JP3234204B2 - Method and apparatus for cleaning articles etc. - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for cleaning small mechanical parts such as rivets, electronic parts and articles such as printed circuit boards, and more particularly to small mechanical parts without using a cleaning solvent such as trichloroethylene. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for degreasing and cleaning objects to be cleaned such as electronic parts, printed circuit boards and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 3-127683 discloses a method of arranging an object to be cleaned of an electronic component or a printed circuit board in a flow of superheated steam, and removing a stain on the object to be cleaned by the flow of superheated steam. A method is described. Since this method uses superheated steam without using a chlorine-based organic solvent such as trichloroethylene, there is an advantage that pollution can be prevented from occurring.

[0003]

However, in the cleaning method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-127683, since the dirt on the object to be cleaned is removed by the flow of the superheated steam, the boiler, the superheater and the condensate are used. Equipment and the like are required, the configuration of the whole system becomes complicated, and the running cost of the system is high. In addition, since the superheated steam is used, there is a concern that an object to be cleaned of an electronic component or a printed circuit board may be heated to a high temperature and may be affected by the heating.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to maintain environmental friendliness without using a solvent such as trichloroethylene and to prevent adverse effects due to high temperatures on small articles such as mechanical parts, electronic parts and printed circuit boards. Another object of the present invention is to provide a degreasing method and apparatus having a simple system configuration and a low running cost.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a method for cleaning an article or the like to be cleaned according to the present invention, wherein water is supplied to a sealable steam generation container, the water in the steam generation container is heated, and the steam generation container is charged. Pressure to produce cold steam;
A step of supplying steam, as injected into the cleaning vessel which is in and the negative pressure is held to be washed are housed, the ejection
Flowing steam for a certain period of time to degrease and clean the object to be cleaned by the steam flow. As a result, the washing is carried out with steam such as tap water, so that environmental considerations are maintained without using a solvent such as trichlorethylene and the like, and the steam is made under a negative pressure. The temperature is as low as about ° C., and the object to be cleaned is not heated to a high temperature. Furthermore, the high-speed flow of
The object to be cleaned is degreased and cleaned in a very short time.
Can be washed. In addition, in the above-mentioned cleaning method, after stopping the ejection of steam into the cleaning container, it is preferable that the method further includes a step of maintaining a negative pressure in the cleaning container, or a step of heating the object to be cleaned, Thus, the object to be cleaned after the cleaning can be dried.

[0006] An apparatus for cleaning an article or the like to be cleaned according to the present invention comprises a steam generating vessel to which a water supply pipe is connected, a vacuum pump for making the steam generating vessel a negative pressure, and a vacuum pump inside the negative pressure steam generating vessel. Heating means for heating water to generate low-temperature steam, a washing container for accommodating an object to be washed, a vacuum pump for applying a negative pressure to the washing container, and a method for jetting steam in the steam generating container to the washing container. It is supplied to the flow a certain period the steam jet, the steam
Means for degrease and cleaning the object to be cleaned by the flow . As described above, the cleaning device according to the present invention includes:
Since a boiler, a superheater, a condenser, and the like are not required, the configuration of the entire system is extremely simplified, and the running cost of the system can be reduced. In addition,
The object to be cleaned is degreased and cleaned by the high-speed steam
Can be cleaned in a short period of time. In the above-described cleaning apparatus, the cleaning apparatus includes a cleaning tank capable of accommodating a plurality of cleaning vessels, and a means for heating the cleaning vessel is disposed around the plurality of cleaning vessels accommodated in the cleaning tank. Is preferred. Further, the vacuum pump for negatively setting the pressure in the steam generation container and the vacuum pump for negatively setting the cleaning container are the same vacuum pump, and the vacuum pump is connected to the cleaning tank to make the cleaning tank negative. It is preferable that the housed washing container is under a negative pressure. Alternatively, the vacuum pump and the steam generation container may be directly connected to make the steam generation container have a negative pressure.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a method of cleaning an object to be cleaned such as an article, wherein the step of arranging the object to be cleaned in a sealable cleaning container and applying a negative pressure to the cleaning container. ,
To generate a low-temperature steam by vaporizing expansion by spraying warm water to the washing vessel of the negative pressure, accompanied with the vaporized and expanded to be cleaned
Flowing the steam to be ejected for a predetermined period of time to degrease and clean the object to be cleaned by the steam flow . According to this method, consideration for the environment is maintained without using a solvent such as trichlorethylene, and since the steam is made under a negative pressure, the temperature of the steam is low and the object to be cleaned cannot be heated to a high temperature. In addition to the advantage that no steam is generated, the low-temperature steam is generated in the washing vessel without using the steam generating vessel, so that it is not necessary to supply steam to the washing vessel. In addition, the high-speed flow of
Degreasing the cleaning material, so it can be cleaned in a very short time
You. In this cleaning method, it is preferable that the vapor flow passing through the cleaning object is sucked out of the cleaning container.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for cleaning an object to be cleaned, such as an article, comprising a sealable cleaning container capable of accommodating and arranging the object to be cleaned, a vacuum pump for applying a negative pressure to the cleaning container, by injecting hot water into one end of the cleaning container, so as to generate a low-temperature steam by vaporizing expansion in the cleaning vessel of the negative pressure, one steam jetted along with the vaporized and expanded to be cleaned
The cleaning object is degreased and washed by the steam flow for a fixed period.
And a hot water injection means that, provided the other end of the cleaning container, the flow of the vapor to degreasing through the object to be cleaned, characterized in that it consists of a means for sucking the steam to the outside A cleaning device is provided. According to this device, a boiler, a superheater, a condenser, and the like are not required, and a steam generation container and a system for supplying steam are not required. Therefore, the configuration of the entire system is further simplified, and Running costs can be further reduced. And squirt
The object to be cleaned is degreased and cleaned by high-speed steam flow, so
Cleaning in a short period of time.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a cleaning apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The cleaning apparatus 1 includes a steam generation container 2 that is a sealable vacuum container, a cleaning tank 3 that forms a sealable cleaning chamber, and a vacuum pump 5 that maintains the inside thereof at a negative pressure. The washing tank 3 can accommodate a plurality of washing containers 6 for accommodating small mechanical parts such as rivets. The vacuum pump 5 for evacuating the steam generation container 2 and the cleaning tank 3 may be shared by one as shown in the drawing. You may have two. Further, the reason why the cleaning tank 3 is set to the negative pressure is to maintain each cleaning container 6 at the negative pressure. Therefore, instead of the vacuum pump 5, a vacuum pump for setting each of the cleaning containers 6 to vacuum independently is used. It can also be provided.

