JP2023068695A - Continuous heating furnace - Google Patents

Abstract

To efficiently transport objects to be transported.SOLUTION: A continuous heating furnace 10 disclosed here comprises a tunnel-shaped furnace body 11 provided with a carry-in port 11a and a carry-out port 11b, a cylindrical muffle 30 that is provided inside the furnace body 11 and forms a transport space 30a in which an object to be treated is transported in a transport direction, and a rail 20 with rollers arranged on a bottom surface part 31 of the muffle 30 and extending in the transport direction. The rail 20 with rollers may comprise a transport rail 21 extending in the transport direction, and a plurality of transport rollers 25 intermittently arranged along the transport direction and rotatably supported by the transport rail 21. The transport roller 25 may be set so that a rotational axis is perpendicular to the transport direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to continuous heating furnaces.

WO2013/065556 discloses a continuous method for producing boron nitride powder. A pusher type tunnel furnace is disclosed as a continuous reactor used in such a manufacturing method. A pusher type tunnel furnace is equipped with a graphite heater and a graphite muffle in the furnace. The pusher type tunnel furnace is constructed so that a nitrogen stream flows. It is said that contamination of the heater with volatile substances can be prevented by using such a pusher type tunnel furnace.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-31305 discloses a high-temperature continuous reactor in which reaction vessels charged with raw materials are continuously connected in a pusher-type tunnel furnace to form a muffle. A high temperature continuous reactor is provided with a reactant gas inlet and a gas outlet. The reaction vessel has openings only in the direction of movement. Such a high-temperature continuous reactor reduces contamination and damage within the furnace. It is said that this makes it possible to operate for a long period of time, such as by making it difficult for the transportation failure of the reaction vessel to occur.

WO2013/065556 JP-A-2-31305

By the way, in a pusher-type continuous heating furnace in which an object to be processed is stored in a heating container and sequentially conveyed from an inlet to an outlet to be heated, the object to be treated is conveyed on a conveying rail. The present inventor wishes to provide a structure of a pusher type continuous heating furnace with good transfer efficiency.

The continuous heating furnace disclosed here forms a tunnel-shaped furnace body provided with an inlet and an outlet, and a transfer space provided inside the furnace body in which the object to be processed is transferred in the transfer direction. and a rail with rollers disposed on the bottom surface of the muffle and extending in the conveying direction.
According to the continuous heating furnace having such a configuration, the objects to be conveyed are efficiently conveyed.

The rail with rollers may include a transport rail extending in the transport direction, and a plurality of transport rollers intermittently arranged along the transport direction and rotatably supported by the transport rail. The conveying roller may be set so that the rotation axis is perpendicular to the conveying direction.
A recess in which the transport rail is arranged may be formed in the bottom portion.
The recess may accommodate the lower portion of the transport rail.
A recess for supporting the transport roller may be provided on the upper end surface of the transport rail.
The transport roller may have a roller portion that supports the object to be processed and a shaft portion that is supported by the transport rail.
The shaft portion may extend from both axial ends of the roller portion. Each shaft may be supported on a different transport rail.

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a continuous heating furnace 10. FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the rail 20 with rollers. FIG. 4 is a side view of the rail 20 with rollers. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the rail 20 with rollers. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the rail 20 with rollers. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the rail 20 with rollers.

One typical embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings below, members and portions having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals. Also, the dimensional relationships (length, width, thickness, etc.) in each drawing do not reflect the actual dimensional relationships. Up, down, left, right, front, and rear directions are indicated by arrows U, D, L, R, F, and Rr, respectively. Here, the orientations of up, down, left, right, front, and rear are defined for convenience of explanation only, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification, the conveying direction of the object to be processed is set to be the same as the forward direction (direction F in the drawing).

<Continuous heating furnace 10>
The continuous heating furnace 10 is a so-called pusher type continuous heating furnace. Although not particularly limited, the pusher-type continuous heating furnace 10 includes, for example, nitride-based ceramic powders such as silicon nitride, boron nitride, and aluminum nitride, which are heat-dissipating materials, and carbon-based and silicon-based materials, which are negative electrode materials for lithium ion batteries. It can be used for heat treatment of system powders and the like. These powders can be heat-treated and calcined at a temperature of 1500° C. to 2800° C. in an inert atmosphere such as nitrogen or argon.

