JP6594188B2 - Expanded tube manufacturing apparatus and expanded tube manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an expanded tube manufacturing apparatus and an expanded tube manufacturing method, and an expanded tube manufacturing apparatus and an expanded tube manufacturing method capable of manufacturing an expanded tube with improved dimensional accuracy of an inner diameter after molding. About.

  In semiconductor manufacturing factories and electronic component manufacturing factories, it is necessary to avoid contamination of products with dust and impurities. In the manufacturing site, a fluororesin tube is used for a tube through which high purity water such as ultrapure water passes, and a joint made of a fluororesin is used for pipe connection of the tube.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure for explaining a joint structure between a tube and a joint used in the field. In FIG. 9, the end of the tube 700 is fixed so as to maintain airtightness between the end of the joint 710 and the joint cover 720. In this fixing, the end portion of the tube 700 is formed by expanding the diameter so as to match the outer diameter of the end portion of the joint 710. In the diameter expansion at the end portion of the tube 700, in order to prevent mixing and generation of impurities, it is necessary to form the joint 710 so that the inner diameter of the joint 710 and the inner diameter of the tube 700 are substantially the same.

  Conventionally, processing of such a fluororesin tube has been performed, for example, in a clean room by mechanical expansion at room temperature by an expander or expansion by heating with a heat gun. However, the mechanical diameter expansion by the expander has a risk of damaging the inner wall of the tube and forming a groove that causes dust generation, so that it has been difficult to apply to pipe joining in a semiconductor manufacturing factory or the like. In addition, heating with a heat gun is important to manage conditions such as heating time, heating temperature, heating location, etc., and must depend on the skill level of the operator, and the problem is to efficiently produce a uniform expanded tube. It had been.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 proposes a method of expanding the diameter of a tube using a heating jig as shown in FIG.

  As shown to (a) of FIG. 10, the tube 800 is first inserted in the projection part 820 provided in the front-end | tip of the heating jig 810. FIG. The heating jig 810 is set in advance to a temperature for softening the tube 800, and by the insertion, the tube 800 gradually starts to soften through the inner wall. Next, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), when the softened tube 800 is further pushed forward, the tube 800 expands in diameter beyond the shoulder portion 822 provided at the base of the protrusion 820, and further pushed forward, the tube 800 The inner diameter of the end portion of 800 is expanded to a size that substantially matches the outer periphery of the cooling body 826 ((c) of FIG. 10). Thereafter, the tube 800 is removed from the heating jig 810, allowed to cool, or cooled using a means such as immersion in water (water cooling) or air blow to obtain an expanded tube (FIG. 10). (D)).

  However, in the method shown in FIG. 10, the tube expanded in diameter by being allowed to cool or by the above cooling is thermally contracted. Therefore, the heating jig 810 must be designed by calculating the thermal contraction and actually manufactured. It is difficult to maintain the dimensional stability of the expanded tube. In the case of cooling, for example, it takes about 60 seconds or more to expand the diameter of a tube having a wall thickness of 0.5 mm or more, and it is difficult to say that the working efficiency is necessarily preferable. Furthermore, in the case of water cooling, additional work equipment, work processes, and work time are required to remove water droplets attached to the tube after immersion. Furthermore, in the case of air blow, there is a risk that the dust in the clean room may be rolled up, and it becomes difficult to maintain a clean environment.

JP 7-195513 A

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems. The object of the present invention is to increase the dimensional accuracy of a diameter-expanded tube that can be used for piping connection of a fluororesin tube and to avoid the generation of dust. It is an object of the present invention to provide a diameter expansion tube manufacturing apparatus and a diameter expansion tube manufacturing method that can be manufactured in this manner.

The present invention is an apparatus for expanding the diameter of an end of a tube made of a fluororesin,
A substantially horizontal work table, and a heating jig and a cooling jig arranged on the work table,
here,
The heating jig has an outer diameter that can accommodate the end of the tube and has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the tube, and a temperature at which the fluororesin softens the heating protrusion. A cooling protrusion having an outer diameter that can accommodate the end of the tube and smaller than the inner diameter of the tube; and And a cooling shoulder portion provided on the side of the work table, and a cooling shoulder portion provided between the cooling projection portion and the cooling barrel portion and having a diameter increasing from the cooling projection portion to the cooling barrel portion. It is an apparatus provided with.

  In one embodiment, the outer diameter of the cooling body in the cooling jig matches the size of the inner diameter desired for the expanded tube.

  In one embodiment, the temperature at which the fluororesin softens is in the range of 200 ° C to 300 ° C.

  In one embodiment, the cooling jig includes a device for cooling the cooling body.

  In a further embodiment, the device for cooling the cooling body is a Peltier element.