A line 11 from a water supply source such as tap water is connected to the steam generation container 2 via a valve 10 so that water is supplied to the steam generation container 2. A heater 13 as a heating means for heating the supplied water is arranged on the bottom surface of the steam generation container 2. This heater 13
The external power supply 14 controls its on / off.
Further, a line 15 extends from the upper part of the steam generation vessel 2, and this line 15 reaches the upper end of the cleaning vessel 6 arranged in the cleaning tank 3 through the valve 17, and the steam generated in the steam generation vessel 2 is discharged therefrom. It is sent to the cleaning container 6. In the steam generation vessel 2, since the pressure can be maintained at a negative pressure, steam at a temperature lower than 100 ° C. is obtained. Normally, the degree of vacuum is 650 mmHg
If it is near, it will boil sufficiently at 50 ° C. For the generation of the low-temperature steam, the water in the steam generation container 2 may be heated by a heater while maintaining the inside of the steam generation container 2 at a negative pressure of a predetermined degree of vacuum. C. to 80.degree. C., preferably 60.degree. C.), and the inside of the container may be set to a negative pressure. Further, heating and vacuum suction may be performed simultaneously. Although not shown, it is preferable to provide a sensor or the like to know the temperature and pressure inside the steam generation container 2.

The cleaning tank 3 has a valve 1 from a vacuum pump 5.
A line 18 is connected through 8 to bring the washing tank 3 to a negative pressure. A pressure gauge 21 may be provided in the middle of the line 18 to monitor the pressure of the washing tank. On the bottom of the cleaning tank 2, a drain line 22 is provided for discharging moisture caused by steam passing through the cleaning container 6.
Further, a heater 23 is provided as heating means for heating the cleaning container 6 from outside. The heater 23 is for removing (evaporating) water from the object to be cleaned in the cleaning container 6. Since the washing container 6 is maintained at a negative pressure, its water content can evaporate at a low temperature.
It is not necessary to raise the temperature of 3 as well.

Each cleaning vessel 6 has a steam generation vessel 2 at the upper end.
Is connected to supply low-temperature steam to the washing vessel 6. This steam is supplied so as to jet to the cleaning container 6. In a portion other than the upper end and the lower end of the cleaning container 6, a large amount of objects 26 to be cleaned such as rivets are stored. The lower end of the cleaning container 6 communicates with a cleaning chamber formed inside the cleaning tank 3, and the cleaning chamber is set at a negative pressure by the vacuum pump 5. And is discharged to the lower end. With this steam flow, dirt (especially oily dirt) on the object to be cleaned is removed and degreased and cleaned. The method of holding the object 26 may be arbitrarily selected. However, it is preferable to hold the object so that the steam easily flows while maintaining the speed of the object and that the steam contacts the surface of each object to be cleaned as much as possible.

