JPH0699148A - Cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To conduct effectively cleaning with the use of one cleaning vessel and to prevent dangers such as ignition by enabling a cleaning liquid in a soak- cleaning part to flow into a liquid separation vessel, connecting a liquid separation vessel and a vapor generation vessel, and connecting the vapor generation vessel and a vapor-cleaning part through a shut off valve. CONSTITUTION:When the first cleaning liquid 12, which has a greater density than that of the second cleaning liquid 13, is introduced into a soak-cleaning part 3, the second cleaning liquid is raised and discharged from an overflow part 4 into a liquid separation vessel 11 through an overflow pipe 23, so that the soak cleaning part 3 is filled only with the first cleaning liquid 12. An object 2 to be cleaned, after the second cleaning liquid 13 being removed, is lifted up to be cleaned with vapor in a vapor-cleaning part 5. In the vapor cleaning process, the vapor of the first cleaning liquid 12, which is generated by heating with a heater 31 in a vapor generation vessel 28, is injected from a vapor pipe 35 to the vapor-cleaning part 5 by opening a shut-off valve 34 for vapor cutting. The object 2 to be cleaned is lifted further to be cooled and dried in a cooling and condensation part 7 for the completion of the cleaning work.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to mechanical parts, electronic parts,
The present invention relates to a cleaning device for cleaning an object to be cleaned such as a printed circuit board.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a cleaning device, there is known a cleaning device which performs various cleaning operations such as immersion cleaning and steam cleaning while moving an object to be cleaned up and down.

As another cleaning device, there is known a cleaning device in which a plurality of cleaning tanks are arranged in a lateral direction and the objects to be cleaned are sequentially inserted and moved into the plurality of cleaning tanks.

A plurality of cleaning tanks are arranged in the lateral direction,
The method of cleaning the plurality of cleaning tanks with different cleaning functions while moving the object to be cleaned has an advantage that the mechanism of each cleaning tank can be simplified. . However, since it requires a large installation area, it is not preferable in terms of factory layout. Further, it is not preferable to move the object to be cleaned to which the cleaning liquid is attached between the plurality of cleaning tanks, because the solvent is diffused.

On the other hand, in a system in which the cleaning operation of the object to be cleaned is completed in the process of vertically moving the object to be cleaned in one cleaning tank, the installation area can be reduced and
The solvent adhering to the object to be cleaned hardly diffuses, and it can be said to be a preferable cleaning device.

[0006]

However, this vertical cleaning apparatus is effective when the cleaning of the object to be cleaned can be surely completed with one type of cleaning liquid such as CFC. However, now that it has been found that the use of CFCs causes the destruction of the global environment, it cannot be used.
Currently, with solvents other than CFC, 1
Completion with liquid is a difficult situation from the viewpoint of cleaning effect. Therefore, it is common practice to wash the object to be cleaned with a plurality of types of cleaning methods using a plurality of types of cleaning liquids according to the purpose of cleaning.

However, when the object to be cleaned is steam-washed on the upper part of the flammable cleaning liquid, the flammable cleaning liquid is warmed up even if the non-combustible steam is used, and as a result, a flammable gas is generated, which causes ignition or the like. Will cause the danger of. Also, when performing steam cleaning on top of a water-based detergent that is not a fire hazard,
Because the steam warms the water-based detergent and produces steam,
Depending on the object to be cleaned, it will be adversely affected by moisture.

From the viewpoint of cleaning effect, it is preferable to use solvents having completely different properties as the plurality of kinds of cleaning liquids. As the cleaning liquid of the one system, non-aqueous carbon-based solvents, alcohols, terpene-based solvents, silicon-based solvents, solvents containing a surfactant as a semi-aqueous solvent, water-based detergents, water, pure water, etc., Examples of the cleaning liquid include a cleaning liquid capable of dissolving oils and fats or stains attached to the object to be cleaned.

[0009] As another one system of cleaning liquid,
Perfluorinated liquids, HFCs, and the like for physically separating the above-mentioned solvent adhering to the object to be cleaned from the object to be cleaned, but these are solvents having poor solubility in oils and fats and dirt.

Then, these two kinds of solvents having different properties are placed in the same cleaning tank, and different cleaning methods such as immersion cleaning and steam cleaning are used to clean the same object to be cleaned. It has heretofore been difficult to perform in a tank.

