JPH09294965A - Cleaning method and cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To clean effectively even when the cleaning power of cleaning liquid is poor and the shape of a cleaning object is complex by cleaning with a swing arm rotated normally/reversely during vertical swing of cleaning object receiving basket. SOLUTION: A shaft shaped swing arm 3 the lower part of which is put into/from a cleaning tank 5 is installed above the tank 5. A spiral groove is cut on the periphery of the arm 3. A motor 1 in which the rotational speed is variable and the rotational direction can be made normal/reverse is attached to the upper end of the arm 3. In cleaning a work by the motor 1, the arm 3 is rotated by the motor 1, the position of the arm 3 is detected by limit switches 18 of the upper and lower ends attached to a support plate 23 mounted on a fixed table 2, and the arm 3 is reciprocated vertically between them. The work is not only swung vertically but also rotated normally/reversely by the reciprocating motion of the arm 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning method and a cleaning device for optical parts, electronic parts or precision parts.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a method of cleaning optical parts, electronic parts, precision parts, etc., has been performed by placing an ultrasonic cleaning tank filled with a cleaning liquid with a work (object to be cleaned) held at a lower end of an arm of a cleaning device. The usual method is to insert the arm and make the arm move up and down to wash the arm. This vertical swing is for uniformizing the distribution of standing waves of cavitation of ultrasonic waves in the ultrasonic wave transmission direction (cleaning liquid depth direction).

Further, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-166282, in a tank equipped with an ultrasonic transducer,
There is disclosed a cleaning method in which an object to be cleaned is reciprocated or rotated so that the cleaning liquid flow collides with the surface of the object to be cleaned, and ultrasonic waves are applied to the object. Further, for example, JP-A-52-98
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 360 discloses a method of cleaning an object to be cleaned by swinging a "cage-shaped object" containing the object to be cleaned by a shaft in a cleaning tank. At this time, a special basket-like material is used to hold the object to be cleaned.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned respective prior arts have the following drawbacks. That is, in the method of rocking the object to be cleaned up and down in the ultrasonic cleaning tank, the rocking up and down is merely an auxiliary means for ultrasonic cleaning, and therefore a means for actively generating a liquid flow in the cleaning liquid is used. It's not. For example, as for the vertical swing speed, when the swing width is usually 5 cm, the normal value is about 2 seconds each way.

In this case, the liquid flow rate is not such that the dirt adhering to the object to be cleaned is peeled off by it. For this reason,
Even if the ultrasonic waves become uniform by this vertical swing and act effectively, it is limited to the case where the cleaning liquid as the ultrasonic medium is of a water-based type. This is because ultrasonic cavitation generally significantly reduces the ultrasonic effect in a non-aqueous solvent as compared to an aqueous detergent. Therefore, in the case of inexpensive general-purpose cleaning using a hydrocarbon solvent or the like, the physical effect of ultrasonic waves can hardly be expected.

On the other hand, there is a method of using rotation as an active cleaning by a liquid flow. However, this has a problem that it requires a dedicated and complicated cleaning basket such as a barrel. In addition, there is an inherent work problem in that it is complicated to take out the object to be cleaned due to the complexity of the cleaning basket. Rotation is usually slow in one direction, and a large amount of liquid flow is generated by simple rotation when the object to be cleaned has a complicated shape, solid dirt with poor cleaning performance, or dirt that has high viscosity and is difficult to clean. Cannot be made, and cleaning them is problematic.

It is an object of the first to fourth aspects to provide a cleaning method and a cleaning device which have a low cleaning ability of the cleaning liquid itself and can effectively clean even a complicated shape.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a cleaning object receiving basket containing an object to be cleaned is vertically swung by a swing arm in a cleaning tank containing a cleaning liquid, and the cleaning object is washed. In the cleaning method for cleaning, the swinging arm rotates forward and backward to perform cleaning when the cleaning item receiving basket is vertically swung.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the wash item receiving basket is vertically swung, the wash item receiving basket rotates normally when the swing action is downward, and the wash item receiving basket is performed when the swing action is upward. Is reversely rotated, The cleaning method according to claim 1.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a fan is provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank, and the fan is driven in synchronization with the rotation and the reverse rotation of the cleaning object receiving basket. It is a cleaning method.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning tank containing a cleaning liquid, a cleaning object receiving basket for storing an object to be cleaned, a swing arm for supporting the cleaning object receiving basket at a lower end, and the swing arm. A cleaning device comprising: a reversible variable drive means for moving the cleaning product receiving basket up and down in a cleaning tank while rotating, and for rotating the cleaning product forward and backward.