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a continuous heating furnace 10. FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. The continuous heating furnace 10 is a heating furnace for continuously heating an object to be processed while conveying it in the conveying direction. In this embodiment, the object to be processed is conveyed through the continuous heating furnace 10 while being accommodated in the heating container A. As shown in FIG. The heating container A is made of, for example, a material with excellent heat resistance. The material of the heating container A can be appropriately selected according to the heating temperature, the type of the object to be treated, and the like. In this embodiment, a heating container A made of carbon is used.

As shown in FIG. 2, the continuous heating furnace 10 includes a furnace body 11, a muffle 30, and rails 20 with rollers. The roller-equipped rail 20 includes a transport rail 21 and transport rollers 25 . Continuous heating furnace 10 further includes heater 15 . In the continuous heating furnace 10 , the object to be processed is conveyed along the rails 20 with rollers in the furnace body 11 . The object to be processed is indirectly heated by the heater 15 via the muffle 30 .

<Furnace 11>
The furnace body 11 surrounds a furnace space 10a provided with a heater 15 and a muffle 30 for heat-treating an object to be processed. The furnace body 11 surrounds a muffle 30 in which a linear transfer space 30a is formed. The furnace body 11 is formed in a tunnel shape. The furnace body 11 is provided with a carry-in port 11a and a carry-out port 11b (see FIG. 1).

The furnace body 11 is composed of a heat insulating material 12 and an outer wall 13 . The heat insulating material 12 surrounds the entire circumference of the muffle 30 in the conveying direction. The heat insulating material 12 is surrounded by an outer wall 13 on the outside. The thickness of the heat insulating material 12 is set to a required thickness that sufficiently insulates the heat inside the furnace body 11 . As the heat insulating material 12, for example, ceramic fiber boards molded into a predetermined shape stacked in the thickness direction, or carbon fiber laminated layers can be used. In this embodiment, a heat insulating material made of carbon fiber is used as the heat insulating material 12 . The outer wall 13 is made of a metallic material having excellent rigidity and heat resistance. For example, stainless steel or the like can be used for the outer wall 13 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the furnace body 11 is formed with openings 11o on both sides in the width direction of the transfer space 30a. The furnace body 11 has a side wall 11s closing the opening 11o. The sidewall 11s is configured to be detachable from the furnace body 11 . 11 s of side walls are provided with 13 s of cover plates one size larger than the opening of the outer wall 13, and the heat insulation part 12s attached inside 13 s of cover plates. The heat insulating portion 12 s is a portion that is fitted into the opening of the heat insulating material 12 . The lid plate 13 s has a portion that is fitted into the opening of the outer wall 13 and a portion that abuts against the periphery of the opening on the outer surface of the outer wall 13 . The heat insulating part 12 s can be made of the same material as the heat insulating material 12 . The lid plate 13 s can be made of the same material as the outer wall 13 . A surface of the cover plate 13s that contacts the outer wall 13 is provided with a sealing member (not shown) for keeping the furnace space 10a airtight so as to surround the opening 11o. 11 s of side walls are attached with the bolt 14 to the peripheral part of the opening 11o.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inlet 11a is formed at one end of the furnace body 11. As shown in FIG. A carry-out port 11 b is formed at the other end of the furnace body 11 . An object to be processed is carried in from the carry-in port 11a, heat-treated in the continuous heating furnace 10, and carried out from the carry-out port 11b.

