JP7029563B1 - Continuous heating furnace and number of stages changing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a continuous heating furnace capable of stacking and disassembling in a high temperature environment. SOLUTION: A continuous heating furnace has 10, a furnace body 12 having a transport space 12a inside which can transport a plurality of heating containers in a stacked state, a heater 14 arranged in the transport space 12a, and heating. It includes a lifter 20 for raising and lowering the container A, and a holding mechanism 30 for holding the heating container A lifted by the lifter 20. The holding mechanism 30 includes a hollow shaft 31 inserted into the furnace body 12, a holder 32 attached to the shaft 31, a seal member attached to a portion where the shaft 31 is inserted into the furnace body 12, and a shaft 31. It has a refrigerant supply device which is connected to and supplies a refrigerant to the hollow portion of the shaft 31. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to a continuous heating furnace and a stage number changing device.

In the heat treatment equipment disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-48981, the transport trays containing the objects to be processed are carried into the decompression processing section in a state of being stacked in a plurality of stages, and are accommodated in each transport tray in the decompression treatment section. The object to be treated is decompressed. Each transport tray that has been decompressed is carried into the transport tray separation section. Then, some of the transport trays are separated from the plurality of transport trays carried into the transport tray separation section in this way, and are sequentially transported to the heat treatment section. During this time, the transport trays containing the objects to be processed are newly brought into the decompression processing section in a state of being stacked in a plurality of stages. The multiple stages of transport trays carried into the transport tray separation section are sequentially transported to the heat treatment section, and the object to be treated contained in each transport tray is heat-treated in the heat treatment section in sequence while decompression treatment is performed. It is said that the part can be decompressed over a long period of time. In the transport tray separator disclosed in the same gazette, four rotary actuators are placed on the ceiling via a sealing material, respectively, in the feed direction of the transport tray and at a required interval in the width direction orthogonal to the feed direction. It is provided. A rotary rod is introduced into the transport tray separator from each rotary actuator through the ceiling of the transport tray separator. A holding member is provided at the tip of each rotating rod so as to project in the horizontal direction. As each rotating rod rotates, each holding member rotates in the horizontal direction. As a result, the holding member is configured to be able to operate in a state of holding the transport tray and in a state of not hitting the transport tray.

JP-A-2017-48981

By the way, when heat-treating the object to be processed, there are cases where it is efficient to process the transport trays in a multi-tiered state, and cases where the transport trays are separated and treated one by one or by a small number of stages. May be appropriate. In a device for stacking or disassembling transport trays, a rotating rod penetrates a wall such as a ceiling, and it is necessary to ensure the sealing property. For this reason, for example, in a heating furnace or in a high-temperature atmosphere environment immediately after leaving the heating furnace, it has not been possible to provide a device for stacking or disassembling the transport trays.

One aspect of the continuous heating furnace disclosed herein is a furnace body having a transfer space inside which can transfer a plurality of heating containers in a stacked state, a heater arranged in the transfer space, and a heating container. It is equipped with a lifter that raises and lowers the air, and a holding mechanism that holds the heating container lifted by the lifter. The holding mechanism is a hollow shaft inserted into the furnace body, a holder attached to the shaft, a seal member attached to the part where the shaft is inserted into the furnace body, and a hollow portion of the shaft connected to the shaft. It has a refrigerant supply device that supplies a refrigerant to the fire pot.
According to such a continuous heating furnace, the heating containers can be stacked and disassembled even in a high temperature environment, and the processing time of the object to be processed can be shortened.

The transport space may be provided with a partition that separates the heating chamber in which the heater is arranged and the stage number changing chamber provided with the lifter and the holding mechanism. The heater may not be provided in the stage number changing room.
The furnace body may have a pair of side walls on both sides in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and the shaft may be rotatably bridged over the pair of side walls. The holder may include an arm portion extending from the shaft and a claw portion bent from the lower end of the arm portion.
The shaft may be provided parallel to the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction.
The refrigerant supply device may supply the refrigerant from one end of the shaft toward the other end.
The holder may be composed of a nickel-chromium-iron alloy or a nickel-based alloy.
The holder may be provided with a heat insulating material on the surface that comes into contact with the heating container.

One aspect of the stage number changing device disclosed herein is a partition wall having a transport space for transporting a heating container, a heater arranged in the transport space, a lifter provided with a mechanism for lifting the heating container, and a lifter. It is equipped with a holding mechanism for holding the lifted heating container. The holding mechanism is a hollow shaft inserted into the partition wall, a holder attached to the shaft, a seal member attached to the part where the shaft is inserted into the partition wall, and a refrigerant connected to the shaft and a refrigerant in the hollow part of the shaft. It may have a refrigerant supply device for supplying the above.
Such a stage number changing device can stack and disassemble heating containers even in a high temperature environment. It can also be used as a module that forms part of a continuous heating furnace.

The partition wall has a pair of side walls on both sides in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and the shaft may be rotatably bridged to the pair of side walls. The holder may include an arm portion extending from the shaft and a claw portion bent from the lower end of the arm portion to support the heating container.
The shaft may be provided parallel to the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction.
The refrigerant supply device may supply the refrigerant from one end of the shaft toward the other end.
The holder may be composed of a nickel-chromium-iron alloy or a nickel-based alloy.
The holder may be provided with a heat insulating material on the surface that comes into contact with the heating container.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a continuous firing furnace 10. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the II-II cross section of FIG. FIG. 3A is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the first elevating position L1. FIG. 3B is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the second elevating position L2. FIG. 3C is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the third elevating position L3. FIG. 4 is a side view of the firing container A. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the step disassembling work.

