JP2797906B2 - Work cooling device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for cooling a heated metal work or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a production facility for processing or assembling a metal machine part or the like, a desired process may be performed while a workpiece is heated to a high temperature. After this heat treatment step, another step may be performed in a state where the temperature of the work is lowered to about room temperature and the temperature of the work is stabilized.

For example, in equipment for manufacturing a work such as a transmission case of an engine by die casting, glass or resin or the like is added to the work in an impregnation process in order to fill a hole such as a “nest” formed in the work and secure airtightness. Are performed by impregnating with an airtight material, heating to a high temperature, and then cooling. Such a work is subjected to a leak test such as an air differential pressure type in order to confirm the airtightness of the work after the impregnation step. Since the leak test is sensitive to the temperature of the work, the work must be cooled to a substantially constant temperature before the leak test is performed. Moreover, it is necessary to quickly cool the work in order to speed up the work.

Conventionally, as a device for cooling such a work to a desired temperature, a cooling means such as a chiller unit for applying air cooled by a refrigerant to the work, or a temperature of the work is reduced to about room temperature by air cooling by a blowing fan. Equipment is known.

[0005]

However, of the above-mentioned conventional cooling means, the cooling by the chiller unit has a high cooling rate, but the work tends to be too cold when the downstream process after the cooling process is stagnant. And it is difficult to obtain a stable work temperature. On the other hand, in the case of air cooling using a blower fan, a stable work temperature can be obtained, but on the other hand, it takes a long time to cool to a predetermined work temperature, which is inefficient and requires a large number of fans to be arranged on the cooling stage. The ratio of the cooling stage in the production equipment is large, and there is a problem in effective use of space. An object of the present invention therefore, it is possible to lower in a short time heated workpiece to a predetermined temperature, ene
Stable and reliable efficiency for heavy workpieces such as gin parts
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling device which can be taken in and out of an airtight container .

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A work cooling device according to the present invention developed to achieve the above object is, as conceptually shown in FIG. 1, a container provided on a base frame and having an upper opening.
Container body 11, and provided opposite to the opening and
The opening and closing of the opening is performed by raising and lowering the
An upper lid 12 that forms an airtight container 10 with the container body 11;
A lid drive mechanism 15 for driving the lid 12 up and down;
Rails along the horizontal direction provided on the sides of the
To be able to move along the
When the work support seat is open
Extending between the container body 11 and the upper lid 12
A movable path of the work can be formed between
Moving mechanism 16 including moving table, and moving up and down in airtight container 10
The work is provided by the movable table and the work
When it is carried between the upper cover 11 and the upper
Work table and work table
A cradle drive mechanism having an actuator for driving, a water supply mechanism 17 for spraying water on the surface of the work W, and a container 1
There are provided vacuuming means 18 for discharging the air inside the chamber 0 to make the container 10 a negative pressure, and control means 19 for maintaining the negative pressure in the container 10 for a predetermined time.

[0007]

As shown in FIG. 1, in a state where the work W is accommodated in the airtight container 10, water is adhered to the surface of the work W by the water supply mechanism 17, and then the evacuation means 18 is used.
Thereby, the inside of the container 10 is evacuated to a negative pressure state. This negative pressure is maintained by the control means 19 for a predetermined time. The degree of vacuum reach may be, for example, about 10 to 700 Torr, but is appropriately selected as needed. By this evacuation, the water droplets attached to the surface of the work W evaporate quickly, so that the work W is cooled in a short time due to the heat of vaporization of the water, and the work W is simultaneously dried. The cooling rate or the like can be adjusted by controlling the degree of vacuum reached by the vacuuming means 18 or controlling the amount of water droplets attached to the work W by the water supply mechanism 17. Work W
Is cooled, the upper lid 12 is opened, and the work W is taken out of the container 10 by the transfer mechanism 16.

[0008]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Work cooling device 2 illustrated in FIGS.
Numeral 0 includes a frame 21 constituting a base frame installed in a building such as a factory, and an airtight container 10 supported by the frame 21. The frame 21 includes a lower structural frame 22 constructed on the floor side of the building, a plurality of columns 23 erected on the lower structural frame 22, and a column 2
3 is provided with an upper structure frame 24 provided on the upper end side.