A carry-in line 42 is connected to the carry-in port 11a, through which an object to be processed before heat treatment is carried. The carry-in line 42 is provided with a carry-in rail (not shown). The height of the carry-in rail is set so as to be the same height as the rail with rollers 20 (see FIG. 2). A base plate 46 is placed on the carry-in rail, and the heating container A containing the object to be processed is placed on the base plate 46 . The carry-in port 11a is configured to be openable and closable by an opening/closing mechanism (not shown). Although not particularly limited, the opening/closing mechanism may be a lid, a shutter, or the like. The opening/closing mechanism may be provided with a sealing member for keeping the inside of the furnace body 11 airtight when the inlet 11a and the outlet 11b are closed. Further, the opening/closing mechanism may be provided with a sealing member that closes an opening of a cylindrical muffle 30 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, when the inlet 11a and the outlet 11b are closed.

By opening the carry-in port 11a and pushing the base plate 46 against the pusher 42a, the object to be processed stored in the heating vessel A is carried into the continuous heating furnace 10 through the carry-in port 11a. In the continuous heating furnace 10 , the bed plate 46 is arranged on the rails 20 with rollers. When the base plate 46 is carried in, the carry-in port 11a is closed.

After a certain period of time has elapsed, the next base plate 46 on which the heating container A is placed is conveyed from the carry-in line 42 . The base plate 46 is pushed by the pusher 42a and hits the rearmost base plate 46 (the closest base plate 46 from the carry-in port 11a) in the continuous heating furnace 10. As shown in FIG. The bed plate 46 is pushed forward in the carrying direction by the length of the bed plate 46 by being pushed from the upstream side in the carrying direction by the bed plate 46 to be carried in next. In this manner, the base plates 46 are sequentially carried in from the carry-in line 42 and the last base plate 46 is pushed forward, thereby intermittently conveying the plurality of base plates 46 within the continuous heating furnace 10 .

A carry-out line 44 through which the heat-treated object is carried out is connected to the carry-out port 11b. The carry-out line 44 is provided with a carry-out rail (not shown). The carry-out rail is set to have the same height as the rail with rollers 20 in the same manner as the carry-in rail. The base plate 46 conveyed through the continuous heating furnace 10 is carried out to the carry-out line 44 from the carry-out port 11b. The carry-out port 11b is configured to be openable and closable by an opening/closing mechanism (not shown). The carry-out port 11b is opened when the base plate 46 is carried out. After the base plate 46 has been unloaded, the unloading port 11b is closed. As described above, since the base plate 46 in the continuous heating furnace 10 is pushed and conveyed sequentially, the loading and unloading of the base plate 46 are performed at the same timing. Therefore, opening and closing of the carry-in port 11a and the carry-out port 11b are performed at the same timing. In addition, the continuous heating furnace 10 is not limited to the form in which the opening-and-closing mechanism was provided in the carrying-in port 11a and the carrying-out port 11b which were mentioned above. The continuous heating furnace 10 may be, for example, a so-called atmospheric furnace in which the inlet 11a and the outlet 11b are open without opening/closing mechanisms.

Loading and unloading of the base plate 46 can be performed at predetermined constant time intervals. By performing loading and unloading of the base plate 46 at regular intervals, it is possible to make the time for heat treatment of the workpiece in the continuous heating furnace 10 constant regardless of the loading and unloading timings. The interval between loading and unloading of the base plate 46 is appropriately set according to the processing conditions of the object to be processed. The bed plate 46 is conveyed on the rails 20 with rollers inside the furnace body 11 . Also, the loading and unloading of the base plate 46 may be performed continuously at a predetermined speed. For example, the base plate 46 may be conveyed on the rail with rollers 20 by being pushed by the pusher 42a at a predetermined speed. The roller-equipped rail 20 is surrounded by a muffle 30. - 特許庁