The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and includes a first cleaning liquid using a non-soluble solvent which has a low solubility in oils and fats such as perfluorinated liquid and HFC, and Water-based hydrocarbon solvents, alcohols, terpene-based solvents, silicon-based solvents, semi-water-based detergents, water, solvents containing surfactants as pure water, water-based detergents, oils and fats such as water and pure water, or to be washed In a single vertical cleaning tank, while simultaneously or separately positioning the soluble second cleaning liquid capable of dissolving the dirt attached to the object in the cleaning tank, or by exchanging them. To be able to effectively clean the object to be cleaned. At the same time, different cleaning methods such as immersion cleaning and steam cleaning are used in the same cleaning tank to prevent the risk of ignition.

[0012]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a cleaning tank for cleaning an object to be cleaned, an immersion cleaning section for immersing the object to be cleaned in a cleaning liquid and cleaning the same. It is composed of a steam cleaning section that is installed above the immersion cleaning section to perform steam cleaning of the area to be cleaned, and a cooling condenser section that is installed above this steam cleaning section, and is introduced into the bottom of the immersion cleaning section of this cleaning tank. Connect the liquid separation tank via the outlet pipe, and connect the overflow part of the immersion cleaning unit to the liquid separation tank with an overflow pipe so that the cleaning liquid in the immersion cleaning unit can flow in and out of the liquid separation tank. The lower bottom of the separation tank and the steam generation tank are communicated with each other through a communication pipe, and the steam generation tank and the steam cleaning section of the cleaning tank are connected via an opening / closing valve for vapor cutting.

[0013]

The present invention has the above-mentioned constitution.
In order to clean the object to be cleaned, the object to be cleaned is inserted into the cleaning tank, and the immersion cleaning unit located at the bottom bottom of the cleaning tank first performs the immersion cleaning of the object to be cleaned.

In this immersion cleaning section, a cleaning liquid capable of dissolving and cleaning oils and fats attached to the object to be cleaned and other contaminants, such as non-aqueous carbon solvents, alcohols, terpene solvents, and silicone. A second cleaning liquid such as a system solvent, a semi-aqueous detergent, water, a solvent containing a surfactant as pure water, or an aqueous solvent is filled in advance. Then, the object to be cleaned is immersed in the second cleaning liquid to clean the object to be cleaned.

In this cleaning, not only the second cleaning liquid but also the first cleaning liquid can be mixed in the immersion cleaning section. When this first cleaning liquid is mixed in the immersion cleaning unit, the first cleaning liquid generally has a high specific gravity, and the second cleaning liquid generally has a low specific gravity. Therefore, the second cleaning liquid is located in the upper portion, and the first cleaning liquid is It will be located at the bottom.

Therefore, the object to be cleaned is inserted from the liquid surface of the immersion cleaning section, first comes into contact with the second cleaning solution, and then the first cleaning solution is penetrated as it is. During this penetration process, the oil and fat adhering to the object to be cleaned or other soluble dirt are dissolved and removed by the second cleaning liquid.

The dip cleaning part may be filled with the second cleaning liquid only, but when the second cleaning liquid is a hydrocarbon solvent, alcohol, or terpene solvent having strong flammability. It is preferable to use as little as possible. Therefore, reduce the amount of this second cleaning liquid,
If it is provided only in the upper direction of the immersion cleaning unit, the risk of ignition or the like is reduced accordingly. Even in this case, the object to be cleaned does not deteriorate the cleaning effect because it can come into contact with the second cleaning liquid in the process of penetrating the tank for the second cleaning liquid to the first cleaning liquid side.

After the cleaning with the second cleaning liquid is completed, the first cleaning liquid is introduced into the immersion cleaning section from the liquid separation tank via the introducing / extracting pipe. By the introduction of the first cleaning liquid, the second cleaning liquid having a low specific gravity overflows and is guided to the liquid separation tank through the overflow pipe. Then, in the liquid separation tank, the first cleaning liquid and the second cleaning liquid are cooled, and the two liquids are separated by the difference in specific gravity.

On the other hand, since only the first cleaning liquid is located in the immersion cleaning section in the cleaning tank, the cleaning target is contacted with only the first cleaning liquid by applying ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning target. It becomes possible to remove the solid dirt and the like adhering to the surface by physical force.

