JPH1046380A - Degreasing method and device for small machine parts - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a degreasing and washing treatment method for small machine parts by which machining oil, rust preventive oil, quenching oil, soldering flux, etc., sticking to the processed small machine parts are removed without using degreasing and washing solvents such as trichloroethane which destroys an ozone layer, the generation of rust after washing is prevented and the drying process is omitted. SOLUTION: The small machine parts (rivets, etc.) are charged into a steam generator (boiler) 2 and a hermetically sealable container 6 having a steam inlet 3 on one end and a steam outlet 5 on the other end, and these generator and container are hermetically sealed. Thereafter, saturated steam or superheated steam is supplied to the container 6 so that steam enters from a steam inlet 3 via the small machine parts and flows out of a steam outlet 5 to wash oil, etc., sticking to the parts. The degreaed parts, too, are dried by heat generated by steam. The temp. and fluidizing time of the superheated steam stream are set to a temp. and time required to anneal the small machine parts and annealing can be carried out by superheated steam simultaneously with washing, too. Discharged oil in the steam stream is disposed by combustion with a combustion burner of the steam generator and condensate is returned to the steam generator for reuse.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a degreasing method and apparatus for removing and cleaning oil and the like adhering to small mechanical parts including screws and rivets.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, trichloroethane is used as a degreasing solvent for small machine parts in order to remove metal working oil, rust preventive oil, quenching oil, solder flux, etc. adhered to small machine parts machined such as screws and rivets. I have been. However, trichloroethane, like Freon 113, destroys the ozone layer and has seriously affected living things on the earth.

[0003]

Various cleaning agents have been studied in place of trichloroethane, but new problems have arisen, such as the fact that these cleaning agents are substances that promote the greenhouse effect of the global environment. In addition, in the degreasing method using the degreasing cleaning agent, it is necessary to dry the parts after the cleaning, and together with the annealing of the small mechanical parts, a large amount of electric power is used and the treatment of the separated oil is troublesome.

[0004] There is an apparatus that blows steam into an engine room or the like of an automobile to degrease and clean components therein. In the case of this degreasing cleaning, it is troublesome to remove the water from the parts after the degreasing and cleaning, and if the removal of the water is neglected, rust is generated, and furthermore, the recovery and treatment of the oil removed from the parts is troublesome.

An object of the present invention is to remove a metal working oil, a rust preventive oil, a quenching oil, a solder flux and the like adhering to machined small machine parts without using a degreasing cleaning solvent such as trichloroethane which destroys the ozone layer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for degreasing and cleaning small mechanical parts, which can prevent generation of rust after cleaning and can omit a drying step.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus capable of simultaneously performing the degreasing and cleaning of the above-mentioned small mechanical parts and annealing.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a degreasing cleaning apparatus which can easily treat oil removed from small mechanical parts.

[0008]

According to the present invention, a small mechanical part is placed in a sealable container having a steam inlet at one end and a steam outlet at the other end. After that, supplying saturated steam or superheated steam to the container so as to flow out of the steam outlet from the steam inlet via the small mechanical component through the small-sized mechanical component to wash oil or the like attached to the component. And a method for degreasing and cleaning small mechanical parts. According to the present invention, a steam generator and a container having a steam inlet at one end and a steam outlet at the other end and capable of accommodating and sealing small mechanical parts are provided. A degreasing cleaning device for a small mechanical part is provided, wherein a stream is supplied to a steam inlet of the container, and the steam or the like is used to wash oil or the like attached to the part.

[0009]

In the above method and apparatus according to the present invention, since the degreasing is performed by the steam flow, the metal processing attached to the processed small machine parts without using a degreasing cleaning solvent such as trichloroethane which destroys the ozone layer. Oil, rust preventive oil, quenching oil, solder flux, etc. can be removed, and degreased parts are also dried by the heat of steam, so that no water remains, preventing the generation of rust after washing and eliminating the drying process. Can be omitted.

