JP7204970B1 - Continuous heating furnace and attachment/detachment device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to improve processing efficiency of an object to be processed. A continuous heating furnace (10A) has at least one furnace body (12) forming a continuous transfer space (12a) in which a heating container (A) is transferred. The transfer space 12a has a first heating chamber 10a and a second heating chamber 10c. Between the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c, there are conveying rollers 16 arranged along the conveying direction T1, a lifter 20 for raising and lowering the conveyed object conveyed on the conveying rollers 16, and a lifter. A holding mechanism 30 is provided for holding the transported object lifted at 20 . [Selection drawing] Fig. 5

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a continuous heating furnace and an attachment/detachment device.

JP-A-8-219652, JP-A-8-226774, and JP-A-9-105585 disclose a furnace body having a first heating space and a second heating space, and an object to be fired. A baking apparatus is disclosed that includes a heating container (referred to as a box in these publications) and a transport section that transports the heating container from a first heating space toward a second heating space. . The heating container is transported with the lid placed thereon.

The baking apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-219652 has lid closing means near the boundary between the first heating space and the second heating space. The lid closing means includes a pushing member for moving the heating container and the lid relative to each other so that the lid closes the opening of the heating container, and pushing member driving means for moving the pushing member forward and backward with respect to the heating container and the lid. ing. The heating container is transported in the first heating space with the lid placed so as to open at least a portion of the opening. When the heating container is transported to the boundary between the first heating space and the second heating space, the lid closing means moves the lid placed on the heating container to close the opening of the heating container. According to the sintering apparatus disclosed in the publication, it is possible to continuously perform the binder removal treatment and the main sintering treatment.

The heating container used in the baking apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-226774 includes a heating container body, a lid formed with an opening and closing the upper surface of the heating container body, and a lid placed on the lid. and an opening closing member that covers the opening of the. The opening closing member is provided movably between a placed position and a position covering the opening of the lid. The baking apparatus includes a contact member that contacts the opening closing member in the vicinity of the boundary between the first heating space and the second heating space. The opening closing member is configured to move from the placed position to the position covering the opening of the lid by coming into contact with the contact member to close the opening. According to the firing apparatus disclosed in the publication, the binder removal process and the main firing process can be performed continuously, and the apparatus can be simplified and the firing process can be made more efficient.

A heating container used in a baking apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-105585 has a lid that opens and closes an opening on the top surface and is slidable in the conveying direction. The transfer section has a different speed region near the boundary between the first heating space and the second heating space, in which the heating container is moved at a speed different from that of the other portions. In the different speed region, the lids of the heating containers are sequentially closed by pressing the rear heating container against the front heating container lid. The heating vessel is configured to pass through the first heating space of the furnace body with the lid open and to pass through the second heating space with the lid closed. According to the sintering apparatus disclosed in the publication, it is said that continuous processing from binder removal to final sintering can be performed in one furnace with a simple structure.

JP-A-8-219652 JP-A-8-226774 JP-A-9-105585

By the way, the present inventor wishes to provide a continuous heating furnace capable of efficiently treating objects to be treated.

The continuous heating furnace disclosed herein has at least one furnace body forming a continuous transport space in which heating containers are transported. The transfer space has a first heating chamber and a second heating chamber. Between the first heating chamber and the second heating chamber, there are conveying rollers arranged along the conveying direction, a lifter for raising and lowering the conveyed object conveyed on the conveying roller, and the conveyed object lifted by the lifter. A holding mechanism for holding the object is provided.
According to such a continuous heating furnace, the object to be treated can be efficiently heat-treated.

An attaching/detaching chamber for attaching/detaching the lid to/from the heating container may be provided between the first heating chamber and the second heating chamber. The conveying roller, the lifter, and the holding mechanism may be provided in the attachment/detachment chamber.
The continuous heating furnace may further comprise a controller. The control device raises the lifter supporting the heating container with the lid placed thereon to a position where the lid is held by the holding mechanism, causes the holding mechanism to hold the lid, and lowers the heating container to the conveying rollers. processing may be configured to be executed.
The control device raises a lifter supporting the lid to the position where the lid is held by the holding mechanism, holds the lid on the holding mechanism, and moves the lid to the position where the holding mechanism holds the lid. It may also be configured such that the process of placing the lid on the heating container by raising the lifter that supports the heating container that is not placed thereon.
The continuous heating furnace may further have a replacement chamber at least either between the first heating chamber and the attachment/detachment chamber or between the attachment/detachment chamber and the second heating chamber.
The first heating chamber and the second heating chamber may each have an independent transport mechanism.
The first heating chamber and the second heating chamber may have a plurality of transport rollers arranged along the transport direction.
The attachment/detachment chamber may include a heater.
The holding mechanism may have a hollow shaft inserted through the furnace body and a holder attached to the shaft. A seal member may be attached to the portion where the shaft is inserted through the furnace body. The shaft may be connected to a coolant supply device that supplies coolant to the hollow portion of the shaft.
The attachment/detachment chamber may have a pair of side walls on both sides in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction. The shaft may be rotatably spanned between the pair of side walls. The retainer may have an arm portion extending from the shaft and a claw portion bent from the lower end of the arm portion.
The retention mechanism may comprise multiple retainers. A plurality of retainers may be spaced apart on the shaft.
The retainer may be constructed from a nickel-chromium-iron alloy or a nickel-base alloy.

The attachment/detachment device disclosed herein has therein a transfer space in which the heating container is transferred. The attaching and detaching device attaches and detaches the lid to and from the heating container. The attaching/detaching device includes a heater arranged in a conveying space, rollers arranged along a predetermined conveying path, a lifter for lifting an object conveyed on the conveying rollers, and an object lifted by the lifter. and a holding mechanism for holding the conveyed object. The holding mechanism includes a hollow shaft inserted through the partition wall, a holder attached to the shaft, a seal member attached to a portion of the partition wall where the shaft is inserted, and a coolant connected to the shaft. and a coolant supply device that supplies the
The partition may have a pair of side walls on both sides in the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction. The shaft may be rotatably spanned between the pair of side walls. The holder may include an arm portion extending from the shaft and a claw portion that bends from the lower end of the arm portion and supports the heating container.
The shaft may be provided along the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.
The retainer may be constructed from a nickel-chromium-iron alloy or a nickel-base alloy.
The holder may have a heat insulating material on the surface that comes into contact with the heating container.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a continuous heating furnace 10. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the stage number changing chamber 10b of the continuous heating furnace 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3A is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the first elevation position L1. FIG. 3B is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the second elevation position L2. FIG. 3C is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the third elevation position L3. 4 is a side view of the heating vessel A. FIG. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the continuous heating furnace 10A. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1 of the continuous heating furnace 10A. FIG. 7 is a side view of heating vessel A with lid B placed thereon. FIG. 8A is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the first elevation position L1. FIG. 8B is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the second elevation position L2. FIG. 8C is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the third elevation position L3. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the attachment/detachment device 80. As shown in FIG.

One typical embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings below, members and portions having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted. Also, the dimensional relationships (length, width, thickness, etc.) in each drawing do not reflect the actual dimensional relationships.
As used herein, the term "continuous heating furnace" refers to a heating furnace that continuously heats objects to be treated. Further, in this specification, a container used when baking an object to be processed is appropriately referred to as a “heating container”.

<Continuous heating furnace 10>
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a continuous heating furnace 10. FIG. An arrow T1 in the drawing indicates the transport direction in which the heating container A is transported. FIG. 1 schematically shows a longitudinal section of the continuous heating furnace 10 along the transport direction T1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the stage number changing chamber 10b of the continuous heating furnace 10. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the heating containers A are arranged in three rows in the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction T1 and transported.
The continuous heating furnace 10 has at least one furnace body 12 forming a continuous transfer space 12a in which the heating container A is transferred, as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the object to be treated is conveyed through the conveying space 12a while being accommodated in the heating container A, and is continuously heat-treated. The transfer space 12a of the continuous heating furnace 10 has heating chambers 10a and 10c and a stage number changing chamber 10b. In this embodiment, the transfer space 12a of the continuous heating furnace 10 has a first heating chamber 10a, a stage number changing chamber 10b, and a second heating chamber 10c in order along the transfer direction T1. Further, in this embodiment, a replacement chamber 10d is provided between the first heating chamber 10a and the stage number changing chamber 10b. A replacement chamber 10e is provided between the stage number changing chamber 10b and the second heating chamber 10c. The continuous heating furnace 10 will be described in order below. Further, the continuous heating furnace 10 further includes a transport mechanism 15 for transporting the heating container A in the transport direction T1.

