WO2013099767A1

WO2013099767A1 - Honeycomb structure manufacturing equipment and honeycomb structure manufacturing method

Info

Publication number: WO2013099767A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/083114
Authority: WO
Inventors: 正春森; エイキョウ
Original assignee: 住友化学株式会社
Priority date: 2011-12-27
Filing date: 2012-12-20
Publication date: 2013-07-04
Also published as: JP2013132882A; JP5878754B2

Abstract

In the honeycomb structure manufacturing equipment, directly under each position, each process that is successively performed in manufacturing the honeycomb structure is performed on each honeycomb structure in which the respective process has not been completed, the processes being performed so that the time periods of the various processes overlap. A rotary dividing plate conveys the respective honeycomb structure at each position in which the respective process has been completed to the next position. At each position, the next process is immediately performed on the honeycomb structure, which has been conveyed by the rotary dividing plate and in which the previous process has been completed.

Description

Honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus and honeycomb structure manufacturing method

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus and a honeycomb structure manufacturing method for performing a plurality of steps of manufacturing a honeycomb structure.

Conventionally, honeycomb filters are widely known for use in diesel particulate filters. This honeycomb filter 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. In Patent Document 1, a honeycomb structure is pressed against a through hole by a piston through a sealing mask having a through hole at a sealing position with respect to one end face of the honeycomb structure disposed in a cylinder. The sealing material is supplied to the end of the desired through hole.

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 63-24731

By the way, in the manufacture of the honeycomb structure as described above, the step of attaching the sealing mask to the honeycomb structure while properly aligning the positions of the through holes of the honeycomb structure and the through holes of the sealing mask, There are many processes such as a process of supplying a sealing material to the through-holes to seal the through-holes, and a process of peeling the sealing mask from the honeycomb structure. It is also necessary to transport the honeycomb structure between these processes. Therefore, it is desired to increase the manufacturing efficiency of the honeycomb structure by efficiently performing the processing in each step and the conveyance between the steps.

One embodiment of the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus and a honeycomb structure manufacturing method capable of increasing the manufacturing efficiency of the honeycomb structure. To do.

In one embodiment of the present invention, each of the first to n-th steps (where n is an arbitrary natural number) sequentially performed in the manufacture of the honeycomb structure is performed, and the first to n-th steps are not completed. On the other hand, the first process to the nth process part and the first process part to the n-1th process part are performed so that the time zones of the first process to the nth process overlap. A honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus including a transport unit that transports each of the honeycomb structures that have completed the -1 process to the second process section to the n-th process section.

According to this configuration, the first process part to the nth process part perform the first process to the nth process sequentially performed in the manufacture of the honeycomb structure, respectively, and the honeycomb structure in which the first process to the nth process are not completed. For each body, the time zones of the first process to the n-th process are overlapped. For this reason, since each process can be performed in parallel as compared with the manufacturing method in which the time zones in which the first to n-th processes are performed do not overlap each other, the manufacturing efficiency can be improved. In addition, the transport means transports the honeycomb structures that have been subjected to the first step to the (n-1) th step in the first step portion to the (n-1) th step portion, respectively, to the second step portion to the nth step portion. For this reason, the second process part to the n-th process part can immediately perform the next process on the honeycomb structure that has been transported by the transporting means, and improve the manufacturing efficiency. Can do.

In this case, each of the first process part to the n-th process part is equidistant from the first process part to the n-1th process part to each of the second process part to the n-th process part on the circumference. The conveying means includes at least n holding means each capable of holding the honeycomb structure, and each holding means has a circular shape corresponding to the arrangement of the first to n-th process parts. Rotating means arranged at equal intervals on the circumference and rotatable around the center of the circumference, each holding means holding the honeycomb structure, and the rotating means is the first process part to nth Each honeycomb structure can be conveyed by rotating at equal intervals corresponding to the arrangement of the process parts.

According to this configuration, each of the first process part to the n-th process part has a circumferential distance from the first process part to the n-1th process part to each of the second process part to the n-th process part. Arranged at equal intervals, the conveying means has at least n or more holding means each capable of holding a honeycomb structure, and each holding means corresponds to the arrangement of the first to n-th process parts. Rotation means arranged at equal intervals on the circumference and rotatable around the center of the circumference, each holding means holding the honeycomb structure, while the rotation means is the first process part Each of the honeycomb structures is transported by rotating at equal intervals corresponding to the arrangement of the nth process part. Therefore, the honeycomb structure can be transported with a relatively simple device structure.

Each of the first process part to the n-th process part is equally spaced from the first process part to the (n-1) th process part to each of the second process part to the n-th process part on a predetermined route. At least n holding means capable of holding each honeycomb structure, and each holding means has a path corresponding to the arrangement of the first to n-th process parts. The circulation means is arranged at equal intervals in the circulation path including the circulation means capable of circulating each of the holding means in the circulation path. Each of the honeycomb structures can be transported by circulating each means at equal intervals corresponding to the arrangement of the first to n-th process parts in the circulation path.

According to this configuration, each of the first process part to the n-th process part is between the first process part to the n-1th process part and each of the second process part to the n-th process part on a predetermined route. Are arranged at equal intervals, and the conveying means includes at least n holding means capable of holding the honeycomb structure, and the holding means are arranged in the first to n-th process parts. Correspondingly, it is arranged at equal intervals in the circulation path including the path, and has a circulation means capable of circulating each holding means in the circulation path, while each holding means holds the honeycomb structure, The circulating means circulates each of the honeycomb structures by circulating the holding means at equal intervals corresponding to the arrangement of the first to n-th process parts in the circulation path. For this reason, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the first to n-th process parts by arbitrarily changing the path of the holding means and the circulation path.

In addition, a discharge unit that discharges the honeycomb structure after completion of the n-th step to the outside of the n-th process unit, and a first process unit in which the honeycomb structure that has completed the first step is conveyed to the second process unit by the conveyance unit And a supply means for supplying a new honeycomb structure.

According to this configuration, the honeycomb structure after the n-th process is discharged to the outside of the n-th process part, and the honeycomb structure after the first process is transferred to the second process part by the transfer means. The first process section includes supply means for supplying a new honeycomb structure. For this reason, since the first first step can be performed on the new honeycomb structure while discharging the honeycomb structure after all the steps are completed, the manufacturing efficiency can be further improved.

In the first to n-th steps, at least a step of taking an image of one end face of the honeycomb structure in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and a part of the through hole is formed on one end face of the honeycomb structure. A step of attaching a sealing mask to be coated; a step of supplying a sealing material to a through hole not covered with the sealing mask through the sealing mask to seal one end of a part of the through hole; and a honeycomb A step of peeling the sealing mask from the structure can be included.