The airtight container 10 includes a tank-shaped container body 11 having an opening 30 on the upper surface side, and an upper lid 12 provided on the upper side of the container body 11 so as to be openable and closable. The flange portion 31 of the container body 11 is supported by the lower structure frame 22. The flange portion 32 of the upper lid 12 faces above the flange portion 31 of the container body 11. A sealing material 3 such as an O-ring for keeping the container 10 airtight when the upper lid 12 is closed between the flange portions 31 and 32.
3 are provided.

The upper lid 12 can be moved up and down by a lid drive mechanism 15 provided on the upper structure frame 24. The lid drive mechanism 15 includes a linear drive type cylinder mechanism 40 using fluid pressure as an example of an elevation drive actuator, a guide rod 41 for guiding the upper lid 12 so that the upper lid 12 moves up and down straight, and an upper It comprises a bearing member 42 for guide rod insertion provided on the structural frame 24, a detecting device 43 for detecting the rising end and the falling end of the upper lid 12, and the like. The detection device 43 detects a detected portion 45 provided above the guide rod 41 with a sensor 46.

The cylinder body 4 of the cylinder mechanism 40
7 is fixed to the superstructure frame 24. A rod part 48 protruding below the cylinder body part 47 is fixed to the upper lid 12. Therefore, when the rod portion 48 is lowered or raised, the upper cover 12
Falls or rises. When the detection device 43 detects that the upper lid 12 has risen to the predetermined rising end, the cylinder mechanism 40 stops, so that the upper lid 12
Is held at the rising end. When the upper lid 12 is closed, the cylinder mechanism 40 stops in a state where the flange 32 of the upper lid 12 is lowered to a position (downward end) where the flange 32 is in contact with the flange 31 of the container body 11.
Are kept completely closed.

A work receiving table 50 is provided inside the container 10. As shown in FIG.
Numeral 0 is supported by a pair of left and right guide rods 51 extending in the vertical direction so as to be able to move up and down in a stable posture. The upper end 51a of the guide rod 51 is fixed to the upper structure frame 24. The lower end 51b of the guide rod 51 extends to the bottom side of the container body 11, and is connected to the horizontal connecting member 5.
The left and right guide rods 51 are connected to each other by 2.

A first slide bearing 55 is provided on the upper side of each guide rod 51. This slide bearing 55 is provided on the upper lid 12,
The upper lid 12 can smoothly move relative to each other in the axial direction (up and down direction) of the guide rod 51.

A second slide bearing 56 is provided below the guide rod 51. The slide bearing 56 is mounted on the work receiving base 50. Therefore, the work receiving base 50 can smoothly move relative to the guide rod 51 in the axial direction (vertical direction). A positioning pin 57 protrudes from the upper surface of the work receiving table 50. The pin 57 is provided at a position where it is fitted into a positioning hole provided in the work W.

The work cradle 50 is driven up and down by a cradle drive mechanism 60. The cradle driving mechanism 60 includes a cylinder mechanism 61 as an example of a cradle driving actuator fixed to the upper lid 12,
An extension rod 63 connected to the lower end of the rod 62 of the cylinder mechanism 61, a height detecting means 64 for detecting the positions of the rising end and the falling end of the work receiving table 50, and the like are provided. The height detecting means 64 detects that the vertical detection dog 65 provided on the work receiving table 50 and the detected portion 66 of the dog 65 has reached the upper end with respect to the upper lid 12 (the state of FIG. 4). Sensor 67 for detecting the
6 comprises a descending side sensor 68 for detecting that it has reached the descending end (the state of FIG. 2). The board 69 to which the sensors 67 and 68 are attached is provided on the upper lid 12.

A transfer mechanism 16 for transferring the work W into and out of the container 10 is provided beside the container 10. One example of the transfer mechanism 16 is a transfer machine that can reciprocate intermittently in the horizontal direction. The transfer mechanism 16 includes a rail 75 extending in a direction (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2, and a movable base 76 movable in a horizontal direction along the rail 75. The movable base 76 is provided with a work support seat 77 projecting in the direction of the container 10. A positioning pin 78 protrudes from the upper surface of the work support seat 77. The positioning pin 78 fits into a positioning hole provided on the lower surface of the work W.

The movable table 76 can be moved forward and backward by a reciprocating drive mechanism (not shown) between a forward position shown in FIG. 2, that is, a position entering the inside of the container 10 and a retreat position retracting outside the container 10. is there. An example of the reciprocating drive mechanism may be a gear drive type using a rack and pinion, or a linear drive type fluid actuator such as a hydraulic cylinder may be used. When the work support seat 77 is at the forward position shown in FIG.
It is formed in such a shape that it does not interfere with the work receiving table 50 in the vertical direction.

