JPH06154582A - Powder filling/recovery device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To recover powdery finished product and fill powdery raw material automatically without manual process by providing a finished product recovery unit, an inspection unit and a raw material feed unit sequentially in the feed direction of a container in a container transport line. CONSTITUTION:The device fills a container 1 with an open upper face with raw material powder, and recovers powdery finished product from the container 1 after heating, and is equipped with container transport lines 3, 4, 5. In addition, the device is equipped with a finished product recovery unit 8 which reverses the container 1 for recovery of the powdery finished product by falling, in the feed direction of the container 1 from an entry side to a delivery side of the container transport lines 3, 4, 5, an inspection unit 11 which checks a crack in the container 1 and rejects a container 1 in which the crack is detected from the container transport lines 3, 4, 5, and raw material feed units 13, 14, 15 which feed the raw material powder to the container 1 in that order. Thus it is possible to recover the powdery finished product and fill the powdery raw material automatically and achieve the betterment of working environments and the improvement of productivity.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for filling and recovering powder into a container used when firing aluminum hydroxide powder, for example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacturing process of an inorganic powder such as aluminum hydroxide, a heat treatment (hereinafter referred to as calcination) is performed in the final process for dehydration / drying, adjustment of crystal grain size and the like. Such firing of the inorganic powder is performed, for example, as shown in FIG. 10 (b) which is an explanatory view of the present invention, a box-shaped ceramic container having an open top surface (hereinafter referred to as a sheath).
No. 1 is used, the raw material powder is filled in the sheath 1 and then inserted into a heat treatment furnace for firing, and the fired powder is recovered from the sheath 1.

When the raw material powder is a fine powder or a high-purity powder, it is possible to prevent scattering of the powder from the opening on the upper surface and mixing of dust from the surrounding atmosphere into the powder. In order to do so, the upper surface of the sheath 1 is covered with a flat ceramic lid 2 as shown in FIG. Also, depending on the size of the heat treatment furnace, a plurality of sheaths 1
It is also possible to stack a predetermined number of ... Into the furnace for processing, and in this case, the lid 2 is placed only on the uppermost sheath 1.

The above-mentioned sheath 1 and lid 2 are used repeatedly after collecting the product powder after firing, filling the raw material powder and sending it to the firing furnace. Then, conventionally, an operation of removing the lid on the upper surface of the stacked saya 1 after firing, an operation of taking out the stacked saya 1 one by one and reversing the product, and, for example, storing raw materials The raw material supply device that feeds the raw material into the sheath 1 through the chute from the existing hopper is operated to set the sheath 1 after the product is collected, and the sheath 1 filled with the raw material powder is stacked, and the lid 2 is placed on the upper surface thereof. The operation of placing the is carried out manually.

Further, when the raw material powder is filled in the sheath 1,
The productivity can be increased by filling the raw material powder in an amount as close as possible to the inner volume of the sheath 1. For this reason, conventionally, after the raw material powder is supplied from the raw material supply device to the sheath 1 in an amount slightly exceeding the inner volume of the sheath 1,
A scraping operation or the like is performed so that the surface is in a filling state substantially flush with the upper surface of the sheath 1.

[0006]

However, when the operations of filling and recovering the powder from the sheath 1 and the scraping operation are manually performed as described above, sufficient productivity cannot be obtained and dust is not produced. The work environment is deteriorated due to the scattering of water, and in order to prevent this, for example, a large amount of cost is required for the air-conditioning duct equipment and the like, resulting in a problem that the overall production cost is increased.

Further, the ceramic sheath 1 and the lid 2 are likely to be cracked when used many times due to heat shock due to repeated firing, and in particular, cracks which cannot be visually detected before being inserted into the firing furnace. If the sheath 1 that had been generated was broken in the firing furnace and the powder was scattered in the furnace, it would require a lot of labor and time to repair the operation of the firing furnace, which would increase productivity. There is also the problem of a significant drop.

On the other hand, in the operation of rotating the sheath 1 to drop and collect the product powder, the product powder adheres and remains on the wall surface of the sheath 1, which lowers the recovery efficiency, which is also sufficient. There is also a problem that high productivity cannot be obtained. Also,
If powder adheres to and remains on the wall surface of the sheath 1, product contamination may occur when the raw material type to be baked is changed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object thereof is to improve the working environment and productivity, and further, to improve the type of powder having different particle diameters. It is an object of the present invention to provide a powder filling and collecting apparatus that can appropriately cope with changes.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, a powder filling and collecting apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention fills a raw material powder into a container having an open upper surface, and heat-treats it. A powder filling and collecting device for collecting product powder after being subjected from a container, wherein a container transfer line is provided,
A product recovery unit that inverts the container in order to drop and collect product powder along the direction in which the container is fed from the inlet side to the outlet side in this container transport line, and inspects the container for cracks and detects cracks. It is characterized in that an inspection unit for discharging the formed container from the container transfer line and a raw material supply unit for supplying the raw material powder to the container are sequentially provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the inspection unit has a substantially hermetically sealed container and vacuum suction is performed. It is characterized in that a broken container discharge means is provided for discharging the container when not in use from the container transfer line.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, in which the container is turned over to the product collecting unit with the opening faced downward. It is characterized in that knocking means for applying a light vibration impact to the container is provided in order to drop the powder adhered to the inner wall surface of the container.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the first, second or third aspect of the present invention, which is located on the outlet side of the raw material supply unit in the container transfer line and on the central side in the container. The present invention is characterized in that a swing unit for swinging the container in a substantially horizontal plane is further provided in order to flatten the surface of the raw material powder which is swelling.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the first, second, third or fourth aspect of the invention.
A stepping dispersal unit for transferring a predetermined number of stacked containers sent to the inlet side of the container transfer line to the container transfer line one by one is provided at the inlet side of the container transfer line, and the container transfer is performed. On the outlet side of the line, a stacking unit is provided for stacking the predetermined number of containers sequentially fed on the line, and further, between the inspection unit and the raw material supply unit in the container transport line. A new container replenishing unit that supplies a new container to the container transfer line when the broken container is discharged from the container transfer line by the inspection unit is characterized.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the first, second, third, fourth or fifth aspect of the present invention, wherein a lid transfer is provided between an inlet side and an outlet side of the container transfer line. A line is further provided, and a lid removing unit that removes the lid that covers the upper opening of the container when the raw material powder is heated and transfers it to the lid transfer line is provided on the inlet side of the container transfer line. At the same time, a lid mounting unit for mounting the lid on the lid transport line on the upper opening of the container is provided on the outlet side of the container transport line, and a lid for reversing the lid fed on this line to the lid transport line. It is characterized in that a reversing unit is provided.