<Muffle 30>
The muffle 30 is provided inside the furnace body 11 . The muffle 30 forms therein a transfer space 30a in which the object to be processed is transferred in the transfer direction. The muffle 30 has a cylindrical shape and is open at both ends in the transport direction. An object to be processed is carried in and out through the opening. The muffle 30 is provided from the vicinity of the carry-in port 11a to the vicinity of the carry-out port 11b. The muffle 30 is arranged with a required space between it and the furnace body 11 . The muffle 30 has a bottom portion 31 , a ceiling portion 32 and side portions 33 . The muffle 30 includes a bottom portion 31, a ceiling portion 32, and a side portion 33, and is composed of a plurality of units 30b adjacent to each other in the transport direction. The unit 30b of the muffle 30 is composed of one bottom surface portion 31, one ceiling portion 32, and one side surface portion 33 on each side in the width direction. The muffle 30 has a square tubular shape with a rectangular cross section perpendicular to the transport direction. It should be noted that the shape of the muffle 30 is not limited to a rectangular tubular shape. For example, the muffle 30 may be provided with a curved portion having an arc-shaped cross section perpendicular to the conveying direction. As the muffle 30, one made of metal, ceramic, or carbon can be used. In this embodiment, muffle 30 is made of carbon.

The muffle 30 forms the transfer space 30a inside, as described above. In this embodiment, the transfer space 30a is set to a size that allows the heating containers A stacked in multiple stages to be arranged in multiple rows and transported from the viewpoint of heat-treating as many objects as possible. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the transfer space 30a is set to have such a size that the heating containers A stacked in three stages can be arranged in four rows and transferred. The width of the transfer space 30 a is set by the dimensions of the bottom portion 31 , the ceiling portion 32 and the side portions 33 of the muffle 30 . Here, the muffle 30 is configured to be wider in the width direction than in the height direction.

The muffle 30 is supported from below by a support member 31 a extending from below the furnace body 11 . The support member 31a is attached to the bottom surface of the outer wall 13 and extends from below through the heat insulating material 12 below. The bottom surface portion 31 may be fixed to the support member 31a, or may be arranged so as to be detachable from the support member 31a. A roller-equipped rail 20 , which will be described later, is arranged on the bottom surface portion 31 . The support member 31a supports the muffle 30 from a position corresponding to the rail 20 with rollers. The muffle 30 is supported by a support member 31a from the side opposite to the position where the rail with rollers 20 is provided. This can reduce the load on the muffle 30 when the objects to be processed are conveyed. As a result, for example, transportation failure due to deformation of the muffle 30 is less likely to occur. Further, the bottom portion 31 is formed with a recess 22 in which the rail with roller 20 is arranged. In this embodiment, a conveying rail 21 is arranged in the recess 22 . The conveying rail 21 is positioned by the concave portion 22 .

The ceiling portion 32 faces the bottom portion 31 . The ceiling part 32 is held from above the furnace body 11 . In this embodiment, the ceiling portion 32 is held by a holding member 32a attached to the upper surface of the outer wall 13 of the furnace body 11. As shown in FIG. The holding member 32a has an upper end attached to the upper surface of the outer wall 13, and a lower end expanding in diameter like a flange. The ceiling portion 32 is formed with an insertion hole through which the holding member 32a is inserted. The holding member 32a is inserted through the insertion hole, and the ceiling portion 32 is supported by the flange-like portion of the holding member 32a from the inner surface. The flange-like portion of the holding member 32a is set to have dimensions sufficiently larger than the insertion hole so that the ceiling portion 32 can be supported. The ceiling part 32 can be lifted upward by being suspended by a holding member 32a having a holding structure provided inside.

The side portion 33 connects the bottom portion 31 and the ceiling portion 32 . A pair of side portions 33 are provided on both sides in the width direction. The side part 33 is attached to the bottom part 31 supported from the lower part of the furnace body 11 and the ceiling part 32 supported from the upper part of the furnace body 11 . In this embodiment, the side portion 33 of the muffle 30 is configured to be detachable from the bottom portion 31 and the ceiling portion 32 . When performing maintenance on the inside of the muffle 30, the above-described side wall 11s of the furnace body 11 may be removed, then the side portion 33 of the muffle 30 may be removed, and maintenance of the inside of the muffle 30 may be performed.