<Furnace body 12>
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the furnace body 12 has therein a transfer space 12a in which a plurality of heating containers A can be transferred in the transfer direction T1 in a stacked state. A transport roller 16, a lifter 20, and a holding mechanism 30, which will be described later, are provided in the transport space 12a. In this embodiment, the furnace body 12 is a tunnel-shaped furnace body surrounding the transfer space 12a. The transfer space 12a has a required height that allows the stacked heating containers A to be transferred. In this embodiment, the transfer space 12a is set linearly. As shown in FIG. 2, the furnace body 12 is surrounded by furnace walls 12b to 12d made of a heat insulating material over the entire periphery in the transfer direction T1 (see FIG. 1) of the transfer 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 perpendicular to the transport direction T1. Each furnace wall 12b-12d is made of, for example, a ceramic fiberboard. A ceramic fiber board is, for example, a plate material formed by adding an inorganic filler and an inorganic/organic binder to a so-called bulk fiber and molding it into a plate shape. The ceramic fiber boards are cut into a predetermined shape and stacked to form a furnace wall with a required thickness. The thickness of the furnace walls 12b to 12d can be set to a required thickness that sufficiently insulates the heat in the transfer space 12a.

The furnace body 12 may be provided with various configurations for controlling the atmosphere of the transfer space 12a. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a gas supply pipe 12f may be provided to supply nitrogen, argon, or the like. A shield rod 12f2 may be appropriately provided at the ejection port 12f1 of the gas supply pipe 12f so that the ejected gas hits and suppresses the momentum. A gas exhaust pipe 12g may be provided so that the atmospheric pressure can be adjusted and the exhaust gas can be discharged. In this embodiment, the gas supply pipe 12f is provided on the floor wall 12d. 12 g of gas exhaust pipes are provided in the ceiling 12c. Further, a partition 12h may be provided in the furnace body 12 for switching the atmosphere for each space. The furnace body 12 is placed on a base 18 (see FIG. 2) set at a predetermined height. The base 18 preferably has a space in which a gas supply pipe for adjusting the atmosphere in the continuous heating furnace 10, a driving device for the transport mechanism 15, and the like are provided.

<Transport Mechanism 15>
The transport mechanism 15 is a mechanism that transports the heating container A in the transport direction T1. In this embodiment, the transport mechanism 15 has a structure in which a plurality of transport rollers 16 are arranged in the transport space 12a inside the furnace body 12 along the transport direction T1. The transport roller 16 is a roller for transporting the heating container A. As shown in FIG. The plurality of conveying rollers 16 are cylindrical rollers, are aligned in height so as to support the heating container A, and are arranged in the conveying space 12a at a predetermined pitch. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the stage number changing chamber 10b in the continuous heating furnace 10. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the conveying rollers 16 pass through the insertion holes 12e of the side walls 12b on both sides of the furnace body 12 along the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction T1. As the conveying roller 16, for example, a ceramic roller, a metal roller, or the like is used. The conveying rollers 16 are rotatably supported by support plates 16a and 16b provided outside the furnace body 12 via bearings (not shown).

In this embodiment, a 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 driving device such as a motor that rotates the conveying roller 16 . The roller chain further connects adjacent transport rollers 16 . No sprocket is attached to the end of the transport roller 16 on the side of the support plate 16b. The end of the transport roller 16 on the side of the support plate 16b rotates according to the rotation of the side of the support plate 16a. In this way, the conveying rollers 16 connected by the roller chain rotate at the same timing and at the same speed. A continuous heating furnace in which the product is conveyed by rollers is called a roller hearth kiln (RHK). Rollers used in roller hearth kilns generally have high strength among the transport mechanisms used in continuous heating furnaces, and can be suitably used, for example, when baking heavy objects to be processed. In addition, since there is a gap between the ceramic rollers, it is possible to efficiently heat from above and below, and for example, it can be suitably used when firing at a high firing temperature.

<Heater 14>
The heater 14 is a device that heats the object to be processed contained in the heating container A in the transfer space 12a (see FIG. 1). The heater 14 is arranged in the transfer space 12a of the furnace body 12, as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the heaters 14 are arranged above and below the plurality of transport rollers 16 at predetermined intervals along the transport direction T1. In this embodiment, a cylindrical ceramic heater is used as the heater 14 . The heater 14 penetrates the sidewall 12b. In this embodiment, the heaters 14 are arranged above and below the conveying rollers 16, but are not limited to such a form. The heater 14 may also be arranged above or below the conveying roller 16 so that the object to be processed contained in the heating container A can be heated from one direction. Note that the illustration of the heater 14 is omitted in FIG. Various heaters can be used for the heater 14 depending on the heating temperature and the like. The heater 14 may be a ceramic heater, a metal sheath heater, or the like. Moreover, the shape of the heater 14 is not particularly limited, and for example, a plate-like panel heater or the like can be used.

<First Heating Chamber 10a, Second Heating Chamber 10c>
The first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c are booths for heating the objects to be processed contained in the heating container A, respectively. In this embodiment, the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c are configured such that the heating container A is conveyed in different stages. In the form shown in FIG. 1, the first heating chamber 10a is configured such that a plurality of heating containers A are conveyed in a stacked state. In the second heating chamber 10c, the heating container A is conveyed in a separated state. In the form shown in FIG. 1, the heating container A is conveyed step by step in the second heating chamber 10c. For example, the first heating chamber 10a is provided with a partition 12h. The partition 12h of the first heating chamber 10a is set to a height through which a plurality of heating containers A can pass in a stacked state. A partition 12h is similarly provided in the second heating chamber 10c. The partition 12h of the second heating chamber 10c extends to a position lower than that of the first heating chamber 10a so that the heating container A conveyed step by step passes through the partition 12h. In this manner, the first heating chamber 10a is configured to transport the heating containers A stacked in multiple stages, and the second heating chamber 10c transports the heating containers A separated one by one. is configured as In this embodiment, the partition 12h is provided between the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c, but the configuration is not limited to this. A partition 12h may be provided in either one of the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c. Moreover, neither the first heating chamber 10a nor the second heating chamber 10c may be provided with a partition.

In this embodiment, in the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c, the heaters 14 are arranged above and below the conveying space 12a so as to sandwich the conveying roller 16 therebetween. The heating container A is heated under different conditions in the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c. For example, in the first heating chamber 10a, a plurality of heating containers A are conveyed in a stacked state and collectively heated. In the first heating chamber 10a, for example, processes such as a vapor removal process and preheating can be performed. In the second heating chamber 10c, the heating containers A are conveyed and heated one by one. Therefore, the object to be processed contained in the heating container A can be heated under more precise conditions. In the second heating chamber 10c, for example, main firing may be performed. In this embodiment, the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c are provided with a gas supply pipe 12f and a gas exhaust pipe 12g, respectively. Different atmospheric gases can be supplied to the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c.

<Substitution chamber 10d>
The replacement chamber 10d is provided between the first heating chamber 10a and the stage number changing chamber 10b. The heating container A conveyed in a stacked state is introduced into the replacement chamber 10d. The replacement chamber 10d is provided with shutters 10d1 and 10d2 that partition the space on the upstream side (the first heating chamber 10a side) and the downstream side (the stage number changing chamber 10b side) in the transfer direction T1, respectively. The shutters 10d1 and 10d2 are made of heat insulating material. When the heating container A is introduced into the replacement chamber 10d, for example, the shutter 10d1 on the first heating chamber 10a side is opened while the shutter 10d2 on the stage number changing chamber 10b side is closed. In this state, the stacked heating containers A are introduced from the first heating chamber 10a into the replacement chamber 10d. Next, the shutter 10d1 on the side of the first heating chamber 10a is closed, and the heating container A is held in the replacement chamber 10d.

<Substitution chamber 10e>
The replacement chamber 10e is provided between the stage number changing chamber 10b and the second heating chamber 10c. In this embodiment, the heating container A conveyed in a stepped state in the step number changing chamber 10b is introduced into the replacement chamber 10e. The replacement chamber 10e is provided with shutters 10e1 and 10e2 that partition the space on the upstream side (the stage number changing chamber 10b side) and the downstream side (the second heating chamber 10c side) in the transfer direction T1, respectively. The shutters 10e1 and 10e2 are made of heat insulating material. When the heating container A is introduced into the replacement chamber 10e, for example, the shutter 10e1 on the stage number changing chamber 10b side is opened while the shutter 10e2 on the second heating chamber 10c side is closed. In this state, the unstaged heating container A is introduced from the stage number changing chamber 10b into the replacement chamber 10e. Next, the shutter 10e1 on the stage number changing chamber 10b side is closed, and the heating container A is held in the replacement chamber 10e. In addition, the shutters 10e1 and 10e2 are not limited to those made of a heat insulating material, and may be, for example, metallic shutters into which cooling water is supplied.