Hereinafter, one of the typical embodiments in the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, members / parts having the same function are described with the same reference numerals. Further, the dimensional relations (length, width, thickness, etc.) in each drawing do not reflect the actual dimensional relations.
Hereinafter, a continuous firing furnace will be described as an example of a continuous heating furnace, but the present invention is not intended to be limited to those described in such an embodiment. As used herein, the term "continuous heating furnace" refers to a heating furnace that continuously heat-treats an object to be treated. As used herein, the term "continuous firing furnace" refers to a heating furnace for continuously firing a work piece at a high temperature. Further, in the present specification, the heating container used when firing the object to be processed is appropriately referred to as a "firing container".

<Continuous firing furnace 10>
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a continuous firing furnace 10. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of II-II of FIG. 1, and is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a continuous firing furnace 10. FIG. 1 shows a work space in which the stacking work and the step-disassembling work are performed in the furnace body 12 of the continuous firing furnace 10. Further, as will be described later, it is also possible to configure the stage number changing device 80 in which the work space in which the stacking work and the stage disassembling work are performed in the furnace body 12 of the continuous firing furnace 10 is modularized. As shown in FIG. 1, the continuous firing furnace 10 disclosed here includes a furnace body 12, a heater 14, a transfer roller 16, a lifter 20, a holding mechanism 30, and a stopper 50. There is.

<Fire pot 12>
As shown in FIG. 1, the furnace body 12 has an internal transport space 12a capable of transporting a plurality of firing containers A in a stacked state in the transport direction T1. In this embodiment, the furnace body 12 is a tunnel type furnace body surrounding the transport space 12a. The transport space 12a has a required height at which the stacked firing containers A can be transported. In this embodiment, the transport space 12a is set to be linear. As shown in FIG. 2, the furnace body 12 is surrounded by a furnace wall 12b to 12d made of a heat insulating material all around the transport direction T1 (see FIG. 1) of the transport space 12a. ing. In this embodiment, the furnace body 12 has a pair of side walls 12b, a ceiling 12c, and a floor wall 12d on both sides in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction. Each furnace wall 12b to 12d is made of, for example, a ceramic fiber board. The ceramic fiber board is, for example, a plate material formed into a plate shape by adding an inorganic filler and an inorganic / organic binder to so-called bulk fiber. The ceramic fiber boards are cut into a predetermined shape and stacked to form a furnace wall of a required thickness. The thickness of the furnace walls 12b to 12d can be set to a required thickness such that the heat of the transport space 12a is sufficiently insulated.

The furnace body 12 may be provided with various configurations for controlling the atmosphere of the transport space 12a. For example, a gas supply pipe may be provided so that nitrogen, argon, or the like can be supplied. A gas exhaust pipe may be provided so that the atmospheric pressure can be adjusted and the exhaust gas can be exhausted. Further, the furnace body 12 may be provided with a partition for switching the atmosphere for each space.

The furnace body 12 is arranged on a base 18 set at a predetermined height. The base 18 has a space for providing a gas supply pipe for adjusting the atmosphere in the continuous firing furnace 10, a drive device for driving a transfer roller such as a motor, and the like.

<Transfer roller 16>
The transport roller 16 is a roller for transporting the firing container A. In this embodiment, a plurality of transfer rollers 16 are arranged in the transfer space 12a inside the furnace body 12. The plurality of transfer rollers 16 are cylindrical rollers, have uniform heights so as to support the firing container A, and are arranged in the transfer space 12a at a predetermined pitch. The transport roller 16 penetrates the insertion holes 12e of the side walls 12b on both sides of the furnace body 12 along the direction orthogonal to the transport direction. As the transport roller 16, for example, a ceramic roller, a metal roller, or the like is used. The transport roller 16 is rotatably supported by support plates 16a and 16b provided outside the furnace body 12 via bearings (not shown).

In this embodiment, the sprocket 17 is attached to the end of the transport roller 16 on the support plate 16a side. A roller chain (not shown) is attached to the sprocket 17. The roller chain is connected to a drive device such as a motor that rotates the transport roller 16. The roller chain further connects adjacent transport rollers 16. A sprocket is not attached to the end of the transport roller 16 on the support plate 16b side. The end portion of the transport roller 16 on the support plate 16b side rotates in accordance with the rotation on the support plate 16a side. In this way, the transport rollers 16 connected by the roller chains rotate at the same speed at the same timing. In this way, the continuous firing furnace in which the product is conveyed by the rollers is called a roller hers kiln (RHK).

<Heater 14>
The heater 14 is a device for heating the object to be processed contained in the firing container A in the transport space 12a (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 1, the heater 14 is arranged in the transport space 12a of the furnace body 12. In this embodiment, the heaters 14 are arranged above the plurality of transport rollers 16 at predetermined intervals along the transport direction. In this embodiment, a cylindrical ceramic heater is used as the heater 14. The heater 14 penetrates the side wall 12b. In this embodiment, the heater 14 is arranged above the transport roller 16, but is not limited to this embodiment. The heater 14 may also be arranged below the transfer roller 16 so that the object to be processed contained in the firing container A can be heated from both the upper side and the lower side, for example. In FIG. 2, the heater 14 is not shown. As the heater 14, various heaters can be used depending on the heating temperature and the like. As the heater 14, a metal sheath heater or the like may be used in addition to the ceramic heater. Further, the shape of the heater 14 is not particularly limited, and for example, a plate-shaped panel heater or the like can be used.

