JP2585952B2 - Article heat treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to various electric and electronic devices,
The present invention relates to an apparatus for subjecting parts, various materials, and the like to a predetermined temperature to test heat resistance, cold resistance, and the like, and to perform an article heat treatment such as applying a desired heat treatment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 11 shows an example of a conventionally known representative article heat treatment apparatus. In the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. 11A, a conveyor C1 such as a chain conveyor is circulated in a processing tank H for obtaining a predetermined temperature atmosphere, and articles A are placed on this conveyor and passed through the processing atmosphere. It is.

In the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. 1B, a roller conveyor C2 is disposed in a processing tank H, and articles B are placed on the conveyor and passed through the processing atmosphere. (C) In the conventional apparatus shown in the figure, a bed b is arranged in a processing tank H, and an article carrying beam a that can be lowered from the upper surface of the bed or protruded above the bed surface is arranged. By rotating the beam a so as to draw a rectangular trajectory as viewed from the side, the article C arranged on the bed b is advanced intermittently and passed through the processing atmosphere. As a similar device, a bed b
Is also known as a hot plate, and the article C is heat-treated with the hot plate.

In addition, there is a heat treatment apparatus using a transfer device disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 3-2840. In this apparatus, as shown in FIG. 12, the principle is shown in FIG. 12, in which a rail R for holding and guiding articles is arranged in a thermostat, and a shaft parallel to this rail and movable in the axial direction and rotatable in the circumferential direction. S, and a protruding piece P protruding from the shaft S in the radial direction.
The projecting piece P is made to face the article T pinched and guided by the rail R by the rotation of the shaft S.
Is moved in the axial direction to feed the article T by a predetermined distance, and then the shaft S is rotated back to place the protruding piece P under the article T, and the shaft S is retracted to the initial position to perform the next conveyance. Prepare.

[0005]

However, according to the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, in each case, since the articles are conveyed in the horizontal direction, in order to expose a large number of articles to the processing temperature for a predetermined time, the processing tank must be horizontally moved. Therefore, there is a problem that the installation area of the heat treatment apparatus becomes large as a result.

[0006] Further, since the processing tank is formed horizontally long and low, the proportion of the size of the loading / unloading port for articles is larger than the height in the processing tank. The required heat treatment can be performed with high precision, such as leakage of the processing gas to the outside, and conversely, the outside air invading the inside of the tank. However, there is a problem that even if it is impossible to perform the process, the reliability of the processing apparatus is reduced, and even if it is required to make the inside of the tank non-oxidizing atmosphere or the like, it is difficult to create the atmosphere.

Further, since the atmosphere of the processing tank leaks out of the processing tank, the outside air easily enters the processing tank, and the capacity of the processing tank becomes larger than the processing amount of the article, the processing tank has a smaller capacity. In addition, there is a problem that the capacity of a blower, a heater, and the like attached to the processing tank, and in some cases, the required capacity of the exhaust device are increased, so that initial installation costs and subsequent running costs are high.

Further, in the apparatus described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 3-2840, various types of articles, such as a liquid crystal display and the like, are liable to generate dust due to sliding between the article T and the guide rail R when the articles are conveyed. There is also a problem that it is difficult to provide various parts during the manufacturing of the thin film device. FIG.
1 also has a similar problem because dust is easily generated from a movable part such as a conveyor.
When the bed b is used as a hot plate in the apparatus shown in the drawing, there is a problem that, for example, paint adheres to the plate in a paint film drying process of an object to be processed, which causes dust to be generated, and requires time and effort for cleaning.

Therefore, the present invention provides:
Compact construction saves equipment installation area, suppresses temperature fluctuations in the atmosphere inside the article processing tank, and easily creates the required atmosphere such as a non-oxidizing atmosphere. It is an object of the present invention to provide an article heat treatment apparatus which can be applied to heat treatment of articles which are less likely to be contaminated by dust and which do not like dust, and which can reduce initial installation cost and subsequent running cost of the apparatus.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided an article heat treatment apparatus having an article processing space, and gas supply circulating means for supplying and circulating a gas having a predetermined temperature to the space. An article processing tank having an article passage for loading and unloading articles into and from the space, and an article disposed in the article processing space and capable of loading and unloading the workpiece or an auxiliary support loaded with the workpiece. An article support having a plurality of support sections vertically arranged at predetermined intervals, and a connection member disposed below the article processing tank and penetrating the processing tank wall so as to be able to ascend and descend to the article support; Lifting and lowering drive means for raising and lowering the article support through a member so that each of the article supports sequentially faces the article passage; and covering the article support of the article support through the article passage. Loading and unloading of processed material or auxiliary support Characterized in that a means for the articles loading and unloading of.

Each of the article support portions of the article support has, for example, a receiving member piece for supporting an object to be processed or an auxiliary support, and each of the receiving member pieces is supported by the object to be processed. An example is formed in a streamline shape with small air resistance along the flow direction of the heat treatment gas to the object. In this case, the “streamline shape” here means a shape that is long in the direction in which the heat treatment gas flows and has a sufficiently small width in a direction perpendicular to the heat treatment gas, or at least the upstream end in the flow direction of the heat treatment gas. Is a shape that is rounded so as to have low air resistance, is formed on a convex portion, or the like, and means a shape that does not disturb the flow (laminar flow) of the heat treatment gas to the object as much as possible.

Further, each of the receiving member pieces may be provided with a convex portion for supporting the workpiece in a point-like manner. Also,
As the auxiliary support, other than a pallet for placing the object to be processed when the object to be processed is a plate,
A heat storage plate (a plate having a large heat capacity) that can support an object to be processed and is heated from the lower surface side by the heat treatment gas in the article processing space to store heat, and a plate cover that covers the plate and has an entrance for the object to be processed. A receiving member capable of exposing most of the lower surface of the object to be processed to the heat treatment gas in the article processing space, and a cover that covers the receiving member and has a doorway for the object to be processed. And the like.