A spray nozzle 80 of the water supply mechanism 17 is provided inside the container 10. This spray nozzle 80
As shown in FIG. 1, the water supply tank 8 is connected via a water supply pipe 81.
2 are connected. The water supply pipe 81 branches into a plurality of systems according to the spray nozzle 80 provided at an appropriate position in the container 10. The water supply tank 82 is provided with a level switch 83 for detecting the upper limit of the water level and a level switch 84 for detecting the lower limit of the water level.
Water supply pipe 81a so that the water level is maintained between 3, 84
Is replenished with water.

A drain pipe 85 connected to the bottom of the container body 11 is guided to a water supply tank 82. An on-off valve 86 is provided in the middle of the drain pipe 85. Further, a spray pump 87 and an electromagnetic on-off valve 88
Further, a throttle valve 89 for adjusting the spray amount is provided.

Further, the evacuation means 18 is provided in the container body 11.
A suction pipe 91 connected to the valve and an electromagnetic on-off valve 9 for opening to the atmosphere
2, a vacuum switch 93, a vacuum gauge 94, an electromagnetic on-off valve 95 for evacuation, a filter 96, and a vacuum pump 97
And so on. Each signal line of the pumps 87 and 97 and the solenoid on-off valves 88, 92 and 95 is connected to the control means 19, and a predetermined sequence control is performed by the control means 19 as described below. One example of the control means 19 is a controller using a microcomputer or the like.

Next, the operation of the cooling device 20 of the above embodiment will be described. The heated work W is transferred to the transfer mechanism 16.
2 is carried to the position shown in FIG. At this time, since the upper lid 12 stands by in the open state because the rod portion 48 of the cylinder mechanism 40 has risen to the rising end, the work support seat 77
Is transported to a predetermined position inside the container 10.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4, the rod 62 of the cylinder mechanism 61 for driving the pedestal is moved to the rising end, so that the work W is supported from below the work support seat 77 which has been supporting the work W. The cradle 50 rises to receive the work W. When the movable base 76 of the transfer mechanism 16 retreats to the outside of the container 10, the upper lid 12 can be closed.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, the rod portion 48 of the upper lid driving cylinder mechanism 40 moves to the lower end, whereby the flange portion 32 of the upper lid 12 and the container body 1 are moved.
The upper lid 12 is lowered to a position where the first flange portions 31 are airtightly joined to each other, and the closed state is maintained.

The spray on-off valve 88 of the water supply mechanism 17
Is opened, the water in the water supply tank 82 is sprayed onto the workpiece W through the spray nozzle 80 by the discharge pressure of the spray pump 87. After a certain amount of water is sprayed, the spray on-off valve 88 closes to stop spraying. Thereafter, the vacuum pump 97 is started and the on-off valve 95 for evacuation is opened, so that evacuation of the container 10 is started. When the pressure of the container 10 decreases to a set value, the vacuum switch 93 operates to start time counting by a timer, and the inside of the container 10 is maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum for a certain period of time. By this evacuation, water droplets adhering to the surface of the work W evaporate in a short time, and the work W is cooled by the heat of vaporization.

After maintaining the vacuum for a predetermined time, the on-off valve 95 for evacuation is closed, and the vacuum pump 97 is also stopped. Further, when the on-off valve 92 for opening the atmosphere is opened, the container 10 is opened.
Inside returns to atmospheric pressure. Also, an on-off valve 86 for collecting the residual liquid
Is opened, the residual liquid in the container 10 is
Will be collected. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, after the upper lid 12 is raised by the cylinder mechanism 40, the work support seat 77 of the transfer mechanism 16 moves forward inside the container body 11 again. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2, the rod 62 of the cradle driving cylinder mechanism 61 is lowered, and the work cradle 50 is lowered below the work support seat 77, so that the work W is supported. Delivered to the seat 77. Then, as the movable base 76 moves back to the original position, the work W moves to the transport position of the next process, and
The cycle ends.

The cooling device 20 is used for cooling the work W in a series of work processing steps as shown in FIG. The work processing step shown in FIG. 6 is an impregnation for impregnating an airtight material such as a resin into a work W cast in a mold in a production facility for manufacturing a work W requiring airtightness such as an engine transmission. Step S1, a step S2 of heating the work W to harden the airtight material, a primary cooling step S3 of rapidly cooling the work W using the apparatus 20 of the present embodiment, and bringing the work W to room temperature using a blowing fan or the like. It comprises a secondary cooling step S4 for keeping, an inspection step S5 for performing a leak test, and the like.

