JPH08219638A - Dryer and drying method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To dry in a short time by rotating material to be dried on a turntable disposed in a drying chamber, pressure reducing and heating it. CONSTITUTION: When material 2 to be dried which is transported by a robot in the state that the opening 1A of a chamber 1 is opened is filled in a vessel and placed on a turntable 3, the CPU of a dryer control circuit 9 detects it, and closes an upper cover or a door 5 to a sealed state. A vacuum pump 18 or an ejector is operated, cleaning agent adhered into the material 2 is recovered via a solvent recovering unit 10, and the chamber 1 is pressure-reduced to about 1Torr at the maximum. Further, heating means 4 is operated, a drive motor 6 is rotated, the turntable 3 is rotated to the necessary maximum limit to scatter water or cleaning agent such as hydrocarbon adhered to the material 2 by a centrifugal force and to heat it, and simultaneously pressure reduced. Accordingly, a required drying time can be largely shorted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drying apparatus and a drying method for drying an object to be dried that has been washed with a cleaning agent.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, various devices and methods have been proposed as a drying device and a drying method for inserting an object to be dried, which has been washed with a water-based or hydrocarbon-based cleaning agent, into a drying chamber of the drying device and a drying method thereof. Has been done.

The most common drying apparatus and drying method are one in which hot air is blown onto the material to be dried, one in which the material to be dried is placed in a vacuum chamber and dried under reduced pressure, and the material to be dried is inserted into a dehydrating tank or the like to dehydrate the material. There has been proposed a drying apparatus and a method of combining the above drying method with those to be dried and those to be evaporated and dried by substituting a low boiling point substance such as alcohol.

[0004]

According to each of the above-mentioned conventional drying devices and drying methods thereof, for example, the drying time for drying the material to be dried is the boiling point of the detergent, the value of latent heat of vaporization, or the material to be dried. It depends on the amount of detergent adhering to the body, etc., but it takes a long time to dry with the above various drying devices or methods, and when circulating gas etc. is used as the heat source of hot air, There was a problem that another stain was redeposited on the dried product.

Further, when a plurality of items to be dried are put in a barrel basket or the like and the washed member is dried, there is a problem that the members are rubbed with each other in the drying chamber to cause scratches.

The present invention is intended to provide a drying device and a drying method thereof which eliminate the above-mentioned problems and adverse effects. The first object of the present invention is to dry with a high efficiency in an extremely short drying time. To obtain a drying device and a drying method thereof.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a drying device and a drying method thereof capable of preventing dirt from reattaching to a material to be dried and adhesion of dry spots to the material to be dried.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a drying apparatus and a drying method thereof which can prevent the generation of scratches during drying of a material to be dried.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the drying apparatus of the present invention comprises a turntable rotatably arranged in a drying chamber as shown in FIG.
The turntable is provided with a heating means arranged so as to surround the turntable, and a vacuum generating means for closing a door for putting an article in and out of the drying chamber and for depressurizing the drying chamber to a vacuum. It is placed on the surface, rotated, and heated and dried through the heating means in a state where the pressure is reduced by the vacuum generating means.

Further, the drying method of the present invention is such that, at the time of drying the material to be dried placed on the turntable provided in the drying chamber of the drying apparatus, the degree of decompression and heating temperature in the drying chamber and the rotation speed of the turntable. Is controlled to dry the material to be dried.

[0011]

According to the drying apparatus and the drying method of the present invention, the material to be dried on the turntable rotatably arranged in the drying chamber is rotated, the pressure is reduced through the vacuum generating means, and the material is heated by the heating means. Since it is formed, it can be dried in a short time, and redeposition of stains and dry spots do not occur, and scratches do not occur.

[0012]

EXAMPLE A drying apparatus and a drying method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view showing an embodiment of a drying apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a method of fixing a turntable used in the drying apparatus of the present invention, and FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram and a process diagram showing an example of a drying device incorporated in a line of a cleaning device.

FIG. 1 shows the structure of an embodiment of a drying apparatus. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a chamber of a vacuum drying chamber, and an opening 1A into which an article 2 to be dried can be inserted is provided in the upper part. A door or an upper lid 5 capable of sealing the opening is provided.

A drive shaft 3A of the turntable 3 penetrates through the bottom of the chamber at a substantially central position.
A bearing portion 3B pivotally rotatably attached to is fixed in a sealable manner. 6 is a drive motor for driving a turntable 3 rotatably arranged in the chamber of the drying chamber 1. The drive force of the drive motor 6 is transmitted to a drive shaft 3A via a transmission mechanism 6A such as a belt or a carrier. The turntable 3 is transmitted and rotated in the chamber.

