JP6711776B2 - Powder recovery device - Google Patents

Description

The technique disclosed in the present specification relates to a powder collecting apparatus that collects powder in a casket.

For example, when firing raw material powder for electronic industrial products, the powder is placed in a sagger and fired. After firing, the container is inverted and the powder contained in the container is collected. However, since a part of the powder adheres to the inner wall surface of the bowl, it is difficult to collect all the powder contained in the bowl only by reversing the bowl. Therefore, in order to collect the powder adhered to the inner wall surface of the bowl, for example, a method of collecting the powder from the bowl using a suction device has been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a powder recovery device that includes a suction device that recovers powder and a collection suction nozzle that is connected to the suction device. Further, as another method for recovering the powder adhering to the bowl, for example, a method in which the powder is peeled from the bowl by bringing a brush or the like into contact with the inner surface of the bowl is used (for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 4255814 JP, 2001-349678, A

The powder recovery device of Patent Document 1 uses a suction device to recover the powder in the sagger. However, it is difficult to collect the powder firmly adhered to the bottom surface of the casket or the like only by suctioning with the suction device. On the other hand, if a brush or the like is used, the powder that firmly adheres to the inner wall surface of the bowl can also be removed from the bowl. However, if the powder adhering to the inner wall surface of the casket is peeled off using a brush or the like, foreign matter (for example, abrasion powder of the brush) may be mixed in the collected product due to contact between the brush and the casket. The present specification discloses a technique for improving the recovery rate of powder remaining in a jar while suppressing the inclusion of foreign matter in the recovered material.

The powder recovery device disclosed in the present specification recovers the powder remaining on the inner wall surface of the casket. The powder collecting device includes at least one air blowing pipe for blowing air toward the inner wall surface of the bowl and a suction device for sucking the powder separated from the inner wall surface by the air blown from the air blowing pipe. Prepare

The above-mentioned powder recovery device can remove the powder remaining on the inner wall surface of the casket from the inner wall surface by the air blown from the air blowing pipe. Therefore, even the powder remaining on the inner wall surface of the sagger can be collected, so that the powder can be collected efficiently. Further, since the powder is separated from the inner wall surface of the bowl by the air, it is possible to prevent foreign matter other than the powder from being mixed into the collected material. In addition, in this specification, the "inner wall surface of the bowl" includes the bottom surface and the side surface of the bowl.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a powder recovery apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a top view schematically showing the connection relationship among the suction nozzle, the air outlet pipe, and the compressor according to the first embodiment. The front view which shows typically the structure of the suction nozzle and the air blowing pipe of Example 1. Sectional drawing in the IV-IV line of FIG. The top view which shows typically the relationship between a hood and a bowl. The block diagram which shows the function of a control apparatus. The flowchart which shows an example of a process of a powder recovery device. It is a figure for explaining powder recovery processing by a powder recovery device, and shows a state where a suction nozzle is located in a 1st position. It is a figure for explaining powder recovery processing by a powder recovery device, and shows a state where a suction nozzle is located in a 2nd position. It is a figure for explaining powder recovery processing by a powder recovery device, and shows a state where a suction nozzle is located in a 3rd position. It is a figure for explaining powder recovery processing by a powder recovery device, and shows a state where a suction nozzle is located in a 4th position. The top view which shows typically the positional relationship of the suction nozzle of Example 2, and an air blowing pipe. The front view which shows typically the structure of the suction nozzle of Example 2, and an air blowing pipe. The side view which shows typically the structure of the suction nozzle of Example 2, and an air blowing pipe.

The main features of the embodiments described below are listed. The technical elements described below are technical elements that are independent of each other, and exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Absent.

(Characteristic 1) In the powder recovery apparatus disclosed in the present specification, the air blowout pipe may be provided with a blowout port that blows out air at the tip. The suction device may include a suction nozzle that sucks the powder separated from the inner wall surface. The powder recovery apparatus may further include a moving mechanism that moves the air blowing tube and the suction nozzle relative to the bowl. When the powder is sucked by the suction device, the moving mechanism has a suction port of the suction nozzle that opens toward the bottom surface of the bowl and is located between the air outlet and the bottom surface of the bowl, and The suction nozzle and the air blowing tube may be moved with respect to the sagger so that the outlet is located on the bottom side of the sagger from the upper end of the sagger. According to such a configuration, since the air outlet is located at a position farther from the bottom of the bowl than the suction port of the suction nozzle, the suction nozzle can be brought close to the bottom of the bowl without being obstructed by the air blowing pipe. be able to. Further, since the air outlet is located on the bottom surface side with respect to the upper end of the casket, air can be more reliably blown into the casket.

