JP5556759B2 - Heat treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus capable of efficiently performing heat treatment such as firing in a predetermined gas atmosphere.

  For example, there are cases where it is desired to heat-treat the workpiece under a predetermined gas atmosphere, such as when firing ceramic electronic components in a reducing atmosphere. In such a case, a roller hearth kiln furnace is conventionally used as shown in Patent Document 1 below, for example.

  According to this roller hearth furnace, a gas supply pipe is provided at the upper part of the heating chamber, and a gas discharge port is provided at the lower part of the heating chamber to efficiently discharge the gas. Moreover, in this kiln furnace, the setter in which the to-be-processed object is set is conveyed with the roller inside the heating chamber.

  However, in the conventional kiln furnace, the gas supplied from the gas supply pipe hardly hits the non-processed object in the heating chamber, and the gas discharged from the gas discharge port through the gap between the transfer rollers is not. Is almost. In particular, when the non-processed material is a small electronic component and is housed in a large number in the setter, the atmosphere gas may not spread well to the gaps between the non-processed material.

JP-A-6-323738

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment apparatus capable of efficiently bringing almost the entire amount of atmospheric gas to be supplied into contact with an object to be processed.

In order to achieve the above object, a heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
A breathable setter that accommodates an object to be heat treated;
A heat-treating apparatus having a pair of non-breathable setter receiving portions that hold the breathable setter movably in the conveying direction inside the heating chamber,
The breathable setter has a breathability only in the housing area in which the workpiece is accommodated,
A pair of the setter receiving part and the breathable setter divides the transverse section of the heating chamber into a gas supply chamber and a gas exhaust chamber,
Gas supply means for supplying atmospheric gas to the gas supply chamber is provided in the gas supply chamber,
Gas exhaust means for exhausting atmospheric gas in the gas exhaust chamber is provided in the gas exhaust chamber,
Gas distribution between the gas supply chamber and the gas exhaust chamber is difficult on both sides of the air-permeable setter in a direction intersecting the transport direction, and gas mainly flows through the accommodating area of the air-permeable setter. Therefore, the pair of setter receiving portions hold non-venting portions provided on both sides of the breathable setter.

  In the heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention, the non-venting portion of the breathable setter is held by the non-breathable setter receiving portion, so that on both sides of the breathable setter, between the gas supply chamber and the gas exhaust chamber. The air permeability is hindered. Therefore, between the gas supply chamber and the gas exhaust chamber, it is possible to mainly circulate gas through the accommodation area of the air permeable setter.

  That is, almost all of the atmospheric gas flowing into the gas supply chamber always passes through the storage area of the breathable setter (the area where the object to be processed is stored), and almost all of the supplied atmospheric gas is efficiently processed. The gas utilization efficiency is improved.

  Preferably, the air permeable setter includes a metal net that forms the storage area in which the object to be processed is stored, and a heat-resistant frame member that forms the non-venting portion. The frame member has a function of closing the gap so that the atmospheric gas does not flow in a region other than the metal net, while realizing strength sufficient to withstand conveyance. In addition, since the metal net does not absorb heat wastefully compared to a ceramic setter, less energy is required to heat the workpiece. Furthermore, by using a combination of a metal net and a frame member as the air-permeable setter, the atmosphere gas flow path can be limited to an accommodation region in which an object to be processed is accommodated.

  Preferably, a plurality of the air permeable setters are held in a pair of the setter receiving portions in a row along the transport direction so that the adjacent air permeable setters contact each other inside the heating chamber. Has been. Preferably, the pusher device that moves the plurality of breathable setters in a row in the transport direction by pushing the upstream air-permeable setter along the transport direction in the transport direction is a heat treatment apparatus. Further has.

  With this configuration, it is possible to move the breathable setter in the transport direction while maintaining a state where the gas supply chamber and the gas exhaust chamber are partitioned.

  Preferably, each inner edge of a pair of said setter receiving part is holding the said non-ventilated part so that it may not overlap with the said accommodating area | region of the said air permeable setter. By comprising in this way, atmospheric gas can be reliably flowed to the whole area | region of the air permeability area | region where a to-be-processed object is accommodated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the breathable setter shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the arrangement of the air-permeable setter inside the heating chamber. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VV shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a heat treatment apparatus 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a heating furnace 4. Inside the heating furnace 4, a breathable setter 10 in which objects to be processed are accommodated is movable along the first transport direction A <b> 1 by a pusher device 60 described later.

