JP6195773B2 - Carburizing and quenching equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a carburizing and quenching facility for performing a carburizing and quenching process on an object to be processed.

  In order to improve the wear resistance of a low alloy steel or the like (hereinafter referred to as “object to be treated”), it is common to perform a carburizing process in which carbon enters the surface layer of the object to be treated and dissolves. . Usually, when performing a carburizing process, a pre-heat treatment, a quenching process, etc. are also performed. In the present specification, a series of processes generally performed when performing a carburizing process on an object to be processed including such pre-heat treatment and quenching process is referred to as “carburizing and quenching process”.

  In recent years, it has been required to incorporate carburizing and quenching as a process of machining the object to be processed, and to perform machining and carburizing and quenching of the object to be processed online. Examples of carburizing and quenching equipment that enables the construction of such an online machining manufacturing system include those described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, for example.

  The carburizing and quenching facilities described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 employ a so-called batch-type processing method in which heat treatment such as carburizing and quenching is performed in independent processing chambers. In these carburizing and quenching facilities, carburizing and quenching is performed according to the line speed of the machining process by sharing the carburizing that requires the longest processing time among the carburizing and quenching processes in multiple carburizing chambers. ing.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-53809 JP 2002-294429 A

  In order to improve productivity, it is necessary to further shorten the carburizing and quenching processing time incorporated in the on-line machining manufacturing system. With conventional carburizing and quenching equipment, however, the transport of the workpieces to each processing chamber is coordinated. Sex was not considered. For this reason, it has been difficult to shorten the carburizing and quenching processing time.

  For example, in the carburizing and quenching facilities described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, when the object to be processed after the carburizing process is carried out from the carburizing chamber, and the next object to be carburized from now on to the carburizing chamber. When carrying in, it is supposed that the conveyance opening door which opens and closes the opening which the to-be-processed object provided in the carburizing chamber passes will be opened. In such a case, the carburizing and quenching processing time is increased by the time required for transporting the object to be processed, and the temperature of the carburizing chamber is lowered every time the transport port door is opened.

  At this time, when the temperature in the carburizing chamber is lower than an appropriate carburizing temperature (approximately 850 ° C. to 1100 ° C.), the carburizing efficiency of the object to be processed is reduced, and the carburizing process is sufficiently performed on the object to be processed. In order to achieve this, carburizing time must be secured to some extent. In particular, when the volume of the carburizing chamber is small, the temperature decrease of the carburizing chamber when the transfer port door is opened increases, so the carburizing time must be secured longer.

  Furthermore, when the interval from the removal of the object to be processed from the carburizing chamber to the next object to be transferred is short, the temperature of the carburizing chamber remains high until the next object to be processed is transferred. The next object to be processed is carried into the carburizing chamber. That is, the temperature of the carburizing chamber is lowered again by opening the transfer port door for carrying in the next object to be processed, and as a result, the carburizing efficiency is further lowered. For this reason, it is necessary to ensure a longer carburizing time.

  In order to shorten the time required for the carburizing and quenching process, it may be possible to provide more carburizing chambers than before. However, it may be difficult to increase the number of carburizing chambers due to the cost of the carburizing chamber and installation space. is there.

  Further, in the above description, the problem at the time of loading / unloading of the object to be processed in the carburizing chamber has been described, but the same problem also occurs at the time of loading / unloading in other processing chambers (temperature raising chamber, quenching chamber, tempering chamber, etc.). Get up. That is, in the conventional carburizing and quenching equipment, it is necessary to secure a certain amount of processing time in each processing chamber, so it is difficult to reduce the time required for the entire carburizing and quenching process.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, and it aims at shortening the time concerning the carburizing quenching process of a to-be-processed object.

The present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is provided in a processing chamber for performing at least one processing related to carburizing and quenching processing on a target object, a transfer device for transferring the target object, and being transferred to the processing chamber. And a carburizing and quenching process for the target object, wherein the transfer device is provided with a transfer arm for transferring the target object to the processing chamber and the processing chamber. In the carburizing and quenching facility, the transfer arm includes a first support part that supports a target object that has already been processed, and a second support part that supports a target object to be processed next. And a space larger than the outer shape of the mounting table in plan view is provided on the transfer arm .
According to the present invention, it is possible to simultaneously carry out the object to be processed from the processing chamber and carry in the next object to be processed into the processing chamber when the transfer door is opened.

The first support part and the second support part may be provided along the extension / contraction direction of the transfer arm . Before Symbol space may be provided between the first supporting portion and the second supporting portion. A first opening is formed at a front portion of the first support portion so that the first support portion and the mounting table do not come into contact with each other when the transfer arm moves, and the second support portion A second opening provided so that the second support portion and the mounting table do not come into contact with each other when the transport arm is moved may be formed in the front portion. The heights of the first support part and the second support part may be the same.

