JP5286593B2 - Multi-table type seam welding apparatus and seam welding method. - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a multi-table type seam welding apparatus and a seam welding method for performing seam welding in a vacuum atmosphere.

  Conventionally, when a lid serving as a lid is seam welded to a ceramic container of an electronic component typified by a crystal resonator, the work tray on which the ceramic container and the lid are placed is kept in a chamber (vacuum chamber) maintained in a vacuum atmosphere. A method of performing seam welding in a vacuum atmosphere is performed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 4130218

  However, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, the lid is welded to all the ceramic containers placed on the work tray in the vacuum chamber, and then the work tray on which the ceramic container to be welded and the lid are placed next. Must be replaced. On the other hand, the vacuum chamber needs to be miniaturized as much as possible due to problems such as installation space and manufacturing cost. For this reason, the work tray on which the ceramic container or the like to be welded next is usually placed outside the vacuum chamber, and when replacing the work tray before and after welding, the inside of the vacuum chamber needs to be opened to the atmosphere. there were. Therefore, there is a problem in that the seam welding of the ceramic container cannot be performed while the work tray is replaced or until the inside of the vacuum chamber is evacuated again, resulting in a reduction in production efficiency.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention intends to provide a multi-table type seam welding apparatus and a seam welding method capable of continuously and efficiently performing seam welding of electronic components.

  The above-mentioned object is achieved by the following means based on the earnest research of the present inventors.

  (1) The present invention provides a vacuum chamber that keeps its interior in a vacuum state, a standby chamber device that is attached to the vacuum chamber and keeps its interior in a vacuum state, and is disposed in the vacuum chamber, the standby A first table that carries a workpiece from the chamber apparatus and moves in the X direction; a second table that is disposed in the vacuum chamber and moves the workpiece from the standby chamber apparatus and moves in the X direction; and the vacuum chamber A welding head device disposed in the first table and on the second table and moving in a Y direction perpendicular to the X direction; and mounted on the welding head device, the X direction and the Y direction. A plurality of tabs comprising: a Z-direction movable member that relatively moves in a perpendicular Z-direction; and a welding roller that is mounted on the Z-direction movable member and welds the workpiece. Scheme is a seam welding apparatus.

  (2) In the present invention, the second table is moved from the standby chamber device into the vacuum chamber while the work placed on the first table is welded in the vacuum chamber. The multi-table seam welding device according to (1), wherein

  (3) In the present invention, the standby chamber device further includes standby chamber opening / closing means for communicating the internal space of the standby chamber device with the vacuum chamber side, and the standby chamber device carries the workpiece into the vacuum chamber. Alternatively, when unloading, the multi-table type seam welding apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the standby chamber opening / closing means is opened and communicated with the vacuum chamber in a state where it is kept in a vacuum state It is.

  (4) In the present invention, the standby chamber device also includes a first supply unit that supplies the workpiece to the first table of the vacuum chamber, and the workpiece to the second table of the vacuum chamber. A multi-table seam welding apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising: a second supply means for supplying.

  (5) Further, in the present invention, the standby chamber device accommodates the workpieces before welding and supplies the workpieces before welding to the first and second tables of the vacuum chamber after evacuating the workpieces. And a carry-out side chamber that receives the workpieces after welding from the first and second tables of the vacuum chamber and carries them out to the outside after the vacuum chamber is evacuated. The multi-table type seam welding apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4).

  (6) In the present invention, the standby chamber device accommodates the workpieces before welding and, after bringing the workpiece into a vacuum state, conveys the workpieces before welding to the first table of the vacuum chamber. After the first chamber and the vacuum chamber itself are in a vacuum state, the workpiece after welding is received from the first table of the vacuum chamber and conveyed to the outside, and the workpiece before welding is accommodated, A second chamber on the carry-in side that transports the workpiece before welding to the second table of the vacuum chamber after making the vacuum state thereof, and welding from the second table of the vacuum chamber after making the vacuum state of itself. The plurality of tables according to any one of (1) to (5), comprising a second chamber on the carry-out side that receives a subsequent workpiece and conveys it to the outside. Le scheme is a seam welding apparatus.