According to the present invention, in order to attain the above object, according to the present invention, a temperature and a flow time of a superheated steam flow flowing in the container are set to a temperature and a time necessary for annealing small machine parts, and A method and apparatus for performing simultaneous cleaning and annealing with steam is provided. As described above, the small mechanical parts can be annealed as they are using the superheated steam flow. Further, in order to achieve the above-mentioned still another object, a cooler for receiving a steam flow discharged from a steam outlet of the container and returning it to a liquid, and for receiving a liquid containing oil from the cooling means and receiving water and oil. And a means for returning oil from the oil-water separator to the combustion burner of the steam generator. The removed oil is
By the combustion by the combustion burner of the steam generator, simple and efficient processing is performed. Further, a means for returning the condensed water from the oil-water separator to the steam generator can be provided to reuse the water.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A degreasing and cleaning apparatus of the present invention for degreasing and cleaning small machine parts including screws and rivets will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, a degreasing cleaning apparatus 1 for small mechanical parts is installed as a facility such as a plant, and its entire mechanism is automatically operated by an electronic control device (not shown) such as a sequence controller having a built-in computer. The operator can operate a control panel (not shown) to degrease and clean small machine parts.

The degreasing and cleaning apparatus 1 basically includes a boiler 2 as a steam generator, a small mechanical part having a steam inlet 3 at one end and a steam outlet 5 at the other end, and including screws and rivets. And a container 6 which can be housed and sealed.
The container 6 is supplied with saturated steam or superheated steam from the boiler 2 so as to flow out of the steam outlet 5 through the small mechanical parts provided therein from the steam inlet 3 and is contained in the container 6. Degreasing cleaning is performed so as to remove oil and the like adhering to small machine parts. Boiler 2 is 150 ° C ~ 1
It is designed to generate superheated steam up to about 400 ° C. from 70 ° C. saturated steam. As described above, since the high-temperature steam is supplied to the container 6, the small mechanical parts after the degreasing and washing are also heated, and the moisture of the small mechanical parts taken out of the container is immediately diffused into the atmosphere, and the drying process is performed. Is unnecessary.

In the case of superheated steam having a higher temperature than the saturated steam, the small mechanical parts are heated to a higher temperature. By utilizing this, the small mechanical parts of the container 6 can be annealed. That is, by setting the temperature and the flow time of the superheated steam flow flowing into the container 6 to the temperature and time necessary for annealing small machine parts, the degreasing cleaning and the annealing can be performed together. In the embodiment, the superheated steam is produced by passing through a superheater as described later. In the experiment of the present invention, a large number of processed rivets are accommodated in the container 6 as small mechanical parts, and the rivets are arranged in layers in the container between the steam inlet 3 at one end and the steam outlet 5 at the other end. A rivet layer was formed. The container 6 is formed so as to have a size and a shape such that the vapor flow is uniform throughout the rivet layer. Incidentally, in the experiment, the height of the rivet layer was about 200 mm, and the inner diameter of the rivet layer was about 4 mm.
A cylindrical container having a diameter of 0 mm was selected, and the pressure of the steam flow supplied to the container 6 was set to about 0.5 to 0.8 MPa.
Of course, these values are only examples and do not define the scope of the present invention.

The boiler 2 is provided with a combustion burner 7 and a boiler water supply unit 9 in which saturated steam is generated. The saturated steam is output through the first valve 10 on the output side of the boiler 2. Further, on another output side of the boiler 2, a superheater 11 that generates superheated steam by superheating the saturated steam is provided. A second valve 13 is provided on the output side of the superheater 11, and the outlet of the second valve 13 joins the outlet of the first valve 10. First valve 10
By selecting the opening and closing of the second valve 13, the saturated steam and the superheated steam can be selectively supplied to the container 6. The combustion burner 7 has a valve 1 from a fuel source 14.
Fuel is supplied via 5. The saturated steam or superheated steam supplied from the boiler 2 to the vessel 6 is supplied to the third valve 1
7, and the pressure of the vapor stream is monitored by a pressure gauge 18 as a pressure sensor. The pressure gauge 18 outputs data of the pressure of the steam flow flowing into the vessel, and this data is sent to the electronic control unit, and the electronic control unit adjusts the third valve 17 to send the steam flow to the vessel 6. Can be maintained at a predetermined pressure.

