KR102000007B1 - Continuous heat treatment furnace and manufacturing method of ceramic electronic component using same - Google Patents

Abstract

In the continuous heat treatment furnace HF1, a heat treatment region H for performing heat treatment of the work along the carrying direction b is formed. The work is heat-treated while conveying the heat treatment region (H). The work transport mechanism 100 for transporting the work includes a box-shaped base frame 1 having an opening at the top, a porous plate 2, and a porous plate 2 covering the opening of the base frame 1 And a gas supply means 4 that communicates with the gas chamber 3 to supply the gas g to the gas chamber 3 through the porous plate 2 and flowing out. The porous plate 2 is arranged such that the upper surface 2a is inclined downward toward the workpiece conveying direction and grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ along the conveying direction of the work W are formed on the upper surface 2a .

Description

Continuous heat treatment furnace and manufacturing method of ceramic electronic component using same

The present invention relates to a continuous heat treatment furnace having a workpiece transport mechanism for transporting a plurality of minute workpieces (articles to be processed), and a method of manufacturing ceramic electronic parts using the same.

The continuous processing facility is provided with a work transporting mechanism for continuously transporting the work. As such a work transporting mechanism, a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, and the like are widely used. However, in the work transporting mechanism, a drive mechanism for driving the belt or the roller is required, and the work transporting mechanism becomes complicated and large, and the cost for manufacturing the work transporting mechanism is increased.

Therefore, it is necessary to make the work transport mechanism simple. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-273727 (Patent Document 1) proposes an example of such a work transporting mechanism.

11 is a schematic view of a workpiece transporting mechanism 400 described in Patent Document 1. Fig. The work transporting mechanism 400 includes a box-shaped base frame 401 having an open top, a porous plate 402, an air chamber 403, a gas supply means 404, and a pipe 405 . Here, the air chamber 403 is formed by covering the opening of the base frame 401 with the porous plate 402. The porous plate 402 is arranged so as to be inclined downward toward the carrying direction. A partial pressure loss adjusting mechanism 402a for applying a driving force to the supplied workpiece W is formed on the back surface of the porous plate 402 at the workpiece feeding position P1.

In the base frame 401, a gas supply port 406 communicating with the gas chamber 403 is formed. The gas supply means 404 is connected to the gas supply port 406 through a pipe 405 to supply the gas to the gas chamber 403. The gas supplied to the gas chamber 403 permeates the pores in the porous plate 402 and flows out to the outside.

When the work W is supplied to the work supply position P1 on the porous plate 402, the porous plate 402 is attached to the rear portion (left side in the drawing) of the lower surface of the work W by the partial pressure loss adjusting mechanism 402a. The gas that has permeated through the surface is blown out. Then, the work W is raised obliquely forward and downward, and propulsion is applied in the carrying direction. Thereafter, the workpiece W moves in the transport direction while being lifted upside down along the downward inclined porous plate 402 at an oblique angle.

In the work transporting mechanism 400 described in Patent Document 1, the work W can be transported along the transport direction with a simple structure by the above-described structure, so that the manufacturing cost of the work transporting mechanism can be reduced.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-273727

It is considered that the workpiece transporting mechanism 400 can be effectively applied to a case where a large workpiece W such as a glass substrate is transported one by one by several tens of centimeters and heat-treated. On the other hand, it is considered to apply the work transport mechanism 400 when transporting a plurality of minute workpieces W such as a capacitor body of a multilayer ceramic capacitor and degreasing. When a plurality of minute workpieces W are moved on the porous plate 402 in a state where the minute workpieces are loaded on the porous plate 402, the direction of contact of the gas W, which has passed through the porous plate 402, to one of the workpieces W becomes uneven. As a result, the direction of degreasing becomes uneven and the quality of the work W may be uneven.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a continuous heat treatment furnace capable of uniformly performing treatments such as degreasing even during transportation, and a method for manufacturing ceramic electronic parts using the same.

According to the present invention, the shape of the porous plate can be improved in order to improve the uniformity of the treatment for a plurality of minute works in the continuous heat treatment furnace.

The present invention is first directed to a continuous heat treatment furnace.

In the continuous heat treatment furnace according to the present invention, at least one heat treatment region for performing heat treatment of the work along the work carrying direction is formed. The workpiece is heat-treated while conveying the heat-treated region.