  (7) In the present invention, the carry-in side first chamber, the vacuum chamber, and the carry-out side first chamber are arranged in substantially the same linear direction, and the carry-in side second chamber, the vacuum chamber, and the carry-out side first chamber are arranged. The two-chamber seam welding apparatus according to (6), wherein the two chambers are arranged in substantially the same linear direction.

  (8) The present invention also includes a first welding head device and a second welding head device that move in a direction perpendicular to the X direction on the first table and the second table. The multi-table type seam welding apparatus according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the multi-table seam welding apparatus is configured.

  (9) In the present invention, the movement axis of the first welding head and the movement axis of the second welding head are provided in parallel, and the first welding head and the second welding head are perpendicular to the X axis. The multi-table type seam welding apparatus according to (8), wherein the multi-table type seam welding apparatus can be individually moved in a direction.

  (10) In the present invention, the vacuum chamber for seam welding the workpieces is brought into a vacuum state, the workpiece before welding is transferred to a standby chamber device attached to the vacuum chamber, the inside of the standby chamber device is brought into a vacuum state, The workpiece is transported from the standby chamber device to the first table of the vacuum chamber, and the workpiece placed on the first table is seam welded by a welding head device provided in the vacuum chamber, During the seam welding, the inside of the standby chamber device is opened to the atmosphere, and while the workpiece is being seam welded, another workpiece before welding is transferred to the standby chamber device, and the workpiece is seam welded. During this time, the inside of the standby chamber apparatus is evacuated, and while the workpiece is seam welded, the other workpiece before welding is moved to the standby channel. After transporting from the apparatus to the second table of the vacuum chamber and completing the seam welding of the workpiece placed on the first table, the welding head apparatus is moved from the first table to the second table, While the welding head device is seam welding the workpiece placed on the second table, the welded workpiece placed on the first table is transferred from the vacuum chamber to the standby chamber device. After the standby chamber is opened to the atmosphere, the welded workpiece is transferred from the standby chamber to the outside, and the workpiece placed on the second table is seam welded to the standby chamber device. Then, the work to be welded next is carried in, the inside of the standby chamber apparatus is evacuated, and the work placed on the second table is seam welded. The workpiece to be welded is transferred from the standby chamber device to the first table of the vacuum chamber, and after the seam welding of the workpiece placed on the second table is completed, the welding head device is moved to the second table. It moves to the said 1st table from the seam welding method characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the present invention, since the workpiece to be welded next can be prepared on the other table while the workpiece is seam welded on one table, the seam welding of electronic components can be performed continuously and efficiently. An excellent effect that a multi-table type seam welding apparatus or the like can be provided can be obtained.

It is a top view showing the whole structure of the multiple table system seam welding apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a side view showing the whole structure of the same multiple table system seam welding apparatus 1 seen from the arrow I-I direction of FIG. (A)-(d) It is a front view of the multiple table system seam welding apparatus 1 which shows the seam welding method. It is a top view which shows the whole structure of the multiple table type seam welding apparatus 2 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the seam welding method of the multiple table system seam welding apparatus. It is a top view which shows the seam welding method of the multiple table system seam welding apparatus. It is a top view which shows the seam welding method of the multiple table system seam welding apparatus. It is a top view which shows the seam welding method of the multiple table system seam welding apparatus. It is a top view which shows the multiple table system seam welding apparatus 3 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

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

  <Overall configuration>

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a multi-table type seam welding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows the multi-table type as seen from the direction of arrows II in FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating an overall configuration of a seam welding device 1. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a part of the cross section is shown, and the cross section is shown by hatching.

