WO2012102064A1

WO2012102064A1 - Sealing device and method for producing honeycomb structure

Info

Publication number: WO2012102064A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/050123
Authority: WO
Inventors: 正春森; エイキョウ
Original assignee: 住友化学株式会社
Priority date: 2011-01-26
Filing date: 2012-01-05
Publication date: 2012-08-02
Also published as: JP2012153011A; JP5065501B2

Abstract

This sealing device (100) is provided with: a main body (10) having a concavity (10d), a rim (10a) around the concavity (10d), and an interconnection path (10e) that opens to the inner surface of the concavity (10d); an elastic endless belt (20) that is stretched across in a manner so that a portion thereof covers the concavity (10d); a pressing unit (27) that can press the elastic endless belt (20) towards the rim (10a); and a drive unit (32) that moves the elastic endless belt (20) in the direction of revolution.

Description

Sealing device and method for manufacturing honeycomb structure

The present invention relates to a sealing device and a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure.

Conventionally, honeycomb filter structures have been widely known for DPF (Diesel particulate filter) and the like. This honeycomb filter structure has a structure in which one end side of some through holes of a honeycomb structure having a large number of through holes is sealed with a sealing material, and the other end side of the remaining through holes is sealed with a sealing material. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing such a honeycomb filter structure. In Patent Document 1, the sealing material is supplied to the end portion of the through hole of the honeycomb structure by pressing the sealing material with the piston 8 against one end of the honeycomb structure 1 disposed in the cylinder 7.

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 63-24731

However, in the conventional method, after the sealing material is supplied by the piston, it is necessary to clean the piston 8 before performing the next supply process, so that the production efficiency is lowered.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a sealing device and a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure excellent in production efficiency.

The sealing device according to the present invention comprises:
A concave portion, a peripheral portion around the concave portion, and a main body portion having a communication path that opens to the inner surface of the concave portion;
An elastic endless belt stretched so that a portion thereof covers the concave portion and the peripheral portion;
And a drive unit that moves the elastic endless belt in a circumferential direction.

According to the present invention, the sealing material can be efficiently supplied to the through holes of the honeycomb structure by the following procedure. First, the elastic endless belt is deformed along the concave portion of the main body portion by discharging the fluid in the concave portion of the main body portion through the communication path, thereby forming the concave portion by the elastic endless belt. Next, a sealing material is supplied into the recess of the elastic endless belt, and the honeycomb structure is held on the recess. Subsequently, fluid is supplied between the concave portion of the main body portion and the elastic endless belt via the communication path, and the elastic endless belt is moved toward the honeycomb structure. Thereby, the sealing material in the recessed part of an elastic endless belt is supplied in the through-hole of a honeycomb structure. Thereafter, when the elastic endless belt is moved in the circumferential direction, the portion of the elastic endless belt to which the sealing material is attached is displaced from the position facing the concave portion of the main body. Therefore, the portion to which the sealing material is attached can be washed during the next sealing operation. In addition, the clean end portion of the elastic endless belt can be made to face the concave portion of the main body portion to immediately start the next sealing operation.

Here, it is preferable to include a pressing portion capable of pressing the elastic endless belt against the peripheral portion. According to this, before forming the concave part of the elastic endless belt, the elastic endless belt is pressed against the peripheral part by the pressing part, so that the concave part can be suitably formed, and the fluid when the sealing material is supplied to the through hole Leakage etc. are also suppressed. Moreover, if the elastic endless belt is pressed by the pressing portion before the elastic endless belt is moved in the circumferential direction, the movement in the circumferential direction is hardly hindered.

The elastic endless belt preferably has an endless rubber belt.

According to this, the adhesiveness and airtightness with the peripheral edge of the main body portion are enhanced, and since it can be easily deformed along the shape of the concave portion of the main body portion, the sealing work can be suitably performed.

Further, it is preferable that the elastic endless belt further includes a removing mechanism that removes an adhering matter attached to a portion of the elastic endless belt that does not face the concave portion of the main body.

The removal mechanism preferably has a scraper that scrapes off the deposits. Thereby, the deposits can be easily removed.

It is preferable that the removing mechanism includes a nozzle that ejects liquid to the elastic endless belt. Also by this, the deposits can be easily removed.

It is preferable to further include a dryer for drying the liquid on the elastic endless belt.