According to the present invention, the cleaning object receiving table on which the object to be cleaned is placed or stored in the cleaning tank is vertically swung and simultaneously rotated in the forward and reverse directions. The shaft of the vertically swinging arm is notched in a spiral shape, and the rotational power of the motor causes vertical movement and forward / reverse rotation of the washing object pedestal at the same time. If the rotation direction of the motor is reversed in the positive and negative directions for a certain period of time, vertical swinging rotary motion is periodically generated with a certain vertical swinging width and number of rotations. The swing speed can also be changed by the pitch of the spiral groove of the vertical swing arm shaft. By making the wash-basin pedestal circularly symmetric, it is possible to reduce the blurring of the rotating shaft due to the rotation and improve the durability.

After the dirty object to be cleaned is placed on the cleaning object cradle, it is immersed in the cleaning liquid and a combined motion of vertical swing and forward / reverse rotation is applied through the vertical swing arm. Due to such a combined movement, vertical movement causes liquid depth (vertical)
The linear reciprocating motion of the and the horizontal motion in the liquid level direction (transverse direction) by the forward and reverse rotation are applied to the object to be cleaned. This allows
A composite liquid flow in which both the upper and lower liquid flows in the liquid depth direction (vertical) and the reciprocating vortex flow in the liquid surface direction (horizontal) are generated.

Due to the above-mentioned complicated liquid flow, there is a possibility that a turbulent flow will be generated depending on the conditions in some cases. Since the object to be cleaned is exposed to such a liquid flow, it receives the liquid flow in all directions. As a result, due to the relationship of the specific gravity difference between the dirt and the cleaning liquid and the shape of the object to be cleaned, the permeation of the cleaning liquid to a place where the permeability is extremely poor is promoted, and the surface of the object to be cleaned swells with the same effect ( Dirt in the middle of dissolution with the cleaning solution),
It is possible to effectively remove and dissolve stains existing near the surface of the object to be cleaned.

Since the motion system of the present invention is a vertical and horizontal orthogonal motion, the damping of the liquid flow due to the collision of the liquid flows of the two can be relatively reduced, and also in terms of energy efficiency. It can be said to be advantageous. Also in terms of cleanability, since it can cover all directions in principle, improvement in cleanability can be achieved.

Further, in the present invention, the rotation direction is reversed at the upper and lower ends of the vertical swing. At the moment the rotation direction changes, the inertial movement of the liquid flow that was moving along with the rotation direction of the object to be cleaned is rotated in the opposite direction from the outside, so the surface of the object to be cleaned is rotated. Large peeling and shearing force are generated at. As a result, the physical cleaning power of the object to be cleaned is improved.

The present invention is extremely effective as an auxiliary means when the cleaning ability of the cleaning liquid itself is low. Also,
It is especially effective for cleaning complicated shapes. Further, for solid stains that are difficult to clean, the degree of renewal of the liquid that contacts the stains per unit time is frequent, which promotes diffusion of stains and dramatically improves the cleanability of stains that are difficult to remove. .

Further, a fan (stirring member) is provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank to make the rotating vortex flow collide with the object to be cleaned. Further, a vortex flow in the direction opposite to the rotation of the object to be cleaned is made to collide. Thereby, the peeling shearing force is increased and the cleaning property is improved.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(Embodiment 1) FIGS. 1 to 6 show the present embodiment, FIG. 1 is a front view of a cleaning apparatus, FIGS. 2 to 4 are graphs, and FIGS.
6d and 6b are a perspective view and a plan view of a cleaning sample. A cleaning tank 5 is provided with a shaft-like swinging arm 3 above and below the cleaning tank 5, the lower end of which is moved in and out of the cleaning tank 5. A spiral groove is cut on the outer circumference of the swing arm 3. A motor 1 whose rotation speed is variable and whose rotation direction is reversible is attached to the upper end of the swing arm 3, and the rotation of the motor 1 is directly transmitted to the swing arm 3. There is.

At the lower end of the swinging arm 3, a cleaning product is stored.
A wash item receiving basket 4 to be placed is attached. The cleaning object receiving basket 4 is a stainless metal bat which is surrounded by meshes on all four sides and allows the cleaning liquid to flow in and out freely. A fixed base 2 with a ball nut that is screwed into the spiral groove of the swing arm 3 is attached near the center of the swing arm 3. The motor 1 is guided and supported by a vertical guide rail 31 provided upright on the fixed base 2 so as to move only in the vertical direction.

