JP4387154B2 - In-furnace transfer device for processing materials - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides a treatment material capable of carrying a walking beam with a simple structure in a stable and smooth operation even when the furnace length is increased as well as a normal length furnace. The present invention relates to an in-furnace transfer device.

Conventionally, when a relatively lightweight processing material such as a glass panel represented by a flat panel display is transported in a heat treatment furnace, roller hearth transport or walking beam transport is used. In the roller hearth conveyance, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a large number of rollers are arranged in parallel, and the processing material mounted thereon is moved by rotationally driving the rollers. In walking beam conveyance, for example, as shown in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the movable beam is moved up and down and back and forth with respect to the fixed beam, or the pair of movable beams are moved up and down with a predetermined phase difference. By moving back and forth, the processing material is moved while being transferred between the fixed beam and the movable beam or between the movable beams.
JP 2000-130951 A JP-A-5-8833 JP 2000-335723 A

  By the way, in roller hearth conveyance, if the installation accuracy is not high enough so that the rollers arranged side by side are at the same level, the processing material moving while moving on the roller vibrates, and this vibration causes damage to the processing material. May be attached. However, it is very difficult to install a large number of rollers with high installation accuracy. On the other hand, in the case of a heat treatment furnace in which the furnace atmosphere becomes considerably high temperature, it is preferable to always rotate the roller from the viewpoint of preventing thermal deformation of the roller, but if the roller is continuously rotated in this way, Since the processing material on it also moves at the same time, there is a disadvantage that the conveyance control of the processing material becomes difficult.

  On the other hand, in walking beam conveyance, there is less vibration compared to roller hearth conveyance, and the processing material can be conveyed smoothly. However, as the furnace length becomes longer, the length of the movable beam becomes longer, so that its own weight and the weight of the processing material conveyed on it increase. When the load of the movable beam increases as described above, it is necessary to increase the load, and as a result, the movable beam becomes larger and becomes a restriction in designing the heat treatment furnace.

  In Patent Document 3, a lift roller that lifts and lowers while supporting the movable beam, a lift cylinder that swings the lift roller, and the like are provided, and the movable beam is supported by the lift roller to reduce its weight and size. However, according to the disclosure of Patent Document 3, a lift roller is installed on the hearth and a lift cylinder or the like is installed below the hearth. For this reason, the lift roller is separately moved on the hearth by the lift cylinder. There was a disadvantage that a complicated structure had to be constructed such as a penetrating part and a sealing mechanism for sealing it.

  The present invention was devised in view of the above-described conventional problems, and it is possible to achieve a stable and smooth structure with a simple structure even when the length of the furnace is increased as well as a normal length furnace. It is an object to provide an in-furnace transfer device for a processing material capable of carrying a walking beam with a simple operation.

  The processing material in-furnace transfer apparatus according to the present invention is transferred between a fixed beam arranged at intervals in the furnace length direction and a movable beam that can move up and down and move back and forth with respect to the fixed beam. In order to move the processing material back and forth while supporting the movable beam in a furnace that carries the walking beam, rotating rollers that are abutted from below and are driven to rotate forward and backward are mutually connected in the furnace length direction. An elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the rotating roller to move the movable beam up and down is arranged outside the furnace and on the side of the furnace. It is characterized by that.

  Further, the relative height relationship between the height of each of the fixed beams and the rising height of the movable beam is changed in the furnace length direction.

  In the in-furnace conveying apparatus for the treated material according to the present invention, not only a normal length furnace, but also a stable and smooth operation with a simple structure even when the furnace length is increased. Can be used for walking beam transport.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a processing material in-furnace conveying apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the processing material in-furnace transfer apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment basically has a fixed beam 2 arranged at intervals in the furnace length direction and a vertical direction with respect to this. In order to move the processing material M back and forth while supporting the movable beam 3 in the furnace 4 which carries the walking beam while moving between the movable beam 3 and the movable beam 3 which can move and move back and forth, The rotating rollers 5 that are in contact with each other and are driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions are provided so as to be spaced apart from each other in the furnace length direction and penetrate the furnace 4 in the furnace width direction. On the other hand, an elevating mechanism 6 that elevates and lowers the rotating roller 5 to move the movable beam 3 up and down is arranged.