  The multi-table type seam welding apparatus 1 includes a vacuum chamber 100 and a standby chamber 200 that temporarily waits for a work tray 40 carried in and out of the vacuum chamber 100. The standby chamber 200 is configured to open the standby chamber opening / closing means 204 so that at least a part of the side wall 201 is opened to spatially communicate with the vacuum chamber 100. Although details will be described later, the vacuum chamber 100 is a chamber in which an electronic component (for example, the ceramic container 60 and the lid 70) is seam welded by the welding head 10 that is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere and is internally provided. In this specification, the ceramic container 60 and the lid 70 may be simply referred to as the electronic component 60 or the work 60.

  The vacuum chamber 100 is provided with a vacuum pump 120 and an atmosphere release valve 130, and the standby chamber 200 is provided with a vacuum pump 220 and an atmosphere release valve 230. By controlling these vacuum pumps 120 and 220 and atmospheric release valves 130 and 230, the air pressure in each chamber can be controlled to an arbitrary pressure from atmospheric pressure to substantially vacuum.

  The vacuum chamber 100 is a substantially hexahedral box-like container, and has an internal space H that accommodates the welding head 10 and the like. The vacuum chamber 100 is provided with a vacuum chamber side door 110, 112 that can be opened and closed on one side wall. That is, the vacuum chamber 100 can communicate the internal space H of the vacuum chamber 100 with the internal space J of the standby chamber 200 by opening and closing both or one of the vacuum chamber side doors 110 and 112. .

  A first table 20 and a second table 30 are disposed on the bottom surface 102 of the welding vacuum chamber 100. The first table 20 is provided on the vacuum chamber side door 110 side, and can be moved in the X direction by a linear motor 24 described later.

  The first table 20 is attached to a pair of linear motors 24, 24 that move along a pair of rails 22, 22 arranged parallel to the X direction on the bottom surface 102. Therefore, the first table 20 can be freely moved in the X direction along the rail 22 by the pair of linear motors 24 and 24. Thus, the first table 20 moves to the vicinity of the vacuum chamber side door 110 when the work tray 40 is carried in or out of the vacuum chamber 100, and the work tray 40 is smoothly transferred to and from the standby chamber 200. be able to.

  The second table 30 is provided in parallel with the first table 20 at a position spaced apart from the first table 20 on the bottom surface 102. Similar to the first table 20, the second table 30 is disposed on a pair of linear motors 34, 34 that move along a pair of rails 32, 32 that are disposed in parallel to the X direction. Therefore, the second table 30 can be freely moved in the X direction along the rail 32 by the pair of linear motors 34, 34. As a result, the second table 30 moves to the vicinity of the vacuum chamber side door 112 when the work tray 40 is carried in or out of the vacuum chamber 100, and the work tray 40 is smoothly transferred to and from the standby chamber 200. be able to.

  The vacuum chamber 100 is provided with a welding head 10 that moves in the Y direction perpendicular to the X direction. The welding head 10 is mounted on a linear motor 14 that moves along rails 12 provided on opposite side walls 104 and 106 of the vacuum chamber 100, and can move freely in the Y direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the welding head 10 is provided with a Z-direction movable member 16 that can move in the Z-direction perpendicular to the X-direction and the Y-direction. A welding roller 18 capable of rolling is mounted. With the above-described configuration, the welding roller 18 can be moved to a position directly above an arbitrary workpiece 60 by moving the first table 20 and the second table 30 in the X direction and the welding head 10 in the Y direction and the Z direction. Accordingly, a predetermined current is applied to the welding roller 18 by a current generator (not shown), and the workpieces 60 are seam welded by moving the tables 20 and 30 in the X direction while pressing the welding roller 18 against the workpiece 60. it can. When the seam welding of the workpieces 60 arranged in a row in the X direction is completed, the welding head 10 is moved in the Y direction and immediately moved to the horizontal row. Then, similarly to the above, the workpieces 60 arranged in a row are seam welded while being moved in the X direction. By repeating the above-described operation, all the workpieces 60 placed in a matrix on the work tray 40 can be seam welded.