According to this configuration, in the first to n-th steps, at least a step of taking an image of one end face of the honeycomb structure in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and a through hole on one end face of the honeycomb structure A step of attaching a sealing mask for covering a part of the sealing material, supplying a sealing material to a through hole not covered with the sealing mask through the sealing mask, and sealing one end of a part of the through hole And a step of peeling the sealing mask from the honeycomb structure. For this reason, a series of steps for sealing the through-holes of the honeycomb structure can be performed in parallel, and the efficiency of sealing the honeycomb structure can be improved.

The first process unit to the n-th process unit and the transfer means, and the second first process unit to the n-th process unit and the transfer means, the first first process unit to the n-th process unit. The honeycomb structure having one end of the through hole sealed after the first step to the n-th step by the first step to the n-th step by the second first-step portion to the n-th step portion After the end of the step, the other end of the through hole whose one end is not sealed can be sealed.

According to this configuration, the first first process section to the n-th process section and the transfer means, the second first process section to the n-th process section and the transfer means, and the first first process section to The honeycomb structure in which one end of a part of the through hole is sealed after the completion of the first step to the n-th step by the n-th step portion is the first step by the second first-step portion to the n-th step portion. After the end of the n-th step, the other end of the through hole whose one end is not sealed is sealed. For this reason, after one end of a part of the through hole of the honeycomb structure is sealed, the other end of the through hole that is not sealed on one end is continuously sealed. A diesel particulate filter or the like can be efficiently manufactured.

Also, the first first process part to the n-th process part and the second first process part to the n-th process part can be arranged on one plane.

According to this configuration, the first first process part to the nth process part and the second first process part to the nth process part are arranged on one plane. For this reason, the height of the whole apparatus can be made low.

Alternatively, the first first process part to the n-th process part and the second first process part to the n-th process part can be arranged vertically.

According to this configuration, the first first process part to the nth process part and the second first process part to the nth process part are arranged vertically. For this reason, the occupation area of the apparatus can be reduced.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, each of the first to n-th steps (n is an arbitrary natural number) sequentially performed in the manufacture of the honeycomb structure is the honeycomb structure in which the first to n-th steps are not finished. Each of the honeycomb structures after the first step to the n-1th step is performed in the first step portion to the nth step portion so that the time zones of the first step to the nth step overlap each other. Is a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure in which the carrier is conveyed from the second process part to the n-th process part by a conveying means.

In addition, the honeycomb structure after the n-th process is discharged out of the n-th process part, and the honeycomb structure after the first process is newly transferred to the second process part by the transport means. A simple honeycomb structure can be supplied.

In the first to n-th steps, at least a step of taking an image of one end face of the honeycomb structure in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and a part of the through hole is formed on one end face of the honeycomb structure. A step of attaching a sealing mask to be coated; a step of supplying a sealing material to a through hole not covered with the sealing mask through the sealing mask to seal one end of a part of the through hole; and a honeycomb A step of detaching the sealing mask from the structure can be included.

Also, the first first process section to the n-th process section and the second process section to the n-th process section and the transport means are used, and the first first process section to the n-th process section and the transport means are used. The honeycomb structure having one end of the through hole sealed after the first step to the n-th step by the first step to the n-th step by the second first-step portion to the n-th step portion After the end of the step, the other end of the through hole whose one end is not sealed can be sealed.

Further, the first first process part to the n-th process part and the second first process part to the n-th process part can be arranged on one plane.

Also, the first first process part to the n-th process part and the second first process part to the n-th process part can be arranged vertically.

According to the honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus and the honeycomb structure manufacturing method of the embodiment of the present invention, the manufacturing efficiency of the honeycomb structure can be increased.

1 is a perspective view showing a honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view around the hand in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the arrangement | positioning at the time of using the apparatus of FIG. 1 industrially. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the sealing apparatus of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 5 is a view taken along the line II-II of the sealing device of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a III-III arrow view of the sealing device of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the periphery of the scraper and elastic plate of FIG. 6. (A) is a perspective view of a honeycomb structure, and (b) is a partially enlarged view of (a). (A) is a perspective view of a mask, (b) is the elements on larger scale of (a). (A) is a fragmentary sectional view explaining operation | movement of the sealing apparatus of FIG. 4, (b) is a fragmentary sectional view following (a). (A) is the fragmentary sectional view following (b) of FIG. 10, (b) is the fragmentary sectional view following (a). (A) is the fragmentary sectional view following (b) of FIG. 11, (b) is the fragmentary sectional view following (a). (A) is the fragmentary sectional view following (b) of FIG. 12, (b) is the fragmentary sectional view following (a). It is a perspective view which shows the manufacturing apparatus of the honeycomb structure which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the manufacturing apparatus of the honeycomb structure which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus of the first embodiment)
The honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention performs in parallel a plurality of steps such as mounting of a sealing mask, sealing, and peeling of the sealing mask in a plurality of positions. Each of the honeycomb structures after the process is transported to the next process. As shown in FIG. 1, the honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus 400a according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a rotary indexing disc 401a that is formed in a disk shape and is rotatable. The rotary indexing board 401a has eight positions P1 to P8. The positions P1 to P8 are arranged at equal intervals on the circumference centered on the rotation axis of the rotary indexing board 401a. The rotary indexing board 401a rotates 45 degrees at a time to move the hand 410, the hand rotating shaft 416 and the hand shaft driving unit 420 provided below the positions P1 to P8 to the next adjacent positions P2 to P1, respectively. Let When the rotary indexing plate 401a rotates 360 ° by 45 °, the hands 410 and the like provided below the positions P1 to P8 return to the original positions P1 to P8 before the 360 ° rotation.

At the lower part of each of the positions P1 to P8, a hand 410 capable of gripping the honeycomb structure 70, a hand rotating shaft 416, and a hand shaft driving unit 420 are provided. The hand 410 includes a base portion 414 and a holding member 412 that is fixed to the base portion 414 and can hold the honeycomb structure 70. The holding member 412 holds the columnar honeycomb structure 70 arranged along the vertical direction while holding the direction. Specifically, for example, the gripping member 412 can sandwich the upper part of the side surface of the honeycomb structure 70 with a plurality of finger members. The hand axis drive unit 420 moves the hand 410 back and forth along the hand rotation axis 416. The hand axis driving unit 420 rotates the hand 410 around the hand rotation axis 416.

As shown in detail in FIG. 2, a concave portion 414 a is provided on the lower surface of the base portion 414 of the hand 410. The recess 414a is adapted to be fitted to the upper end surface 71a of the honeycomb structure 70. The hand 410 has six gripping members (finger members) 412 on the lower surface of the base portion 414. Each of the six gripping members 412 is arranged at equal intervals at positions separated by 60 degrees around the center of the lower surface of the base portion 414.

The hand 410 has three electromagnetic holders 430 on the lower surface of the base portion 414. The electromagnetic holder 430 is attached to the upper end of the support bar 431. The electromagnetic holder 430 and the support bar 431 are arranged so that one electromagnetic holder 430 and the support bar 431 are positioned between the two gripping members 412. Each of the electromagnetic holder 430 and the support bar 431 is arranged at equal intervals at positions 120 degrees apart around the center of the lower surface of the base portion 414.