Further, as each of the article supporting portions in the article supporting body, one equivalent to the above-described auxiliary support structure may be employed. In other words, the article support portion itself can support the object to be processed, and has a heat storage plate that is heated from the lower surface side by the heat treatment gas in the article processing space and stores heat, and has an entrance and exit of the object to be processed that covers the plate. A plate provided with a plate cover, a receiving member capable of exposing most of the lower surface of the processing object to the heat treatment gas in the article processing space, and a cover covering the receiving member and having a doorway for the processing object. Is what it is.

In this case, a predetermined gas (for example, dry air, dry nitrogen gas, etc.) is placed inside the cover from outside the article processing tank.
May be provided for introducing gas. In addition,
The article opening provided for loading and unloading the article to be processed provided in the article processing tank may be an article opening for both loading and unloading of articles, or an article opening dedicated to article loading, and an article opening. An article outlet dedicated to carrying out may be provided. Also,
Means for loading and unloading articles to load and unload a workpiece or an auxiliary support from the article support portion of the article support through the article opening include, for example, loading and unloading of articles by the article opening. When it is an article opening that also serves as both, it may be a means that also performs both loading and unloading operations of the article, or when the article opening is provided for article loading and unloading, respectively. A means exclusively for carrying in articles and a means exclusively for carrying out articles may be provided for these article openings.

[0015]

According to the article heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, a desired heat treatment can be performed by exposing the object to be processed to a predetermined temperature atmosphere as follows. That is, initially, the article support is raised (or lowered) and the lowermost (or uppermost) level of the support is raised.
The article supporting portion is made to face the article passage, and in this state, a gas having a predetermined temperature is supplied to the article processing space by the gas supply circulating means and circulated. The lifting and lowering of the article support is performed by a lifting drive means for raising and lowering the article support.

Next, the article to be processed or the auxiliary support loaded with the article is carried into the article processing tank through the article passage by the article carrying means, and is transferred to the lowermost (or uppermost) article support of the article support. The support is then supported by the article support section 1
The object to be processed or the auxiliary support is carried in the same manner as described above into the article support portion of the next stage by lowering (or ascending) by the number of steps. In this way, the article support is moved one step at a time, and the workpiece or the auxiliary support is carried in.

When the transfer of the workpiece or the auxiliary support to all the article supporting portions is completed, the workpiece initially loaded is already sufficiently exposed to the atmosphere at the predetermined temperature and the predetermined heat treatment has been completed. The article support is raised or lowered by one step at a time, and the object or auxiliary support carried in first is carried out of the article processing tank by the article carry-out means. Then, the next workpiece or auxiliary support is carried in.

Thereafter, the article support is lowered (or lifted) by one step, and the object or auxiliary support is carried out of the next-stage support portion, and as a result, the object or auxiliary support is moved to a vacant portion. Carry in the tool. In this way, the article support is successively lowered (or raised) by one stage, and the carry-out and carry-in of the workpiece or the auxiliary support are repeated.

In the initial loading of the workpiece to the all-stage support section, the article to be transported last is raised (or lowered) to the initial position after the completion of the full-stage loading. Then, the desired heat treatment is completed in the process of lowering (or raising) one stage at a time. That is, looking at each object to be processed, the object is placed in the article processing tank for a period of time during which the object is carried into the entire support portion of the article support, and subjected to a desired heat treatment.

It is also possible to carry out a heat treatment at the carry-in position for a predetermined period of time without moving the object to be processed up and down in the article processing tank, and then carry it out as it is. Each article support portion of the article support has a receiving member piece for receiving the object to be processed or the auxiliary support, and each of the receiving member pieces extends along the flow direction of the heat treatment gas with respect to the object to be processed supported by the object member. Therefore, when the stream member is formed in a streamline shape with small air resistance, the air resistance of the receiving member piece is so small that the occurrence of disturbance of the flow (laminar flow) of the heat treatment gas with respect to the object is suppressed, and the Each part of the processed product is uniformly heat-treated.

Further, when the receiving member has a convex portion for receiving the object to be processed in a dot-like manner, for example, in a process of applying a coating liquid to the object to be processed and drying the same, the side surface of the object is processed. Even if the coating liquid is dripping on the bottom surface or the lower surface, the coating liquid adheres to a wide area of the receiving member piece, and it is difficult to clean the receiving member later and it is easy to generate dust. Is suppressed.

A heat storage plate which is capable of supporting the object to be processed by the auxiliary support or the article support portion itself of the article support, and which is heated by a heat treatment gas in the article processing space from the lower surface side to store heat; A cover member that covers the plate and has a plate cover having an entrance and exit for the object to be processed, a receiving member capable of exposing most of the lower surface of the object to be processed to the heat treatment gas in the article processing space, and a cover for the receiving member In the case where a cover having an entrance and exit of an object to be processed is provided, for example, a coating liquid is applied to the upper surface of the object to be processed. Since the heating is mainly performed from the lower surface side opposite to the upper surface coated with, the solvent in the coating liquid is smoothly released without remaining in the coating film, and an excellent dry coating film without bubbles is obtained. Is .

