JPH10278902A - Powder feeding equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable continuous driving while controlling very accurately the feeding amount of powder feeding equipment. SOLUTION: This powder feeding device 7 is provided with a subhopper 12 which keeps a powder temporarily, a quantitative feeding device 4 which measures the powder and a powder feeding nozzle 16 from which the powder is supplied. When the amount of the powder in the subhopper 12 becomes less than a set amount, a main hopper 8 supplements the powder. Because the control means of this powder feeding equipment understands the supplied amount of the powder from a mass decreased per unit length of time of the powder in the subhopper 12, and thus understands accurately the powder stored in the subhopper 12 and the amount of powder being supplied presently, the powder is not supplemented while the same is being supplied. From the same reason, while the powder is being supplemented, the powder is not supplied.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a powder supply device for accurately supplying a predetermined amount of powder at a predetermined timing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are a wide variety of fields of use of a powder supply apparatus for supplying powder at a predetermined timing and at a predetermined speed. Consider the case of using The laser clad processing apparatus is used, for example, for surface treatment of a valve seat portion of a cylinder head. Aluminum alloy is often used for the metal of the cylinder head, but the aluminum alloy often does not sufficiently satisfy conditions such as heat resistance and durability required for the valve seat portion. Therefore, a powder made of a copper-based material is supplied to the surface of the valve seat, and the powder is welded to the surface of the valve seat by irradiating the powder with a laser beam. This processing method is a so-called laser cladding processing method. For the same purpose, measures such as press-fitting a copper-based sintered alloy such as aluminum bronze into the valve seat part were sometimes taken.However, according to the laser cladding method, the press-in allowance for the copper-based sintered alloy became unnecessary, There is an advantage that the degree of freedom in designing the cylinder head is increased. The present inventors have disclosed an example of an apparatus according to the laser clad processing method, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
No., etc.

One of the factors that affect the quality of a product obtained by the laser clad processing method is how to precisely control the amount of powder supplied.
For this reason, a powder supply device as shown in FIG. 15 is used in the laser clad processing device. This powder supply device is provided with a hopper 3 and a quantitative supply device 4 on a bracket 2 supported by a mass measuring device 1 such as a load cell. The hopper 3 and the fixed-quantity supply device 4 are connected by a communication pipe 5. The hopper 3 temporarily stores powder. The metering device 4 controls the flow rate of the powder carried from the hopper 3 through the communication pipe 5. Then, the powder measured by the quantitative supply device 4 is supplied from the nozzle 6. The mass measuring device 1 measures the total mass of the hopper 3, the fixed amount feeder 4, the communication pipe 5, the nozzle 6, and the powder, and grasps a change in mass per unit time with a control device (not shown). The quantitative feeder 4 is controlled. Incidentally, the mass reduction measured by the mass measuring device 1 during powder supply is all equal to the mass of the powder supplied from the nozzle 6. Therefore, by accurately grasping the current powder supply amount and controlling the quantitative supply device 4 based on the current supply amount, the powder supply amount can be adjusted with high accuracy.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned powder feeder has the following drawbacks. When used in the above-mentioned laser clad processing apparatus, the quantitative supply capacity required for the powder supply apparatus is often around 1 g / sec. To enable this value, the minimum detection unit required for the mass measuring device 1 is about 1/50 to 1/100 g. However, the mass measuring device 1 capable of detecting 1/50 to 1/100 g at present has a maximum measuring capability of about 300 to 500 g. Therefore, taking into account the mass of the bracket 2, the quantitative measuring device 4, and the like, the measuring capability of only the powder is limited to about 150 g. Therefore, the powder supply speed is 1 g / se
If c is set, the continuous supply time is 150 seconds. That is, in the powder supply device capable of controlling the supply amount with high accuracy, the continuous operation time is limited by the measurement capability of the mass measurement device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to realize various operations by enabling continuous operation while controlling the supply amount of a powder supply device with high accuracy. It is to improve the usability of a powder supply device in a use environment.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a powder supply means having a sub-hopper having a capacity larger than a required supply amount in one unit processing step, and a powder supply means covering all steps. A powder path to the powder supply means having a main hopper and a powder supply means having a capacity equal to or greater than the required supply amount in series, and operating the powder supply means based on the powder holding amount; Control means for operating the powder supply means in accordance with the amount of powder held by the powder supply means and the operating state.