(Characteristic 2) In the powder recovery device disclosed in the present specification, the moving mechanism is configured such that, when the powder is sucked by the suction device, the air outlet from the air outlet slants toward the bottom surface of the casket. The suction nozzle and the air blowing tube may be moved with respect to the sagger so that the suction nozzle and the air blowing tube are opened so as to be blown onto. With such a configuration, air can be blown obliquely from the air blowing pipe toward the bottom surface of the casket. Therefore, by adjusting the position of the air blowing pipe by the moving mechanism, it is possible to blow air to the inner side surface of the sagger, it is also possible to blow air to the bottom surface of the sagger, the inner surface of the sagger and The powder adhering to the bottom surface can be peeled off. Further, since the air flows toward the bottom side of the bowl, it is possible to prevent the powder separated from the bowl from scattering to the outside of the bowl. By these, the recovery rate of the powder can be increased.

(Characteristic 3) The powder recovery apparatus disclosed in the present specification further includes a hood that is arranged on the upper end side of the casket with respect to the suction nozzle and covers the entire upper part of the casket when the suction apparatus sucks powder. May be. The hood may include a suction port that opens toward the bottom side of the sagger. According to such a configuration, by providing a hood that covers the bowl, even if the powder is blown up by the air blown from the air blowing tube, it is possible to prevent the blown powder from scattering outside the bowl. You can Moreover, the powder that has risen can be collected from the hood by the suction port provided in the hood. Therefore, the powder can be efficiently collected.

Hereinafter, the powder recovery device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described. The powder collecting device 10 is a device for collecting the powder remaining on the inner wall surface of the sagger 50. The sagger 50 is used, for example, when firing a raw material powder of an electronic industrial product such as a positive electrode material or a negative electrode material of a lithium ion battery. The powder contained in the bowl 50 is collected from the bowl 50 by inverting the bowl 50 after firing. Most of the powder is collected when the sagger 50 is inverted, but a part of the powder adheres to the inner wall surfaces such as the bottom surface and the side surfaces of the sagger 50 and remains in the sagger 50. The powder recovery device 10 recovers the powder remaining in the sagger 50.

As shown in FIG. 1, the powder recovery device 10 includes a suction nozzle 12, a recovery device 18, a negative pressure generation device 22, a plurality of air blowing pipes 24, a compressor 30, a moving mechanism 32, and a hood. 38, a transport device 44, a control device 46, and an interface device 48.

The suction nozzle 12 is provided with a substantially rectangular suction port 14 when seen in a plan view (see FIG. 2 ), and the suction port 14 opens downward. The dimension of the suction port 14 in the X direction is larger than the dimension in the Y direction. The suction nozzle 12 is connected to the collector 18 via the nozzle communication channel 16, and the collector 18 is connected to the negative pressure generator 22 via the suction pipe 20. When the negative pressure generating device 22 is turned on, the air in the space communicating with the negative pressure generating device 22 is sucked. That is, the negative pressure generating device 22 sucks air from the suction port 14 of the suction nozzle 12 via the suction pipe 20, the collector 18, the nozzle communication channel 16 and the suction nozzle 12. At this time, the powder located below the suction port 14 is sucked together with air from the suction port 14. The air sucked from the suction nozzle 12 and the powder are separated by the collector 18. The air separated by the collector 18 is sucked up to the negative pressure generator 22, and the separated powder is stored in the collector 18. The suction nozzle 12 sucks the powder remaining on the bottom surface of the sagger 50 and the like.

The plurality of air blowing tubes 24 are fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the suction nozzle 12. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the powder recovery device 10 includes six air blowout tubes 24a to 24f. In the following specification, when it is necessary to distinguish the air outlet pipes 24, the air outlet pipes 24a and 24b are described by using alphabets along the letters, and when it is not necessary to distinguish them, the air outlet pipes are simply used. It may be described as 24. In addition, when it is not necessary to distinguish the other constituent elements having the same configuration, the alphabets in the letters of the letters may be omitted in the same manner as above, and only the numerals may be described. Further, in FIG. 1, three air outlet pipes 24 are shown, and three air outlet pipes 24 hidden by the suction nozzle 12 (that is, arranged on the +Y direction side when viewed from the center of the suction nozzle 12). Illustration of the air outlet pipe 24) that is performed is omitted.