It is preferable that the apparatus further includes a control unit that is connected to the communication path and controls supply and discharge of fluid. Thereby, formation of a recessed part and sealing operation | movement by the movement of an elastic endless belt can be performed suitably.

A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to the present invention includes:
A concave portion, a peripheral portion around the concave portion, a main body portion having a communication path that opens to the inner surface of the concave portion, and an elastic endless belt in which a part thereof is stretched so as to cover the concave portion and the peripheral portion are prepared. And the process of
Forming the recess of the elastic endless belt by discharging the fluid in the recess of the main body;
Supplying a sealing material into the recess of the elastic endless belt;
Disposing one end surface of the honeycomb structure having a plurality of through holes so as to face the concave portion of the elastic endless belt supplied with the sealing material;
Supplying the sealing material on the elastic endless belt to the through-holes of the honeycomb structure by supplying a fluid between the concave portion of the main body and the elastic endless belt;
And a step of moving the elastic endless belt in the circumferential direction after the relaxing step.

Here, before the step of forming the recess, pressing a part of the elastic endless belt against the peripheral edge around the recess of the main body,
It is preferable that the method further includes a step of relaxing a force of pressing the elastic endless belt against a peripheral portion around the concave portion of the main body before the step of moving the elastic endless belt in the circumferential direction. The step of relaxing is preferably after the step of forming the recess, and more preferably after the step of supplying the sealing material. Moreover, when the process of further protruding an elastic endless belt is included after supply of a sealing material, it is preferable that the process of relieving is after the process of protruding.

The elastic endless belt preferably has an endless rubber belt.

In the step of arranging, it is preferable that a mask having a plurality of through holes is further arranged between the concave portion of the elastic endless belt and one end surface of the honeycomb structure.

Further, it is preferable that the method further includes a step of removing an adhering matter attached to a portion of the elastic endless belt that does not face the concave portion of the main body.

Further, it is preferable that the removing step includes scraping off deposits on the elastic endless belt.

Further, it is preferable that the removing step includes washing the deposit on the elastic endless belt with a liquid.

Moreover, it is preferable to further include a step of drying the liquid on the elastic endless belt.

According to the present invention, a sealing device and a manufacturing method excellent in production efficiency are provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a sealing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line II-II of the sealing device of FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a honeycomb structure used in the sealing device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4 (a) is a perspective view of the mask of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 (b) is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4 (a). 5A is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the sealing device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5B is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 6A is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 5B, and FIG. 6B is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 6A. 7A is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 6B, and FIG. 7B is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 7A. 8A is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 7B, and FIG. 8B is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 7A. 9A is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 8B, and FIG. 9B is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 7A.

Preferred embodiments of the sealing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements or elements having the same function, and a duplicate description is omitted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a sealing device 100 according to an example of this embodiment. The sealing device 100 according to the present embodiment mainly includes a main body unit 10, an elastic endless belt 20, a pump 50, and a holding unit 80.

The main body 10 is made of a rigid material. Examples of the rigid material include metals such as stainless steel and polymer materials such as fiber reinforced plastic. A concave portion 10d is formed on the upper surface of the main body portion 10, and an annular peripheral portion 10a is formed around the concave portion 10d. In the present embodiment, the shape of the recess 10d is a columnar shape as shown in FIGS. And the side surface 10b of the recessed part 10d is perpendicular | vertical with respect to the surface of the peripheral part 10a of the main-body part 10, and the bottom face 10c is made parallel. The diameter of the recess 10d can be set to 100 to 320 mm, for example. The depth of the recess 10d can be set to 0.2 to 20 mm, for example.

The elastic endless belt 20 is stretched around the main body 10 by a plurality of rollers 30 so that a part thereof covers the recess 10d and the peripheral edge 10a of the main body 10. The elastic endless belt 20 has elasticity and can be easily deformed. As the elastic endless belt 20, an endless rubber belt is preferable. Examples of the rubber include natural rubber, and synthetic rubber such as styrene butadiene rubber, butadiene rubber, butyl rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, nitrile rubber, chloroprene rubber, fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, and urethane rubber. The thickness of the elastic endless belt 20 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 0.3 to 3.0 mm.

As shown in FIG. 2, the width W20 of the elastic endless belt 20 is a size that can cover the entire concave portion 10d and can cover the peripheral portion 10a for one round regardless of the radial width. .