According to the present invention, the control means grasps the powder holding amount and the operation state of the powder supply means, and operates the powder supply means according to the state. The powder can be supplied to the powder supply means via the main hopper and the powder supply means. Further, the amount of powder held in the powder supply means is grasped by the control means, and the operation of the powder supply means is controlled, whereby the supply amount of the powder is adjusted with high accuracy.

The control means grasps the amount of powder supplied by the powder supply means from the mass reduction per unit time of the powder in the powder supply means. It is preferable that the powder replenishing means be stopped, and the operation of the powder supplying means be stopped when the powder replenishing means is operated.

According to this configuration, in the control means, it is possible to accurately grasp the mass reduction per unit time of the powder amount in the sub hopper, and to accurately grasp the powder supply amount in the powder supply means. Directly connected to In the present invention, the decrease in the powder in the sub-hopper due to the supply of the powder and the increase in the powder in the sub-hopper due to the supply of the powder do not occur at the same time. Therefore, it is possible to accurately grasp the mass reduction per unit time of the amount of powder in the sub hopper.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the same or corresponding parts as in the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 shows a powder supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this powder supply device, a powder supply unit 7 serving as a powder supply means is provided with a powder path for supplying powder. In this powder path, an auxiliary valve 9 and a supply valve 10 serving as powder supply means are connected in series below the main hopper 8, and further connected to a sub hopper 12 of the powder supply device 7 by a sub hopper cover 11. It becomes. The main hopper 8, the auxiliary valve 9, and the supply valve 10 are all fixed to the main frame 13. The powder feeder 7 is fixed to the main frame 13 via the position adjusting means 14, and adjusts the position in the X-axis direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1) and the Y-axis direction (the direction orthogonal to the plane of FIG. 1). It can be performed. Also,
The main frame 13 has a height adjusting means 15 so that the position of the entire apparatus can be adjusted in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1). Thus, by providing the position adjusting means 14 and the height adjusting means 15 separately, even if the height adjusting means 15 is moved to change the supply height of the powder, the sub hopper cover 11 and the sub hopper 12 , The positional relationship between them is constant, and the labor for adjustment work is reduced. The main hopper 8 is connected to a supply pipe 30 for supplying a purge gas.

Here, the powder feeder 7 will be described in detail.
In the powder feeder, a sub hopper 12 and a fixed-quantity feeder 4 are fixed to a bracket 2, and the bracket 2 is supported by a mass measuring device 1 such as a load cell. Mass measuring device 1
Are supported by the position adjusting means 14. The sub-hopper 12 and the metering device 4 are connected by a communication pipe 5. The sub hopper 12 has a powder capacity larger than a necessary supply amount in one processing step. Here, the “supply amount required in one processing step” refers to, for example, in the case where the powder supply apparatus is used for the laser cladding processing apparatus as described above, for example, a valve seat portion (a plurality of cylinder seat portions) of one cylinder head. Means the amount capable of supplying the powder to all of the above. Naturally, the required supply amount in one processing step differs depending on the configuration of the line on which the apparatus is installed and the workpiece.

The powder supply device 7 can supply the powder stored in the sub hopper 12 to the outside from the powder supply nozzle 16 while weighing the powder by the quantitative supply device 4. Note that the powder supply nozzle 16 is fixed to a cover of the powder supply device 7. The mass measuring device 1 measures the total mass of the sub hopper 12, the fixed amount feeder 4, the communication pipe 5, and the powder P. Then, a change in mass per unit time is calculated by a powder feeder control device described later. By the way, the mass decrease measured by the mass measuring device 1 during powder supply is equal to the mass of the powder supplied from the nozzle 6. Therefore, it is possible to accurately grasp the current powder supply amount, and to control the powder supply amount with high accuracy by controlling the quantitative supply device 4 based on the calculated powder supply amount. be able to.

Next, the powder path will be described. The main hopper 8, which is a component of the powder path,
It has a powder capacity that is greater than the required supply over the entire process. The auxiliary valve 9 is for stopping the supply of powder from the main hopper 8 to the powder supply device 7 when performing maintenance or the like, and can be manually opened and closed. Supply valve 10
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a valve element 19 is provided at a position crossing a flow passage 18 provided in a main body 17. Valve element 19 is a bearing
It is pivoted by 20. Furthermore, the through hole 21 is provided in the valve body 19.
The supply valve 10 is opened by rotating the valve body 19 and aligning the through hole 21 and the flow passage 18 on a straight line. Further, an actuator 22 (FIG. 1) for rotating and driving the valve element 19 to open and close the supply valve 10 is provided. Therefore, the supply valve 10 is automatically opened and closed by controlling the actuator 22 by the equipment control device described later.