The six air blow-out tubes 24 are arranged along the surface having the long side of the suction nozzle 12 and the surface opposite to the surface (parallel to the X direction). In detail, the air blowing pipes 24a to 24c are arranged on the surface of the suction nozzle 12 on the +Y direction side, and the air blowing pipes 24d to 24f are arranged on the surface of the suction nozzle 12 on the −Y direction side. In addition, the air outlet tubes 24b and 24e are arranged substantially in the center of a plane parallel to the X direction of the suction nozzle 12. The air blowing pipes 24a and 24d are arranged near the short side of the suction nozzle 12 on the −X direction side, and the air blowing pipes 24c and 24f are arranged near the short side of the suction nozzle 12 on the +X direction side. The air outlet pipes 24a to 24f are connected to the compressor 30 via electromagnetic valves 28a to 28f, respectively. When the compressor 30 is turned on, the air compressed by the compressor 30 (hereinafter, also referred to as “air”) is sent to the air blowing pipe 24, and the air sent to the air blowing pipe 24 is the tip of the air blowing pipe 24. It is blown out from the air outlet 26. The solenoid valve 28 is installed in the air outlet pipe 24, and its opening/closing is controlled by the control device 46. By adjusting the opening/closing of each of the solenoid valves 28a to 28f, the air blowing pipe 24 to which the air is supplied from the compressor 30 can be selected from the six air blowing pipes 24.

The air outlet 26 of the air outlet pipe 24 is opened downward and is opened obliquely toward the outside of the suction nozzle 12. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the air outlet 26d of the air outlet pipe 24d opens downward and slightly obliquely in the -X direction. Although not shown, the air outlet 26d of the air outlet tube 24d opens slightly obliquely in the -Y direction. Therefore, the air is blown from the air outlet 26d of the air outlet pipe 24d in the downward direction (in the -X direction and the -Y direction) obliquely away from the suction nozzle 12 (see FIG. 2). Similarly, air is blown from the air outlet 26f of the air outlet tube 24f in a direction obliquely away from the suction nozzle 12 (+X direction and −Y direction), and from the air outlet 26a of the air outlet tube 24a. , Air is blown downward and in a direction obliquely away from the suction nozzle 12 (-X direction and +Y direction), and from the outlet 26c of the air blowing tube 24c in a downward direction and obliquely away from the suction nozzle 12 (+X). Direction and +Y direction).

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the air outlet 26b of the air outlet pipe 24b is opened obliquely downward and in the +Y direction. Further, the air outlet 26e of the air outlet pipe 24e opens downward and obliquely in the -Y direction. Therefore, the air is blown downward from the air outlets 26b and 26e of the air outlet pipes 24b and 24e in a direction away from the suction nozzle 12 (see FIG. 2).

The air outlet pipe 24 is fixed to the suction nozzle 12, and the outlet 26 of the air outlet pipe 24 opens in a direction away from the suction nozzle 12. For this reason, when the suction nozzle 12 is brought close to the inner surface of the sagger 50, air can be blown from the air outlet pipe 24 toward the inner surface of the sagger 50. By blowing air from the air blowing pipe 24 toward the inner surface of the sagger 50, the powder adhered to the inner surface of the sagger 50 can be removed. Further, the air outlet 26 of the air outlet pipe 24 is opened downward. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the powder separated from the inner surface of the bowl 50 from rising upward by the air blown from the air blow-out pipe 24, and the separated powder is scattered to the outside of the bowl 50. Can be suppressed.

The moving mechanism 32 moves the suction nozzle 12 and the hood 38. The moving mechanism 32 includes an XY direction moving mechanism 34 and an elevating mechanism 36. The XY direction moving mechanism 34 moves the moving base 35 in the X and Y directions by driving an electric actuator (not shown). The suction nozzle 12 is fixed to the movement base 35, and the movement of the movement base 35 causes the suction nozzle 12 to move. A hood 38 is fixed to the suction nozzle 12, and the moving base 35 is moved to integrally move the suction nozzle 12 and the hood 38. The elevating mechanism 36 moves the XY direction moving mechanism 34 in the Z direction. The suction nozzle 12 and the hood 38 can be moved by the XY direction moving mechanism 34 and the elevating mechanism 36.