In the case where each article supporting portion of the article support is formed as described above, a gas introducing means for introducing dry air, nitrogen gas or the like from outside the article processing tank into the cover is provided. When provided, for example, by introducing dry air or nitrogen gas, it is possible to eliminate gas or particles that may be emitted from the object to be processed and float above it by heat treatment. In addition, the atmosphere in contact with the object to be processed can be a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 7 show one embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 8 and 9 show another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 shows still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of an article heat treatment apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the side, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view as viewed from the front side of the apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 4 is a schematic side view of the article support, FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the article support shown in FIG. 4 with an upper plate removed, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the article support with some details omitted. 7 (A) and 7 (B) show the article receiving member piece and the shaft passed through it in the article support shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 (A) shows the shaft section in cross section. The plan view and the figure (B) are side views showing the receiving member piece in cross section. FIG. 7 (C) shows (A)
It is a figure for demonstrating the attachment state of the article receiving member piece shown in FIG.

The article heat treatment apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 includes an article processing tank 1. The processing tank 1 is surrounded by a heat insulating wall, and the inside thereof includes a filter 11 rising from the processing tank bottom wall 1B, an upper partition plate 12 rising obliquely from the upper end of the filter to the front side, and a processing tank ceiling from the upper end of the partition plate. The article processing space 1 is formed by the ventilation plate 13 rising up to the wall 1A.
4 and a gas supply / circulation unit 15.

The filter 11 is a member of the gas supply circulating section 15 and is a filter having a high dust collection performance commonly called a hepa (HEPA) filter. The ventilation plate 13 has many ventilation holes. A heater 16 and an air circulation fan 17 are arranged in a space above the filter 11 and the upper partition plate 12, and the fan 17 is driven to rotate by a motor 171 fixed to the back of the processing tank 1.

A heat insulating door 18 is provided on the front side of the article processing space 14.
Is provided so as to be openable and closable.
81 are provided. The duct 181 has a number of ventilation holes facing the article processing space 14 and the ventilation plate 13. An article support 2, which will be described in detail later, is disposed in the article processing space 14, and further, a lower end of the support 2 and a bottom wall 1 of the processing tank 1 are provided.
A duct 141 is disposed between the two.

According to the gas supply circulation unit 15 described above, the air heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater 16 is sucked into the rotationally driven fan 17,
From the back of the filter 11, is purified by passing through the filter, flows into the article processing space 14 in a laminar flow state, and is subjected to a heat treatment of an object to be described later supported on the article support 2. After that, the duct 181 inside the door 18
Then, the air flows into the gas supply circulation unit 15 through the ventilation plate 13 and circulates therefrom.

A part of the gas that has passed through the filter 11 flows into the duct 141 at the bottom of the article processing space 14, flows out to the front side of the article support 2, and flows into the duct 181.
The duct 141 functions as a heat insulating portion for exposing the processing object supported by the article support 2 to a predetermined temperature atmosphere, and preheats a rod 35 that connects a lifting drive device 3 to the article support 2 to be described later. At the same time, even if dust from the lifting drive device 3 enters the processing layer 1 through the penetrating portion of the rod 35, the dust is promptly removed to the door duct 181.
The filter 11 removes the air during the air circulation.

Although the details of the article support 2 will be described later, the support 2 is moved up and down in the article processing space 14 by a lifting drive device 3 provided below the article processing tank 1. The lifting drive device 3 has a U-shaped member 31 when viewed from the side, and the screw rod 3 rotatably supported by the member 31.
2, a female screw member 33 screwed to the screw rod 32, a horizontal member 34 to which the female screw member 33 is fixed, four rods 35 rising from four corners of the horizontal member 34, a servomotor 36, and the servomotor 36 and the screw rod 32. And a belt transmission 37 for connecting the two. Of these components, the member 31 and the servomotor 36 are supported by the article processing tank 1 via members (not shown). Each rod 35 penetrates a slide bearing 38 provided on the bottom wall 1B of the article processing tank 1 so as to be able to move up and down, and further penetrates a duct 141 (see FIG. 1) to be connected to the lower plate 21 of the article support 2. Have been.

According to the elevating drive unit 3, the forward rotation (reverse rotation) of the motor 36 causes the screw rod 32 to rotate forward (reverse rotation), whereby the female screw member 33 screwed to the screw rod rises (falls). Accordingly, the horizontal member 34 connected to the female screw member also rises (falls), and the four rods 35 rise (fall) accordingly, whereby the article support 2 rises (falls).

As described above, the lifting drive device 3 is used for the article processing tank 1.
, The entire apparatus is made compact. Further, since the lifting drive device 3 is connected to the article support 2 only by the rod 35 that penetrates the slide bearing 38 so as to be able to move up and down, dust generated from the portion of the lifting drive device 3 may enter the article processing tank 1. Sufficiently suppressed, it is suitable for treating objects that dislike dust.

The temperature of the gas supplied to and circulated into the article processing space 14 can be adjusted by controlling the heater 16, but can also be controlled by the following configuration, and the ventilation can be controlled at the same time. That is, a ventilation hole 191 is formed in a portion of the ceiling wall 1A of the article processing tank 1 on the front side of the heater 16, and the air purification filter 1 is formed in the ventilation hole 191.
92 are covered. Furthermore, the bottom wall 1 of the article processing tank 1
B, a vent 193 is formed at a portion corresponding to the bottom of the gas supply circulation unit 15, and a duct 194 is connected below the vent, and a damper 195 is provided in the duct 194, and the damper 195 is opened by a handle 196. The degree can be adjusted. By appropriately adjusting the degree of opening of the duct 195, the external gas is purified by the filter 192 and flows into the gas supply circulating unit 15 from the ceiling wall hole 191. Bottom wall hole 1
It is discharged out of the processing tank from 93. Thereby, the ventilation amount of the air supplied to the article processing space 14 can be adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 2, a slit-shaped article passage 101 is formed on one side wall 1C of the article processing tank 1, and the article passage 1 is formed on the opposite side wall 1D.
An article communication port 102 is formed at a position facing 01. As described above, although the small article passages 101 and 102 are provided only as the article carrying-in / out ports for the relatively large and large internal volume, leakage of the processing gas from the article processing space 14 to the outside can be prevented. In addition, the invasion of outside air from the outside is suppressed, and the atmosphere in the processing tank can be easily controlled to a desired temperature and state (for example, a non-oxidizing atmosphere by introducing nitrogen gas).
Conventionally, heat treatment accuracy can be improved, for example, heat treatment can be performed uniformly on each part of the object.