The substitution chamber 10d and the substitution chamber 10e can be spaces in which the atmosphere in the room can be adjusted. For example, the gas composition, temperature, pressure, etc. of the replacement chambers 10d and 10e may be appropriately adjusted. A mechanism for adjusting the gas atmosphere may be appropriately incorporated in the replacement chambers 10d and 10e. After the atmosphere in the replacement chambers 10d and 10e is adjusted, the shutters 10d2 and 10e2 on the downstream side are opened, and the heating vessel A is carried out from the replacement chambers 10d and 10e. In this embodiment, the replacement chambers 10d and 10e are surrounded by furnace walls 12b-12d of the furnace body 12, respectively. The continuous heating furnace 10 preferably has at least one furnace body 12 forming a continuous transfer space 12a in which the heating container A is transferred, and part of the transfer space 12a has replacement chambers 10d and 10e. You may have In this case, the transfer space 12a of the replacement chambers 10d and 10e is formed by the furnace body 12. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the temperature of the heating container A conveyed in the replacement chambers 10d and 10e can be kept high.

By providing the replacement chamber 10d between the first heating chamber 10a and the stage number changing chamber 10b, it becomes difficult for the ambient gas in the first heating chamber 10a to reach the stage number changing chamber 10b. Further, since the replacement chamber 10e is provided between the stage number changing chamber 10b and the second heating chamber 10c, it becomes difficult for the ambient gas in the stage number changing chamber 10b to reach the second heating chamber 10c. In this embodiment, replacement chambers 10d and 10e are provided between the first heating chamber 10a and the stage number changing chamber 10b and between the stage number changing chamber 10b and the second heating chamber 10c, respectively. From the viewpoint of making it difficult for the atmosphere gas in the first heating chamber 10a and the atmosphere gas in the second heating chamber 10c to mix with each other, It is preferable that a substitution chamber is provided in at least one of between and. Also in this case, the temperature of the heating container A can be kept high because the replacement chambers 10d and 10e are formed in the transfer space 12a formed by the furnace body 12. FIG.

Further, in this embodiment, the first heating chamber 10a, the stage number changing chamber 10b, and the second heating chamber 10c each include a plurality of transport rollers 16 arranged along the transport direction T1. Of these, the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c may be provided with independent transport mechanisms 15, respectively. For example, the transport rollers 16 may be connected to different driving devices in the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c. That is, in the first heating chamber 10a, a plurality of heating containers A are conveyed in a stacked state. In the second heating chamber 10c, the heating container A is transported in a stepped-down state. Therefore, the speed of conveying the heating container A may be different between the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c. That is, in the first heating chamber 10a in which a plurality of heating containers A are transported in a stacked state, the heating containers A are slowly transported, and in the second heating chamber 10c in which the heating containers A are transported in an unstacked state, the It is preferable that the heating container A is transported at a transport speed faster than that of the first heating chamber 10a. As a result, the heating container A is smoothly conveyed between the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c without being jammed. Also, the replacement chambers 10d and 10e may have independent transport mechanisms. The replacement chambers 10d and 10e are preferably configured to appropriately interlock with the transfer mechanism 15 of the first heating chamber 10a, the stage number changing chamber 10b and the second heating chamber 10c sandwiching the replacement chambers 10d and 10e.

Further, the transportation of the heating container A between the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c is not limited to the transportation rollers 16. As shown in FIG. For example, the heating container A may be conveyed by a metal belt conveyor such as that used in a so-called mesh belt kiln (MBK).

<Stage change room 10b>
The stage number changing chamber 10 b includes a stage number changing means 11 , a stopper 50 , a width adjusting mechanism 70 (see FIG. 2), a heater 14 and a conveying roller 16 . The stage number changing means 11 is a device for changing the number of stages of the heating container A to be conveyed. Heating containers A having different numbers of stages are conveyed to the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c by the stage number changing means 11 . The stage number changing means 11 includes a lifter 20 and a holding mechanism 30 .

<Stopper 50>
The stopper 50 is a device for stopping the heating container A conveyed in the conveying space 12 a at a predetermined position aligned with the lifter 20 . In this embodiment, the stopper 50 includes a stopper body 51 , a shaft 52 that supports the stopper body 51 , and an elevating device 53 that elevates the stopper body 51 through the shaft 52 . The stopper main body 51 is a plate-shaped member whose normal direction is oriented in the transport direction T1, and projects from the gap between the transport rollers 16 to above the transport rollers 16 at a predetermined position in accordance with the lifter 20 . is provided. The shaft 52 is a shaft that supports the stopper main body 51 . The shaft 52 supports the lower end of the stopper body 51 and vertically penetrates the floor wall 12d of the furnace body 12 .

The elevating device 53 is a device for elevating the shaft 52, and is composed of, for example, a cylinder device. In this embodiment, the cylinder as the lifting device 53 is attached to the outer surface of the floor wall 12d of the furnace body 12 with the piston rod directed downward. A shaft 52 is connected to the tip of the piston rod of the cylinder. By pushing down the piston rod of the lifting device 53, the stopper body 51 is lowered. By pulling up the piston rod of the lifting device 53, the stopper body 51 is lifted and the heating container A is stopped at a predetermined position.

<Width adjustment mechanism 70>
The width adjusting mechanism 70 is a mechanism for adjusting the position of the heating container A in the width direction, as shown in FIG. The width adjusting mechanism 70 adjusts the position of the heating container A stopped by the stopper 50 (see FIG. 1). The width adjusting mechanism 70 includes a width adjusting plate 71 , a shaft 72 that supports the width adjusting plate 71 , and a driving device 73 that drives the width adjusting plate 71 through the shaft 72 . The width adjusting plate 71 is a plate-shaped member parallel to the side wall 12 b of the furnace body 12 . The shaft 72 is vertically attached to the surface of the side wall 12b of the width adjusting plate 71 facing the side wall 12b. The shaft 72 penetrates the side wall 12 b and extends outside the furnace body 12 . The driving device 73 is a device that drives the shaft 72, and is configured by, for example, a cylinder device. In this embodiment, the cylinder as the driving device 73 is attached to the outer surface of the side wall 12b of the furnace body 12 with the piston rod directed outward in the width direction. A shaft 72 is connected to the tip of the piston rod of the cylinder. As the piston rod is pulled inward, the width-shifting plate 71 inside the furnace body 12 is driven inward in the width direction. At that time, the position of the heating vessel A stopped by the stopper 50 is adjusted to a predetermined position. In this embodiment, the position is adjusted while the heating containers A arranged in three rows in the width direction are in contact with each other.
The heating containers A transported in three rows are aligned in the transport direction T1 by the stopper 50 (see FIG. 1), and aligned in the width direction by the width aligning mechanism 70 . The number of rows in which the heating container A is conveyed is appropriately set according to the size of the object to be processed, the size of the heating container A, and the like. The number of rows when the heating container A is conveyed may be a single row or two or more rows.

<Lifter 20>
The lifter 20 is a device for lifting and lowering the heating container A transported on the transport rollers 16 from the first heating chamber 10a (see FIG. 1). 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 body 21 , a lifting device 24 and guides 25 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the lifter body 21 is a member that protrudes upward from between the transport rollers 16 arranged along the transport direction T1 and lifts the heating container A. As shown in FIG. 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. The first plate 21a and the second plate 21b are inserted into the gap between the transport rollers 16 with the normal direction of the plates facing the transport direction T1, with one long side facing up and the other long side facing down. are placed. The first plate 21a and the second plate 21b have a width that allows the heating containers A arranged in three rows to be placed thereon.

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 T1. The connecting portion 21 c is a member that connects the lower ends of the first plate 21 a and the second plate 21 b below the conveying roller 16 . In other words, the first plate 21a and the second plate 21b rise upward from the connecting portion 21c. An operating 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 coupling portion 21c with a gap in the width direction of the transfer space 12a. The operating rods 21d pass vertically through the floor wall 12d 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 are preferably attached via linear bushes 25a to guides 25 extending downward from the outer surface of the floor wall 12d.

