JP7470241B1 - HEAT TREATMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR HEAT TREATING OBJECT - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To improve the processing efficiency of a belt-shaped workpiece. [Solution] A heat treatment apparatus 10 includes a transport device 80, 82, a first heating section 40, and a second heating section 50. The transport devices 80, 82 transport a belt-shaped workpiece 20 along a predetermined transport path. The first heating section 40 includes a laser device 42 that irradiates the workpiece 20 with laser light P to heat it. The second heating section 50 includes a heating device 52 that heats the workpiece 20 heated in the first heating section 40 by a method other than laser heating. [Selected Figure] Figure 3

Description

This disclosure relates to a heat treatment device and a method for heat treating an object to be treated.

Patent Publication No. 7285360 discloses a heat treatment device equipped with a heat treatment section, a cooling section, and a winding section. In the heat treatment section, a sheet is heat-treated while being transported. In the cooling section, the sheet that has been heat-treated in the heat treatment section is cooled while being transported. In the winding section, the sheet that has been cooled in the cooling section is wound up. Guide rollers are arranged above and below the heat treatment section from the entrance to the exit. The sheet is folded back by the guide rollers and transported from the entrance to the exit while moving up and down. Far-infrared heaters are provided in the gaps and around the sheet so as to face the sheet. With this configuration, the distance the sheet is transported in the heat treatment section is increased, and the sheet is dried efficiently.

JP 2014-107237 A discloses an electrode sheet drying device for drying a rolled electrode sheet. The drying device disclosed in the publication includes a chamber, a vacuum exhaust device for creating a vacuum pressure in the chamber, an unwinding shaft, a winding shaft, a guide roller, and an infrared ray irradiation unit. The chamber includes an unwinding side housing section, a winding side housing section, and a communication section. The unwinding side housing section houses a winding shaft. The winding side housing section houses a winding shaft. The communication section communicates the unwinding side housing section and the winding side housing section. The infrared ray irradiation unit is provided on the outside of the chamber. The infrared ray irradiation unit irradiates infrared rays to the electrode sheet passing through the communication section through a transmission window provided in the middle of the communication section. It is said that such a drying device can uniformly dry the entire electrode sheet and can significantly reduce the drying time compared to conventional methods without thermally deteriorating the electrode sheet.

Patent No. 7285360 JP 2014-107237 A

The inventors want to improve the processing efficiency of strip-shaped objects.

The heat treatment apparatus disclosed herein includes a conveying device, a first heating section, and a second heating section. The conveying device conveys a strip-shaped workpiece along a predetermined conveying path. The first heating section includes a laser device that irradiates the workpiece with laser light to heat it. The second heating section includes a heating device that heats the workpiece heated by the first heating section by a method other than laser heating. In such a heat treatment apparatus, the processing efficiency of the strip-shaped workpiece is improved.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a heat treatment apparatus 10 . FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a drive mechanism for driving the workpiece 20. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the first heating section 40, the second heating section 50 and the cooling section 60. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the transition of the temperature of the workpiece 20. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a first heating section 40A according to another embodiment.

One embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, components and parts that perform the same function are described with the same reference numerals. Furthermore, the dimensional relationships (length, width, thickness, etc.) in each drawing do not reflect the actual dimensional relationships. The directions of up, down, left, right, front, and rear are represented by arrows U, D, L, R, F, and Rr in the drawings, respectively. Here, the directions of up, down, left, right, front, and rear are determined merely for the convenience of explanation, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a heat treatment device 10. In Figure 1, the internal configuration of the unwinding section 30 and the winding section 70 is shown. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a drive mechanism for driving the workpiece 20. In Figure 2, the first heating section 40, the second heating section 50, and the cooling section 60 between the unwinding section 30 and the winding section 70 are omitted. In Figure 2, the rollers 34 other than the tension detection roller 34b, the feed roller 34c, and the dancer roller 34d of the unwinding section 30 are omitted. In Figure 2, the rollers 74 other than the tension detection roller 74c of the winding section 70 are omitted. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the first heating section 40, the second heating section 50, and the cooling section 60.

<Heat Treatment Apparatus 10>
The heat treatment device 10 is a facility for heat-treating a belt-shaped workpiece 20. In this embodiment, the heat treatment device 10 is a device for continuously drying a belt-shaped workpiece while conveying it in a so-called roll-to-roll manner. The workpiece 20 is not particularly limited as long as it is belt-shaped, such as an electrode sheet for a secondary battery in which an electrode material is applied to both sides of a sheet base material, a flexible copper clad laminate (FCCL), a polyimide sheet, etc. The heat treatment device 10 disclosed herein can be used to treat various belt-shaped (sheet-shaped) workpieces.

The workpiece 20 is heat-treated using a heat treatment device 10 as shown in FIG. 1. The heat treatment method for the workpiece 20 includes a first heating step and a second heating step. The heat treatment method for the workpiece 20 may also include a cooling step.

The heat treatment device 10 includes a conveying device 80, a first heating section 40, and a second heating section 50. The workpiece 20 is conveyed along a predetermined conveying path in the heat treatment device 10. The workpiece 20 is heat-treated while being conveyed along the conveying path in the first heating section 40 and the second heating section 50. In this embodiment, the heat treatment device 10 includes an unwinding section 30 and a winding section 70. The conveying path of the workpiece 20 is set between the unwinding roll 22 of the unwinding section 30 and the winding roll 24 of the winding section 70. In this embodiment, the heat treatment device 10 includes a cooling section 60. The workpiece 20 is provided between the second heating section 50 and the winding section 70. Therefore, the workpiece 20 is unwound in the unwinding section 30, heat-treated in the first heating section 40, heat-treated in the second heating section 50, cooled in the cooling section 60, and wound up in the winding section 70.