Although the number of the containers 6 may be one, as shown in FIG.
Preferably, a plurality of containers 6 are arranged in parallel. As a result, at the same time, small machine parts such as rivets to be degreased and washed are loaded into one container 6, small machine parts after washing are taken out from another container 6, and the other containers 6 are removed. Thus, the degreasing cleaning process can be performed, and the degreasing cleaning operation can be performed efficiently without waste. For supplying and discharging saturated steam or superheated steam to each container 6,
In each container 6, an inlet valve 19 and an outlet valve 21 are provided at the steam inlet 3 and the steam outlet 5, respectively. By selecting the opening and closing of these valves 19 and 21,
Operations such as degreasing, loading and unloading of small machine parts can be selectively performed. These controls are also performed by the electronic control unit.

A bypass pipe 22 is provided in parallel with the container 6.
This bypass pipe 22 is also provided with an inlet valve 19 and an outlet valve 21, which are supplied from the third valve 17 to the vessel 6, but are supplied with saturated steam or superheated steam and discharged. ing. The bypass pipe 22 is provided with a thermometer 23 as a temperature sensor between the valves 19 and 21 to monitor the temperature of saturated steam or superheated steam passing through the bypass pipe 22 and output temperature data. This temperature data is input to the electronic control unit, from which the temperature of the steam flow supplied to the container 6 can be known. The electronic control unit adjusts the temperature of the steam generated in the boiler 2, The steam flow temperature to the container 6 can be maintained at a predetermined temperature. When the container 6 is provided with a temperature sensor, data from the temperature sensor can be used. The bypass pipe 22 can function as a pressure release path when the pressure of the steam flow to the container 6 is high.

The steam containing oil discharged from the container 6 and the bypass pipe 22 is sent to a cooler 25. The steam is cooled by the cooler 25 and returned to a liquid containing oil, and the oil-containing liquid is sent to an oil-water separator 29 via a valve 26 and a pump 27. Oil-water separator 29
The received oil-containing liquid is separated into a water component (that is, condensed water) and an oil component (oil-containing emulsion). Oil-water separator 2
The oil component discharged from 9, that is, the emulsion containing oil, is sent to the combustion burner 34 of the boiler 2 via the valve 30, the pump 31 and the valve 33. The oil removed from the small machine parts is burned by the combustion burner 34, and the processing of the oil after the removal is performed simply and appropriately.

On the other hand, the condensate discharged from the oil / water separator 29 is sent to a cascade tank 38 via a valve 35 and a pump 37. In this tank 38, oil is further removed and water is output. Water from the cascade tank 38 is returned to the boiler 2. Water is supplied from a water supply source 39 to a service water supply unit 9 of the boiler 2 via a valve 41, a pump 42, and a valve 43. The water discharged from the cascade tank 38 joins the pipe 46 of the water supply system of the boiler 2 via the valve 45,
Condensed water from the steam used in the container 6 is reused as boiler water.

Operation of boiler 2, supply of steam to vessel 6, cooler 25, oil / water separator 29 and cascade tank 3
As described above, the operation of 8 and the control of each valve are performed by an electronic control unit supported by a computer, and the operator sets the pressure and temperature of the steam flow and the setting of other parameters by using a control panel. By doing so, automatic operation can be performed.

In an experiment of degreasing cleaning using a rivet, when the height of the rivet layer is about 200 mm, the inner diameter of the rivet layer is about 40 mm, and a saturated steam flow of 160 ° C. and 0.6 MPa is supplied to the container 6. Satisfactory degreasing and washing were performed in a short time of about 1 minute. This degreasing cleaning is performed at about 260 ° C.
When the superheated steam was used, similar degreasing and washing results were obtained.