The lifting device 24 is a device for lifting and lowering the connecting bar 21e. The lifting device 24 is composed of, for example, a cylinder device. A cylinder as the lifting device 24 is attached to the outer surface of the floor wall 12d of the furnace body 12 with the piston rod directed 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 lifting device 24, the connecting bar 21e rises and the lifter body 21 rises. As a result, the heating container A, which is stopped at a predetermined position by the stopper 50, is lifted. By pushing down the piston rod of the lifting device 24, the connecting bar 21e is lowered and the heating container A is lowered. In addition, in this embodiment, a cylinder device is used as the lifting device 24, but it is not limited to such a form. For example, an actuator that moves the lifter body 21 up and down may be used as the lifting device. Also, the shape of the lifter main body 21 is not limited to a plate shape, and may be, for example, a columnar shape.

<Up-and-down positions L1 to L3>
In this embodiment, the lifter 20 is preset with three elevation positions L1 to L3. Here, FIG. 3A is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the first elevation position L1. FIG. 3B is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the second elevation position L2. FIG. 3C is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the third elevation position L3.

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 conveying roller 16 at the first elevation position L1. At the elevation position L<b>1 , the lifter body 21 does not contact the heating container A conveyed on the conveying rollers 16 . For example, when the heating container A is transported by the transport rollers 16, the lifter 20 is preferably controlled to the elevation position L1.

At the second elevation position L2, the lifter main body 21 is positioned so that the heating container A is lifted up to a predetermined height overlapping the heating container A held by the holding mechanism 30 . At the elevation position L2, for example, the heating container A held by the holding mechanism 30 is superimposed on the heating container A lifted. At this time, the heating container A can be held by the lifter 20 even if the holding mechanism 30 is released.

The position of the lifter body 21 is set so that the heating container A can be lifted to the height held by the holding mechanism 30 at the third lifting position L3. For example, when the heating container A lifted by the lifter 20 is held by the holding mechanism 30 or when the heating container A held by the holding mechanism 30 is lowered, the lifter 20 may be controlled to the elevation position L3.

<Holding Mechanism 30>
The holding mechanism 30 is a mechanism for holding the heating container A lifted by the lifter 20, as shown in FIG. The holding mechanism 30 has two shafts 31 and a plurality of holders 32 (see FIG. 1). The holding mechanism 30 has a seal member 33 and a coolant supply device 40 . In this embodiment, three holders 32 are attached to one shaft 31 at required intervals. The three holders 32 are preferably attached at positions corresponding to the positions of the heating containers A arranged in three rows. Here, FIG. 4 is a side view of the heating container A, which is a substantially rectangular shallow case. At the periphery of the heating container A, a wall a1 is raised. The central portion of the wall a1 along the sides of the substantially rectangular shape is recessed. The recess a2 forms a gap through which the atmosphere gas flows when the heating containers A are stacked.

<Shaft 31>
The two shafts 31 are inserted through the insertion holes of the furnace body 12 . The shaft 31 is provided along the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction T1. The shaft 31 has a hollow structure. The shaft 31 has a cylindrical shape. A hollow is formed in the shaft 31 from one end to the other end. A metal having excellent heat resistance and strength is used for the shaft 31. For example, stainless steel, a nickel-based alloy described later, and a nickel-based alloy containing 20 to 35% by mass of chromium or molybdenum in total may be used. In this embodiment, a shaft 31 made of stainless steel is used. The shaft 31 is provided before and after a predetermined position where the heating container A is lifted by the lifter 20 in the conveying direction T1 (see FIG. 1). The shaft 31 passes through the pair of side walls 12b along the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction T1 and is rotatably bridged (see FIG. 2).

The holder 32, as shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, includes a base portion 32a, an arm portion 32b, and a claw portion 32c. The base 32 a is a cylindrical member and is attached to the shaft 31 . The arm portion 32b is a plate-like portion extending downward from the outer peripheral surface of the base portion 32a. In this embodiment, the arm portions 32b are provided on the inner side surfaces facing each other along the transport direction T1 among the outer surfaces of the base portions 32a attached to the shafts 31 provided on the front and rear sides in the transport direction T1. Thereby, the arm portion 32b extends so as to sandwich the heating container A lifted by the lifter 20 from the front and rear. 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 heating container A. As shown in FIG. Thus, in this embodiment, the shaft 31 is rotatably bridged between the pair of side walls 12b of the furnace body 12. As shown in FIG. 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.

A metal having high heat resistance and oxidation resistance is used for the holder 32, such as a nickel-chromium-iron alloy or a nickel-based alloy. As used herein, a 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 entire 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 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 content of chromium 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. In this specification, a nickel-based alloy refers to an alloy containing 50% by mass or more of nickel when the entire alloy is 100% by mass. The content of nickel may be 70% by mass or more. Metals other than nickel may include, for example, chromium and iron. The content of chromium may be 10% by mass or more and 25% by mass or less when the entire alloy is 100% by mass. The iron content may be 20% by mass or less, or may be 5% by mass or less.

<Seal member 33>
The seal member 33 is attached to a portion of the furnace body 12 through which the shaft 31 is inserted, as shown in FIG. 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 . Shaft 31 is rotatably supported by bearing 35 within housing 34 . Also, the seal member 33 seals the gap between the shaft 31 and the housing 34 . As the sealing member 33, for example, a carbon fiber gland packing, a rubber oil seal, a silicon sealing material, or the like is used. The sealing member 33 prevents the atmosphere gas inside the furnace body 12 from leaking to the outside.

The shaft 31 extends further outwardly from the housing 34 and is attached to a drive 37 via an operating arm 36 extending radially of 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 on the housing of the furnace body 12 . The shaft 31 is rotatably operated by such a driving device 37 . A connector 39 connected to the coolant supply device 40 is provided at the end of the shaft 31 . The connector 39 preferably has a structure that is connected to the hollow portion of the shaft 31 and supplies coolant to the hollow portion of the shaft 31 .

The holding mechanism 30 is configured such that the holder 32 is opened and closed to hold the heating container A by rotating the shaft 31 in the circumferential direction with the driving device 37 . In this embodiment, the retaining mechanism 30 is configured such that rotating the shaft 31 opens and closes the three retainers 32 simultaneously. Therefore, the heating containers A arranged in three rows are held at the same time.

As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the inward rotation of the front and rear shafts 31 in the conveying direction T1 causes the arms 32b attached to the shafts 31 to hold the heating vessel A closed. be done. Further, when the front and rear shafts 31 rotate outward, the arms 32b attached to the shafts 31 so as to hold the heating container A are opened.

In the closed state H1 in which the arm portions 32b of the front and rear shafts 31 are closed, the claw portions 32c support the bottom portion of the heating container A, so that the heating container 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 portion of the heating vessel A. By controlling the driving device 37 in this way, the holder 32 of the holding mechanism 30 can be operated between the closed state H1 and the open state H2. 3A to 3C are shown schematically. 3A to 3C, the side wall 12b of the furnace body 12 is omitted, and the driving device 37 of the holding mechanism 30 is illustrated. In this embodiment, the holding mechanism 30 has the shaft 31 that spans the side walls 12b, and is configured so that the coolant is supplied from one end to the other end, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. . For example, a shaft passing through 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 so that the flow of refrigerant turns from the inner tube toward the outer tube. Such shafts may have retainers attached to their ends.

<Refrigerant supply device 40>
The coolant supply device 40 is a device that supplies coolant to the inside of the shaft 31, as shown in FIG. Water or the like can be used as the coolant. The temperature of the coolant supplied to the inside of the shaft 31 is, for example, normal temperature, which is lower than the ambient temperature of the transfer space 12a. The type and temperature of the coolant are not particularly limited, and are appropriately set according to the ambient temperature of the transfer 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 . A coolant is supplied from one end of the shaft 31 toward the other end by the coolant supply device 40 . A method of supplying the coolant to the shaft 31 by the coolant supply device 40 is not particularly limited. For example, the two shafts 31 may be connected to separate coolant supply devices, and the coolant may be supplied to each shaft 31 individually. Alternatively, a circulation-type coolant supply device may be used as the coolant supply device, and the same coolant may be circulated through the two shafts 31 .

The coolant supply device 40 can appropriately supply coolant to the inside of the shaft 31 . For example, the later-described stacking work and stacking work can be performed while supplying the refrigerant to the shaft 31 . For example, when stacking work or destacking work is performed in a high-temperature environment, the refrigerant may be 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 controller 60. As shown in FIG. The control device 60 may be configured to control, for example, transportation of the heating container A, elevation of the lifter 20 , and opening and closing of the holder 32 of the holding mechanism 30 . Here, the control device 60 is connected to an elevating device 24 for elevating 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. Also, the supply of the coolant by the coolant supply device 40 may be controlled by the control device 60 .