  The standby chamber 200 is a vacuum chamber that is attached to the vacuum chamber 100 and can maintain itself in a vacuum atmosphere by the vacuum pump 220. As with the vacuum chamber 100, the standby chamber 200 is a substantially hexahedral box-like container, and has an internal space J that accommodates transfer devices 210 and 240, which will be described later.

  The standby chamber 200 includes standby chamber side doors 204 </ b> A and 204 </ b> B that can be opened and closed on a side surface 201, and loading / unloading doors 206 </ b> A and 206 on a side wall 203 that faces the side wall 201.

  By opening the standby chamber side door 204A and the vacuum chamber side door 110, the internal space H of the vacuum chamber 100 and the internal space J of the standby chamber 200 can be communicated with each other. Also, by closing at least one of the standby chamber side door 204A and the vacuum chamber side door 110, the internal space H of the vacuum chamber 100 and the internal space J of the standby chamber 200 can be isolated. Similarly, by opening the standby chamber side door 204B and the vacuum chamber side door 112, the internal space H of the vacuum chamber 100 and the internal space J of the standby chamber 200 can be communicated with each other. Also, by closing at least one of the standby chamber side door 204B and the vacuum chamber side door 112, the internal space H of the vacuum chamber 100 and the internal space J of the standby chamber 200 can be isolated. The standby chamber side doors 204A and 204B may be referred to herein as standby chamber opening / closing means 204, and the carry-in / out doors 206A and 206B may be simply referred to as the carry-in / out door 206.

  In this embodiment, the case where the vacuum chamber side doors 110 and 112 and the standby chamber side doors 204A and 204B are provided as a set is illustrated, but a configuration including at least one of them is also preferable. For example, the standby chamber 200 may be a simple opening instead of the standby chamber side doors 204A and 204B. By doing so, the internal space H of the vacuum chamber 100 and the internal space J of the standby chamber 200 can be communicated or isolated by simply opening and closing the vacuum chamber side doors 110 and 112. Of course, the vacuum chamber side doors 110 and 112 can be simply opened, and the same purpose can be achieved by opening and closing the standby chamber side doors 204A and 204B.

  A transfer device 210 is disposed near the standby chamber side door 204A on the bottom surface 202 of the standby chamber 200, and a transfer device 240 is disposed near the standby chamber side door 204B. The transport device 210 rotatably supports a plurality of rotating rollers 212. The rotation roller 212 is provided continuously in the X direction, and can rotate the work tray 40 placed on the rotation roller 212 in the X direction by rotating itself. Therefore, although details will be described later, the work tray 40 carried in from the carry-in / out door 206A moves in the X direction on the transport device 210, passes through the standby chamber side door 204A and the vacuum chamber side door 110, and passes through the vacuum chamber 100. It is designed to be conveyed. Also, the work tray 40 that has been welded is unloaded through the vacuum chamber side door 110 and the standby chamber side door 204A, moved on the transfer device 210, and unloaded from the loading / unloading door 206A to the outside of the standby chamber 200. It is like that.

  The transport device 240 has the same structure as the transport device 210. That is, the work roller 40 placed on the rotation roller 242 can be conveyed to the vacuum chamber 100 or the standby chamber 200 by the rotation of the rotation roller 242 provided in the conveyance device 240.

  Conveying devices 300 and 320 having the same structure and function as the conveying devices 210 and 240 are provided outside the standby chamber 200 with the side walls 203 of the loading side doors 206A and 206B interposed therebetween (see FIG. 1).

  The conveyance device 300 includes a rotation roller 312 that is rotatably supported, and the conveyance device 320 similarly includes a rotation roller 324 that is rotatably supported.

  The transfer devices 300 and 320 are used when the work tray 40 is carried into the standby chamber 200 or when the work tray 40 carried out from the standby chamber 200 is moved to the next step.