Returning to FIG. 1, a motor (driving unit) 32 is connected to some of the rollers 30, and rotating the rollers 30 moves the elastic endless belt 20 in the direction of the arrow A in the illustrated direction. Can do.

Returning to FIG. 1, the pressing portion 27 includes a cylinder 27a extending in the vertical direction, a piston 27b provided in the cylinder 27a, and a ring member 27c provided at the lower end of the piston 27b. Further, the pressure on the upper and lower sides of the piston 27b can be adjusted by a pressure adjusting means (not shown), and the cylinder 27a can be moved downward or moved upward. The pressing portion 27 can bring the ring member 27c into contact with the elastic endless belt 20 by moving the cylinder 27a downward. Further, by pressing the ring member 27c downward, On the other hand, the elastic endless belt 20 can be brought into close contact. On the contrary, the pressing portion 27 moves the inside of the cylinder 27a upward to relieve the pressing of the elastic endless belt 20 by the ring member 27c, and moves the elastic endless belt 20 in the circumferential direction. It can be made possible.

The ring member 27c has an opening 27ca at a position corresponding to the concave portion 10d of the main body portion 10, thereby forming an annular shape. The ring member 27c is disposed on the elastic endless belt 20 so that the central portion of the elastic endless belt 20 (the portion facing the concave portion 10d) is exposed upward, and faces the peripheral portion 10a of the main body portion 10. .

As shown in FIG. 1, the inner diameter of the opening 27ca of the ring member 27c is preferably larger than the inner diameter of the recess 10d of the main body 10.

The main body 10 further has a communication passage 10e that opens to the bottom surface 10c of the recess 10d. In the present embodiment, the communication path 10e opens to the bottom surface 10c of the recess 10d, but may be open to the inner surface of the recess 10d. For example, the communication path 10e may open to the side surface 10b of the recess 10d. Further, the shape and number of openings of the communication passage 10e are not particularly limited.

A pump 50 is connected to the communication path 10e via a connection pipe 14.

The pump 50 includes a cylinder 51, a piston 53 disposed in the cylinder 51, and a piston rod 54 connected to the piston 53. A motor 55 that reciprocates the piston rod 54 in the axial direction is connected to the piston rod 54. The piston rod 54 may be moved manually.

In the present embodiment, a closed space V formed by the main body 10, the connection pipe 14, and the cylinder 51 is formed between the portion that covers the recess 10 d of the elastic endless belt 20 and the piston 53, and is closed. The space V is filled with a fluid FL. The fluid FL is not particularly limited, but a liquid is preferable, and spindle oil or the like is particularly preferable. The fluid FL may be a gas such as air. Then, by moving the piston 53, the fluid FL can be discharged from the concave portion 10d of the main body portion 10, and the fluid FL can be supplied into the concave portion 10d.

A holding unit 80 is provided on the main body unit 10. The holding unit 80 includes a holding tool 81 that holds the honeycomb structure 70 and a pneumatic cylinder 82 to which the holding tool 81 is connected.

The holder 81 holds the honeycomb structure 70 so that the opening surface on one side of the through hole 70a faces the elastic endless belt 20 and the recess 10d as shown in FIG.

The pneumatic cylinder 82 includes a cylinder 82a extending in the vertical direction and a piston 82b provided in the cylinder 82a. By adjusting the pressure supplied from the outside, the pressure on both the upper and lower sides of the piston 82b can be adjusted. ing. As a result, the pneumatic cylinder 82 can move the holder 81 in the direction in which the honeycomb structure 70 and the elastic endless belt 20 approach each other and in the direction in which they move away from each other. In addition, the pneumatic cylinder 82 allows the honeycomb structure 70 to be in close contact with the mask 170 described later by pressing the holder 81 downward with a predetermined force in accordance with the gas supply pressure before and after the piston 82b. it can. Furthermore, the pneumatic cylinder 82 can also permit the holder 81 to move freely in the vertical direction by releasing the pressure before and after the piston. That is, the holding unit 80 can switch between a state in which the honeycomb structure 70 held by the holder 81 can freely move upward and a state in which the honeycomb structure 70 is fixed to the main body 10. .

The sealing device 100 further includes a scraping mechanism 61 and a cleaning nozzle 62 as a removing mechanism 60 for removing the sealing material residue 130 a on the elastic endless belt 20.