<Conveyor Devices 80, 82>
The conveying device 80 is a device that conveys the workpiece 20 along a predetermined conveying path. In this embodiment, the conveying devices 80, 82 are devices that rotate and drive the first shaft 32 to which the unwinding roll 22 of the unwinding section 30 is attached, and the second shaft 72 to which the winding roll 24 of the winding section 70 is attached. In this embodiment, motors are used as the conveying devices 80, 82.

As shown in FIG. 2, the conveying devices 80 and 82 are attached to one outer wall 30a of the unwinding section 30 and one outer wall 70a of the winding section 70, respectively. The first shaft 32 is connected to the conveying device 80. The first shaft 32 is rotated by the conveying device 80, and the workpiece 20 is unwound from the unwinding roll 22. The second shaft 72 is connected to the conveying device 82. The second shaft 72 is rotated by the conveying device 82, and the workpiece 20 is wound around the winding roll 24. The conveying devices 80 and 82 may be installed in atmospheric boxes provided in spaces surrounded by the outer walls 30a and 70a, respectively.

In the heat treatment device 10, the workpiece 20 can be transported at high speed to improve the processing efficiency of the workpiece 20. Although not particularly limited, the transport speed of the workpiece 20 can be set to approximately 1 m/min to 200 m/min. In this embodiment, the transport speed of the workpiece 20 is set to approximately 100 m/min. In the heat treatment device 10, the transport speed of the workpiece 20 is controlled by the control device 15.

<Control device 15>
The control device 15 controls the transport speed of the workpiece 20 and the tension applied to the workpiece 20 so that the workpiece 20 is transported according to a predetermined transport condition. In this embodiment, the control device 15 controls the unwinding tension when the workpiece 20 is unwound, the in-furnace tension applied to the workpiece 20 being processed, and the winding tension when the treated workpiece 20 is wound up. As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 15 is connected to the transport devices 80 and 82. The control device 15 is also connected to the tension detection roller 34b, the feed roller 34c, the dancer roller 34d, the tension detection roller 74c, and the like. The tension detection roller 34b, the feed roller 34c, the dancer roller 34d, and the tension detection roller 74c will be described later. The control device 15 feeds back the unwinding tension detected by the tension detection roller 34b to the transport device 80, and controls the torque of the first shaft 32. This adjusts the unwinding tension. The control device 15 also feeds back to the dancer roller 34d the in-furnace tension detected by a tension detection roller (in this embodiment, a tension detection roller 74c provided in the cooling section 60 (see Figure 1)) around which the workpiece 20 being processed is hung. The dancer roller 34d moves according to the detected in-furnace tension, thereby adjusting the in-furnace tension. The rotation speed of the feed roller 34c is controlled so that the position of the dancer roller 34d returns to a reference position while the in-furnace tension is constant. The control device 15 also feeds back to the conveying device 82 the winding tension detected by the tension detection roller 74c, and controls the torque of the second shaft 72. Thus, the winding tension is adjusted.

<Unwinding section 30>
The unwinding section 30 is a section that unwinds the workpiece 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the unwinding section 30 houses the unwinding roll 22 around which the workpiece 20 before heat treatment is wound. The unwinding section 30 has internal equipment and an outer wall 30a that surrounds the unwinding roll 22. In this embodiment, inside the outer wall 30a, a transport space is formed in which the workpiece 20 is transported and which is isolated from the outside. The unwinding section 30 is provided with a first shaft 32 and a plurality of rollers 34 inside. The first shaft 32 is a shaft on which the unwinding roll 22 around which the workpiece 20 before heat treatment is wound is attached. In this embodiment, the first shaft 32 is rotated to rotate the first shaft 32, and thereby the strip-shaped sheet 20 is unwound from the unwinding roll 22 attached to the first shaft 32.

In the space surrounded by the outer wall 30a of the unwinding section 30, a plurality of rollers 34 are provided to set a transport path for the workpiece 20. The workpiece 20 unwound from the unwinding roll 22 attached to the first shaft 32 is wrapped around the plurality of rollers 34 in a predetermined order and transported toward the first heating section 40. The plurality of rollers 34 include a guide roller 34a, a tension detection roller 34b, a feed roller 34c, and a dancer roller 34d. The tension detection roller 34b is a roller for detecting the tension applied to the workpiece 20. A tension detector (not shown) is attached to the tension detection roller 34b. The dancer roller 34d is configured to be movable within a predetermined range. The tension of the workpiece 20 is adjusted by the movement of the dancer roller 34d. The feed roller 34c is driven to rotate by a transport device (not shown). The position of the dancer roller 34d is adjusted by controlling the rotation of the feed roller 34c.

The unwinding section 30 is connected to the first heating section 40 via a connecting section 90. The connecting section 90 has an outlet of the unwinding section 30 and an inlet of the first heating section 40. The workpiece 20 is transported to the first heating section 40 through the connecting section 90.

<First heating section 40>
The first heating section 40 is a section where the workpiece 20 is heat-treated by laser heating. As shown in Fig. 3, the first heating section 40 includes a laser device 42. In the first heating section 40, the workpiece 20 unwound from the unwinding roll 22 is heat-treated by the laser device 42 while being transported.