The hood 38 is arranged above the suction port 14 of the suction nozzle 12. The hood 38 is concave upward and is open downward. The hood 38 can cover the suction nozzle 12 and the sagger 50 that has been transported into the powder recovery apparatus 10. As described above, the hood 38 is fixed to the suction nozzle 12, and the hood 38 is moved integrally with the suction nozzle 12 by the moving mechanism 32. The hood 38 is configured to always cover the entire sagger 50 even if the suction nozzle 12 moves inside the sagger 50. As shown by the solid line in FIG. 5, even if the suction nozzle 12 is moved to the vicinity of the corner 52 (corner in the −X direction and the +Y direction) of the sagger 50, the hood 38 covers the entire sagger 50. It is configured. In addition, as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 5, even if the suction nozzle 12 is moved to the corner portion 56 (the corner portion in the +X direction and the −Y direction) located on the diagonal line of the corner portion 52, the hood 38 is sunk. It is configured to cover the entire bowl 50. In this way, the hood 38 covers the entire sagger 50 regardless of the position of the suction nozzle 12 in the sagger 50. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the powder separated by the air blow-out pipe 24 from scattering outside the sagger 50.

A suction port 40 is provided inside the hood 38. The suction port 40 is connected to the collector 18 via the hood communication flow path 42. As described above, since the collector 18 is connected to the negative pressure generator 22, when the negative pressure generator 22 is turned on, air is sucked from the suction port 40 via the collector 18 and the hood communication flow path 42. To be done. At this time, the powder located below the suction port 40 is sucked together with air from the suction port 40. The powder sucked from the suction port 40 is stored in the collector 18. When the powder adhering to the inside of the sagger 50 is peeled off by the air blown out from the air blowing pipe 24, the air outlet 26 of the air blowing pipe 24 is opened downward as described above. As a result, the separated powder becomes difficult to fly up, but a part of the powder rises up. The suction port 40 of the hood 38 sucks powder that rises in the bowl 50. In this embodiment, the hood 38 is provided with the suction ports 40 at two locations (see FIG. 1), but the number of the suction ports 40 provided in the hood 38 is not particularly limited.

The transfer device 44 transfers the sagger 50 into the powder recovery device 10. The transport device 44 includes a pair of conveyors which are arranged at intervals in the X direction and extend in the Y direction. The conveyor is driven by a motor (not shown). The transport device 44 receives the sagger 50 from the outside of the powder recovery device 10 and transports the sagger 50 to a preset position. When the collecting process of the powder remaining in the sagger 50 is completed, the carrying device 44 sends the sagger 50 to the outside of the powder collecting device 10. In addition, although the transport device 44 of the present embodiment is configured by a conveyor, it is not limited to such a configuration. The configuration is not particularly limited as long as it is a configuration that can transfer the sagger 50 into the powder recovery apparatus 10.

As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 46 is connected to the negative pressure generating device 22, the compressor 30, the electromagnetic valves 28a to 28f, the interface device 48, the moving mechanism 32, and the transport device 44. The control device 46 controls the negative pressure generating device 22, the compressor 30, the electromagnetic valves 28a to 28f, the interface device 48, the moving mechanism 32, and the transport device 44.

The interface device 48 is a display device that provides the operator with various information of the powder recovery apparatus 10, and receives instructions and information from the operator. For example, the interface device 48 displays information about whether or not air is being blown out for each of the air blowing pipes 24a to 24f (that is, opening/closing of the solenoid valve 28 connected to each of the air blowing pipes 24a to 24f). You can Further, the interface device 48 includes the number of times the powder is collected by the suction nozzle 12 and the timing at which the air blowing tubes 24a to 24f blow air (that is, the solenoid valve 28 installed in each of the air blowing tubes 24a to 24f). It is possible to input settings such as the opening and closing timing) and the interval at which the air outlet pipe 24 blows out air. Various information input to the interface device 48 is stored in a memory (not shown) of the control device 46.

The operation of the powder recovery device 10 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the powder collecting apparatus 10 collects the powder remaining on the inner wall surface of the bowl 50. As shown in FIG. 7, first, the control device 46 conveys the sagger 50 into the powder collecting device 10 (S12). The control device 46 drives the carrying device 44 to carry the container 50 to a predetermined position in the powder collecting device 10.