The work transport mechanism for transporting the work includes a base frame, a porous plate, at least one air chamber, and gas supply means. The base frame is box-shaped with at least one opening upward. At least one chamber is formed by covering the porous plate with at least one opening of the base frame. The gas supply means communicates with at least one gas chamber, and supplies gas flowing therethrough through the porous plate to at least one gas chamber. The porous plate is arranged so that its upper surface is inclined downward toward the workpiece conveying direction and a groove is formed on the upper surface along the conveying direction of the work.

In the continuous heat treatment furnace, grooves are formed on the upper surface of the porous plate along the work carrying direction. In this case, even a very small number of work pieces can enter into the groove to maintain the aligned state. Therefore, the work is not banded on the porous plate, and the gas (atmosphere gas) is supplied to the work from the bottom and the side of the groove, so that uniform heat treatment can be performed.

The continuous heat treatment furnace according to the present invention preferably has the following features. That is, the work transporting mechanism further includes an aligning mechanism for aligning the work pieces and inserting them into the grooves.

In the continuous heat treatment furnace, the work transporting mechanism further includes an aligning mechanism for aligning the work and inserting the work into the groove. In this case, even if a plurality of minute workpieces are supplied in bulk to the workpiece transporting mechanism, the workpieces are inserted into the grooves of the porous plate by the aligning mechanism while being aligned. Therefore, since gas is reliably supplied to the work from the bottom face and the side face of the groove, uniform heat treatment can be reliably performed.

The present invention is also directed to a method of manufacturing a ceramic electronic component.

A method of manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to the present invention is a ceramic electronic component body made of a micro-ground, and includes a work-making step for producing a work, a degreasing step, and a baking step for baking the degreased work. In the degreasing step, the continuous heat treatment furnace according to the present invention is used, and the amount of the gas flowing out through the porous plate is adjusted by the gas supplying means to degrease the work.

In the production of ceramic electronic parts, a polymeric organic material called a binder is used in order to bond the ceramic material powder and form the ceramic electronic element body. This binder needs to be burned off until the ceramic electronic component body is baked. The burning off of this binder is called degreasing.

In the method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component, degreasing of a work which is a ceramic electronic element body of a fine ground is performed by using a continuous heat treatment furnace according to the present invention. In this case, as described above, the workpiece does not become a band on the porous plate, and gas (atmosphere gas whose oxygen concentration is adjusted) is supplied to each of the work from the bottom face and the side face of the groove.

In addition, if degreasing is performed while the work is in a bulk state, the heat generated by the degreasing is not dissipated in the inside of the work, and the temperature of the inside of the work is higher than that of the surface. On the other hand, in the degreasing method of the work, since the work is not bulky, it is possible to suppress uneven temperature of each work. Therefore, even a large number of minute workpieces such as a ceramic electronic component body can be uniformly degreased. That is, it is possible to suppress unevenness in the quality of the ceramic electronic component after firing.

(Effects of the Invention)

In the continuous heat treatment furnace according to the present invention, grooves are formed on the upper surface of the porous plate along the work carrying direction. In this case, even a very small number of work pieces can enter into the groove to maintain the aligned state. Therefore, the work is not banded on the porous plate, and the gas (atmosphere gas) is supplied to the work from the bottom and the side of the groove, so that uniform heat treatment can be performed.

Further, in the method of manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to the present invention, degreasing of a work which is a ceramic electronic component body of a microgap is performed by using a continuous heat treatment furnace according to the present invention. In this case, as described above, the workpiece does not become banded on the porous plate, and the gas (atmosphere gas whose oxygen concentration is adjusted) is supplied to each of the workpieces from the bottom surface and the side surface of the groove, Can be suppressed. Therefore, even a large number of minute workpieces such as a ceramic electronic component body can be uniformly degreased. That is, it is possible to suppress unevenness in the quality of the ceramic electronic component after firing.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a continuous heat treatment furnace HF1 as a first embodiment of a continuous heat treatment furnace according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a top view (Fig. 2 (A)) of the porous plate 2 included in the work transport mechanism 100 in the continuous heat treatment furnace HF1 shown in Fig. 1, (Fig. 2 (B)).
Fig. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the set temperature and the gas flow rate and the elapsed time in each zone in the furnace in the continuous heat treatment furnace HF1 shown in Fig.
4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the sectional view of the porous plate 2A as a first modification of the porous plate 2 shown in Fig. 1, as viewed from the arrows shown in Fig. 2 (B).
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the sectional view of the porous plate 2B as a second modification of the porous plate 2 shown in Fig. 1, as viewed from the arrows shown in Fig. 2 (B).
6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the sectional view of the porous plate 2C as a third modification of the porous plate 2 shown in Fig. 1, as viewed from the arrows shown in Fig. 2 (B).
7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a continuous heat treatment furnace (HF2) which is a second embodiment of the continuous heat treatment furnace according to the present invention.
Fig. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the set temperature and the gas flow rate in each region in the furnace and the lapse of time in the continuous heat treatment furnace HF2 shown in Fig. 7;
9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a continuous heat treatment furnace (HF3) as a third embodiment of the continuous heat treatment furnace according to the present invention.
10 is a graph showing the relationship between the set temperature and the gas flow rate and the elapsed time in the respective regions in the furnace in the continuous heat treatment furnace HF3 shown in Fig.
11 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the work transport mechanism 400 of the background art.