Note that the connection structure of the side surface portion 33 is not particularly limited. For example, the end portions of the bottom surface portion 31 and the ceiling portion 32 may be formed with a concave shape or a convex shape, and the side surface portion 33 may be formed with a portion having a corresponding shape. The side portion 33 may be attached by fitting the portion to the end portion of the bottom portion 31 or the ceiling portion 32 . Further, the side portion 33 may be attached to the bottom portion 31 or the ceiling portion 32 with bolts or the like. In this manner, the side surface portion 33 may be configured to be detachable from the bottom surface portion 31 and the ceiling portion 32 . Moreover, it is not limited to such a form, and the bottom part 31, the ceiling part 32, and the side part 33 may be configured integrally. A heater 15 is provided outside the muffle 30 .

<Heater 15>
The heater 15 heats the object through the muffle 30 . A heater 15 is provided between the furnace body 11 and the muffle 30 . Although the shape and material of the heater 15 are not particularly limited, a cylindrical carbon heater is used as the heater 15 in this embodiment. Although the arrangement of the heaters 15 is not particularly limited, the heaters 15 are arranged above and below the muffle 30 at predetermined intervals along the transport direction. The heater 15 is supported by columns 15 a attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the outer wall 13 of the furnace body 11 . The pillars 15a may be provided with electrodes that apply current to the heater 15 . In this embodiment, the muffle 30 is wider in the width direction than in the height direction. In such a case, the heaters 15 are preferably provided above and below the furnace body 11 so as to sandwich the muffle 30 from the viewpoint of heat uniformity.

By the way, from the viewpoint of heat uniformity, it is preferable that the length of the heater 15 is at least equal to or greater than the width of the muffle 30 . In this embodiment, two heaters 15 are connected by a joint 15b. Therefore, even when the furnace body 11 and the muffle 30 are enlarged to heat-treat a large amount of objects to be treated, the objects to be treated are easily heated uniformly.

<Exhaust pipe 16>
As shown in FIG. 2, the exhaust stack 16 is connected to the muffle 30 . The exhaust tube 16 exhausts reaction gas and atmosphere gas that may be generated by heating the object to be processed. The exhaust stack 16 penetrates the furnace body 11 from the outside of the furnace body 11 and is connected to the muffle 30 . A hole 32b is formed in a portion of the muffle 30 to which the exhaust pipe 16 is connected. The exhaust stack 16 is connected to an exhaust pump (not shown) outside the furnace body 11 . When the exhaust pump starts suction, the pressure inside the muffle 30 becomes negative through the exhaust pipe 16 .
If the reaction gas generated by heating the object to be processed adheres to the equipment in the furnace body 11, the adhered portion may be corroded and deteriorated. Since the exhaust stack 16 is connected to the muffle 30, the reaction gas generated in the muffle 30 can be discharged outside the furnace body 11 without being discharged into the furnace space 10a outside the muffle 30. 11 can be suppressed from deteriorating.

In this embodiment, stack 16 is connected to ceiling 32 of muffle 30 . The reaction gas generated by heating the object to be processed is lighter than the atmospheric gas and can flow upward. Therefore, by connecting the exhaust pipe 16 to the ceiling portion 32, the reaction gas can be exhausted more efficiently. Further, the hole 32b is provided in the central portion of the ceiling portion 32 in the width direction. As a result, the reaction gas can be exhausted in a well-balanced manner in the width direction within the muffle 30 .

Note that the furnace body 11 may be connected to a feed cylinder (not shown) for introducing atmospheric gas into the furnace space 10a. The intake cylinder may be connected to the muffle 30 . An air supply device for introducing atmospheric gas such as nitrogen or argon is connected to the supply cylinder. The supply cylinder can be connected from the bottom surface of the outer wall 13, for example.

<Rail with roller 20>
The roller-equipped rail 20 extends linearly along the transport direction. The roller-equipped rail 20 is inserted through a transfer space 30 a formed inside the muffle 30 . FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the rail 20 with rollers. FIG. 4 is a side view of the rail 20 with rollers. FIG. 4 shows how the object to be processed contained in the heating vessel A is placed on the base plate 46 and conveyed. 5 to 7 are schematic diagrams of the rail 20 with rollers. 5 to 7 schematically show the roller-equipped rail 20 viewed from different directions. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of rows of rails 20 with rollers are provided in parallel with the transport direction in the transport space 30a. The base plate 46 on which the objects to be processed contained in the heating vessel A are placed is placed on the transport rollers 25 and transported in sequence (see FIG. 4).