<Stopper 50>
The stopper 50 is a device that stops the firing container A transported in the transport space 12a at a predetermined position in accordance with the lifter 20. In this embodiment, the stopper 50 includes a stopper main body 51, a shaft 52 that supports the stopper main body 51, and an elevating device 53 that raises and lowers the stopper main body 51 through the shaft 52. The stopper main body 51 is a plate-shaped member whose normal direction is directed in the transport direction, and is provided so as to project above the transport roller 16 from the gap of the transport roller 16 at a position predetermined according to the lifter 20. Has been done. The shaft 52 is a shaft that supports the stopper body 51. The shaft 52 supports the lower end of the stopper body 51 and penetrates the floor wall 12d of the furnace body 12 up and down.

The elevating device 53 is a device for elevating and lowering the shaft 52, and is composed of, for example, a cylinder device. In this embodiment, the cylinder as the elevating device 53 is attached to the outer surface of the floor wall 12d of the furnace body 12 with the piston rod facing downward. A shaft 52 is connected to the tip of the piston rod of the cylinder. When the piston rod of the elevating device 53 is pushed down, the stopper main body 51 is lowered. By pulling up the piston rod of the elevating device 53, the stopper main body 51 is raised and the firing container A is stopped at a predetermined position. Although not shown, a width-aligning mechanism for adjusting the position of the firing container A may be further provided in the width direction of the transport space 12a of the furnace body 12. In this case, the firing container A stopped by the stopper 50 is adjusted to a predetermined position in the width direction by the width adjusting mechanism. When the firing vessel A is conveyed along the guide provided in the furnace body 12, such a width adjusting mechanism is not always necessary.

<Rifta 20>
The lifter 20 is a device for raising and lowering the firing container A transported in the transport space 12a. In this embodiment, the lifter 20 is provided at a position vertically facing the holding mechanism 30 in the furnace body 12. The lifter 20 includes a lifter main body 21, an elevating device 24, and a guide 25 (see FIG. 2).

The lifter main body 21 is a member that projects upward from between the transport rollers 16 arranged in the transport space 12a and lifts the firing container A. In this embodiment, the lifter body 21 has a first plate 21a, a second plate 21b, and a connecting portion 21c. The first plate 21a and the second plate 21b are rectangular plates, respectively. The first plate 21a and the second plate 21b are arranged so as to be inserted into the gap of the transport roller 16 with the normal direction of the plates facing the transport direction, one long side facing up and the other long side facing down. Has been done.

In this embodiment, the first plate 21a is arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction T1, and the second plate 21b is arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction. The connecting portion 21c is a member that connects the lower ends of the first plate 21a and the second plate 21b below the transport roller 16. In other words, the first plate 21a and the second plate 21b rise upward from the connecting portion 21c. An operation rod 21d extending downward is attached to the connecting portion 21c. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, two operating rods 21d are attached to the connecting portion 21c at intervals in the width direction of the transport space 12a. The operation rods 21d penetrate the floor wall 12d up and down, respectively, and extend downward from the floor wall 12d. The lower ends of the two operating rods 21d are connected by a connecting bar 21e. Both ends of the connecting bar 21e may be attached to the guide 25 extending downward from the outer surface of the floor wall 12d via the linear bush 25a.

The elevating device 24 is a device for elevating and lowering the connecting bar 21e. The elevating device 24 is composed of, for example, a cylinder device. The cylinder as the elevating device 24 is attached to the outer surface of the floor wall 12d of the furnace body 12 with the piston rod facing downward. A connecting bar 21e is connected to the tip of the piston rod of the cylinder. By pulling up the piston rod of the elevating device 24, the connecting bar 21e is raised and the lifter body 21 is raised. As a result, the firing vessel A stopped at a predetermined position by the stopper 50 (see FIG. 1) is lifted. By pushing down the piston rod of the elevating device 24, the connecting bar 21e is lowered and the firing container A is lowered. In this embodiment, the cylinder device is used as the elevating device 40, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an actuator that raises and lowers the lifter body 21 may be used as the elevating device. Further, the shape of the lifter main body 21 is not limited to the plate shape, and may be, for example, a columnar shape.

<Elevating position L1 to L3>
Three elevating positions L1 to L3 are preset in the lifter 20. Here, FIG. 3A is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the first elevating position L1. FIG. 3B is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the second elevating position L2. FIG. 3C is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the third elevating position L3.

In the first elevating position L1, the position of the lifter main body 21 is set so that the upper end of the lifter main body 21 is lower than the upper end of the transport roller 16. At the elevating position L1, the lifter main body 21 does not hit the firing container A transported on the transport roller 16. For example, when the firing container A is transported by the transport roller 16, the lifter 20 may be controlled to the elevating position L1.

In the second elevating position L2, the position of the lifter main body 21 is set so that the firing container A can be lifted to a predetermined height stacked under the firing container A held by the holding mechanism 30. At the elevating position L2, for example, the lifted firing container A is superposed on the firing container A held by the holding mechanism 30. At this time, the firing container A can be held by the lifter 20 even if the holding mechanism 30 releases the holding.

