JPH0346173B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an ultraviolet irradiation device that efficiently irradiates ultraviolet rays onto an object to be irradiated, such as a metal tube coated or printed with ultraviolet curable paint, ink, etc. to cure and dry the surface of the metal tube. This can be particularly effectively carried out for rust prevention treatment, etc.

First, an example of a conventional irradiation method of this type will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an ultraviolet irradiation device, in which an irradiation device 4 comprising an ultraviolet lamp 2, a reflector plate 3, etc. is arranged concentrically with respect to a conveyance path of a metal tube 5, which is an object to be irradiated. The metal tube 5 is conveyed by conveyance rollers 6. In this method, the irradiation device 4 is fixed, and the position and number of the irradiation devices are selected so as to obtain a predetermined ultraviolet intensity according to the maximum outer diameter of the metal tube being transported. Therefore, when flowing through a metal tube 5a with a small diameter, the distance from the lamp decreases and the intensity of the ultraviolet rays decreases, so it is necessary to reduce the transport speed, and the surface area of the object to be irradiated is small, so there is no wasted ultraviolet rays that are not directly irradiated. increases. Furthermore, if the conveying speed is to be kept constant regardless of the size of the aperture, the ultraviolet rays will be excessive, resulting in an uneconomical irradiation device. In this way, in conventional equipment, the irradiation equipment is fixed, so it cannot respond to changes in the external size of the irradiated object, and it is energy-consuming, requiring the use of many lamps even for small diameter ones. The irradiation method was

The present invention aims to provide an irradiation device that can obtain a predetermined ultraviolet intensity without changing the conveyance speed by changing the position and number of lamps according to the size of the object to be irradiated, such as a metal tube. be.

The present invention arranges a plurality of irradiation devices concentrically around the transport path of the object to be irradiated, such as a metal tube, and changes the center position of the object depending on the external size of the object. At the same time, all of the multiple irradiation devices are moved up and down, and all or part of the multiple irradiation devices are selectively moved radially with respect to the center of the object to be irradiated, thereby reducing the distance from the surface of the object to be irradiated. Through adjustment, a predetermined intensity of ultraviolet rays can be obtained with an optimal number of lamps, regardless of the size of the external shape of the object to be irradiated. Note that the movement of the irradiation device does not necessarily need to be changed continuously, but may be changed in steps. In this case, when there is little difference in the size of the object to be irradiated, the required intensity of ultraviolet rays can be obtained with the same arrangement of irradiation instruments, so that irradiation with ultraviolet rays can be performed under the same irradiation conditions.

The present invention will be explained below with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. This embodiment is for applying an ultraviolet curable paint for rust prevention to the surface of a metal tube. In the figure, reference numerals 10a and 10b are lifting plates for holding the irradiation equipment, which are attached to a guide rail 13 via a guide plate 12 so as to be able to slide vertically. An opening 11 is provided through which a metal tube passes. A plurality of irradiation devices 4 equipped with ultraviolet lamps 2 and reflectors 3 are installed concentrically around the openings 11 on the opposing surfaces of the two lifting plates via air cylinders 7. By operating the cylinder 7, the irradiation device 4 opens the opening 11.
It is designed to move radially with respect to the center of the area. The lifting plates 10a and 10b are suspended by a chain 15, and the other end of the chain 15 is connected to the balancer 2 via a sprocket 14 attached to a shaft 16.
1. Further, the shaft 16 is held by a bearing 17, and a pulley 18 attached to this shaft
The motor 19 is connected to a pulley 20 of the motor 19 through a belt 22. Therefore, the chain 15 connected to the elevating plates 10a and 10b moves up and down by the forward and reverse operation of the motor 19, and thereby the elevating plate 10 moves up and down along the guide 13.

The operating mechanism of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 5. In the case of a metal tube with a large diameter as shown in FIG.
The center line of
Move and set b. Furthermore, in this state, the number and position of the irradiation devices 4 are selected so as to obtain optimal ultraviolet irradiation on the surface of the metal tube 5a, and the air cylinders 7 are operated to set them at predetermined positions. Next, when flowing a small-diameter metal tube 5b, the lifting plates 10a and 10b are lowered so that the center line of the opening 11 is aligned with the x2 line, which is the center position of the metal tube 5b. Further, in order to effectively irradiate the surface of the metal tube 5b with ultraviolet rays, the distance between the metal tube 5b and the irradiation device 4 is brought closer using the air cylinder 7. In this case, which of the plurality of irradiation instruments 4 is to be moved is set in advance so that the optimum irradiation conditions are achieved according to the diameter of the metal tube. In the example shown in FIG. 5(b), a plurality of lighting fixtures are lit every other lighting fixture close to the metal tube 5b to the optimum position.

These series of operations can be performed automatically or manually each time by designing the positions of the lifting plates 10a, 10b and the number and position of the irradiation devices 4 (distance to the metal tube) in advance according to the diameter of the metal tube. After alignment, the ultraviolet rays are set so that the surface of the metal tube can always be irradiated with the ultraviolet rays under optimal conditions by passing through a metal tube, which is the object to be irradiated and coated with the required material.
In this case, it is desirable that the number and position of the lighting devices be automatically set in conjunction with the position (height) of the elevating plates 10a, 10b.

As described above, in the irradiation apparatus of the present invention, the object to be irradiated is conveyed using the conveyance roller 6, and the object to be irradiated, which has been coated in advance, is passed through the opening 11 of the elevating plate and irradiated. Further, the number and arrangement of the irradiation instruments 4 are determined according to the outer diameter of the object to be irradiated, and the work is started by automatically or manually installing the required number of irradiation instruments at predetermined positions. In addition, it is necessary to irradiate the entire circumference of cylindrical objects such as metal tubes with ultraviolet rays, but in this case, the metal tube itself must be spun and transported while rotating, or irradiated only on the bottom surface. It is possible to adopt a method such as installing the device in a pre-process, curing the lower surface first, and then feeding it into the irradiation device of the present invention.

In this way, in the present invention, when the outer diameter of the object to be irradiated changes, it is possible to irradiate it with the optimal minimum number of lamps accordingly, and there is no need to turn on an unnecessary number of lamps, resulting in a reduction in power consumption. , it can contribute to lowering the product unit price, and the effect is extremely large.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of a conventional device of this type;
The figures are a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 3, and Figure 5. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the device of the present invention. 2... Ultraviolet lamp, 3... Reflector, 4... Irradiation device, 5... Metal tube, 6... Conveyance roller, 7...
...Air cylinder, 10... Lifting plate, 11... Opening.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an irradiation device that cures and dries ultraviolet curing paint or ink applied or printed on the surface of an irradiated object, multiple irradiation devices are arranged around the transport path of the irradiated object, and the outer shape of the irradiated object is 1. An ultraviolet irradiation device characterized in that the entire irradiation device is configured to move vertically depending on the size, and all or part of the irradiation device can be moved radially relative to the center.