Figure 4 is a graph showing the temperature change of the workpiece 20. In Figure 4, the solid line shows the temperature change of the workpiece 20 in the heat treatment device 10 where laser heating is performed in the first heating section and infrared heating is performed in the second heating section 50. Also, in Figure 4, the dashed line shows the temperature change of the workpiece in the heat treatment device where infrared heating is performed in both the first heating section and the second heating section. As shown in Figure 4, the workpiece 20 is heated to a predetermined set temperature by the laser device 42 of the first heating section 40. The set temperature can be set appropriately depending on the configuration of the workpiece 20 to be treated.

3, the first heating section 40 includes an outer wall 40a and a plurality of support rollers 44. In this embodiment, inside the outer wall 40a, a transport space is formed in which the workpiece 20 is transported and which is isolated from the outside. The outer wall 40a surrounds a space in which the plurality of support rollers 44 are arranged. The laser device 42 is arranged outside the outer wall 40a. The first heating section 40 may be provided with a cover 40b that surrounds the outer wall 40a and the laser device 42. The space outside the outer wall 40a and inside the cover 40b is isolated from the space in which the workpiece 20 is transported, and the laser device 42 is arranged therein. In this embodiment, the space outside the outer wall 40a and inside the cover 40b is connected to the outside and is an atmospheric pressure environment.

In this embodiment, the transport path of the workpiece 20 in the first heating section 40 is set to be linear along the front-rear direction. The workpiece 20 is supported by a plurality of support rollers 44. Note that the transport path in the first heating section 40 is not limited to being linear, and may be folded back within the first heating section 40, for example. In addition to the support rollers 44, guide rollers and the like that set the transport path of the workpiece 20 may also be provided within the first heating section 40.

<Support roller 44>
The support rollers 44 are rollers that support the workpiece 20 transported through the first heating section 40. The support rollers 44 are cylindrical rollers. The support rollers 44 are arranged in a row along the front-rear direction at a predetermined pitch. The multiple support rollers 44 are arranged at approximately the same height. The upper ends of the multiple support rollers 44 are arranged so as to be at approximately the same height as the upper end of the guide roller 34a (see FIG. 1) near the exit of the unwinding section 30. As a result, the workpiece 20 transported from the unwinding section 30 is transported approximately horizontally toward the front.

In this embodiment, the support roller 44 supports the workpiece 20 from the second surface 20b. By supporting the workpiece 20 on the support roller 44, deflection of the workpiece 20 due to the weight of the workpiece 20 itself can be reduced. As a result, the laser can be easily focused during heating, and uneven heating in the surface direction can be reduced.

<Laser device 42>
The laser device 42 is a device that irradiates the workpiece 20 with a laser and heats it. The workpiece 20 is heated by the laser device 42, so that the temperature of the workpiece 20 rises rapidly (see FIG. 4). In this embodiment, a semiconductor laser including an element formed of a semiconductor is used as the laser device 42. The laser device 42 includes an oscillator 42a, a transmission fiber 42b, and a processing head 42c. The processing head 42c is connected to the laser device 42 via the transmission fiber 42b. The laser device 42 is configured to be able to irradiate the laser light P from the processing head 42c. The direction of the processing head 42c is set so that the optical axis of the laser light P is incident on the sheet-shaped workpiece 20 substantially perpendicularly.

The processing head 42c of the laser device 42 is disposed outside the outer wall 40a. In this embodiment, the processing head 42c of the laser device 42 is disposed above the first heating section 40. The processing head 42c faces downward. At least the ceiling part of the outer wall 40a may be provided with a window 40a1 that transmits the laser light P. The window 40a1 that transmits the laser light P may be made of, for example, quartz glass. The laser light P irradiated from the processing head 42c passes through the window 40a1. In the first heating section 40, the workpiece 20 is irradiated with the laser light P, and the workpiece 20 is heated. In this embodiment, the workpiece 20 is irradiated with the laser light P from the first surface 20a opposite to the second surface 20b supported by the support roller 44. The periphery of the processing head 42c is shielded by a shielding plate 40c, except for the surface facing the quartz glass.

As the laser device 42, a device in which a two-dimensional irradiation area is set on the workpiece 20 may be used. In this embodiment, as the laser device 42, a device capable of irradiating a substantially rectangular laser light P substantially uniformly in the surface direction of the workpiece 20 is used. The irradiation area of the laser light P may be set by adjusting the distance between the irradiation surface of the workpiece 20 and the processing head 42c, for example, by adjusting the height of the processing head 42c. The irradiation area of the laser light P may be set by the optical system unit 42c1 in the processing head 42c. By adjusting the optical system unit 42c1, the irradiation width of the laser light P can be adjusted. The irradiation width of the laser light P is expanded from the processing head 42c toward the workpiece 20. As the laser device 42, for example, a semiconductor laser manufactured by Laser Line Co., Ltd. can be used. By irradiating and heating the laser light P substantially uniformly over a wide range in the surface direction of the workpiece 20, the heating conditions (heating conditions) can be made substantially constant in the surface direction of the workpiece 20. As a result, the quality of the workpiece 20 after processing can be improved. From this perspective, it is preferable to use a laser device 42 in which an irradiation area is set along at least the width direction of the workpiece 20, and it is more preferable to use a device in which an irradiation area is set along the surface direction of the workpiece 20, as compared to a laser device that locally heats the workpiece 20. The irradiation area of the laser light P can be appropriately determined according to the dimensions of the workpiece 20.