The three electromagnetic holders 430 are disposed at positions facing the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion of the sealing mask 170 disposed on the upper surface of the honeycomb structure 70 from three directions, as will be described later. As shown in FIG. 2, the electromagnetic holder 430 has a flat end surface 430a. The position of the end surface 430a of the electromagnetic holder 430 is set to be flush with the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure 70 fitted to the recess 414a of the base portion 414.

The electromagnetic holder 430 includes a permanent magnet 430b that emits magnetic flux from the end face 430a and an electromagnet 430c that can emit magnetic flux in the opposite direction to the magnetic flux. When no current flows through the electromagnet 430c, the upper surface of the sealing mask 170, which is a metal plate having magnetism near the end surface 430a, can be attracted and fixed by the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 430b, while the current flows through the electromagnet 430c. Since the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 430b is weakened by the magnetic field of the electromagnet, the sealing mask 170 on the end face 430a can be easily peeled and moved.

Referring back to FIG. 1, a transport device 1 is provided below the position P1. The transport apparatus 1 supplies a new honeycomb structure 70 that has not yet been processed in the steps P1 to P8 to the position immediately below the hand 410 at the position P1. The conveying apparatus 1 can use existing apparatuses such as a belt conveyor and a roller conveyor. In the present embodiment, the transport apparatus 1 transports the honeycomb structure with one end face 71a of the honeycomb structure 70 having the through holes 70a facing upward. The hand shaft driving unit 420 extends the hand rotation shaft 416 downward, and the hand 410 grips the honeycomb structure 70 supplied by the transport device 1. As the rotary indexing disc 401a rotates by 45 °, the honeycomb structure 70 held by the hand 410 is conveyed from the position P1 to the position P2. When the hand 410 that does not hold the honeycomb structure 70 moves from the position P8 to the position P1 along with the rotation of the rotary indexing plate 401a, the transport apparatus 1 has not yet been processed in the processes of the positions P1 to P8. New honeycomb structures 70 are sequentially supplied to the position P1 one by one.

The camera 2 is provided below the position P2. The camera 2 is disposed at a position where the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure 70 held by the hand 10 can be photographed immediately below the position P2. The image taken by the camera 2 is subjected to image processing by an existing method, and is used to detect the position and rotation angle of the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure 70 at the position P2. When the rotary indexing disc 401a rotates by 45 °, the honeycomb structure 70 that has been photographed by the camera 2 and is held by the hand 410 is transported from the position P2 to the position P3.

A mask mounting device 300 is provided below the position P3. The mask mounting apparatus 300 arranges the sealing mask 170 on the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure 70 held by the hand 410 immediately below the position P3. The sealing mask 170 attached to the honeycomb structure 70 is placed on the mask susceptor 310. The mask susceptor 310 can rotate around the susceptor rotation axis 320 at an arbitrary rotation angle θ. The Y-direction slider 330 on which the susceptor rotation shaft 320 is arranged can slide in the Y direction at any position along the Y-direction rail 340Y. The X-direction slider 341 on which the Y-direction rail 340Y is arranged can slide in the X direction to an arbitrary position along the X-direction rail 340X.

The mask mounting apparatus 300 receives information related to the image captured by the camera 2, and the operation is controlled based on the information. The image photographed by the camera 2 is subjected to image processing by an existing method, and the position and rotation angle of the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure 70 at the position P2 are detected. Based on the position and rotation angle of the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure 70 at the position P2, the position and rotation angle of the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure 70 at the position P3 can be estimated. The mask mounting apparatus 300 determines the XY coordinates and the rotation angle θ of the sealing mask 170 placed on the mask susceptor 310 based on the position and rotation angle of the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure 70 at the estimated position P3. It can be changed so as to correspond to the through hole 70 a of the body 70.

The electromagnetic holder 430 provided on the lower surface of the base portion 414 attracts the upper surface of the sealing mask 170 placed on the mask susceptor 310 to the end surface 430a by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 430b in a state where no current flows through the electromagnet 430c. . When the rotary indexing plate 401a rotates by 45 °, the mounting of the sealing mask 170 by the mask mounting apparatus 300 is completed, and the honeycomb structure 70 held by the hand 410 is transported from position P3 to position P4.

After the mask mounting apparatus 300 mounts the sealing mask 170 on one honeycomb structure 70, a new sealing mask 170 for the honeycomb structure to be processed next is placed on the mask susceptor 310 by human power. The Alternatively, after the mask mounting apparatus 300 mounts the sealing mask 170 on one honeycomb structure 70, a new sealing mask 170 for the honeycomb structure to be processed next is automatically supplied to the mask susceptor 310. A next processing mask supply mechanism may be provided.

A sealing device 200 is provided below the position P4. The sealing device 200 seals the through hole 70a by supplying a sealing material to the through hole 70a through the sealing mask 170, as will be described later. When the rotary indexing disc 401a rotates by 45 °, the sealing by the sealing device 200 is completed, and the honeycomb structure 70 held by the hand 410 is conveyed from the position P4 to the position P5.

A mask peeling device 500 is provided below the position P5. The mask peeling apparatus 500 includes a peeling claw 510 that is caught on the periphery of the sealing mask 170 attached to the lower end portion of the honeycomb structure 70. The mask peeling apparatus 500 is lowered while the peripheral edge of the sealing mask 170 is hooked by the peeling claws 510. On the other hand, the electromagnetic holder 430 provided on the lower surface of the base 414 weakens the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 430b by causing a current to flow through the electromagnet 430c. As a result, the sealing mask 170 is peeled from the honeycomb structure 70 that has been sealed. When the rotary indexing plate 401a rotates 45 °, the masking device 170 is completely peeled off by the mask peeling device 500, and the honeycomb structure 70 held by the hand 410 is transferred from position P5 to position P6.

At the bottom of position P6, a dryer 600 is provided. The drier 600 dries the sealing material sealing the through-holes 70a of the honeycomb structure 70 by blowing an airflow at an arbitrary temperature to the lower end portion of the honeycomb structure 70 from which the sealing mask 170 has been peeled off. When the rotary indexing disc 401a rotates by 45 °, the honeycomb structure 70 that has been dried by the dryer 600 and is held by the hand 410 is conveyed from position P6 to position P7.

At the lower part of the position P7, the transfer device 1 is provided in the same manner as the position P1. At the position P7, the hand shaft driving unit 420 extends the hand rotating shaft 416 downward, and places the honeycomb structure 70 on which the processes at the positions P1 to P6 have been completed on the transfer device 1 at the position P7. The hand 410 opens the honeycomb structure 70, and the hand shaft drive unit 420 retracts the hand rotation shaft 416 upward. The conveyance device 1 at the position P7 discharges the honeycomb structure 70 that has been subjected to all the processes so far to the outside of the honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus 400a. When the rotary indexing disc 401a rotates by 45 °, the hand 410 at the position P7 not holding the honeycomb structure 70 is moved from the position P7 to the position P8.