  In one embodiment, a cooling unit is arranged between the cooling jig and the work table.

  In a further embodiment, a heat conductive material is disposed between the cooling unit and the cooling body of the cooling jig, and the cooling unit, the heat conductive material, and the cooling body are in contact with each other. is doing.

  In a further embodiment, the cooling unit comprises a Peltier element.

  In one embodiment, the heating projection in the heating jig and the cooling projection in the cooling jig are oriented in directions perpendicular to the work table.

The present invention is also a method for producing a diameter-expanded tube,
Inserting the end of the tube made of fluororesin into a heating projection of a heating jig heated to a temperature at which the fluororesin softens, and softening the end of the tube; and the softened Inserting the end of the tube into the cooling protrusion of the cooling jig;
Expanding the diameter by pushing the end of the softened tube from the cooling protrusion of the cooling jig to the cooling body;
Including
here,
The cooling protrusion of the cooling jig and the cooling body are connected by a cooling shoulder that expands from the cooling protrusion to the cooling body.

  In one embodiment, the outer diameter of the cooling body in the cooling jig matches the size of the inner diameter desired for the expanded tube.

  In one embodiment, the temperature at which the fluororesin softens is in the range of 200 ° C to 300 ° C.

  According to the present invention, a uniform expanded tube can be more easily produced with excellent dimensional accuracy without depending on the skill level of the operator. Furthermore, according to the present invention, for example, by changing the outer diameter of the cooling body portion in the cooling jig to be used, it is possible to manufacture a diameter-expanded tube in which the diameter of the expanded portion is different. is there.

It is the figure which notched a part of the said apparatus for demonstrating an example of the diameter expansion tube manufacturing apparatus of this invention typically. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the heating jig which comprises the diameter expansion tube manufacturing apparatus of this invention shown in FIG. 1, Comprising: It is a schematic cross section of the said heating jig. It is a figure for demonstrating the other example of the heating jig which comprises the diameter expansion tube manufacturing apparatus of this invention shown in FIG. 1, Comprising: It is a schematic cross section of the heating jig of the said other example. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the cooling jig which comprises the diameter expansion tube manufacturing apparatus of this invention shown in FIG. 1, Comprising: It is a schematic cross section of the said cooling jig. It is the figure which notched a part of the said apparatus for demonstrating other examples of the diameter expansion tube manufacturing apparatus of this invention typically. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the cooling jig which comprises the diameter expansion tube manufacturing apparatus of this invention shown in FIG. 5, Comprising: It is a schematic cross section of the said cooling jig arrange | positioned on the cooling unit. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of operation in the manufacturing method of the diameter expansion tube of this invention, Comprising: (a) is for demonstrating a mode that the edge part of a fluororesin tube is inserted in the heating projection part of a heating jig. It is a figure and (b) is a figure for demonstrating a mode that the edge part of the tube inserted in the heating projection part is heated. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of operation in the manufacturing method of the diameter expansion tube of this invention, Comprising: (a) inserts the tube softened by heating into the cooling projection part of a cooling jig, and pushes it to a cooling trunk | drum (B) is a figure for demonstrating the diameter expansion tube obtained by removing from a cooling jig. It is a schematic cross section which shows an example of the said structure for demonstrating the joining structure of the tube and joint used in the said field | area. It is a figure for demonstrating typically the processing method (diameter expansion method) of the conventional tube.

(Expansion tube manufacturing equipment)
First, the diameter expansion tube manufacturing apparatus of this invention is demonstrated.

  FIG. 1 is a view in which a part of the apparatus for schematically explaining an example of the apparatus for producing a diameter-expanded tube of the present invention is cut out.

  The diameter-expanded tube manufacturing apparatus of the present invention can expand the diameter of an end portion of a tube made of a resin such as fluororesin (for example, PFA, PTFE, FEP, ETFE, and PVDF) that can be plastically deformed by heating. It can be done. As shown in FIG. 1, the diameter-enlarged tube manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a work table 102 arranged substantially horizontally, and a heating jig 120 and a cooling jig 140 arranged on the work table 102.

  The work table 102 may be a part of the housing 110 in which various means (not shown) for controlling the temperature applied to the heating jig 120 and the cooling jig 140 are arranged. It consists of materials such as metal plates such as steel and hastelloy; glass plates; stone plates such as marble; and composite plates such as enamel. A leg 114 may be provided below the housing 110 to enhance the stability of the device 100 as necessary.