  You may provide the raising / lowering apparatus which raises / lowers the mounting table mentioned above.

  At least one of the first support part and the second support part may be provided with at least three transport support pins that support the object to be processed. The mounting table may be provided with at least three mounting table support pins for supporting the object to be processed.

  The object to be processed has a shape including an upper surface part and a side part, and the object to be processed is in contact with or close to an inner wall of the side part of the object to be processed when the object to be processed is supported by the transfer arm. The conveyance support pins may be provided so as to regulate the position. Further, when the object to be processed is supported by the mounting table, the mounting table support pin is provided so as to regulate the position of the object to be processed in contact with or close to the inner wall of the side surface of the object to be processed. May be.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to simultaneously carry out the object to be processed from the processing chamber and carry in the next object to be processed into the processing chamber when the transfer door is opened. Thereby, the time taken to carry in / out the object to be processed can be shortened. In addition, since the frequency of opening and closing the transfer port door can be reduced, a temperature drop in the processing chamber can be suppressed. As a result, the time required for the processing chamber to reach an appropriate temperature can be shortened, and as a result, the processing time in the processing chamber can be shortened.

It is a schematic layout drawing of each processing chamber etc. in carburizing hardening equipment concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic which shows the inside of a 1st carburizing chamber. It is AA sectional drawing in FIG. It is explanatory drawing about the auxiliary pin of a conveyance arm. It is a figure which shows the conveyance operation of the to-be-processed object in the carburizing process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the conveyance operation of the to-be-processed object in the carburizing process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the conveyance operation of the to-be-processed object in the carburizing process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the support aspect of the to-be-processed object which consists of a circular-shaped upper surface part and a cylindrical side part. FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of BOB in FIG. 8. It is a figure which shows the conveyance operation of the to-be-processed object in the carburizing process process which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the conveyance operation of the to-be-processed object in the carburizing process process which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the conveyance operation of the to-be-processed object in the carburizing process process which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the shape of the conveyance arm front-end | tip part which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the shape of the conveyance arm front-end | tip part which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the shape of the conveyance arm front-end | tip part which concerns on another embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on a carburizing and quenching facility 1 for carburizing and quenching a circular workpiece W in plan view. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the carburizing and quenching equipment 1 includes a temperature raising chamber 2, a carburizing chamber 3 (first carburizing chamber 3 a, second carburizing chamber 3 b, third carburizing chamber 3 c) and quenching chamber 4 (hereinafter “each processing chamber”). The processing chambers are arranged in a line in order. Further, the carburizing and quenching facility 1 includes a transfer device 5 that carries the workpieces W into and out of the processing chambers. The transfer device 5 includes a transfer unit 6 including a transfer arm 40 that supports and moves an object to be processed, and a transfer path 7 provided in parallel with the arrangement rows of the processing chambers. The transport device 5 has a configuration for moving the transport unit 6 along the transport path 7. The transfer unit 6 has a mechanism for expanding and contracting the transfer arm 40 in the horizontal direction toward each processing chamber.

  In the carburizing and quenching facility 1, the workpiece W that has been subjected to a predetermined process in one processing chamber (for example, the temperature raising chamber 2) is sequentially placed in the processing chamber (for example, the first carburizing chamber 3 a) downstream of the processing chamber. The carburizing and quenching processing of the workpiece W is completed by performing predetermined processing in each processing chamber. In addition, the carburizing process in this embodiment completes a series of carburizing processes by sequentially carburizing in the first to third carburizing chambers 3a to 3c.

  Hereinafter, the carburizing and quenching equipment 1 will be described based on the configuration of the first carburizing chamber 3a. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the inside of the first carburizing chamber 3a. Note that the transfer arm 40 in FIG. 2 is in a state of extending to a predetermined position where the workpiece W can be delivered to and from the mounting table 30 described later.

  The first carburizing chamber 3 a has a two-chamber configuration including a delivery unit 20 that delivers the workpiece W transported by the transport arm 40 and a heat treatment unit 21 provided adjacent to the upper part of the delivery unit 20. ing. The heat treatment unit 21 is provided with, for example, an induction heating coil 22 that heats the workpiece W.

  The delivery section 20 and the heat treatment section 21 are open. When the partition door 27 provided on the ceiling surface of the delivery section 20 is open, the atmosphere of the delivery section 20 and the atmosphere of the heat treatment section 21 communicate with each other. ing. The partition door 27 is a draw-type slide door, and is moved up and down at the tip of each door body 27a, 27b so that the partition door 27 can be closed even when the mounting table 30 described later is raised. A semicircular hole (not shown) having a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of the lifting rod 24 of the device 23 is provided.