Next, the control device 46 moves the suction nozzle 12 to the first position (S14). As shown in FIG. 8, in the first position, the suction nozzle 12 is close to the corner 52 (corner in the −X direction and the +Y direction) of the bowl 50 when viewed in a plan view, and the suction nozzle 12 sucks the first position. The position is so close that the mouth 14 does not come into contact with the bottom surface of the bowl 50. The movement of the suction nozzle 12 is performed in the following procedure. First, the control device 46 drives the XY direction moving mechanism 34 to move the moving base 35 so that the suction nozzle 12 is located above the first position. Next, the control device 46 drives the elevating mechanism 36 to lower the XY direction moving mechanism 34 so that the suction nozzle 12 is located at the first position. Then, the suction nozzle 12 is arranged at the first position.

Next, the control device 46 turns on the negative pressure generation device 22 and the compressor 30 (S16). When the negative pressure generator 22 is turned on, air and powder are sucked from the suction port 14 of the suction nozzle 12 and the suction port 40 of the hood 38. Further, when the compressor 30 is turned on, air is blown out from the air blowing pipe 24 in which the solenoid valve 28 is opened.

Next, the control device 46 switches the opening and closing of the six electromagnetic valves 28a to 28f based on the program stored in the memory (S18). Here, the solenoid valves 28a, 28b, 28c are opened and the solenoid valves 28d, 28e, 28f are closed. Then, the air is blown out from the air blowing pipes 24a, 24b, 24c, and the air is not blown out from the air blowing pipes 24d, 24e, 24f. That is, of the six air outlet pipes 24, the air is emitted only from the air outlet pipes 24a, 24b, 24c that are parallel to the X direction of the sagger 50 and are arranged in the vicinity of the inner side surface 53 on the +Y direction side. Blown out.

Next, the control device 46 moves the suction nozzle 12 from the first position to the second position (S20). As shown in FIG. 9, in the second position, the suction nozzle 12 is close to the corner 54 (the corner in the +X direction and the +Y direction) of the sagger 50 and the suction port of the suction nozzle 12 in a plan view. The position 14 is close to the bottom of the sagger 50 so as not to contact the bottom. The controller 46 drives the XY direction moving mechanism 34 and moves the moving base 35 so that the suction nozzle 12 is located at the second position. Then, the suction nozzle 12 moves from the first position to the second position. That is, the suction nozzle 12 moves along the inner surface 53 of the sagger 50. While moving from the first position to the second position, the suction nozzle 12 sucks the powder remaining on the bottom surface of the bowl 50. At this time, in step S18, the air is blown from the air blowing pipes 24a, 24b, and 24c, and the air is not blown from the air blowing pipes 24d, 24e, and 24f. Therefore, while the suction nozzle 12 moves from the first position to the second position, air can be blown toward the inner side surface 53 to which the suction nozzle 12 approaches. As a result, the powder adhering to the inner surface 53 of the bowl 50 can be peeled off. Of the separated powder, the powder that has moved below the suction nozzle 12 is sucked by the suction nozzle 12. Further, the powder that has risen upward due to the peeling is sucked from the suction port 40 of the hood 38. In this way, the powder separated from the side surface of the bowl 50 can be collected.

Further, as described above, the air outlet 26 of the air outlet pipe 24 is opened obliquely toward the outside of the suction nozzle 12. Therefore, during the movement from the first position to the second position, the air can be blown over substantially the entire inner surface 53 of the sagger 50 by the three air blowing tubes 24a, 24b, 24c. Further, during the movement from the first position to the second position, the air is not blown out from the air blow-out pipes 24d, 24e, 24f arranged at the positions not approaching the inner side surface 53 of the sagger 50. By switching the opening and closing of the six solenoid valves 28 in step S18, the air can be selectively blown out only from the air blowing pipe 24 which is close to the inner side surface 53 of the sagger 50.