The number of laser devices 42 is not particularly limited, and may be one or more than two. The number of laser devices 42 can be appropriately set according to the processing conditions, transport conditions, etc. of the workpiece 20. In this embodiment, two laser devices 42 are provided in the first heating section 40. The processing heads 42c of the two laser devices 42 are arranged along the transport path. This can improve the heating efficiency of the workpiece 20. In addition, the heating conditions can be changed along the transport path, and the degree of freedom of the heat treatment can be improved. When multiple laser devices 42 are used in the first heating section 40, the laser devices 42 may be arranged along the transport direction or along the width direction of the workpiece 20. By arranging the laser devices 42 along the width direction of the workpiece 20, a wide irradiation area can be secured. The multiple laser devices 42 may be arranged so that the irradiation areas of each laser device 42 overlap. In addition, the multiple laser devices 42 may be arranged along the transport direction and at positions shifted in the width direction. This allows the irradiation areas of the multiple laser devices 42 to overlap in the width direction, reducing the difference in thermal history in the width direction of the workpiece 20. For example, the multiple laser devices 42 may be arranged alternately on the left and right along the conveying direction.

When multiple laser devices 42 are used in the first heating section 40, the irradiation areas of each may be separated from each other or may overlap. The arrangement of the laser devices 42 is not particularly limited. The laser devices 42 may be arranged so that they can heat from the second surface 20b, or so that they can heat from both the first surface 20a and the second surface 20b.

The first heating section 40 is connected to the second heating section 50 via a connecting section 91. The connecting section 91 has an outlet for the first heating section 40 and an inlet for the second heating section 50. The workpiece 20, whose temperature has risen to the set temperature, is transported to the second heating section 50 through the connecting section 91.

<Second heating section 50>
The second heating section 50 is a section for heating the workpiece 20 heated in the first heating section 40 by a method other than laser heating. In the second heating section 50, the workpiece 20 is heat-treated under conditions different from those in the first heating section 40. In this embodiment, in the second heating section 50, the workpiece 20 is heated so as to maintain the state in which it has been heated to the set temperature in the first heating section 40 (see FIG. 4). As a result, the workpiece 20 is dried.

In this embodiment, the second heating section 50 includes a heating device 52, guide rollers 54a to 54d, and an outer wall 50a. In this embodiment, a transport space is formed inside the outer wall 50a, in which the workpiece 20 is transported and which is isolated from the outside. The outer wall 50a surrounds the space in which the heating device 52 and the guide rollers 54a to 54d are arranged.

<Guide rollers 54a to 54d>
The guide rollers 54a to 54d are rollers for setting a transport path along which the workpiece 20 is transported in the second heating section 50. In this embodiment, the guide rollers 54a to 54d are cylindrical rollers. The axes of the guide rollers 54a to 54d are oriented in the left-right direction, respectively. The guide roller 54a is provided near the entrance (connecting section 91) of the second heating section 50. The upper end of the guide roller 54a is disposed at a height substantially equal to the height of the upper end of the support roller 44 of the first heating section 40. As a result, the workpiece 20 is transported substantially horizontally from the first heating section 40 to the second heating section 50. The multiple guide rollers 54b are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the front-rear direction below the second heating section 50. The multiple guide rollers 54c are arranged above the second heating section 50, shifted by a half pitch from the multiple guide rollers 54b from the entrance to the exit of the second heating section 50. Guide roller 54d is provided near the exit (connecting portion 92) of second heating section 50. Workpiece 20 is hung on guide roller 54a near the entrance of second heating section 50 and transported downward. Workpiece 20 is then alternately hung on upper and lower guide rollers 54b, 54c in sequence from rear to front. As a result, workpiece 20 in second heating section 50 moves back and forth up and down from the entrance to the exit. Then, workpiece 20 is hung on guide roller 54d provided near the exit and transported toward cooling section 60.

<Heating device 52>
The heating device 52 is a device for heating the workpiece 20 by a method other than laser heating. As the heating device 52, various devices capable of heating the workpiece 20 by a method not using laser light with uniform wavelengths can be used. In this embodiment, an infrared heating device is used as the heating device 52. By using the infrared heating device, the workpiece 20 can be heat-treated regardless of the atmosphere in the second heating section 50. In addition, the heat uniformity efficiency in the surface direction of the workpiece 20 is good. Here, the heating device 52 is a plate-shaped far-infrared heating type plate heater. As the heating device 52, various heaters can be used depending on the heating temperature, heating atmosphere, etc. As the heating device 52, for example, in addition to a plate-shaped plate heater, for example, a cylindrical heater may be used. The material of the heating device 52 is not particularly limited, and a metal sheath heater, a ceramic heater, a lamp heater, etc. may be used. In addition, the heating device 52 is not limited to a far-infrared heating type heater. In the case of an atmospheric furnace, the heating device 52 may be, for example, a hot air heater that blows hot air onto the workpiece.

In this embodiment, the heating device 52 is disposed around the workpiece 20, which is hung on the guide rollers 54a to 54d and moves up and down while proceeding from the entrance to the exit, so as to face the workpiece 20. The heating device 52 is disposed around the guide rollers 54b and 54c, so as to face the workpiece 20 in the gap between the workpiece 20 which moves up and down, or around the workpiece 20 being transported. The heating device 52 may be fixed, for example, by a holder and a support. A support for fixing the holder may be erected on the bottom wall of the outer wall 50a. A holder may be fixed to the support. The heating device 52 may be fixed by a holder. The heating device 52 may also be supported, for example, by the side wall of the outer wall 40a (see FIG. 3).