The fixed base 2 has a ball screw portion 19a and a guide portion 19b at the end edge thereof, and the ball screw portion 1
9a is screwed to a slide column 21 having a spiral groove formed on the main body 20 of the washing machine so as to be rotatable. And by the motor A of the carry-in / carry-out function which is a function different from the cleaning function,
The slide column 21 is rotated via each rotation transmission gear, and the fixed base 2 is moved up and down via the ball screw 19a. In addition, the guide portion 19b is a column 2 that is erected on the main body 20 of the washing machine.
2 and guides the fixed base 2 only in the vertical direction.

The operation of the cleaning apparatus having the above structure will be described below. First, at the position where the fixing table 2 is raised by the motor A, the cleaning object receiving basket 4 is exposed from the liquid surface of the cleaning tank 5, and the object to be cleaned (work) is placed in the cleaning object receiving basket 4. Next, switch on the motor A
When the cleaning product receiving basket 4 enters the cleaning tank 5, the feeding by the motor A is stopped, a relay (not shown) is activated by the stop command, and then the motor 1 is activated to start cleaning. .

In cleaning the work by the motor 1, the swing arm 3 is rotated by driving the motor 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, the position of the swing arm 3 is detected by the upper and lower limit switches 18 provided on the support plate 23 provided upright on the fixed base 2, and the swing arm 3 itself moves vertically in the meantime. Move back and forth. Due to this reciprocating motion, the work is vertically swung, and in addition to the vertical swing, forward and reverse rotational motion is also performed.

By changing the motor rotation speed of the motor 1, the vertical swing speed and the rotation speed are variable while maintaining a proportional relationship. The motor rotation speed decelerates or accelerates the rotation speed of the cleaning product receiving basket 4, and the motor rotation speed and the vertical swing speed have a proportional relationship as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, since the pitch of the spiral groove of the swing arm 3 is 25 mm and the rotation speed of the motor 1 is 24 rpm, the vertical movement speed of the cleaning object receiving basket 4 is 600 mm / m.
becomes in.

Further, by separately preparing some swinging arms 3 having different pitches of spiral grooves and a fixing base 2 with a ball nut, and detaching and replacing them, the washing object receiving basket 4 swings up and down. The speed can be variable. The relationship between the ball screw pitch and the vertical swing speed / rotation speed is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. From this, it can be seen that the pitch is proportional to the vertical swing speed. The vertically swingable movement is realized by reversing the positive and negative of the motor 1 on the way back and forth.

Due to the above, the position of the cleaning object receiving basket 4 at the time of completion of the cleaning temporarily stops at the upper end of the position where it enters the cleaning tank 5. After that, the operation of the motor A causes the motor A to further move to the uppermost end and reach the position where the object to be cleaned (workpiece) is placed. Then, the object to be cleaned is taken out from the cleaning object receiving basket 4. The cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment is used as described above.

Next, a cleaning process using the above cleaning device will be described with reference to FIGS. The outline of each device used in each step will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B. In addition to the cleaning device of FIG. 1, the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 5 is cleaned from the lower part of the cleaning tank 5 via the circulation pump 9 and the filter 8. It is configured to circulate above the tank 5.

Further, in the liquid removing step of FIG. 5c, the air blowing port 10 is opened in the upper portion of the air blowing container, and the cleaning object receiving base 11 for draining is placed at the bottom of the container to be cleaned. A liquid receiver is provided so that the cleaning liquid that has adhered to and is carried into the object to be cleaned drops and accumulates, or the cleaning liquid that has been scattered by air accumulates in the state where the object is placed.

Further, in the drying step of FIG. 5D, the warm air dryer for sufficiently drying the object to be cleaned is the blower 16
The air is supplied through the heater 15 and the HEPA filter 14 to dry the object to be cleaned in the dryer.

The above cleaning step will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b, the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 5 is prepared in two sets, and a hydrocarbon solvent (trade name “Crinsol 3000”, paraffin saturated hydrocarbon) is charged into the first-stage cleaning tank 5A. Cleaning is performed by an apparatus equipped with the vertical swing system. Further, IPA is put into the cleaning tank 5B of the second stage, and cleaning is performed by the device having the above-mentioned vertical swing system.