Further, the object to be cleaned, which has been subjected to the ultrasonic cleaning, moves its position to the steam cleaning section provided above the immersion cleaning section. In this steam cleaning unit, the steam formed in the steam generation tank is introduced into the steam cleaning unit by opening the opening / closing valve for vapor cutting, and the steam cleaning is performed, and the steam adheres to the object to be cleaned. The second cleaning liquid present can be removed by steam cleaning. In this steam cleaning, since the non-combustible first cleaning liquid is located in the immersion cleaning section, there is no danger of ignition or the like even if it is warmed by steam.

In another method, the second cleaning liquid can be physically removed by spraying the first cleaning liquid on the object to be cleaned with a shower.

The object to be cleaned, which has been cleaned in the steam cleaning section, is further moved to the cooling / condensing section provided in the upper part of the steam cleaning section, and is cooled and dried to complete the cleaning operation.

In addition, when cleaning the next object to be cleaned,
By transferring the first cleaning liquid filled in the immersion cleaning unit to the liquid separation tank, the second cleaning liquid with a low specific gravity in the liquid separation tank is
Since it flows into the immersion cleaning unit, it is possible to clean the object to be cleaned using the second cleaning liquid as described above.

When the immersion cleaning unit is filled with the second cleaning liquid, the second cleaning liquid is jetted from the above-mentioned shower nozzle and the second cleaning liquid is positioned in the steam cleaning unit to shower the object to be cleaned. Of course, it is possible to perform cleaning.

When the second cleaning liquid is used for immersion cleaning of the object to be cleaned in the immersion cleaning section, the opening / closing valve of the communication pipe communicating with the steam generating tank closes the cleaning tank. Is formed so that cleaning vapor is not introduced. By doing so, the second cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank is not warmed, combustible gas is prevented from being generated, and danger such as ignition does not occur. Further, even when the water-based detergent is used, the steam to be heated by the steam does not adversely affect the object to be cleaned due to the humidity.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (1) is a cleaning tank, and an immersion cleaning unit (3) for cleaning an object to be cleaned (2) by immersing it in a cleaning liquid is provided. Form on the bottom. The immersion cleaning section (3) has an overflow section (4) for overflow at a portion corresponding to the liquid surface.

A steam cleaning section (5) for cleaning the object (2) to be cleaned with steam is provided above the immersion cleaning section (3).
In addition, a cooling coil (6) is provided above the steam cleaning section (5).
The cooling and condensing section (7) is constituted by winding the. Then, the inlet / outlet (8) of the object to be cleaned (2) is formed in the upper part of the cleaning tank (1) by sealing with the lid (9).

Further, adjacent to the cleaning tank (1), the liquid separation tank (1
1) is formed separately. The liquid separation tank (11) is for separating a plurality of types of cleaning liquid used in the immersion cleaning unit (3). The immersion cleaning unit (3) has a first cleaning liquid (12) which has almost no dissolving power for oils and fats such as perfluorinated liquid and HFC, and a non-aqueous system which has a dissolving power for oils and fats and other wastes. A second cleaning liquid (13) such as a carbon-based solvent, alcohol, terpene-based solvent, silicon-based solvent, semi-aqueous detergent, water, a solvent containing a surfactant as pure water, an aqueous detergent, water or pure water. It is used by appropriately filling it according to the purpose of washing and the washing process.

The first cleaning liquid (12) and the second cleaning liquid (13)
Is introduced into the liquid separation tank (11) in the washing operation process, and both liquids are cooled and separated. Further, the liquid separation tank (11) and the immersion cleaning section (3) of the cleaning tank (1) are connected so that they can communicate with each other as necessary. This connection is for immersion cleaning
The lower bottom wall (14) of (3) and the lower bottom wall (15) of the liquid separation tank (11) are made to be communicable with each other through the inlet / outlet pipe (16).

The inlet / outlet pipe (16) has a first opening / closing valve (1
7), the first inlet / outlet pipe communicating with the second on-off valve (18)
(16a), a third inlet / outlet valve (19), a pump (21), and a second inlet / outlet pipe (16b) communicating with each other via a second on / off valve (18),
It is formed of a fourth opening / closing valve (22) and a third introduction / extraction pipe (16c) communicating with each other through the third opening / closing valve (19). Furthermore, in the overflow part (4) of the immersion cleaning part (3), a liquid separation tank
An overflow pipe (23) communicating with the liquid surface of (11) is communicated with the overflow pipe (23), and the fifth on-off valve (2
4) is provided.