Further, since the leakage of the atmosphere of the processing tank from the processing tank 1 and the invasion of unnecessary outside air into the processing tank are suppressed, the capacity of the gas supply circulation unit can be reduced accordingly.
Initial installation costs and subsequent running costs are low. An article carry-in device 41 is arranged outside the article passage 101 of the article processing tank 1, and an article carry-out device 42 is arranged outside the article passage 102 on the opposite side. These devices 4
Reference numerals 1 and 42 have the same structure, but are arranged in opposite directions. These devices 41 (42) are mounted on the base 4
A horizontal box 403 is fixed to an upper end of a rod 402 provided so as to be able to move up and down, and an article support arm 404 that can reciprocate along the longitudinal direction of the box is provided on the box 403. This device is of a type known per se, and can drive up and down and rotate the rod 402 by a drive mechanism incorporated in the base 401, and a drive mechanism incorporated in the box 403. The article support arm 404 can move forward and backward.

As shown in FIG.
04 supported. According to the apparatus 41, the workpiece S transported by the conveyor (not shown) and placed on the arm 404 is moved in the article passage 1 of the article processing tank 1 by the operation cycle CY1 of drawing a rectangular trajectory shown in FIG.
01 is carried into the processing tank. That is, when the rod 402 of the device 41 rises, the arm 404 also rises,
As a result, the object S carried by the conveyor (not shown) is lifted and supported by the arm 404. Next, when the arm 404 enters the processing tank 1 from the article passage 101, the workpiece S waits in the processing tank 1.
It is located above the article support portion 20 of the article support 2 described later. Next, when the rod 402 descends, the article S is placed on the article support portion, and the emptied arm 404 retreats,
Return to the initial position and prepare for the next article.

Further, according to the device 42, the processed article S on the article support 2 is carried out of the processing tank 1 by the operation cycle CY2 of drawing a rectangular trajectory of the arm 404 shown in FIG. 2, and waits outside the processing tank. Not passed on conveyor. That is, first, when the arm 404 moves forward and enters the processing tank 1 from the article passage 102 and is positioned below one processed article S, the rod 402 rises, whereby the processed arm is placed on the arm 404. The article S is supported. In this state, the arm 404 is retracted, and then the rod 402 is lowered, whereby the processed article on the arm 404 is transferred to a conveyor (not shown). Thus, the sheet is conveyed to the next step by the conveyor (not shown).
In each of the devices 41 and 42, the arm 404 and the box 403 can be up to 18
It is reciprocated to 0 °.

Next, the article support 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. This article support 2
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a lower plate 21 and an upper plate 22 opposed thereto are provided, and the four corners of both plates are connected by rods 2A. The upper and lower plates 21 and 22
The article support portions 20 are vertically arranged in a plurality of stages therebetween.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each article support portion 20 includes a set of four receiving member pieces 23 for supporting the peripheral portion of the workpiece S from below. Each receiving member piece 23
Has a shape shown in FIG. 6 when viewed from one side, has a shape shown in FIG. 7A when viewed from a plane, and has a cross section as shown in FIG. 7B. . That is, the receiving member piece 23 includes a horizontal plate portion 231 and a central tubular portion 232 connected to the horizontal plate portion 231.
Is a flow of air for heat-treating the workpiece S supported by the article support section 20 at each stage, that is, the filter 1 in FIG.
A plate portion having a long dimension L in the direction of laminar flow X of air blown out from 1 (see also FIGS. 5, 6 and 7) and having a small width dimension W in a width direction perpendicular thereto. In the laminar air flow direction X, the upstream end and the downstream end are each formed in a triangular shape when viewed from a plane, and the tip is rounded, and the whole is formed in a streamline shape along the laminar flow direction X. Is formed. The cylindrical portion 232 is also long in the laminar flow direction X,
It is formed flat so as to be narrow in the width direction perpendicular to this,
The upstream end and the downstream end of the cylindrical portion in the laminar flow direction X are each formed in an arcuate surface when viewed from a plane, and are formed in a streamline shape in the laminar flow direction X as a whole. On the upper surfaces of the upstream end and the downstream end of the horizontal plate portion 231, projections 233 for supporting the workpiece S in a point-like manner are formed.

Receiving member pieces 23 arranged in a plurality of stages vertically and linearly at four positions between the upper and lower plates 21 and 22 of the article support 2 are successively fitted to the shaft 24 without looseness. I have. This state is shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7A, each shaft 24 is elongated in the laminar flow direction X of the gas, and is formed such that the upstream end and the downstream end protrude in a trapezoidal shape in the laminar flow direction. And is formed in a streamline shape as a whole.

As shown in FIG. 6, auxiliary shafts 241 and 242 are provided at the lower and upper ends of the shafts 24 at positions eccentric from the center of the shafts 24 in the vertical direction. The auxiliary shaft 241 rotatably penetrates the bearing member 25,
Furthermore, it penetrates the lower plate 21. Upper auxiliary shaft 2
Reference numeral 42 rotatably penetrates the upper bearing member 26 and further penetrates the upper plate 22. The lower bearing member 25 is connected and fixed to a member 251 fixed to the upper surface of the lower plate 21, and the upper bearing member 26 is connected and fixed to a member 261 fixed to the lower surface of the upper plate 22.