As a cleaning sample, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, there are two blind holes 41 (φ1 mm, depth 10 mm), two through holes 42 (φ2 mm), and a cubic aluminum piece with a side of 20 mm. Use two blocks each. This is the oil cut 201 for precision metal processing.
It shall be immersed in (trade name, manufactured by Mitsubishi Petroleum Co., Ltd.) and about 0.1 g of oil should be adhered to it to make it an object to be cleaned, and the appearance quality and residual oil content shall be confirmed.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the first cleaning tank 5A,
Next, while sequentially transferring the objects to be cleaned in the second cleaning tank 5B, cleaning is performed at room temperature for 3 minutes each (FIGS. 5a and 5b), and air blowing is performed for 1 minute after that (FIG. 5c).
Drying was carried out for 3 minutes with a warm air dryer at 80 ° C (Fig. 5).
d).

The vertical swing speed in the cleaning tank 5A in the first stage was set to reciprocate for 10 seconds at a stroke of 50 mm, and the rotation speed was 24 rpm. The rotation direction is forward / reverse rotation in which the rotation direction changes as the swing arm descends and rises. A 10-second round trip means one way at 50 mm.
sec, round trip 10 seconds, 60 mm
/ Min. The rotation speed, the swing stroke, and the swing speed in the cleaning tank 5B in the second stage are the same as those in the first stage.

As a result of cleaning a work having an oil content of about 0.1 g, the present embodiment has an oil content of 0.1 mg.
Was less than. Table 1 shows the results. As a comparative example,
Also shown are data in which only the vertical swing and the rotation only are performed in the first and second stages.

[0035]

[Table 1]

The vertical swing condition of this comparative example was 50 mm stroke and reciprocating 10 sec as in this embodiment, and the rotation condition was 24 rpm forward / reverse rotation as in this embodiment.

According to the present embodiment, as compared with the cleaning data of the comparative example, good results were obtained in terms of appearance quality and amount of oil residue.

(Embodiment 2) FIGS. 7 and 8 show the present embodiment, FIG. 7 is a side view of a lens to which a pitch is attached, and FIGS. 8A to 8C are schematic views showing a cleaning process. In the present embodiment, cleaning of the pitch adhered to the lens was carried out by using the same apparatus as in the first embodiment. However,
The only difference is that the first tank and the second tank are provided with a throw-in type ultrasonic transducer.

As shown in FIG. 7, the lens shape is φ25 convex lens (glass material BK-7), φ18 meniscus lens (glass material FSL-5), and the cleaning pitch is K-3, K-8, K-.
6 and a small amount of a mixture of pine resin and denim (manufactured by Nippon Alundum) were used. Mixing was performed at a ratio of each component of 1: 1: 1: 1. These were melted and a pitch was applied to the lens surface using a brush.

8A to 8C show a cleaning process using the present apparatus (similar to FIGS. 5A to 5C). EE-4110 manufactured by Olympus Chemitec Co., Ltd. was put in the first tank, and IPA was put in the second tank. EE-4110 is a solvent containing terpenes and aliphatic hydrocarbons. Only the first tank is provided with the rotary and swing oscillating arm similar to that of the first embodiment in the cleaning tank, but the second tank is only vertically oscillated. Further, both the first tank and the second tank are provided with ultrasonic transducers at the bottom of the cleaning tank, and are operated in combination with vertical swing.

The specifications of the ultrasonic waves used are 28 kHz / 60
It was set to 0W. The reason why the ultrasonic transducer is provided in the pitch cleaning is that the pitch cannot be effectively cleaned only by the liquid flow. Rotational speed of the swing arm is 120 rp
m, swing speed 50 mm stroke, reciprocating 2 sec
(One-way 1 sec).

Cleaning was carried out from the first tank using the lens with pitch shown in FIG. 7 as a cleaning sample. The liquid temperature in the first tank was 50 ° C., and the liquid temperature in the second tank was room temperature. After each tank was cleaned for 5 minutes, air was blown for 3 minutes to dry it. After washing for 3 minutes in each tank, IPA was drained with air for about 30 seconds to examine the degree of pitch drop on the lens surface. The results are shown in Table 2. As a comparative example, data obtained by eliminating the combined vertical rotation and rotation performed in the first tank in the first tank and cleaning under the condition of only ultrasonic waves will be described. In the second and subsequent tanks, ultrasonic cleaning to air drainage were carried out in the same manner as in the present embodiment.

[0043]

[Table 2]

According to the present embodiment, it has been found that it is extremely effective in cleaning solids such as pitches by dissolution as compared with simple ultrasonic cleaning (comparative example).

(Embodiment 3) FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic views showing the cleaning process of this embodiment. In the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid draining property was examined by using the same device as in FIG. This aim is to prevent the cleaning solution from being brought into the next process as much as possible. The combined use of forward / reverse rotation and vertical swing in the present invention is effective not only for cleaning but also for cutting the liquid adhering to the workpiece to be cleaned in the air. Was tested.