The scraping mechanism 61 includes a scraper 61 a that contacts the surface of the elastic endless belt 20 and a scraper driving unit 61 b that moves the scraper 61 a, and scrapes the residue 130 a of the sealing material 130 remaining on the surface of the elastic endless belt 20. take.

The cleaning nozzle 62 ejects liquid onto the surface of the elastic endless belt 20 to clean the surface. The cleaning nozzle 62 is connected to the liquid supply source 62a via the line L1 and the pump 62b. The liquid is not particularly limited, but a sealing material solvent is preferably used.

The removing mechanism 60 such as the scraping mechanism 61 and the cleaning nozzle 62 is provided at a position of the elastic endless belt 20 that removes deposits on a portion of the main body 10 that does not face the recess 10d. Further, in the circumferential direction of the elastic endless belt 20, it is preferable that the scraping mechanism 61 is disposed on the downstream side of the concave portion 10 d of the main body 10, and the cleaning nozzle 62 is disposed on the downstream side of the scraping mechanism 61.

Furthermore, the sealing device 100 includes a blower 64 as a dryer for drying the liquid on the elastic endless belt 20.

It is preferable that the dryer such as the blower 64 is provided further downstream than the cleaning nozzle 62 in the circumferential direction of the elastic endless belt 20. In the present embodiment, the blower 64 is provided at a position where the liquid is removed from a portion of the elastic endless belt 20 that does not face the recess 10 d of the main body 10. It may be in a position to remove the liquid in the portion facing the recess 10d.

An example of the honeycomb structure 70 used in the present embodiment is a cylindrical body in which a large number of through holes 70a are arranged substantially in parallel as shown in FIG. The cross-sectional shape of the through hole 70a is a square as shown in FIG. The plurality of through holes 70a are arranged in a square arrangement in the honeycomb structure 70, that is, such that the central axis of the through hole 70a is located at the apex of the square, respectively. The square size of the cross section of the through hole 70a can be set to, for example, 0.8 to 2.5 mm on a side.

Further, the length of the honeycomb structure 70 in the direction in which the through holes 70a extend is not particularly limited, but may be 40 to 350 mm, for example. Further, the outer diameter of the honeycomb structure 70 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 100 to 320 mm.

The material of the honeycomb structure 70 is not particularly limited, but a ceramic material is preferable from the viewpoint of high temperature resistance. Examples thereof include alumina, silica, mullite, cordierite, glass, oxides such as aluminum titanate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and metal. The aluminum titanate can further contain magnesium and / or silicon. Such a honeycomb structure 70 is usually porous.

Further, the honeycomb structure 70 may be a green molded body (unfired molded body) that becomes a ceramic material as described above by firing later. A green molded object contains the inorganic compound source powder which is a ceramic raw material, organic binders, such as methylcellulose, and the additive added as needed.

For example, in the case of a green molded body of aluminum titanate, the inorganic compound source powder includes an aluminum source powder such as α-alumina powder, and a titanium source powder such as anatase-type or rutile-type titania powder. Furthermore, magnesium source powders such as magnesia powder and magnesia spinel powder and / or silicon source powders such as silicon oxide powder and glass frit can be included.

Examples of the organic binder include celluloses such as methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxyalkylmethylcellulose, and sodium carboxymethylcellulose; alcohols such as polyvinyl alcohol; and lignin sulfonate.

Examples of additives include a pore-forming agent, a lubricant and a plasticizer, a dispersant, and a solvent.

Examples of pore-forming agents include carbon materials such as graphite; resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene and polymethyl methacrylate; plant materials such as starch, nut shells, walnut shells and corn; ice; and dry ice.

Lubricants and plasticizers include alcohols such as glycerin; higher fatty acids such as caprylic acid, lauric acid, palmitic acid, arachidic acid, oleic acid and stearic acid; and stearic acid metal salts such as Al stearate.

Examples of the dispersant include inorganic acids such as nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid; organic acids such as oxalic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, malic acid and lactic acid; alcohols such as methanol, ethanol and propanol; ammonium polycarboxylate, poly Surfactants such as oxyalkylene alkyl ethers are listed.

As the solvent, for example, alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, butanol and propanol; glycols such as propylene glycol, polypropylene glycol and ethylene glycol; and water can be used.