In the third elevating position L3, the position of the lifter main body 21 is set so that the firing container A is lifted to the height held by the holding mechanism 30. For example, when the firing container A lifted by the lifter 20 is held by the holding mechanism 30, or when the firing container A held by the holding mechanism 30 is lowered, the lifter 20 may be controlled to the elevating position L3.

<Holding mechanism 30>
As shown in FIG. 1, the holding mechanism 30 is a mechanism for holding the firing container A lifted by the lifter 20. The holding mechanism 30 has two shafts 31, a holder 32, a sealing member 33, and a refrigerant supply device 40 (see FIG. 2). Here, FIG. 4 is a side view of the firing container A, which is a case with a substantially rectangular shallow bottom. A wall a1 stands up at the peripheral edge of the firing container A. The central portion of the wall a1 along the side of the substantially rectangular shape is recessed. The dent a2 forms a gap through which the atmospheric gas flows when the firing containers A are stacked.

<Shaft 31>
The two shafts 31 are inserted into the insertion holes of the furnace body 12. The shaft 31 has a hollow structure. The shaft 31 has a cylindrical shape. The shaft 31 has a cavity formed from one end to the other. As the shaft 31, a metal having excellent heat resistance and strength is used, and for example, stainless steel, a nickel-based alloy described later, a nickel-based alloy containing chromium and molybdenum in a total amount of about 20 to 35% by mass, and the like can be used. In this embodiment, a stainless steel shaft 31 is used. The shaft 31 is provided before and after a predetermined position in which the firing container A is lifted by the lifter 20 in the transport direction T1. The shaft 31 penetrates the pair of side walls 12b along the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction and is rotatably bridged (see FIG. 2). A holder 32 is attached to the middle portion of the shaft 31.

As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the holder 32 includes a base portion 32a, an arm portion 32b, and a claw portion 32c. The base portion 32a is a cylindrical member and is mounted on the shaft 31. The arm portion 32b is a plate-shaped portion extending downward from the outer peripheral surface of the base portion 32a. In this embodiment, the arm portion 32b is mounted on the inner side surface of the outer surface of the base portion 32a mounted on the shaft 31 provided before and after the transport direction T1 (see FIG. 1), which faces the inner side surface along the transport direction T1. It is provided. As a result, the arm portion 32b extends so as to sandwich the firing container A lifted by the lifter 20 from the front and back. The claw portion 32c is a portion bent inward from the lower end of the arm portion 32b. The claw portion 32c can support the bottom portion of the firing container A. As described above, in this embodiment, the shaft 31 is rotatably bridged to the pair of side walls 12b of the furnace body 12. The holder 32 has an arm portion 32b extending from the shaft 31 and a claw portion 32c bent from the lower end of the arm portion 32b.

As the holder 32, a metal having high heat resistance and oxidation resistance is used, and for example, a nickel-chromium-iron alloy, a nickel-based alloy, or the like is used. As used herein, the nickel-chromium-iron alloy refers to an alloy in which the total content of nickel, chromium and iron is 80% by mass or more when the total alloy is 100% by mass. The total content of nickel, chromium and iron may be 90% by mass or more, for example, 95% by mass or more. The content ratio of nickel contained in the nickel-chromium-iron alloy may be, for example, 20% by mass or more and 35% by mass or less. The chromium content may be, for example, 20% by mass or more and 25% by mass or less. The iron content may be, for example, 40% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less. Further, in the present specification, the nickel-based alloy means an alloy in which the nickel content is 50% by mass or more when the total alloy is 100% by mass. The nickel content may be 70% by mass or more. As the metal other than nickel, for example, chromium or iron may be contained. When the total alloy is 100% by mass, the chromium content may be 10% by mass or more and 25% by mass or less. The iron content may be 20% by mass or less, or 5% by mass or less.

<Seal member 33>
As shown in FIG. 2, the seal member 33 is attached to a portion where the shaft 31 is inserted into the furnace body 12. In this embodiment, the furnace body 12 is provided with a housing 34 outside the portion through which the shaft 31 is inserted. A seal member 33 and a bearing 35 are mounted in the housing 34. The shaft 31 is rotatably supported by bearings 35 within the housing 34. Further, the sealing member 33 seals the gap between the shaft 31 and the housing 34. As the sealing member 33, for example, a carbon fiber-based gland packing, a rubber oil seal, a silicon-based sealing material, or the like is used. The sealing member 33 prevents the atmospheric gas inside the furnace body 12 from leaking to the outside.

The shaft 31 extends further outward from the housing 34 and is attached to the drive device 37 via an operating arm 36 extending radially along the shaft 31. Here, the drive device 37 is a cylinder device, and one end of the cylinder is fixed to a support piece 38 provided in the housing of the furnace body 12. The shaft 31 is rotationally operated by the drive device 37. Further, a connector 39 connected to the refrigerant supply device 40 is provided at the end of the shaft 31. The connector 39 may be connected to the hollow portion of the shaft 31 and may have a structure for supplying the refrigerant to the hollow portion of the shaft 31.

The holding mechanism 30 is configured so that the holding tool 32 is opened and closed by rotating the shaft 31 in the circumferential direction by the driving device 37, and the firing container A can be held. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the shafts 31 before and after the transport direction T1 rotate inward, respectively, so that the shaft 31 is attached to the shaft 31 so as to hold the firing container A. The arm portion 32b is closed. Further, when the front and rear shafts 31 rotate outward, the arm portion 32b attached to the shaft 31 is opened so as to hold the firing container A.

