JP3648589B2 - Heat treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus for heating an object to be processed such as a glass substrate. Specifically, the present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus that heats a plate-like glass substrate in a horizontal state.
[0002]
In this specification, front, rear, left and right are based on FIG. 2, and the left in FIG. 2 is referred to as the front, the right is the rear, the lower is the right, and the upper is the left.
[0003]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as this kind of heat treatment apparatus, for example, there is one described in JP-A-6-317514. This heat treatment apparatus is provided with a heat treatment chamber in a furnace, and has a plurality of workpiece placement positions for supporting a plurality of plate-like workpieces in a horizontal state at intervals in the vertical direction. A workpiece support base is provided so as to be movable up and down, a workpiece inlet and a workpiece outlet through which one workpiece can pass through the furnace wall are formed in an opposing manner, and a workpiece inlet is provided outside the furnace. Are provided with a carrying-in robot for carrying in the workpiece into the furnace and a carrying-out robot for carrying out the workpiece within the furnace from the workpiece outlet.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the conventional heat treatment apparatus, when the support base is located at the lowest position in the heat treatment chamber, the uppermost placement position faces the carry-in / out port, and when the support stand is located at the uppermost position, the lowest placement position is In order to allow the support base to move up and down so as to face the loading / unloading port, it is necessary to increase the height of the heat treatment chamber, which causes a problem that the heat efficiency of the heat treatment device is deteriorated and the heat treatment device is large and expensive. .
[0005]
By the way, the heat treatment apparatus is usually installed in a clean room, and in the case of the heat treatment apparatus, it is necessary to increase the height of the clean room in order to store it. There is also the problem of becoming higher.
[0006]
The objective of this invention is providing the small and cheap heat processing apparatus excellent in thermal efficiency which solved the said subject.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is provided with a heat treatment chamber in the furnace, an opening for communicating the heat treatment chamber and the outside of the furnace is formed in the furnace wall, and a plurality of objects to be treated are formed in the heat treatment chamber. A workpiece support base having a plurality of workpiece placement positions for supporting the workpiece at intervals in the vertical direction is provided, and loading / unloading means for loading / unloading the workpiece into / from the furnace is provided outside the furnace. In the heat treatment apparatus, the opening width of the furnace wall is wider than the width of the object to be processed, and the upper edge of the opening of the furnace wall is above the uppermost object mounting position of the support base and below the opening of the furnace wall. The edge is located below the lowermost workpiece mounting position of the support base, a closing member for closing the opening of the furnace wall is provided outside the furnace, and each closing member is movable up and down. A plurality of constituent members are formed side by side, and at least one of the plurality of constituent members is By moving, it is characterized in that the object to be processed portion of the opening is opened is adapted to be loaded and unloaded.
[0008]
In this heat treatment apparatus, the support base does not move up and down, and the constituent members move up and down, so that only the part corresponding to the placement position on the opening where the workpiece to be carried in / out is placed is opened. Thus, since the object to be processed is carried in and out, the height of the heat treatment apparatus can be reduced and the size can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Moreover, since the height of the heat treatment chamber is low, the thermal efficiency is also excellent. In addition, since the opening is closed except when the workpiece is carried in and out, further excellent thermal efficiency can be obtained.
[0009]
In the heat treatment apparatus, it is preferable that the opening component does not contact the furnace wall. This is because dust is not generated by the vertical movement of the constituent members, and the cleanliness level in the heat treatment chamber can be kept high.
[0010]
Providing a forward projecting seal member at the peripheral edge of the opening of the furnace wall can reliably prevent contact between the furnace wall and the constituent members.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0012]
The heat treatment apparatus includes a furnace (1) having a heat treatment chamber (R) therein, and a loading / unloading unit that is placed in front of the furnace (1) and carries a workpiece (P) into and out of the furnace (1). A workpiece having a plurality of workpiece placement positions on which a robot (2) and a plurality of plate-like workpieces (P) are placed horizontally in the heat treatment chamber (R) with a vertical interval therebetween And an opening (4) for communicating the heat treatment chamber (R) and the outside of the furnace (1) on the front wall (1a) of the furnace (1). In addition, a pre-treatment object storage cassette (C) supporting a plurality of pre-treatment objects (P) at an interval in the vertical direction is arranged in front of the heat treatment apparatus. A post-processing object storage cassette for storing a subsequent object (P) to be processed is arranged.