Hereinafter, the features of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments of the present invention.

- First Embodiment of Continuous Heat Treatment Furnace -

A continuous heat treatment furnace HF1 as a first embodiment of the continuous heat treatment furnace according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 or Fig. The continuous heat treatment furnace (HF1) is a degreasing furnace used for degreasing a ceramic electronic component body of a fine ground. Hereinafter, the description of the embodiment of the continuous heat treatment furnace according to the present invention will be made on the degreasing furnace as a concrete example.

≪ Structure of Continuous Heat Treatment Furnace >

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a continuous heat treatment furnace (HF1). The continuous heat treatment furnace HF1 is provided with a heat treatment region H for performing heat treatment of the work along the conveyance direction b of a work (not shown). The work is heat-treated while conveying the heat treatment region (H). The work is a ceramic electronic component body made of fine paper as described above, and is manufactured by a known method. Further, in the method of manufacturing a ceramic electronic component, the degreased ceramic electronic component body and the external electrode may be simultaneously fired. In this case, the ceramic electronic component body also includes an external electrode paste previously coated.

The work transport mechanism 100 for transporting the work includes a base frame 1 which is also a lower furnace body of the continuous heat treatment furnace HF1, a porous plate 2, an air chamber 3, a gas supply means 4, .

The base frame 1 is in the form of a box having an opening at the top. The porous plate 2 is arranged such that the upper surface 2a is inclined downward toward the work carrying direction b and grooves (not shown) along the work carrying direction b are formed on the upper surface 2a . The air chamber 3 is formed by covering the opening of the base frame 1 with the porous plate 2. The gas supply means 4 supplies the gas g which communicates with the gas chamber 3 through the pipe 5 and the gas supply port 6 and permeates through the porous plate 2 to the gas chamber 3.

The workpiece transporting mechanism 100 is provided with an alignment mechanism 10 above the upper surface 2a of the porous plate 2. The function of the alignment mechanism 10 will be described later.

The continuous heat treatment furnace HF1 includes an upper furnace body 7 constituting a furnace body together with a lower furnace body and a heater 9 for heating the workpiece. The upper furnace body 7 is provided with a gas discharge port 8 through which the gas g that permeates the porous plate 2 and flows out is discharged. In FIG. 1, the gas discharge ports 8 are provided on the inlet side and the outlet side of the continuous type heat treatment furnace HF1, respectively, but the number and locations thereof are not limited thereto. Further, the upper furnace body is provided with a heat insulating material (not shown), so that the heat dissipation of the heat of the continuous furnace HF1 to the outside is suppressed.

2 (A) is a top view of the porous plate 2 in the continuous heat treatment furnace HF1 shown in Fig. 1. For example, a plurality of minute workpieces in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped like a capacitor body of a multilayer ceramic capacitor W) are shown together. 2 (B) is a cross-sectional view of a plane including an AA line of the top view as viewed from the arrow. Figure 2 shows the upper surface (2a), the conveying direction (b) grooves (2t ₁ ~ 2t ₁₀₎ along the workpiece (W) is formed.

The cross section of the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ perpendicular to the carrying direction b of the work W is rectangular. The work W moves in a state in which the longest side of the rectangular parallelepiped work W enters the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ along the transport direction b. The longest side of the rectangular parallelepiped workpiece W includes the longest side along the carrying direction b and the state where the carrying direction b is slightly inclined.

The width of each groove when viewed from the top surface of the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ is set to be somewhat longer than the length of the second longer side of the rectangular parallelepiped workpiece W. [ That is, the gas g can be supplied to each of the workpieces W from not only the bottom surface of the grooves but also from the side surfaces thereof. Specifically, the width of each groove is preferably about 20% longer than the length of the second longer side of the rectangular parallelepiped workpiece W.