Immediately below each of the above-mentioned positions P1 to P7, supply of a new honeycomb structure 70, photographing of the end face of the honeycomb structure 70, mounting of a sealing mask 170, sealing of the through-hole 70a, peeling of the sealing mask 170, honeycomb Each step of drying the sealing material of the structure 70 and discharging the honeycomb structure 70 is performed in parallel so that the time zone of each step overlaps with respect to the honeycomb structure 70 that has not been subjected to the step. Done. Each of the honeycomb structures 70 after the processes at the positions P1 to P6 are conveyed to the next positions P2 to P7 by rotating the rotary index board 401a by 45 °, and at the positions P2 to P7, the next process is performed. Is processed.

Note that the position P8 is not provided with an apparatus related to a process performed in the manufacture of the honeycomb structure 70, and is an unnecessary position. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a total of eight positions P1 to P8 are provided, but only seven positions P1 to P7 may be provided. If it is desired to add a certain process, it is possible to add more positions in addition to the position P8, the hand 410 below it, and a device related to the process.

1 is a device that seals only one end of the through hole 70a of the honeycomb structure 70. The honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus 400a shown in FIG. Therefore, when actually manufacturing a honeycomb structure 70 for a diesel particulate filter, as shown in FIG. 3, two honeycombs are used to seal both ends of the through holes 70a of the honeycomb structure 70. The

rotary index boards

401a and 401b of the structure manufacturing apparatus 400a are arranged on one plane. As shown in FIG. 3, the honeycomb structure 70 is first supplied to the position P1 of the rotary indexing disc 401a with one end surface 71a facing up and the other end surface 71b facing down. In the rotary indexing plate 401a, the processes at the positions P1 to P7 as described above are performed on the end surface 71b which is the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure 70.

The honeycomb structure 70 discharged at the position P7 of the rotary index board 401a is gripped by the hand 710 of the reversing machine 700. The reversing machine 700 reverses the honeycomb structure 70 held by the hand 710 so that the top and bottom are reversed. As a result, the honeycomb structure 70 is supplied to the position P1 of the rotary indexing disc 401b with the end surface 71b facing up and the end surface 71a facing down. In the rotary indexing plate 401b, the processes at the positions P1 to P7 are performed on the end surface 71a, which is the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure 70, similarly to the rotary indexing plate 401a. In the present embodiment, sealing is performed on both end portions of the through holes 70a of the honeycomb structure 70 as described above.

(Sealing device)
Next, an example of the sealing device 200 will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a sealing device 200 according to an example of this embodiment. The sealing device 200 according to the present embodiment mainly includes a main body unit 10, an elastic plate 20, a pump 50, a scraper 202, a scraper support unit 205, a rotation driving unit 40, a rotary joint (bearing) 60, and a cross roller bearing (auxiliary bearing). 90.

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 recess 10 d is formed on the upper surface 10 a of the main body 10. In the present embodiment, the shape of the recess 10d is a columnar shape as shown in FIGS. The side surface 10b of the recess 10d is perpendicular to the upper surface 10a of the main body 10 and the bottom surface 10c is parallel to the upper surface 10a. 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. On the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion, a groove 10s for hanging a belt 44 described later is formed in the circumferential direction.

The elastic plate 20 is disposed on the upper surface 10a of the main body 10 so as to cover the opening surface of the recess 10d. The elastic plate 20 has elasticity and can be easily deformed. A rubber plate can be applied as the elastic plate 20. 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 plate 20 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 0.3 to 3.0 mm.

The elastic plate 20 is fixed to the main body 10 by a ring member 25 and a bolt 31. The ring member 25 has an opening 25a at a position corresponding to the concave portion 10d of the main body 10 and thereby has an annular shape. And the ring member 25 is arrange | positioned on the elastic board 20 so that the center part (opposite part with the recessed part 10d) in the elastic board 20 may be exposed. Accordingly, the peripheral portion of the elastic plate 20 is sandwiched between the main body portion 10 and the ring member 25. Through-holes h are formed in the ring member 25 and the elastic plate 20, and screw holes j corresponding to the through-holes h are formed in the main body portion 10, and bolts 31 pass through these through-holes h. The peripheral portion of the elastic plate 20 is fixed in close contact with the portion around the recess 10d on the upper surface 10a of the main body 10 by being screwed into the screw hole j and fixed.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the inner diameter of the opening 25a of the ring member 25 can be made 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.

The main body 10 is provided with a connecting pipe 14 extending vertically downward. The connecting pipe 14 communicates with the communication path 10e. The central axis ax of the connecting pipe (tube) 14 passes through the elastic plate 20 through the central axis of the cylindrical recess 10d.

A rotary joint (bearing) 60 is provided at the lower end of the connecting pipe 14. Thereby, the main-body part 10 is supported rotatably about the axis | shaft of the connection pipe 14, ie, the vertical axis ax. The rotary joint 60 mainly includes an inner cylinder 61, an outer cylinder 62, a bearing 63, and a packing 64.

The inner cylinder 61 forms the lower end portion of the connecting pipe 14. The outer cylinder 62 is disposed so as to surround the inner cylinder 61 from the outside. The bearing 63 is disposed between the inner cylinder 61 and the outer cylinder 62, and enables them to rotate relative to each other around the vertical axis. The packing 64 seals between the inner cylinder 61 and the outer cylinder 62 and suppresses fluid leakage and the like. A pump 50 is connected to the outer cylinder 62.

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 connecting pipe 14, and the cylinder 51 is formed between the elastic plate 20 and the piston 53, and a fluid FL is formed in the closed space V. Is filled. The fluid FL is not particularly limited, but can be a liquid such as spindle oil. The fluid FL may be a gas such as air. Then, by moving the piston 53, the fluid FL can be discharged from the inside of the concave portion 10d of the main body portion 10, so that the elastic plate 20 extends along the concave portion 1d like the elastic plate 20 '' of FIG. While the concave portion of the elastic plate 20 can be formed by supplying the fluid FL to the concave portion 10d, the elastic plate 20 can be projected into a dome shape like the elastic plate 20 ′ of FIG. I can do it.

The rotation drive unit (moving unit) 40 includes a motor 41 having a rotation shaft 42, a pulley 43 fixed to the rotation shaft 42, and a belt 44 spanned between the pulley 43 and the groove 10 s of the main body 10. . By rotating the motor 41, the main body 10 can be rotated around the axis of the connecting pipe 14, that is, the vertical axis ax, for example, in the direction of arrow A in FIG. The vertical axis ax passes through the center of the recess 10d.

Returning to FIG. 4, the main body 10 further includes a cross roller bearing 90 (bearing) to assist the main body 10 rotating around the vertical axis ax of the connecting pipe 14. The cross roller bearing 90 includes an outer ring 91 fixed to a gantry or the like (not shown), an inner ring 92 fixed to the main body 10, and a plurality of cylindrical rollers 93 disposed between the outer ring 91 and the inner ring 92.