[0021]

According to the present invention, since the degreasing is performed by the steam flow, the metal working oil adhered to the processed small machine parts without using a degreasing cleaning solvent such as trichloroethane which destroys the ozone layer. Rust prevention oil, quenching oil, solder flux, etc. can be removed, and the degreased parts are also dried by the heat of steam, so they do not get wet with moisture, preventing the generation of rust after washing and eliminating the drying process. . Further, the small machine parts can be annealed as they are using the superheated steam flow. Furthermore, the removed oil can be treated simply and without waste by combustion with the combustion burners of the steam generator, and the water can be reused.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a degreasing cleaning device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Degreasing | cleaning apparatus 2 Boiler (steam generator) 3 Steam inlet of a container 5 Steam outlet of a container 6 Container 7 Combustion burner 9 Boiler water supply part 10, 13 Valve on the output side of a boiler 11 Superheater 14 Fuel source 18 Pressure gauge 19, 21 Container valve 22 Bypass pipe 23 Thermometer 25 Cooler 29 Oil / water separator 34 Combustion burner 38 Cascade tank 39 Water supply source

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A small mechanical part is sealed in a sealable container having a steam inlet at one end and a steam outlet at the other end, and saturated steam or superheated steam is supplied to the container from the steam inlet to the small mechanical part. Cleaning the small machine parts by supplying oil flowing out from the steam outlet through the air outlet and cleaning oil or the like attached to the parts. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a temperature and a flow time of the superheated steam flowing in the container are set to a temperature and a time necessary for annealing small machine parts, and the superheated steam is used for cleaning at the same time. A method characterized by performing annealing. 3. A steam generating apparatus and a container having a steam inlet at one end and a steam outlet at the other end and capable of accommodating and sealing a small mechanical part, wherein the saturated steam flow or the superheated steam flow is supplied from the steam generating device. A degreasing cleaning device for small machine parts, wherein the apparatus is supplied to a steam inlet of a container and cleans oil or the like attached to the parts by the steam flow. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cooler receives the steam flow discharged from the steam outlet of the container and returns the liquid to a liquid, and receives the oil-containing liquid from the cooler to receive a water component and an oil component. An oil-water separator for separating the condensate from the oil-water separator, and means for returning condensed water from the oil-water separator to the steam generator. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means for returning an oil component from the oil-water separator to a combustion burner of a steam generator. 6. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a cooler for receiving the steam flow discharged from the steam outlet of the container and returning the same to a liquid, and a water component for receiving the liquid containing oil from the cooling means. And an oil-water separator for separating oil and oil components, and means for returning oil from the oil-water separator to the combustion burner of the steam generator. 7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of the containers are provided, and the containers are sequentially supplied with the steam flow by switching valves so that small mechanical parts are provided. An apparatus characterized by being washed. 8. A steam generating device, a container having a steam inlet at one end and a steam outlet at the other end and capable of accommodating and sealing small mechanical parts, and an electric and electronic device connected to the steam generating device and a valve of the container. Electronic control unit, which is connected to the electronic control unit, and after the small mechanical parts are put in the container and sealed, a saturated steam flow or a superheated steam flow is supplied to a steam inlet of the container, and the container is closed. A degreasing cleaning device for small machine parts, characterized in that the small machine parts in the machine are controlled to be washed. 9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the electronic control unit includes a computer, and a sensor for detecting a pressure of the steam flowing into the container and a sensor for detecting a temperature of a steam flow to the container. Is provided, and the electronic control unit uses data from the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor to control a device including a combustion burner of the steam generator and valves provided at a steam inlet and a steam outlet of the container. An apparatus for supplying a steam flow at a predetermined pressure and a predetermined temperature to the container.