  Next, a seam welding method for electronic components by the multi-table type seam welding apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the ceramic container 60 and the lid 70 of the work tray 40A placed on the first table 20 are seam welded, and then the ceramic container 60 and the lid of the work tray 40B placed on the second table 30 70 shows the case of seam welding.

  First, the loading / unloading door 206A of the standby chamber 200 is opened, and the rotation roller 312 of the transfer device 300 is rotationally driven to move the pre-welding work tray 40A placed on the transfer device 300 in the X direction. It is carried into the chamber 200 (see FIG. 3A).

  Next, all the doors of the standby chamber 200 (the carry-in side doors 206A and 206B and the chamber side doors 204A and 204B) are closed, and the internal space J of the standby chamber 200 is sealed. Thereafter, the inside of the standby chamber 200 is depressurized by the vacuum pump 220 and kept in a vacuum atmosphere.

  Thereafter, the chamber side door 204 </ b> A and the vacuum chamber side door 110 are opened, the rotation roller 212 of the transfer device 210 is rotated, and the work tray 40 </ b> A placed on the transfer device 210 is moved to the first table 20 of the vacuum chamber 100. Transport to. Note that the vacuum chamber 100 is in a vacuum state in advance. After the work tray 40A is transferred from the standby chamber 200 to the vacuum chamber 100, the vacuum chamber side doors 110 and 112 of the vacuum chamber 100 and the standby chamber side doors 204A and 204B of the standby chamber 200 are closed.

  Next, the welding head 10 is moved in the Y direction, the first table 20 is moved in the X direction, and the welding head 10 is moved to the true position of an arbitrary work 60 on the work tray 40A placed on the first table 20. Move to the top.

  Next, the welding roller 18 is moved in the Z direction by the Z direction movable member 16 of the welding head 10, and the welding roller 18 is pressed against the welding surface of the workpiece 60.

  Thereafter, seam welding is performed by moving the welding roller 18 in the X direction along the welding surface of the workpiece 60 while applying a welding current to the welding roller 18 by a current generator (not shown) connected to the welding roller 18. Do. When the welding of one row of the workpieces 60 arranged in a matrix in the X and Y directions of the work tray 40A is completed, the welding roller 18 is moved in the Y direction, and moved to the adjacent row of workpieces 60, and then the same. Perform seam welding. And the above-mentioned welding is continued until the seam welding of all the workpiece | work 60 currently mounted in the work tray 40A is completed.

  While the workpiece 60 on the workpiece tray 40A is being welded by the welding head 10, the atmosphere release valve 230 of the standby chamber 200 is opened, and the pressure in the standby chamber 200 is returned to substantially atmospheric pressure.

  Subsequently, the work tray 40B to be welded is placed on the transfer device 320, and the rotation roller 322 of the transfer device 320 is driven to rotate, and the work tray 40B placed on the transfer device 320 is carried into the standby chamber 200 ( (Refer FIG.3 (b)).

  Next, the standby chamber side doors 204A and 204B and the loading / unloading doors 206A and 206B of the standby chamber 200 are closed to seal the internal space J. Thereafter, the inside of the standby chamber 200 is depressurized by the vacuum pump 220 so that the vacuum atmosphere is substantially the same as that in the vacuum chamber 100.

  After the inside of the standby chamber 200 is in a substantially vacuum atmosphere, the vacuum chamber side door 112 of the vacuum chamber 100 and the standby chamber side door 204B of the standby chamber 200 are opened, and the vacuum chamber 100 and the internal space of the standby chamber 200 are communicated.

  Next, the rotation roller 242 of the transport device 240 is rotated to transport the work tray 40B placed on the transport device 240 to the second table 30 of the vacuum chamber 100 (see FIG. 3C).