Further, the supply valve 10 includes a main body 17 and a valve body.
When the powder in the flow passage 18 enters the gap between the bearing 19 and the bearing 20, the powder escape groove 23 is provided between the flow passage 18 and the bearing 20 so that the bearing 20 is not damaged by the powder. ing.
The relief groove 23 is provided in an annular shape so as to surround the valve element 19. In order to collect the powder collected in the escape groove 23, the escape groove 23 is provided with a discharge passage 24.

The sub-hopper cover 11 comprises a connecting portion 25 and a cover portion 26 as shown in FIG.
The opening 26a of the cover 26 is closed by 25a. Further, the connecting portion 25 and the cover portion 26 are slidable with each other. The sub-hopper 12 is covered with the cover 26 to prevent foreign matter from entering the sub-hopper 12. A predetermined gap α (2 mm) is formed between the end of the sub hopper 12 and the end face of the cover 26. In addition, the connecting portion 25 and the cover portion 26 can slide a predetermined amount β (3 mm). Therefore, the position adjusting means 14
By moving the sub hopper as shown in FIG.
Even if a deviation between the central axis of 12 and the central axis of the flow passage 18 occurs, if the deviation is within the range of α + β, the cover 26 can be moved and the deviation can be automatically adjusted.

FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the control means of the powder supply apparatus. The control means includes a programmable controller, a microcomputer, a relay circuit, and the like, and a facility control device 27 that controls the entire powder supply device,
It also includes a programmable controller, a microcomputer, a relay circuit, and the like, and particularly has a powder supply controller 28 for controlling the powder supply 7. Then, various control signals described later are exchanged between the equipment control device 27 and the powder supply device control device 28. The actuator 22 includes a solenoid valve, an air cylinder, and the like, and opens and closes the supply valve 10.
Is directly controlled by the equipment control device 27. Further, in the powder feeder control device 28, based on a detection signal of the mass measuring device 1 including an A / D converter, a servo amplifier, a load cell, and the like, a quantitative feeder drive including a D / A converter, an oscillator, a servo amplifier, and the like is driven. A drive signal is output to the means 29. The servo amplifier can be replaced with a normal amplifier.

Here, an operation procedure of the powder supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 show a processing procedure in the equipment control device 27 (FIG. 6). 9 to 12 show a powder feeder control device 28 (FIG. 6).
3 shows the processing procedure in the step S1. Further, in the following description, the supply pattern of the powder from the powder supply device 7 is referred to as “vehicle type 1” or “vehicle type 2”. As shown in FIG. 13, the powder supply pattern here is (i) waiting time, (i)
i) the time required to increase the supply, (iii) the fixed supply time, (i
v) The time required for reducing the supply amount, and (v) a combination of the supply amount and the like at the time of the quantitative supply, and each value can be set arbitrarily.

First, based on FIG. 7 and FIG.
The control steps executed in 27 will be described. (1) It is checked whether or not a replenishment request signal for replenishing the powder to the sub hopper 12 is output from the powder supply controller 28 (see FIG. 6). If the replenishment request signal has not been output, the process proceeds to step (7) described later. (2) If the replenishment request signal is ON in step (1), it is checked whether or not the current position of the powder supply device is at the original position where powder can be supplied to the sub hopper 12. (3) In step (2), when the apparatus is not at the original position, a display indicating that the apparatus is out of the original position is displayed, and a movement operation to the original position is performed. (4) In step (2), when the apparatus is at the original position, the supply valve 10 is opened to supply the powder from the main hopper 8 to the sub hopper 12. Then, a replenishment signal is output to the powder supply controller 28 (see FIG. 6). (5) It is checked whether or not the replenishment request signal from the powder supply controller 28 is continuously output. (6) In step (5), when it is confirmed that the replenishment request signal has been turned off, the replenishment valve 10 is closed to end the powder supply operation, and the process proceeds to step (7).