An engaging portion 243 for engaging a turning tool (not shown) is provided at a portion of the auxiliary shaft rods 241 and 242 penetrating the lower plate and the upper plate. Around the auxiliary shafts 241 and 242, the shaft 24 and the receiving member piece 23 fitted thereto are rotated by 180 °.
It can be reciprocated (see FIG. 7C).

As described above, according to the article support 2, the peripheral portion of the workpiece S is supported by the receiving member 23 of each article support portion 20 from below. And since each receiving member piece 23 is formed in a streamline shape in the laminar flow direction X of the heat treatment gas, the disturbance of the laminar flow X is small, and therefore, each part of the processing object S is uniformly heat treated from this point. Will be done. Further, since each of the workpieces S is supported in a dot-like manner by the projections 233 on the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion 231 of the article receiving member piece 23, for example, the workpieces S are glass substrates for a liquid crystal display, and Since the coating is applied to the upper surface, even if a dripping occurs at the end of the glass substrate, the dripping is prevented from sticking to a wide area of the receiving member piece 23, and this article support There is an advantage that contamination of the body is prevented accordingly, dust generation is reduced, and cleaning work is saved.

Further, by rotating the engaging portion 243, the opposite article receiving and projecting convex portion 233 can be disposed at a position for receiving the object to be processed. In this case, as shown in FIG. Since the rotation is performed eccentrically, either the larger workpiece S1 or the smaller workpiece S2 can be supported by any of the protrusions 233. FIG.
In the figure, Y indicates the loading / unloading direction of the workpiece S.

The spacing between the vertically adjacent workpieces S can be adjusted by selecting the height of the cylindrical portion 232, but can also be adjusted by inserting a spacer between the cylindrical portions. Next, a case where a coating liquid required in the process of manufacturing the liquid crystal display device is applied to the glass substrate S of the liquid crystal display device by the article heat treatment apparatus described above, and the coating liquid is dried will be described.

Initially, the article support 2 is raised (or lowered).
The lowermost (or uppermost) article support portion 2 of the support
0 faces the article openings 101, 102 of the processing tank 1, and in this state, the article processing space 1
4 is supplied with a predetermined temperature gas and circulated. Article support 2
Is performed by rotating the motor 36 of the lifting drive device 3 forward or backward.

Next, the glass substrate S to which the coating liquid has been applied by the article carry-in device 41 is carried into the article processing tank 1 through the article passage 101, and the glass substrate S is moved to the lowermost (or uppermost) stage of the article support 2.
Then, the support 2 is lowered (or raised) by one step, and the glass substrate S is loaded and placed on the next-stage article support section 20 in the same manner as described above. In this way, the article support 2 is successively moved one step at a time, and the glass substrate S is loaded and placed on each support 20.

The glass substrate S on all the article support portions 20
Is completed, the first loaded substrate S has already been sufficiently exposed to the predetermined temperature atmosphere, and the predetermined heat treatment has been completed. The substrate S carried into the substrate S is carried out of the processing tank 1 by the carry-out device 42, and the next substrate S is carried in by the carry-in device 41 to a portion vacated by the carry-out.

Thereafter, the article support 2 is lowered (or raised) by one step, and the substrate S on the next-stage support section 20 is unloaded, and as a result, the next substrate S is loaded into a vacant portion.
In this way, the article support is lowered (or raised) by one stage one after another, and the carry-out and carry-in of the substrate S are repeated. In the initial loading of the substrate S into all the stages, the substrate S transported last is moved up (or down) to the initial position after the completion of the full stage loading. The desired heat treatment is completed in the process of descending (or ascending) step by step.

That is, looking at each of the substrates S, the substrates S are placed in the article processing tank 1 for a time during which the substrates S are loaded into the full-stage support portion 20 of the article support 2 and subjected to a desired heat treatment. Will be. According to the heat treatment apparatus, as described above, the heat treatment apparatus can be configured to be more compact than the conventional treatment apparatus, thereby saving the installation area of the apparatus. In addition, disturbance in the temperature of the atmosphere in the article processing tank 1 is suppressed, and a required atmosphere such as a non-oxidizing atmosphere is easily created, so that the intended article heat treatment can be performed with accuracy. Further, dust contamination in the article processing space 14 is suppressed, and the article processing space 14 can be used for heat treatment of articles that dislike dust.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the article heat treatment apparatus as viewed from the side, and FIG.
It is sectional drawing seen from the front side of the principal part shown in a figure. 9 shows an article support portion of the article support in the apparatus shown in FIG. 8, wherein FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view of the article support viewed from the side, and FIG. 9B is a front view of the support portion. (C) is a cross-sectional view of the support portion and its related parts as viewed from the plane side.

This article heat treatment apparatus includes an article processing tank 100.
Contains. The processing tank 100 is surrounded by heat insulating walls,
Inside the filter 110, the filter 110 rises from the processing tank bottom wall 100B, the upper partition plate 120 extends horizontally from the upper end of the filter to the front side, and the processing tank ceiling wall 100 extends from the end of the partition plate.
A, the article processing space 1 with the ventilation plate 130 rising up to A
40 and a gas supply circulation section 150.

This filter 110 is a filter having high dust collection performance, similarly to the filter 11 in the apparatus shown in FIG. The ventilation plate 130 has many ventilation holes. A heater 160 and an air circulation fan 170 are arranged in the space above the upper partition plate 120, and the fan 170 is driven to rotate by a motor 172 fixed to the ceiling wall of the processing tank 1.