An alignment mechanism 10, which is a plate-like member provided perpendicularly to the conveying direction b of the work W, is provided above the upper surface 2a. The interval between the lower end of the alignment mechanism 10 and the upper surface 2a of the porous plate 2 is set such that only the workpiece W contained in the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ can pass through the alignment mechanism 10 .

The work W is supplied in a bulk state to a work supply position (not shown) on the porous plate 2 in Fig. 2 (A). A part of the supplied workpiece W enters the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ and the other part is on the upper surface 2a and the other part overlaps with the other work W. The gas g that has permeated through the porous plate 2 is blown out to those in the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ among the work W. Then, the work W is in a state in which the frictional force with the side surface and the bottom surface of the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ is lowered.

The work W entering the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ moves in the carrying direction b in a forward and downward direction obliquely along the porous plate 2 of the downward inclination by its own weight. Groove in the conveying of the (2t ₁ ~ 2t ₁₀₎ the workpiece (W), which are of the workpiece (W) also included into the groove (2t ₁ ~ 2t ₁₀₎ according to the same manner, moving in the conveying direction (b).

When the moved workpiece W reaches the aligning mechanism 10, the work W in the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ moves in the carrying direction b as it is. On the other hand, the work W not entering the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ is clogged by the alignment mechanism 10. And home (2t ₁ ~ 2t ₁₀₎ when entering and that the work (W) is passed completely through the alignment mechanism (10) there was a gap between Hoonah or home work that into the (2t ₁ ~ 2t ₁₀₎ (W) home (2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ ) and moves in the transport direction (b). That is, the work W enters the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ by the alignment mechanism 10 and moves on the porous plate 2 in an aligned state. In this case, the work W can be aligned and conveyed with an extremely simple configuration.

The alignment mechanism 10 is not limited to the simple plate member described above and may be configured such that the work W is moved to the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ at the time of feeding the work W onto the porous plate 2 It may be an inserting jig designed to be inserted. It is also possible to use a vibrating device such as a vibrating device that applies weak vibration to the porous plate 2 and breaks down the acid of the workpiece W supplied in a bulk state at the workpiece feed position into the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ It may be.

Fig. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the set temperature and the gas flow rate and the elapsed time in each zone in the furnace in the continuous heat treatment furnace HF1 shown in Fig. The interior of the continuous heat treatment furnace HF1 is roughly divided into a degreasing advancement region where the binder contained in the work W burns and degreasing progresses at a temperature elevation and a maximum temperature holding, And a non-degreased region which is formed as a result. 3, the supplied gas flow rate is constant.

As described above, the workpiece W, which is not charged on the porous plate 2 and is not transferred on the porous plate 2 as described above, is supplied with the gas g from one side and the other side of the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ . In addition, the heat generated by the degreasing in the degreasing advancement region is uniformly dissipated, and the unevenness of the temperature of each workpiece W is suppressed. Therefore, even a very small number of minute workpieces W such as a ceramic electronic component body can be uniformly degreased.

The degreased workpiece W is fired in the manner described above to obtain a ceramic electronic component body. A ceramic electronic component is obtained by forming an external electrode or the like on the obtained ceramic electronic component body if necessary.

≪ Modified Example of Porous Plate >

Modifications of the porous plate 2 included in the work transport mechanism 100 in the continuous heat treatment furnace HF1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 4 to 6. Fig.

≪ First Modification of Porous Plate >

4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the sectional view of the porous plate 2A as a first modification of the porous plate 2 provided in the work transport mechanism 100, as viewed from the arrows shown in Fig. 2 (B). The porous plate (2A) cross-section perpendicular to the conveying direction (b) of the work (W) of the groove (2t ₁ ~ 2t ₁₀₎ which is formed on the upper face (2Aa) is in a U-shape.

In this case, a gap is formed between the work W and the bottoms of the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ , the gas g is easily supplied from the bottom portion, and the supplied gas g easily flows. Therefore, the binder contained in the work W can be effectively burned, and the heat generated by the burning of the binder can be effectively dissipated. Further, since no corner is formed at the bottom and a rounded shape is provided, the mechanical strength can be improved.

≪ Second Modification of Porous Plate >

5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the sectional view of the porous plate 2B, which is a second modification of the porous plate 2 provided in the work transport mechanism 100, as seen from the arrows shown in Fig. 2 (B). The porous plate (2B) cross-section perpendicular to the conveying direction (b) of the work (W) of the groove (2t ₁ ~ 2t ₁₀₎ which is formed on the upper surface (2Ba) is a V-shape.