The roller-equipped rail 20 includes the transport rail 21 and a plurality of transport rollers 25, as described above. The transport rail 21 is arranged on the bottom surface portion 31 of the muffle 30 . The transport rail 21 extends along the transport direction. A plurality of transport rollers 25 are arranged intermittently along the transport direction. The transport rollers 25 are rotatably supported by the transport rails 21 . The rotating shaft of the conveying roller 25 is set in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The transport rails 21 and the transport rollers 25 can be made of, for example, metal, ceramic, or carbon materials. In this embodiment, the transport rails 21 and the transport rollers 25 are made of carbon.

The transport rail 21 is a prismatic rail. The conveying rails 21 are positioned by recesses 22 formed in the bottom portion 31 of the muffle 30 parallel to the conveying direction. In this embodiment, the recess 22 is formed in a groove shape corresponding to the width and length of the transport rail 21 . The recess 22 is formed slightly larger than the width and length of the transport rail 21 . The recess 22 accommodates the lower portion of the transport rail 21 . Thereby, displacement of the transport rail 21 can be prevented.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the conveying rail 21 is provided with a recess 21a1 for supporting the conveying roller 25 on the upper end surface 21a. In this embodiment, the depression 21a1 is formed in the upper end surface 21a along the width direction of the transport rail 21. As shown in FIG. The depression 21a1 is recessed in an arc shape from the upper end surface 21a.

The transport roller 25 is supported at both ends by two transport rails 21 (see FIGS. 5 and 7). The transport roller 25 has a roller portion 25a and a shaft portion 25b. The roller portion 25a is a portion that supports an object to be processed. The shaft portion 25 b is a portion supported by the transport rail 21 . In this embodiment, the roller portion 25a supports the object to be processed placed on the base plate 46 and stored in the heating container A. As shown in FIG. The roller portion 25a and the shaft portion 25b of the conveying roller 25 are integrally formed. A driving device for driving the rotation of the conveying roller 25 is not connected to the conveying roller 25 .

The roller portion 25a is formed in a cylindrical shape extending perpendicularly to the conveying direction. A base plate 46 is placed on the side peripheral surface of the cylindrical roller portion 25a (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Friction occurs between the roller portion 25a and the base plate 46 when the base plate 46 is conveyed. The transport roller 25 rotates due to this friction. The diameter of the cylindrical roller portion 25a is set so that the lower end thereof does not come into contact with the bottom surface portion 31 of the muffle 30 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The length of the cylindrical roller portion 25a is set slightly shorter than the interval between the two transport rails 21 supported. By setting the length of the roller portion 25a in this way, the displacement of the conveying roller 25 in the length direction of the roller portion 25a is reduced. As a result, the base plate 46 is less likely to shift leftward and rightward, and shift in transport of the object to be processed can be reduced.

The shaft portion 25b extends from both ends of the roller portion 25a in the axial direction (in this embodiment, in the lengthwise direction of the cylindrical roller portion 25a). As shown in FIG. 6, both ends of the roller portion 25a are circular. The shaft portions 25b extend from central portions of both ends of the circular roller portion 25a. The shaft portion 25 b has a circular cross section along the axial direction of the conveying roller 25 . Although the length of the shaft portion 25b is not particularly limited, it is set smaller than the width of the transport rail 21 in this embodiment (see FIGS. 5 and 7). Therefore, the ends of the transport rollers 25 (the ends of the shaft portions 25 b ) do not protrude outside the two transport rails 21 .

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the shafts 25b are supported by different transport rails 21, respectively. The shaft portion 25b is arranged in a recess 21a1 formed in the upper end surface 21a of the transport rail 21. As shown in FIG. The conveying rollers 25 are bridged over the conveying rails 21 by separately arranging the respective shaft portions 25b in the depressions 21a1 of the two conveying rails 21 . The diameter of the shaft portion 25b is set to correspond to the shape of the arcuate recess 21a1. The diameter of the shaft portion 25b is set slightly smaller than the arc-shaped depression 21a1. Since the dimensional difference between the shaft portion 25b and the recess 21a1 is small, deviation of the transport roller 25 can be reduced during transport of the object to be processed. As a result, the base plate 46 is less likely to slip during transportation, and transportation deviation of the object to be processed can be reduced.