[0016]

In the powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the container fed on the container carrying line is inverted by the product collecting unit to collect the product powder. After that, the raw material powder is sent to the raw material supply unit on the container transport line, and the raw material powder is automatically filled without human intervention. Therefore, the working environment is improved and the productivity can be improved. Moreover, in the above, the container is automatically inspected for cracks after the product powder is collected, and the container with cracks is automatically excluded. It is possible to prevent the powder from being scattered, which can prevent a decrease in productivity.

In the powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the container is cracked, the degree of vacuum during vacuum suction does not reach the set value, and as a result, the container is conveyed. Emitted from the line. In this way, a crack inspection that does not depend on the appearance of the container is performed, and cracks that are difficult to detect from the appearance can be detected more reliably. For this reason, when it is inserted into the heat treatment furnace, it is possible to detect and eliminate in advance cracks that lead to large cracks that cause scattering of the powder, so that the occurrence of cracks in the heat treatment furnace is more reliable. It is possible to prevent
Higher productivity can be maintained.

In the powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the third aspect, when the container is inverted and the product powder is collected by falling by its own weight, a light vibration impact is further given to the container, whereby the inside of the container is The powder adhering to the wall surface is separated from the wall surface and falls, so that the recovery rate is improved and the contamination at the time of changing the product type is reduced, and as a result, the productivity is improved.

In the powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the container is rocked in the substantially horizontal plane in the rocking unit, whereby the raw material supply unit rises in the container at the center side. Even if the raw material powder is supplied in the state of causing the swelling, a force for moving the swelling portion to the side acts, and the surface of the raw material powder is flattened.

When such smoothing of the powder surface is performed by the conventional scraping operation, the powder overflowing from the container is easily scattered around. It is also possible to vibrate the container to smooth the surface, but in this case, especially when the raw material powder is fine powder, the surface powder only moves up and down,
It is difficult to cause lateral movement, that is, flattening.

Compared with the conventional scraping operation and leveling operation by vibration, in the above, the force for moving the powder in the lateral direction acts on the powder on the surface side where the swelling occurs, and the powder is flattened. Done. Therefore, by supplying the raw material powder in an amount commensurate with the inner volume of the container from the raw material supply unit and then sending it to the swinging unit, the efficient leveling operation as described above can be performed without causing dust scattering. ,
The raw material powder can be filled in the container at a high filling rate.

In the powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the fifth aspect, a predetermined number of stacked containers (hereinafter referred to as a container group) are sequentially sent to the inlet side of the container transport line, and the products are transferred one by one. After the powder is collected and the cracking container is discharged by the inspection unit, one new container is automatically replenished. Therefore, the container group in the predetermined number of stacked states at the exit side of the container transfer line is the same as the container group at the entrance side of the container transfer line, or in the state where a new container is inserted instead of the broken container. Therefore, the mixed state with the container that was in the other container group on the inlet side does not occur.

Therefore, by managing the container group as a unit, it is possible to cope with, for example, switching of the type of raw material powder. As a result, the number of management units is smaller than that in the case of managing each container, so that the management work is facilitated, and this also improves the overall productivity.

In the powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the lid covering the upper opening of the container is alternately inverted and used for repeated use. For this reason, the influence of heat during repeated use is entirely averaged, and, for example, the degree of deformation is reduced, cracks and the like are less likely to occur, and longer-term use becomes possible. in this way,
As a result of the longer life of the lid, overall productivity is improved.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
It will be described below based on 0. For example, firing of a raw material powder such as aluminum hydroxide is performed by using a ceramic container (hereinafter referred to as a sheath) 1 as shown in FIG.
Is performed using. The sheath 1 is formed in a box shape having an open upper surface. The firing is performed by a flat plate-shaped ceramic lid body (hereinafter referred to as a lid) shown in FIG.
2 is performed so as to cover the upper surface opening of the sheath 1 so that dust and the like from the outside are prevented from being mixed into the powder in the sheath 1.

Filling the sheath 1 with the raw material powder as described above,
As shown in FIG. 1, the powder filling and collecting device for collecting the product powder after firing is provided with four linear conveyors 3 to 6, and the conveyors 3 to 6 are connected in a U-shape in order. The first to third conveyors 3 to 5 thus configured constitute a container transport line. In the figure, the first conveyor 3 on the lower left side
Is configured to feed the above-mentioned sheath 1 from the lower right side to the upper left side, and at the base end side in the feeding direction (the inlet side of the container),
A sheath stage separation unit 7 is provided. The first conveyor 3 is sequentially provided with a product recovery unit 8, a sheath cleaning first unit 9, a sheath cleaning second unit 10 and an inspection unit 11 along the feed direction, and at the tip of the feed direction. , A new sheath replenishing unit (new container replenishing unit) 12 is provided.

The third conveyor 5, which is parallel to and faces the first conveyor 3, is configured to feed the sheath 1 from the upper left side to the lower right side in the figure, and along the feeding direction. The first raw material supply unit 13, the second raw material supply unit 14, the third raw material supply unit 15, and the swing unit 16 are sequentially provided. In addition, a stacking unit 17 is provided at the forward end of the third conveyor 5 in the feeding direction (outlet side of the container).