  The heating jig 120 and the cooling jig 140 are heated or cooled to a predetermined temperature as will be described later. In particular, since the heating jig 120 is subjected to a high temperature, for example, the heating jig 120 may be removed around the heating jig 120 for the purpose of preventing injuries such as burns due to inadvertent contact with the worker. A possible safety cover 150 may be provided. The safety cover 150 is provided with an opening 152 on the upper side. Through the opening 152, a tube can be inserted into the upper end portion of the heating jig 120 (a heating protrusion described later). The safety cover 150 is also provided with a large number of holes 151 as necessary for the reason that the heating jig 120 can be seen from the side and that heat is prevented from staying in the safety cover 150. Alternatively, the entire safety cover 150 may have a mesh structure such as a wire mesh. Although the material which comprises the safety cover 150 is not specifically limited, For example, it is comprised from metal plates, such as stainless steel and Hastelloy; glass plate; and resin plates, such as an acrylic board; and these combination.

In the diameter expansion tube manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the heating jig 120 and the cooling jig 140 are arranged at appropriate intervals on the work table 102 in order to quickly transfer the tube heated by the heating jig 120 to the cooling jig 140. It is preferable to be provided open. The distance between the heating jig 120 and the cooling jig 140 is, for example, the distance between the top center of gravity of the heating jig 120 and the top center of gravity of the cooling jig 140 (that is, from the top center of gravity of the heating jig 120 as shown in FIG. 1). a shaft L ₁ drawn down in the vertical direction, based on the shortest distance s between the top center of gravity of the cooling jig 140 and the shaft L ₂ drawn down in the vertical direction, preferably 10Cm～15cm.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a heating jig constituting the apparatus for manufacturing a diameter-expanded tube of the present invention, and is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heating jig.

  A heating jig 120 shown in FIG. 2 includes a heating protrusion 122 and a heater 126. In FIG. 2, the heating projection 122 is provided above the heating barrel 124. The heating protrusion 122 can accommodate an end of a tube before diameter expansion (hereinafter, also referred to as “undiametered tube”) used for expanding the diameter at least at the upper end thereof (that is, the tube). It is designed to have an outer diameter that can be inserted from the end of the. For example, the heating protrusion 122 is designed to have an outer diameter that is smaller than the inner diameter of the unexpanded tube. The outer diameter of the heating projection 122 varies depending on the inner diameter of the unexpanded tube to be used, and is not necessarily limited, but is, for example, 3.6 mm to 22.2 mm, preferably 3.95 mm to 21 mm. The heating protrusion 122 may have, for example, a substantially cylindrical shape or a substantially elliptical column shape according to the inner shape of the unexpanded tube, or from the upper end to the lower end (that is, the heating barrel 124 side). (For example, a cone, an elliptical cone, a truncated cone, or an elliptical truncated cone). In the case where the heating projection 122 has the form of expanding the diameter, the end of the tube can be gradually expanded as the end of the tube inserted into the heating projection 122 is pushed under heating. The length of the heating projection 122 (that is, the length from the upper end to the lower end) is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 20 mm to 25 mm, preferably 18 mm to 22 mm. Furthermore, in FIG. 2, although the upper end part of the heating projection part 122 is described so as to form a substantially horizontal surface, in the present invention, the shape of the upper end part of the heating projection part 122 is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the upper end part may be processed so as to have a rounded shape. By being processed into the rounded shape, when the end of the unexpanded tube is inserted into the heating projection 122, the inner wall of the unexpanded tube may be damaged and dust may be generated. It is because it can reduce more.

  In FIG. 2, the heating protrusion 122 and the heating body 124 are described as being integrally molded, but may be a combination of previously separated ones. In FIG. 2, a heating shoulder 128 having a plane extending in a substantially horizontal direction is formed at a joint portion between the lower end of the heating projection 122 and the upper end of the heating body 124. When the heating shoulder portion 128 is formed, the end of the non-expanded tube inserted from the upper end of the heating projection portion 122 abuts against the heating shoulder portion 128 to prevent further tube insertion. Can do. As a result, the length of the non-expanded tube that can be inserted into the heating projection 122 substantially matches the length from the upper end of the heating projection 122 to the heating shoulder 128, and a large number of unexpanded tubes. In contrast, it is possible to heat the end portions having substantially the same length. When the heating jig 120 includes the heating drum portion 124, the form of the heating drum portion 124 may be, for example, a cylinder, an elliptical cylinder, a polygonal cylinder, a truncated cone, or an elliptical truncated cone. When the heating body 124 has a cylindrical shape, the outer diameter thereof is, for example, 10 mm to 30 mm, preferably 15 mm to 21 mm.

  The heating protrusion 122 and the heating body 124 are made of, for example, a material having excellent thermal conductivity, and specific examples include metals (copper, aluminum, stainless steel, hastelloy), ceramics, and the like. .