The shape of the washing container 6 is such that, for example, for a part having a hole such as a rivet or other mechanical part or an electronic part, or for an article having a complicated shape, the steam is easy to flow while maintaining the speed, and each part is covered with steam. It may be of such a degree as to regulate as much as possible to contact the surface of the cleaning object, and for example, it may be formed in a cylindrical shape. However, when it is a plate-like member such as a printed circuit board, it is formed in a box shape that can accommodate it. Further, unless steam is applied two-dimensionally to the surface of the printed circuit board, the cleaning effect cannot be obtained. Therefore, a large number of linear nozzles (connected to the line 15) are arranged in two rows in the box-shaped washing container so as to face each other. If the plate-like member passes between the two rows of nozzle groups, the vapor from each nozzle flows along the surface of the plate-like member, and it becomes possible to remove dirt on the surface. Further, in the case of cleaning such a plate-like member, the cleaning container may be eliminated, the plate-like member may be held in the cleaning tank 3, and the nozzles may be provided in two rows to perform surface cleaning. .

Next, the operation of cleaning small mechanical parts using the cleaning apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described. Water is supplied from a water supply source such as a water supply to the steam generation container 2 through the line 11. Next, the water is heated to 20 ° C. to 80 ° C. (60 ° C. in the experimental example) by the heater 13, and
The vacuum pump 5 is operated to open the valve 17 and maintain the vapor generation vessel 2 at a negative pressure through the line 15. As a result, low-temperature steam is generated, and the valve 17 is opened and the line 1 is opened.
The cleaning liquid is supplied to each cleaning container 6 of the cleaning tank 2 through the cleaning tank 5.
From the nozzle 25 at the end of the line 15 provided at the upper end of each washing container 6, low-temperature steam is jetted into the washing container. The cleaning container 6 is filled with dirty small mechanical parts to be cleaned 26. On the other hand, since the vacuum in the cleaning chamber of the cleaning tank 3 is made negative by the vacuum pump 5, the steam flows at a high speed in the cleaning container, and the dirty small machine parts (the cleaning object 26) are degreased and cleaned. After the cleaning is completed, the small machine parts to be cleaned 26 are wet due to the temperature difference between the steam and the parts. Therefore, the supply of the steam is stopped, the vacuum pump 5 is directly operated to maintain the negative pressure in the cleaning vessel, and the heater is heated. 2
By turning on 3, the temperature of the object 26 is raised (about 80 ° C.). As a result, the residual moisture of the object 26 was completely evaporated. Therefore, there is no need to separately install a drying device.

In the cleaning of a printed circuit board (plate-like member), as described above, a large number of linear nozzles are arranged in two rows in the cleaning chamber and are opposed to each other. Let it pass. As a result, dirt on both sides of the plate member is removed along the surface. After completion of the cleaning, the supply of steam is stopped, the negative pressure in the cleaning chamber containing the plate-like member to be cleaned is kept as it is, and the plate-like member is heated by the heater 23. Eliminates the need for drying equipment.

It is generally considered that when high-temperature steam is sprayed onto a machine part to which oil has adhered, the oil evaporates due to the heat energy of the steam, and then the oil is carried away by the flow velocity. However, according to experiments performed by the inventors of the present application,
A degreasing and cleaning effect was obtained even with low-temperature steam. Therefore, it is considered that the degreasing cleaning is based on the mechanical (physical) scraping by the flow rate rather than the evaporation effect by the high temperature. Also,
It was also found that the regulation of the direction of the steam flow enables efficient and efficient cleaning of the inside of the hole of the component. Further, in the case of cleaning the inside of a part having a hole such as a rivet, the part is filled in a container for regulating the flow direction of steam, and the container is placed in a vacuum. Experiments have confirmed that the same effect as that obtained by using superheated steam can be obtained. A feature of the low-temperature steam cleaning is that the effect of the thermal strain on the object to be cleaned is not given at all or can be negligibly small. For this reason, it is suitable for cleaning not only small mechanical parts but also electronic parts and printed circuit boards. In particular, the energy efficiency of the low-temperature steam generator is much higher than that of the superheated steam generator described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-127683, the number of components constituting the system is small, the management of water to be used is easy, and Economical system.