During maintenance of the rail with rollers 20 , the transport rollers 25 are removed from the transport rails 21 . Since the conveying roller 25 is arranged in the recess 21a1 provided in the upper end surface 21a of the conveying rail 21 via the shaft portion 25b, it can be easily removed from the conveying rail 21. As shown in FIG. For example, even if some of the transport rollers 25 need to be replaced due to long-term use, it is not necessary to remove the entire roller-equipped rail 20, and partial replacement of the transport rollers 25 is easy. Since the conveying rollers 25 are easily removed from the conveying rails 21, maintenance of the rails 20 with rollers is excellent.

By the way, when the bed plate 46 on which the object to be processed is placed is transported by the pusher 42a, friction occurs between the transport path and the bed plate 46. As shown in FIG. Such friction depends on the weight of the objects to be conveyed, such as the base plate 46, the heating container A, and the object to be processed, placed on the conveying path. According to the knowledge of the present inventors, when processing a large amount of objects to be processed, the total weight of the objects to be conveyed increases, so the friction between the conveying path and the base plate 46 increases. As a result, for example, there is a concern that the object to be processed will not be smoothly conveyed. In addition, the muffle 30 and the transport path can be heavily loaded by transporting heavy objects. If the load on these members becomes large, there is concern that the members will deteriorate and problems will occur during transportation. It is preferable that the transport path has a configuration in which maintenance such as replacement of the members used can be easily performed.

In the above-described embodiment, the continuous heating furnace 10 is provided with the rails 20 with rollers arranged on the bottom surface portion 31 of the muffle 30 and extending in the conveying direction. With such a configuration, the base plate 46 can be smoothly transported. For example, even when a large amount of objects to be processed are to be transported, smooth transport is possible by transporting the base plate 46 on the rails 20 with rollers.

In the above-described embodiment, the conveying roller 25 is set so that the rotation axis is perpendicular to the conveying direction. With such a configuration, the base plate 46 can be easily transported along the transport direction. As a result, meandering of the conveyed product is less likely to occur.

In the embodiment described above, the bottom portion 31 of the muffle 30 is formed with the recess 22 in which the transport rail 21 is arranged, and the recess 22 accommodates the lower portion of the transport rail 21 . With such a configuration, the transport rail 21 can be easily attached to and detached from the muffle 30, and maintenance of the rail with rollers 20 is excellent. Further, by forming the concave portion 22 in the muffle 30, the roller-equipped rail 20 can be provided at a desired position. For example, the width of the base plate 46 can be used to adjust the interval between the transport rails 21 . If the weight of the conveyed object is heavy, the rails 20 with rollers may be added. Thereby, the load on the muffle 30 can be reduced. In addition, the transport of the transported object can be smoothed.

In the above-described embodiment, the transport roller 25 has the roller portion 25 a that supports the object to be processed and the shaft portion 25 b that is supported by the transport rail 21 . With such a configuration, the position of the transport roller 25 is stabilized with respect to the transport rail 21 . As a result, it is difficult for the object to be processed to be transported out of alignment, and the efficiency of transporting the object to be processed can be improved.

In the embodiment described above, the shaft portions 25b extend from both ends of the roller portion 25a in the axial direction, and the shaft portions 25b are supported by different transport rails 21, respectively. The transport rollers 25 are stably attached to the transport rails 21 by supporting the transport rollers 25 from opposite ends in the axial direction on different transport rails 21 . As a result, the efficiency of conveying the object to be processed can be improved.

Although not particularly limited, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the roller-equipped rail 20 is provided for each unit 30b. Thereby, maintenance can be performed for each roller-equipped rail 20 not only in the width direction of the furnace body 11 but also in the transport direction.