By combining the operations of the lifter 20 and the holding mechanism 30 described above, it is possible to stack the heating containers A or separate a plurality of stacked heating containers A. Here, the operation of stacking a plurality of heating vessels A is appropriately referred to as "stacking". The work of disassembling the plurality of heating containers A that are stacked is appropriately referred to as "dismantling". Here, the work of unstacking the heating containers A stacked in multiple stages transported from the first heating chamber 10a in the transport direction T1 will be described, and then the stacking work will be described.

<Step-down work>
In the unstacking work, a plurality of heating containers A are conveyed in a state of being stacked. Then, the heating container A is dismantled by a predetermined number of sheets. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the work of separating and conveying the heating container A one by one will be described as an example.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the control device 60 (see FIG. 2) causes the lifter 20 to wait at the first elevation position L1 below the conveying rollers 16. As shown in FIG. Also, the holding mechanism 30 is put on standby in the open state H2 in which the arm portion 32b is open, as indicated by the chain double-dashed line. In this state, the control device 60 detects the heating container A at a predetermined position in the transfer space 12a, and raises the stopper 50 at a predetermined timing. Thereby, the heating container A stops at a predetermined position lifted by the lifter 20 .

The controller 60 raises the lifter 20 to the second elevation position L2 as shown in FIG. 3B. In this state, when the arm portion 32b of the holding mechanism 30 is closed to the closed state H1, the heating container A above the lowest heating container A among the stacked heating containers A is held by the holding mechanism 30. be done. After that, the control device 60 lowers the lifter 20 and makes the lifter 20 stand by at the first elevation position L1 below the conveying roller 16, as shown in FIG. 3A. This lowers the bottom heating vessel A. The heating container A is conveyed by the conveying rollers 16 by lowering and opening the stopper 50 . As a result, the lowest heating container A among the stacked heating containers A is separated and conveyed.

Next, the controller 60 raises the lifter 20 to the third lifting position L3, as shown in FIG. 3C. As a result, the rest of the stacked heating 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 elevation position L2 as shown in FIG. 3B, and then puts the holding mechanism 30 in the closed state H1. As a result, the lowest heating container A among the stacked heating containers A is supported by the lifter 20 . Moreover, the heating container A above the lowest heating container A is held by the holding mechanism 30 . In this state, the control device 60 lowers the lifter 20 to the first elevation position L1 as shown in FIG. 3A. As a result, the lowest heating container A is lowered and conveyed by the conveying rollers 16 . In this manner, the lowest heating container A among the stacked heating containers A is taken apart.

After that, the above processing is repeated by the control device 60 . As a result, the stacked heating containers A are separated in order from the bottom and conveyed by the conveying rollers 16 . When separating the heating containers A by two stages, the height of the second lifting position L2 of the lifter 20 is preferably adjusted to the height lower than the third lifting position L3 by two heating containers A. As a result, the heating containers A are separated into two stages and conveyed in a state of being stacked in two stages. Similarly, the heating container A can also be dismantled so that it is stacked in multiple stages (for example, three stages).

<Stacking work>
In the stacking operation of stacking the heating containers A transported in the transport direction T1, stopping the heating containers A, lifting the heating containers A, and holding the heating containers A are repeated in the following procedure.

FIG. 3A shows a state in which the heating container A is stopped during stacking work. Here, as shown in FIG. 3A, the lifter 20 causes the lifter main body 21 to stand by at the elevation position L1 positioned below the conveying rollers 16 . Further, the holding mechanism 30 does not hold the heating container A, and makes it stand by in an open state H2 in which the arm portion 32b is open, as indicated by the two-dot chain line. In this state, when the controller 60 (see FIG. 2) detects the heating container A at a predetermined position in the transfer space 12a, it raises the stopper 50 at a predetermined timing. Thereby, the heating container A stops at a predetermined position lifted by the lifter 20 . At that time, the rotation of the transport roller 16 may be stopped, or the rotation of the transport roller 16 may be left idle.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, the controller 60 raises the lifter 20 to the third elevation position L3. Thereby, the heating 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 heating container A thus lifted 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 elevation position L1 below the conveying rollers 16 . Moreover, the holding mechanism 30 is made to stand by in the closed state H1 in which the heating container A is held. As a result, the heating container A is held by the holding mechanism 30 .

Next, the heating container A is stopped at a predetermined position by the stopper 50 again. Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the lifter 20 is raised to the second elevation position L2, and the heating container A is placed under the heating container A held by the holding mechanism 30. Then, as shown in FIG. Then, with the heating container A supported by the lifter 20, the holding mechanism 30 is set to the open state H2, and the claw portion 32c is pulled out from the heating container A. As shown in FIG. In this state, the control device 60 raises the lifter 20 to the third lifting position L3 as shown in FIG. 3C. As a result, the heating container A held by the holding mechanism 30 and the heating container A newly lifted by the lifter 20 are superimposed and raised to the height held by the holding mechanism 30 . After that, the control device 60 brings the holding mechanism 30 into the closed state H1. As a result, the lowest heating container A among the heating containers A lifted by the lifter 20 is supported by the claw portions 32c of the holding mechanism 30, and the heating 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 waited at the first elevation position L1 below the conveying rollers 16. Then, as shown in FIG. After that, the heating vessel A is stopped by the stopper 50 . The lifter 20 is raised to the second elevation position L2 to lift the heating container A and stack it under the heating container A held by the holding mechanism 30 (see FIG. 3B). The holding mechanism 30 is set to the open state H2, the claw portion 32c is pulled out, and the lifter 20 is raised to the third elevation position L3 (see FIG. 3C). The holding mechanism 30 is set to the closed state H1 to hold the stacked heating containers A. As shown in FIG. The lifter 20 is lowered to the first lifting position L1 and put on standby. The controller 60 repeats this. As a result, the heating containers A are stacked one by one.

When the heating container A is conveyed by the conveying rollers 16 in two stages, the lifter 20 is arranged so that the heating container A lifted by the lifter 20 is stacked under the heating container A held by the holding mechanism 30 . 2, the height of the lifting position L2 may be adjusted. As a result, the heating containers A can be stacked in two stages. Similarly, the heating containers A can be stacked in multiple stages (for example, three stages).

In this way, the lifter 20 lifts the heating container A to a predetermined height, and the holding mechanism 30 lifts the heating container A by the predetermined number or more from the bottom of the heating container A lifted by the lifter 20. can be configured to hold In other words, it is possible to carry out the unstacking work and the stacking work for each desired number of tiers.

Although the continuous heating furnace in which the stacking work and the destacking work are performed has been described above in detail with reference to specific embodiments, these are only examples. The continuous heating furnace disclosed herein is capable of performing operations other than stacking and unstacking operations, for example, by changing the control of the control device that controls the operations of the lifter, holding mechanism, and stopper. Hereinafter, as another embodiment, a continuous heating furnace in which the lid of the heating container can be attached and detached will be described. In the following description, members/parts having the same functions as the members/parts explained in the continuous heating furnace 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanations are omitted.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the continuous heating furnace 10A. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1 of the continuous heating furnace 10A. The continuous heating furnace 10A has a transfer space 12a. In the transfer space 12a, the object to be processed is transferred in a state in which the lid B is attached to the heating container A or in a state in which the lid B is removed from the heating container A, and is heat-treated. The heating container A and the lid B can be transported in the transport space 12a. In this embodiment, the heating container A and the lid B are conveyed in one row along the conveying direction T1. 7 is a side view of the heating container A. FIG. A lid B is attached to the heating vessel A. The lid B is preferably shaped so as not to cover the recess a2 of the heating vessel A. In this embodiment, the lid B has a flat plate shape with dimensions similar to those of the heating container A in the transport direction T1 and the width direction.

The transfer space 12a of the continuous heating furnace 10A has, as shown in FIG. there is In other words, the heating chambers 10a and 10c have a first heating chamber 10a provided upstream of the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1 and a second heating chamber 10c provided downstream of the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1. . In this embodiment, a replacement chamber 10d is provided between the first heating chamber 10a and the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1. A replacement chamber 10e is provided between the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1 and the second heating chamber 10c.