  In the present embodiment, a heat treatment furnace 4 for heat-treating a relatively lightweight flat panel display as the treatment material M is shown, and the heat treatment furnace 4 is formed into a hollow cylindrical shape by a wall having a considerable thickness. A compartment is formed, and an entrance 4a and an exit 4b are formed at both ends in the furnace length direction. The fixed beam 2 is fixedly provided in the furnace of the heat treatment furnace 4. The fixed beam 2 is configured by a plurality of posts 8 which are arranged in parallel on the transverse beam 7 in the furnace width direction and arranged at equal intervals in the furnace length direction. The heat treatment furnace 4 is provided with a pair of movable beams 3 extending in the furnace width direction through the furnace 1 from the carry-in entrance 4a to the carry-out exit 4b. The pair of movable beams 3 is provided to be movable up and down and back and forth with respect to the fixed beam 2 and also with respect to the heat treatment furnace 4.

  These movement modes of the movable beam 3 with respect to the fixed beam 2 are well known as walking beam conveyance. Basically, as shown in FIG. 1, the movable beam 3 is positioned at the height position of the post 8 of the fixed beam 2. From the lower position (see (a)) until it reaches a position higher than the height position of the post 8, and the processing material M on the post 8 moves toward the movable beam 3 at this time. Then, the movable beam 3 is advanced to the position where the treatment material M moves on the post 8 forward in the forward direction (see (c)), and then in the advanced position. The movable beam 3 is lowered until it reaches a position lower than the height position of the post 8, and at this time, the processing material M on the movable beam 3 is transferred to the post 8 of the fixed beam 2 (see (d)). After that, the movable beam 3 moves forward in the lowered position. The vehicle is moved backward by an amount (see (e)), and is lifted from the reverse position when the processing material M is conveyed next time (see (a)).

  Then, in accordance with the above transfer between the movable beam 3 and the fixed beam 2, the processing material M is sequentially conveyed at a constant pitch from the carry-in port 4a to the carry-out port 4b of the heat treatment furnace 4, and during this carrying period. It is designed to be heat treated.

  In the heat treatment furnace 4 in which the movable beam 3 and the fixed beam 2 are arranged in this manner, the heat treatment furnace 4 penetrates the heat treatment furnace 4 in the furnace width direction, spaced apart from each other in the furnace length direction, avoiding the position of the post 8. Thus, a plurality of rotating rollers 5 are provided. These rotary rollers 5 are moved up and down with respect to the post 8 in the heat treatment furnace 4 and are driven to rotate forward and backward, and are lifted and brought into contact with the movable beam 3 from below so that they can be moved. In addition to being supported, the movable beam 3 is moved back and forth by being driven forward and reverse in this supported state.

  Specifically, each of the rotating rollers 5 includes a cylindrical roller body 9 and a pair of rotating shafts 10 extending from both axial end portions of the roller body 9 outward in the axial direction. The The roller body 9 is formed longer than the interval in the furnace width direction of the pair of movable beams 3 and is positioned in the heat treatment furnace 4, while the pair of rotary shafts 10 are respectively disposed on the side walls 11 on both sides of the heat treatment furnace 4. It protrudes toward the side of the furnace 4 outside the furnace 4 through a slit (not shown) formed in the vertical direction. The slit is provided with an appropriate sealing device that seals the inside of the heat treatment furnace 4 from the outside of the furnace 4 while allowing the rotary shaft 10 to move up and down.