The second conveyor 4 is the first conveyor 3
Of the first conveyor 3 to the third conveyor 5 provided between the front end of the first conveyor 3 and the base end of the third conveyor 5 in the feed direction.
It is configured to send Saya 1 to. On the other hand, the fourth conveyor 6 which is provided between the base end portion of the first conveyor 3 in the feed direction and the tip end portion of the third conveyor 5 in the feed direction is the fourth conveyor 6 from the first conveyor 3 side. It is configured to send the lid 2 to the third conveyor 5 side. Then, the lid removal unit 18 is provided at the end on the first conveyor 3 side, while the lid removal unit 18 is provided at the end on the third conveyor 5 side.
A lid mounting unit 19 is provided. A lid cleaning unit 20 and a lid reversing unit 21 are sequentially provided along the fourth conveyor 6 from the first conveyor 3 side.

On the other hand, the rails 22 and 22 are separated from the fourth conveyor 6 by a predetermined distance and are parallel to the fourth conveyor 6.
2 is laid and runs on this rail 22.
Is mounted on the rail disassembly unit 7 for transferring the sheaths 1 ...
It is provided from the 2 · 22 side toward the sheath stage separation unit 7 side. Also, on the stacking unit 17 side,
A sheath loader 25 is provided for transferring the sheaths 1 loaded on the stacking unit 17 onto the carriage 23. The rails 22 and 22 are laid between the above device and a firing furnace (not shown).

Next, the detailed configuration of each unit in the above apparatus will be described in order according to the feeding direction of the sheath 1 together with each operating state. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of pairs of rod-shaped spacer plates 23 a are provided in parallel with each other on the upper surface of the carriage 23. The sheaths 1 ... Are stacked, for example, in nine stages as shown in the figure,
It is positioned on the carriage 23 and is placed on the carriage 23. The lids 2 are respectively placed on the uppermost sheaths 1 of the sheaths 1 ... Hereinafter, the sheaves 1 stacked in this manner will be referred to as "sheath stages".

The sheath unloader 24 for transferring the above described sheave step from the carriage 23 to the step dispersal unit 7 is a beam member provided upward from the rail 22 side toward the step dispersal unit 7 side. 24a, a drive mechanism portion 24b that is self-propelled along the beam member 24a, and the drive mechanism portion 2
4b, and a claw 24d formed of an L-shaped rod-shaped member.

The drive mechanism portion 24b moves the pressing plate 24c and the claws 24d in a direction (hereinafter, referred to as a lateral direction) orthogonal to a self-propelled direction (hereinafter, referred to as a front-back direction) along the beam 24a, and further, The pressing plate 24c and the claw 24d are vertically moved, and only the claw 24d is vertically moved.

The step disassembly unit 7 on the carriage 23
The transfer to and from is carried out by the Saya unloader 24 as follows. First, the drive mechanism portion 24b moves forward toward the dolly 23 side, and stops at a position where the claw 24d laterally faces the sheath step to be transferred on the dolly 23. Next, the pressing plate 24c and the claws 24d are laterally advanced toward the sheath step, and the lower end horizontal portion of the claw 24d is inserted under the sheath step between the pair of spacer plates 23a and 23a.
Then, by raising the claw 24d, the sheath step is lifted, and the lid 2 at the upper end thereof abuts the pressing plate 24c from below, and the sheath step is sandwiched from above and below by the pressing plate 24c and the claw 24d. It becomes a state. In this state, the whole of the claw 24d is further raised so that the lower end of the claw 24d is located above the spacer plate 23a, and then the drive mechanism portion 24b is retracted toward the step-varying unit 7 side to mount the step-varying unit 7. It moves to the table 7a. The spacer plate 23 of the carriage 23 is provided on the upper surface of the mounting table 7a.
The pair of rollers 7b and 7b are provided in the same manner as a, and the claw 24d is caused to perform an operation opposite to the above, and the sheath step is placed on the above rollers 7b and 7b. Are transferred from the carriage 23 to the stage separation unit 7.

As described above, in the sheath unloader 24, since the pressing plate 24c and the claw 24d are arranged to lift and convey the sheath step from above and below,
Even if the tiers are placed on the dolly 23 at narrow intervals,
It is possible to sequentially transfer to the stage separation unit 7 without interfering with other sheath stages.

The step separating unit 7 includes a mounting table 7a described above.
An elevating table 7c that moves up and down is further provided at a position adjacent to the first conveyor 3 side. As mentioned above, the trolley 2
3 is temporarily placed on the mounting table 7a by the sheath unloader 24, and is transferred to the elevating table 7c located at the elevated position by driving the feed roller on the upper surface of the mounting table 7a. To be done. Then, the lid removing unit 18 removes the uppermost lid 2.

The lid removing unit 18 is constructed by providing a suction plate 18b at the tip of an arm 18a which causes vertical movement and swiveling operation. This suction plate 18b
Vacuum suction is performed in a state in which the lift table 7c is lowered from above and brought into contact with the lid 2. Then, the suction plate 18b is raised and swiveled 90 ° onto the fourth conveyor 6, so that the lid 2 is transferred from the position on the elevating table 7c onto the fourth conveyor 6. The lid removal unit 1
8, proximity switches (not shown) are provided at positions corresponding to the four corners of the lid 2 that are sucked by the suction plate 18b, respectively, so that chipping and cracking of the lid 2 can be detected. ing.

When the removal of the lid 2 by the lid removal unit 18 is completed as described above, the lift base 7c is lowered to its lower limit position. Then, the operation of transferring from the uppermost sheath 1 to the first conveyor 3 is performed in order.
For this reason, the stage separation unit 7 includes the first conveyor 3
A sheath transfer mechanism 7e having a movable portion 7d that reciprocates along the first conveyor 3 is further provided at the end of the. The movable portion 7d is further configured to move up and down, and is provided with clamps 7f for sandwiching and holding the side wall of the sheath 1 from both sides, respectively. Then, with the movable part 7d in the upper position, the lift table 7
By moving the movable part 7d downward and turning on the clamps 7f and 7f, the clamps 7f and 7f are advanced.
Between f and 7f, the uppermost sheath 1 of the sheath stage placed on the lift 7c is gripped. After that, the movable part 7d is raised and retracted from the position on the lift table 7c to the first conveyor 3 side, and then the movable part 7d is lowered,
Turn off clamps 7f and 7f. As a result, the sheath 1 is placed on the first conveyor 3.

