collection box 3 from the front side of the housing 5, so that the replacement work can be easily performed.

Further, conventionally, in order to facilitate the maintenance of the trap 2 and the collection box 3 as described above, the long trap 2 was arranged in the horizontal direction, so the foot as the heat treatment furnace 100 The print was getting too big. In contrast, the heat treatment furnace 100 of the present embodiment facilitates the maintenance of the collection mechanism TM and allows the long trap 2 to be arranged in the vertical direction. It can be made small and compact. Therefore, the heat treatment furnace 100 can be configured as suitable for a limited space such as a laboratory room or an office.

Other embodiments will be described.

The collection mechanism or trap is not limited to having a vertical longitudinal direction. For example, the longitudinal direction may be arranged obliquely within a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. In order to reduce the footprint of the heat treatment furnace, the longitudinal direction of the collection mechanism or trap should be as vertical as possible.

The manner of providing the openings and the arrangement of each device in the housing are not limited to the aspects described in the above embodiments. For example, an opening may be formed in the side or back of the housing so that the trap and collection box can be replaced.

As for the collection box, only the wax pod may be provided without providing the inner cup.
Further, the upper end of the collection mechanism TM may be located at a position lower than the upper surface of the furnace main body with the upper surface of the furnace main body as a reference.

The fin mechanism may be fixed to the outer cylindrical body. In this case, the entire trap may be removed from the housing for maintenance. Moreover, the trap is not limited to one that liquefies or solidifies the binder or wax by water cooling, but may be one that liquefies or solidifies the removed components using, for example, air cooling or other refrigerants.

(Section 1) A heat treatment furnace in one aspect includes a furnace main body for heating an object to be treated accommodated therein, a gas discharge passage for discharging a gas emitted from the object to be treated, and the gas discharge flow. a trap provided on the road for liquefying or solidifying at least part of the components of the released gas; a recovery box connected to the trap for recovering the liquefied components of the released gas flowing out from the trap; the furnace body; A housing that accommodates a gas discharge channel, a trap, and a collection box therein, wherein at least a portion of the trap and at least a portion of the collection box are attached to a wall forming an accommodation space of the housing. characterized in that an opening is formed to expose the

According to the heat treatment furnace according to item 1, since the opening is formed, the trap and the collection box accommodated in the housing can be easily removed from the opening. Therefore, the maintenance of the trap and the recovery box is facilitated, and the heat treatment furnace can be easily used in a laboratory room, an office, or the like.

(Section 2) In order to prevent the user from touching the trap and the collection box through which high-temperature gas may flow except during maintenance, and to improve safety, the housing It is sufficient if the body has an opening/closing door for closing the opening.

(Section 3) In order to reduce the footprint of the heat treatment furnace and configure a heat treatment furnace that can be installed in places with limited space such as laboratories and offices, the trap must be elongated, It suffices if the trap is arranged such that the longitudinal direction thereof is vertical.

(Section 4) In order to configure the trap and the recovery box compactly, the trap is provided with a liquid outlet from which the liquefied component flows out to the outside, and the recovery box is provided with the liquid outlet. It is sufficient that the trap and the recovery box are arranged in a vertical direction.

(Section 5) As a specific layout of each device that can reduce the footprint as a heat treatment furnace while facilitating maintenance of the trap and the collection box, the downstream side of the gas discharge flow path and an exhaust pump arranged on the side of the furnace main body, wherein the trap and the recovery box are arranged on the side of the furnace main body and on the front side of the exhaust pump is mentioned.

(Section 6) In order to improve maintainability by cleaning and replacing the trap and the collection box without using a stepladder or other equipment, the trap and the collection box must be installed in the housing. is arranged at a position lower than the furnace body.

(Section 7) The trap includes an outer cylindrical body whose one end is configured to be openable and closable, and a fin mechanism housed in the outer cylindrical body, wherein the fin mechanism extends from one end of the outer cylindrical body to the outside. 7. A heat treatment furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 6, configured to be removable.

(Section 8) Another aspect of the heat treatment furnace according to the present invention includes a furnace body in which an object to be treated is accommodated and heated, and a gas emitted from the object to be treated is discharged from the furnace body. a gas discharge passage for exhausting to the outside, a trap provided on the gas discharge passage for cooling the released gas to liquefy or solidify at least a part of its components, and a trap provided below the trap, a recovery box for recovering the liquefied component of the released gas flowing out from the trap, the recovery box comprising an inner cup into which the liquefied component flows from the trap, and an outer provided to cover the outer side of the inner cup. a case;

With the heat treatment furnace according to item 8, the inner cup can be disposable, and the labor involved in maintenance of the recovery box can be greatly reduced.

100: Heat treatment furnace 1: Furnace body 11: Pressure vessel 12: Insulator 13: Tight box 13A: Inlet 13B: Discharge port 14: Heater mechanism 14P: Heater plate 2: Trap 21: Outer cylindrical body 22: Fin mechanism 23: Inner cylindrical body 24: liquid outflow port 25: piping heater 3: recovery box 31: inner cup 32: wax pod (outer case)
4: Exhaust pump 5: Housing 51: Wall body 52: Housing space 53: Opening 54: Opening/closing door L: Gas discharge channel TM: Collection mechanism VC: Vacuum clamp W: Object to be processed

Claims (8)

a furnace body that heats the object to be processed that is housed inside;
a gas discharge channel for discharging the gas discharged from the object to be processed;
a trap provided on the gas discharge channel for liquefying or solidifying at least part of the components of the released gas;
a recovery box connected to the trap for recovering the liquefied component of the released gas flowing out of the trap;
A housing that accommodates the furnace main body, the gas discharge channel, the trap, and the collection box inside,
A heat treatment furnace, wherein a wall forming an accommodation space of the housing is formed with an opening that exposes at least a portion of the trap and at least a portion of the recovery box. 2. The heat treatment furnace according to claim 1, wherein said housing has an opening and closing door for closing said opening. 3. The heat treatment furnace according to claim 1, wherein said trap is elongated and arranged so that its longitudinal direction is vertical. The trap has a liquid outlet on the lower side through which the liquefied component flows out,
4. The heat treatment furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the recovery box is detachably connected to the lower side of the liquid outlet, and the trap and the recovery box are arranged vertically. Further comprising an exhaust pump connected to the downstream side of the gas discharge channel and arranged on the side of the furnace body,
5. The heat treatment furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the trap and the collection box are arranged on the side of the furnace body and on the front side of the exhaust pump. 6. The heat treatment furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said trap and recovery box are arranged at a position lower than said furnace body. The trap is
an outer cylindrical body configured so that one end can be opened and closed;
a fin mechanism that is housed in the outer cylinder and liquefies or solidifies the released gas on its surface;
7. The heat treatment furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said fin mechanism is configured to be removable from one end of said outer cylindrical body. a furnace body that heats the object to be processed that is housed inside;
a gas discharge channel for discharging the gas discharged from the object to be processed;
a trap provided on the gas discharge channel for cooling the released gas to liquefy or solidify at least a portion of its constituents;
a recovery box connected to the trap for recovering a liquefied component of the released gas flowing out of the trap;
the collection box
an inner cup into which the liquefied component flows from the trap;
and an outer case provided to cover the outer side of the inner cup.

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