  In the heating jig 120 shown in FIG. 2, the heater 126 is electrically connected to, for example, control means provided below the work table, and at least the heating protrusion 122 or the entire heating jig 120 (that is, the heating jig 120). The protrusion 122 and the heating drum 124) can be heated to a temperature at which the fluororesin softens. The temperature at which the fluororesin set in the present invention is softened is preferably 200 ° C to 300 ° C. In FIG. 2, the heater 126 is provided only on the heating body 124 side, but the arrangement of the heater 126 is not limited to that shown in FIG. For example, the heater may be provided from the heating body 124 to the heating protrusion 122, or may be provided only in the heating protrusion 122 via a wiring passing through the heating body 124.

  In the present invention, the heating jig 120 may be provided with a temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the surface temperature of the heating protrusion 122 in addition to the heater 126.

  FIG. 3 is a view for explaining another example of the heating jig constituting the apparatus for producing a diameter-expanded tube of the present invention, and is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heating jig of the other example.

  A heating jig 120 ′ shown in FIG. 3 includes a heating cover 130 in addition to the heating projection 122, the heating body 124, and the heating shoulder 128 shown in FIG. 2.

  The heating cover 130 can prevent the heat generated from the heater 126 from being released to the outside through the heating protrusion 122 or the heating protrusion 122 and the heating body 124. Thereby, heat can be more efficiently transmitted to the end portion of the non-expanded tube inserted into the heating projection 122.

  The heating cover 130 has a tubular shape in which an upper end portion and a lower end portion are open, and the lower portion of the inner wall or the inner wall is designed to be the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the heating barrel portion 124. As a result, the heating cover 130 is covered from the upper end of the heating projection 122 and can be slid in the vertical direction along the outer wall of the heating barrel 124. On the other hand, at least the upper part of the inner wall of the heating cover 130 is designed such that a gap is formed between the outer wall of the heating projection 122. This gap corresponds to the wall thickness of an unexpanded tube that can be inserted.

  The length from the upper end portion to the lower end portion of the heating cover 130 is not necessarily limited, but when the heating cover 130 is covered from the upper end portion of the heating projection portion 122, the upper end portion of the heating cover 130 becomes the heating projection portion as shown in FIG. It is preferable that the length is designed to be located above the upper end portion of 122. Thereby, the outer periphery of the end portion of the non-expanded tube inserted into the heating projection 122 is completely covered by the heating cover 130, and the heat generated from the heating projection 122 through the heater 126 is not released to the outside. Further, it is possible to more efficiently transmit to the end portion of the inserted unexpanded tube. The length from the upper end part of the heating cover 130 to the lower end part is, for example, 30 mm to 55 mm, preferably 35 mm to 50 mm.

  The heating cover 130 is made of a material such as metal (copper, aluminum, stainless steel, hastelloy), ceramics, or the like. Further, in FIG. 3, the heating cover 130 is provided separately from the heating body 124, but the heating cover 130 and the heating body 124 are fixed using a method known to those skilled in the art so as to be integrated. It may be.

  FIG. 4 is a view for explaining an example of a cooling jig constituting the diameter-expanded tube manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, and is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cooling jig.

  A cooling jig 140 shown in FIG. 4 includes a cooling protrusion 142, a cooling body 144 provided on the work table side (downward in FIG. 4) with respect to the cooling protrusion 142, a cooling protrusion 142, and a cooling cylinder. And a cooling shoulder 148 that is provided between the cooling projection 142 and the cooling body 144.

  In FIG. 4, the cooling protrusion 142 accommodates at least the upper end of the end of the tube before diameter expansion heated by the heating jig (hereinafter also referred to as “heated unexpanded diameter tube”). It is designed to have an outer diameter that can be (ie, can be inserted from the end of the tube). For example, the cooling protrusion 142 is designed to have an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the unheated diameter expanded tube. The outer diameter of the cooling protrusion 142 varies depending on the inner diameter of the inserted unheated expanded tube, and is not necessarily limited. For example, 3.6 mm to 22.2 mm, preferably 3.95 mm to 21.8 mm. It is. The cooling protrusion 142 may have, for example, a substantially cylindrical shape or a substantially elliptic cylindrical shape. The length of the cooling protrusion 142 (that is, the length from the upper end to the lower end) is also not particularly limited. For example, 2 mm to 15 mm, 3 mm to 12 mm, 12 mm to 13 mm, 2 mm to 7 mm, and 3 mm to 5 mm. It may have any of these ranges.

  Alternatively, in the present invention, the length of the cooling protrusion 142 of the cooling jig 140 shown in FIG. 4 has a predetermined ratio based on the length of the heating protrusion 122 of the heating jig 120 shown in FIG. It may be designed to.