It should be noted that, every time the uppermost sheath 1 of the sheath stage is transferred onto the first conveyor 3 as described above, the lifting platform 7c
Rises by a height dimension equivalent to the thickness of the sheath 1. Then, by repeating the operation of the sheath transfer mechanism 7e, the sheath stages on the lift table 7c are sequentially transferred to the first conveyor 3 one by one from above.

The sheath 1 transferred onto the first conveyor 3 is
Then, it is sent to the product recovery unit 8. As shown in FIG. 3, the product recovery unit 8 is provided with the sheath 1 as a first unit.
It has a function of lifting from the conveyor 3 and moving it in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction of the first conveyor 3 and reversing it on the product recovery can 31, as shown in FIG. A clamp holding plate 8b that is reciprocated by an air cylinder 8a is provided in a direction orthogonal to (the vertical direction in the drawing). This clamp holding plate 8b
Further, a pair of sheath clamps 8c, 8c are attached at intervals slightly exceeding the width dimension of the sheath 1. In these sheath clamps 8c and 8c, contact plates 8d and 8d facing each other advance and retreat in the holding direction of the sheath 1 and contact plates 8d and 8c.
Each d is configured to rotate 180 °. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, a lifter 8e is provided below the sheath clamps 8c and 8c.

When the sheath 1 is sent from the side of the stepping unit 7 onto the first conveyor 3 to a position just above the lifter 8e, the lifter 8e is moved from the conveyor chain of the first conveyor 3, for example. The pair of belt-shaped carriers 3a, 3a
Is lifted from the mounting position on the carriers 3a, 3a to a position between the sheath clamps 8c, 8c. Next, the sheath clamps 8c, 8c are driven in the axial direction, whereby the sheath 1 is gripped while being sandwiched from both sides. Then, as the lifter 8e descends and the air cylinder 8a advances, the sheath clamps 8c.
The sheath 1 gripped by c is moved from the position on the first conveyor 3 to the position on the product collecting can 31.

At the product powder collecting portion, as shown in FIG. 6, a hood 8f for covering the upper edge of the product collecting can 31 with its lower end in close contact is provided to prevent the powder from scattering. There is. At the upper position in the hood 8f, the sheath clamp 8c
The sheath 1 gripped by 8c is inserted. Then, inside the hood 8f, the sheath clamps 8c and 8c rotate by 180 °, whereby the sheath 1 is in the inverted state with the opening facing downward. As a result, the product powder in the sheath 1 is hood 8f.
The product falls inside and is collected in the product collecting can 31.

On the clamp holding plate 8b, there is provided a knocker (knocking means) 8g composed of a short air cylinder. When this knocker 8g is actuated, its plunger comes into contact with the clamp holding plate 8b, and a slight shock is given to the clamp holding plate 8b. Due to this shock, an operation for vibrating the sheath 1 one-time, so-called tapping, is performed. Given. Operation of such knocker 8g,
This is done several times with Saya 1 inverted,
When the powder adheres to the inner surface of the sheath 1, the powder is separated and falls into the product collecting can 31.

As described above, in the product recovery unit 8 described above, after the sheath 1 is reversed, the sheath 1 is further tapped to drop the powder adhering to the inner surface. Product powder recovery rate is improved.

When the product powder recovery operation by reversing and tapping the sheath 1 as described above is completed, the sheath 1 is then removed.
Is again reversed to return to the normal rotation position, and then the air cylinder 8a is operated in the backward direction to position the sheath 1 on the lifter 8e. And lifter 8e
And raise the sheath clamps 8c and 8c to OFF
Then, the clamp is released, and the sheath 1 is placed on the lifter 8e. Next, by lowering the lifter 8e, the sheath 1 is placed on the carriers 3a, 3a of the first conveyor 3 during the lowering, and the carrier 3a
-By 3a, it is sent from the position of this product recovery unit 8 to the first sheath cleaning unit 9.

As shown in FIG. 3, the sheath cleaning first unit 9 has a rotary brush 9a and a pair of clamps 9b on the upper side with the first conveyor 3 sandwiched therebetween, and a product recovery unit on the lower side. A lifter 9c similar to that of No. 8 is provided. Then, when the sheath 1 is sent onto the lifter 9c, the lifter 9c is lifted, whereby the sheath 1 lifted up from the first conveyor 3 is held by the clamp 9b. In this state, the rotary brush 9a is positioned inside the sheath 1. By rotating the rotary brush 9a, the rotary brush 9a is not collected by the product collecting unit 8 and is attached to the inner surface of the sheath 1. The existing powder is separated from the inner surface.

Then, the rotation of the rotary brush 9a is stopped, the clamp 9b is turned off, and the lifter 9c is lowered to put the sheath 1 on the first conveyor 3. As a result, the sheath 1 is sent from the sheath cleaning first unit 9 to the sheath cleaning second unit 10.

This sheath cleaning second unit 10 lifts the sheath 1 from above the first conveyor 3 and moves it in the direction orthogonal to the feeding direction of the first conveyor 3 in the same manner as the product recovery unit 8, and It has a function of reversing the sheath 1 and holds the sheath 1 on the clamp holding plate 10b which is reciprocally moved by the air cylinder 10a.
A pair of sheath clamps 10c, 10 that rotate by 80 °
Further, a lifter 10d for lifting the sheath 1 from the first conveyor 3 is provided below the first conveyor 3.