  Below the heat treatment part 21, a mounting table 30 for mounting the workpiece W is provided, and the mounting table 30 is connected to a lifting rod 24 of a lifting device 23 provided outside the first carburizing chamber 3a. Yes. That is, the mounting table 30 is configured to be movable up and down by the lifting device 23. The raising / lowering rod 24 is provided so that the lower surface of the delivery part 20 of the 1st carburizing chamber 3a may be penetrated, and the clearance gap in the penetration part of the raising / lowering rod 24 and the delivery part 20 is sealed. In addition, the shape of the raising / lowering rod 24 is not specifically limited, A cross section may be a square shape. That is, any member (elevating member) that can be connected to the mounting table 30 may be used.

  A transfer port 25 through which the transfer arm 40 can pass is provided on the side wall of the transfer unit 20 on the transfer device side. A transfer port door 26 for opening and closing the transfer port 25 is provided outside the side wall of the delivery unit 20 on the transfer device side. The transfer port door 26 is provided so as to be moved up and down by a door opening / closing mechanism (not shown).

  A front end portion 41 of the transfer arm 40 is provided with a first support portion 42 that supports the first object to be processed W and a second support portion 43 that supports the second object to be processed W. The first support portion 42 is provided on the distal end side of the transfer arm 40 with respect to the second support portion 43. That is, in the present embodiment, the first support portion 42 and the second support portion 43 are provided along the extending and contracting direction of the transfer arm 40 at the distal end portion 41 of one transfer arm 40. When the workpiece W is transferred from the transfer arm 40 to the mounting table 30 and when the workpiece W is transferred from the mounting table 30 to the transfer arm 40, the first support portion 42 or the second support portion. In 43, the workpiece W is delivered. In addition, the above-described delivery unit 20 includes the second support unit in a state where the transfer arm 40 is in a position where the workpiece W can be delivered between the first support unit 42 and the mounting table 30. 43 has a size capable of existing in the first carburizing chamber 3a.

  Further, the height at which the first support portion 42 and the second support portion 43 are provided is substantially the same. Thereby, even if the opening amount of the conveyance port door 26 is made small, the conveyance arm 40 can be advanced and retracted. For this reason, the time spent for opening and closing the transfer port door 26 per time can be shortened, and as a result, the carburizing and quenching processing time can be shortened. The “height” of each support portion refers to a contact position between the support portion and the object to be processed from the bottom surface of the support portion (in this embodiment, the bottom surface of the transfer arm 40) (in this embodiment, an auxiliary described later). The vertical distance to the tip of the pin 70.

  3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2 (plan view in the AA cross-section). In FIG. 3, the outer shape of the workpiece W is indicated by a broken line, and the case where the mounting table 30 is located on the first support portion 42 of the transfer arm 40 and the first support portion 42 and the second support portion. The outline of the mounting table 30 in the case where the mounting table 30 is located in the space 49 provided between them is indicated by a broken line.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting table 30 is formed by integrating a central disc 31 and three projecting portions (hereinafter referred to as “support blades 32”) projecting radially from the disc 31 in plan view. Has been. The angles formed by these support blades are equal to each other (120 ° in the present embodiment), and a mounting table support pin 33 that supports the workpiece W is provided at the tip of each support blade 32. . That is, the workpiece W is supported at three points by the mounting table support pins 33. In addition, the heat-resistant stainless steel etc. are applied to the material of each support blade | wing 32 and the mounting base support pin 33. FIG.

  Further, the first support portion 42 of the transfer arm 40 has a three-pronged shape in a plan view, and the three-forked shape portion transfers the workpiece W by the transfer arm 40 in the first support portion 42. When it is in the predetermined position, it protrudes from the transfer arm main body 45 so as to go to the center of the disk 31 of the mounting table 30 (protruding portion 44). In addition, a gap is formed at the end of the first support portion 42 on the arm tip side between the tips of the side protrusions 46 protruding from both sides of the transfer arm main body 45. That is, an opening (hereinafter referred to as “first opening 47”) is provided in the front portion of the first support portion 42. The size of the first opening 47 is such that the side protrusion 46 does not contact the lifting rod 24 connected to the mounting table 30 when the transfer arm 40 is extended or contracted, for example, the distance between the tips of the side protrusions 46 is raised or lowered. The size is larger than the outer diameter of the rod 24.

  The second support portion 43 of the transfer arm 40 also has a tridentate shape in a plan view like the first support portion 42, and the trident portion is processed by the transfer arm 40 in the second support portion 43. When the body W is in a predetermined position for delivering the body W, it protrudes from the transfer arm body 45 so as to go to the center of the disk 31 of the mounting table 30 (protruding portion 44). Further, a gap is formed between the ends of the side protrusions 46 protruding from both side portions of the transfer arm main body 45 at the end of the second support portion 43 on the arm tip side. That is, an opening (hereinafter referred to as “second opening 48”) is provided in the front portion of the second support portion 43. Similar to the size of the first opening 47, the size of the second opening 48 is a size in which the side protrusion 46 does not contact the lifting rod 24 connected to the mounting table 30 when the transfer arm 40 is extended or contracted.