  An inlet side preliminary chamber 4 a is connected to the inlet of the heating furnace 4, and the breathable setter 10 in which the object to be processed before heating in the heating furnace 4 is accommodated can be preheated. Further, an outlet side preliminary chamber 4 b is connected to the outlet of the heating furnace 4, so that the air-permeable setter 10 in which the object to be processed heated in the heating furnace 4 is accommodated can be gradually cooled.

  The inlet side replacement chamber 5a is connected to the inlet side spare chamber 4a so that the air-permeable setter 10 transferred from the second transfer direction A2 can enter the inlet side replacement chamber 5a. The breathable setter 10 is fed into the inlet side spare chamber 4a through the inlet side replacement chamber 5a, thereby preventing outside air from entering the inlet side spare chamber 4a and the heating chamber 4.

  Further, the outlet side replacement chamber 4b is connected to the outlet side replacement chamber 5b, and the breathable setter 10 transported from the outlet side preliminary chamber 4b in the third transport direction A3 is placed in the outlet side replacement chamber 5b. It is supposed to be inserted. By transporting the air-permeable setter 10 to the outside through the outlet-side replacement chamber 5b, outside air is prevented from entering the outlet-side preliminary chamber 4b and the heating chamber 4.

  The breathable setter 10 transported in the third transport direction A3 through the outlet-side replacement chamber 5b is changed in the transport direction by the direction changing unit 70a, sent to the fourth transport direction A4 by the return conveyor 70, and the direction changing unit 70b. Then, the transfer direction is changed to the second transfer direction A2, and the sheet is sent into the inlet side replacement chamber 5a. That is, the air-permeable setter 10 is circulated in the first transport direction A1, the third transport direction A3, the fourth transport direction A4, and the second transport direction A2.

  In the present embodiment, the first transport direction A1 and the fourth transport direction A4 are parallel but opposite in direction, and the second transport direction A2 and third transport direction A3 are parallel but reverse in direction. However, it is not limited to such a relationship. For example, it is only necessary to form a circulation path in which the air-permeable setter 10 exiting from the heating furnace 4 is sent to the inlet of the heating furnace 4 again, and the conveyance direction is not particularly limited.

  As shown in FIG. 3, each of the air-permeable setters 10 includes a metal net 12 that constitutes an accommodation area in which an object to be treated is accommodated, and a heat-resistant frame member 14 that constitutes a non-ventilated portion. The frame member 14 has a function of closing the gap so that the atmospheric gas does not flow in a region other than the metal net while realizing strength sufficient to withstand conveyance.

  In the present embodiment, the metal net 12 includes a rectangular bottom plate portion 12a and side plate portions 12b integrated so as to rise upward in the Z-axis direction from the four sides of the rectangular bottom plate portion, The accommodating part 12c used as a ventilation area is comprised. At the four corners of the bottom plate portion 12a of the metal net 12, there are X-axis locking convex portions 13x protruding outward in the X-axis direction and Y-axis locking convex portions protruding outward in the Y-axis direction. 13y and a Z-axis locking projection 13z projecting downward in the Z-axis direction are formed.

  These convex portions 13x, 13y, and 13z are formed of the same wire as the wires constituting the metal net 12, another wire, or other members. The wire which comprises the metal net | network 12 is comprised, for example with metals, such as stainless steel, Ni, Mo, W, Pt, Ni-Cr.

  The heat-resistant frame member 14 is made of, for example, ceramic, metal, heat-resistant resin, and the like, and has a rectangular opening 14 a that matches the shape of the bottom plate portion 12 a of the metal net 12.

  The convex portions 13 z provided at the corner portions of the metal net 12 enter the corner portions of the opening portions 14 a of the frame member 14, and the convex portions 13 x and 13 y are locked to the surface of the frame member 14. The convex portions 13x, 13y, and 13z can be elastically deformed, and the metal net 12 can be easily attached to the frame member 14.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the chip part 50 as the object to be processed can be folded and accommodated in the Z-axis direction in the accommodating portion 12c of the metal net 12, but the bottom plate portion 12a. The chip component 50 may be accommodated in a single layer. In this case, the side plate portion 12b is not necessarily provided, but when the chip component 50 is accommodated in a large amount in the accommodating portion 12c, it is preferable to provide the side plate portion 12b. Further, the side plate portion 12b does not necessarily have air permeability, and at least the bottom plate portion 12a only needs to have air permeability.

  The air permeable openings formed in the bottom plate portion 12a may be a plurality of openings that are smaller than the size of the chip component 50 and excellent in air permeability so that the chip component 50 does not fall. The size of each opening is not particularly limited, but is preferably 30 to 80% in diameter with respect to the smallest dimension of the vertical and horizontal height dimensions of the chip component 50.