As a result, similarly to the operation of the product recovery unit 8, the sheath 1 is moved from the position on the first conveyor 3 to the position on the residue recovery can 32, and on the residue recovery can 32. Inverted in position. As a result, the residual powder separated from the inner surface of the sheath 1 by the processing in the sheath cleaning first unit 9 falls into the residue recovery can 32 and is recovered.
The second sheath cleaning unit 10 is provided with air blow pipes 10e each having a nozzle for injecting air at the four corners of the inverted sheath 1. By injecting air from each nozzle of the air blow pipe 10e toward each corner of the sheath 1, the remaining corners of the sheath 1 that cannot be completely removed by the rotary brush 9a in the above-mentioned first unit 9 for cleaning sheath. The powder falls into the residue collecting can 32 and is collected.

The sheath 1 from which the residual powder has been removed through the sheath cleaning first and second units 9 and 10 as described above is then sent to the inspection unit 11 on the first conveyor 3. This inspection unit 11 is provided with two-stage lifters 11a and 11b below the first conveyor 3, and first, both the main lifter 11a and the auxiliary lifter 11b are simultaneously operated to move the first conveyor 3 Lift the upper sheath 1. As a result, the upper surface of the sheath 1 is pressed against the lid 11c provided above the first conveyor 3 from the lower side to be in a hermetically sealed state. A vacuum pipe 11d connected to a vacuum source (not shown) is connected to the lid 11c, and vacuum suction in the sheath 1 is started in the above-described sealed state. And
The degree of vacuum at the time when a predetermined time has passed is compared with the set value, and if a degree of vacuum that exceeds the set value is obtained, it is considered as a "good quality sheath" that can be used without cracks, while the vacuum reaches the set value. If the degree is not reached, the inspection result is output as an unusable "cracking sheath" having a crack or the like.

When the above inspection is completed, the vacuum suction is stopped and the atmospheric pressure is restored. After that, if the inspection result is "non-defective item", the main lifter 11a and the auxiliary lifter 1
The sheath 1 is returned onto the first conveyor 3 by lowering both of them. As a result, the sheath 1 is sent on the first conveyor 3 toward the new sheath replenishing unit 12, and further transferred from the leading end of the first conveyor 3 in the sending direction to the second conveyor 4 to be transferred to the second conveyor 4. By conveyor 4,
It is sent to the third conveyor 5.

On the other hand, the inspection unit 11 is further provided with a cracked sheath discharge cylinder (broken container discharge means) 11e and a roller conveyor 11f with the first conveyor 3 interposed therebetween. When the inspection result in the sheath crack inspection unit 11 is "crack sheath", after returning to atmospheric pressure, only the main lifter 11a is lowered. As a result, the sheath 1 is held at a position slightly above the first conveyor 3 by the auxiliary lifter 11b. Then, by driving the above-mentioned cracked sheath discharge cylinder 11e forward, the unusable cracked sheath 1 held at the above position is moved from the position on the first conveyor 3 to the roller conveyor 11
It is pushed out onto the f and is removed from the first conveyor 3.

As described above, the inspection unit 11 is configured to detect cracks based on the degree of vacuum during vacuum suction. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably detect cracks and the like that are difficult to detect from the appearance. Therefore, when inserted into the heat treatment furnace, it is possible to detect and eliminate cracks that lead to large cracks that cause scattering of the powder in advance. In addition, when a small crack that is difficult to detect by appearance is generated, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the sheath 1 at the time of vacuum suction is forced to expand the crack.
Acts on the wall surface of. In this way, even a small crack that is difficult to detect from the appearance can be detected more reliably by expanding it. For this reason, it becomes possible to more reliably prevent the occurrence of cracks in the subsequent heat treatment furnace, whereby higher productivity can be maintained.

When a "cracked sheath" is detected by the inspection unit 11 and is removed from the first conveyor 3, the new sheath replenishing unit 12 newly supplements the sheath 1. The new sheath replenishing unit 12 is provided with a sheath stock base 12a on the upper surface of which a plurality of feed rollers are arranged side by side, and the sheath stock base 12a is configured to move up and down in two stages by a large lifter 12b and a small lifter 12c. Has been done. Further, a pair of clamps 12d and 12d for sandwiching opposite side walls of the sheath 1 from both sides are provided on both sides of the sheath stock base 12a.

When the sheaths 1 stacked on the sheath stock base 12a are sent to the first conveyor 3, first, the small lifter 12c is operated to move the sheath to the sheath stock base 12a.
a from the upper surface of a, and then the clamp 12
Turn on d12d. As a result, the clamp 12d
12d contacts and holds the second sheath 1 from the bottom in the sheath step. In this state, by lowering the small lifter 12c, only the bottommost sheath 1 is lowered, and is placed on the sheath stock base 12. Then, by driving the feed roller on the upper surface of the sheath stock table 12, the lowermost sheath 1 is fed onto the first conveyor 3 to be replenished. This is immediately transferred to the second conveyor 4, and further, by the second conveyor 4,
It is sent to the conveyor 5.

When the above replenishment is completed, in the new sheath replenishing unit 12, the large lifter 12b is operated together with the small lifter 12c, whereby the upper surface of the lifter is clamped by the clamp 1.
Ascend to the position where it comes into contact with the lower surface of the sheath step being gripped by 2d and 12d. And O of the clamps 12d and 12d
After the FF operation, the small lifter 12c and the large lifter 12b are lowered so that the sheath stage is placed on the sheath stock base 12.

In this way, the above-mentioned new sheath replenishing unit 1
2 is constructed such that one of the stacked sheaves 1 ... Is taken out in order from the bottom and is replenished to the first conveyor 3.

The sheath 1 sent to the third conveyer 5 via the second conveyer 4 is then, as shown in FIG.
Raw material powder is supplied from any of the third raw material supply units 13 to 15. Raw material powders of different types such as material and particle size are stored in these raw material supply units 13 to 15, and the sheath 1 is placed at a position of any of the preselected units 13 to 15, Raw material powder is supplied.

The respective raw material supply units 13 to 15 have substantially the same construction, and the detailed construction will be described below by taking the first raw material supply unit 13 as an example. This unit 13 is configured by providing a cylindrical hopper 13c on a constant quantity supply device 13b driven by a motor 13a, and a chute 13d opening on the third conveyor 5 is connected to the bottom side of the hopper 13c. ing. Further, on the lower end opening surface of the chute 13d, there is provided a thin plate-like blocking plate 13e which swivels between a closed position that covers the chute 13d from below and an open position that moves laterally to be in an open state. . Further, a lifter 13f for raising the sheath 1 sent to the unit 13 is provided below the third conveyor 5.