When the suction nozzle 12 moves to the second position, the control device 46 switches opening/closing of the six electromagnetic valves 28a to 28f based on the program stored in the memory (S22). Here, the solenoid valves 28c and 28f are opened and the solenoid valves 28a, 28b, 28d and 28e are closed. Then, the air is blown from the air blowing pipes 24c and 24f, and the air is not blown from the air blowing pipes 24a, 24b, 24d, and 24e. That is, of the six air outlet pipes 24, the air is blown out only from the air outlet pipes 24c and 24f which are parallel to the Y direction of the sagger 50 and are arranged in the vicinity of the inner side surface 55 on the +X direction side. It

Next, the controller 46 moves the suction nozzle 12 from the second position to the third position (S24). As shown in FIG. 10, in the third position, the suction nozzle 12 is close to the corner portion 56 (the corner portion in the +X direction and the −Y direction) of the sagger 50 when viewed in a plan view, and the suction nozzle 12 sucks the third position. The position is so close that the mouth 14 does not come into contact with the bottom surface of the bowl 50. The controller 46 drives the XY direction moving mechanism 34 and moves the moving base 35 so that the suction port 14 of the suction nozzle 12 is located at the third position. Then, the suction nozzle 12 moves from the second position to the third position. That is, the suction nozzle 12 moves along the inner surface 55 of the sagger 50. At this time, in step S22, air is blown out from the air blowing tubes 24c and 24f, and no air is blown out from the air blowing tubes 24a, 24b, 24d, and 24e. Therefore, while the suction nozzle 12 moves from the second position to the third position, air can be blown toward the inner surface 55 that the suction nozzle 12 approaches. This allows the powder adhering to the inner surface 55 to be peeled off. During the movement from the second position to the third position, the air can be blown over substantially the entire inner surface 55 of the casket 50 by the two air blowing pipes 24c, 24f. Here, the air blow-out pipe 24c blows out air during step S18 to step S24 (that is, while moving from the first position to the third position via the second position). Therefore, air can be blown to the corners 54 of the sagger 50 by the air blow-out pipe 24c, and the powder adhering to the corners 54 of the sagger 50 can be separated.

When the suction nozzle 12 moves to the third position, the control device 46 switches opening/closing of the six electromagnetic valves 28a to 28f based on the program stored in the memory (S26). Here, the solenoid valves 28d, 28e, 28f are opened, and the solenoid valves 28a, 28b, 28c are closed. Then, the air is blown out from the air blowing pipes 24d, 24e, 24f, and the air is not blown out from the air blowing pipes 24a, 24b, 24c. That is, of the six air blow-out pipes 24, the air is blown only from the air blow-out pipes 24d, 24e, 24f which are parallel to the X direction of the sagger 50 and are arranged in the vicinity of the inner side surface 57 on the −Y direction side. Is blown out.

Next, the control device 46 moves the suction nozzle 12 from the third position to the fourth position (S28). As shown in FIG. 11, at the fourth position, the suction nozzle 12 is close to the corner 58 (corner in the −X direction and the −Y direction) of the sagger 50 when seen in a plan view, and the suction nozzle 12 is at the fourth position. It is a position where the suction port 14 is close to the bottom of the sagger 50 so as not to come into contact therewith. The controller 46 drives the XY direction moving mechanism 34 and moves the moving base 35 so that the suction port 14 of the suction nozzle 12 is located at the fourth position. Then, the suction nozzle 12 moves from the third position to the fourth position. That is, the suction nozzle 12 moves along the inner surface 57 of the sagger 50. At this time, since the air is blown from the air blowing pipes 24d, 24e, and 24f in step S26, the suction nozzle 12 approaches while the suction nozzle 12 moves from the third position to the fourth position. Air can be blown toward the inner surface 57. As a result, air can be blown over substantially the entire inner surface 57 of the bowl 50, and the powder adhering to the inner surface 57 can be separated.

When the suction nozzle 12 moves to the fourth position, the control device 46 switches opening/closing of the six electromagnetic valves 28a to 28f based on the program stored in the memory (S30). Here, the solenoid valves 28a and 28d are opened and the solenoid valves 28b, 28c, 28e and 28f are closed. Then, the air is blown from the air blowing pipes 24a and 24d, and the air is not blown from the air blowing pipes 24b, 24c, 24e, and 24f. That is, out of the six air outlet pipes 24, the air is blown out only from the air outlet pipes 24a and 24d which are parallel to the Y direction of the sagger 50 and are arranged in the vicinity of the inner surface 59 on the −X direction side. To be done.