  Further, a space 49 through which the mounting table 30 that moves up and down can pass is provided between the first support portion 42 and the second support portion 43. That is, the space 49 is formed larger than the outer shape of the mounting table 30 in plan view.

  The protrusions 44 of the first support part 42 and the second support part 43 are provided so as to support the workpiece W between the support blades of the mounting table 30 in plan view, and are formed by the protrusions. The angles are equal to each other (120 ° in this embodiment). Near the tip of each protrusion 44 is provided a transport support pin 50 that supports the workpiece W when the workpiece W is transported, and the workpiece W is supported at three points by the transport support pins 50. The

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the object to be processed W is placed at an appropriate position of the support pin 50 for conveyance at a position facing the side surface of the object W to be processed supported by the conveyance support pin 50. Auxiliary pins 70 are provided to guide the operation. The appropriate position is, for example, a position where the center of the workpiece W coincides with the center of the mounting table 30 (disk 31). Each auxiliary pin 70 also has a role of preventing the workpiece W from falling. Further, a part of each auxiliary pin 70 on the side facing the side surface of the object to be processed W is formed in a tapered shape (tapered portion 70a) so as to become thinner toward the upper end of the pin.

  As shown in FIG. 4, for example, when the object to be processed W is shifted from an appropriate placement position when the object to be processed W is placed on the support pins 50 for conveyance, The pin 70 is guided to the correct position by moving along the tapered portion 70a. Thus, when the workpiece W is transferred between the mounting table 30 and the transfer arm 40, the placement position of the workpiece W with respect to the transfer support pin 50 is always the same without being different for each workpiece. It becomes. Further, when the object to be processed W is placed on the conveyance support pin 50, the position shift or drop of the object to be processed W is caused by the auxiliary pins 70 facing (or in contact with) the side surface of the object to be processed W. Be regulated. For this reason, during the transfer of the object to be processed W, the displacement or drop of the placement position of the object to be processed W with respect to the transfer support pin 50 is restricted. Note that heat-resistant stainless steel or the like is used as the material for the conveyance support pins 50 and the auxiliary pins 70.

  Further, it is preferable that the mounting table support pins 33 and the transport support pins 50 are provided so as to be arranged on the same circumference in plan view when the workpiece W is transferred. Thereby, when delivering the to-be-processed object W between the conveyance arm 40 and the mounting base 30, the inclination etc. of the to-be-processed object W can be reduced, and the to-be-processed object W shift | deviates from an appropriate mounting position. Can be suppressed.

  The carburizing and quenching equipment 1 is configured as described above. Although not shown, the carburizing and quenching equipment 1 has a configuration necessary for performing a general vacuum carburizing process such as an exhaust mechanism and a carburizing gas introduction mechanism. In the above description, the configuration of the temperature raising chamber 2, the second carburizing chamber 3b, the third carburizing chamber 3c, and the quenching chamber 4 shown in FIG. 1 is not described, but the basic configuration of each processing chamber is the first. The same as the carburizing chamber 3a. For example, in the quenching chamber 4, gas quenching is performed by providing a mechanism for introducing a cooling gas into the heat treatment section 21 instead of the induction heating coil 22.

  Next, FIGS. 5A to 5C, FIGS. 6A to 6C, and FIG. 7 illustrate an example of a method for transporting the workpieces W1 and W2 in the carburizing process performed using the carburizing and quenching facility 1. This will be described with reference to (a) to (c). 5A to 5C, FIGS. 6A to 7C, and FIGS. 7A to 7C, some of the support pins of the object to be processed W, induction heating coils, etc. Illustration of the components is omitted.