When supplying the raw material powder into the sheath 1,
First, by rotating the blocking plate 13e from the closed position to the open position and operating the lifter 13f, the sheath 1
Is pressed against the opening surface of the lower end of the chute 13d from below. Then, by driving the motor for a predetermined time, a predetermined amount of raw material powder that substantially corresponds to the inner volume of the sheath 1 is supplied to the sheath 1 from the hopper 13c. After that, lifter 1
3f is lowered to return the sheath 1 to the mounted state on the third conveyor 5, and the blocking plate 13e is swung to the closed position to close the chute 13d.

In this way, the sheath 1 to which the raw material powder is supplied
Next, on the third conveyor 5, the swing unit 16
Sent to. The second and third raw material supply units 14
.. 15 also include motors 14a and 15a, constant quantity supply devices 14b and 15b, hoppers 14c and 15c, chutes 14d and 15d, blocking plates 14e and 15e, and lifter 14, respectively.
If f.15f are provided and these are selected, the raw material powder is supplied to the sheath 1 by the same operation as described above.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the swing unit 16 is provided with a frame body 16b which is vertically moved by a lower lift cylinder 16a. Above the frame 16b, a sheath mounting plate 16d is further supported via a plurality of swing posts 16c whose upper and lower end portions have coil spring shapes. A pair of clamps 16e and 16e are provided on both sides on the upper surface of the sheath mounting plate 16d, while a short cylindrical ring body 16f is joined to the center of the lower surface. On the other hand, a motor 16g is mounted in the frame body 16b, and the motor 16g rotationally drives the eccentric shaft 16h, the upper end portion of which is fitted in the ring body 16f, via a reduction mechanism portion 16i. It is like this.

As shown in FIG. 8 (b), the eccentric shaft 16h has a mounting hole 16j into which the drive shaft of the reduction gear mechanism 16i is inserted and fixed, and has the ring body at the top thereof. It has an eccentric shaft portion 16k inserted into 16f. The eccentric shaft portion 16k is shown in FIG.
As shown in (c), it is provided at a position eccentric to the mounting hole 16j. As a result, when the motor 16g is operated and the eccentric shaft 16h is rotated, the eccentric shaft portion 16k revolves around the center point of the mounting hole 16j on the circumference having a radius of the eccentric amount. Therefore, in the sheath mounting plate 16d in which the eccentric shaft portion 16k is fitted and inserted in the ring body 16f, the center portion of the sheath mounting plate 16d is in a horizontal plane in which the eccentric shaft portion swivels on a circle having a radius of the eccentric amount. The rocking motion of is generated.

The first to third raw material supply units 13 to 15
Then, as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 8A, the raw material powder P in an amount commensurate with the internal volume thereof is supplied into the sheath 1 in a state in which the swelling occurs on the center side. When the sheath 1 is sent onto the sheath swing unit 16, the lifting cylinder 16a is operated to raise the sheath mounting plate 16d,
The sheath 1 is lifted from the position on the carrier 5a of the third conveyor 5 and is located at a position close to the lid 16m covering the upper part of the sheath 1 from below. Then, the clamp 16e-1
6e is turned on to hold the sheath 1 and fix it on the sheath mounting plate 16d. Then, the motor 16g is operated for a predetermined time, thereby causing the swing motion on the sheath 1 on the sheath mounting plate 16d. After a predetermined time has passed, the motor 1
By turning off 6g and the clamps 16e and 16e, and further lowering the lifting cylinder 16a, the sheath 1 is returned to the state of being placed on the carrier 5 of the third conveyor 5, and by the third conveyor 5, It is sent to the stacking unit 17.

By swinging the sheath 1 as described above, the raw material powder, which had been bulged at the central portion side until then, is laterally moved by an appropriate centrifugal force acting laterally. As a result, the surface of the raw material powder is flattened, and is substantially flush with the upper end surface of the sheath 1. As a result, it is possible to fill nearly 100% of the raw material powder into the sheath 1 without causing dust generation, powder scattering, etc., which have been problems in the conventional vibration type and slitting type. Has become.

A stacking unit 17 in which the sheath 1 filled with the raw material powder is sequentially sent from the swing unit.
Has substantially the same structure as the above-described stage dispersal unit 7, and in reverse operation of this unit 7, the sequentially sent sheathes 1 ... Are put in a stacked state. That is, the third
Clamp 1 for sheath 1 sent to the end of conveyor 5
It is gripped by 7f and 17f, and the movable part 17d is raised by the sheath transfer mechanism part 17e and moved forward to the elevating table 17c side.
Then, the movable part 17d is lowered on the lift 17c to turn off the clamps 17f and 17f, whereby the sheath 1 is transferred from the third conveyor 5 onto the lift 17c. Each time such transfer is performed, the elevators 17c are successively lowered by a height dimension equivalent to the thickness of the sheath 1, whereby the sheaths 1 ... Are stacked on the elevator 17c.

The same number of sheaths 1 ... as the sheath stages transferred from the carriage 23 to the stage dispersal unit 7 are provided on the lift table 17 described above.
When stacked on c, the lid 2 is placed on the upper surface thereof. This is done by removing the fourth conveyor 6 from the sheath stage on the stage separating unit 7 by the lid removing unit 18.
Is transferred to the stacking unit 17 side through the fourth conveyor 6, and the lid 2 on the fourth conveyor 6 is transferred onto the shea stack stacked on the elevating table 17c. For mounting, a lid mounting unit 19 having an arm 19a that causes a turning motion is provided on the side of the stacking unit 17, as with the lid removing unit 18. The suction plate 19b at the tip of the arm 19a sucks the lid 2 sent to the end of the fourth conveyor 6,
By rotating a, the lid 2 is placed on the shelf step on the lift 17c.