[0013]
The furnace (1) is placed on the base (B). In addition, a horizontal plate (20) that divides the heat treatment chamber (R) into upper and lower portions is provided at an upper portion in the heat treatment chamber (R), and a gas circulation path is formed above the horizontal plate (20). Although not shown, a gas blowout port and a gas suction port facing inward in the left-right direction are formed at the lower end of the pipeline projecting downward at the left and right ends of the horizontal plate (20), and air is circulated from the gas suction port. Air that has been sucked into the passage and heated and purified to a predetermined temperature by a heating device and a filter (not shown) provided in the gas circulation passage is blown out horizontally from the gas outlet, and the air in the heat treatment chamber (R) is horizontal. A predetermined temperature is set below the plate (20) so that the workpiece (P) in the furnace (1) is heated.
[0014]
The horizontal width of the opening (4) of the furnace (1) is wider than the width of the workpiece (P), and the upper edge of the opening (4) is the uppermost cover placed on the support base (3). The lower edge of the opening (4) is positioned below the processing object (P) and below the lowermost processing object (P) placed on the support base (3).
[0015]
A closing member (5) for closing the opening (4) is disposed in front of the furnace (1). The closing member (5) is formed by vertically arranging a plurality of vertical plate-shaped components (5a) that can move up and down. Note that the opening (4) is fully closed when each constituent member (5a) is at the lowest position that each constituent member (5a) can take. In the present embodiment, the number of component members (5a) is five, but the number of component members (5a) is not limited to this.
[0016]
Each of the constituent members (5a) is arranged so as not to directly contact the furnace (1). Between the edge of the opening (4) and the component member (5a), for example, a short square cylindrical seal (14) made of polytetrafluoroethylene is disposed. Further, a gap is provided between the seal (14) and the component member (5a).
[0017]
The constituent member (5a) is provided so as to be movable up and down as described below. On the left side of the opening (4) on the outer surface of the front wall (1a) of the furnace (1), a cross-sectional rectangular guide member (6) extending vertically is fixed. On the other hand, at the position corresponding to the guide member (6) on the rear surface of the component member (5a), a substantially concave member (7) having a rear opening in cross section is fixed, and this concave member (7) A cross-sectional groove-shaped member (10) that is vertically slidably fitted and that extends vertically on the right side of the opening (4) on the outer surface of the front wall (1a) of the furnace (1) and opens to the left. It is fixed via a mounting member (9) having an L-shaped cross section. On the other hand, a roller (8) rotating around a horizontal axis extending in the left-right direction is attached to the right edge of the component member (5a), and this roller (8) is rotatably fitted in the groove of the channel member (10). It is put.
[0018]
An air cylinder mounting member (13) having a horizontal plate shape protruding forward is fixed to the upper left part of the front surface of each component member (5a). An air cylinder mounting member (11) having a horizontal plate-like portion protruding upward from the upper surface of the base (B) is fixed to the base (B). An air cylinder (12) is provided on the upper surface of each mounting member (13) excluding the uppermost component member (5a) and on the upper surface of the horizontal portion of the mounting member (11) fixed to the base (B). The rod (12a) is fixed so as to extend upward, and the upper end of the rod (12a) is fixed to the lower surface of the mounting member (13) positioned above each air cylinder (12). When the rod (12a) of one air cylinder (12) rises, the component member (5a) fixed to the rod (12a) of the air cylinder (12) via the mounting member (13) and the The component member (5a) located above the component member (5a) and the air cylinder (12) located above the air cylinder (12) where the rod (12a) is raised move together. .