Next, the controller 46 moves the suction nozzle 12 from the fourth position to the first position (S32). The controller 46 drives the XY direction moving mechanism 34 and moves the moving base 35 so that the suction port 14 of the suction nozzle 12 is located at the first position. Then, the suction nozzle 12 moves from the fourth position to the first position. That is, the suction nozzle 12 moves along the inner surface 59 of the bowl 50. At this time, since air is blown out from the air blowing pipes 24a and 24d in step S30, the inner surface to which the suction nozzle 12 approaches while the suction nozzle 12 moves from the fourth position to the first position. Air can be blown toward 59. Thereby, the air can be blown over substantially the entire area of the inner side surface 59, and the powder adhered to the inner side surface 59 can be separated. In this manner, by moving the suction nozzle 12 along the four inner side surfaces 53, 55, 57, 59 of the sagger 50 while blowing air to the inner surface adjacent to the inner surface of the sagger 50, Air can be sprayed over the entire area.

When the suction nozzle 12 is returned to the first position, the control device 46 turns off the negative pressure generating device 22 and the compressor 30 (S34). When the negative pressure generator 22 is turned off, suction from the suction port 14 of the suction nozzle 12 and the suction port 40 of the hood 38 is stopped. Further, when the compressor 30 is turned off, the blowing of air from all the air blowing pipes 24 is stopped.

Next, the control device 46 raises the suction nozzle 12 and the hood 38 (S36). The control device 46 drives the elevating mechanism 36 to raise the XY direction moving mechanism 34. Then, the suction nozzle 12 and the hood 38 rise. Finally, the control device 46 drives the carrying device 44 to carry the container 50 to the outside of the powder collecting device 10 (S38). Then, the process of collecting the powder remaining on the inner wall surface of the bowl 50 by the powder collecting device 10 is completed. The powder recovery process of this embodiment is completed after the suction nozzle 12 is moved from the first position to the first position via the second position, the third position, and the fourth position again. However, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the powder recovery process may be terminated after the above process is repeated a plurality of times.

In the present embodiment, the powder collecting apparatus 10 is provided with the air blowing pipe 24, so that the powder adhered to the inner wall surface of the sagger 50 can be collected. Since the suction port 14 of the suction nozzle 12 opens downward, the powder remaining on the bottom surface of the sagger 50 can be collected, while the powder attached to the side surface of the sagger 50 can be collected. It's difficult. In the powder recovery apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, air is blown toward the inner surface of the bowl 50 by the air blowing pipe 24, and the powder adhering to the inner surface of the bowl 50 is peeled off. Then, by sucking the separated powder, the powder attached to the inner surface of the bowl 50 can also be collected. Further, the powder attached to the inner surface of the bowl 50 is peeled off by blowing air. Therefore, it is possible to prevent foreign matter such as abrasion powder from being mixed in the collected material.

In addition, although the powder recovery apparatus 10 of the present embodiment includes the six air ejection tubes 24, the configuration is not limited to such a configuration. Any structure may be used as long as the air blown out from the air blowing pipe 24 can be blown over the entire inner surface of the sagger 50. For example, the number and arrangement of the air blowing tubes 24 may be changed according to the shapes and dimensions of the bowl and the suction nozzle. Further, one air outlet pipe 24 may be fixed to the suction nozzle 12, and the suction nozzle 12 may be configured to be rotatable around its axis (axis extending in the vertical direction). Further, the container 50 transported to a predetermined position may be configured to be rotatable around its axis (axis extending in the vertical direction). In any configuration, by rotating the suction nozzle 12 or the sagger 50, the air blown out from the single air outlet tube 24 can be blown over the entire inner surface of the sagger 50. .. In addition, in the present embodiment, the air outlet pipe 24 is fixed to the suction nozzle 12, but the configuration is not limited to this. The air blowing pipe 24 may not be fixed to the suction nozzle 12 as long as it is movable with the movement of the suction nozzle 12, and for example, the air blowing pipe 24 may be fixed to the hood 38.

Further, in this embodiment, the suction nozzle 12 and the hood 38 move integrally, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the hood may move only in the Z direction, and the suction nozzle may move in the XY direction and the Z direction. In this case, in the powder recovery process, the hood descends above the sagger 50 and stops at a position that covers the entire sagger 50. Then, only the suction nozzle may move in the sagger 50 to collect the powder. In this case, the suction nozzle and the hood can be structured to seal the gap between the suction nozzle and the hood, for example, by being connected by a bellows. Further, in the present embodiment, the suction nozzle 12 and the hood 38 are configured to move in the XYZ directions with respect to the bowl 50, but the configuration is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the suction nozzle and the hood may be fixed, and the sagger 50 may be movable in the XYZ directions with respect to the suction nozzle and the hood.