  The protruding length of the convex portion 13z is preferably 60% to 90% with respect to the thickness tz of the frame member 14 shown in FIG. Moreover, it is preferable that the protrusion length of the convex parts 13x and 13y is 60 to 80% with respect to the X-axis direction width Wx and the Y-axis direction width Wy of the frame member 14 shown in FIG.

  In the drawing, the direction parallel to the first transport direction A1 shown in FIG. 1 is the X axis, the direction parallel to the bottom plate portion 12a of the metal net 12 shown in FIG. The direction perpendicular to 12a is taken as the Z axis.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the heating chamber 20 is formed elongated along the X-axis direction in the heating furnace 4, and the heating chamber 20 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating unit (not shown). It is supposed to be heated.

  Inside the heating chamber 20, a pair of non-breathable setter receiving portions 30 that hold the breathable setter 10 movably along the X-axis direction that is the transport direction are mounted. The setter receiving portion 30 is hermetically attached to the intermediate position in the Z-axis direction of the inner side walls on both sides constituting the heating chamber 20, and is formed over at least the entire length of the heating chamber 20 along the X-axis direction. And / or may extend to 4b.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, each setter receiving portion 30 has a linear bearing portion 32, and contacts the lower surface of the frame member 14 of the breathable setter 10 to move the breathable setter 10 in the X-axis direction. It is held freely.

  The linear bearing portion 32 is not particularly limited, and may be a bearing portion having a rotating roller, or may simply be a sliding plane having excellent sliding characteristics. In this linear bearing portion 32, there is almost no gap between the air-permeable setter 10 and the frame member 14, and there is almost no gas flow therethrough.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the cross section of the heating chamber 20, the frame member 14 of the breathable setter 10 is placed on a pair of setter receiving portions 30 that are airtightly attached to the inner walls of the heating chamber located on both sides in the Y-axis direction. Is maintained, the transverse cross section of the heating chamber 20 is divided into two parts, a gas supply chamber 20a and a gas exhaust chamber 20b, in the vertical direction in the Z-axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, gas supply pipes 40 that supply atmospheric gas to the gas supply chamber 20 a of the heating chamber 20 are provided at a plurality of positions at predetermined intervals along the X-axis direction that is the transport direction A <b> 1. Is configured to have a predetermined gas atmosphere. In addition, a gas discharge passage 42 for discharging the atmospheric gas in the gas exhaust chamber 20 b is provided at the bottom of the bottom wall of the heating chamber 20. The gas discharge passage 42 may be provided continuously in the X-axis direction, or may be provided intermittently at a predetermined interval.

  The gas supply chamber 20a and the gas exhaust chamber 20b are difficult to circulate gas on both sides of the air-permeable setter 10 in the Y-axis direction. The pair of setter receiving portions 30 holds the frame member 14 that is a non-ventilated portion provided on both sides of the air-permeable setter 10 so that it can be distributed.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of breathable setters 10 are provided in the heating chamber 20 so that the frame members 14 of adjacent breathable setters 10 are in contact with each other in the X-axis direction. The setter receiving portions 30 are held in a row along the transport direction A1. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, by pushing the upstream air-permeable setter 10 in the conveyance direction A1 along the conveyance direction A1, the plurality of gas-permeable setters 10 forming a row are moved in the conveyance direction A1. A pusher device 60 is mounted in the entrance side preliminary chamber 4a.

  The pusher device 60 pushes the upstream air-permeable setter 10 along the conveying direction A1 in the conveying direction A1, so that the plurality of air-permeable setters 10 forming a row are shown in FIG. It is guided linearly in the X-axis direction along the setter receiving portion 30 shown.

  In the heat treatment apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the frame member 14 that is a non-venting portion of the breathable setter 10 is held by the non-breathable setter receiving portion 30, so that the breathable setter 10 in the Y-axis direction is On both sides, the air permeability between the gas supply chamber 20a and the gas exhaust chamber 20b is hindered. Therefore, gas can be mainly circulated between the gas supply chamber 20a and the gas exhaust chamber 20b through the bottom plate portion 12a which is a ventilation region of the breathable setter 10.

  That is, almost all of the atmospheric gas flowing into the gas supply chamber 20a always passes through the bottom plate portion 12a, which is the ventilation region of the breathable setter 10, so that the chip parts are temporarily stacked on the housing portion 12c as shown in FIG. Even if it is accommodated, almost the entire amount of the atmospheric gas to be supplied can be efficiently brought into contact with the chip component 50, and the utilization efficiency of the gas is improved.