(7) At this time, it is checked whether it is time to supply the vehicle type 1 or not. If it is not the vehicle type 1 supply timing, the process proceeds to step (13). (8) If it is the vehicle type 1 supply instruction timing in step (7), the vehicle type 1 supply instruction signal is output to the powder supply controller 28 (see FIG. 6). 1 is supplied. (9) Check whether an error signal (see FIG. 6 and step (22)) is output from the powder supply controller 28. (10) In step (9), when an error signal is output from the powder feeder control device 28, it is determined that an error has occurred and the operation is stopped. (11) It is checked whether or not the vehicle type 1 supplying signal from the powder supply controller 28 has been turned off (ie, whether or not the vehicle type 1 powder supply has been completed). (12) In step (11), if it is confirmed that the vehicle type 1 supplying signal from the powder feeder control device 28 has been turned off, the vehicle type 1 supply instruction signal is turned off, and step (1) is performed.
Move to 3).

(13) At this point, it is checked whether it is time to supply the vehicle type 2. If it is not the vehicle type 2 supply timing, the process proceeds to step (19). (14) If it is the vehicle type 2 supply instruction timing in step (13), a vehicle type 2 supply instruction signal is output to the powder supply controller 28 (see FIG. 6), and the vehicle supply 2 is supplied. (15) Check whether an error signal (see FIG. 6 and step (32)) from the powder feeder control device 28 is output. (16) In step (15), when an error signal is output from the powder feeder control device 28, it is determined that an error has occurred and the operation is stopped. (17) It is checked whether or not the vehicle type 2 supply-in-progress signal from the powder supply controller 28 has been turned off (that is, whether or not the vehicle type 2 powder supply has been completed). (18) In step (17), the vehicle type 2 supply signal is turned off.
When it is confirmed that the value has become F, the vehicle type 2 supply instruction signal is turned off, and the process proceeds to step (19). (19) Check whether the processing is completed. If not, the process returns to step (7). If the processing is completed, the operation is terminated.

Next, the control steps executed by the fixed-quantity supply control device 28 will be described with reference to FIGS. (20) As described in the control step (8) of the equipment control device 27,
It is determined whether or not the vehicle type 1 supply instruction signal has been issued. When the vehicle type 1 supply instruction signal is output, step (21)
Move to. When the vehicle type 1 supply instruction signal has not been output, the process proceeds to step (30). (21) The mass of the powder feeder 7 at the time of the control step (8) of the equipment control device 27 is measured, and the powder holding amount of the sub hopper 12 is checked. (22) If it is determined in step (21) that the powder holding amount of the sub hopper 12 is at the E level (in a state where the powder is empty) shown in FIG. 14, the vehicle type 1 supply instruction signal is turned off. Then, an error signal is output to the equipment control device 27 (see FIG. 6). (23) In step (21), when it is determined that the powder holding amount of the sub hopper 12 exceeds the E level shown in FIG. Is output (see FIG. 6), and powder supply of vehicle type 1 is performed. (24) The vehicle type 1 supplying signal turns ON, and the equipment control device 27
The navel signal is sent (see FIG. 6). (25) The mass of the powder feeder 7 is measured while the powder of the vehicle type 1 is being supplied, and the powder holding amount of the sub hopper 12 is checked. Then, when it is confirmed that the powder holding amount of the sub hopper 12 has become equal to or less than the M level (a state having a holding amount necessary for at least one unit processing step) shown in FIG. . (26) A replenishment request signal is output to the equipment control device 27 (see FIG. 6). The replenishment request signal is detected in the control step (1) of the equipment control device 27. Then, the equipment control device 27 opens the supply valve 10 to supply the powder from the main hopper 8 to the sub hopper 12. The once supplied replenishment request signal is continuously output until step (42) described later. (27) Check whether or not the powder supply work for vehicle type 1 has been completed.
If not, the process returns to step (25). (28) When it is confirmed in step (27) that the powder supply operation for the vehicle type 1 has been completed, the vehicle type 1 supplying signal is turned off. Model 1
The turning off of the supply signal is detected by the equipment control device 27 in the control step (11).

(29) Here, it is checked whether or not all the powder supply steps have been completed. If not finished, step
Return to (20). If the operation has been completed, the powder supply operation ends.