The mask 170 is disposed in the opening 27ca of the ring member 27c on the elastic endless belt 20. The material of the mask 170 is not specifically limited, For example, a metal and resin are mentioned.

FIG. 4A shows an example of the mask 170 used in this embodiment. The mask 170 is a circular plate-like member and has a large number of through-holes 170a extending in the thickness direction. The cross-sectional shape of the through hole 170a is a square corresponding to the through hole 70a (see FIG. 3B) of the honeycomb structure 70, as shown in FIG. 4B. The plurality of through holes 170a are arranged in a staggered manner as shown in FIG. 4B, and each through hole 170a is formed of the plurality of through holes 70a arranged in a square shape in FIG. 3B. These are disposed to face only the plurality of through holes 70ai that are not adjacent to each other in the vertical and horizontal directions. In order to facilitate positioning of the through-hole 170a of the mask 170, the mask 170 is formed with an orientation flat 170b, and a corresponding projection 25b corresponding to the orientation flat may be provided on the ring member 27c. . As shown in FIG. 1, the outer diameter of the mask 170 is preferably larger than the inner diameter of the recess 10 d of the main body 10.

The main body 10 is preferably provided with a vibrator 140 such as an ultrasonic vibrator.

(how to use)
It continues and the usage method of the above-mentioned sealing apparatus 100 is demonstrated. First, from the state of FIG. 1, the pneumatic cylinder 82 is driven in advance, and the holder 81 that holds the honeycomb structure 70 is pulled upward, and the mask 170 is removed from the elastic endless belt 20. Next, by pulling the piston 53 of the pump 50 downward, the fluid FL is discharged downward from the recess 10 d of the main body 10. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5A, the elastic endless belt 20 is deformed and is brought into close contact with the side surface 10b and the bottom surface 10c of the recess 10d, thereby forming the recess 20d of the elastic endless belt 20.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, the sealing material 130 is supplied into the recess 20 d of the elastic endless belt 20. As necessary, the surface of the sealing material 130 is flattened and defoamed by driving the vibrator 140.

(Sealing material)
The sealing material 130 is not particularly limited as long as it can close the end portion of the through hole 70a of the honeycomb structure 70, but is preferably liquid. For example, the sealing material may be a slurry containing a ceramic material or a ceramic raw material, a binder, preferably a lubricant, and a solvent. Examples of the ceramic material include the constituent material of the above-described honeycomb structure and the raw material thereof.

Examples of the binder include celluloses such as methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxyalkylmethylcellulose, and sodium carboxymethylcellulose; alcohols such as polyvinyl alcohol; and organic binders such as lignin sulfonate. The amount of the binder used can be, for example, 0.1 to 10% by mass when the sealing material is 100% by mass.

Lubricants include alcohols such as glycerin, caprylic acid, lauric acid, palmitic acid, higher fatty acids such as alginate, oleic acid and stearic acid, and stearic acid metal salts such as Al stearate. The addition amount of the lubricant is usually 0 to 10% by mass, preferably 1 to 10% by mass, more preferably 1 to 5% by mass with respect to 100% by mass of the sealing material.

As the solvent, for example, alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, butanol and propanol; glycols such as propylene glycol, polypropylene glycol and ethylene glycol; and water can be used. Of these, water is preferable, and ion-exchanged water is more preferably used from the viewpoint of few impurities. The amount of the solvent used can be, for example, 15 to 40% by mass when the sealing material is 100% by mass.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6A, a mask 170 is set on the elastic endless belt 20 so as to cover the concave portion 10 d of the main body 10, and then the holder 81 is moved downward by the pneumatic cylinder 82. By bringing the honeycomb structure 70 into contact with the mask 170, a part of the through holes 70a of the honeycomb structure 70 and the through holes 170a of the mask 170 are communicated with each other, and the holding tool 81 is moved downward by the pneumatic cylinder 82. The honeycomb structure 70 is fixed to the mask 170 and the main body 10 by pressing.

Next, by moving the piston of the pump 50 upward, the fluid FL is supplied between the recess 10d and the elastic endless belt 20 through the communication passage 10e, and as shown in FIG. The elastic endless belt 20 moves toward the mask 170. This step is preferably performed until the elastic endless belt 20 comes into contact with the mask 170 and the deformation of the elastic endless belt 20 is eliminated, as shown in FIG.