In this case, like the porous plate 2A, a gap is formed between the work W and the bottom of the grooves 2t ₁ to 2t ₁₀ , and the gas g is easily supplied from the bottom. Further, since the area of the opening in the upper surface 2Ba is widened, the supplied gas g becomes easier to flow. Therefore, the binder contained in the work W can be burned more effectively, and the heat generated by the burning of the binder can be more effectively dissipated.

≪ Third Modification of Porous Plate >

6 is a sectional view corresponding to the sectional view of the porous plate 2C as a third modification of the porous plate 2 provided in the work transport mechanism 100, as viewed from the arrows shown in Fig. 2 (B). The porous plate (2C) cross-section perpendicular to the conveying direction (b) of the work (W) of the groove (2t ₁ ~ 2t ₁₀₎ which is formed on the upper surface (2Ca) is in the bottom portion rounded V-shape.

This case is apt to a gap between the bottom blossomed a gas (g) supplied from the bottom in the same manner as the porous plate (2B) the work (W) and grooves (2t ₁ ~ 2t _10). Further, since the area of the opening portion on the upper surface 2Ca is widened, the supplied gas g becomes easier to flow. Further, like the porous plate 2A, there is no corner at the bottom, and it has a rounded shape. Therefore, the binder contained in the work W can be burned more effectively, and the heat generated by the burning of the binder can be more effectively dissipated. In addition, mechanical strength can be improved.

- Second Embodiment of Continuous Heat Treatment Furnace -

A continuous heat treatment furnace HF2 as a second embodiment of the continuous heat treatment furnace according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. The continuous heat treatment furnace HF2 is a degreasing furnace used for degreasing an electronic component body constituting a ceramic electronic component like the continuous heat treatment furnace HF1.

7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a continuous heat treatment furnace HF2. In the continuous heat treatment furnace HF2, the air chamber is divided into a first air chamber 3a and a second air chamber 3b. The gas supply means 4 communicates with the first chamber 3a via the first pipe 5a and the first gas supply port 6a and the second gas supply port 6b with the second gas supply port 6b And communicates with the second chamber 3b through the second gas chamber 3b to supply the gas g to each chamber. The other portions are the same as those of the continuous heat treatment furnace HF1 described above, so the description is omitted.

In the continuous heat treatment furnace HF2, the first heat treatment zone H1 and the second heat treatment zone H2 for heat treatment of the work along the conveyance direction b of the work (not shown) are formed by the above configuration. The work is heat-treated while conveying the first heat treatment zone H1 and the second heat treatment zone H2.

Fig. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the set temperature and the flow rate of the gas g in the respective regions in the furnace in the continuous heat treatment furnace HF2 shown in Fig. 7 and time lapse. The interior of the continuous heat treatment furnace HF2 can roughly be divided into a degreasing progressing region and a degreasing completion region similarly to the continuous heat treatment furnace HF1. In the case of Fig. 8, the amount of the gas (the atmospheric gas in which the oxygen concentration is adjusted) supplied to each of the chambers is adjusted by the gas supply means 4 to be large in the degreasing progress area, and decreases in the degreasing completion area. In addition, the gas (g) components supplied to the respective regions are assumed to be the same.

In the degreasing method, the degreasing is promoted by increasing the amount of the gaseous agent g in the degreasing proceeding region, and by reducing the amount of the gaseous substance g flowing in the degreasing completed region, the degreasing can be performed efficiently .

- Third Embodiment of Continuous Heat Treatment Furnace -

A continuous heat treatment furnace HF3 as a third embodiment of the continuous heat treatment furnace according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 9 and 10. Fig. The continuous heat treatment furnace HF3 is a degreasing furnace used for degreasing an electronic component body constituting a ceramic electronic component like the continuous heat treatment furnaces HF1 and HF2.

9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a continuous heat treatment furnace HF3. In the continuous heat treatment furnace HF3, the air chamber is divided into a first air chamber 3a, a second air chamber 3b, and a third air chamber 3c. The gas supply means 4 communicates with the first chamber 3a via the first pipe 5a and the first gas supply port 6a and the second gas supply port 6b with the second gas supply port 6b And communicates with the second gas chamber 3b via the third gas supply port 6c and the third gas chamber 6c to communicate with the third gas chamber 3c to supply the gas g to each gas chamber. The other portions are the same as the above-described continuous heat treatment furnaces HF1 and HF2, and the description is omitted.