In the article processing space 140, an article support 200 described in detail later is arranged. On the front side of the space 140, a door 180 that can be opened and closed is provided. According to the gas supply circulation unit 150, the air heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater 160 is sucked into the rotationally driven fan 170, blown out from the fan 170 behind the filter 110, and purified by passing through the filter. After flowing into the article processing space 140 in a laminar flow state, and subjected to a heat treatment of an object to be processed, which will be described later, supported on the article support 200, the gas flows from the upper ventilation plate 130 into the gas supply circulation unit 150. Return circulation.

The article support 200 is moved up and down by the lifting drive device 300 provided below the article processing tank 100.
40 can be moved up and down. The lifting drive device 300 includes upper and lower horizontal members 301 and 302 connected and fixed to the article processing tank 100 via members (not shown), and a vertical guide rod 303 is connected and fixed between these members. , A vertical threaded rod 304 parallel to the rod 303 is rotatably supported.

A slider 305 that can move up and down along the guide rod 303 is inserted into the guide rod 303.
4, a female screw member 306 is screwed. A horizontal member 307 is connected and fixed to the slider 305 and the female screw member 306, and rods 308 stand up from approximately four corners of the horizontal member 307, respectively. Further, a slide bearing 309 provided on the bottom wall 100B of the article processing tank 100 is penetrated so as to be able to move up and down, and is connected and fixed to the lower plate 201 of the article support 200. A servo motor 310 is fixed to the lower surface of the lower member 302, and the screw rod 304 is driven to rotate forward or reverse.

The rods 308 connected and fixed to the article support 200 are all hollow rods in the present embodiment. Of these rods, two rods 308a disposed on the side wall 100C side of the article processing tank 100 are used. To the gas sources G1 and G2 via the flow control element F and the on-off valves V1 and V2.
Are connected by piping. In this example, the gas source G1 is a dry air source, and the gas source G2 is a dry nitrogen gas source. The pipe from the rod 308a to the flow control element F is a flexible hose, which is shown as a straight line in FIG. 8, but has a margin so that it can follow up and down of the rod 308a. Length is adopted. Note that these gas supply devices may be connected to two rods 308b opposite to the rod 308a.

According to the lifting drive device 300, the female screw member 30 screwed to the screw rod by the forward rotation (reverse rotation) of the motor 310 causing the screw rod 304 to rotate forward (reverse rotation).
6 rises (falls), the horizontal member 307 connected to the female screw member also rises (falls), and the four rods 308 rise (fall) accordingly. The body 200 rises (falls).

Also in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, since the lifting drive unit 300 is disposed below the article processing tank 100, the entire apparatus is made compact. Also,
The lifting drive 300 is moved by the rod 308 that passes through the slide bearing 309 so as to be able to move up and down freely.
Since it is connected to 00, dust generated from the lifting drive unit 300 is sufficiently suppressed from entering the article processing tank 100, and is also suitable for processing an object that dislikes dust.

As shown in FIG. 8B, a slit-shaped article passage 103 is formed in one side wall 100C of the article processing tank 100. In this way, this apparatus is only provided with a small article passage 103 as an article carry-in / out port for the large vertical and high internal volume,
Leakage of the processing gas from the article processing space 140 to the outside and intrusion of the outside air from the outside are suppressed, and the atmosphere in the processing tank is easily adjusted to a desired temperature and state (for example, a non-oxidizing atmosphere by introducing nitrogen gas). The accuracy of heat treatment is improved, for example, heat treatment can be performed uniformly on each part of the object.

Further, since the atmosphere of the processing tank is prevented from leaking out of the processing tank 100 and unnecessary outside air is prevented from entering the processing tank, the capacity of the gas supply circulation unit 150 can be reduced accordingly, and the initial installation cost can be reduced. Then, the running cost after that is lower. Although not shown in FIG. 8, a loading / unloading device having the same configuration as the loading / unloading devices 41 and 42 shown in FIG. However, arm 4 for carrying in / out the goods
An arm 404a shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, the article support 200 has a lower plate 201 to which the rod 308 is connected and an upper plate 202 facing the lower plate 201, and the four corners of both plates are hollow cylindrical rods 203, respectively. Are interconnected by
Further, between the upper and lower plates 201 and 202, an article supporting portion 50 is provided in a plurality of stages vertically. As shown in FIG. 9, each article support unit 50 can support the workpiece S,
A heat storage plate 501 having a large heat capacity to be heated and stored by the heat treatment gas in the article processing space 140 from the lower surface side and a plate cover 502 covering the plate are provided.
The plate cover 502 has an entrance 503 for the workpiece S. The entrance 503 is directed toward the article passage 103 of the article processing tank 100.

The heat storage plate 501 is a plate cover 50
The plate cover 502 includes four rods 2 whose four corners interconnect the upper and lower plates 201 and 202.
03 respectively. Two rods 20 arranged on the side of the rod 203 where the article passage 103 is located
3a is connected so as to communicate with the hollow lifting rod 308a of the lifting driving device 300, and the gas source G
1 or G2 can be supplied with gas. As described above, the lifting rod 308b in the driving device 300
When the gas supply device is connected to the
Each of the rods 203b on the opposite side of the rod 203a may be connected to the lifting rod 308b.

The hollow portion of each rod 203a (or each rod 203b) communicates with the inside of the plate cover 502 via the communication port 204 at a position near the article entrance 503 in the plate cover 502. Therefore, the gas supplied to the rod 203a (or the rod 203b) can enter the plate cover 502 through the communication port 204.