  First, as shown to Fig.5 (a), the to-be-processed object W1 is carburized in the heat processing part 21 of the 1st carburizing chamber 3a. Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the partition door 27 and the transfer port door 26 are opened, and the mounting table 30 on which the workpiece W1 is mounted is lowered.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5C, the workpiece W2 advances the transfer arm 40 supported by the first support portion 42, and the workpiece W2 is transferred to the delivery portion 20 of the first carburizing chamber 3a. Carry in. At this time, the transport arm 40 is advanced until the space 49 of the transport arm 40 is positioned above the mounting table 30. In addition, the to-be-processed object W2 exists in the state heated up to the temperature suitable for a carburizing process in the temperature rising chamber 2 upstream of the 1st carburizing chamber 3a.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6A, the mounting table 30 is raised above the transfer arm 40. At this time, the mounting table 30 passes through the space 49 of the transfer arm 40. Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 6B, the transport arm 40 is advanced until the second support portion 43 of the transport arm 40 is positioned below the mounting table 30. At this time, since the transport arm 40 moves so that the lifting rod 24 in the space 49 passes through the second opening 48 of the transport arm 40, each protrusion 44 of the second support portion 43 and the lifting rod 24 are Do not touch.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6C, the mounting table 30 is lowered. As a result, the workpiece W1 is transferred from the mounting table 30 to the second support portion 43 of the transfer arm 40. At this time, since a space is provided between the first support part 42 and the second support part 43, each object to be processed is in a state where there is a distance between the object W1 and the object W2. The treatment body is supported. For this reason, the temperature reduction of the to-be-processed object W1 by the to-be-processed object W2 with a comparatively low temperature with respect to the to-be-processed object W1 immediately after heat processing is prevented.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7A, the transport arm 40 is moved backward until the first support portion 42 is positioned above the mounting table 30. At this time, the 2nd support part 43 of the conveyance arm 40 does not come out of the 1st carburizing chamber 3a. In other words, the object to be processed W1 supported by the second support portion 43 is in a state of being separated from the transport port 25 by a predetermined distance. Thereby, the temperature fall of the to-be-processed object W1 by the influence of the external atmosphere of the 1st carburizing chamber 3a can be prevented. As a result, after completion of the carburizing process in the first carburizing chamber 3a, the temperature of the workpiece W1 is suitable for the carburizing process when the workpiece W1 is transferred from the first carburizing chamber 3a to the second carburizing chamber 3b. The temperature is substantially close to the temperature, and the temperature raising time of the workpiece W1 in the second carburizing chamber 3b can be shortened.

  Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 7B, the mounting table 30 on which the workpiece W <b> 2 is mounted is raised to the heat treatment unit 21. At this time, the workpiece W <b> 2 is delivered from the first support portion 42 of the transfer arm 40 to the mounting table 30.

  And as shown in FIG.7 (c), the conveyance arm 40 is retracted and the to-be-processed body W1 which finished the carburizing process from the delivery part 20 is carried out. At this time, since the transport arm 40 moves so that the lifting rod 24 in the first support part 42 passes through the first opening 47 of the transport arm 40, the lifting and lowering of each protrusion 44 of the first support part 42 The rod 24 does not contact. Thereafter, the partition door 27 and the transfer port door 26 are closed, and after evacuation, the carburizing process is performed on the workpiece W2.

  As mentioned above, according to this embodiment, carrying out of the to-be-processed object W1 from the 1st carburizing chamber 3a and carrying in of the to-be-processed object W2 to the 1st carburizing chamber 3a can be performed simultaneously at the time of opening of the conveyance port door 26. . Thereby, the opening-and-closing frequency of the conveyance port door 26 can be decreased rather than the conventional carburizing method which carried out the to-be-processed object W1 and the to-be-processed object W2 at the separate timing. As a result, it is possible to reduce the time required for loading and unloading the workpieces W1 and W2, and it is possible to reduce the processing time in the first carburizing chamber 3a.

  Moreover, since the to-be-processed object can be carried in / out with respect to the 1st carburizing chamber 3a at the same timing, the to-be-processed object W1 is carried out from the heat treatment part 21 to the delivery part 20, and from the delivery part 20 to the heat treatment part 21 The workpiece W <b> 2 can be carried in by opening the partition door 27 once. That is, the frequency of opening and closing the partition door 27 can be reduced. Thereby, the heat treatment part 21 is less frequently affected by the atmosphere of the delivery part 20 having a lower temperature than the heat treatment part 21, and can suppress a temperature drop in the heat treatment part 21. For this reason, the time until the inside of the heat treatment part 21 reaches a temperature suitable for carburizing can be shortened, and as a result, the processing time in the first carburizing chamber 3a can be shortened.

  Further, the unloading of the workpiece W1 and the loading of the workpiece W2 are performed not only in the first carburizing chamber 3a but also in the temperature raising chamber 2, the second carburizing chamber 3b, the third carburizing chamber 3c, and the quenching chamber 4 shown in FIG. Is done in the same way. For this reason, since the processing time in each processing chamber can be shortened, the time required for the entire carburizing and quenching process can be greatly shortened.

  Furthermore, in the carburizing and quenching equipment 1 that processes the objects to be processed W one by one as in the present embodiment, the frequency of loading and unloading the objects to be processed W is increased. The effect of shortening the processing time by performing at the timing becomes particularly large.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this example. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that it belongs to.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the carburizing process is sequentially performed in the first to third carburizing chambers 3a to 3c to complete the series of carburizing processes. You may complete the carburizing process with respect to one to-be-processed body W in each carburizing chamber 3a-3c of the carburizing chamber 3b and the 3rd carburizing chamber 3c. In this case, the to-be-processed body W2 carried out from the temperature raising chamber 2 is carried into the carburizing chambers 3a to 3c in which the to-be-processed body W1 is not carried out among the first to third carburizing chambers 3a to 3c.