  In one embodiment, the predetermined ratio in the length of the cooling protrusion 142 is selected according to, for example, the inner diameter of a tube that requires diameter expansion (for example, an unexpanded diameter tube), or the inner diameter and the outer diameter. Is done. For example, when the unexpanded tube is a small-diameter tube (that is, when the inner diameter of the unexpanded tube is 4 mm to 6 mm, or when the unexpanded tube has an outer diameter of 6 mm, an inner diameter of 4 mm, and an outer diameter of 6. 35 mm, 3.95 mm inside diameter, and 8 mm outside diameter and 6 mm inside diameter)), when the unheated diameter expanded tube heated by the heating jig is inserted into the cooling protrusion 142. In order to prevent buckling, the length of the cooling protrusion 142 is, for example, 10% to 60%, preferably 15%, based on the length of the heating protrusion 122 of the heating jig 120 shown in FIG. It is designed to be ˜50%.

  In another embodiment, the length of the cooling protrusion 142 prevents the tube from being unnecessarily cooled by the cooling protrusion 142 before the heated unexpanded diameter tube is inserted to expand the diameter. Therefore, it is designed to be as short as possible. The length of the cooling projection 142 in this case is, for example, 10% to 30%, preferably 15% to 25%, based on the length of the heating projection 122 of the heating jig 120 shown in FIG. .

  Furthermore, in FIG. 4, the upper end portion of the cooling protrusion 142 is described so as to form a substantially horizontal surface, but in the present invention, the shape of the upper end portion of the cooling protrusion 142 is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the upper end part may be processed so as to have a rounded shape. By being processed into the rounded shape, when the end of the non-heated diameter expanded tube is inserted into the cooling protrusion 122, the inner wall of the tube is damaged and the possibility of generating dust is further reduced. Because it can be done.

  In FIG. 4, the outer diameter of the cooling body 144 is preferably designed to have a length that substantially matches the size of the inner diameter desired for the expanded tube. The form of the cooling body 144 may be, for example, a cylinder or an elliptic cylinder. When the cooling trunk | drum 144 has a cylindrical form, the outer diameter is 6.5 mm-30 mm, for example, Preferably it is 7 mm-28 mm.

  The cooling shoulder portion 148 connects the cooling protrusion 142 and the cooling body 144. Here, in FIG. 4, the cooling protrusion 142, the cooling shoulder 148, and the cooling body 144 are described as being integrally molded, but may be a combination of previously separated ones. .

Further, in FIG. 4, the diameter of the cooling shoulder portion 148 is increased from the upper side to the lower side in FIG. 4, that is, from the upper end side of the cooling projection 142 to the lower end side of the cooling body 144 with a certain inclination. It is described that. The angle θ ₁ associated with this inclination is preferably 20 ° to 50 °, more preferably 30 ° to 40 °. When the angle θ ₁ satisfies such a range, the end of the non-heated diameter-expanded tube inserted from the upper end of the cooling projection 142 is more smoothly cooled by the operator pushing the tube. 148 can be passed, and at the same time, the diameter can be easily increased toward the cooling body 144.

  The cooling protrusion 142, the cooling shoulder 148, and the cooling body 144 are made of, for example, a material having excellent thermal conductivity, and specific examples include metal (copper, aluminum, stainless steel, hastelloy). And ceramics.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a cooling device 146 is preferably provided inside the cooling jig 140. The cooling device 146 is a device that can be adjusted to a temperature lower than room temperature, such as a Peltier element. The cooling device 146 is electrically connected to, for example, a control unit provided below the work table. Of the cooling jig 140, the cooling device 146 is preferably a cooling shoulder 148 and a cooling drum 144, more preferably a cooling drum. The part 144 can be cooled. Here, the cooling device 146 actively cools the cooling shoulder portion 148 and the cooling body portion 144 of the cooling jig 140 rather than the cooling projection portion 122 before the unheated diameter-expanded tube is expanded. It is possible to avoid cooling by the cooling protrusion 122 (that is, the shape is fixed). As a result, the end portion of the non-heated diameter expanded tube inserted from the upper end of the cooling protrusion 142 passes through the cooling protrusion 142 and is further easily pushed to the cooling shoulder 148 and the cooling body 144. Become. Although the temperature which can be set with the cooling device 146 is not necessarily limited, For example, in the outer surface of the cooling trunk | drum 144, Preferably it is 5 to 20 degreeC, More preferably, it is 10 to 15 degreeC. If the outer surface of the cooling body part 144 is set to less than 5 ° C., condensation occurs on the surface of the cooling body part 144, forming a film of water droplets when used as a joint, and causing tube dropout and displacement. It may become. Further, such water droplets may cause an undesired reaction with the cleaning treatment liquid flowing in the tube. If the outer surface of the cooling body 144 is set to exceed 20 ° C., it may be difficult to cool the unheated diameter expanded tube in a short time while expanding the diameter.