  On the other hand, after the welding of all the ceramic containers 60 and the lid 70 of the work tray 40A of the first table 20 is finished, the welding head 10 is moved in the Y direction to reach any workpiece 60 of the work tray 40B of the second table 30. The seam welding of the work 60 on the work tray 40B is started continuously with the work tray 40A. Since the seam welding procedure is the same as the welding method in the work tray 40A described above, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  Next, the work tray 40 </ b> A after completion of welding placed on the first table 20 is transported to the standby chamber 200. Since the inside of the standby chamber 200 is already almost the same vacuum atmosphere as the vacuum chamber 100, the vacuum chamber side door 110 of the vacuum chamber 100 and the standby chamber side door 204A of the standby chamber 200 are opened, and the work tray 40A is vacuumed. It is carried out from the chamber 100 to the standby chamber 200 (see FIG. 3C). After the work tray 40A is carried out to the standby chamber 200, all the doors (standby chamber side doors 204A and 204B) of the standby chamber 200 are closed, and the internal space J of the standby chamber 200 is sealed.

  Next, the air release valve 230 connected to the standby chamber 200 is opened and the inside of the standby chamber 200 is returned to a substantially atmospheric pressure, and then the rotation roller 212 of the transfer device 210 is rotated to wait for the work tray 40A. It is carried out from the chamber 200 to the transfer device 300 (see FIG. 3C).

  Next, while the work tray 40 </ b> B is seam welded by the second table 30, the work tray 40 </ b> C to be welded next is carried into the standby chamber 200 from the transfer device 300. Thereafter, all the doors of the standby chamber 200 (the standby chamber side doors 204A and 204B and the carry-in / out doors 206A and 206B) are closed, and the inside of the standby chamber 200 is brought into a vacuum atmosphere substantially the same as that of the vacuum chamber 100.

  The vacuum chamber side door 110 and the standby chamber side door 204A are opened, and the rotation roller 212 of the transfer device 210 is rotationally driven to place the work tray 40C at a predetermined position on the first table 20 (see FIG. 3D). ). Thereby, after the seam welding of the work tray 40B is completed, the welding head 10 is moved substantially continuously to the position of the arbitrary work 60 of the work tray 40C to be welded next, and the seam welding is immediately started. it can. Thereafter, the same procedure as above is repeated.

  Note that the work tray 40 in the standby chamber 200 may be transported by, for example, one transport device that can move in the XY direction instead of the transport devices 210 and 240.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, the number of standby chambers 200 is not limited to one, and two or more standby chambers may be provided. For example, under the idea of dividing the standby chamber 200 into two, two standby chambers 200 and 200 are provided, and each of the standby chambers 200 and 200 is individually provided with a vacuum pump and an air release valve. The internal pressure may be controlled. Further, a transfer device 210 or 240 described later is provided in each of the standby chambers 200 and 200 so that the work tray 40 can be individually transferred to the first table 20 and the second table 30. As described above, by providing a plurality of standby chambers, the internal space of each standby chamber 200 can be reduced, and the air release time and the evacuation time can be shortened. When a plurality of standby chambers are provided in this way, it is preferable to provide a table at a corresponding position in the vacuum chamber 100 in accordance with the number of standby chambers.

  As described above, the multi-table type seam welding apparatus 1 includes the vacuum chamber 100 that keeps the inside thereof in a vacuum state, and the standby chamber 200 that keeps itself inside the vacuum state and is provided with the vacuum chamber 100. Furthermore, the vacuum chamber 100 accommodates a first table 20 and a second table 30 on which a work tray 40 to be seam welded is placed. Each table 20 and 30 is individually connected to the standby chamber 200. It is configured to be able to carry in and out. Therefore, while performing seam welding on one of the tables (for example, the first table 20), the work tray 40 of the other table (for example, the second table 30) on which the seam welding has already been completed is on standby. The work tray 40 that is carried out to the outside through the chamber 200 and then welded next can be carried into the second table 30 through the standby chamber 200. That is, while the work tray 40 is seam welded on one table, the work tray 40 to be seam welded next can be prepared on another table, so that seam welding can be performed continuously and efficiently. Can do.