In the closed state H1 in which the arm portions 32b of the front and rear shafts 31 are closed, the claw portion 32c supports the bottom portion of the firing vessel A, so that the firing vessel A is held. In the open state H2 in which the arm portions 32b of the front and rear shafts 31 are opened, the claw portions 32c are retracted to a position where they do not interfere with the bottom of the firing container A. By controlling the drive device 37 in this way, the holder 32 of the holding mechanism 30 can be operated into the closed state H1 and the open state H2. It should be noted that FIGS. 3A to 3C are schematically shown. In FIGS. 3A to 3C, the side wall 12b of the furnace body 12 is not shown, and the driving device 37 of the holding mechanism 30 is shown. In this embodiment, the holding mechanism 30 has a shaft 31 bridged over the side wall 12b, and is configured so that the refrigerant is supplied from one end to the other end, but the present invention is not limited to this. .. For example, a shaft penetrating the ceiling 12c of the furnace body 12 may be used. Such a shaft may have, for example, a double pipe structure and may be configured such that the flow of the refrigerant folds back from the inner pipe to the outer pipe. A holder may be attached to the end of the shaft.

<Refrigerant supply device 40>
As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerant supply device 40 is a device that supplies the refrigerant to the inside of the shaft 31. Water or the like can be used as the refrigerant. The temperature of the refrigerant supplied to the inside of the shaft 31 is lower than the atmospheric temperature of the transport space 12a, such as normal temperature. The type and temperature of the refrigerant are not particularly limited, and are appropriately set according to the atmospheric temperature of the transport space 12a and the like. In this embodiment, connectors 39 are attached to both ends of the shaft 31. A refrigerant supply device 40 is connected to one end of the shaft 31 via a connector 39. The refrigerant supply device 40 supplies the refrigerant from one end of the shaft 31 toward the other end. The method of supplying the refrigerant to the shaft 31 by the refrigerant supply device 40 is not particularly limited. For example, a different refrigerant supply device may be connected to each of the two shafts 31, and the refrigerant may be individually sent to each of the shafts 31. Further, a circulation type refrigerant supply device may be used as the refrigerant supply device, and the two shafts 31 may be configured to circulate the same refrigerant.

The refrigerant supply device 40 can appropriately supply the refrigerant to the inside of the shaft 31. For example, while supplying the refrigerant to the shaft 31, the stacking work and the step-disassembling work described later can be performed. For example, when the stacking work or the step-disassembling work is performed in a high temperature environment, it is preferable that the refrigerant is appropriately supplied to the shaft 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lifter 20, the holding mechanism 30 and the stopper 50 (see FIG. 1) may be controlled by the control device 60. The control device may be configured to control, for example, the transfer of the firing container A, the raising and lowering of the lifter 20, and the opening and closing of the holder 32 of the holding mechanism 30. Here, the control device 60 is connected to a lifting device 24 for raising and lowering the lifter 20 and a driving device 37 for driving the holding mechanism 30. As the control method, for example, various control methods such as sequence control can be adopted. Further, the supply of the refrigerant by the refrigerant supply device 40 may also be controlled by the control device 60.

By combining the operations of the lifter 20 and the holding mechanism 30 described above, the firing containers A can be stacked or the stacked firing containers A can be separated. Here, the work of stacking a plurality of firing containers A is appropriately referred to as "stacking". The work of disassembling the plurality of stacked firing containers A is appropriately referred to as "step disassembling". Here, the stacking operation of stacking the firing containers A conveyed in the conveying direction T1 will be described, and then the step-disassembling operation will be described.

<Stacking work>
In the stacking operation of stacking the firing containers A transported in the transport direction, the firing container A is stopped, the firing container A is lifted, and the firing container A is held in the following procedure.

FIG. 3A shows a state in which the firing container A is stopped in the stacking operation. Here, as shown in FIG. 3A, the lifter 20 causes the lifter body 21 to stand by at the elevating position L1 located below the transport roller 16. Further, the holding mechanism 30 does not hold the firing container A, and as shown by the two-dot chain line, the holding mechanism 30 is made to stand by in the open state H2 in which the arm portion 32b is open. In this state, when the control device 60 (see FIG. 2) detects the firing container A at a predetermined position in the transport space 12a, the control device 60 raises the stopper 50 at a predetermined timing. As a result, the firing vessel A is stopped at a predetermined position lifted by the lifter 20. At that time, the rotation of the transfer roller 16 may be stopped, or the transfer roller 16 may be idled without being stopped.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, the control device 60 raises the lifter 20 to the third elevating position L3. As a result, the firing container A is lifted to a height that can be held by the holding mechanism 30. Then, the control device 60 closes the arm portion 32b of the holding mechanism 30 to the closed state H1. As a result, the lifted firing container A is held by the holding mechanism 30. After that, as shown in FIG. 3A, the control device 60 lowers the lifter 20 and makes the lifter 20 stand by at the first elevating position L1 below the transport roller 16. Further, the holding mechanism 30 is made to stand by in the closed state H1 holding the firing container A. As a result, the firing container A is held by the holding mechanism 30.