[0019]
The loading / unloading robot (2) includes a fork (2a) for lifting the workpiece (P), first and second arms (2b) (2c) for moving the fork (2a) in the horizontal direction, and both arms (2b ) (2c) is provided. The robot (2) can be moved up and down by a driving device (not shown). This loading / unloading robot (2) is a known one and will not be described in detail.
[0020]
The workpiece mounting support (3) is positioned behind the four columns (3a) and the four columns (3a) arranged so as to be positioned at the four corners of the square when viewed from above. There are two struts (3b) arranged after the two struts (3a) and at a distance narrower than the left-right distance between the rear two struts (3a). The four struts (3a) described above protrude inward in the left-right direction, and the two support struts (3b) described later have support claws (3c) protruding forward at equal intervals vertically. The workpiece (P) is placed on the support claw (3c).
[0021]
In the heat treatment apparatus configured as described above, for example, the workpiece (P) is placed at the lowest placement position on the workpiece placement support base (3) or the lowest placement position is set. When the workpiece (P) is taken out, all the five structural members (5a) are opened by a necessary amount, that is, an opening (4a) that can pass through the fork (2a) on which one workpiece (P) is placed. ) Move upward to release. In this way, the lowermost portion of the opening (4), that is, the portion corresponding to the lowest placement position on the workpiece placement support base (3) is opened.
[0022]
When placing the workpiece (P) on the top of the workpiece placement support (3) or taking out the workpiece (P) at the uppermost placement position, the uppermost component ( Only 5a) moves upward, and the uppermost portion of the opening (4), that is, the portion corresponding to the uppermost placement position on the workpiece placement support base (3) is opened.
[0023]
In this way, the component (5a) positioned in front of the opening (4) that needs to be opened and the component (5a) positioned above the upper portion move upward, so that the opening (4) A part is opened, and the workpiece (P) is carried in or out from the opened part.
[0024]
When the workpiece (P) has been loaded and unloaded, the rod (12a) of the air cylinder (12) descends, so that the component (5a) that has moved upward moves downward and returns to the basic position, opening the (4) is closed.
[0025]
In such a heat treatment apparatus, the maximum upward movement amount of the component member (5a) is an amount necessary for opening only the necessary portion of the opening (4), and is extremely small. For this reason, the component (5a) does not protrude upward from the furnace (1), or even if it protrudes, the amount of protrusion is extremely small. For this reason, the height of the clean room which accommodates this heat processing apparatus can be made low. Further, by adjusting the opening amount of the opening (4), a plurality of workpieces (P) can be carried in / out at a time if necessary.
[0026]
In the heat treatment apparatus of the above embodiment, a part of the opening (4) is opened by the upward movement of the component member (5a), but the structure of the heat treatment apparatus is not limited to the above. is not. That is, the opening may be opened by moving the constituent member downward.
[0027]
Next, a heat treatment apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the same components and parts as those shown in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
[0028]
In this heat treatment apparatus, the mechanism for moving the component (5a) up and down is different from the heat treatment apparatus of the first embodiment. Although the mechanism for moving the constituent member (5a) up and down is provided on the left and right, the configuration is the same except that the left and right directions are different. Therefore, the constituent member (5a) shown in FIG. The right-hand mechanism to be moved will be described, and the left-hand mechanism for moving the constituent member (5a) up and down will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.
[0029]
On the right side of the opening (4) of the front wall (1a) in the furnace (1), a rod-like member (25) extending vertically is provided rotatably. Further, a male screw-like member (26) extending vertically is provided rotatably on the right side of the rod-like member (25) of the front wall (1a) in the furnace (1). The rod-shaped member (25) has a substantially elliptical hook member (27) in plan view for moving the component member (5a) up and down, and is slidable up and down with respect to the rod-shaped member (25). And it is attached so that it may not rotate with respect to a rod-shaped member (25). On the other hand, the female thread portion (28a) of the horizontal plate member (28) is screwed to the male thread member (26) via a ball (not shown). The left end of the horizontal plate member (28) is fitted into a notch formed on the periphery of the hook member (27).