Thereby, the sealing material 130 is supplied into a part of the through holes 70a of the honeycomb structure 70 through the through holes 170a of the mask 170, and the sealing portion 70p is formed.

Subsequently, after the downward pressing of the honeycomb structure 70 by the pneumatic cylinder 82 is stopped so that the honeycomb structure 70 can freely move upward, the piston 53 is further raised to move the elastic endless belt 20 and the main body 10. Further, a fluid FL is supplied between the two. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7B, the elastic endless belt 20 is deformed in a convex shape upward, and the mask 170 and the honeycomb structure 70 move upward. At this time, since the peripheral portion of the elastic endless belt 20 that deforms into a convex shape is separated from the mask 170, the mask 170 and the honeycomb structure 70 can be easily separated from the main body portion 10. The holder 81 can be removed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8A, a residue 130 a of the sealing material 130 remains on the surface of the elastic endless belt 20.

Subsequently, the piston 27b of the pressing portion 27 is raised, the pressing of the elastic endless belt 20 by the ring member 27c is released, and the elastic endless belt 20 can be moved around. Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the elastic endless belt 20 is moved in the direction of the arrow A in the circumferential direction. As a result, the portion of the elastic endless belt 20 to which the residue 130a of the sealing material 130 is attached moves from the portion facing the recess 10d to the non-facing portion, while the residue 130a of the sealing material 130 is removed as described later. The surface of the elastic endless belt 20 having a smooth surface is disposed at a position facing the recess 10d.

Subsequently, as described above, the elastic endless belt 20 is pressed by the pressing portion 27 as shown in FIG. 5A to form the recess 20d of the elastic endless belt 20, and as shown in FIG. 5B. The sealing material 130 is supplied to the recess 20d. Further, as shown in FIG. 9A, the mask 170 in which the arrangement of the through holes 170 a is opposite to the mask 170 is arranged on the elastic endless belt 20 so as to cover the recess 10 d of the main body 10. After the installation, the top and the bottom are turned over, the honeycomb structure 70 is again held by the holder 81, and then the concave portion of the elastic endless belt 20 is moved upward by the pump, thereby performing the same sealing operation. Thereby, the other end side of the remaining through-hole 70a is sealed with the sealing material, and the sealing part 70p is formed. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9B, the elastic endless belt 20 is deformed upward in the same manner as described above, so that the mask 170 ′ and the honeycomb structure 70 can be easily formed into the main body 10 and the elastic endless. It can be pulled away from the belt 20.

In this way, the honeycomb filter structure can be manufactured by drying and firing the honeycomb structure 70 in which both ends of the through hole 70a are sealed.

Subsequently, the cleaning of the residue 130a will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the elastic endless belt 20 circulates in the direction of arrow A after the end of the first sealing step, so that the portion of the elastic endless belt 20 to which the residue 130 a is attached is removed from the recess 10 d of the main body 10. Move away and in front of the scraping mechanism 61. Then, in the main body 10, while the second sealing operation is performed, the scraper 61 a of the scraping mechanism 61 moves along the surface of the elastic endless belt 20, so that the sealing material residue 130 a is scraped. Taken.

Next, when the second sealing step in the recess 10d of the main body 10 is finished, the elastic endless belt 20 moves in the direction of arrow A, and the residue 130a in the elastic endless belt 20 is scraped off by the scraper 61a. Moves in front of the cleaning nozzle 62. While the third sealing operation is performed in the main body 10, the residue 130 a on the surface of the elastic endless belt 20 is further removed by the fluid ejected from the cleaning nozzle 62. During this time, the residue 130 a generated by the second sealing operation is removed by the scraping mechanism 61.

When the third sealing step in the concave portion 10d of the main body 10 is completed, the portion of the elastic endless belt 20 to which the liquid has adhered by being cleaned by the cleaning nozzle 62 moves around in the direction of arrow A, and the blower 64 Move in front of the drying means.

Next, while the fourth sealing operation is performed in the main body 10, the liquid on the surface of the elastic endless belt 20 is removed by the blower 64, and the surface of the elastic endless belt 20 is cleaned. During this time, cleaning operations by the scraping mechanism 61 and the cleaning nozzle 62 are performed. When the fourth sealing step is finished, the elastic endless belt 20 is also moved in the circumferential direction, and the clean surface of the elastic endless belt 20 is supplied to a position facing the recess 10 d of the main body 10.