The impregnation step S1 includes an impregnation step of immersing the work W in an air-tight material such as an uncured resin, a draining step of removing excess resin and the like by a centrifugal separator, a water washing step, and the like. Subsequent heating step S
In 2, the airtight material is cured by heating the work W to, for example, about 90 ° C. in a heating furnace.

In the primary cooling step S3, the work W is cooled in a short time by using the cooling device 20 as described above. The primary cooling step S3 also serves as a drying step because the surface of the work W can be dried by evacuation. The work W cooled to a substantially predetermined temperature in a short time is air-cooled by a blower fan or the like in a secondary cooling step S4, and is further cooled to a more accurate temperature to room temperature. Then, in the inspection step S5, the work W is inspected for leaks by an air differential pressure leak test or the like.

According to the cooling device 20 of the present embodiment, the work W heated to a high temperature in the heating step S2 can be cooled to almost normal temperature in a short time, and the amount of water supplied to the work W and the vacuum By controlling the degree of attainment or the vacuum holding time, the degree of cooling can be controlled. For this reason, the secondary cooling step S by the blowing fan
4 can be greatly reduced, the number of installed fans can be reduced, and the cooling stage can be shortened. In addition, since the workpiece can be dried at the same time, there is no need to provide a separate drying step, which can contribute to simplification of the step.

The cooling device of the present invention is not limited to the case where the work W is cooled as described in the above embodiment.
In short, it goes without saying that the present invention can be similarly applied to a case where it is desired to cool a heated work to a predetermined temperature as quickly as possible. Needless to say, specific embodiments of the airtight container, the lid drive mechanism, the transfer mechanism, the water supply mechanism, the evacuation means, the control means, and the like can be variously changed as necessary.

[0031]

The work cooling device of the present invention has a container body and
Constructs a work path that extends horizontally with the top lid
The work carried into the airtight container is
In order to move up and down, the previous process (for example,
Between the heating process) and the post-process (for example, the inspection process).
Cooling process in an airtight container while continuously moving
And stable heavy parts such as engine parts
It can be put in and out of the airtight container efficiently in the state. Ma
In addition, the work holder in the airtight container is supported by the top lid
Therefore, when the top lid is closed, the weight of the work
As a result, the degree of adhesion between the container body and the top lid is high.
Round. For this reason, when performing vacuum evacuation, the container
Leakage between them can be reduced. this
According to the present invention, such as, can be cooled efficiently work in a short time, it can control the degree of cooling, also horizontal
Since the cooling is efficiently performed in the airtight container in the middle of the work moving path in the direction, the space can be effectively used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a cooling device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cooling device showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the cooling device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where a work cradle of the cooling device shown in FIG. 2 is raised.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where an upper lid of the cooling device shown in FIG. 2 is closed.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a work process including a cooling process in a process order.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... airtight container, 11 ... container body, 12 ... top lid, 15 ...
Lid drive mechanism, 16: transfer mechanism, 17: water supply mechanism, 18
... Evacuating means, 19 ... Control means, 20 ... Work cooling device, W ... Work.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A base frame and a container body having an opening upward is provided on the base frame, is opposed deployed on the opening of the container body and the opening
The opening and closing of the opening is performed by raising and lowering the
An upper lid constituting an airtight container with the container main body, and an upper lid provided on the base frame and driving the upper lid up and down.
Therefore, a lid driving mechanism for opening and closing the upper lid, and a horizontal rail provided on the side of the airtight container
And a work that is provided movably along the rail and
A work support seat for placing the work support seat.
Extends between the container body and the upper lid when the lid is opened, and
Movable that constitutes the movement path of the work between the container body and the top lid
A transfer mechanism including a table, and a movable mechanism provided in the airtight container so as to be movable up and down.
The work is carried between the container body and the top lid by the table.
Work receiving table that receives the work from the movable table when
And an actuator that drives the work table up and down
A cradle drive mechanism, a water supply mechanism for spraying water to the work in the container, a vacuum means for discharging air in the container to make the inside of the container negative pressure, and a negative pressure in the container. A work cooling device comprising: control means for maintaining a predetermined time.