JP7202268B2 - net conveyor belt - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a net-like conveyor belt used for steaming instant noodles in an instant noodle production line or the like.

Conventionally, in the production line of instant noodles such as Chinese noodles, pasta, udon, and soba, noodles are placed on a net-shaped conveyor belt (also called a wire conveyor belt, a net conveyor belt, a mesh conveyor belt, etc.) woven with wire such as wire. After the noodles are placed, the noodles are conveyed into a steamer in that state, the noodles are steamed, and then the noodles are conveyed out.
The reason for placing the noodles on the net-like conveyor belt is to allow the superheated steam rising from below in the steaming process to pass through the gaps of the net and increase the area and opportunities for contact with the noodles, thereby increasing the degree of steaming of the noodles. This is for making uniform and good.

However, in such a steaming process for noodles, the noodles expand as they are steamed, but then gradually shrink as they cool. There is a fear that the noodles cannot be transferred from the net-like conveyor belt to the conveyor belt for the next process. In such a case, it is necessary to remove the adhering noodles, and in some cases, the production line may have to be stopped, which may reduce the production efficiency.

For this reason, conventionally, for example, by applying the technology described in Patent Document 1, the surface (contact surface) of the net-like conveyor belt with which the noodles come into contact is coated with Teflon (registered trademark) (fluorine-treated ), etc., to make it difficult for noodles to stick.

JP 2015-181476 A

However, when Teflon coating or the like is applied to the contact surface of the net-like conveyor belt, it is necessary to form a film of a substance different from the base material on the surface of the metal material that is the base material (base material) of the net-like conveyor belt. Therefore, there is a concern that the coating layer will peel off from the base material due to some kind of impact or deterioration over time, and it will be mixed into the instant noodles product. There is a fact that it is

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has a relatively simple and low-cost structure, but there is no risk of contamination by foreign matter due to peeling, etc., and the noodles placed in the steaming process do not adhere to the noodles. It is an object of the present invention to provide a net-like conveyor belt that is difficult to handle.

The present invention
A net-shaped conveyor belt, which is constructed by weaving wires with a wire diameter of φ0.8 to 5 mm at a winding pitch of 3 to 40 mm, and is used for placing and conveying noodles in a noodle steaming process,
At least on the surface of the wire that comes into contact with the noodles, a large number of micro-recesses having an entrance diameter of φ10 to φ30 μm and a depth of 0.5-3 μm are formed at random by micro-particle peening treatment. characterized by being formed in

In the present invention, the step of steaming the noodles may be a step of a production line for instant noodles.

According to the present invention, there is provided a net-like conveyor belt which has a relatively simple and low-cost structure, is free from the risk of contamination by foreign matter due to peeling, etc., and to which placed noodles are less likely to adhere during a steaming process. can be done.

1 is a front view (viewed from a horizontal direction orthogonal to the noodle conveying direction) for explaining one structural example of a steaming step (steamer) of an instant noodle production line according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a part of a configuration example of the net-like conveyor belt according to the same embodiment; Wire material constituting a net conveyor belt by fine particle peening treatment according to the above embodiment (fine particle peening treatment performed on the material to be treated (SUS304) using Fuji glass beads FGB (media) with a particle size of #400) 1 is an SEM image of countless crater-like minute dimples (minute recesses) irregularly (randomly) formed on the surface of the . FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of numerous micro dimples (micro recesses) formed on the surface of a wire material constituting a net-like conveyor belt by fine particle peening treatment according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a laser microscope photograph showing a state in which numerous minute recesses are formed on the surface of the wire material of the net-like conveyor belt subjected to the fine particle peening treatment according to the same embodiment. 4 is a laser microscope photograph showing the appearance of the surface of a wire rod of a net-like conveyor belt that has not been subjected to fine particle peening treatment. Measurement of the entrance diameter and depth of minute recesses when fine particle peening is applied to the material (SUS304) to be treated using Fuji glass beads FGB (media) of particle size #400, corresponding to the SEM image of FIG. It is a table summarizing the results. (A) is an example of a cross-sectional curve showing the entrance diameter and depth of minute recesses when fine particle peening treatment is applied to the treated material (SUS304) using Fuji glass beads FGB (media) of particle size #400. (B) is a SEM image corresponding to (A) (SEM image with different magnification in FIG. 3). FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional SEM image of a single concave portion experimentally formed by one-shotting the medium used for the fine particle peening process according to the embodiment; FIG. It is a recessed part cross-sectional SEM image by laser processing. 4 is a table showing the particle size distribution of Fuji Glass Beads FGB, which is an example of media used in the present embodiment.

An embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited by the embodiments described below.

The net-shaped conveyor belt (wire conveyor belt) 10 according to the present embodiment is used, for example, in a production line of noodles such as Chinese noodles, pasta, udon, and soba, for carrying in and out of a steaming process for steaming noodles. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the noodles 1 placed thereon are carried into the steamer 20 and carried out.

By the way, in this noodle steaming process (steamer 20), superheated steam circulating in the steamer 20 (for example, rising from below) is applied to the noodles 1 placed on the net-like conveyor belt 10 by passing it through the net. A region and an opportunity to contact the noodles 1 by passing through the gap X (see FIG. 2) of the wires 11 (spiral wires 11A, rod-shaped wires 11B, etc.) having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape that are woven to form the By increasing the amount, the steamed condition of the noodles 1 is uniform and good.

However, in the steaming process (steamer 20), the noodles 1 are steamed and expand, but then gradually shrink as they are cooled. There is a risk that the noodles 1 will get stuck between the wire rods 11 arranged at a predetermined interval and become difficult to remove, and will adhere to the net-like conveyor belt 10. See), there was a risk that the noodles 1 could not be satisfactorily transferred.

For this reason, in the present embodiment, the surfaces of the portions of the net-like conveyor belt 10 that come into contact with the noodles 1 (wires 11 such as spiral wires 11A and rod-like wires 11B, stay pins 12, etc.) are subjected to fine particle peening treatment. In 3, an adhesion suppression treatment was performed to irregularly (randomly) form countless crater-shaped micro dimples (substantially spherical depressions, substantially spherical micro depressions) as shown in the SEM image. In addition, FIG. 4 shows a perspective view schematically showing an image of infinitely small dimples 100 randomly formed by the fine particle peening process.

According to the net-like conveyor belt 10 having such fine dimples 100 formed on the surface thereof by fine particle peening treatment, the adhesion of the noodles 1 is suppressed, and the noodles can be satisfactorily transferred to the conveyor belt 30 on the downstream side toward the next process. I was able to transfer 1.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the net-like conveyor belt 10 according to the present embodiment includes a spiral wire 11A wound in a spiral shape (spiral shape) and a spiral wire 11A arranged in parallel. and a rod-shaped wire 11B that is inserted through and connected to adjacent ones.

In addition, the net-like conveyor belt 10 connects a pair of chains 13 (not shown on the right side in FIG. 2) arranged on both sides (facing both sides with the wire rod 11 interposed therebetween). It is engaged with and supported by a chain 13 via a stay pin 12 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the chain 13 is connected at both ends so as to be continuous in an annular shape, and is wound around the sprocket 14 shown in FIG. By rotating the sprocket 14 via an electric motor (not shown), the chain 13 and thus the net-like conveyor belt 10 move from the upstream side of the production line (steamer 20) to the downstream side. 1.

Here, the spiral wire 11A of the net-like conveyor belt 10 according to the present embodiment has a spiral pitch (winding pitch) Y (see FIG. 2) of about 3 to 40 mm and a wire diameter of about φ0.8 to 5 mm. As an example, it is assumed that the rod-like wire 11B has a rod pitch (arrangement pitch) Z (see FIG. 2) of about 4 to 50 mm and a wire diameter of about φ0.9 to 6 mm. However, it is not limited to these dimensions.

In the present embodiment, the size of the micro dimples (micro recesses) 100 formed on the surface of the member of the net-like conveyor belt 10 that contacts the noodles 1 by the fine particle peening treatment is about φ5 to φ100 μm in inlet diameter (preferably is about φ10 to 30 μm) and the depth is about 0.5 to 3 μm (preferably about 1 to 2 μm).