Further, in the liquid separation tank (11), a cooling pipe (25) in which a coolant such as cooling water and a liquefied gas is circulated is located, and a liquid guiding pipe (26) is located in a vertical direction. The liquid pipe (26) is provided at its lower end with the bottom wall (1) of the liquid separation tank (11).
It is located close to 5). And this liquid guide tube (2
A communication pipe (27) is connected to the upper side surface of 6), and the communication pipe (27) is communicated with the lower bottom wall (29) of the steam generation tank (28).

The steam generating tank (28) has a heater (31) located in the direction of the lower bottom wall (29) and is filled with a first cleaning liquid (12) such as a perfluorinated liquid or HFC. Further, this steam generation tank (28) has a cooling pipe (32) for condensing at the upper part.
And is closed by a lid (33). Also, the steam cleaning section of this steam generation tank (28) and cleaning tank (1)
(5) is in a state in which it can be communicated with the steam pipe (35) through the opening / closing valve (34) for vapor cutting. And
By opening the opening / closing valve (34) for vapor cutting, the cleaning steam can be supplied to the steam cleaning section (5).

In order to clean the object to be cleaned (2) having the above-mentioned structure, the immersion cleaning section (3) is filled with the first cleaning liquid (12) and the second cleaning liquid (13). The explanation will be given under the condition.

First, the object to be cleaned (2) is introduced from the entrance / exit (8) of the cleaning tank (1), lowered, and immersed in the immersion cleaning section (3). By this immersion, the object to be cleaned (2) becomes the second cleaning liquid (1
3), that is, a solvent containing hydrocarbons, alcohols, terpene solvents, silicon solvents, semi-aqueous detergents, water, and surfactants as pure water, which are capable of dissolving fats and oils and other contaminants, A second cleaning liquid (1
By contacting with 3), fats and oils, dirt, etc. can be dissolved and removed. It is preferable that the contact between the second cleaning liquid (13) and the object to be cleaned (2) is performed gently without a strong impact or the like in order to prevent mixing of both liquids.

Since most of the second cleaning liquid (13) is highly flammable, it is preferable to use the second cleaning liquid (13) as little as possible. Of course, when the complete protection against flammability is provided, the cleaning liquid in the immersion cleaning unit (3) can be all used as the second cleaning liquid (13). But,
Generally, if the second cleaning liquid (13) is floated on the first non-combustible first cleaning liquid (12) and the second cleaning liquid (13) is passed through the cleaning target (2), The risk of fire, etc. can be reduced.

The steam cleaning section above the immersion cleaning section (3)
It is also possible to perform the shower cleaning of the cleaning target (2) by moving the cleaning target (2) to (5) and spraying the shower liquid of the second cleaning liquid (13) onto the cleaning target (2). It is possible.

The object to be cleaned with the second cleaning liquid (13)
After the immersion cleaning of (2) is completed, the second cleaning (13) and the first cleaning
It is also possible to replace the cleaning liquid (12). For this replacement, after the cleaning operation with the second cleaning liquid (13) is completed, the first cleaning liquid is transferred from the liquid separation tank (11) to the immersion cleaning unit (3).
It is carried out by filling (12).

The filling of the first cleaning liquid (12) is performed by opening the fourth opening / closing valve (22) and the third opening / closing valve (19), and the third introduction / exhaust pipe (16c) and the second introduction / exhaust pipe ( The first cleaning liquid (12) is introduced into the immersion cleaning unit (3) via 16b). This introduction may be difficult unless a pump or the like is used in the vertical positional relationship between the liquid separation tank (11) and the immersion cleaning section (3), and in that case, under the introduction pipe (16). It is of course possible to do this by introducing a pump at an appropriate position on the bottom.

As described above, the first cleaning liquid is applied to the immersion cleaning unit (3).
By introducing (12), the first cleaning liquid with a high specific gravity
(12) pushes up the second cleaning liquid (13) having a low specific gravity and discharges the second cleaning liquid (13) from the overflow section (4) to the liquid separation tank (11) through the overflow pipe (23). Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the second cleaning solution (13) is discharged from the immersion cleaning section (3) to leave only the first cleaning solution (12).

In this state, a physical impact force is applied to the object to be cleaned (2) by ultrasonic waves or the like to remove and remove solid matters such as dust adhering to the object to be cleaned (2). The second cleaning liquid (13) attached to the cleaning product (2) is removed.