  In addition, the frame member 14 in the air-permeable setter 10 has a function of closing the gap so that the atmospheric gas does not flow in a region other than the metal net 12 while realizing strength sufficient to withstand conveyance. Further, since the metal net 12 does not absorb heat wastefully compared to a ceramic setter, less energy is required to heat the chip component 50. Furthermore, by using the combination of the metal mesh 12 and the frame member 14 as the breathable setter 10, the atmosphere gas flow path can be limited to only the bottom plate portion 12 a that is a ventilation region in which the chip component 50 is accommodated. .

  In the present embodiment, since the pusher device 60 is provided, the gas supply chamber 20a and the gas exhaust chamber 20b are partitioned in the heating chamber 20 over the entire length of the heating chamber 20 in the X-axis direction. It is possible to move the breathable setter 10 in the transport direction while maintaining the above.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the non-ventilated portions are formed so that the inner edges 30 a of the pair of setter receiving portions 30 do not overlap the bottom plate portion 12 a that is the ventilation region of the breathable setter 10. The frame member 14 is held. By comprising in this way, atmospheric gas can be reliably flowed to the whole area | region of the accommodating part 12c in which the chip component 50 which is a to-be-processed object is accommodated, and atmospheric gas can be efficiently delivered to all the chip components. It becomes possible.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, one row of air-permeable setters 20 is arranged along the X-axis direction inside the heating chamber 20 of the heating furnace 4, but a plurality of rows of air-permeable setters 20 are arranged along the X-axis direction. May be.

  Further, the object to be processed is not limited to a chip part such as a ceramic electronic part, and can be used as an apparatus for heat treating, for example, a metal part, a resin molded product, or the like. The shape of the workpiece is not limited to a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and various shapes of objects to be processed can be processed.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, in the heating chamber 20, the gas supply chamber 20a is formed on the upper side in the Z-axis direction, and the gas exhaust chamber 20b is formed on the lower side. That is, the gas supply pipe 40 and the gas discharge passage 42 may be provided upside down so that the gas supply chamber 20a is formed on the lower side and the gas exhaust chamber 20b is formed on the upper side.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, in the breathable setter 10, the convex portions 13x, 13y, and 13z for engaging the metal net 12 and the frame member 14 are provided at the four corners of each bottom plate portion 12a. However, it is not always necessary to provide at the corners, and it is only necessary to provide at least three locations along the circumferential direction.

2 ... Heat treatment apparatus 4 ... Heating furnace 10 ... Breathable setter 12 ... Metal net 12a ... Bottom plate portion 12b ... Side plate portion 12c ... Housing portion 14 ... Frame member 14a ... Opening portion 20 ... Heating chamber 20a ... Gas supply chamber 20b ... Gas Exhaust chamber 30 ... Setter receiving portion 30a ... Inner edge 32 ... Linear bearing portion 40 ... Gas supply pipe (gas supply means)
42 ... Gas discharge passage (gas discharge means)
50 ... Chip parts (objects to be processed)

Claims (3)

A breathable setter that accommodates an object to be heat treated;
A heat-treating apparatus having a pair of non-breathable setter receiving portions that hold the breathable setter movably in the conveying direction inside the heating chamber,
The breathable setter has a breathability only in the housing area in which the workpiece is accommodated,
A pair of the setter receiving part and the breathable setter divides the transverse section of the heating chamber into a gas supply chamber and a gas exhaust chamber,
Gas supply means for supplying atmospheric gas to the gas supply chamber is provided in the gas supply chamber,
Gas exhaust means for exhausting atmospheric gas in the gas exhaust chamber is provided in the gas exhaust chamber,
Gas distribution between the gas supply chamber and the gas exhaust chamber is difficult on both sides of the air-permeable setter in a direction intersecting the transport direction, and gas mainly flows through the accommodating area of the air-permeable setter. The pair of setter receiving portions holds non-venting portions provided on both sides of the breathable setter ,
The breathable setter, the a metallic net which constitutes the receiving area for the object to be processed is accommodated, a heat treatment apparatus, wherein formed Rukoto and a heat-resistant frame member constituting the air-impermeable portion. In the heating chamber, a plurality of the air permeable setters are held by the pair of setter receiving portions in a row along the transport direction so that the adjacent air permeable setters are in contact with each other. ,
2. The pusher device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a pusher device that moves the plurality of breathable setters in a row in the transport direction by pushing the upstream air-permeable setter along the transport direction in the transport direction. The heat treatment apparatus as described. 3. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an inner edge of each of the pair of setter receiving portions holds the non-ventilated portion so as not to overlap the accommodation region of the breathable setter.

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