  Further, the first table 20 and the second table 30 can be moved only in the X direction by the linear motors 24 and 34, and the welding head 10 has a structure that can be moved only in the Y direction by the linear motor 14. Accordingly, the welding head 10 can be reliably moved to an arbitrary position on the work tray 40, and the mechanism for moving the first table 20 and the second table 30 and the mechanism for moving the welding head 10 have a very simple structure. The mechanism itself can be reduced in size. Therefore, the overall size of the vacuum chamber 100 that accommodates the first table 20, the second table 30, and the welding head 10 can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost and installation space of the chamber can be greatly reduced.

  The seam welding apparatus 1 also includes a Z-direction movable member 16 that moves the welding head 10 in the Z direction. Therefore, the height in the Z direction of the welding roller 18 mounted on the welding head 10 can be arbitrarily adjusted in accordance with the height of the electronic components (for example, the ceramic container 60 and the lid 70).

  The standby chamber 200 also includes standby chamber opening / closing means (standby chamber side doors 204A and 204B) for sealing or opening itself. Further, when the standby chamber 200 carries out the work tray 40 before welding to the vacuum chamber 100 or carries in the work tray 40 after welding from the vacuum chamber 100, the standby chamber 200 is sealed by the standby chamber opening / closing means. The pressure is controlled so as to keep the vacuum state substantially the same as the vacuum state of the vacuum chamber 100. Therefore, the work tray 40 can be carried in and out in a state where the vacuum chamber 100 is always kept in a vacuum state, and seam welding of the work tray 40 can be performed continuously.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the multiple table type seam welding apparatus 2 which concerns on other embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  The multi-table type seam welding apparatus 2 is provided with two standby chambers 200 and 400 so as to sandwich the vacuum chamber 100, and the work tray 40 is carried into and out of the vacuum chamber 100 in one direction, and the work tray 40 is carried out from carry-in to carry-out. It is characterized in that it can be conveyed linearly.

  In the figure, members and apparatuses (for example, the vacuum chamber 100 and the standby chamber 200) having the same structure, function, and use as the multi-table type seam welding apparatus 1 described in the first embodiment are described in the first embodiment. The same reference numerals as those used in FIG.

  In the multi-table type seam welding apparatus 2, the standby chamber 200 on the left side of the vacuum chamber 100 is a carry-in side chamber, and the standby chamber 400 on the right side of the vacuum chamber 100 is a carry-out side chamber. That is, although details will be described later, the work tray 40 is carried into the vacuum chamber 100 from the standby chamber 200, seam welding is performed in the vacuum chamber 100, and then carried out to the standby chamber 400.

  The vacuum chamber 100 has substantially the same structure and function as the vacuum chamber 100 described in the first embodiment, but vacuum chamber side doors 114 and 116 are provided on the side surface 100A on the standby chamber 400 side. Of course, the vacuum chamber side doors 114 and 116 are provided so that they can be opened and closed individually, similarly to the vacuum chamber side doors 110 and 112.

  A standby chamber 400 is provided outside the vacuum chamber side doors 114 and 116 across the side wall 100A. The standby chamber 400 is provided with a vacuum pump 420 and an atmosphere release valve 430. By controlling the vacuum pump 420 and the atmosphere release valve 430, the pressure in the standby chamber 400 can be arbitrarily set from atmospheric pressure to substantially vacuum pressure. Can be controlled.

  In the standby chamber 400, chamber side doors 404A and 404B are provided on the side wall 400A disposed adjacent to the outside of the side wall 100A on which the vacuum chamber side doors 114 and 116 are provided so that the chamber side doors 404A and 404B can be opened and closed. In addition, on the side wall 400B facing the side wall 400A, carry-out side doors 406A and 406B are provided to be openable and closable. The chamber side door 404A and the carry-out side door 406A are provided so as to be positioned on substantially the same straight line. Therefore, the work tray 40 loaded from the chamber side door 404A is transported by the transport device 410 disposed in the standby chamber 400, and can be transported linearly from the transport side door 406A.