  Further, the arrangement and number of processing chambers are not limited to those described in the above embodiment. For example, when the carburizing chamber 3 is configured as one, or when the method for transporting the workpiece W described in the above embodiment is applied to a processing chamber (for example, a tempering chamber) not described in the above embodiment. Even if it exists, the carrying in / out time of the to-be-processed object W can be shortened. That is, the present invention is not limited to the use of the processing chamber, and can be applied to a processing chamber in which at least one processing related to the carburizing and quenching processing is performed on the object to be processed, thereby enjoying the effects described in the above embodiment. can do. The process related to the carburizing and quenching process is a process required in a general carburizing and quenching process such as preheating, carburizing, diffusion, cooling, quenching (including gas quenching). Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it decided to perform the vacuum carburizing process in the carburizing and quenching equipment 1, the carburizing method is not limited to this.

  In the above embodiment, the partition door 27 is a draw type sliding door, but may be a double door type door, for example. Moreover, the location where the partition door 27 is provided is not particularly limited as long as the partition door 27 is provided so that the atmosphere in which the delivery unit 20 and the heat treatment unit 21 communicate with each other is blocked. Further, the processing chamber for processing the workpiece W may not have a two-chamber configuration including the delivery unit 20 and the heat treatment unit 21 as in the above embodiment. For example, it is good also as a structure which performs delivery of the to-be-processed object W, and heat processing in one chamber. Even in this case, since the object to be processed can be carried in / out with one opening of the conveyance port door, the time required for loading / unloading the object to be processed can be shortened. In addition, since the frequency of opening and closing the transfer port door is low, the frequency of contact with the external atmosphere of the processing chamber whose temperature is lower than that of the processing chamber is reduced, and a temperature drop in the processing chamber can be prevented.

  Further, the number of support blades 32 of the mounting table 30 and the angle formed between the support blades, and the number of protrusions 44 of the transfer arm 40 and the angle formed between the protrusions are limited to those described in the above embodiment. It will never be done. Furthermore, the shape of the mounting table 30 and the shape of the transfer arm 40 are not limited to those described in the above embodiment.

  Further, the number and arrangement of the mounting table support pins 33 and the transport support pins 50 are appropriately changed according to the shape and size of the workpiece W. That is, the number (at least three) and the arrangement may be sufficient if the object to be processed W can be supported without being inclined when the object to be processed W is placed on each support pin. Further, in the above embodiment, a part of the side of the auxiliary pin 70 facing the side surface of the object W is formed in a tapered shape, but the whole may be formed in a tapered shape.

  Further, it is possible to perform the operation of transporting the object to be processed described in the above embodiment without providing each support pin. However, since the contact area with the object to be processed can be reduced by supporting the object to be processed with each support pin, the temperature change inside the object to be processed is uniform when the object is heated or cooled. be able to. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the heat processing distortion of a to-be-processed object can be suppressed. In addition, since the contact area between each support pin and the object to be processed is small, carburizing on the lower surface of the object to be processed and carburizing in other parts of the object to be processed can be progressed uniformly. Thereby, the carburizing process quality of a to-be-processed object can be improved.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the to-be-processed object W was processed one by one, the jig | tool which can be supported with the conveyance arm 40 or the mounting base 30 is used, and two or more are used with the jig | tool. Two or more objects to be processed may be processed simultaneously by fixing the object to be processed W. Note that, in the carburizing and quenching equipment that processes the objects to be processed W one by one, the frequency of carrying in / out the objects to be processed W increases, and thus the effect of reducing the processing time described in the above embodiment is particularly large.

The “circular object to be processed” described in the above embodiment includes, for example, a circular upper surface portion as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 in addition to the object to be processed having a cylindrical shape or an annular shape. An object to be processed including W _t and a cylindrical side surface portion W _s is also included. A specific example of the circular object is a gear of a machine part or the like.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the workpiece W has a shape composed of a circular upper surface portion _Wt and a cylindrical side surface portion W _s , that is, a downwardly concave shape like a circular tray laid down. for workpiece W, (a or very close state) in contact with the upper surface portion W _t and a side portion W _s inside the downwardly concave three carrying support pins 50 of the transfer arm 40 as the transfer arm 40 on By arranging the two, the workpiece W is supported at three points. In this way, if the transport support pins 50 are arranged on the circumference having substantially the same diameter as the inner diameter of the side surface portion W _s of the object to be processed W, the transport support pins 50 become the side surface portions W _{s of the} object to be processed W. Since the object to be processed W can be supported in a state where the object is in contact with the substrate, the position of the object to be processed W can be regulated.

Further, when the workpiece W has a shape composed of a circular upper surface portion W _t and a cylindrical side surface portion W _s , the placement table support pins 33 are also disposed in the same manner as the transport support pins 50. It is preferable. That is, it is only necessary to arrange at least three mounting table support pins 33 so as to be in contact with (or very close to) the upper surface portion W _t and the side surface portion W _s inside the downward recess of the workpiece W. Thereby, while supporting on the mounting base 30 of the to-be-processed object W, the position control of the to-be-processed object W can also be performed.