Further, a vacuum pump 18 for reducing the pressure in the chamber of the vacuum drying chamber 1 to a vacuum is connected to the upper part of the chamber through the solvent recovery device 10 to wash the material to be dried inserted in the chamber. The cleaning solvent is collected and the pressure in the chamber is reduced. The decompression degree control circuit 7 controls the operating state of the vacuum pump 18 and the pressure state control in the vicinity of the exhaust hole connecting the solvent recovery device 10 and the chamber.
Controlled by.

In addition, heating means 4, for example, an infrared heater 4 is provided on the upper, lower, left and right sides of the turntable 3 in the chamber. This may be provided with the heating means 4 on the top lid or the bottom plate or the side wall of the chamber. As this heating means, a direct heat source such as hot gas or an indirect heat source using a radiant heat with a jacket can be used.

The temperature in the drying chamber 1 heated by the heating means 4 etc. is monitored by a temperature sensor etc. and controlled by the temperature control circuit 8.

The dryer control circuit 9 includes a microcomputer (CPU) and the like, a turntable drive motor 6, a temperature control circuit 8,
It manages and controls the open / closed state of the upper lid 5 and the vacuum state of the chamber, and also monitors the loading and unloading of the material to be dried 2 transferred and transferred by a crane or robot into the chamber. Has been done.

Explaining the drying method in the above-mentioned drying apparatus, the material to be dried 2 conveyed by a robot or the like with the opening 1A of the chamber 1 being opened is directly stored in a container such as a barrel basket. When it is put in and placed on the turntable 3, the CPU of the dryer control circuit 9 detects this and closes the upper lid or the door 5 to make it hermetically closed. The upper lid 5 is sealed so that the inside of the chamber 1 can be kept in a vacuum.

Next, the vacuum pump 1 constituting the vacuum generating means.
8 or an ejector or the like is operated to collect the cleaning agent adhering to the material to be dried 2 via the solvent recovery device 10 and reduce the pressure in the chamber 1 to a maximum of about 1 Torr.

Further, the heating means 4, for example, the heater unit is operated and the drive motor 6 is rotated to rotate the turntable 3 as much as necessary to clean the water-based or hydrocarbon-based material adhered to the material to be dried 2. The agent is spun by centrifugal force and heated, and at the same time, decompression is performed.

Therefore, the amount of heat required for the evaporation latent heat to be applied can be minimized by the cooperation of the three members of rotation, decompression and heating, and the time required for drying can be greatly shortened.

Further, since the cleaning agent is recovered through the solvent recovery device by using a clean heat source such as an infrared heater, dirt is not reattached. Further, since the cleaning agent for cleaning the material to be dried has different boiling points depending on the type, it is heated to an appropriate temperature to smoothly evaporate the cleaning agent adhering to the material to be dried.

Further, by rotating the turntable, there is no drying spot which is likely to occur due to the difference of the surface on which the material to be dried is placed, and the cleaning agent can be spun off by centrifugal force to dry in a short time. Becomes

Further, since the turntable is driven by a rotary drive motor arranged outside the chamber, there is no secondary contamination in the dry atmosphere, and the upper lid or door for inserting and discharging the material to be dried is vacuum-sealed. The vacuum pump requires a minimum volume, and the startup time during operation can be minimized.

2A, 2B, and 2C, various examples of methods for fixing the object to be dried or the barrel basket 2 to the turntable 3 will be described. 2A to 2C are partial side cross-sectional views of the turntable 2, and the same reference numerals are given to corresponding portions with FIG.

In FIG. 2A, a groove 16 is cut in a peripheral portion of the turntable 3 at a position where, for example, the circumference 4 is arranged, and a hinge lever 11 formed in a substantially C shape is pivotally attached to a pin 12 as a fulcrum. . The pin 12 extends downward from the lower end of the turntable 3 and is locked to a bearing portion 14. One end of the hinge lever 11 is opposed to the bottom plate of the object to be dried or the barrel basket 2 containing the object to be dried, and the shoe 15 disposed at the other end presses and fixes the side wall of the object to be dried or the barrel basket 2. Has been done.

In FIG. 2A, when the article to be dried 2 is not placed on the turntable 3, the hinge lever 11 is in a state shown by a broken line, but the article to be dried or the barrel basket 2 is placed on the turntable 3. Then, one end of the hinge lever 11 is
The pin 12 is pressed at the bottom of the object to be dried or the barrel basket 2, and the shoe 15 disposed at the other end of the hinge lever 11 presses and fixes the side wall of the object to be dried or the barrel basket 2. There is.