According to the present invention, the sealing device 100 includes the main body 10, the elastic endless belt 20, and the motor 32, so that the portion where the residue of the sealing material is adhered by the sealing operation can be quickly separated from the portion facing the recess 10 d. It can be moved to another part and the part can be cleaned during the next sealing operation. Furthermore, immediately after completion of the sealing operation, the already cleaned portion can be made to face the concave portion and the next sealing operation can be started. Therefore, after the sealing work, the time required for sealing can be shortened compared with the case where the elastic plate is washed and then the next sealing work is performed, and the sealed honeycomb structure can be efficiently manufactured at low cost. I can do it.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation aspect is possible.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the upper lower surface of the elastic endless belt 20 faces the concave portion 10d of the main body portion 10 and surrounds the main body portion 10, and the sealing material residue 130a adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the elastic endless belt 20. To do. Accordingly, the residue 130 on the outer peripheral surface of the elastic endless belt 20 is removed and cleaned. On the other hand, the lower surface of the lower end of the elastic endless belt 20 faces the concave portion 10d of the main body portion 10 and surrounds the ring member 27c. In this case, since the residue 130a adheres to the inner peripheral surface of the elastic endless belt 20, the residue 130a on the inner peripheral surface is removed or cleaned.

Also, the form and number of the removal mechanism 60 that removes the residue 130a in a portion that does not face the recess 10d of the main body 10 is not particularly limited. For example, only the scraping mechanism 61 or only the cleaning nozzle 62 may be used, and other removal mechanisms, for example, a suction mechanism for sucking a residue may be combined with one or more other removal mechanisms, or It may be provided alone.

Also, the form of the removal mechanism 60 is not limited to the above form. For example, the scraper 61a is fixed and the residue 130a is scraped off by the circular movement of the elastic endless belt 20.

In the above embodiment, the dryer has a blower that blows off the liquid, but a heater that evaporates by heating, a woven fabric or a nonwoven fabric that wipes off the liquid, and the like can also be used. Further, depending on the liquid used for cleaning, the present invention can be carried out without providing a drying means.

In the above description, the communication path 10 e is formed by the main body 10 and the connection pipe 14, but the pump 50 may be directly connected to the main body 10 without the connection pipe 14.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the piston pump provided with the cylinder 51, piston 53, and piston rod 54 is employ | adopted as the pump 50, if supply and discharge | emission of the fluid into the recessed part 10d are controllable. Others may be used. For example, a control means having a valve connected to a pressure source and capable of controlling the supply of fluid from the pressure source, and a valve connected to a vacuum source such as a vacuum pump and capable of controlling the discharge of fluid to the vacuum source. Good.

Further, the shape of the recess 10d is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set according to the honeycomb structure 70 to be sealed.

For example, the planar shape of the recess 10d viewed from above may be an ellipse, a rectangle, a square, or the like other than a circle. In this case, the size in the case of a rectangle or square can be, for example, 50 to 300 mm on a side. Further, the side surface 10b does not need to be perpendicular to the surface of the peripheral edge portion 10a of the main body 10 and the bottom surface 10c is not required to be parallel, and may be a slope or a curved surface, for example.

In the above embodiment, the holding unit 80 includes the pneumatic cylinder 82, but is not limited thereto, and can be replaced by various mechanisms such as a gear mechanism.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the elastic endless belt 20 is attached to the peripheral portion of the main body portion 10 by using the pressing portion 27 from before the recess 20 d of the elastic endless belt 20 is formed to before the elastic endless belt 20 is moved around. Although pressing against 10a, it is not necessary to do so. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the outer diameter of the mask 170 is larger than the inner diameter of the recess 10d, when the holding unit 80 presses the honeycomb structure 70 against the mask 170, Since the outer edge presses the diaphragm 20 against the peripheral edge 10a of the main body, for example, the process in which the elastic endless belt 20 supplies the sealing material in the recess 20d to the honeycomb filter at least during the pressing by the holding unit 80. During this time, the pressing portion 27 may not press the elastic endless belt 20 against the peripheral edge portion 10a.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the press part 27 is provided with the cylinder 27a and the piston 27b, a mechanism will not be specifically limited if it can press the ring member 27c with respect to the peripheral part 10a of the main-body part 10. FIG.