By arranging the guide rollers 54a to 54d as described above, the distance over which the workpiece 20 is transported in the second heating section 50 is increased. In this manner, the transport path set in the second heating section 50 is longer than the transport path set in the first heating section 40. Therefore, the workpiece 20 can be dried efficiently. Also, the heat from the heating device 52 hits the first surface 20a and the second surface 20b of the workpiece 20 in the same manner. Therefore, the heating conditions of the first surface 20a and the second surface 20b of the workpiece 20 can be made similar. This can reduce the difference in the thermal history of the first surface 20a and the second surface 20b of the workpiece 20. The thermal history is the history of the workpiece 20 being heated and cooled. By matching the heating conditions and cooling conditions within the workpiece 20, the difference in the thermal history within the workpiece 20 can be reduced.

The arrangement of the heating device 52 and the guide rollers 54a to 54d is not limited to this. The arrangement of the heating device 52 and the guide rollers 54a to 54d may be set appropriately depending on the type of workpiece 20 and the conditions of the heat treatment. For example, when the first surface 20a and the second surface 20b of the workpiece 20 are made of different materials, the arrangement and output of the heating device 52 may be set so that the first surface 20a and the second surface 20b are heat-treated under different conditions.

The second heating section 50 is connected to the cooling section 60 via a connecting section 92. The connecting section 92 has an outlet for the second heating section 50 and an inlet for the cooling section 60. The workpiece 20, which is maintained at the set temperature, is transported to the cooling section 60 through the connecting section 92.

<Cooling section 60>
The cooling section 60 is a section where the workpiece 20 that has been heat-treated in the second heating section 50 is cooled while being transported. By providing the cooling section 60, the workpiece 20 can be wound around the winding roll 24 in a state where the temperature is reduced. The cooling section 60 is particularly effective when the treatment temperature of the workpiece 20 in the first heating section 40 and the second heating section 50 is high. The cooling section 60 has a cooling roller 62, a plurality of guide rollers 68, and an outer wall 60a. In this embodiment, a transport space is formed inside the outer wall 60a, in which the workpiece 20 is transported and which is isolated from the outside. In this embodiment, the cooling section 60 is provided with a plurality of cooling rollers 62. The plurality of cooling rollers 62 and the plurality of guide rollers 68 set a transport path along which the workpiece 20 is transported in the cooling section 60. The cooling roller 62 may be a single one, but it is more preferable to have a plurality of cooling rollers 62.

<Cooling roller 62>
The cooling roller 62 is a roller configured to allow a refrigerant to flow inside. In this embodiment, the cooling roller 62 has at least one first cooling roller 62a and at least one second cooling roller 62b. Here, the first cooling roller 62a is a cooling roller 62 that is wound around so that the first surface 20a of the workpiece 20 comes into contact with the first cooling roller 62a. The second cooling roller 62b is a cooling roller 62 that is wound around so that the second surface 20b of the workpiece 20 comes into contact with the first cooling roller 62a. In this embodiment, the cooling roller 62 is connected to a driving device (not shown). The cooling roller 62 rotates along the conveying direction at a set conveying speed. In this embodiment, the workpiece 20 is cooled to about room temperature in the cooling section 60 (see FIG. 4). The temperature of the workpiece 20 to be cooled is not particularly limited.

In this embodiment, a plurality of first cooling rollers 62a and a plurality of second cooling rollers 62b (four of each in this embodiment) are provided. The number of cooling rollers 62 is not particularly limited. For example, one each of the first cooling rollers 62a and the second cooling rollers 62b may be provided.

In this embodiment, the first cooling rollers 62a are arranged in a row at a predetermined pitch along the height direction in front of the cooling section 60 (exit side). The second cooling rollers 62b are arranged in a row at a predetermined pitch along the height direction in the rear of the cooling section 60 (entrance side). The interval between adjacent first cooling rollers 62a and the interval between adjacent second cooling rollers 62b are each set to be narrower than the outer diameter of the cooling roller 62. The arrangement of the first cooling rollers 62a and the second cooling rollers 62b is not particularly limited. For example, the first cooling rollers 62a and the second cooling rollers 62b may each be arranged from the entrance side to the exit side of the cooling section 60. The first cooling rollers 62a may be arranged in a row above the cooling section 60 at a predetermined pitch. The second cooling rollers 62b may be arranged in a row below the cooling section 60 at a predetermined pitch. The distance between adjacent first cooling rollers 62a and the distance between adjacent second cooling rollers 62b may each be set to be wider than the outer diameter of the cooling rollers 62.

In this embodiment, the first cooling rollers 62a and the second cooling rollers 62b are arranged at the same pitch, and the height of the second cooling rollers 62b is arranged at a position half a pitch higher than the first cooling rollers 62a, starting from the bottom. As a result, the multiple first cooling rollers 62a and the multiple second cooling rollers 62b are arranged so that their heights are shifted in sequence before and after the cooling section 60. In other words, the multiple first cooling rollers 62a and the multiple second cooling rollers 62b are arranged in a staggered manner. By arranging the first cooling rollers 62a and the second cooling rollers 62b in this manner, the cooling section 60 can be made to have a structure that is long in the height direction. On the other hand, the area occupied by the cooling section 60 can be reduced, thereby saving space in the equipment.