In addition, FIG. 7 shows the number of micro-recesses when the material (SUS304) to be treated is subjected to fine particle peening treatment using Fuji glass beads FGB (media) of particle size #400, corresponding to the SEM image of FIG. Here is an example of the measurement results of diameter and depth. However, the entrance diameter, depth, etc. of the minute recesses to be formed can be appropriately adjusted by changing the size of the medium. Setting the thickness to 5 to 3 μm can effectively suppress adhesion of the placed noodles to the net-like conveyor belt in the step of steaming the noodles.

Here, FIG. 8 shows an example of the cross-sectional shape (the entrance diameter and depth of the minute recesses) of the minute recesses and projections formed by the fine particle peening process.
FIG. 8(A) shows a representative cross-sectional shape of the fine particle peening surface of FIG. 8(B) (SEM image with different magnification in FIG. 3), measured with a shape measuring laser microscope VK-X100 manufactured by KEYENCE. It is actual surface texture measurement data acquired using

FIG. 5 is a laser microscope photograph showing a state in which a large number of minute recesses are formed on the surface of the wire rod 11 (11A) subjected to the fine particle peening treatment in this embodiment. Also, FIG. 6 shows a laser microscope photograph showing the state of the surface of the wire material of the net-like conveyor belt 10 not subjected to the fine particle peening treatment.

Here, the fine particle peening treatment (WPC treatment) will be described.
Particle peening treatment is called “precision shot peening treatment” or “FPB (Fine Particle Bombarding) treatment”. It is a surface processing method in which the material is mixed with the material and collided with the work (processed object) at high speed.

In this surface processing method, Fuji glass beads FGB (manufactured by Fuji Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) with a particle size range of #90 to #1500 (see Fig. 11) and other hard particles (alumina silica beads, high speed steel beads, etc.) , Compressed air collides with the surface to be processed (surface of wire rod 11, etc.) at a speed of 100 m/s or more, and has a substantially spherical micron-sized microrecess having a protrusion on its edge without significant dimensional change. are irregularly formed on the entire processing surface (visually). Incidentally, when the medium collides and forms a minute concave portion, the periphery of the concave portion rises in a crater shape to form a convex portion. In addition, the height of the convex portion is irregular because the raised convex portion is dented by colliding with other media.

On the other hand, mechanical processing such as laser processing and cutting forms regular recesses, but does not form protrusions because it is removal processing (protrusions do not rise with the formation of recesses). Therefore, in mechanical processing such as laser processing and cutting, the height of the protrusions around the minute recesses matches the height of the surface of the workpiece (the member being laser-processed ).

In addition, since the fine unevenness formed by the fine particle peening treatment is formed irregularly (randomly) innumerably, the surface texture (shape) formed by the fine particle peening treatment is different from that of the surface such as polishing treatment or blasting treatment. Although it is different from the surface shape (texture) formed by scraping and scratching, when measured with a surface roughness meter, both have similar values numerically. cannot be distinguished. However, the effect obtained by the surface texture (shape) formed by the fine particle peening process is completely different from the surface shape (texture) formed by the process of scratching and scratching the surface such as polishing or blasting. It is.

In this way, the fine unevenness formed by the fine particle peening treatment is innumerably irregularly (randomly) formed, the shapes of the fine concaves and the surrounding convexities are irregular, and the irregularity is determined by the present invention. In view of the fact that it is the source of the effects played, it is impossible/unrealistic at the time of filing the application to specify the minute unevenness of the infinitely irregularly (randomly) formed fine unevenness by the shape etc. In addition to using the expression "formed by fine particle peening" as a term for specifying the surface texture (shape) formed by fine particle peening, the surface shape formed by fine particle peening cannot be specified.

Here, for reference, a diagram for comparing the shape of the recess formed by fine particle peening and the shape of the recess formed by cutting (removing) material by laser processing is attached.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) image of a single recess experimentally formed by one-shotting the media according to this surface processing (fine particle peening treatment), and FIG. 10 is laser processing. It is a cross-sectional SEM image of the recessed part by the microparticle peening treatment, and the shape of the unevenness (the recessed part and the surrounding protruding part) formed by plastic working by the fine particle peening treatment in FIG. It can be seen that the shape of the recess is clearly different from the shape of the recess.