  On the other hand, a pair of lifting mechanisms 6 are disposed outside the heat treatment furnace 4 so as to face the side walls 11 on both sides through which the rotary shaft 10 penetrates, on the side of the heat treatment furnace 4. A pair of rotating shafts 10 of the rotating roller 5 are connected to the elevating mechanism 6, respectively, whereby the rotating shaft 10 is moved up and down in a horizontal state by the elevating mechanism 6, and the rotating shaft 10 and thus the rotating roller 5 is moved up and down. The movable beam 3 in contact with the rotating roller 5 is moved up and down by the operation. For the elevating mechanism 6, for example, a well-known cylinder device or jack device can be used. The rotating roller 5 is driven to rotate forward and backward, and a rotation driving mechanism (not shown) such as a motor for that purpose is provided in one of the elevating mechanisms 6 and connected to one of the rotating shafts 10. The

  Further, in the present embodiment, the movable beam 3 is detachably engaged outside the furnace on the side of the carry-in inlet 4a of the heat treatment furnace 4 and is temporarily supported thereby, so that the movable beam 3 can be rotated. A temporary support 12 is provided that allows the roller 5 to be separated. With the temporary support 12, the walking beam conveyance in the present embodiment is executed only when the above-described basic walking beam conveyance motion mode is always or intermittently or necessary. Possible additional steps are set.

  Specifically, generally, the movable beam 3 that has reached the retracted position is directly raised to a position higher than the height position of the post 8 at the retracted position, and the processing material M on the post 8 is moved to the movable beam 3. In the walking beam conveyance of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the movable beam 3 that has reached the retracted position (see (e)) is temporarily moved to the height position of the post 8 by the rotating roller 5. It is raised to a lower position, that is, an intermediate height position where the processing material M is not transferred.

  At this intermediate height position, the temporary support 12 engages the movable beam 3 so that the entire movable beam 3 is temporarily supported by the temporary support 12 instead of the rotating roller 5. With the temporary support 12 being supported, the rotating roller 5 is lowered again, so that the contact state of the rotating roller 5 with the movable beam 3 is released (see (a)). That is, in the additional step, the rotary roller 5 that moves the movable beam 3 up and down is separated.

  Then, after this additional step is performed, the rotating roller 5 is raised again, and at this time, the movable beam 3 is received from the temporary support 12 together with the disengagement of the temporary support 12. The processing material M is moved to the movable beam 3 by being raised to a position higher than the height position 8.

  FIG. 3 shows various structures for raising and lowering each rotating roller 5 by the elevating mechanism 6. In FIG. 3A, a pedestal 13 that is formed long along the furnace length direction is disposed on the side of the heat treatment furnace 4, and each rotating shaft 10 of the plurality of rotating rollers 5 is placed on the pedestal 13. A plurality of bearing members 14 that support the respective bearings are arranged side by side, and the gantry 13 is driven by the elevating mechanism 6 so that the plurality of rotating rollers 5 are moved up and down all at once. In this case, the raising / lowering mechanism 6 is provided according to the number of the bases 13, and when all the rotating rollers 5 are supported by bearings on one base 13, one elevator mechanism 6 is provided.

  FIG. 3B shows a structure in which a bearing base 15 is provided for each bearing member 14 and the bearing base 15 is moved up and down independently by a lifting mechanism. In this case, the elevating mechanism 6 is provided according to the number of bearing mounts 15, that is, the number of rotating rollers 5. Note that a drive source such as a motor, an air pressure source, and a hydraulic pressure source for driving the elevating mechanism 6 and a control device may be shared.

  In FIG. 3C, the bearing members 14 are connected to the distal ends of a plurality of swing arms 17 whose base ends are rotatably supported by the pivot center 16, and the lifting mechanism 6 is connected to each intermediate portion of the swing arms 17. Are connected to each other, and each swing arm 17 is swung up and down by the elevating mechanism 6 so that the rotating rollers 5 are individually raised and lowered. Also in this case, the lifting mechanism 6 is provided according to the number of bearing members 14, that is, the number of rotating rollers 5. Even in this configuration, a drive source such as a motor, a pneumatic source, and a hydraulic source for driving the elevating mechanism 6 and a control device may be shared.

  Next, the operation of the in-furnace transfer apparatus 1 for processing materials according to the present embodiment will be described. In particular, according to a transport operation including additional steps unique to the present embodiment, in the state shown in FIG. 1A, the movable beam 3 is moved from the height position of the post 8 of the fixed beam 2 by the temporary support 12. Is also supported at a low position. At this time, the treatment material M in the heat treatment furnace 4 is placed on the post 8. On the other hand, the rotating roller 5 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 6 to be released from the contact state with the movable beam 3, and is separated below. In this separated state, the rotary roller 5 can be freely rotated forward and backward by the rotary drive mechanism, and this rotary action can prevent the rotary roller 5 from being thermally deformed in the furnace atmosphere.