In addition, the structure of the rail 20 with a roller is not limited to the form mentioned above. For example, the transport roller 25 may be supported by one transport rail. In that case, the transport rail may have a base located on the muffle 30 and a pair of support parts extending upward from the base. The recess 22 is preferably sized to fit the base. The supporting portion may have any shape as long as it can support the conveying roller 25 . For example, it may have the same shape as the transport rail 21 .

In the above-described embodiment, the conveying roller 25 is integrally composed of the roller portion 25a and the shaft portion 25b, but is not limited to such a form. For example, the roller portion 25a may be formed in a cylindrical shape in which a cavity having a circular cross section is formed from one longitudinal end to the other longitudinal end. The shaft portion 25b may have a cylindrical shaft shape with a circular cross section that is inserted into the cavity.

In the above-described embodiment, the conveying roller 25 has the roller portion 25a and the shaft portion 25b extending from both axial ends of the roller portion 25a, but is not limited to such a form. For example, the transport roller 25 may have a columnar shape with a circular cross section. In other words, the roller portion 25a and the shaft portion 25b may have the same diameter. The conveying roller 25 supports the conveyed object on the entire side peripheral surface. Such a conveying roller 25 has a simple shape, so that the manufacturing cost can be kept low and maintenance is easy.

Although the recessed portion 22 is formed in a groove shape capable of accommodating the lower portion of the transport rail 21, the recessed portion 22 is not limited to such a shape. For example, the recesses 22 may be holes intermittently formed in the transport direction. A convex portion corresponding to the hole-shaped concave portion 22 is provided on the lower portion of the conveying rail 21 and may be attached to the muffle 30 .
In the embodiment described above, the transport roller 25 is supported by the recess 21a1 formed in the upper end surface 21a of the transport rail 21, but is not limited to such a form. For example, a hole may be provided in the side surface of the transport rail 21, and the shaft portion 25b may be inserted through the hole.
In the embodiment described above, the depression 21a1 is formed along the width direction of the transport rail 21, but is not limited to such a form. For example, the depression 21a1 may be formed only in part of the upper end surface 21a of the transport rail 21 so as to match the length of the shaft portion 25b.

Although detailed descriptions have been given above with reference to specific embodiments, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the embodiments described above. It is also possible to employ some of the techniques exemplified in the above embodiments.

10 Continuous heating furnace 11 Furnace body 11a Carry-in port 11b Carry-out port 11o Opening 11s Side wall 12 Heat insulating material 13 Outer wall 14 Bolt 15 Heater 16 Exhaust pipe 20 Rail with roller 21 Conveyor rail 21a Upper end surface 21a1 Depression 22 Concave portion 25 Conveyor roller 25a Roller portion 25b Axle 30 Muffle 30a Transfer space 30b Unit 31 Bottom 32 Ceiling 33 Side 42 Carry-in line 44 Carry-out line 46 Base plate

Claims (7)

a tunnel-shaped furnace body provided with a carry-in port and a carry-out port;
a cylindrical muffle that is provided inside the furnace body and forms a transfer space in which the object to be processed is transferred in the transfer direction;
and a rail with rollers arranged on the bottom surface of the muffle and extending in the conveying direction. The roller-equipped rail is
a transport rail extending in the transport direction;
a plurality of transport rollers intermittently arranged along the transport direction and rotatably supported by the transport rail;
2. The continuous heating furnace according to claim 1, wherein the conveying roller has a rotating shaft oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction. 3. The continuous heating furnace according to claim 2, wherein the bottom portion has a recess in which the conveying rail is arranged. 4. The continuous heating furnace according to claim 3, wherein said concave portion accommodates a lower portion of said conveying rail. The continuous heating furnace according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein an upper end surface of the conveying rail is provided with a recess for supporting the conveying roller. The conveying roller is
a roller portion that supports the object to be processed;
The continuous heating furnace according to any one of claims 2 to 5, further comprising a shaft portion supported by said conveying rail. The shaft portion extends from both axial ends of the roller portion,
7. The heating furnace according to claim 6, wherein each shaft is supported by a different transport rail.

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