The carriage 2 on the rails 22 and 22 is attached to this sheath step.
Like the above-mentioned sheath unloader 24, the sheath loader 25 to be transferred to the carriage 3 is provided with a drive mechanism portion 25b that is self-propelled along the beam 25a, and is pressed down from the drive mechanism portion 25b. The plate 25c and the claw 25d composed of an L-shaped rod-shaped member are sandwiched between the upper and lower sheave steps, and the lifting table 17 of the stacking unit 17 is held.
It is transferred from c to the mounting table 17a for temporary placement and further to the carriage 23.

The lid 2 is brushed and washed in the lid washing unit 20 while being fed through the fourth conveyor 6. The unit 20 includes a lifter 20a that lifts the lid 2 above the fourth conveyor 6, and a moving mechanism portion 20b that holds the lifted lid 2 from both sides and moves it to the side of the second conveyor 4. A pair of rotating brushes 20c, 20c arranged at the moving position are provided,
By passing the lid 2 between the rotary brushes 20c and 20c, the upper and lower surfaces of the lid 2 are brushed, and the powder and dust adhering to the surface are removed.

After the above-mentioned brushing cleaning, the lid 2 returned onto the fourth conveyor 6 is then covered with the lid inverting unit 2
Inverted by 1. The unit 21 is composed of a rotating body 21 a having a cross-section having an insertion gap on each side that is slightly wider than the thickness of the lid 2, and a motor 21 b for rotating the rotating body 21 a by 180 °. When the lid 2 is inserted into the insertion gap of the rotating body 21a, the motor 21b is driven to rotate the rotating body 21a by 180 °.
It rotates so that the lid 2 pivots 180 ° and the second
As it returns to the top of the conveyor 4, the front and back are reversed. As a result, the lid 2 is put on the upper surface of the sheath step on the sheath stacking unit 17 in a state in which the front and back sides are opposite to those when the lid 2 is removed from the sheath step on the sheath step unit 7.

By the reversing operation as described above, the lid 2 is
Even when it is repeatedly sent to the firing furnace, the front and back are alternately inverted, which equalizes the effect of heat during firing. As a result, the occurrence of cracks due to heat shock during firing can be significantly reduced.

The carriage loader 25 repeats the transfer of the sheath stages from the stacking unit 17, and the carriage 23 with the appropriate number of sheath stages placed is sent to a firing furnace (not shown). In this firing furnace, the raw material powder filled in each sheath 1 ... Is fired, and when firing is completed, the carriage 23 is sent from the firing furnace to the position of the sheath unloader 24. And this Saya unloader 24
By performing the above-described operations in each of the units and other units, the collection of the product powder after firing from each of the sheaths 1 ... And the filling of the raw material powder are repeated.

In the above apparatus, a controller (not shown) is used to specify which one of the first to third raw material supply units 13 to 15 is to supply the raw material powder. From 13 to 15, the raw material powder is supplied to the sheath 1 as described above. Furthermore, with the above control device, the sheath 1 in the sheath cleaning unit 9 or 10 is
It is also possible to set such that the sheath 1 can pass through these units 9 and 10 without performing the cleaning process described above. This is the same kind of raw material powder that does not cause a problem even if the powder remaining after adhering to the wall surface of the sheath 1 after collecting the product powder mixes with the raw material powder newly filled in the sheath 1. It is appropriately set when the body and the firing under the same heat treatment conditions are repeated. Further, in the above-mentioned apparatus, the nine stacked shea stages are replenished with the new sheath 1 each time a crack is detected by the inspection unit 11, and the stacked unit 17 makes the nine sheave stages. At that time, since the sheath 1 existing in the other sheath stages is not mixed, a so-called lot number is assigned to each of the 9 sheath stages, and for example, the raw material powder to be supplied is assigned to each of the sheath stages. The above-mentioned control device is adapted to perform management corresponding to switching of types.

[0073]

As described above, the powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided with the container transport line, and the direction of feeding the container from the inlet side to the outlet side of the container transport line. A product collection unit that inverts the container to drop and collect the product powder along the line, an inspection unit that inspects the container for cracks, and discharges the container in which cracks are detected from the container transport line to the container. And a raw material supply unit that supplies the raw material powder of 1.

As a result, the recovery of the product powder and the filling of the raw material powder are automatically performed without human intervention, so that the working environment and the productivity can be improved.
After recovering the product powder, the cracked container is automatically removed, preventing the powder from scattering in the processing furnace during the subsequent heat treatment, thereby suppressing the decrease in productivity. There is an effect that can be.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a powder filling and recovering apparatus in which the inspection unit described above is configured to substantially hermetically seal a container and perform vacuum suction, and the container when the degree of vacuum does not reach a set value is transferred from the container transfer line. This is a configuration in which a broken container discharging means for discharging is provided.

As described above, since the crack inspection is performed by vacuum suction regardless of the appearance of the container, it is possible to more reliably detect cracks and the like that are difficult to detect from the appearance.
For this reason, when it is inserted into the heat treatment furnace, it is possible to detect and eliminate in advance cracks that lead to large cracks that cause scattering of the powder, so that the occurrence of cracks in the heat treatment furnace is more reliable. It is possible to prevent such a situation, which brings about an effect that higher productivity can be maintained.

In a powder filling and collecting apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention, the product collecting unit is made to invert the container so that the powder adhered to the inner wall surface of the container is dropped with the opening faced downward. In order to do so, the container is provided with knocking means for giving a light vibration impact.

As described above, when the container is turned upside down, a light vibration impact is further applied to the container, whereby the powder adhered to the inner wall surface of the container is peeled off from the wall surface and falls. The recovery rate is improved, and the pollution at the time of product type switching is reduced, and as a result, the productivity can be improved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a powder filling and recovering apparatus which flattens the surface of a raw material powder, which is bulged toward the center of the container, on the outlet side of the raw material supply unit in the container carrying line. Therefore, a swing unit for swinging the container in a substantially horizontal plane is further provided.