In the washing test of the plate-like member, the machine sludge, carbonized machine oil, and the fibrous soil were both thoroughly washed by jetting for one minute. In a rivet washing experiment, a rivet was filled in a cylindrical washing container for regulating the flow of steam, and the washing container was set in a washing room. After 1 minute of steam injection, close the valve and close
A vacuum was applied for a minute. As a result, the inside of the rivet body was completely degreased.

FIG. 2 shows a cleaning apparatus 30 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, no steam generation vessel is provided. The cleaning device 30 includes a sealable cleaning container 31 capable of housing and arranging an object 26 to be cleaned such as a small mechanical part.
And a line 35 for supplying warm water to one end of the washing container 31 via a valve 34 and a vacuum pump 33 for applying a negative pressure to the washing container.
And a nozzle 37 provided at the end of the line 35 for injecting hot water so as to generate low-temperature steam in the negative-pressure cleaning vessel. The vacuum pump 33 controls the flow of the low-temperature steam. A valve 38 and a separator 39 are provided at the other end of the cleaning vessel 31 so as to be sucked to the outside through the object 26 to be cleaned.
And a line 41. The separator 3
Numeral 9 is for separating the steam flow and the moisture accompanying the object to be cleaned from the exhaust steam flow.

The operation of the cleaning apparatus 30 according to the second embodiment will be described. The object to be cleaned 26 such as a rivet is filled in the cleaning container, and the degree of vacuum is increased by a vacuum pump 33 to maintain the pressure at a negative pressure. Open valve 34 and pass nozzle 35 through line 35
7 is supplied with warm water. Hot water is sprayed from the nozzle 37 in a mist state. In the cleaning container 31, since the inside is maintained at a negative pressure, the hot water is vaporized and expanded to generate steam,
The vapor flow flows through the packed layer of the object 26, and the object 26 is degreased and cleaned by the vapor flow. After washing, the valve 34 of the hot water is closed, and the vacuum pump 33 is operated as it is.
The inside of the washing vessel is kept under vacuum to evaporate residual moisture. If necessary, the temperature of the object 26 can be raised by an external heater (not shown) or the like, so that the evaporation can be made faster.

FIG. 3 shows a cleaning apparatus 45 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a plurality of cleaning containers 47 similar to the cleaning container 31 of the cleaning device of the second embodiment are accommodated in a cleaning tank 46 similar to the cleaning tank of the cleaning device of the first embodiment. . In the cleaning device 45, each of the cleaning containers 47 capable of housing the object to be cleaned 26 such as small mechanical parts is opened at the outlet portion 49 toward the cleaning tank 46, and the low-temperature steam is discharged into the cleaning tank. It is supposed to. The cleaning tank 46
Is provided with a vacuum pump 50, and the inside of the cleaning tank is maintained at a negative pressure. Further, the cleaning tank 46 is provided with a valve 51 and a drain line 53, through which moisture due to steam passing through the cleaning container 47 is discharged. Hot water
Hot water is supplied from a common supply line 54 to a selected cleaning container 47 via a valve 55 and a nozzle 57 provided on the inlet side of each cleaning container 47, and low-temperature steam is generated in the containers. Each cleaning container 4 is provided on the outer periphery of the plurality of cleaning containers 47.
A heater 58 for externally heating the heater 7 is provided to remove (evaporate) water from the object to be cleaned in the cleaning container 47. Since each cleaning vessel 6 is maintained at a negative pressure in the cleaning tank, its moisture can be evaporated at a low temperature, and the temperature of the heater 46 does not need to be raised.

The operation of the cleaning device 45 according to the third embodiment will be described. The cleaning object 2 such as a small mechanical part is placed in each cleaning container 47.
6, and the vacuum in the washing tank is increased by the vacuum pump 50 to maintain a negative pressure. The selected valve 55 is opened, and the hot water from the line 54 is sprayed from the corresponding nozzle 57 into the cleaning container 47 in a mist state. Since each cleaning container 47 is maintained at a negative pressure by opening the outlet portion 49 to the negative pressure cleaning tank 46, the hot water is vaporized and expanded to generate steam, and the steam flow is generated by the cleaning object 26. Flows through the packed bed of
The cleaning object 26 is degreased and cleaned by the vapor flow. After the washing, the valve 55 is closed to stop the supply of the hot water, the vacuum pump 50 is operated as it is, the inside of the washing tank 46 is maintained at a negative pressure, and the residual moisture is evaporated. In this case, the heater 58 is heated to raise the temperature of the object 26 to be cleaned.
Evaporation can be faster. Since the pressure in the washing tank is maintained at a negative pressure, the moisture can be evaporated at a low temperature, and the temperature of the heater 46 does not need to be increased.