<Detachment room 10b1>
The attachment/detachment chamber 10b1 is provided between the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c. In this embodiment, in the first heating chamber 10a, the object to be processed is stored in the heating container A and is heat-processed with the lid B closed. In the second heating chamber 10 c , the object to be processed is heat-processed with the cover B removed and opened into the furnace body 12 . In the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1, the lid B is removed from the heating container A transported from the first heating chamber 10a. The loading/unloading chamber 10b1 includes a stopper 50, a lifter 20, and a holding mechanism 30, like the stage number changing chamber 10b (see FIG. 1). The attachment/detachment chamber 10b1 includes a heater 14, like the stage number changing chamber 10b (see FIG. 1). In this embodiment, the holding mechanism 30 has two shafts 31 and a holder 32 attached to the shafts 31 at substantially the center in the width direction of the furnace body 12 (see FIG. 6).

In this embodiment, the stopper 50 stops the heating container A on which the lid B is placed at a predetermined position aligned with the lifter 20 . The lifter 20 raises and lowers the heating container A and the lid B transported from the first heating chamber 10a. A holding mechanism 30 holds the lid B lifted by the lifter 20 . Operations of the stopper 50, the lifter 20 and the holding mechanism 30 are controlled by a control device 60 (see FIG. 6).

<Up-and-down positions L4 to L6>
In this embodiment, the lifter 20 is preset with three elevation positions L4 to L6. Here, FIG. 8A is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the state of the fourth elevation position L4. FIG. 8B is a side view showing the position of the lifter main body 21 in the fifth elevation position L5. FIG. 8C is a side view showing the position of the lifter body 21 in the sixth elevation position L6.

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 conveying roller 16 at the fourth elevation position L4. At the elevation position L4, the lifter main body 21 does not hit the heating container A or the lid B conveyed on the conveying roller 16. As shown in FIG. For example, when the heating container A and the lid B are conveyed by the conveying rollers 16, the lifter 20 is preferably controlled to the elevation position L4. The fourth elevation position L4 may be the same as the first elevation position L1 (see FIG. 3A).

At the fifth elevation position L5, the lifter main body 21 is positioned so that the heating container A is lifted to a predetermined height at which the lid B placed on the heating container A is held by the holding mechanism 30. At the elevation position L5, the lid B is attached to the heating container A by stacking the lifted heating container A under the lid B held by the holding mechanism 30, for example. At the elevation position L5, for example, the lid B placed on the heating container A is held by the holding mechanism 30, so that the lid B is removed from the heating container A. As shown in FIG. Although it depends on the dimensions of the heating container A, the fifth elevation position L5 may be the same as the second elevation position L2 (see FIG. 3B).

At the sixth lifting position L6, the position of the lifter body 21 is set so that the lid B can be lifted up to a predetermined height held by the holding mechanism 30. As shown in FIG. At the elevation position L6, for example, the lid B placed on the heating container A is held. At the elevation position L6, for example, the lid B removed from the heating container A is held. The sixth elevation position L6 may be the same as the third elevation position L3 (see FIG. 3C).

By combining the operations of the lifter 20 and the holding mechanism 30 described above, the lid B placed on the heating container A can be removed, or the lid B can be placed on the heating container A on which the lid B is not placed. The operation of removing the lid B placed on the heating vessel A is appropriately referred to as "removal". The operation of placing the lid B on the heating vessel A that does not have the lid B placed thereon is appropriately referred to as "attachment". Hereinafter, the operation of removing the lid B of the heating container A transported in the transport direction T1 from the first heating chamber 10a will be described, and then the operation of attaching the lid B will be described.

<Removing Lid B>
In the operation of removing the lid B, the heating container A with the lid B placed thereon is transferred from the first heating chamber 10a to the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1. The lid B is removed from the heating container A in the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation of removing the lid B from the heating container A, placing the removed lid B on the transport rollers 16, and transporting the same will be described.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the control device 60 (see FIG. 6) causes the lifter 20 to wait at the fourth elevation position L4 below the conveying rollers 16. As shown in FIG. Also, the holding mechanism 30 is put on standby in the open state H2 in which the arm portion 32b is open, as indicated by the two-dot chain line. In this state, the control device 60 detects the heating container A on which the lid B is placed at a predetermined position in the transfer space 12a, and raises the stopper 50 at a predetermined timing. As a result, the heating container A on which the lid B is placed stops at a predetermined position lifted by the lifter 20 .

Next, the control device 60 raises the lifter 20 to the fifth elevation position L5 as shown in FIG. 8B. In this state, the arm portion 32b of the holding mechanism 30 is closed to the closed state H1, so that the lid B placed on the heating container A is held by the holding mechanism 30. As shown in FIG. After that, the control device 60 lowers the lifter 20 and makes the lifter 20 stand by at the fourth elevation position L4 below the conveying roller 16, as shown in FIG. 8A. Thereby, the heating vessel A is lowered. The heating container A is conveyed by the conveying rollers 16 by lowering and opening the stopper 50 . As a result, the heating container A is transported with the lid B removed.

Next, the controller 60 raises the lifter 20 to the sixth elevation position L6, as shown in FIG. 8C. Thereby, the lid B held by the holding mechanism 30 is supported by the lifter 20 . The control device 60 places the holding mechanism 30 in the open state H2, and lowers the lifter 20 to the fourth elevation position L4 as shown in FIG. 8A. Control device 60 lowers stopper 50 . As a result, the lid B is lowered and transported by the transport rollers 16 . Thus, after the heating container A from which the lid B has been removed is transported, the lid B is subsequently transported.

After that, the above processing is repeated by the control device 60 . As a result, the lid B is sequentially removed from the heating container A and the heating container A is transported. Therefore, in the second heating chamber 10c, the heating container A containing the object to be processed and the lid B removed from the heating container A are alternately conveyed.

As described above, in the control device 60, the lifter 20 supporting the heating container A on which the lid B is placed is raised to the position where the lid B is held by the holding mechanism 30, and the lid B is moved to the holding mechanism 30. A holding process and a process of lowering the heating container A to the conveying roller 16 are executed. As a result, the lid B can be removed in the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1.

<Installation of lid B>
In the operation of attaching the lid B, the heating container A is conveyed without the lid B placed thereon. In this embodiment, the heating container A on which the lid B is not placed and the lid B are alternately transported toward the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1, contrary to the operation of removing the lid B described above. Here, the work of attaching the lid B to the heating container A and sequentially transporting the heating container A with the lid B attached will be described.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the control device 60 causes the lifter 20 to wait at the fourth elevation position L4 below the conveying rollers 16. As shown in FIG. Also, the holding mechanism 30 is put on standby in the open state H2 in which the arm portion 32b is open, as indicated by the chain double-dashed line. In this state, the control device 60 detects the lid B at a predetermined position in the transfer space 12a and raises the stopper 50 at a predetermined timing. Thereby, the lid B stops at a predetermined position lifted by the lifter 20 .

Next, the control device 60 raises the lifter 20 to the sixth elevation position L6 as shown in FIG. 8C. In this state, the lid B is held by the holding mechanism 30 by closing the arm portion 32b of the holding mechanism 30 to the closed state H1. After that, the control device 60 lowers the lifter 20 and makes the lifter 20 stand by at the fourth elevation position L4 below the conveying roller 16, as shown in FIG. 8A.

Next, the controller 60 stops the heating vessel A at a predetermined position by the stopper 50 again. As shown in FIG. 8B, lifter 20 is raised to fifth elevation position L5. As a result, the heating container A is stacked under the lid B held by the holding mechanism 30, and the lid B is attached to the heating container A. As shown in FIG. The control device 60 puts the holding mechanism 30 into the open state H2, and pulls out the claw portion 32c from the gap between the heating container A and the lid B. As shown in FIG. In this state, the control device 60 lowers the lifter 20 to the fourth elevation position L4 as shown in FIG. 8A. Control device 60 lowers stopper 50 . As a result, the heating container A on which the lid B is placed is lowered and transported by the transport rollers 16 .

After that, the above processing is repeated by the control device 60 . As a result, the lid B is attached to the heating container A, and the heating container A is sequentially transported.

As described above, in the control device 60, the process of raising the lifter 20 supporting the lid B to the position where the lid B is held by the holding mechanism 30, the process of causing the holding mechanism 30 to hold the lid B, and the holding mechanism A process of placing the lid B on the heating container A by raising the lifter 20 supporting the heating container A on which the lid B is not placed to the position where the lid B is held by the heating container 30 is executed. Accordingly, the lid B can be attached in the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1.