<Guide roller 68>
The guide roller 68 is a roller that guides the workpiece 20. In this embodiment, the guide roller 68 is a cylindrical roller. The axis of the guide roller 68 is oriented in the left-right direction in the cooling section 60 and is provided in the cooling section 60. In the cooling section 60, a transport path for the workpiece 20 is set by the multiple guide rollers 68 so that the workpiece 20 passes from the entrance (connecting section 92) through the multiple cooling rollers 62 and heads from the multiple cooling rollers 62 to the exit (connecting section 93). The multiple guide rollers 68 include a tension detection roller that detects the tension applied to the workpiece 20.

The workpiece 20 is introduced into the cooling section 60 from the entrance of the cooling section 60 through the guide roller 68a and is transported downward on the upstream side of the multiple cooling rollers 62. The workpiece 20 is transported to the first cooling roller 62a arranged at the lowest end through the guide roller 68b. The workpiece 20 is alternately wrapped around the first cooling roller 62a and the second cooling roller 62b from the bottom side, and is transported from the second cooling roller 62b at the top end toward the guide roller 68c. The workpiece 20 is transported downward through the guide roller 68c, and is transported from the exit of the cooling section 60 to the winding section 70 through the guide roller 68d. At this time, the workpiece 20 is wrapped around so that the first surface 20a of the workpiece 20 contacts the first cooling roller 62a and the second surface 20b of the workpiece 20 contacts the second cooling roller 62b. Therefore, the first surface 20a and the second surface 20b of the workpiece 20 are cooled in sequence by the cooling roller 62. This reduces the difference in thermal history between the first surface 20a and the second surface 20b of the workpiece 20.

The cooling section 60 is connected to the winding section 70 via a connecting section 93. The connecting section 93 has an outlet of the cooling section 60 and an inlet of the winding section 70. The cooled workpiece 20 is transported to the winding section 70 through the connecting section 93.

<Winding section 70>
The winding section 70 is a section that winds up the workpiece 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the winding section 70 houses the winding roll 24 for winding up the workpiece 20 cooled through the cooling roller 62. The winding section 70 has an outer wall 70a that surrounds the internal equipment. In this embodiment, inside the outer wall 70a, a transport space is formed in which the workpiece 20 is transported and which is isolated from the outside. The winding section 70 is provided with a second shaft 72 and a plurality of rollers 74. The second shaft 72 is fitted with the winding roll 24 on which the workpiece 20 that has been heat-treated in the first heating section 40 and the second heating section 50 and cooled in the cooling section 60 has been wound. The second shaft 72 is driven to rotate, so that the workpiece 20 is wound on the winding roll 24.

The rollers 74 set a transport path along which the workpiece 20 is transported in the winding section 70. The workpiece 20 transported from the cooling section 60 is hung on the rollers 74 near the entrance (connecting section 93) of the winding section 70, and then hung on the rollers 74 in a predetermined order and wound up on the winding roll 24. The rollers 74 include a guide roller 74a, a roller 74b, a tension detection roller 74c, and a feed roller 74d. The roller 74b is configured to be movable within a predetermined range. The roller 74b can be moved to ensure the necessary slack of the workpiece 20 when, for example, the winding roll 24 is replaced. The tension detection roller 74c is attached with a tension detector (not shown). The feed roller 74d feeds out the slack required for attachment when attaching the workpiece 20 to the replaced winding roll 24 when replacing the winding roll 24.

The inventor is considering ways to improve the processing efficiency of strip-shaped objects to be processed. For example, the processing efficiency can be improved by increasing the transport speed of the objects to be processed. However, when the transport speed of the objects to be processed is increased, the speed at which the objects to be processed pass through the heating section increases. Since the rate at which the temperature of the objects to be processed rises does not change, in order to raise the temperature of the objects to a set temperature, it is necessary to lengthen the transport path in the heating section as the transport speed increases. In order to lengthen the transport path in the heating section, it is necessary to increase the size of the equipment. In addition, the energy cost required to heat the objects to be processed also increases.

In the above-described embodiment, the heat treatment apparatus 10 includes conveying devices 80, 82, a first heating section 40, and a second heating section 50. The conveying devices 80, 82 convey the belt-shaped workpiece 20 along a predetermined conveying path. The first heating section 40 includes a laser device 42 that irradiates the workpiece 20 with laser light P to heat it. The second heating section 50 includes a heating device 52 that heats the workpiece 20 heated in the first heating section 40 by a method other than laser heating.

In this heat treatment apparatus 10, the workpiece 20 is heated by the laser device 42 in the first heating section 40 before being maintained at a set temperature in the second heating section 50. By using the laser device 42 that can set the irradiation area of the laser light P, the area of the workpiece 20 to be heated can be efficiently heated. This makes it possible to heat the workpiece 20 while suppressing energy loss. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the temperature rise rate of the workpiece 20 can be improved compared to when the workpiece is heated only by infrared heating. In addition, the transport path in the first heating section 40 for raising the temperature of the workpiece 20 can be shortened, and the equipment can be made more compact.

In addition, according to the inventor's knowledge, in laser heating, the energy given to the workpiece 20 per unit time is large, so the temperature of the workpiece 20 rises rapidly. For this reason, the temperature may vary within the surface of the workpiece 20. In the above-mentioned embodiment, in the second heating section 50, the laser-heated workpiece 20 is heated by the heating device 52. As a result, the workpiece 20, which has been heated rapidly by laser heating, is easily heated uniformly while being transported in the second heating section 50 by being heated by a method other than laser heating. As a result, the quality of the workpiece 20 after heat treatment in the first heating section 40 and the second heating section 50 is good. The heat treatment device 10 disclosed herein can efficiently treat the workpiece 20 while maintaining its quality.