FIG. 9a shows a state in which the liquid-removed workpiece is immersed in the tank, and FIG. 9b shows a change in the state of being pulled up from the tank. The configuration of the tank is only a single tank of hydrocarbon-based cleaning liquid, and a similar arm for forward / reverse rotation swing is installed in this single tank. The washed product is the same as in the second embodiment.
It is a lens arranged in the basket used in the pitch experiment (n = 40 sheets / basket). The lens used was a clean lens free from dirt such as pitch.

Before and after the immersion in the cleaning tank, the change in the weight of the liquid adhering to the object to be cleaned was measured by an electronic balance. Forward / reverse rotation speed of the swing arm is 120 rpm, swing speed is 50 m
Table 3 shows the results obtained by setting m strokes and reciprocating 2 sec (one-way 1 sec) (same conditions as in the second embodiment). As a comparative example, the data of the test in which the liquid is forcibly drained only in the state of being pulled up on the cleaning tank is described.

[0048]

[Table 3]

The liquid temperature in the cleaning tank was normal temperature, and the liquid was drained for 2 minutes after the immersion. The comparative example was also left in the air for 2 minutes. According to this, the amount of liquid taken out to the next tank was reduced to about 1/2 from about 10 g to 5 g by the liquid draining of the present embodiment, which is used in combination with forward and reverse rotation swing.

According to the present embodiment, it was found that the life of the next tank liquid is doubled by draining.

(Embodiment 4) FIGS. 10A to 10C are schematic views showing the cleaning process of this embodiment. In the present embodiment, in the same cleaning device as in the second embodiment, cleaning is performed by a device in which a fan (stirring member) is added to the bottom of the cleaning tank (see FIG. 10a). The washing conditions and the sample are exactly the same as those in the second embodiment. Here, the rotation directions of the swing arm for both rotation and the stirrer are reversed.

The rotation speed of the swing arm is 60 rpm,
Swing speed is 50mm stroke, reciprocating 4sec (one way 2
sec). The rotation direction of the stirrer was always opposite to the rotation direction of the swing arm, and the rotation speed was 60 rpm. The first tank of the cleaning tank has a swing arm for both forward and reverse rotations and an agitator, and the second tank has an ultrasonic transducer.

The same EE as in the second embodiment is used in the first tank.
-4110 (liquid temperature 50 ° C) is used, and IPA is used in the second tank.
(Normal temperature) was used. After washing each tank for 5 minutes,
Air was blown for 3 minutes in the draining tank to dry. The cleaning results are also shown in Table 2 which describes the second embodiment and the comparative example.

According to the present embodiment, the defective pitch remaining was 2 out of 40, and the good cleaning result was almost the same as that of the second embodiment.

[0055]

The effects of the first to fourth aspects are that the cleaning performance in the cleaning tank can be improved and the carry-in of the liquid to the next tank can be extremely reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a cleaning device showing a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the first embodiment.

5A to 5D are schematic views showing a cleaning process according to the first embodiment.

6A and 6B are a perspective view and a plan view of the cleaning sample according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the lens according to the second embodiment.

8A to 8C are schematic diagrams showing a cleaning process according to the second embodiment.

9A and 9B are schematic diagrams showing a cleaning process according to the third embodiment.

10A to 10C are schematic diagrams showing a cleaning process according to the fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, A motor 2 fixed base 3 swing arm 4 washing object receiving basket 5 washing tank 20 washing machine body 21 slide column 22 column 23 support plate 31 guide rail

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning method for cleaning an object to be cleaned by vertically swinging a cleaning object receiving basket containing an object to be cleaned in a cleaning tank containing a cleaning liquid through a swing arm. A washing method characterized in that the swing arm rotates forward and backward to wash when the basket swings up and down. 2. When the cleaning item receiving basket swings up and down, the cleaning item receiving basket rotates normally when the swing is downward, and the cleaning item receiving basket rotates reversely when the swing is upward. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein a fan is provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank, and the fan is driven in synchronization with the rotation and the reverse rotation of the cleaning object receiving basket. 4. A cleaning tank containing a cleaning liquid, a cleaning object receiving basket for containing an object to be cleaned, a swing arm for supporting the cleaning object receiving basket at a lower end, and the cleaning while rotating the swing arm. A cleaning device comprising: a reversible variable drive means for vertically moving the object receiving basket in a cleaning tank and rotating the container in a normal direction.