Next, the firing container A is stopped again at a predetermined position by the stopper 50. Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the lifter 20 is raised to the second elevating position L2, and the firing container A is placed under the firing container A held by the holding mechanism 30. Then, with the firing container A supported by the lifter 20, the holding mechanism 30 is set to the open state H2, and the claw portion 32c is removed from the firing container A. In this state, the control device 60 raises the lifter 20 to the third elevating position L3 as shown in FIG. 3C. As a result, the firing container A held by the holding mechanism 30 and the firing container A newly lifted by the lifter 20 are stacked and raised to a height held by the holding mechanism 30. After that, the control device 60 sets the holding mechanism 30 in the closed state H1. As a result, the bottom firing container A of the firing containers A lifted by the lifter 20 is supported by the claw portion 32c of the holding mechanism 30, and the firing containers A are held by the holding mechanism 30 in a stacked state. ..

Then, as shown in FIG. 3A, the lifter 20 may be lowered and made to stand by at the first elevating position L1 below the transport roller 16. After that, the firing container A is stopped by the stopper 50. The lifter 20 is raised to the second elevating position L2, the firing vessel A is lifted, and the firing vessel A is placed under the firing vessel A held by the holding mechanism 30 (see FIG. 3B). With the holding mechanism 30 in the open state H2, the claw portion 32c is pulled out, and the lifter 20 is raised to the third elevating position L3 (see FIG. 3C). The holding mechanism 30 is set to the closed state H1 to hold the stacked firing containers A. The lifter 20 is lowered to the first elevating position L1 to stand by. The control device 60 repeats this. As a result, the firing containers A are stacked one by one.

When the firing container A flows in two stages by the transport roller 16, the firing container A lifted by the lifter 20 is stacked under the firing container A held by the holding mechanism 30. It is preferable that the height of the elevating position L2 of 2 is adjusted. As a result, the firing containers A can be stacked in two stages at a time. Similarly, the firing containers A can be stacked in a plurality of stages (for example, three stages).

<Step disassembling work>
FIG. 5 is a side view showing the step disassembling work. In the step-off operation, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of firing containers A are conveyed in a stacked state. The firing container A is separated by a predetermined number of pieces. Here, the work of separating and transporting the firing container A one step at a time will be exemplified.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the control device 60 (see FIG. 2) causes the lifter 20 to stand by at the first elevating position L1 below the transport roller 16. Further, as shown by the two-dot chain line, the holding mechanism 30 is made to stand by in the open state H2 in which the arm portion 32b is open. In this state, the control device 60 detects the firing container A at a predetermined position in the transport space 12a, and raises the stopper 50 at a predetermined timing. As a result, the firing vessel A is stopped at a predetermined position lifted by the lifter 20.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the control device 60 raises the lifter 20 to the second elevating position L2. In this state, the arm portion 32b of the holding mechanism 30 is closed in the closed state H1, so that the firing container A above the bottom firing container A among the stacked firing containers A is held by the holding mechanism 30. Will be done. After that, as shown in FIG. 3A, the control device 60 lowers the lifter 20 and makes the lifter 20 stand by at the first elevating position L1 below the transport roller 16. As a result, the bottom firing container A is lowered. By lowering and opening the stopper 50, the firing container A is conveyed by the transfer roller 16. As a result, the bottom firing container A among the stacked firing containers A is separated and conveyed.

Next, the control device 60 raises the lifter 20 to the third elevating position L3 as shown in FIG. 3C. As a result, the remaining stacked firing containers A held by the holding mechanism 30 are supported by the lifter 20. The control device 60 puts the holding mechanism 30 in the open state H2, lowers the lifter 20 to the second elevating position L2 as shown in FIG. 3B, and then puts the holding mechanism 30 in the closed state H1. As a result, the bottom firing vessel A among the stacked firing vessels A is supported by the lifter 20. Further, the firing container A above the bottom firing container A is held by the holding mechanism 30. In this state, the control device 60 lowers the lifter 20 to the first elevating position L1 as shown in FIG. 3A. As a result, the bottom firing container A is lowered and conveyed by the transfer roller 16. In this way, the bottom firing container A among the stacked firing containers A is separated.

After that, the control device 60 repeats the above process. As a result, the stacked firing containers A are separated in order from the bottom and transported by the transport roller 16. When the firing container A is separated by two stages, the height of the second elevating position L2 of the lifter 20 may be adjusted to a height lowered by two firing containers A from the third elevating position L3. As a result, the firing container A is separated into two stages and transported in a state of being stacked in two stages. Similarly, the firing container A can be disassembled into a state in which a plurality of stages (for example, three stages) are stacked.

In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the continuous firing furnace 10 includes a heater 14 arranged in the transport space 12a, a lifter 20 provided with a mechanism for lifting the firing container A, and the like. It is provided with a holding mechanism 30 for holding the firing container A lifted by the lifter 20. The shaft 31 of the holding mechanism 30 is a hollow shaft and is connected to the refrigerant supply device 40. Therefore, the stacking work and the step-disassembling work can be performed while cooling the shaft 31. In this embodiment, the holding mechanism 30 is provided in a high temperature environment in the continuous firing furnace 10. However, since the shaft 31 is cooled by the refrigerant supplied by the refrigerant supply device 40, the sealing property of the sealing member 33 is maintained. Therefore, even if the stacking work or the step-disassembling work is performed in the high temperature environment in the continuous firing furnace 10, the atmospheric gas inside is unlikely to flow out through the shaft 31. Further, since the deterioration of the seal member 33 is suppressed by cooling the shaft 31, the life of the seal member 33 can be extended. Such a configuration is more preferably applied to a continuous firing furnace that continuously fires an object to be treated at a high temperature.