  If this point is explained in full detail, if the rotation roller 5 is made to stop for a long time, the dead weight will cause the bending deformation by high temperature creep. When the rotating roller 5 is thermally deformed, there is a problem in that vibration is generated in the movable beam 3 and consequently the processing material M during conveyance. On the other hand, if the rotating roller 5 is rotated, such a problem of thermal deformation can be solved.

  According to the basic motion mode of walking beam conveyance, the rotation of the rotating roller 5 is stopped in the stop state of the movable beam 3, that is, in the stage from FIG. 1 (e) to FIG. 1 (b). The rotating roller 5 is likely to be thermally deformed. In order to maintain the rotating state of the rotating roller 5, it is conceivable that the rotating roller 5 is slowly rotated forward and backward from half rotation to one rotation. However, in this way, the movable beam 3 moves slightly back and forth, and the movable beam 3 There is a control difficulty in terms of whether or not the position of the movable beam 3 can be accurately controlled when the processing material M mounted thereon is moved with an accurate movement amount.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the rotating roller 5 can be driven to rotate in a state of being separated from the movable beam 3 so that such a difficulty does not occur. While ensuring, thermal deformation of the rotating roller 5 can be prevented.

  However, for simplicity, the rotating roller 5 may be rotationally driven in the state shown in FIG. Further, in the state of FIG. 1A, since the treatment material M is not placed on the movable beam 3, even the temporary support 12 can stably support the movable beam 3.

  In the state shown in FIG. 1B, the rotary roller 5 is stopped from rotating by the rotary drive mechanism, and is lifted by the elevating mechanism 6, and is first brought into contact with the movable beam 3 from below and the temporary support 12 is provided. Together with the release of the support, the movable beam 3 is supported, and then the movable beam 3 is further raised to a position higher than the height position of the post 8, whereby the processing material M is placed on the movable beam 3. To move.

  In the state shown in FIG. 1 (c), the rotating roller 5 is stopped by the elevating mechanism 6 and is normally rotated by the rotation driving mechanism, thereby moving the movable beam 3 forward to convey the processing material M. I do. In the conveyance by supporting the movable beam 3 by the rotating roller 5, the number of the rotating rollers 5 used for the conveyance can be greatly reduced as compared with the roller hearth conveyance, and the processing material is used when the roller is transferred. It is possible to appropriately solve the problem in the roller hearth conveyance that vibration is generated.

  That is, the movable beam 3 can widen the installation interval of the rotary rollers 5 as compared with the roller hearth conveyance, and accordingly, the movable beam 3 depends on its own weight on the rotary roller 5 and further by the weight of the processing material M. As a result, even if the installation accuracy of the rotary rollers 5 arranged side by side is not high, the movable beam 3 that has been bent and deformed is applied to each rotary roller 5 approximately uniformly. In particular, the generation of vibrations when moving the movable beam 3 back and forth can be suppressed, and the processing material M can be transported statically and stably. In other words, the processing material M can be transported stably and smoothly with a simple structure without requiring high accuracy in the installation accuracy of the rotating roller 5.

  Further, when the processing material M is transferred, there is almost no possibility of slippage between the fixed beam 2 and the movable beam 3, and a high strain point glass for protecting the processing material M from being damaged. The processing material M can be directly mounted on the beams 2 and 3 and transported without using the processing material carrier.

  In the state shown in FIG. 1 (d), the rotary roller 5 is stopped from rotating by the rotary drive mechanism and lowered by the elevating mechanism 6, so that the movable beam 3 is positioned lower than the height position of the post 8. The processing material M is transferred onto the post 8.

  In the state shown in FIG. 1 (e), the rotary roller 5 is lifted and lowered by the lift mechanism 6 and reversely driven by the rotary drive mechanism, whereby the movable beam 3 is moved backward by the amount advanced. Thereafter, until the next processing material M is conveyed, the rotary roller 5 is driven to rotate in order to prevent thermal deformation in the state shown in FIG.