[0022]

According to the present invention, since washing is performed with steam such as tap water, environmental considerations are maintained without using a solvent such as trichloroethylene, and steam is generated under negative pressure. The temperature of the steam is low, and the object to be cleaned is not heated to a high temperature and has no thermal distortion. Since the cleaning device according to the present invention does not require a boiler, a superheater, a condenser, or the like, the configuration of the entire system is extremely simplified, and the running cost of the system can be reduced. According to another aspect of the present invention, in addition to the advantages described above, the generation of low-temperature steam is performed without using a steam generation vessel.
The cleaning is performed in the cleaning container, and the trouble of supplying steam to the cleaning container can be eliminated. Further, in addition to not requiring a boiler, a superheater, a condenser, etc., a steam generation vessel and a steam supply system are also unnecessary, so that the configuration of the entire system is further simplified, and the running cost of the system is further reduced. Can be suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a cleaning apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a cleaning apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a cleaning apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning device 2 Steam generation container 3 Cleaning tank 5 Vacuum pump 6 Cleaning container 10, 17, 18 Valve 11, 15, 19 Line 13 Heater 14 External source device 25 Nozzle 26 Object to be cleaned 30 Cleaning device 33 Vacuum pump 34, 38 Valves 35, 41 Line 37 Nozzle 39 Separator 45 Cleaning device 46 Cleaning tank 47 Cleaning container 49 Cleaning container outlet 57 Nozzle 58 Heater

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-5-123658 (JP, A) JP-A-3-30330 (JP, A) JP-A-50-65055 (JP, A) JP-A 8- 158080 (JP, A) JP-A-9-186127 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B08B 3/00-3/10

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method for cleaning an object to be cleaned, such as an article, comprising supplying water to a sealable steam generation container, heating the water in the steam generation container, and reducing the pressure of the steam generation container to a negative pressure. and generating steam, the steam, the steps of supplying to eject the objects to be cleaned are housed and held and washing the containers to negative pressure, the steam flow to flow a certain period of time the steam jet Cleaning the object to be cleaned. 2. The cleaning method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of maintaining a negative pressure in the cleaning container after stopping the ejection of steam into the cleaning container. . 3. The cleaning method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of heating the object to be cleaned after stopping the ejection of the steam into the cleaning container. 4. An apparatus for cleaning an object to be cleaned, such as an article, comprising: a steam generation container connected to a water supply pipe; a vacuum pump for making the steam generation container negative pressure; Heating means for heating water to generate low-temperature steam; a washing container for accommodating the object to be washed; a vacuum pump for applying a negative pressure to the washing container; and steam in the steam generating container to the washing container. is supplied to eject flowed a certain period the steam jet cleaning apparatus characterized by comprising a means for degreasing the object to be cleaned than <br/> the steam flow. 5. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a cleaning tank capable of accommodating a plurality of said cleaning containers. 6. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of cleaning containers housed in the cleaning tank are provided on an outer periphery thereof.
A cleaning device, wherein means for heating the cleaning container is provided. 7. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the vacuum pump for applying a negative pressure to the steam generation container and the vacuum pump for applying a negative pressure to the cleaning container are the same vacuum pump. A cleaning apparatus connected to a cleaning tank, wherein the pressure of the cleaning tank is reduced so that the contained cleaning container is reduced in pressure. 8. A method of cleaning an object to be cleaned such as an article, wherein the step of disposing the object to be cleaned in a sealable cleaning container and applying a negative pressure to the cleaning container includes the steps of: Injecting warm water into the container to generate low-temperature steam by vaporization and expansion, and to vaporize the object to be cleaned.
Cleaning the object to be cleaned by flowing steam spouted along with the expansion for a certain period of time and cleaning the object to be cleaned with the steam flow . 9. The cleaning method according to claim 8 , wherein a vapor flow passing through the cleaning object is sucked out of a cleaning container. 10. An apparatus for cleaning an object to be cleaned, such as an article, comprising: a sealable cleaning container capable of housing and disposing the object to be cleaned; a vacuum pump for applying a negative pressure to the cleaning container; and one end of the cleaning container. by injecting hot water, to generate a low-temperature steam by vaporizing expansion in the cleaning vessel of the negative pressure, to be cleaned by the steam flow of steam to be ejected along with the vaporized and expanded to the object to be cleaned by passing a certain period Degreasing and cleaning of objects
And a hot water injection means for the vacuum pump, cleaning apparatus flow of the vapor to be sucked to the outside through the object to be cleaned, characterized in that it is connected to the other end of the cleaning container.