In the structure shown in FIG. 2B, the spring 13 is interposed between the lower end of the turntable 3 and the vicinity of the fulcrum of the hinge lever 11, so that the object to be dried or the barrel basket 2 is spring 13.
It is designed to be fixed more securely by the biasing force of.

In the method of fixing the turntable 3 having the structure shown in FIG. 2C, the hinge lever 11 is formed into an inverted L shape, and the hinge lever 11 of the hinge lever 11 is pressed so that the object to be dried or the side wall portion of the barrel basket 2 is pressed by the roller 17. The spring 13 fixed to one end and the peripheral end of the turntable 3 is biased, and the object to be dried or the barrel basket 2 is securely fixed by the roller 17 around the pin 12 rotatably pivoted to the support portion 14. It was done.

According to the above-mentioned method of fixing the material to be dried or the barrel cage 2, the material to be dried or the barrel cage 2 is turnedtable 3.
It is possible to obtain a product that does not move or collapse due to centrifugal force and drop from the turntable 3 even when it is rotated at a high speed, and it is possible to eliminate the adverse effect that the objects to be dried move and rub against each other.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a plan view and a side view of the specific structure of the drying device which is schematically illustrated in FIG. The drying apparatus of this example is used, for example, to dry the workpiece after the cleaning of the CFC-free ethane cleaning apparatus is completed.

FIG. 5 is a process diagram of the above-mentioned CFC-free ethane cleaning apparatus.
After the primary cleaning is performed by the secondary cleaning device 21, the secondary cleaning is performed by the secondary cleaning device 22, and the rinse cleaning is performed by the rinse cleaning device 23, and the workpiece drained through the drainer 24 is processed. As a dried product, it is automatically conveyed to the drying device 25, and after being dried, it is carried out via the next process loader.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the drying device 25 places the material to be dried 2 drained by the water draining device 24 on the conveyor 26, and the material to be dried brought to the vicinity of the drying device 25. 2 is lifted by a crane 27 arranged above the opening 1A of the chamber constituting the drying chamber 1 so as to bridge the drying device 25, conveyed to the position of the opening 1A of the drying device 25, and the chamber 2 It is placed on the turntable 3 in the 1.

The structure of FIG. 4 shows a state in which the material to be dried is inserted into the barrel cage. In this state, the lid 5 is closed, the drive motor 6 is rotated, the turntable 3 is rotated, the vacuum pump 2 is driven, the heating means 4, for example, the heater unit is heated to perform drying, and the lid is opened after completion of the drying. The dried material 2 is taken out by the crane 27, placed on the conveyor 28 in the next step, and carried out.

Although the drying apparatus and the drying method of the present invention have been described with respect to the drying apparatus and the method after the cleaning of the dechlorofluorocarbon / ethane cleaning apparatus, the drying apparatus and the drying method are not limited to these. It is obvious that the device and the drying method can be used.

[0037]

According to the drying apparatus and the drying method of the present invention, the following items can be achieved. (1) Shortening of drying time and high efficiency of drying (2) Prevention of redeposition of stains on the material to be dried (3) Prevention of dry spots on the material to be dried (4) Scratch on the material to be dried Prevention (5) Minimization of vacuum generation means (6) Consideration for work environment and safe work

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a drying apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial side sectional view of various fixing devices showing a method of fixing an object to be dried to a turntable used in the drying device of the present invention, and FIGS. 2A to 2C are examples showing different fixing devices. .

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a drying device used for drying after the cleaning step of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a drying device used for drying after the cleaning step of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cleaning process diagram used in the drying apparatus and method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Vacuum Drying Room (Chamber) 2 Dried Material 3 Turntable 4 Heating Means 5 Door or Top 10 Solvent Recovery Device 18 Vacuum Pump

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A turntable rotatably arranged in a drying chamber, a heating means arranged so as to surround the turntable, and a door for taking in and out an object to be dried in the drying chamber, and the drying is performed. A vacuum generating means for decompressing the inside of the chamber to a vacuum, and the object to be dried is placed on the turntable and rotated, and is heated and dried through the heating means while being depressurized by the vacuum generating means. A drying device characterized by being formed by: 2. The holding means for fixing the material to be dried is provided on the turntable.
The drying device described. 3. When drying an object to be dried placed on a turntable arranged in a drying chamber of the drying device, the degree of pressure reduction and heating temperature in the drying chamber and the rotation speed of the turntable are controlled to control the object to be dried. A drying method comprising drying a dried product.