  Especially in the in-furnace transport apparatus 1 of the processing material of this embodiment, not only the normal length of the furnace but also the case where the furnace length is increased, the front and rear are supported while supporting the movable beam 3. In order to move, rotating rollers 5 abutted from below and driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions are provided in the furnace length direction so as to be spaced apart from each other and through the heat treatment furnace 4 in the furnace width direction. A walking beam is provided with a simple structure in a stable and smooth operation by arranging an elevating mechanism 6 that moves the rotating roller 5 up and down to move the movable beam 3 up and down to the side of the furnace 4 outside. The conveyance can be performed, and problems such as generation of scratches on the processing material M can be solved by the low shock conveyance that is a feature of the conveyance method.

  Further, the rotary roller 5 is provided in the furnace width direction so as to penetrate the heat treatment furnace 4, and the elevating mechanism 6 for the rotary roller 5 is arranged outside the heat treatment furnace 4 and on the side of the furnace 4. Unlike Patent Document 3 in which a lift roller is installed at the bottom and a lift cylinder or the like is installed below the hearth and it is necessary to configure a penetration part or a sealing mechanism in the hearth, heat treatment can be performed through the side wall 11. The structure of the furnace 4 can be simplified and the equipment cost can also be reduced.

  Moreover, since the raising / lowering mechanism etc. for operating a lift roller do not exist in a furnace like patent document 3, the cleanliness in the heat processing furnace 4 can be maintained highly. In particular, the rotating roller 5 has a simple structure in which both ends are horizontally supported on the side of the furnace 4 and is suitable for application to the heat treatment furnace 4 for processing a light processing material M with a small load.

  Moreover, since the rotary roller 5 can be freely rotated using the temporary support 12, thermal deformation of the rotary roller 5 can be appropriately prevented. Further, by supporting the movable beam 3 by the rotating roller 5, the required strength of the movable beam 3 can be set low, and thereby the design flexibility of the heat treatment furnace 4 can be kept high.

  By the way, in the said embodiment, although demonstrated about the case where the thermal deformation of the rotating roller 5 was prevented by the rotation effect, this was surrounded by the outer periphery of the roller main body 9 of the rotating roller 5, and it was made into the furnace atmosphere. You may make it provide the heat insulating material for preventing that the roller main body 9 is thermally deformed. In this way, it is not necessary to rotate the rotating roller 5 specially. Therefore, in order to secure the idle rotation of the rotating roller 5, the temporary support 12 for temporarily supporting the movable beam 3 is also eliminated. Can do.

  FIG. 3D shows a modification of the configuration in which the rotating roller 5 is moved up and down by the lifting mechanism 6. In FIG. 3D, a crank is formed on each rotating shaft 10, and the rotating shaft 10 is rotated to use the crank. The position of 9 is shifted up and down. As the lifting mechanism 6 in this case, a decelerating motor that is connected to one end of each rotating shaft 10 and rotates the rotating shaft 10 is used. Also in this case, the elevating mechanism 6 is provided according to the number of rotating shafts 10, that is, the number of rotating rollers 5. Note that a drive source and a control device for driving the lifting mechanism 6 may be shared.

  In particular, in the case of this configuration, a rotation drive mechanism that drives the rotation roller 5 to rotate forward and backward is incorporated between the rotation shaft 10 and the roller body 9, and separately from the rotation of the rotation shaft 10 by the lifting mechanism 6, The roller body 9 is driven forward and backward with respect to the rotary shaft 10. Alternatively, in the case of this configuration, the roller body 9 is rotatably supported on the rotating shaft 10 so as not to perform rotational driving such as forward and reverse rotation, and the movable beam 3 is provided with a separate cylinder device for the forward and backward movement, You may make it carry out by it. In this case, the rotating roller 5 is rotated so as not to slip by a sufficient frictional action with the movable beam 3 moved back and forth on the rotating roller 5.