As a result, there is an effect that an efficient surface leveling operation in which dust scattering is suppressed as much as possible is performed, and efficient filling can be performed in which deterioration of the working environment is suppressed.

In the powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the fifth aspect, a predetermined number of stacked containers sent to the inlet side of the container transfer line are transferred to the container transfer line one by one. A stacking unit is provided on the inlet side of the container transport line, and a stacking unit is provided on the outlet side of the container transport line to stack the containers sequentially fed on the line into the predetermined number of stacked states. In addition, a new container replenishing unit is provided between the inspection unit and the raw material supply unit in the container transfer line to supply a new container to the container transfer line when the inspection unit breaks the container transfer line. It has a structure.

As a result, it is possible to prevent a predetermined number of stacked containers from being mixed as one group, so that even if the types of raw material powders are switched, for example, It is possible to manage in accordance with the product type for each predetermined stacking number. As a result, the management work is facilitated, which also has the effect of improving the overall productivity.

In the powder filling and collecting apparatus according to the sixth aspect, a lid carrying line is further arranged between the inlet side and the outlet side of the container carrying line, and the raw material powder is provided at the inlet side of the container carrying line. A lid removing unit that removes the lid covering the upper opening of the container from the container and transfers it to the lid transfer line when performing heat treatment on the body is provided, and at the outlet side of the container transfer line, place a lid on the lid transfer line. A lid mounting unit to be placed on the upper opening of the container is provided, and a lid reversing unit for reversing the lid fed on the line is provided in the lid transport line.

As a result, the effect of the heat treatment on the repeated use of the lid is averaged, the degree of deformation is reduced and cracks are less likely to occur, and as a result, it is possible to use the lid for a longer period of time and The effect of being able to improve specific productivity is produced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a powder filling and collecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a sheath unloader / step separating unit and a lid removing unit in the above apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a product recovery unit, a sheath cleaning first unit, a sheath cleaning second unit, and an inspection unit in the above device.
It is a perspective view showing a new sheath replenishing unit.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the product recovery unit.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the product recovery unit.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway sectional view showing an operation at the time of product recovery in the product recovery unit.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing first to third raw material supply units and a swing unit in the above apparatus.

8A and 8B are views showing the swing unit, wherein FIG. 8A is a front view, FIG. 8B is a partially cutaway sectional view of an eccentric shaft incorporated in the swing unit, and FIG. (C)
[Fig. 3] is a plan view of the eccentric shaft.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a stacking unit, a sheath loader, a lid cleaning unit, a lid reversing unit, and a lid mounting unit in the above apparatus.

10A and 10B show a sheath and a lid handled by the above apparatus, wherein FIG. 10A is a perspective view of the lid and FIG. 10B is a perspective view of the sheath.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Saya (container) 2 Lid 3 1st conveyor (container transfer line) 4 2nd conveyor (container transfer line) 5 3rd conveyor (container transfer line) 6 4th conveyor (lid transfer line) 7-stage separation unit 8 Product recovery Unit 8g Knocker (knocking means) 11 Inspection unit 11e Cylinder for discharging cracked sheath (cracking container discharging means) 12 New sheath replenishing unit (new container replenishing unit) 13 ・ 14 ・ 15 Raw material supply unit 16 Swing unit 17 Stacking unit 18 Lid removal unit 19 Lid mounting unit 21 Lid reversing unit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Keiji Takahashi 1-6-36 Sokai-cho, Niihama, Ehime Prefecture, Sumitomo Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. In stock company (72) Inventor Fumio Morimoto 2321-2, Tachi-cho, Toki-shi, Gifu Takasago Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masahiro Mizuno 2321 2-2 Tachi-machi, Toki-shi, Gifu Takasago Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A raw material powder is filled in a container having an open upper surface,
A powder filling and collecting device for collecting product powder after heat treatment from a container, which is provided with a container transfer line, and is arranged in the container feeding direction from the inlet side to the outlet side of the container transfer line. Along with this, a product collection unit that inverts the container to drop and collect the product powder, an inspection unit that inspects the container for cracks, and discharges the container in which cracks are detected from the container transport line,
A powder filling and collecting apparatus, which is sequentially provided with a raw material supply unit for supplying raw material powder to a container. 2. The above-mentioned inspection unit is provided with a broken container discharging means for discharging the container from the container transfer line when the container is almost hermetically sealed and vacuum sucked, and the degree of vacuum does not reach a set value. The powder filling and collecting apparatus according to claim 1. 3. A knocking means for giving a slight vibration impact to the container in order to drop the powder adhered to the inner wall surface of the container in a state where the container is inverted and the opening surface faces downward, in the product recovery unit. It is provided, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
Or the powder filling and collecting apparatus according to 2. 4. The container is oscillated in a substantially horizontal plane in order to flatten the surface of the raw material powder having a swelling in the center of the container on the outlet side of the raw material supply unit in the container conveying line. The powder filling and collecting apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising an oscillating unit. 5. A stage dispersal unit for transferring a predetermined number of stacked containers sent to the inlet side of the container transfer line to the container transfer line one by one is provided at the inlet side of the container transfer line. In addition, a stacking unit is provided at the exit side of the container transport line to stack the containers sequentially fed on this line into the above-mentioned predetermined number of stacking states. 3. A new container replenishing unit for supplying a new container to the container transfer line when the broken container is discharged from the container transfer line by the inspection unit, between the unit and the unit. The powder filling and collecting apparatus according to 3 or 4. 6. A lid transfer line is further disposed between an inlet side and an outlet side of the container transfer line, and an upper surface opening of the container is provided at the inlet side of the container transfer line when the raw material powder is heat-treated. A lid removing unit that removes the lid that covers the container from the container and transfers it to the lid transfer line is provided, and a lid mounting unit that puts the lid on the container transfer line on the top opening of the container is provided on the outlet side of the container transfer line. And a lid reversing unit for reversing the lid fed on the line is provided in the lid conveying line, and the powder filling according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5. And recovery device.