Further, the holding unit 80 is not necessarily essential. For example, when supplying the sealing material, the weight is placed on the honeycomb structure 70 to fix the honeycomb structure to the main body 10, and when the honeycomb structure 70 is separated from the main body, the weight is removed. Then, the honeycomb structure may be movable. Further, when the honeycomb structure has a certain amount of weight, the honeycomb structure is fixed by its own weight, so that an embodiment without special fixing means is also possible.

The shape and structure of the honeycomb structure 70 are not limited to the above. For example, the outer shape of the honeycomb structure 70 may not be a cylinder, and may be a prism such as a quadrangular prism. Further, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole 70a of the honeycomb structure 70 may not be a square, and may be, for example, a rectangle, a triangle, a polygon, a circle, or the like. Furthermore, the arrangement of the through holes 70a may not be a square arrangement, for example, a triangular arrangement, a staggered arrangement, or the like.

In the above embodiment, the plate-like mask 170 having a large number of through-holes is adopted, but the location shielded by the mask is also arbitrary. Further, the present invention can be implemented without using such a mask 170. For example, the plug may be plugged with a material that decomposes when heated in some of the through holes 70a of the honeycomb structure 70 before the sealing process, and the plug may be pyrolyzed after the sealing. In the present invention, even when the mask is not used, the honeycomb structure 70 can be easily separated from the main body 10 and the elastic endless belt 20 by the elastic endless belt 20 that deforms into a convex shape after the sealing process. There is.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Main body part, 10a ... Peripheral part, 10d ... Recessed part of main body part, 10e ... Communication part, 20 ... Elastic endless belt, 27 ... Pressing part, 32 ... Motor (drive part), 50 ... Pump, 61a ... Scraper (removal) Mechanism), 62 ... cleaning nozzle (removal mechanism), 64 ... blower (dryer), 70 ... honeycomb structure, 80 ... holding part, 100 ... sealing device, 170 ... mask.

Claims

A concave portion, a peripheral portion around the concave portion, and a main body portion having a communication path that opens to the inner surface of the concave portion;
An elastic endless belt stretched so that a portion thereof covers the concave portion and the peripheral portion;
And a drive unit that moves the elastic endless belt in a circumferential direction.
The sealing device according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing portion capable of pressing the elastic endless belt against the peripheral portion.
The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a removing mechanism that removes an adhering matter attached to a portion of the elastic endless belt that does not face the concave portion of the main body.
The sealing device according to claim 3, wherein the removing mechanism has a scraper that scrapes off the deposits.
The sealing device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the removing mechanism has a nozzle for ejecting liquid to the elastic endless belt.
The sealing device according to claim 5, further comprising a dryer for drying the liquid on the elastic endless belt.
The sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a control unit that is connected to the communication path and controls supply and discharge of fluid.
A concave portion, a peripheral portion around the concave portion, a main body portion having a communication path that opens to the inner surface of the concave portion, and an elastic endless belt in which a part thereof is stretched to cover the concave portion and the peripheral portion are prepared. And the process of
Forming the recess of the elastic endless belt by discharging the fluid in the recess of the main body;
Supplying a sealing material into the recess of the elastic endless belt;
Arranging one end face of the honeycomb structure having a plurality of through-holes so as to face the concave portion of the elastic endless belt supplied with the sealing material;
Supplying the sealing material on the elastic endless belt to the through holes of the honeycomb structure by supplying a fluid between the recess of the main body and the elastic endless belt;
And a step of moving the elastic endless belt in a circumferential direction after the supplying step.
Before the step of forming the recess, pressing the elastic endless belt against a peripheral edge around the recess of the main body, and
The method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of relaxing a force of pressing the elastic endless belt against a peripheral portion around the concave portion of the main body before the step of moving the elastic endless belt in the circumferential direction. .
The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein, in the step of arranging, a mask having a plurality of through holes is further arranged between the concave portion of the elastic endless belt and one end surface of the honeycomb structure.
The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising a step of removing a deposit adhered to a portion of the elastic endless belt that does not face the concave portion of the main body.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the removing step includes scraping off the deposit on the elastic endless belt.
The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the removing step includes washing the deposit on the elastic endless belt with a liquid.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of drying the liquid on the elastic endless belt.