(30) Control step of equipment control device 27 (14)
It is checked whether or not the vehicle type 2 supply instruction signal described above has been issued. When the vehicle type 2 supply instruction signal is issued,
Move to step (31). If the vehicle type 2 supply instruction signal has not been output, the process proceeds to step (39). (31) The mass of the powder feeder 7 at the time of the control step (14) of the equipment control device 27 is measured, and the powder holding amount of the sub hopper 12 is checked. (32) If it is determined in step (31) that the powder holding amount of the sub hopper 12 is at the E level shown in FIG.
The supply instruction signal is turned off, and an error signal is output to the equipment control device 27 (see FIG. 6). (33) If it is determined in step (31) that the powder holding amount of the sub hopper 12 exceeds the E level shown in FIG. 14, the drive signal is sent from the powder supply device 28 to the quantitative feeder driving means 29. Is output (see FIG. 6), and powder supply of vehicle type 2 is performed. (34) The vehicle type 2 supplying signal turns ON, and the equipment control device 27
The navel signal is sent (see FIG. 6). (35) The mass of the powder feeder 7 is measured while the powder of the vehicle type 2 is being supplied, and the powder holding amount of the sub hopper 12 is checked. Then, when it is confirmed that the powder holding amount of the sub hopper 12 has become equal to or less than the M level shown in FIG. 14, the process proceeds to step (36). (36) A replenishment request signal is output to the equipment control device 27 (see FIG. 6). The replenishment request signal is detected in the control step (1) of the equipment control device 27. Then, the equipment control device 27 opens the supply valve 10 to supply the powder from the main hopper 8 to the sub hopper 12. The once supplied replenishment request signal is continuously output until step (42) described later. (37) Check whether or not the powder supply work of the vehicle type 2 has been completed.
If not, the process returns to step (35). (38)
When the end of the powder supply operation of the vehicle type 2 is confirmed in step (37), the vehicle type 2 supplying signal is turned off. The turning off of the vehicle type 2 supplying signal is detected by the equipment control device 27 in step (17). Then, the process proceeds to step (29) to check whether or not all the powder supply steps have been completed.

(39) Control step (4) of the equipment control device 27
, It is checked whether or not a signal is being supplied during replenishment (that is, whether or not powder is being replenished from the main hopper 8 to the sub hopper 12). (40) When the output of the during-replenishment signal is confirmed in step (39), the mass of the powder feeder 7 is measured, and the
Examine the powder retention of. (41) In step (40), replenishment is continued until it is confirmed that the powder holding amount of the sub hopper 12 is equal to or higher than the F level (replenishment completion level) shown in FIG. (42) In step (41), the powder holding amount of the sub hopper 12 is
When it is confirmed that the level is equal to or higher than the F level shown in FIG. 7, the supply request signal output to the equipment control device 27 is turned off.
To In the control step (5) of the equipment control device 27, it is confirmed that the replenishment request signal has been turned off.
In (6), the supply valve 10 is closed to end the powder supply operation. Then, the process proceeds to step (29) to check whether or not all the powder supply steps have been completed.

The powder supply device operates according to the above processing procedure. In the above description, the case where the powder supply patterns are two types, that is, vehicle type 1 and vehicle type 2 has been described.
The number of supply patterns can be set arbitrarily.

The operation and effect obtained by the embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration are as follows. In order to enable continuous operation, the powder supply device according to the present embodiment uses a method of providing a powder path for supplying powder without increasing the capacity of the sub hopper 12. Since the sub-hopper 12 only needs to have a capacity equal to or more than the required supply amount in one unit processing step, the mass measuring device 1 for measuring the mass of the powder feeder 7 including the sub-hopper 12 is required.
Can be used with high accuracy (but the maximum measurement capability is small). Therefore, it is possible to accurately grasp and control the fluid supply amount. Then, the small capacity of the sub hopper 12 is supplemented by powder replenishment from the main hopper 8 to enable continuous operation.

The powder feeder according to the present embodiment checks whether the sub hopper 12 has a sufficient powder holding amount at the beginning of the operation procedure (step (1)).
When the powder holding amount is insufficient, the powder supply from the main hopper 8 to the sub hopper 12 is performed. Thereafter, the powder is supplied in a required supply pattern. Also, even if the powder in the sub hopper 12 runs short during the powder supply operation, the powder is appropriately replenished and the powder supply operation is restarted again.
Powder supply can be reliably performed without powder breakage during powder supply.

In the present apparatus, the mass of the powder feeder 7 is measured by the mass
The amount of powder in 12 is calculated. Then, a method of obtaining the supply amount from the decrease amount of the powder in the sub hopper 12 per unit time is used. Then, the current powder supply amount is fed back to control the fixed amount supply device 4. Therefore, accurately grasping the mass reduction per unit time of the powder amount in the sub hopper 12 is directly linked to maintaining the accuracy of the powder supply amount of the powder supply device 7.