In the above-described embodiment, the transport path set in the second heating section 50 is longer than the transport path set in the first heating section 40. In such a heat treatment device 10, the equipment of the first heating section 40 is made compact. In the second heating section 50, the transport path is set long, which makes it easier to uniformly heat the workpiece 20, and can improve the quality of the workpiece 20 after processing.

In the above-described embodiment, the unwinding section 30, the first heating section 40, the second heating section 50, the cooling section 60, and the winding section 70 form a transport space in which the workpiece 20 is transported and which is isolated from the outside. This allows the workpiece 20 to be processed in a space isolated from the outside, and the processing conditions can be stabilized. In addition, the atmosphere in the transport space can be controlled to an atmosphere according to the processing purpose of the workpiece 20.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the heat treatment apparatus 10 includes a vacuum pump 12 for reducing the pressure of the transport space. The vacuum pump 12 is connected to each of the unwinding section 30, the first heating section 40, the second heating section 50, the cooling section 60, and the winding section 70. The workpiece 20 is treated under a predetermined vacuum atmosphere lower than atmospheric pressure. The connection configuration of the vacuum pump 12 is not limited to this form. For example, the unwinding section 30, the first heating section 40, the second heating section 50, the cooling section 60, and the winding section 70 may be configured so that the inside is reduced in pressure by a plurality of vacuum pumps 12. For example, a plurality of vacuum pumps 12 may be connected to each section. By treating the workpiece under a reduced pressure environment, the drying efficiency of the workpiece 20 is improved, and the treatment efficiency of the workpiece 20 is good. Doors 90a and 93a are provided at the entrance of the first heating section 40 (the connecting section 90 in this embodiment) and the exit of the cooling section 60 (the connecting section 93 in this embodiment), respectively.

The piping of the vacuum pump 12 is provided with vacuum valves 12a-12e for adjusting the degree of vacuum in each part. The vacuum valves 12a-12e are configured to be able to switch between connecting and disconnecting each part from the vacuum pump 12. When the degree of vacuum in each part is not adjusted, an opening and closing valve may be used instead of the vacuum valves 12a-12e. In this embodiment, the degree of vacuum in the transfer space is controlled by the control device 15. Note that the degree of vacuum in the transfer space may be controlled by a device other than the control device 15.

The control device 15 is connected to the vacuum pump 12 and vacuum valves 12a to 12e so that the degree of vacuum in each part can be adjusted. The control device 15 may be connected to a vacuum detector (not shown) for detecting the degree of vacuum in each part. When the workpiece 20 is treated in the heat treatment device 10, the vacuum valves 12a to 12e are opened. During steady-state operation, the doors 90a and 93a are open, and the degree of vacuum in each part is the same.

When the rolls are replaced, the control device 15 can switch the vacuum level of each section by controlling the opening and closing of the vacuum valves 12a to 12e. When the unwinding roll 22 is replaced, the vacuum valve 12a is closed with the door 90a closed. This allows the atmosphere of the first heating section 40 to be maintained, and the device can be restored quickly after replacing the unwinding roll 22. When the winding roll 24 is replaced, the vacuum valve 12e is closed with the door 93a closed. This allows the atmosphere of the cooling section 60 to be maintained, and the device can be restored quickly after replacing the unwinding roll 22. When the rolls are replaced, the room in which the rolls are replaced is opened to the atmosphere by an air release valve (not shown). Air release valves may also be provided in the first heating section 40, the second heating section 50, and the cooling section 60. The control device 15 can control the opening and closing of the vacuum valves 12a to 12e and the air release valve during heating treatment and roll replacement.

The heat treatment device 10 may be an atmosphere furnace that heat-treats the workpiece 20 in a predetermined atmosphere. Even when the heat treatment device 10 is an atmosphere furnace, the workpiece 20 can be efficiently treated while maintaining its quality, as described above. When the heat treatment device 10 is an atmosphere furnace, the heat treatment device 10 may further include a supply device that supplies a predetermined gas to the transfer space. The supply device may be composed of a gas cylinder or the like for supplying the atmosphere gas. As the atmosphere gas, for example, nitrogen, argon, air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, etc. may be used. The atmosphere gas is appropriately selected according to the heating conditions of the workpiece. In addition, the heat treatment device 10 may be connected to an exhaust device such as an exhaust pump that exhausts the gas in the transfer space.

<First heating section 40A>
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a first heating section 40A according to another embodiment. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the first heating section 40 includes a temperature detection device 46 and an output control device 48. The temperature detection device 46 is a device for detecting the temperature of the workpiece 20 heated by the laser device 42. For example, an infrared thermometer can be used as the temperature detection device 46. The output control device 48 is a device for controlling the output of the laser device 42. The output control device 48 may be connected to the temperature detection device 46 and the oscillator 42a. The output control device 48 controls the output of the laser device 42 based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection device 46. The output control device 48 may control the output of the laser device 42 so that the output of the laser device 42 is reduced when the temperature detected by the temperature detection device 46 is higher than a set value, and the output of the laser device 42 is increased when the temperature detected by the temperature detection device 46 is lower than the set value. The set value serving as a reference for increasing the output and the set value serving as a reference for decreasing the output may not be the same. The set value serving as a reference for increasing the output may be lower than the set value serving as a reference for decreasing the output.