  In the present invention, the cooling jig 140 may be provided with a temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the surface temperature of the cooling body 144 in addition to the cooling device 146, for example.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the tube inserted into the cooling jig 140 is made of a material (the metal, ceramics, or the like) constituting the cooling protrusion 142, the cooling shoulder 148, and the cooling body 144 of the cooling jig 140. For the purpose of preventing contamination, facilitating release from the cooling jig 140, etc., the outside of the cooling protrusion 142, the cooling shoulder 148 and / or the cooling body 144 of the cooling jig 140. The surface is preferably coated with a fluororesin (for example, PTFE). Here, the thickness of the fluororesin coating provided on the cooling jig 140 is preferably 20 μm to 50 μm. If the thickness of the fluororesin coating is less than 20 μm, it may be difficult to properly release the cooled tube from the cooling jig 140. If the thickness of the fluororesin coating exceeds 50 μm, heat conduction from the cooling jig 140 to the tube through the fluororesin coating layer may be insufficient, and cooling may not be performed efficiently.

  Formation of the fluororesin coating layer on the cooling jig 140 is performed, for example, as follows: First, after degreasing the outer surface of the cooling jig 140 by solvent cleaning and / or baking, In order to improve the adhesion of the coating, a base treatment by blasting can be performed. Then, for example, the coating layer is cooled by coating the fluororesin using means such as air spray or powder spray, sufficiently drying and then sintering for a predetermined time in a sintering furnace. It is arranged on the jig 140.

  FIG. 5 is a view of a part of the apparatus for schematically explaining another example of the apparatus for manufacturing a diameter-expanded tube of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the diameter-enlarged tube manufacturing apparatus 200, another cooling jig 240 is used instead of the cooling jig 140 shown in FIG. 1, and there is a cooling between the cooling jig 240 and the work table 102. A unit 280 is arranged. In the expanded tube manufacturing apparatus 200, the configuration of the work table 102, the housing 110, the heating jig 120, the safety cover 150, and the like are the same as those shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a view for explaining an example of the cooling jig 240 constituting the diameter expansion tube manufacturing apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 5, and is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cooling jig 240 arranged on the cooling unit 280. It is.

  The cooling unit 280 includes a cooling device 246 that can be adjusted to a temperature lower than room temperature, such as a Peltier element. For example, the cooling unit 280 may be a commercially available product. By using a commercially available cooling unit, it is not necessary to design and manufacture a dedicated cooling means in manufacturing the enlarged tube manufacturing apparatus, and the cost required for manufacturing can be reduced.

  The cooling jig 240 includes a cooling protrusion 242, a cooling body 244 provided on the cooling unit side (downward in FIG. 6) with respect to the cooling protrusion 242, and the cooling protrusion 242 and the cooling body 244. And a cooling shoulder portion 248 that is provided between the cooling projection portion 242 and the cooling body portion 244.

  Similarly to the cooling protrusion 142 shown in FIG. 4, the cooling protrusion 242 is designed to have an outer diameter that can accommodate the end of the unheated diameter-expanded tube at least at its upper end. The cooling protrusion 242 may also have a substantially cylindrical or elliptical cylindrical shape, for example. The length of the cooling protrusion 242 (that is, the length from the upper end to the lower end) is also not particularly limited, but for example, 2 mm to 15 mm, 3 mm to 12 mm, 12 mm to 13 mm, 2 mm to 7 mm, and 3 mm to 5 mm. It may have any of these ranges.

  Alternatively, in the present invention, the length of the cooling protrusion 242 of the cooling jig 240 shown in FIG. 6 has a predetermined ratio based on the length of the heating protrusion 122 of the heating jig 120 shown in FIG. It may be designed to.

  In one embodiment, the predetermined ratio in the length of the cooling protrusion 242 is selected according to, for example, the inner diameter of a tube that needs to be expanded (for example, an unexpanded tube), or the inner and outer diameters thereof. Is done. For example, when the unexpanded tube is a small-diameter tube, the tube is cooled to prevent buckling of the tube when the heated unexpanded tube after being heated by the heating jig is inserted into the cooling protrusion 242. The length of the protrusion 242 is designed to be, for example, 10% to 60%, preferably 15% to 50%, based on the length of the heating protrusion 122 of the heating jig 120 shown in FIG. ing.

  In another embodiment, the length of the cooling protrusion 242 prevents the tube from being unnecessarily cooled by the cooling protrusion 242 before the unheated diameter-expanded tube is inserted to expand the diameter. Therefore, it is designed to be as short as possible. In this case, the length of the cooling protrusion 242 is, for example, 10% to 30%, preferably 15% to 25%, based on the length of the heating protrusion 122 of the heating jig 120 shown in FIG. .