The scraper 202 scrapes off the residue of the sealing material adhering to the surface of the elastic plate 20, and is supported by the bar 204 of the scraper support part 205. In this embodiment, the scraper 202 is a flat plate as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, and has a pair of

main surfaces

202a and 202b and an edge 202e as shown in FIGS. The edge 202e contacts the surface of the elastic plate 20 'swelled in a dome shape as shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the edge 202e is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the axis ax so as to come in linear contact from the vicinity of the top to the vicinity of the bottom of the elastic plate 20 ′ protruding in a dome shape. As seen, the central part is recessed as compared to the two end parts 202e1 and 202e2 in the rotational radius direction of the main body part ax. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when viewed from the direction of the axis ax, the edge 202e of the scraper 202 is located on the upstream side (rear side) in the rotational direction A of the elastic plate 20 with respect to the scraper 202 as it goes radially outward from the axis ax. ) Curved to head towards. Further, the outer end 202e2 of the edge 202e of the scraper 202 reaches the vicinity of the outer periphery of the dome-shaped elastic plate 20, and the inner end 202e1 of the edge 202e is a portion corresponding to the vertical axis ax serving as the vertex of the elastic plate 20, or It arrange | positions so that it may extend to the position exceeding a vertex part. Thereby, it is possible to efficiently scrape the residue of the sealing material on the surface of the elastic plate 20 by the edge 202e.

As the material of the scraper 202, materials such as resin and metal can be used. The thickness of the plate-shaped scraper 202 can be set to 0.5 to 2 mm, for example. In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape in the thickness direction of the edge 202e of the scraper 202 is a rectangle having corners perpendicular to both sides as shown in FIG. 5, but at least one of these corners is chamfered by a plane or a curved surface. It may be. The surface roughness Ra of the scraper 202 can be 3.2 or less.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the scraper 202 has a scraping side (the front side in the direction in which the scraper 202 moves relative to the surface of the elastic plate 20 ′, that is, the left side in the figure: the moving direction of the elastic plate 20 ′ is an arrow. The bar 204 is formed so that an angle θ1 formed by the main surface 202a in the (A direction) and the tangent plane S of the elastic plate 20 ′ formed at the contact portion cp with the edge 202e becomes an obtuse angle, that is, more than 90 °. It is fixed to. The possible θ1 is 95 to 135 °. In this embodiment, since the elastic plate 20 ′ is a curved surface, the contact portion cp with the edge 202e in the elastic plate 20 ′ does not exist on one plane, and the tangent plane S is defined for each position of the contact portion cp. Is done. The contact portion cp extends along the edge 202e as shown in FIG. 7, and θ1 is an obtuse angle over the entire contact portion cp extending in this way. As a result, when the elastic plate 20 ′ moves in the direction of arrow A, the residue can easily ride on the main surface 202a of the scraper 202, and post-processing such as cleaning and suctioning of the residue is facilitated. There is.

Referring back to FIG. 5, the bar 204 is fixed to the vertical shaft 208 so as to be rotatable in a range of a predetermined rotation angle (for example, 90 °) by a bearing 206 whose rotation angle is restricted. Here, the bearing 206 is moved from the rotational position where the bar 204 is brought into contact with the elastic plate 20 protruding in a dome shape as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5 and from the elastic plate 20 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The scraper 202 can be swung in a range of an angle B between a rotation position that is not opposed to the exposed surface of the elastic plate 20. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the vertical shaft 208 is fixed to a base 210 that is independent of the rotation of the main body 10 by the motor 41.

(Honeycomb structure)
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 as viewed from the end faces 71a and 71b, that is, the central axes of the through holes 70a are respectively located at the apexes of the square. 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 may be a ceramic material 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.

The raw material mixture can contain organic additives other than the organic binder. Other organic additives are, for example, pore formers, lubricants and plasticizers, and dispersants.

Examples of the pore-forming agent 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. The amount of pore-forming agent added is usually 0 to 40 parts by weight, for example 0 to 25 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the inorganic compound powder. The pore former disappears when the green molded body is fired. Therefore, in the aluminum titanate sintered body, micropores are formed at locations where the pore-forming agent was present.

Lubricants and plasticizers include alcohols such as glycerin, caprylic acid, lauric acid, palmitic acid, higher fatty acids such as alginate, oleic acid and stearic acid, stearic acid metal salts such as Al stearate; polyoxyalkylene alkyl Examples include ether. The addition amount of the lubricant and the plasticizer is usually 0 to 10 parts by weight, for example, 0.1 to 5 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the inorganic compound powder.

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, and ammonium polycarboxylate. Surfactant etc. are mentioned. The added amount of the dispersant is usually 0 to 20 parts by weight, for example, 2 to 8 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the inorganic compound powder.

(Mask for sealing)
The sealing mask 170 is disposed in the opening 25 a of the ring member 25 on the elastic plate 20. In this embodiment, the material of the sealing mask 170 can be a metal having magnetism because it is held by the electromagnetic holder 430 of the hand 410, but if the holding means of the sealing mask 170 by the hand 410 is vacuum suction or the like, There is no particular limitation, and a resin or the like can be used in addition to the metal.

FIG. 9A shows an example of a sealing mask 170 used in this embodiment. The sealing 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. 8B) of the honeycomb structure 70, as shown in FIG. 9B. The plurality of through holes 170a are arranged in a staggered manner as shown in FIG. 9B, and each through hole 170a is formed of the plurality of through holes 70a arranged in a square shape in FIG. 8B. These are disposed so as to face only the plurality of through holes 70a that are not adjacent to each other vertically and horizontally. In order to facilitate the positioning of the through-hole 170a of the sealing mask 170, the sealing mask 170 is formed with an orientation flat 170b. Correspondingly, the ring member 25 has a protrusion 25b corresponding to the orientation flat. It may be provided.

In addition, the main body unit 10 may be provided with a vibrator 140 such as an ultrasonic vibrator.

(Sealing method)
Next, a sealing method using the above-described sealing device 200 will be described. First, from the state of FIG. 4, the hand shaft drive unit 420 retracts the hand rotation shaft 416 upward, pulls up the hand 410 that holds the honeycomb structure 70 upward, and moves the bar 204 to The scraper 202 is positioned away from the elastic plate 20 as indicated by a two-dot chain line 5. 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. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10A, the elastic plate 20 is deformed and is brought into close contact with the side surface 10b and the bottom surface 10c of the recess 10d, whereby the recess 20d of the elastic plate 20 is formed.

Subsequently, the sealing material 130 is supplied into the recess 20 d of the elastic plate 20.

(Sealing material)
The sealing material 130 is not particularly limited as long as it can close the end of the through hole 70a of the honeycomb structure 70, but can be made liquid. For example, the sealing material can be exemplified by a slurry containing a ceramic material or a ceramic raw material, a binder, 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, 1 to 10% by mass, and 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. Among these, ion-exchanged water is used because it can be made of water and has 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.