The temperature detection device 46 may be configured to detect the temperature at multiple points in the width direction of the workpiece 20. Multiple temperature detection devices 46 may be provided along the width direction of the workpiece 20. When the temperature detection device 46 detects a temperature difference in the width direction of the workpiece 20, the output control device 48 may control the output of the laser device 42 in the width direction. For example, when multiple laser devices 42 are lined up along the width direction of the workpiece 20, the output control device 48 may control the output of the laser device 42 so as to reduce the temperature difference in the width direction of the workpiece 20.

Although a detailed description has been given above using specific embodiments, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. In this way, the technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the embodiments described above.

This specification includes the following items 1 to 9. Items 1 to 9 below are not limited to the above-described embodiments.

Item 1:
A conveying device that conveys a belt-shaped object to be processed along a predetermined conveying path;
A first heating unit having a laser device that irradiates the workpiece with laser light to heat it;
a second heating section having a heating device for heating the workpiece heated by the first heating section by a method other than laser heating;
Heat treatment equipment.

Item 2:
2. The heat treatment device according to item 1, wherein the laser device has an irradiation area set along at least a width direction of the object to be treated.

Item 3:
3. The heat treatment device according to item 1 or 2, wherein a transport path set in the second heating section is longer than a transport path set in the first heating section.

Item 4:
4. The heat treatment device according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the heating device is an infrared heating device.

Item 5:
An unwinding section that unwinds the workpiece;
and a winding section for winding up the treated object.
The heat treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the unwinding section, the first heating section, the second heating section, and the winding section form a transport space through which the workpiece is transported and which is isolated from the outside.

Clause 6:
Item 6. The heat treatment apparatus according to item 5, further comprising a vacuum pump for reducing the pressure in the transfer space.

Clause 7:
The heat treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first heating section includes a temperature detection device that detects the temperature of the workpiece heated by the laser device, and an output control device that controls the output of the laser device based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection device.

Clause 8:
Item 6. The heat treatment apparatus according to item 5, further comprising a supply device for supplying a predetermined gas to the transfer space.

Clause 9:
a first heating step of irradiating a band-shaped workpiece transported along a predetermined transport path with a laser beam to heat the workpiece;
and a second heating step of heating the workpiece heated in the first heating step, which is transported along the transport path, by a method other than a laser.
A method for heat treating an object to be treated.

10 Heat treatment device 12 Vacuum pump 12a to 12e Vacuum valve 15 Control device 20 Workpiece 22 Unwinding roll 24 Winding roll 30 Unwinding section 30a, 40a, 50a, 60a, 70a Outer wall 32 First shaft 34 Roller 40 First heating section 40a1 Window 40b Cover 40c Shielding plate 42 Laser device 42a Oscillator 42b Transmission fiber 42c Processing head 44 Support roller 46 Temperature detection device 48 Output control device 50 Second heating section 52 Heating device 54a to 54d Guide roller 60 Cooling section 62 Cooling roller 68 Guide roller 70 Winding section 72 Second shaft 74 Roller 80, 82 Conveyor device 90 to 93 Connection section 90a, 93a Door P Laser light

Claims (9)

A conveying device that conveys a belt-shaped object to be processed along a predetermined conveying path;
A first heating unit having a laser device that irradiates the workpiece with laser light to heat it;
a second heating section having a heating device for heating the workpiece heated by the first heating section by a method other than laser heating ,
The laser device has an irradiation area set along at least the width direction of the workpiece.
Heat treatment equipment. A conveying device that conveys a belt-shaped object to be processed along a predetermined conveying path;
A first heating unit having a laser device that irradiates the workpiece with laser light to heat it;
a second heating section having a heating device for heating the workpiece heated by the first heating section by a method other than laser heating ,
a transport path set in the second heating unit is longer than a transport path set in the first heating unit;
Heat treatment equipment. A conveying device that conveys a belt-shaped object to be processed along a predetermined conveying path;
A first heating unit having a laser device that irradiates the workpiece with laser light to heat it;
a second heating section having a heating device for heating the workpiece heated by the first heating section by a method other than laser heating ,
The heating device is an infrared heating device.
Heat treatment equipment. A conveying device that conveys a belt-shaped object to be processed along a predetermined conveying path;
A first heating unit having a laser device that irradiates the workpiece with laser light to heat it;
a second heating section having a heating device for heating the workpiece heated by the first heating section by a method other than laser heating ;
An unwinding section that unwinds the workpiece;
A winding section for winding up the treated object;
Equipped with
The unwinding section, the first heating section, the second heating section, and the winding section form a transport space in which the workpiece is transported and which is isolated from the outside.
Heat treatment equipment. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a vacuum pump for reducing the pressure in the transfer space. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a supply device for supplying a predetermined gas to the transfer space. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the laser device has an irradiation area set along at least a width direction of the workpiece. The heat treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first heating section includes a temperature detection device that detects the temperature of the workpiece heated by the laser device, and an output control device that controls the output of the laser device based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection device. a first heating step of irradiating a band-shaped workpiece transported along a predetermined transport path with a laser beam to heat the workpiece;
and a second heating step of heating the workpiece heated in the first heating step, which is transported along the transport path, by a method other than a laser.
A method for heat treating an object to be treated.

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