As shown in FIG. 9C, the filter 110 in the article processing tank 100 and the two vertical rods 203a, 20a in the article support 200 adjacent thereto are provided.
3b, a partition plate 104 extending vertically is provided in the article processing space 140, and an air volume control plate 105 is provided between the partition plate 104 and both side walls 100C, 100D of the article processing tank 100. ing. The air volume control plate 105 has a large number of ventilation holes, and extends vertically in the article processing space 140 adjacent to the filter 110.

According to the article support 200 described above,
Any one of the article support portions 50 is arranged at a position facing the article passage 103 by the lifting operation by the lifting drive device 300, and the article support portion 50 thus arranged,
The object S is moved by the arm 404a of the article loading / unloading device to the article entrance 103 and the entrance 50 of the plate cover 502.
3, the object S on the plate 501 which has been subjected to the heat treatment is conveyed out of the article processing tank.

According to the article supporting portion 50, FIG.
(C), the plate 501 is heated from the lower surface thereof by the laminar flow X of the heat-treating gas that passes through the filter 110 and is supplied between the two partition plates 104, thereby storing heat. The object S on the plate is heated from the lower surface side. Therefore, when the object to be processed S is, for example, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display and the upper surface thereof is coated with a coating liquid, the glass substrate is a lower surface opposite to the upper surface coated with the coating liquid. Since the heating is performed from the side, there is an advantage that the solvent in the coating liquid is left smoothly without remaining in the coating film, and an excellent dry coating film without bubbles is obtained.

For the heat treatment gas flowing through the filter 110 and flowing along the lower surface of the heat storage plate 501 between the two partition plates 104, a flow control plate 105 is provided outside the partition plate 104. Since the air flow passing through this portion is suppressed, the air flow is sufficiently large and the plate 501 can be sufficiently heated.

According to the article support 200 described above, dry air is supplied from the gas source G1 or dry nitrogen gas is supplied from the gas source G2, and the hollow lifting rod 308a (or rod 308b) and the article support are used in the lifting drive. To the longitudinal hollow rod 203a (or further the rod 203b), from which each plate cover 5
02 can be supplied. The gas g thus supplied into the plate cover 502 flows out of the cover from the article entrance 503 of the plate cover 502 as shown in FIG. 9C. Thus, by supplying the gas g into the plate cover in this manner, unnecessary gas and dust which may be generated from the workpiece S in the process of heat treatment are guided and discharged out of the plate cover by the flow of the gas g. In this regard, the object S can be processed with a high degree of cleanliness. Further, when introducing the nitrogen gas, the inside of the plate cover 502 may be set to a non-oxidizing atmosphere, and the processing target S may be processed in that state.

Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is different from the article heat treatment apparatus shown in FIGS.
And an article supporting portion 60 is employed. Further, in this embodiment, the arm of the article loading / unloading apparatus is shown in FIG.
0 (C), the same arm 404 as the arm 404 in the article carrying-in / out devices 41 and 42 shown in FIG.
Is used.

As shown in FIG. 10, each article supporting portion 60 in this embodiment has a U-shaped receiving surface which can expose most of the lower surface of the object S to the heat treatment gas in the article processing space 140. A cover 602 is provided to cover the member 601 and the receiving member.
03. The article entrance 603 is in the article processing tank 10
0 is directed to the side having the article entrance 103. Also,
The cover 602 is located near the entrance 603 and the communication hole 204.
Through the hollow portion of the rod 203a. The four corner portions of the receiving member 601 and the cover 602 are connected to and supported by the vertical hollow rod 203. Other points are the same as those shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Also in this embodiment, when the gas supply device is connected to the elevating rod 308b of the driving device 300, the rods 203b on the opposite side of the rod 203a of the support 200 are also connected to the elevating rod 308b. The connection may be made in communication, and the rod 203b may be made to communicate with the inside of the cover 602 through the communication hole 204.

According to the article supporting portion 60, the object S
The peripheral portion of the object is supported by the receiving member 601, and most of the lower surface of the workpiece S is directly exposed to the laminar flow X of the heat-treating gas in the article processing space 140 from the opening 601 a of the receiving member. According to the article support section 60, the same effect as in the article support section 50 is achieved. In addition, in the article heat treatment apparatus shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 and the article heat treatment apparatus partially shown in FIG. 10, the article support 200 is moved up and down, and the article to be processed is loaded into and unloaded from the article supports 50 and 60 of the support 200. The whole series of operations such as the above is performed in the same manner as in the apparatus shown in FIGS. However, loading and unloading of articles is performed through one article passage 103.

It is to be noted that, if necessary, the article support portion 50,
Cover the article entrances 503, 603 of the 60
2 and on the other side of the processing layer 100.
03 may be provided on the left and right only for loading and unloading, as in the processing layer 1 of the apparatus shown in FIG.

[0074]

As described above, according to the present invention, as compared with the conventional apparatus, the apparatus can be made more compact and the installation area of the apparatus can be saved, the disturbance in the temperature of the atmosphere in the article processing tank can be suppressed, and the non-oxidation can be achieved. Atmosphere and other required atmospheres can be easily created, and the target heat treatment of the object can be carried out with high precision.Therefore, there is little contamination by dust, and it can also be applied to heat treatment of articles that dislike dust. An article heat treatment apparatus that can be kept low is provided.

Each article supporting portion of the article support has a receiving member piece for receiving the object to be processed or the auxiliary support member, and each of the receiving member pieces is in a flow direction of the heat treatment gas with respect to the object to be processed supported by the receiving member. Is formed in a streamline shape with small air resistance, the air resistance of the receiving member piece is so small that the occurrence of disturbance of the flow (laminar flow) of the heat treatment gas with respect to the processing object is suppressed, Thus, each part of the object is heat-treated uniformly.