Further, the shape of the workpiece W is not limited to a circle. Even if it is other shape, it is provided with the 1st support part 42 and the 2nd support part 43 which support the to-be-processed object W, and the structure which can deliver the supported to-be-processed object W to the mounting base 30 If it becomes, it can enjoy the effect demonstrated in the said embodiment. For example, instead of “circular upper surface portion W _t ” and “cylindrical side surface portion W _s ” as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the vertical cross-sectional shape composed of “upper surface portion” and “side surface portion” is downward. The to-be-processed object W used as a concave shape may be sufficient.

  In this case, when the object to be processed is supported by the conveyance arm 40, the conveyance support pins 50 are arranged so as to regulate the position of the object to be processed in contact with or close to the inner wall of the side surface of the object to be processed. Then, the position of the object to be processed W can be regulated by the conveyance support pins 50. For example, in the case of a rectangular tube-shaped workpiece having a square cross section, four transport support pins 50 are provided, and one transport support pin 50 is in contact with one inner side surface of the “side surface”. By doing so, the position of the object to be processed can be regulated. Further, when the object to be processed is supported by the mounting table 30, the mounting table support pins 33 are arranged so as to regulate the position of the object to be processed in contact with or close to the inner wall of the side surface of the object to be processed. For example, the position of the workpiece W can be regulated by the mounting table support pins 33.

  Moreover, the conveyance procedure with respect to the 1st carburizing chamber 3a of the to-be-processed object W is not limited to the example (FIGS. 5-7) demonstrated in the said embodiment, For example, FIG. 10 (a)-(c). 11 (a) to 11 (c) and FIGS. 12 (a) to 12 (c) may be used. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the to-be-processed object W was delivered between the mounting base 30 and the conveyance arm 40 by raising / lowering the mounting base 30, for example, the raising / lowering mechanism is not provided in the mounting base 30. The transport arm 40 may be provided with an elevating mechanism and the transport arm 40 may be moved up and down to deliver the workpiece W between the mounting table 30 and the transport arm 40. As a matter of course, an elevating mechanism may be provided on both the mounting table 30 and the transfer arm 40.

  That is, the method for delivering the workpiece W between the mounting table 30 and the transfer arm 40 is appropriately changed according to the shape of each processing chamber, the heating means for the workpiece W, and the like. In order to mount the workpiece W transported by 40 on the mounting table 30, a relative movement mechanism for moving the mounting table 30 and the transport arm 40 relatively along the vertical direction is provided. It is possible to deliver the body W. In addition, the conveyance procedure of the to-be-processed object W is not limited to what was demonstrated in the said embodiment.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the 1st support part 42 and the 2nd support part 43 were provided as a support part of the to-be-processed object W of the conveyance arm 40, you may provide three or more support parts. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the transfer arm 40 is provided with a first support portion 42 at the tip of the transfer arm 40 and a second support portion 43 adjacent to the rear of the first support portion 42. The space 49 may be provided further behind the second support 43. In this case, the second opening 48 of the second support portion 43 is provided at the rear portion of the second support portion. Even when the transport arm 40 having such a shape is used, the workpieces W1 and W2 can be simultaneously loaded and unloaded when the transport port door 26 is opened. In the case of the shape of the protrusion 44 and the support blade 32 shown in FIG. 13, the case where the workpiece W is delivered by the first support portion 42 and the case where the workpiece W is delivered by the second support portion 43. The orientation of the mounting table 30 is different. That is, in the case of FIG. 13, it is necessary to provide a rotation mechanism that rotates the mounting table 30. However, as a matter of course, depending on the shape of the transfer arm 40 and the shape of the mounting table 30, there is a case where the rotation mechanism is not necessarily provided.

  Moreover, the shape of the 1st support part 42 and the 2nd support part 43 of the conveyance arm 40 is the side of the conveyance arm main body 45, for example, as shown in FIG. The structure provided in the part may be sufficient. In this case, the space 49 provided between the first support part 42 and the second support part 43 may not be provided.

  As a procedure for transporting the workpiece W in such a form, for example, first, the transport arm 40 advanced to the delivery unit 20 is moved to the side (longitudinal direction of the transport path 7 shown in FIG. 1) to place the mounting table. The first support portion 42 is positioned below 30. Next, the mounting table 30 is lowered and the workpiece W1 is transferred to the first support portion 42. Thereafter, the transfer arm 40 is moved forward to position the second support portion 43 on which the workpiece W2 is supported above the mounting table 30. And the mounting base 30 is raised and the to-be-processed object W2 is delivered. Finally, after the transfer arm 40 is moved sideways (in the longitudinal direction of the transfer path), the transfer arm 40 is retracted.