The viscosity of the sealing material can be 5 to 50 Pa · s at 23 ° C. as measured by the coaxial double cylinder method using a rotational viscometer.

When such a sealing material 130 is supplied into the recess 20d, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), if the sealing material 130 does not spread in the horizontal direction in the recess 20d and the thickness becomes uneven, this is flattened. Turn into. The reason is that if the sealing step is performed as it is, the length of the sealing portion becomes non-uniform or a sealing failure tends to occur. Specifically, the motor 41 of the rotation driving unit 40 is driven to rotate the main body unit 10. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10B, a centrifugal force is applied to the sealing material 130 in the horizontal direction, and the sealing material 130 can be spread throughout the recess 20d. Moreover, the flatness of the surface of the sealing material 130 is also improved. The rotational speed of the main body 10 is not particularly limited, but can be about 30 to 300 rpm. The rotation time is not particularly limited, but can be about 3 to 20 seconds.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11A, the hand shaft driving unit 420 extends the hand rotation shaft 416 downward, and moves the hand 410 holding the honeycomb structure 70 downward. Already at position P 3, the mask mounting device 300 and the electromagnetic holder 430 of the hand 410 are connected to the honeycomb structure 70 so that a part of the through holes 70 a of the honeycomb structure 70 and the through holes 170 a of the sealing mask 170 communicate with each other. A sealing mask 170 is attached. In the following drawings, only one electromagnetic holder 430 is representatively illustrated, and other illustrations are omitted. The hand shaft driving unit 420 extends the hand rotation shaft 416 downward so that the sealing mask 170 is installed on the elastic plate 20 so as to cover the concave portion 10d of the main body unit 10, and the honeycomb structure 70 is attached to the main body unit 10. Fix against. As shown in FIG. 11A, the outer diameter of the sealing mask 170 can be made larger than the inner diameter of the recess 10 d of the main body 10.

Next, by moving the piston of the pump 50 upward, the fluid FL is supplied between the concave portion 10d and the elastic plate 20 via the communication passage 10e, and as shown in FIG. The elastic plate 20 moves toward the sealing mask 170. This step can be performed until the elastic plate 20 comes into contact with the sealing mask 170 and the deformation of the elastic plate 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 sealing mask 170, and the sealing part 70p is formed.

Subsequently, the piston 53 is further raised to further supply the fluid FL between the elastic plate 20 and the main body 10. The hand shaft drive unit 420 retracts the hand rotation shaft 416 upward. Thereby, as shown in FIG.12 (b), the elastic board 20 deform | transforms into convex shape upward. At this time, since the peripheral portion of the elastic plate 20 deformed into a convex shape is separated from the sealing mask 170, the sealing mask 170 and the honeycomb structure 70 can be easily separated from the main body portion 10. In this case, production efficiency can be increased, and the sealed honeycomb structure 70 can be manufactured at low cost.

Subsequently, the hand shaft driving unit 420 retracts the hand rotation shaft 416 upward and pulls up the hand 410 that holds the honeycomb structure 70 upward. If it does so, as shown to (a) of FIG. 13, it will be in the state which the surface of the elastic board 20 protruded in the dome shape. At this time, the residue 130 a of the sealing material 130 used for the sealing work is attached to the surface of the elastic plate 20. If the sealing step is performed again with the residue 130a attached, it becomes difficult to accurately control the amount of the sealing material 130 stored in the recess 20d of the elastic plate 20 and to accurately control the composition of the sealing material 130. The solidified sealing material 130 may gradually accumulate and make the sealing process impossible. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the residue 130a of the sealing material 130 attached to the elastic plate 20.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13B, the position of the bar 204 is moved, and the position of the scraper 202 is set to a position where the edge 202e of the scraper 202 contacts the elastic plate 20 'protruding in a dome shape. Further, the motor 41 is driven to rotate the main body 10. The number of rotations is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 5 to 20 rpm. The rotation time is not particularly limited, but can be about 3 to 12 seconds.

Thereby, the residue 130a of the sealing material 130 remaining on the surface of the elastic plate 20 can be scraped off by the edge 202e of the scraper 202, and the scraped residue 130a is removed from the main surface 202a (see FIG. (See 7). In this way, the cleaning of the upper surface of the elastic plate 20 is completed.

(Function)
According to the honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus 400a of the present embodiment, immediately below the positions P1 to P7, the steps sequentially performed in the manufacture of the honeycomb structure 70 are performed on the honeycomb structures 70 that have not been completed. Thus, the time zones of each process are overlapped. For this reason, since each process can be paralleled compared with the manufacturing method with which the time slot | zone where each process is performed does not overlap mutually, manufacturing efficiency can be improved. Further, the rotary indexing disc 401a conveys the honeycomb structure 70, which has been subjected to the respective processes at the positions P1 to P6, to the positions P2 to P7. Therefore, at the positions P2 to P7, the next process can be immediately performed on the honeycomb structure 70 that has been transported by the rotary indexing plate 401a, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved. it can.

For example, in the honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus 400a of the present embodiment, the time required for the process requiring the longest time among the processes performed immediately below the positions P1 to P7, and the next position adjacent to the rotary index board 401a. Assume that the total time required for conveyance is 50 seconds, for example. Therefore, the time required for the honeycomb structure 70 supplied to the position P1 to be sealed from the one end face 71b and discharged from the position P7 is 50 seconds × 7 steps = 350 seconds. Further, the time required to seal the other end surface 71a side using the rotary indexing board 401b shown in FIG. 3 is 50 seconds × 7 steps (end surface 71b side) +50 seconds × 7 steps (end surface 71a). = 700 seconds. However, in this embodiment, since each process is performed in parallel, one honeycomb structure 70 subjected to all the processes is manufactured every 50 seconds, which is a time required for one process. Therefore, the production efficiency is greatly improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the positions P1 to P8 are arranged on the circumference so that the positions from the positions P1 to P7 to the positions P2 to P8 are equally spaced, and the rotary indexing plate 401a is The eight hands 410 each capable of holding the honeycomb structure 70 are arranged at equal intervals on the circumference corresponding to the arrangement of the positions P1 to P8, and rotate around the center of the circumference. The rotary indexing disc 401a rotates at equal intervals corresponding to the arrangement of the positions P1 to P8 while each hand 410 holds the honeycomb structure 70, thereby conveying each honeycomb structure 70. For this reason, the honeycomb structure 70 can be conveyed with a relatively simple device structure.