  In the present invention, a flange 250 may be provided at the lower end of the cooling body 244. Accordingly, the flange 250 can be locked by the fixing plate 262, and the cooling jig 240 can be fixed to the cooling unit 280 by the screw 264 from the end of the fixing plate 262.

  The outer diameter of the cooling body 244 is preferably designed to have a length that substantially matches the size of the inner diameter desired for the expanded tube. The form of the cooling body 244 may be, for example, a cylinder or an elliptic cylinder. When the cooling body 244 has a cylindrical shape, the outer diameter thereof is, for example, 6.5 mm to 30 mm, preferably 7 mm to 28 mm.

The cooling shoulder 248 connects the cooling protrusion 242 and the cooling body 244. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the cooling protrusion 242 and the cooling body 244 are integrally formed, but the cooling protrusion 242, the cooling body 244, and the cooling shoulder 248 separated in advance are combined with each other. It may be. The angle constituting the inclined surface of the cooling shoulder portion 248 (the angle corresponding to θ ₁ in FIG. 4) is the same as that of the cooling shoulder portion 148 shown in FIG.

  The cooling protrusion 242, the cooling shoulder 248, and the cooling body 244 are made of, for example, a material having excellent thermal conductivity, and specific examples include metal (copper, aluminum, stainless steel, hastelloy). And ceramics.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the heat conductive material 270 is disposed between the cooling unit 280 and the cooling body 244 of the cooling jig 240. The heat conducting material 270 is made of a material having excellent heat conductivity, such as an aluminum plate, and is in close contact with each other between the cooling unit 280 and the cooling body 244 to thereby form a cooling unit. The temperature from 280 can be efficiently transmitted to the cooling body 244. Although the thickness of the heat conductive material 270 is not necessarily limited, For example, they are 0.1 mm-0.5 mm.

  Thus, each of the expanded tube manufacturing apparatuses 100 and 200 of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 is provided with a heating jig and a cooling jig on one work table. For this reason, the operator can immediately move the unexpanded tube to the cooling jig after heating it with the heating jig. Such a configuration makes it possible to shorten the time required for manufacturing the diameter-expanded tube as compared with the case of heating with a conventional heat gun. Furthermore, in the present invention, the diameter of the tube is increased when it is cooled by a cooling jig. As a result, the final inner diameter of the expanded tube is fixed at the time of cooling, so that the operator can expand the tube having a desired inner diameter without considering the influence of the dimensional change caused by the thermal contraction of the fluororesin constituting the tube. A diameter tube can be easily manufactured. The diameter expansion tube manufacturing apparatus of the present invention also has a heating temperature and a heating position compared to the manufacturing conditions (for example, heating temperature, heating time, heating position) required for the diameter expansion process using a conventional heat gun. Since it can keep more uniform, it contributes to the improvement of the working environment in which the worker needs to pay attention only to the heating time.

  1 and FIG. 5, the case where one heating jig 120 and one cooling jig 140 or 240 are provided on the work table 102 will be described. However, the diameter expansion tube manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is not necessarily limited to such a configuration. For example, even if a plurality of heating jigs and cooling jigs (for example, one heating jig and one cooling jig are combined as a set in a plurality of sets) are provided on one workbench. Well, one cooling jig (that is, two cooling jigs) may be provided on both sides of one heating jig, or one heating jig (that is, two cooling jigs) on each side of one cooling jig. Two heating jigs) may be provided.

(Method for producing expanded tube)
Next, as an example of the manufacturing method of the expanded tube of the present invention, a method of manufacturing the tube using the expanded tube manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIG.

  In the manufacturing method of the present invention, first, an end portion of a tube made of a fluororesin is inserted into a heating protrusion of a heating jig heated to a temperature at which the fluororesin softens.

  For example, referring to (a) and (b) of FIG. 7, the operator holds one end of the fluororesin tube 300 in his hand, and this end is on the heating projection 122 in the heating jig 120. It is inserted (FIG. 7A) and pushed forward until, for example, the end of the tube 300 abuts against the heating shoulder 128 (FIG. 7B). Here, the inner wall of the end of the tube 300 is heated, for example, rapidly through the heater 126 until the end of the tube 300 is softened. 7A and 7B, the heating cover 130 is disposed so as to cover the heating protrusion 122 and the heating body 124 in order to prevent the release of heat to the outside.

  The time until the end of the tube 300 is softened is not necessarily limited because it varies depending on the type of fluorine-based resin constituting the tube 300, the inner diameter and wall thickness of the tube, the length of the heating projection, the surface temperature thereof, and the like. Is, for example, 3 to 10 seconds.

  Next, the end of the tube 300 softened as described above is inserted into the cooling protrusion 142 of the cooling jig 140. It is desirable to perform the insertion quickly. This is to avoid the end of the tube heated by the heating jig from becoming hard again due to cooling.