  If the workpieces W1 and W2 are loaded and unloaded in this manner, the workpieces W1 and W2 can be loaded and unloaded at the same time when the transfer port door 26 is opened, and the loading and unloading time can be shortened. . However, in the configuration shown in FIG. 14, in addition to the forward and backward movement of the transfer arm 40, side movement (lateral movement) is also performed. There is a fear that the arm shape (FIG. 3) described in the above item becomes larger. Further, in addition to forward and backward movement, side movement (lateral movement) is also performed, so that the processing time becomes longer than when the transfer arm 40 shown in FIG. 3 is used. Therefore, it is more preferable to use the arm shape described in the above-described embodiment that allows the workpieces W1 and W2 to be simultaneously loaded and unloaded by only the forward and backward movement of the transfer arm 40.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15, if the arm shape is such that the first opening 47 is provided in the front portion of the transfer arm body 45, the workpiece W is transferred by the transfer arm 40 shown in FIG. The side movement (lateral movement) of the first support portion 42 which is necessary for the above can be omitted. Thereby, processing time can be shortened compared with the case where the conveyance arm 40 shown in FIG. 14 is used. However, even in this case, when the workpiece W is transferred by the second support portion 43, side movement (lateral movement) is required, and therefore the transfer arm 40 shown in FIG. 3 is used. Compared to the case, the processing time becomes longer.

  As a matter of course, the positions of the first opening 47 and the second opening 48 are not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, and the openings may be provided at other positions. Further, the number of openings is not particularly limited. However, when the space 49 is not provided between the first support part 42 and the second support part 43, the first opening 47 is provided only at the rear part of the first support part 42. If the second opening 48 is provided only at the front portion of the second support portion 43, the transport operation as described in the above embodiment cannot be performed. Excluded from the scope of rights of the present invention.

  The present invention can be applied to a carburizing and quenching process of an object to be processed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Carburizing and quenching equipment 2 Temperature raising chamber 3 Carburizing chamber 3a First carburizing chamber 3b Second carburizing chamber 3c Third carburizing chamber 4 Quenching chamber 5 Transfer device 6 Transfer portion 7 Transfer path 20 Delivery portion 21 Heat treatment portion 22 Induction heating coil 23 Lifting device 24 Lifting rod (lifting member)
25 Conveying port 26 Conveying port door 27 Partition door 27a Door main body 27b Door main body 30 Mounting base 31 Disc 32 Supporting blade 33 Mounting base support pin 40 Transport arm 41 Transport arm tip end portion 42 First support portion 43 Second support portion 44 Protruding portion 45 Conveying arm main body 46 Side protruding portion 47 First opening 48 Second opening 49 Space portion 50 Supporting pin 70 for conveyance Auxiliary pin 70a Tapered portion W (W1, W2) Workpiece W _t Upper surface portion W _s Side

Claims (10)

A processing chamber that performs at least one process related to carburizing and quenching on the object to be processed, a transfer device that transfers the object to be processed, and the object to be processed that is provided in the processing chamber and transferred to the processing chamber are placed. A carburizing and quenching facility for carburizing and quenching the object to be processed, wherein the transfer device is provided with a transfer arm for transferring the object to be processed to the outside of the processing chamber and the processing chamber.
The transfer arm is provided with a first support part that supports a target object that has already been processed, and a second support part that supports a target object that is to be processed next ,
Carburizing and quenching equipment, wherein the transfer arm is provided with a larger space than the outer shape of the mounting table in plan view .   The carburizing and quenching equipment according to claim 1, wherein the first support part and the second support part are provided along an extension / contraction direction of the transfer arm. The carburizing and quenching equipment according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the space portion is provided between the first support portion and the second support portion. A first opening provided so that the first support portion and the mounting table do not come into contact with each other when the transport arm is moved is formed in the front portion of the first support portion,
The 1st opening provided so that the said 2nd support part and the above-mentioned mounting table may not contact at the time of the movement of the said conveyance arm is formed in the front part of the said 2nd support part . The carburizing and quenching equipment according to any one of 3 above. The carburizing and quenching equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the first support portion and the second support portion have the same height. The carburizing and quenching equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising a lifting device that lifts and lowers the mounting table. Wherein the first at least one of the support portion and the second supporting portion, at least three carrying support pin for supporting the object to be processed is provided, in any one of claims 1 to 6 Carburizing and quenching equipment as described. The object to be processed has a shape including an upper surface part and a side part, and the object to be processed is in contact with or close to an inner wall of the side part of the object to be processed when the object to be processed is supported by the transfer arm. The carburizing and quenching equipment according to claim 7 , wherein the transfer support pins are provided so as to perform position control. The carburizing and quenching equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the mounting table is provided with at least three mounting table support pins for supporting an object to be processed. The object to be processed has a shape including an upper surface part and a side part, and the object to be processed is in contact with or close to the inner wall of the side part of the object to be processed when the object to be processed is supported by the mounting table. The carburizing and quenching equipment according to claim 9 , wherein the mounting table support pin is provided so as to perform position control.

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