In the present embodiment, the conveying device 1 that discharges the honeycomb structure 70 that has completed the process at the position P7 to the outside of the position P7, and the honeycomb structure 70 that has completed the process at the position P1 are used as the rotary indexing plate 401a. And a transfer device 1 for supplying a new honeycomb structure 70 to the position P1 transferred to the position P2. For this reason, since the process in the first position P1 can be performed on the new honeycomb structure 70 while discharging the honeycomb structure 70 that has completed all the processes, the manufacturing efficiency can be further improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, at positions P1 to P7, the step of supplying the honeycomb structure 70, the step of taking an image of one end surface 71b of the honeycomb structure 70, and the one end surface 71b of the honeycomb structure 70 penetrating. A step of attaching a sealing mask 170 covering a part of the hole 70a, supplying a sealing material 130 to the through hole 70a not covered with the sealing mask 170 via the sealing mask 170, and a part of the through hole 70a The step of sealing one end of the above, the step of peeling the sealing mask 170 from the honeycomb structure 70, the step of drying the honeycomb structure 70, and the step of discharging the honeycomb structure 70 are performed. For this reason, a series of steps for sealing the through holes a of the honeycomb structure 70 can be performed in parallel, and the efficiency of sealing the honeycomb structure 70 can be improved.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the rotary indexing board 401a has positions P1 to P7 and the rotary indexing board 401b positions P1 to P7, and each process according to the positions P1 to P7 of the rotary indexing board 401a is performed. The honeycomb structure 70 in which one end of a part of the through hole 70a is sealed after completion of the through hole 70a is not sealed after the end of each step according to the positions P1 to P7 of the rotary indexing plate 401b. The other end of 70a is sealed. For this reason, after one end of a part of the through hole 70a of the honeycomb structure 70 is sealed, the other end of the through hole 70a whose one end is not sealed is continuously sealed. Thus, a diesel particulate filter or the like can be efficiently manufactured.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the positions P1 to P7 of the rotary indexing board 401a and the positions P1 to P7 of the rotary indexing board 401b are arranged on one plane. For this reason, the height of the whole apparatus can be made low.

(Honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus of the second embodiment)
Hereinafter, an apparatus for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 14, the honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus 400 b of this embodiment includes a chain conveyor 402. The chain conveyor 402 is configured by connecting a plurality of members in a continuous loop. Individual members of the chain conveyor 402 can be bent in the horizontal direction. The chain conveyor 402 can slide on a route arbitrarily set along a guide rail (not shown) or the like. Both ends of the chain conveyor 402 are connected to each other, and can slide on an arbitrarily set circulation path.

The chain conveyor 402 is provided with the same positions P1 to P7 as in the first embodiment at regular intervals. Similar to the first embodiment, a hand 410, a hand rotating shaft 16, and a hand shaft driving unit 420 are provided below the positions P1 to P7. The chain conveyor 402 is similarly provided with hands 410 and the like at equal intervals in places other than the positions P1 to P7. The chain conveyor 402 slides at intervals of the positions P1 to P7, thereby moving the hand 410 and the like provided in the lower part to the next adjacent position.

Immediately below the positions P1 to P7, as in the first embodiment, the transport device 1, the camera 2, the mask mounting device 300, the sealing device 200, the mask peeling device 500, the dryer 600, and the transport device 1 are provided. Yes. Immediately below each of the positions P1 to P7, a new honeycomb structure 70 is supplied, the end face of the honeycomb structure 70 is photographed, the sealing mask 170 is attached, the through hole 70a is sealed, the sealing mask 170 is peeled off, and the honeycomb structure is provided. The respective steps of drying the sealing material 70 and discharging the honeycomb structure 70 are performed in parallel so that the time zones of the respective steps overlap each other with respect to the honeycomb structure 70 that has not been subjected to the process. Is called. Each of the honeycomb structures 70 after the processes at the positions P1 to P6 are transported to the next positions P2 to P7 by the chain conveyor 402 sliding at intervals of the positions P1 to P7, and the positions P2 to P7. Then, the following process is performed.

In the present embodiment, each of the positions P1 to P7 is arranged on the predetermined route so that the positions P1 to P6 to the positions P2 to P7 are equally spaced, and the chain conveyor 402 has a honeycomb structure. A plurality of hands 410 each capable of holding 70 are arranged at equal intervals in a circulation path including the path corresponding to the arrangement of positions P1 to P7, and are circulated on the circulation path. While each hand 410 holds the honeycomb structure 70, the chain conveyor 402 circulates each hand 410 at equal intervals corresponding to the positions P1 to P7 in the circulation path, thereby conveying each honeycomb structure 70. . For this reason, it is possible to arbitrarily change the path and circulation path of the hand 410 to increase the degree of freedom of arrangement of the positions P1 to P7.

In this embodiment, the hand 410 or the like is not necessarily installed on the chain conveyor 402. For example, the hand 410 is attached to each member on a plurality of continuous trains that can slide on a predetermined rail. It may be installed. Alternatively, the hand 410 may be installed on a flexible belt that circulates through a predetermined circulation path.

(Honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus of the third embodiment)
Hereinafter, an apparatus for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 15, the honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus 400c of the present embodiment has two rotation splits similar to those of the first embodiment in order to seal both ends of the through holes 70a of the honeycomb structure 70.

Outboards

401a and 401b are arranged one above the other so that their rotational axes coincide. The upper and lower

rotary index boards

401a and 401b rotate in opposite directions. The position P1 of the lower rotary indexing board 401b is positioned immediately below the position P7 of the upper rotary indexing board 401a. A reversing machine 700 is provided between the position P7 of the upper rotary indexing board 401a and the position P1 of the lower rotary indexing board 401b.

The honeycomb structure 70 is initially supplied to the position P1 of the upper rotary indexing disc 401a with one end surface 71a facing up and the other end surface 71b facing down. In the upper rotary indexing disc 401a, the processes at the positions P1 to P7 as described above are performed on the end surface 71b which is the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure 70.

The honeycomb structure 70 discharged at the position P7 of the rotary index board 401a is gripped by the hand 710 of the reversing machine 700. The reversing machine 700 reverses the honeycomb structure 70 held by the hand 710 so that the top and bottom are reversed. As a result, the honeycomb structure 70 is supplied to the position P1 of the rotary indexing disc 401b with the end surface 71b facing up and the end surface 71a facing down. In the lower rotary index disc 401b, the processes at positions P1 to P7 are performed on the end surface 71a which is the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure 70, as in the upper rotary index disc 401a. In the present embodiment, sealing is performed on both end portions of the through holes 70a of the honeycomb structure 70 as described above.