In the embodiment described above, the transfer space 12a of the continuous heating furnaces 10, 10A has the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c. Between the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c, there are conveying rollers 16 arranged along the conveying direction T1 and an object to be conveyed (a heating container in this embodiment) conveyed on the conveying rollers 16. A and the lid B) are lifted and lowered, and a holding mechanism 30 is provided for holding the transported object lifted by the lifter 20 . When attaching/detaching the lid B of the heating container A or changing the number of steps of the heating container A between the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c, these operations take time, temperature tends to drop. It also takes time to heat the heating container A whose temperature has dropped to the heating temperature again. In the continuous heating furnaces 10 and 10A, a first heating chamber 10a, a second heating chamber 10c, a lifter 20 and a holding mechanism 30 are provided in a transfer space 12a formed by at least one furnace body 12. Therefore, the heating container A can be maintained at a required temperature in the stage number changing chamber 10b and the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1. As a result, the time required for heat treatment can be shortened, and the object to be treated can be efficiently heat treated.

The stage number changing chamber 10b of the continuous heating furnace 10 and the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1 of the continuous heating furnace 10A described above are provided with heaters . As a result, for example, a decrease in the temperature of the object to be processed between the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c can be suppressed. Therefore, the objects to be processed can be efficiently processed in the continuous heating furnaces 10 and 10A.

By the way, when heat-treating an object to be processed in a continuous heating furnace, for example, in order to suppress the contamination of the inside of the furnace by the gas generated by the heat treatment of the object to be processed, the heating container containing the object to be processed is heated. The object to be processed may be heat-treated while the lid is attached. Further, when the object to be treated is subjected to binder removal treatment or drying treatment in a continuous heating furnace, it may be efficient to heat-treat the object to be treated with the lid removed. In the above-described continuous heating furnace 10A, the transfer space 12a has heating chambers 10a and 10c, and an attaching/detaching chamber 10b1 for attaching/detaching the lid B to/from the heating container A. As shown in FIG. The conveying roller 16, the lifter 20, and the holding mechanism 30 are provided in the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1. With such a configuration, the lid B can be attached and detached with respect to the heating vessel A within the continuous heating furnace 10A. As a result, opening and closing of the lid can be controlled according to the heating conditions and processing conditions of the object to be processed, and the object to be processed can be efficiently processed.

In the embodiment described above, when the lid B is not placed on the heating container A, the lid B is placed on the transport rollers 16 . At this time, the upper portion of the heating vessel A is open. Since the lid B does not cover the upper portion of the heating vessel A, the object to be processed is more likely to be exposed to the atmosphere inside the furnace. As a result, for example, gas exchange between the object to be processed and the atmosphere in the furnace can be made efficient. As a result, the object to be processed can be efficiently processed.

In this embodiment, the continuous heating furnaces 10 and 10A have a replacement chamber 10d between the first heating chamber 10a and the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1. Further, the continuous heating furnaces 10 and 10A have a replacement chamber 10e between the attachment/detachment chamber 10b1 and the second heating chamber 10c. In this way, by having the replacement chamber in at least one of between the first heating chamber 10a and the attaching/detaching chamber 10b1 and between the attaching/detaching chamber 10b1 and the second heating chamber 10c, the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c Even when the heating conditions are greatly different in the heating chamber 10c, it is possible to prevent one atmosphere from leaking to the other.

In this embodiment, the first heating chamber 10a and the second heating chamber 10c are equipped with a plurality of transport rollers 16 arranged along the transport direction T1. With such a configuration, it is possible to heat-treat a larger number of objects to be processed, and to save the space of the equipment. Further, the continuous heating furnaces 10, 10A can also be used for heating at higher temperatures.

In the embodiments described above, the shaft 31 of the holding mechanism 30 is a hollow shaft and is connected to the coolant supply device 40 . Therefore, stacking and unstacking operations can be performed while cooling the shaft 31 . In this embodiment, the holding mechanism 30 is provided in a high-temperature environment inside the continuous heating furnaces 10, 10A. However, since the shaft 31 is cooled by the refrigerant supplied by the refrigerant supply device 40, the sealing performance of the seal member 33 is maintained. Therefore, even if the cover B of the heating vessel A is attached or detached or the number of stages of the heating vessel A is changed in the high-temperature environment in the continuous heating furnaces 10 and 10A, the atmosphere gas inside flows out through the shaft 31. Hateful. Further, since deterioration of the seal member 33 is suppressed by cooling the shaft 31, the service life of the seal member 33 can be extended. Such a configuration is suitable for use in a continuous heating furnace that continuously bakes objects to be treated at high temperatures.

In this embodiment, the holder 32 attached to the shaft 31 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 (see FIGS. 3A to 3C). ). In this case, since the heating container A is held by the claw portion 32c at the lower end of the arm portion 32b, heat is less likely to be lost to the shaft 31 cooled by the refrigerant.

Note that the holder 32 may have a heat insulating material on the surface that contacts the heating vessel A. In this embodiment, the surface that contacts the heating container A is the claw portion 32c. Since the surface of the claw portion 32c with which the heating container A abuts is provided with a heat insulating material, cooling of the heating container A through the holder 32 can be suppressed. In addition, although the heat insulating material used here is not particularly limited, for example, a ceramic heat insulating material or the like can be used.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, retention mechanism 30 comprises a plurality of retainers 32 . A plurality of holders 32 are arranged at intervals on the shaft 31 . With such a configuration, the heating containers A arranged in a plurality of rows can be heat-treated at the same time, and the lids B of the heating containers A can be attached/detached and the number of stages of the heating containers A can be changed. As a result, it is possible to shorten the processing time of the object to be processed.

In this embodiment, retainer 32 is constructed from a nickel-chromium-iron alloy or a nickel-base alloy. With such a configuration, the holder 32 has good durability even in an atmosphere such as an oxidizing atmosphere, a reducing atmosphere, or a nitriding atmosphere. Moreover, it has good durability even when used in a high-temperature environment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the attachment/detachment device 80. As shown in FIG. A portion of the continuous heating furnace 10A having the lifter 20 and the holding mechanism 30 may be modularized to form a mounting/dismounting device 80. FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the attaching/detaching device 80 includes a partition wall 12 having a transfer space 12a for transferring the heating container A therein, a heater 14, a lifter 20, and a holding mechanism 30. As shown in FIG. The attachment/detachment device 80 has a carry-in port 80a and a carry-out port 80b. Since the heater 14, the lifter 20, and the holding mechanism 30 have been described above, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Like the furnace body 12 of the continuous heating furnace 10A, the partition wall 12 of the attachment/detachment device 80 is surrounded by furnace walls 12b to 12d made of a heat insulating material over the entire circumference of the transfer space 12a in the transfer direction T1. I hope you are. The attachment/detachment device 80 may be configured such that the heating container A is carried in and out without the lid B placed thereon, and the object to be processed is heat-treated only in the attachment/detachment device 80 with the lid B placed thereon. good. Further, the attaching/detaching device 80 is configured such that the heating container A is carried in and out with the lid B placed thereon, and the object to be processed is heat-treated only in the attaching/detaching device 80 after the lid B is removed. good too. Before and after the attachment/detachment device 80, a shutter or a replacement chamber for switching the atmosphere may be provided. The attachment/detachment device 80 may be configured such that at least one of the inlet 80a and the outlet 80b is hermetically connected to a heating furnace for heat-treating the object to be processed.

Such an attachment/detachment device 80 can be used as a module forming a part of a continuous heating furnace. The attachment/detachment device 80 configures the continuous heating furnace so that the lid B can be attached and detached at an appropriate position and temperature when the object to be processed is heated in combination with another configuration of the continuous heating furnace or another module. can be done. Here, other modules of the continuous heating furnace may include, for example, modules constituting a replacement chamber or a firing chamber. According to the attaching/detaching device 80 disclosed herein, since the coolant is supplied to the shaft 31 of the holding mechanism 30, even if the transfer space 12a inside the partition wall 12 in which the lid B is attached/detached is at a high temperature, the sealing member can be maintained. High sealing performance is maintained. Therefore, the lid B can be attached and detached 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 attachment/detachment device 80 in this way and connecting it to other modules, it is possible to provide an arbitrary continuous heating furnace in which the lid B can be attached and detached. 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 mechanism for attaching and detaching the lid B. For this reason, the design of the continuous heating furnace provided with the attachment/detachment mechanism of the lid B is facilitated.

Although detailed descriptions have been given above with reference to specific embodiments, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. Thus, the technology set forth in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the above-described embodiments. It is also possible to employ some of the techniques exemplified in the above embodiments in a continuous heating furnace or an attachment/detachment device.