According to the above control procedure, the powder supply from the main hopper 8 to the sub hopper 12 is performed when the powder supply from the powder supply device 7 is not performed. Is performed when the powder supply from the main hopper 8 to the sub hopper 12 is not performed. That is, a decrease in the powder in the sub-hopper 12 due to the supply of the powder and an increase in the powder in the sub-hopper 12 due to the supply of the powder do not occur at the same time. Therefore, the mass reduction of the powder supply device 7 is always equal to the mass of the powder supplied from the nozzle 6, and the powder supply amount can be accurately obtained. Therefore, it becomes possible to control the powder supply amount with high accuracy.

The sub hopper 12 is a sub hopper cover 11.
Since it is covered with, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the sub hopper 12. The sub hopper cover 11 is made slightly larger than the sub hopper 12, and includes a connecting portion 25 and a cover portion. Therefore, even if a deviation between the central axis of the sub hopper 12 and the central axis of the flow passage 18 occurs, the cover portion 26 moves and the deviation can be automatically adjusted. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the labor for adjustment by the operator.

[0032]

According to the present invention, the following effects are obtained. According to the powder supply device according to claim 1 of the present invention, a high-precision mass measurement device having a small maximum measurement capability is used, and while the powder supply amount is measured with high accuracy, the powder supply means By supplying powder to the powder supply means as appropriate, continuous operation becomes possible. That is, continuous operation can be performed without sacrificing powder supply accuracy. Therefore, the usability of the powder supply device can be improved in various use environments.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the powder is supplied from the main hopper to the sub hopper when the powder is not supplied by the powder supply means. Further, the powder supply in the powder supply means,
This is performed when powder is not supplied from the main hopper to the sub hopper. That is, the decrease in the powder in the sub-hopper due to the supply of the powder and the increase in the powder in the sub-hopper due to the supply of the powder do not occur at the same time. Therefore, the control means of the powder supply device accurately grasps the powder supply amount in the powder supply means from the amount of mass reduction per unit time of the powder in the powder supply means, and performs high-precision powder supply. It can be carried out.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a powder supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a supply valve of the powder supply device shown in FIG.

3 shows a cross section of the supply valve shown in FIG. 2, wherein (a) is a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 2, and (b) is a cross section taken along line BB in FIG. is there.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a sub-hopper cover of the powder supply device shown in FIG.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show a moving state of the sub hopper cover shown in FIG. 5, in which FIG. 5A shows an intermediate moving position and FIG. 5B shows a maximum moving position.

6 is a configuration diagram of control means used in the powder supply device shown in FIG.

7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the equipment control device shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart following the processing procedure of the equipment control device shown in FIG. 7;

9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the powder feeder control device shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart following the processing procedure of the powder feeder control device shown in FIG. 9;

11 is a flowchart following the processing procedure of the powder supply device control device shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart following the processing procedure of the powder feeder control device shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a graph showing a powder supply pattern in the powder supply device shown in FIG.

14 is a schematic diagram showing a powder holding amount in a sub hopper of the powder supply device shown in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional powder supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mass measuring device 2 Bracket 4 Quantitative feeder 5 Communication pipe 7 Powder feeder 8 Main hopper 10 Supply valve 12 Sub hopper 16 Powder feed nozzle

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshiaki Yamamoto 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toyota Motor Corporation (72) Inventor Hideyuki Hozoji 1 Toyota Town Toyota City, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toyota Motor Corporation ( 72) Inventor Akio Sato 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toyota Motor Corporation (72) Inventor Kiji Shoda 1 Toyota Town Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toyota Motor Corporation (72) Inventor Katsumi Murai Aichi 1-1-1, Kyowa-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture Inside (72) Inventor Mamoru Tateishi 1-1-1, Kyowa-cho, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A powder supply means having a sub hopper having a capacity equal to or more than a required supply amount in one unit processing step;
A powder path to the powder supply means, in which a main hopper and a powder supply means having a capacity equal to or more than a required supply amount over the entire process are provided in series, and the powder supply means is determined based on the powder holding amount. And a control means for operating the powder supply means in accordance with a powder holding amount and an operation state of the powder supply means. 2. The control means ascertains a powder supply amount in the powder supply means from a mass decrease per unit time of the powder in the powder supply means, and when the powder supply means is activated, The powder supply device according to claim 1, wherein the powder supply unit is stopped, and the operation of the powder supply unit is stopped when the powder supply unit is operated.