[0030]
The male screw member (26) is connected to the motor shaft of the stepping motor (29). Further, a concave member (32) having a substantially rear opening in cross section is fixed to the rear surface of the horizontal plate member (28), and the concave member (32) extends vertically fixed to the front wall (1a) in the furnace (1). It is fitted into the rectangular cross-section member (31) so as to be slidable in the vertical direction.
[0031]
The rod-like member (25) is connected at its lower end to a cylinder rod extending in the left-right direction of the air cylinder (30) fixed to the base (B) via a link (34), and the right and left of the rod of the air cylinder (30). The rod-like member (25) is rotated by the movement in the direction. Further, a notch (5b) is formed at the lower right end of the component member (5a).
[0032]
In the heat treatment apparatus configured as described above, for example, in order to lift the component member (5a) and open a part of the opening (4), the following is described. First, the horizontal plate member (28) and the hook member (27) are integrally moved up and down by the rotation of the motor (29), and the hook member is at substantially the same height as the notch (5b) of the component member (5a) to be lifted. Position (27). Next, the rod-shaped member (25) and the hook-shaped member (27) are rotated by the cylinder (30). Then, the rotation is stopped in a state where the major axis of the hook-like member (27) extends in the left-right direction and the left end portion of the hook-like member (27) is located in the notch (5b) of the component member (5a). In this state, the motor (29) is rotated to raise the horizontal plate member (28) and the hook member (27) together, and the component member (5a) is lifted to open a part of the opening (4).
[0033]
In order to lower the raised component member (5a), the horizontal plate member (28) and the hook member (27) may be lowered by rotating the motor (29) contrary to the previous case. That is, when the hook member (27) is lowered, the component member (5a) is lowered together with the hook member (27) by its own weight and is positioned at the basic position.
[0034]
Also in the heat treatment apparatus of the second embodiment, the maximum upward movement amount of the component member (5a) is an amount necessary for opening only the necessary part of the opening (4), and becomes very small. The same effect as the heat treatment apparatus of the embodiment is achieved.
[0035]
In the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, the configuration of each part can be changed as appropriate. An inclined portion may be formed on a part or all of the lower surface of the component member, and an inclined portion corresponding to the inclined portion may be formed on the upper surface to improve the sealing performance when the opening is closed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a heat treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of a dynamic heat treatment apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the main part of the heat treatment apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the heat treatment apparatus.
FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 of a heat treatment apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
(1) Furnace
(1a) Front wall
(3) Workpiece support table
(4) Opening
(5) Closing member
(5a) Components
(14) Seal
(P) Workpiece
(R) Heat treatment room

Claims (3)

A heat treatment chamber is provided in the furnace, and an opening for communicating the heat treatment chamber and the outside of the furnace is formed in the furnace wall, and a plurality of objects to be processed are supported in the heat treatment chamber at intervals in the vertical direction. In a heat treatment apparatus in which a workpiece support base having a mounting position is provided and a loading / unloading means for loading / unloading the workpiece into / from the furnace is provided outside the furnace, the opening width of the furnace wall is The upper edge of the furnace wall opening is wider than the uppermost workpiece mounting position on the support base, and the lower edge of the furnace wall opening is the lowermost workpiece mounting position on the support base. It is made to be located below each,
A closing member for closing the opening of the furnace wall is provided outside the furnace,
The closing member is formed by vertically arranging a plurality of constituent members that are movable up and down,
A heat treatment apparatus characterized in that when at least one of a plurality of constituent members moves up and down, a part of the opening is opened and an object to be processed is carried in and out. 2. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each component member is arranged so as not to contact the furnace wall. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a forward projecting seal member is provided at an opening peripheral edge of the furnace wall.

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