[Injection device]
In the fine particle peening treatment according to the present embodiment, shots (media) are jetted by a known blasting device to collide with the surface of the metal product.

For example, various types of pneumatic blasting devices can be used. Direct-pressure blasting equipment that shoots shot from a blast gun on a stream of compressed air, gravity-type blasting equipment that shoots shot that has fallen from a tank on compressed air, and suction of shot by the negative pressure generated by the injection of compressed air. Various blasting devices can be used, such as a suction type blasting device that jets together with compressed air.

[Shot (projection material)]
In this embodiment, the shot (projection material) uses Fuji glass beads FGB (Fuji Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) with a particle size range of #90 to #1500, and other hard particles (alumina silica beads, high speed steel beads, etc.). be able to.

Using the above injection device, Fuji glass beads FGB (manufactured by Fuji Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) with a particle size range of #90 to #1500 and other hard particles (alumina silica beads, high speed steel beads, etc.) are sprayed through compressed air. Collision with the surface to be processed (surface of wire rod 11, etc.) at a speed of 100 m/s or more, and irregularly ( (randomly) on substantially the entire processing surface.

By such a fine particle peening treatment, a crater-shaped (substantially spherical, micron-sized, micron-sized particle having a minute protrusion on the edge) is formed on the surface of the wire rod 11 of the net-shaped conveyor belt 10 according to the present embodiment with which the noodles 1 contact. By irregularly forming the concave portions, it is possible to suppress adhesion of the noodles to the net-like conveyor belt 10 on which the noodles are placed and conveyed in the steaming process in the production line of noodles such as instant noodles.

More specifically, in the step of steaming the noodles, the noodles are steamed and expand, but then gradually shrink as they are cooled. There was a risk that the steamed noodles could not be transferred from the net-like conveyor belt 10 to the conveyor belt 30 heading for the next process. can be resolved.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the stoppage of the production line (conveyance of the noodles) for the work of removing the noodles adhering to the net-like conveyor belt 10, so that it is possible to contribute to the improvement of the production efficiency.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, unlike the conventional Teflon coating, there is no coating layer, so it is possible to avoid the possibility of contamination by foreign matter due to peeling or the like.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, although it has a relatively simple and low-cost configuration, there is no risk of contamination by foreign matter due to peeling or the like, and the noodles placed in the noodle steaming process do not adhere. It is possible to provide a net-like conveyor belt that is difficult to handle.

The material of the members (wires 11 (11A, 11B, stay pins 12, etc.) of the net-like conveyor belt 10 that come into contact with the noodles may be metal (alloy) such as iron, aluminum, or titanium. In the case of, in addition to steel (SS400, etc.), it can be made of stainless steel, and furthermore, it can be made of non-magnetic austenitic stainless steel (SUS303, 304, 316, etc.).However, it is limited to these. not a thing

By the way, in the present embodiment, an example of the weaving mode of the wire rods 11 of the net-like conveyor belt 10 is shown in FIG. 2, but the weaving mode of the wire rods of the net-like conveyor belt according to the present invention is limited to this. The scope of the present invention includes a net-like (mesh-like) conveyor belt formed by weaving wires (such as wires, the cross-sectional shape of which is not limited to a circular shape).

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments of the invention described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

1 Noodle 10 Net Conveyor Belt 11 Wire Rod 11A Spiral Wire 11B Rod Wire 12 Stay Pin 13 Chain 14 Sprocket 20 Steamer (Steaming Process)
100 micro recesses (micro dimples, micro depressions)

Claims (2)

A net-shaped conveyor belt, which is constructed by weaving wires with a wire diameter of φ0.8 to 5 mm at a winding pitch of 3 to 40 mm, and is used for placing and conveying noodles in a noodle steaming process,
At least on the surface of the wire that comes into contact with the noodles, a large number of micro-recesses having an entrance diameter of φ10 to φ30 μm and a depth of 0.5-3 μm are formed at random by micro-particle peening treatment. A net-like conveyor belt characterized by being formed in 2. The net-like conveyor belt according to claim 1, wherein the step of steaming the noodles is a step of a production line for instant noodles.

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