  FIG. 4 shows an application example of the in-furnace transfer apparatus 1 for a treated material according to the above-described embodiment. In this application example, since the elevating mechanism 6 and the like are installed on the side of the heat treatment furnace 4, the return line 18 for the treatment material M is installed immediately below the hearth of the heat treatment furnace 4 that can be used spatially. In this way, space saving can be achieved. The return line 18 of the treatment material M is not configured in the furnace, but is the same as the configuration of the in-furnace transfer apparatus 1 except that the entire process is exposed. In particular, since the return line 18 is not exposed to the furnace atmosphere, it is not necessary to take measures against thermal deformation of the rotating roller 5.

  FIG. 5 shows another application example. Since the elevating mechanism 6 and the like are installed on the side of the heat treatment furnace 4 as described above, the vertical space in the heat treatment furnace 4 can be freely used. In addition to installing the return line 18 directly below the hearth of the heat treatment furnace 4 as in the above application example, the in-furnace transfer devices 1 in the heat treatment furnace 4 are arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction. With this configuration, not only space saving but also the processing efficiency of the processing material M can be significantly improved.

  FIG. 6 shows still another application example. In this application example, the relative height relationship between the height of each of the fixed beams 2a to 2c and the rising height of the movable beam 3 is basically changed in the furnace length direction. In the illustrated example, a plurality of areas or zones are set in the heat treatment furnace 4, and a dedicated fixed beam is provided for each area or each zone. Specifically, three areas (A) to (C) are set from the carry-in port 4a toward the carry-out port 4c, and the first to third fixed beams having the same dimensions are set in each of the areas (A) to (C). 2a to 2c are provided. Each of the fixed beams 2a to 2c is provided with a lifter (not shown) in order to change the height position of the upper end of the post 8.

  In the state shown in the figure, during the forward movement of the movable beam 3, the movable beam 3 is raised to a position higher than the height position of the post 8 of the second and third fixed beams 2b, 2c, and from these, the treatment material M is moved. While the transfer is performed and the processing material M is conveyed, the height position of the post 8 of the first fixed beam 2a is raised higher than the height position of the movable beam 3, and the processing material M is transferred. Therefore, the conveyance of the processing material M on the first fixed beam 2a is in a standby state.

  When the processing material M on the first fixed beam 2a is conveyed, the movable beam 3 is raised so as to be higher than the height position of the post 8, and this ascending operation is performed in the motion cycle of the movable beam 3. Since the residence time of the processing material M in a specific zone can be changed depending on whether it is executed once per time, so-called pitch conveyance can be made variable, thereby considering the relationship with heat treatment and the like. Thus, the processing material M can be freely conveyed. In such transport control using the movable beam 3, the same action can be obtained by changing the height of the movable beam 3 for each zone.

It is explanatory drawing which shows suitable one Embodiment of the in-furnace conveyance apparatus of the processing material concerning this invention with the operation condition. It is front sectional drawing of the in-furnace conveying apparatus of the processing material of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure for raising / lowering the rotating roller applicable to the in-furnace conveyance apparatus of the processing material of FIG. 1 with an raising / lowering mechanism. It is front sectional drawing which shows the application example of the furnace conveying apparatus of the processing material concerning this invention. It is front sectional drawing which shows another example of application of the in-furnace conveyance apparatus of the processing material concerning this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows another example of application of the in-furnace conveyance apparatus of the processing material concerning this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 In-furnace conveyance apparatus 2 Fixed beam 3 Movable beam 4 Heat treatment furnace 5 Rotating roller 6 Lifting mechanism 8 Post M Processing material

Claims (2)

In the furnace, the processing material is transported as a walking beam while being transferred between a fixed beam arranged at intervals in the furnace length direction and a movable beam that can move up and down and back and forth with respect to the fixed beam. Further, in order to move the movable beam back and forth while supporting the movable beam, rotating rollers abutted from below and driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions pass through the furnace in the furnace width direction and spaced from each other. An apparatus for conveying a processing material in a furnace, wherein a lifting mechanism for moving up and down the rotating roller to move the movable beam up and down is disposed outside the furnace and on the side of the furnace. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the relative height relationship between the height of each fixed beam and the height of the movable beam is changed in the furnace length direction.

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