Since the shaft 31 of the holding mechanism 30 is cooled in this way, it is easy to maintain high sealing performance of the sealing member 33. Therefore, the temperature of the object to be processed can be maintained high to some extent in the work space where the stacking work and the step-disassembling work are performed. Further, in the work space where the stacking work and the stepping work are performed, the stacking work and the stepping work can be performed while heating the object to be processed to a required temperature. For example, when the firing container A is carried to a work space where the stacking work or the step-disassembling work is performed at room temperature, the firing container A is heated in the work space where the stacking work or the step-disassembling work is performed, and before firing. Preheating can be carried out. As a result, the total processing time of the object to be processed can be significantly shortened. Further, a lifter 20 and a holding mechanism 30 for performing stacking work and step-disassembling work can be provided in the continuous firing furnace 10 or in a high temperature region in the vicinity thereof. Therefore, the equipment can be saved in space.

In this embodiment, the shaft 31 is provided in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction. Further, a refrigerant supply device 40 is connected so that the refrigerant can be supplied from one end to the other end of the shaft 31. With such a configuration, the refrigerant can be efficiently supplied to the shaft 31 with a simpler structure.

Further, in this embodiment, the holder 32 attached to the shaft 31 includes an arm portion 32b extending from the shaft 31 and a claw portion 32c bent from the lower end of the arm portion 32b. In this case, since the firing container A is held by the claw portion 32c at the lower end of the arm portion 32b, heat is not easily taken by the shaft 31 cooled by the refrigerant.

In this embodiment, the holder 32 is composed of a nickel-chromium-iron alloy or a nickel-based alloy. With such a configuration, the holder 32 has good durability even in an atmosphere such as an oxidizing atmosphere, a reducing atmosphere, and a nitriding atmosphere. In addition, it has good durability even when used in a high temperature environment.

The holder 32 may be provided with a heat insulating material on the surface that comes into contact with the firing container A. In this embodiment, the surface that comes into contact with the firing container A is the claw portion 32c. Since the surface of the claw portion 32c with which the firing container A abuts is provided with the heat insulating material, it is possible to prevent the firing container A from being cooled through the holder 32. The heat insulating material used here is not particularly limited, but for example, a ceramic heat insulating material or the like can be used.

In the form shown in FIG. 1, the heater 14 is arranged in the work space where the stacking work and the step-disassembling work are performed. In this case, the work space where the stacking work and the step-disassembling work are performed can be heated by the heater 14. The continuous firing furnace is not limited to such a form.

For example, in the form shown in FIG. 5, the transport space 12a of the continuous firing furnace 10 is provided with a partition 70 for partitioning the heating chamber 12a1 and the stage number changing chamber 12a2. The partition 70 may be made of a heat insulating material such as a ceramic fiber board. A heater 14 is provided in the heating chamber 12a1. In the heating chamber 12a1, the heat treatment is performed on the object to be treated contained in the firing containers A stacked in multiple stages. The step number changing chamber 12a2 is provided with a lifter 20 and a holding mechanism 30. The heater 14 is not provided in the stage number changing chamber 12a2. As described above, the heater 14 may not be provided in the stage number changing chamber 12a2 in which the lifter 20 and the holding mechanism 30 are provided. In this case, the stage number changing chamber 12a2 does not have a heater 14 and is not actively heated, but the stage number changing chamber 12a2 is a furnace body 12 due to the heat transferred from the heating chamber 12a1 and the heat held by the heated firing vessel A. It can be a high temperature environment compared to the outside. Even in such a case, since the refrigerant can be supplied to the shaft 31, damage to the sealing member can be suppressed. A shutter or a replacement chamber for switching the atmosphere may be provided between the heating chamber 12a1 and the stage number changing chamber 12a2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the portion of the continuous firing furnace 10 having the lifter 20 and the holding mechanism 30 may be modularized to form the stage number changing device 80. The stage number changing device 80 disclosed here includes a partition wall 12 having a transport space 12a for transporting the firing container A inside, a heater 14, a lifter 20, and a holding mechanism 30. Since the heater 14, the lifter 20, and the holding mechanism 30 are described above, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Similar to the furnace body 12 of the continuous firing furnace 10, the partition wall 12 of the stage number changing device 80 is surrounded by a furnace wall 12b to 12d made of a heat insulating material over the entire circumference in the transport direction of the transport space 12a. It is good to have. The stage number changing device 80 may be provided with a carry-in inlet 80a and a carry-out outlet 80b so that a plurality of firing containers A can be carried in and out in a stacked state. Further, the stage number changing device 80 may be configured so that the stage number is changed only within the transport space 12a. That is, the number of stages of the heating container A carried in from the carry-in inlet 80a and the number of stages of the heating container A carried out from the carry-out port 80b may be the same. For example, in the stage number changing device 80, the heating containers A can be carried in without being stacked, and the objects to be treated contained in the multi-stage heating containers A are heat-treated and stacked. The carry-in inlet 80a and the carry-out outlet 80b may be provided so that the carry-out can be carried out in a non-existent state. Before and after the stage number changing device 80, a shutter for switching the atmosphere and a replacement chamber may be provided. The stage number changing device 80 may be configured such that at least one of the carry-in inlet 80a and the carry-out port 80b is hermetically connected to a heating furnace for heat-treating the object to be processed. ..