The powder collecting apparatus 10 of the first embodiment described above includes only the air blowing pipe 24 in which the air outlet 26 is obliquely opened toward the outside of the suction nozzle 12, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the powder collecting apparatus may further include an air blowing pipe 124 fixed around the suction nozzle 12 and provided with a blower outlet 126 that blows downward and vertically. The powder collecting apparatus according to the present embodiment is different from the powder collecting apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment in that an air blowing pipe 124 is provided, and other configurations are substantially the same. Therefore, description of the same configuration as the powder recovery apparatus 10 of the first embodiment will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 12, in addition to the six air outlet pipes 24, four air outlet pipes 124 are fixed around the suction nozzle 12. The four air outlet tubes 124a to 124d are arranged at the corners of the suction nozzle 12, respectively. The air outlet pipes 124a to 124d are connected to the compressor 30 via electromagnetic valves (not shown). The configuration between the air blow-out pipes 124a to 124d and the solenoid valve and the compressor 30 is the same as that of the air blow-out pipe 24 described above, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The air outlet 126 of the air outlet pipe 124 opens vertically downward. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the air is vertically blown downward from the air blowing pipe 124. When air is blown from the air blowing pipe 124 during the powder collecting process by the powder collecting device, the powder adhered to the bottom surface of the sagger 50 can be peeled off. The powder attached to the bottom surface of the bowl 50 is sucked by the suction nozzle 12, but the powder firmly attached to the bottom surface of the bowl 50 may not be sucked by the suction force of the suction nozzle 12 alone. Since the air blow-out pipe 124 blows out the compressed air, even the powder that adheres strongly to the inner wall surface of the bowl 50 can be peeled off. Therefore, the powder firmly adhered to the bottom surface of the sagger 50 can be peeled off by the air blowing pipe 124, and the peeled powder is sucked from the suction port 14 of the suction nozzle 12 or the suction port 40 of the hood 38. can do.

Specific examples of the technology disclosed in the present specification have been described above in detail, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above. Further, the technical elements described in the present specification or the drawings exert technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing.

10: powder recovery device 12: suction nozzle 14: suction port of suction nozzle 18: recovery device 22: negative pressure generation device 24, 124: air blow-out pipes 26, 126: blow-out port 28: solenoid valve 30: compressor 32: Moving mechanism 38: Hood 40: Hood suction port 44: Conveying device 46: Control device 48: Interface device 50: Vase

Claims (4)

A powder recovery device for recovering powder remaining on the inner wall surface of a rectangular bowl,
At least one air outlet tube for blowing air toward the inner wall surface of the bowl,
A suction device for sucking the powder separated from the inner wall surface by the air blown from the air blowing pipe ,
The suction device includes a suction nozzle that sucks the powder separated from the inner wall surface,
The suction nozzle is a rectangle having a long side and a short side in a plan view,
The air outlet pipe is attached to a surface of the suction nozzle including the long side,
The powder recovery apparatus further includes a moving mechanism that moves the air blowing tube and the suction nozzle relative to the vase. The air blowout pipe has a blowout port that blows out the air at the tip ,
Before Symbol moving mechanism, when sucking the powder by the suction device, the suction port of the suction nozzle, with open toward the bottom surface of the sagger, the bottom surface of the air outlet the sagger In between, and, so that the air outlet is located on the bottom side of the casket from the upper end of the casket, the suction nozzle and the air blowing pipe are moved with respect to the casket, 1. The powder recovery device according to 1. The moving mechanism, when sucking the powder by the suction device, the outlet is opened so that the air from the outlet is blown obliquely toward the bottom surface of the casket, The powder recovery device according to claim 2, wherein the suction nozzle and the air blowing pipe are moved with respect to the sagger. Arranged on the upper end side of the bowl than the suction nozzle, further comprising a hood that covers the entire upper part of the bowl when the suction device sucks the powder,
The powder collecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hood includes a suction port that opens toward a bottom surface side of the sagger.

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