  Thereafter, the softened end portion of the tube 300 is pushed forward from the cooling projection 142 of the cooling jig 140 to the cooling body 144 through the cooling shoulder 148 (FIG. 8A). When the end portion passes through the cooling shoulder portion 148, its inner diameter expands along an inclination provided in the cooling shoulder portion 148. Further, the end portion of the expanded tube 300 is cooled through the cooling drum portion 144 and thermally contracts along the outer diameter of the cooling drum portion 144. In FIG. 8A, the end portion can be rapidly cooled by the cooling device 146 provided inside the cooling body portion 144 of the cooling jig 140. Thereby, the end of the tube 300 can be contracted to the size of the outer diameter of the cooling body 144 in a shorter time. The time for cooling the end of the tube 300 varies depending on the type of fluororesin constituting the tube 300, the inner diameter and wall thickness of the tube, the surface temperature of the cooling body, and the like, but is not necessarily limited. 10 seconds.

  Finally, the end of the tube 300 is removed from the cooling jig ((b) of FIG. 8).

  In this way, an expanded tube can be manufactured.

  The diameter expansion tube manufactured using the method of the present invention can be used, for example, at a joint portion with a pipe joint in a semiconductor manufacturing factory or an electronic component manufacturing factory. The expanded tube manufactured by the method of the present invention has excellent dimensional accuracy, and the quality of each manufactured tube can be kept more uniform. In addition, the operation of the operator can be further simplified in manufacturing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100,200 Diameter expansion tube manufacturing apparatus 102 Work table 110 Housing 114 Leg part 120,120 'Heating jig 122 Heating projection part 124 Heating trunk part 126 Heater 128 Heating shoulder part 130 Heating cover part 140,240 Cooling jig 142,242 Cooling protrusion 144,244 Cooling body 146,246 Cooling device 148,248 Cooling shoulder 150 Safety cover 280 Cooling unit

Claims (12)

An apparatus for expanding the diameter of an end of a tube made of fluororesin,
A substantially horizontal work table, and a heating jig and a cooling jig arranged on the work table ,
The heating fixture, the heating projections having a smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter of the tube comprising an outer diameter capable of accommodating an end portion of the tube, the heating projections to a temperature at which the fluororesin is softened A heater for heating ,
The cooling jig and a cooling protrusion having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the tube comprising an outer diameter capable of accommodating said end of the tube, on the side of the worktable relative to the cooling protrusions A cooling body provided, and a cooling shoulder provided between the cooling protrusion and the cooling body and expanding from the cooling protrusion to the cooling body ,
The cooling jig, Ru comprises a device for cooling the cooling body part, device.   The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an outer diameter of the cooling body portion in the cooling jig matches a size of an inner diameter desired as an expanded tube.   The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a temperature at which the fluororesin softens is in a range of 200 ° C to 300 ° C. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device for cooling the cooling body is a Peltier element. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating protrusion in the heating jig and the cooling protrusion in the cooling jig are oriented in directions perpendicular to the work table . An apparatus for expanding the diameter of an end of a tube made of fluororesin,
A substantially horizontal work table, and a heating jig and a cooling jig arranged on the work table,
The heating jig has an outer diameter that can accommodate the end of the tube and has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the tube, and a temperature at which the fluororesin softens the heating protrusion. A heater for heating,
A cooling projection having an outer diameter that can accommodate the end of the tube and smaller than the inner diameter of the tube; and A cooling body provided, and a cooling shoulder provided between the cooling protrusion and the cooling body and expanding from the cooling protrusion to the cooling body,
Between the cooling jig and said work table, the cooling unit is located, equipment. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an outer diameter of the cooling body portion in the cooling jig matches a size of an inner diameter desired as an expanded tube. The apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein a temperature at which the fluororesin softens is in a range of 200 ° C to 300 ° C. A heat conductive material is disposed between the cooling unit and the cooling body of the cooling jig, and the cooling unit, the heat conductive material, and the cooling body are in contact with each other. Item 9. The apparatus according to any one of Items 6 to 8 . The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cooling unit comprises a Peltier element. The apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 10 , wherein the heating protrusion in the heating jig and the cooling protrusion in the cooling jig are oriented in directions perpendicular to the work table. A method of manufacturing an expanded tube,
The heating protrusion of the heating jig which heated the end part of the tube comprised with a fluororesin in the apparatus in any one of Claim 1 to 11 to the temperature which this fluororesin softens And inserting the end of the tube into a cooling protrusion of a cooling jig in the apparatus ;
Expanding the diameter of the softened tube by pushing the end of the tube from the cooling protrusion of the cooling jig in the apparatus to the cooling body;
To embrace, way.

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