The object to be cleaned (2) from which the second cleaning liquid (13) has been removed is raised as it is, and the steam cleaning section (5)
At this point, steam cleaning is performed. This steam cleaning is a steam generation tank
First generated by heating with heater (31) at (28)
Open / close valve (3) for vapor cut of cleaning solution (12) vapor
By opening 4), the fuel is injected from the steam pipe (35) to the steam cleaning section (5). And here, the cleaning object (2)
Steam wash. Items to be cleaned that have been steam cleaned (2)
Is further raised and cooling and drying is performed in the cooling and condensing section (7), whereby the cleaning operation for the object to be cleaned (2) is completed.

In the liquid separation tank (11), the first cleaning liquid introduced from the overflow pipe (4) in a mixed state.
(12) and the second cleaning liquid (13) are separated, and the first cleaning liquid (12)
Is positioned in the lower bottom direction and the second cleaning liquid (13) is positioned in the upper direction.

In order to carry out the next cleaning of the object to be cleaned (2), a small amount or the whole of the first cleaning liquid (12) is withdrawn from the immersion cleaning section (3), and the immersion cleaning section (3) is removed. The second cleaning liquid (13) is introduced. This second cleaning liquid (13) is the third
Open the on-off valve (19) and the second on-off valve (18) and pump
The first cleaning liquid (12) of the immersion cleaning unit (3) may be introduced into the liquid separation tank (11) by (21).

When there is a drop between the immersion cleaning section (3) and the liquid separation tank (11), the first opening / closing valve (17) and the second opening / closing valve (18) are opened to The first cleaning liquid (12) may be introduced into the liquid separation tank (11) due to the drop. Then, the first cleaning liquid (1
Due to the introduction of 2), the second cleaning liquid (13) located above the liquid separation tank (11) flows back into the overflow section (4) through the overflow pipe (23) and enters the immersion cleaning section (3). It becomes possible to introduce.

[0045]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to use a vertical cleaning tank which can be installed in a small space and to use two types of cleaning solutions, a first cleaning solution and a second cleaning solution having different properties. By using different cleaning methods, it is possible to perform a reliable cleaning operation for the object to be cleaned.

Further, these two cleaning liquids can be reliably separated in the liquid separation tank, and the work of cleaning the object to be cleaned in the immersion cleaning section can be carried out multiple times without any problem. Can be done.

Further, although the steam generating tank and the cleaning tank are communicated with each other by a steam pipe, the communication state can be arbitrarily interrupted by an opening / closing valve for vapor cutting. In this case, no steam is introduced into the steam cleaning section. Therefore, the second located in the immersion cleaning section
It is possible to keep the temperature of the second cleaning liquid located in the immersion cleaning unit low without increasing the temperature of the cleaning liquid. Therefore, there is no danger of raising the temperature of the cleaning liquid in the immersion cleaning unit and generating flammable gas. Further, even when an aqueous detergent, water, pure water, or the like is used as the second cleaning liquid, the steam to be warmed by the steam does not adversely affect the object to be cleaned by moisture.

Further, since the cleaning work can be performed by using the two liquids, it is possible to obtain the same excellent cleaning effect as the conventional cleaning work using chlorofluorocarbon.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a cleaning tank is second
The state where the cleaning liquid and the first cleaning liquid are filled is shown.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a cleaning tank is filled with only a first cleaning liquid.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning tank 2 Object to be cleaned 4 Overflow part 5 Cleaning part 7 Cooling condensing part 11 Liquid separation tank 12 First cleaning liquid 13 Second cleaning liquid 16 Inlet / outlet pipe 23 Overflow pipe 27 Communication pipe

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning tank for cleaning an object to be cleaned is immersed in a cleaning liquid for cleaning, and an immersion cleaning section disposed above the immersion cleaning section is used for steam cleaning. It is composed of a steam cleaning unit and a cooling condensing unit provided above the steam cleaning unit.The liquid separation tank is connected to the lower bottom of the immersion cleaning unit of this cleaning tank via an inlet / outlet pipe, and The overflow part is connected to the liquid separation tank with an overflow pipe so that the cleaning liquid in the immersion cleaning part can flow in and out of the liquid separation tank, and the lower bottom of the liquid separation tank and the steam generation tank are connected via a communication pipe. A cleaning device, which is connected to each other and connects the steam generating tank and the steam cleaning section of the cleaning tank through an opening / closing valve for vapor cutting.