10, 10A continuous heating furnace 10a first heating chamber 10b stage number changing chamber 10b1 attachment/detachment chamber 10c second heating chambers 10d and 10e replacement chamber 12 furnace body (partition wall)
12a Transfer space 12b Side wall (furnace wall)
12c ceiling (furnace wall)
12d floor wall (furnace wall)
12e insertion hole 12f gas supply pipe 12g gas exhaust pipe 12h partition 14 heater 16 transport rollers 16a, 16b support plate 17 sprocket 18 base 20 lifter 21 lifter body 21a first plate 21b second plate 21c connecting portion 21d operating rod 21e connecting bar 24 Lifting device 25 Guide 25a Linear bushing 30 Holding mechanism 31 Shaft 32 Holder 32a Base 32b Arm 32c Claw 33 Sealing member 34 Housing 35 Bearing 36 Operation arm 37 Driving device 38 Support piece 39 Connector 40 Refrigerant supply device 50 Stopper 51 Stopper body 52 Shaft 53 Lifting device 60 Control device 70 Width gathering mechanism 71 Width gathering plate 72 Shaft 73 Driving device 80 Attachment/detachment device A Heating vessel B Lid a1 Wall a2 Recess H1 Closed state H2 Open state L1 to L6 Lifting position

Claims (21)

A continuous heating furnace having at least one furnace body forming a continuous transfer space in which a heating container and a lid detachable from the heating container are transferred,
The transfer space has a first heating chamber and a second heating chamber,
Between the first heating chamber and the second heating chamber,
Conveying rollers arranged along the conveying direction;
a lifter for lifting and lowering at least one of the lid and the heating container conveyed on the conveying roller;
a holding mechanism for holding the lid lifted by the lifter,
A control device for controlling the lifter and the holding mechanism,
The control device is
a process of raising the lifter supporting the heating container on which the lid is placed to a position where the lid is held by the holding mechanism;
a process of holding the lid in the holding mechanism;
and lowering the lifter to lower the heating container to the conveying roller. The control device is
When the heating container on which the lid is placed is transported in the first heating chamber,
so that the lid and the heating container from which the lid is removed are alternately transported along the transport direction in the second heating chamber,
a process of raising the lifter supporting the heating container on which the lid is placed to a position where the lid is held by the holding mechanism;
a process of holding the lid in the holding mechanism;
a process of lowering the lifter to lower the heating container to the conveying roller ;
a process of raising the lifter to a position where the lid held by the holding mechanism is supported by the lifter;
a process of lowering the lifter in a state in which the holding of the lid by the holding mechanism is released, and lowering the lid to the conveying roller;
2. The continuous heating furnace of claim 1, wherein is configured to repeatedly perform A continuous heating furnace having at least one furnace body forming a continuous transfer space in which a heating container and a lid detachable from the heating container are transferred,
The transfer space has a first heating chamber and a second heating chamber,
Between the first heating chamber and the second heating chamber,
Conveying rollers arranged along the conveying direction;
a lifter for lifting and lowering at least one of the lid and the heating container conveyed on the conveying roller;
a holding mechanism for holding the lid lifted by the lifter,
A control device for controlling the lifter and the holding mechanism,
The control device is
a process of raising the lifter supporting the lid to a position where the lid is held by the holding mechanism;
a process of holding the lid in the holding mechanism;
and placing the lid on the heating container by raising the lifter supporting the heating container on which the lid is not placed to a position where the lid is held by the holding mechanism. Continuous heating furnace. The control device is
When the lid and the heating container are alternately transported in the first heating chamber,
so that the heating container on which the lid is placed is transported in the second heating chamber,
a process of raising the lifter supporting the lid to a position where the lid is held by the holding mechanism;
a process of holding the lid in the holding mechanism;
a process of placing the lid on the heating container by raising the lifter supporting the heating container on which the lid is not placed to a position where the lid is held by the holding mechanism ;
a process of lowering the lifter in a state in which the holding of the lid by the holding mechanism is released, and lowering the heating container on which the lid is placed to the conveying roller;
4. The continuous heating furnace of claim 3, wherein is configured to repeatedly perform The control device is
a process of raising the lifter supporting the heating container on which the lid is placed to a position where the lid is held by the holding mechanism;
a process of holding the lid in the holding mechanism;
4. The continuous heating furnace according to claim 3, further configured to lower said lifter and lower said heating container to said conveying roller. Between the first heating chamber and the second heating chamber, an attaching/detaching chamber for attaching/detaching the lid to/from the heating container is provided,
The continuous heating furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the conveying roller, the lifter, and the holding mechanism are provided in the attachment/detachment chamber. 7. Continuous heating according to claim 6, further comprising a replacement chamber in at least one of between said first heating chamber and said attachment/detachment chamber and between said attachment/detachment chamber and said second heating chamber. Furnace. 8. The continuous heating furnace according to claim 6, wherein said attachment/detachment chamber includes a heater. The continuous heating furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first heating chamber and the second heating chamber each have an independent transfer mechanism. The continuous heating furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said first heating chamber and said second heating chamber each include a plurality of said conveying rollers arranged along said conveying direction. The holding mechanism is
a hollow shaft inserted through the furnace body;
a retainer attached to the shaft;
A seal member is attached to a portion where the shaft is inserted through the furnace body,
The continuous heating furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the shaft is connected to a coolant supply device that supplies coolant to a hollow portion of the shaft. The furnace body has a pair of side walls on both sides in a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction,
The shaft is rotatably bridged over the pair of side walls,
The holder is
an arm portion extending from the shaft;
12. The continuous heating furnace according to claim 11, further comprising a claw portion bent from the lower end of said arm portion. The holding mechanism comprises a plurality of holders,
13. The continuous heating furnace of claim 11 or 12, wherein said plurality of retainers are spaced on said shaft. A continuous heating furnace according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein said holders are constructed from a nickel-chromium-iron alloy or a nickel-based alloy. a partition wall having therein a transfer space in which a heating container and a lid attached to and detached from the heating container are transferred;
a heater arranged in the transport space;
Conveying rollers arranged along a predetermined conveying direction;
a lifter that lifts at least one of the lid and the heating container conveyed on the conveying roller;
a holding mechanism that holds the lid lifted by the lifter;
A control device that controls the lifter and the holding mechanism,
The control device is
a process of raising the lifter supporting the heating container on which the lid is placed to a position where the lid is held by the holding mechanism;
a process of holding the lid in the holding mechanism;
A process of lowering the lifter and lowering the heating container to the conveying roller is executed,
The holding mechanism is
a hollow shaft inserted through the partition;
a retainer attached to the shaft; and
a seal member attached to a portion where the shaft is inserted through the partition wall;
and a coolant supply device that is connected to the shaft and that supplies coolant to a hollow portion of the shaft. a partition wall having therein a transfer space in which a heating container and a lid attached to and detached from the heating container are transferred;
a heater arranged in the transport space;
Conveying rollers arranged along a predetermined conveying direction;
a lifter that lifts at least one of the lid and the heating container conveyed on the conveying roller;
a holding mechanism that holds the lid lifted by the lifter;
A control device that controls the lifter and the holding mechanism,
The control device is
a process of raising the lifter supporting the lid to a position where the lid is held by the holding mechanism;
a process of holding the lid in the holding mechanism;
and placing the lid on the heating container by raising the lifter supporting the heating container on which the lid is not placed to a position where the lid is held by the holding mechanism. is,
The holding mechanism is
a hollow shaft inserted through the partition;
a retainer attached to the shaft; and
a seal member attached to a portion where the shaft is inserted through the partition wall;
and a coolant supply device that is connected to the shaft and that supplies coolant to a hollow portion of the shaft. The control device is
a process of raising the lifter supporting the heating container on which the lid is placed to a position where the lid is held by the holding mechanism;
a process of holding the lid in the holding mechanism;
17. The attaching/detaching device according to claim 16, further configured to lower said lifter and lower said heating container to said conveying roller. The partition has a pair of side walls on both sides in a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction,
The shaft is rotatably bridged over the pair of side walls,
The holder is
an arm portion extending from the shaft;
The attachment/detachment device according to any one of claims 15 to 17, further comprising a claw portion that bends from the lower end of said arm portion and supports said heating container. The attaching/detaching device according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the shaft is provided along the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The attachment/detachment device according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein said retainer is made of a nickel-chromium-iron alloy or a nickel-based alloy. The attachment/detachment device according to any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein the holder has a heat insulating material on a surface that contacts the heating container.

Images