In the continuous heat treatment furnace HF3, the first heat treatment region H1, the second heat treatment region H2, and the third heat treatment region H2 for heat-treating the work along the conveyance direction b of the work (not shown) The region H3 is formed. The work is heat-treated while conveying the first heat treatment zone H1, the second heat treatment zone H2, and the third heat treatment zone H3.

10 is a graph showing the relationship between the set temperature and the flow rate of the gas g in the respective regions in the furnace in the continuous heat treatment furnace HF3 shown in Fig. 9 and the lapse of time. The inside of the continuous heat treatment furnace HF3 can roughly be divided into a degreasing progressing region and a degreasing completion region similarly to the continuous heat treatment furnaces HF1 and HF2. By the method of disposing the heater 9, the degreasing advancement region can also be divided into the low temperature region and the high temperature region. In the case of FIG. 10, the flow rate of the gas g supplied to each chamber is adjusted by the gas supply means 4 to be the second largest in the low temperature region of the degreasing progress region, the largest at the high temperature region of the degreasing progress region, The lowest in the region. Further, the components of the gas g supplied to the respective regions are assumed to be the same.

In the degreasing method, the flow rate of the gas (g) at a low temperature region, in which burning of the binder is difficult to progress even in a degreasing progressing region, is made smaller than that at a high temperature region, and the flow rate of the gas (g) , It is possible to perform more efficient degreasing by reducing the flow rate of the gas g in the degreasing completion region and reducing the amount of the gas g that is in vain.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various applications and modifications can be added within the scope of the present invention. For example, the amount of the gas g to be supplied to each of the gas chambers may be adjusted not only by the gas supply means 4 but also by the aperture ratio of the porous plate 2. The type of the substrate g supplied by the gas supply means 4 may be different between the chambers.

For example, the type and arrangement of the heater 9 and the type of the substrate g supplied by the gas supplying means 4 are made different between the respective chambers, so that degreasing and firing are performed in one continuous heat treatment furnace Maybe. That is, the present invention can be applied regardless of the content of the back surface heat treatment by the continuous heat treatment.

It is to be noted that the embodiments described in this specification are illustrative, and it is pointed out that partial substitution or combination of constitutions is possible between different embodiments.

HF1, HF2, HF3: continuous heat treatment furnace 100: workpiece conveying mechanism
1: Base frame 2: Porous plate
2a: Top surface 2t ₁ ~ 2t ₁₀ : Home
3: air chamber 4: gas supply means
W: Work H: Heat treatment area
g: gas b: conveying direction

Claims (6)

There is provided a continuous heat treatment furnace in which at least one heat treatment region for performing heat treatment of the work along a conveying direction of a work is formed and the work is conveyed to the heat treatment region and is heat treated,
A workpiece transporting mechanism for transporting the workpiece includes a box-shaped base frame having at least one opening above, a porous plate, and at least one air chamber formed by covering the at least one opening of the base frame, And gas supply means for supplying gas to the at least one gas chamber communicating with the at least one gas chamber and flowing out through the porous plate,
The porous plate is disposed so that its upper surface is inclined downward toward the carrying direction of the work, and a groove along the carrying direction of the work is formed on the upper surface, and heat treatment is performed on the work inserted in the groove Features a continuous heat treatment furnace. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the work transporting mechanism further comprises an aligning mechanism for aligning the work and inserting the work into the groove. The method according to claim 1,
Characterized in that the work is directly entered into the groove. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a gas is supplied from a side surface and a bottom surface of the groove or from a bottom of the groove. The method according to claim 1,
The inside of the continuous heat treatment furnace is divided into a degreasing advancement region and a degreasing completion region,
Characterized in that the amount of the gas supplied to the chamber increases in the degreasing proceeding region and decreases in the degreasing completed region. The work is a microelectronic element ceramic body,
A workpiece manufacturing step of manufacturing the workpiece,
A degreasing step of degreasing the work while adjusting the amount of the gas flowing out of the porous plate through the continuous heat treatment furnace as set forth in claim 1 or 2 by the gas supply unit,
And a sintering step of sintering the work after degreasing,
The gas passing through the porous plate is blown out to the work so as to lower the frictional force between the work and the bottom surface of the groove so that the work is biased downward by the weight of the work, And the degreasing step is performed while moving the workpiece in a direction of conveyance of the workpiece.

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