According to this embodiment, the positions P1 to P8 of the rotary indexing board 401a and the positions P1 to P8 of the rotary indexing board 401b are arranged vertically. For this reason, the occupation area of the apparatus can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the upper and lower

rotary index boards

401a and 401b may rotate in the same direction. The positions P1 to P8 of the upper and lower

rotary index boards

401a and 401b do not necessarily have to be provided at positions corresponding to each other vertically.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation aspect is possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the description has been made centering on the aspect in which the sealing mask 170 is held on the end faces 71 a and 71 b of the honeycomb structure 70 by the magnetic force of the electromagnetic holder 430. However, in one embodiment of the present invention, the sealing mask 170 may be held on the end faces 71a and 71b of the honeycomb structure 70 by, for example, vacuum suction. This makes it possible to use a sealing mask made of a resin that is not a magnetic material.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transfer apparatus 2 Camera 70 Honeycomb structure 70a Through-

hole

71a, 71b End surface 170 Sealing mask 200 Sealing apparatus 300 Mask mounting apparatus 310 Mask susceptor 320 Susceptor rotating shaft 330 Y-direction slider 340Y Y-direction rail 340X X-direction rail 341 X-direction slider 400a to 400c Honeycomb

structure manufacturing apparatus

401a, 401b Rotary indexing board 402 Chain conveyor 410 Hand 412 Holding member 414 Base part 416 Hand rotary shaft 420 Hand axis drive part 430 Electromagnetic holder 431 Support bar 500 Mask peeling apparatus 510 Peeling nail 600 Dryer 700 Inverter 710 Hand P1-P8 Position

Claims

Each of the first to n-th steps (n is an arbitrary natural number) sequentially performed in the manufacture of the honeycomb structure is performed on each of the honeycomb structures that have not finished the first to n-th steps. A first process part to an n-th process part, which are performed so that time zones of the first process to the n-th process overlap;
Conveying means for conveying each of the honeycomb structures that have undergone the first to n-1 steps in each of the first to n-1th process portions to the second to nth process portions;
An apparatus for manufacturing a honeycomb structure comprising:
Each of the first process part to the n-th process part has a circumference from the first process part to the n-1th process part to the second process part to the n-th process part. Arranged at regular intervals,
The conveying means is
At least n or more holding means capable of holding the honeycomb structures, respectively.
Each of the holding means is arranged at equal intervals on the circumference corresponding to the arrangement of the first process part to the nth process part, and a rotation means rotatable around the center of the circumference;
Have
Each of the holding means holds the honeycomb structure, and the rotating means rotates at equal intervals corresponding to the arrangement of the first to n-th process parts, thereby conveying each of the honeycomb structures. The apparatus for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to claim 1.
Each of the first process part to the n-th process part is between the first process part to the n-1th process part to the second process part to the n-th process part on a predetermined route. Are arranged at equal intervals,
The conveying means is
At least n or more holding means capable of holding the honeycomb structures, respectively.
Each of the holding means is arranged at equal intervals in the circulation path including the path corresponding to the arrangement of the first process part to the n-th process part, and each of the holding means is circulated in the circulation path. Circulation means capable of
Have
Each of the holding means holds the honeycomb structure, and the circulation means circulates each of the holding means in the circulation path at equal intervals corresponding to the arrangement of the first to n-th process parts. The apparatus for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to claim 1, wherein each of the honeycomb structures is conveyed by the above.
Discharging means for discharging the honeycomb structure after the n-th process out of the n-th process part;
Supply means for supplying new honeycomb structure to the first process section that has been transported to the second process section by the transport means after the honeycomb structure has been completed in the first process;
The honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:
In the first step to the n-th step, at least a step of taking an image of one end face of the honeycomb structure in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and the through hole in the one end face of the honeycomb structure A step of attaching a sealing mask covering a part of the sealing material, supplying a sealing material to the through hole not covered with the sealing mask through the sealing mask, and one end of a part of the through hole The honeycomb structure manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising a step of sealing a portion and a step of peeling the sealing mask from the honeycomb structure.
The first to first process parts to the n-th process part and the transfer means;
A second first process part to the n-th process part and the transfer means;
With
The honeycomb structure in which the one end portion of the through hole is sealed after completion of the first step to the n-th step by the first to n-th step portions. The other end portion of the through hole that is not sealed at the one end portion after the first step to the n-th step by the second first-step portion to the n-th step portion is sealed. An apparatus for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to claim 5.
7. The honeycomb according to claim 6, wherein the first process part to the n-th process part and the second process part to the n-th process part are arranged on one plane. Structure manufacturing equipment.
7. The honeycomb structure according to claim 6, wherein the first process part to the n-th process part and the second process part to the n-th process part are arranged vertically. Manufacturing equipment.
Each of the first to n-th steps (n is an arbitrary natural number) sequentially performed in the manufacture of the honeycomb structure is performed on each of the honeycomb structures that have not finished the first to n-th steps. In the first process part to the n-th process part, respectively, so that the time zones of the first process to the n-th process overlap,
A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure, wherein each of the honeycomb structures having undergone the first to n-1th steps is conveyed to a second to nth process portion by a conveying means.
Each of the first process part to the n-th process part has a circumference from the first process part to the n-1th process part to the second process part to the n-th process part. Arranged at regular intervals,
The conveying means is
At least n or more holding means capable of holding the honeycomb structures, respectively.
Each of the holding means is arranged at equal intervals on the circumference corresponding to the arrangement of the first process part to the nth process part, and a rotation means rotatable around the center of the circumference;
Have
Each of the holding means holds the honeycomb structure, and the rotating means rotates at equal intervals corresponding to the arrangement of the first to n-th process parts, thereby conveying each of the honeycomb structures. A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body according to claim 9.
Each of the first process part to the n-th process part is between the first process part to the n-1th process part to the second process part to the n-th process part on a predetermined route. Are arranged at equal intervals,
The conveying means is
At least n or more holding means capable of holding the honeycomb structures, respectively.
Each of the holding means is arranged at equal intervals in the circulation path including the path corresponding to the arrangement of the first process part to the n-th process part, and each of the holding means is circulated in the circulation path. Circulation means capable of
Have
Each of the holding means holds the honeycomb structure, and the circulation means circulates each of the holding means in the circulation path at equal intervals corresponding to the arrangement of the first to n-th process parts. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body according to claim 9, wherein each of the honeycomb structured bodies is conveyed by the above.
The honeycomb structure that has completed the n-th process is discharged out of the n-th process part, and the honeycomb structure that has completed the first process is transported to the second process part by the transport means. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein a new honeycomb structured body is supplied to one process section.
In the first step to the n-th step, at least a step of taking an image of one end face of the honeycomb structure in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and the through hole in the one end face of the honeycomb structure A step of attaching a sealing mask covering a part of the sealing material, supplying a sealing material to the through hole not covered with the sealing mask through the sealing mask, and one end of a part of the through hole The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 9 to 12, comprising a step of sealing a portion and a step of peeling the sealing mask from the honeycomb structure.
Using the first first process section to the n-th process section and the transport means, and the second first process section to the n-th process section and the transport means,
The honeycomb structure in which the one end portion of the through hole is sealed after completion of the first step to the n-th step by the first to n-th step portions. The other end portion of the through hole that is not sealed at the one end portion after the first step to the n-th step by the second first-step portion to the n-th step portion is sealed. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structured body according to claim 13.
15. The honeycomb structure according to claim 14, wherein the first process part to the n-th process part and the second process part to the n-th process part are arranged on one plane. Manufacturing method.
15. The manufacturing of a honeycomb structure according to claim 14, wherein the first process part to the n-th process part and the second process part to the n-th process part are arranged vertically. Method.