The stage number changing device 80 can be used as a module forming a part of the continuous heating furnace. The stage number changing device 80 provides a continuous heating furnace so that when the object to be processed is heated in combination with other configurations of the continuous heating furnace or other modules, the stacking work and the step-disassembling work can be performed at an appropriate position and temperature. Can be configured. Here, as another module of the continuous heating furnace, for example, a module constituting a replacement chamber or a firing chamber may be mentioned. According to the step number changing device 80 disclosed here, since the refrigerant is supplied to the shaft 31 of the holding mechanism 30, even if the transport space 12a inside the partition wall 12 where the stacking work and the step disassembling work are performed is at a high temperature. The sealing property of the sealing member is maintained high. Therefore, the stacking work and the step-disassembling work can be performed without lowering the temperature of the object to be processed. Therefore, the processing time of the continuous heating furnace as a whole is shortened. Further, by modularizing the stage number changing device 80 in this way and connecting it to another module, it is possible to provide an arbitrary continuous heating furnace provided with a stage stacking and stage disassembling mechanism. Therefore, for example, by selecting modules, determining the order of the modules, and combining them, it is possible to provide a continuous heating furnace equipped with a stacking and step-disassembling mechanism. Therefore, it becomes easy to design a continuous heating furnace equipped with a step stacking and step disassembling mechanism.

Although the detailed description has been given with reference to specific embodiments, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. As described above, the techniques described in the claims include various modifications and modifications of the above-described embodiments. It is also possible to adopt a part of the plurality of techniques exemplified in the above embodiment for a continuous heating furnace or a stage number changing device.

10 Continuous firing furnace (continuous heating furnace)
12 Furnace (bulkhead)
12a Transport space 12b Side wall (furnace wall)
12c Ceiling (fire pot wall)
12d floor wall (fire pot wall)
12e Insertion hole 14 Heater 16 Transport roller 16a, 16b Support plate 17 Sprocket 18 Base 20 Lifter 21 Lifter body 21a First plate 21b Second plate 21c Connecting part 21d Operation rod 21e Connecting bar 24 Elevating device 25 Guide 25a Linear bush 30 Holding mechanism 31 Shaft 32 Cage 32a Base 32b Arm 32c Claw 33 Seal member 34 Housing 35 Bearing 36 Operation arm 37 Drive device 38 Support piece 39 Connector 40 Refrigerator supply device 50 Stopper 51 Stopper body 52 Shaft 53 Elevating device 60 Control device A Burning Container (heating container)
a1 Wall a2 Recess H1 Closed state H2 Open state L1 to L3 Elevating position

Claims (13)

A furnace body that has a transport space inside that can transport multiple heating containers in the transport direction in a stacked state,
The heater arranged in the transport space and
A lifter that raises and lowers the heating container,
A holding mechanism for holding the heating container lifted by the lifter is provided.
The holding mechanism is
The hollow shaft inserted into the furnace body and
The holder attached to the shaft and
A seal member attached to the portion where the shaft is inserted into the furnace body, and
A continuous heating furnace having a refrigerant supply device connected to the shaft outside the furnace body and supplying a refrigerant to a hollow portion of the shaft. The transport space is provided with a partition for partitioning a heating chamber in which the heater is arranged and a stage number changing chamber provided with the lifter and the holding mechanism, and the heater is provided in the stage number changing chamber. The continuous heating furnace according to claim 1. The furnace body has a pair of side walls on both sides in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction.
The shaft is rotatably bridged over the pair of side walls.
The holder is
The arm portion extending from the shaft and
The continuous heating furnace according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a claw portion bent from the lower end of the arm portion. The continuous heating furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the shaft is provided in parallel with a width direction orthogonal to the transport direction. The continuous heating furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the refrigerant supply device supplies the refrigerant from one end to the other end of the shaft. The continuous heating furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the holder is composed of a nickel-chromium-iron alloy or a nickel-based alloy. The continuous heating furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the holder is provided with a heat insulating material on a surface that comes into contact with the heating container. A partition wall that has a transport space inside that can transport multiple heating containers in the transport direction in a stacked state ,
The heater arranged in the transport space and
A lifter provided with a mechanism for lifting the heating container, and
A holding mechanism for holding the heating container lifted by the lifter is provided.
The holding mechanism is
A hollow shaft inserted through the partition wall and
The holder attached to the shaft and
A seal member attached to the portion where the shaft is inserted through the partition wall, and
A stage number changing device having a refrigerant supply device connected to the shaft outside the partition wall and supplying a refrigerant to the hollow portion of the shaft. The partition wall has a pair of side walls on both sides in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction.
The shaft is rotatably bridged over the pair of side walls.
The holder is
The arm portion extending from the shaft and
The step number changing device according to claim 8, further comprising a claw portion that bends from the lower end of the arm portion and supports the heating container. The step number changing device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the shaft is provided in parallel with a width direction orthogonal to the transport direction. The stage number changing device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the refrigerant supply device supplies refrigerant from one end to the other end of the shaft. The step number changing device according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the holder is composed of a nickel-chromium-iron alloy or a nickel-based alloy. The step number changing device according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein the holder is provided with a heat insulating material on a surface that comes into contact with the heating container.

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