When the receiving member has a convex portion for supporting the object to be processed in a dot-like manner, for example, a coating liquid is applied to the object to be processed and the side surface of the object is dried in the process of drying the coating liquid. Even if the coating liquid is dripping on the bottom surface or the lower surface, the coating liquid adheres to a wide area of the receiving member piece, and it is difficult to clean the receiving member later and it is easy to generate dust. Is suppressed.

A heat storage plate which can support an object to be processed by the auxiliary support or the article support portion itself of the article support, and which is heated from the lower surface side by the heat treatment gas in the article processing space to store heat, and the plate And a receiving member capable of exposing most of the lower surface of the processing object to the heat treatment gas in the article processing space, and covering the receiving member so as to cover the processing object. In the case of having a cover having an entrance of the object, for example, a coating liquid is applied to the upper surface of the object to be processed,
When the coating is dried, the object to be processed is mainly heated from the lower surface opposite to the upper surface coated with the coating, so that the solvent in the coating liquid remains in the coating. An excellent dried coating film which is released smoothly without bubbles and has no air bubbles can be obtained.

In the case where each article supporting portion of the article support is formed as described above, a gas introducing means for introducing dry air, nitrogen gas or the like from outside the article processing tank is provided in the cover. In some cases, for example, by introducing dry air or nitrogen gas, it is possible to eliminate gas and particles that may be emitted from the object to be processed and drift above the object by heat treatment. At the same time, the atmosphere in contact with the object to be processed can be a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a main part of an article heat treatment apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of an article support.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a state where an upper plate of the article support shown in FIG. 4 is removed.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing details of an article support partially omitted.

7 (A) and 7 (B) show the article receiving member piece and the rod passed through the article support in the article support shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 (A) shows the rod section in cross section. Plan view,
(B) The figure is a side view showing the receiving member piece in cross section.
(C) is a diagram for explaining an attached state and an operation state of the article receiving member shown in (A) and (B).

8A and 8B show another embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the main part as viewed from the side, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the main part shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the front side.

9A is a cross-sectional view of the article support portion of the article support in the apparatus shown in FIG. 8 as viewed from the side, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of the support portion as viewed from the front side. FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of the support portion and a portion related to the support portion, as viewed from a plane side.

FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view of an article support portion of an article support according to still another embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the side, and FIG. 10B is a front view of the same support portion. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of the support portion, and FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of the support portion and a portion related thereto as viewed from a plane side.

FIGS. 11A, 11B and 11C are explanatory views of a conventional example.

FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view of still another conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 article processing tank 14 article processing space 15 gas supply circulation unit 101, 102 article passage 2 article support 20 article support unit 3 elevating drive device of article support 2 41 article loading apparatus 42 article unloading apparatus 23 receiving workpiece Member piece 233 Convex part of member piece 100 100 Article processing tank 140 Article processing space 150 Gas supply circulating unit 103 Article opening 200 Article support 300 Article lifting / lowering drive device for article support 200 50 Article support unit 501 Heat storage plate 502 Plate cover 503 Article entrance 60 Article support part 601 Workpiece receiving member 602 Cover 603 Article entrance of cover G1 Dry air source G2 Dry nitrogen gas source V1, V2 Open / close valve F Flow control element 308 (308a, 308b) Hollow lifting rod 203 (203a) , 203b) Hollow rod 204 Hole

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-5-306991 (JP, A) JP-A-5-291488 (JP, A) JP-A-63-148087 (JP, A) JP-A-4- 279875 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Hei 1-1117548 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Hei 3-2840 (JP, Y2)

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. An article processing space, and a gas supply circulating means for supplying and circulating a gas having a predetermined temperature to the space is provided, and at least one side of the article processing port is used to carry articles into and out of the space. An article processing tank having: a plurality of article support sections arranged in the article processing space and capable of loading and unloading an article to be treated or an auxiliary support loaded with the article to be treated at predetermined intervals vertically; It is arranged below the article processing tank, connected to the article support by a connecting member that penetrates the processing tank wall so as to be able to move up and down,
Lifting and lowering drive means for raising and lowering the article support through the connecting member so that each of the article supports sequentially faces the article passage; and to the article support of the article support via the article passage. An article heat treatment apparatus comprising: means for loading and unloading articles for loading and unloading a workpiece or an auxiliary support. 2. Each of the article support portions of the article support has a receiving member piece for receiving an object to be processed or an auxiliary support, and each of the receiving member pieces is subjected to a heat treatment on the object to be processed supported thereon. 2. The article heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the article heat treatment apparatus is formed in a streamline shape with small air resistance along a gas flow direction. 3. The article heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of the receiving member pieces has a convex portion for supporting the workpiece in a point-like manner. 4. A heat storage plate capable of supporting an object to be processed, being heated from a lower surface side by a heat treatment gas in the article processing space to store heat, and covering the plate, The article heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a plate cover having an entrance. 5. The auxiliary support device includes a receiving member capable of exposing most of the lower surface of the object to be processed to the article processing space, and a cover that covers the receiving member and has an entrance for the object to be processed. The article heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1. 6. The heat storage plate, wherein each of the article support portions of the article support can receive an object to be processed, and is heated by a heat treatment gas in the article processing space from the lower surface side to store heat, and The article heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plate cover that covers and has a doorway of the object to be processed. 7. Each of the article support portions of the article supporter covers a receiving member capable of exposing most of the lower surface of the object to be processed to the article processing space, and the receiving member, and the entrance and exit of the object to be processed are provided. The article heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cover having the cover. 8. The article heat treatment apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a gas introduction unit for introducing a predetermined gas into the cover from outside the article processing tank.