  Similarly, the chamber-side door 404B is also provided so as to be positioned on substantially the same straight line as the carry-out side door 406B. Therefore, the work tray 40 loaded from the chamber side door 404B is transported by the transport device 440 provided in the standby chamber 400, and can be unloaded linearly from the transport side door 406B.

  In addition, since the conveying apparatuses 410 and 440 have the same structure and function as the conveying apparatuses 210 and 240, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Next, the seam welding method by the multi-table type seam welding apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the loading / unloading side door 206A of the standby chamber 200 is opened, and the work tray 40A is loaded into the standby chamber 200 (see FIG. 5). Next, all the doors of the standby chamber 200 (the standby chamber side doors 204A and 204B and the loading / unloading side doors 206A and 206B) are closed, and the internal space J of the standby chamber 200 is sealed. Thereafter, the inside of the standby chamber 200 is depressurized by the vacuum pump 220, and the vacuum state is made substantially the same as that of the vacuum chamber 100.

  Moreover, the vacuum chamber 100 closes all the doors (vacuum chamber side doors 110 to 116), and the inside of the vacuum chamber 100 is set in a substantially vacuum state in advance by the vacuum pump 120.

  Thereafter, the standby chamber side door 204A and the vacuum chamber side door 110 are opened, and the work tray 40A is transferred from the standby chamber 200 to the vacuum chamber 100. After the work tray 40A is transported to the vacuum chamber 100, the standby chamber side door 204A is closed to close the standby chamber 200. In the vacuum chamber 100, the first table 20 is moved in the X direction, the welding head 10 is moved in the Y direction, and the welding head 20 is moved right above an arbitrary work tray 40A and placed on the work tray 40A. The seam welding of the workpiece 60 is performed (see FIG. 6). While the welding head 10 is performing seam welding of the work tray 40A, the atmosphere release valve 230 is opened to return the atmospheric pressure in the standby chamber 200 to substantially atmospheric pressure.

  Next, the carry-in / out door 206B is opened, and the work tray 40B is carried into the transfer device 240 of the standby chamber 200 from the carry-in / out door 206B.

  Thereafter, the carry-in / out door 206B is closed, and the pressure in the standby chamber 200 is set to the same level as that of the vacuum chamber 100 by the vacuum pump 220, and then the standby chamber-side door 204B and the vacuum chamber-side door 112 are opened. The internal space H of the chamber 100 and the internal space J of the standby chamber 200 are communicated. Then, the work tray 40B is transferred from the standby chamber 200 to the second table 30 of the vacuum chamber 100. After the work tray 40B is transferred to the vacuum chamber 100, the standby chamber side door 204B and the vacuum chamber side door 112 are closed, and the vacuum chamber 100 is sealed.

  After the seam welding of the work tray 40A is completed, the welding head 10 is moved in the Y direction, and the work tray 40B is moved in the X direction, so that the welding head 10 is moved to the position of an arbitrary work 60 on the work tray 40B. . Thereafter, seam welding of the work tray 40B is started.

  Further, while the work tray 40B is being seam welded, all the doors of the standby chamber 400 (the chamber side doors 404A and 404B and the carry-out side doors 406A and 406B) are closed, and the standby chamber 400 is sealed. Next, the inside of the standby chamber 400 is depressurized by the vacuum pump 420 so that the vacuum state is substantially the same as that of the vacuum chamber 100.

Next, the vacuum chamber side door 114 and the chamber side door 404A are opened, and the work tray 40A is transferred to the standby chamber 400. After the transfer, the vacuum chamber side door 114 and the chamber side door 404A are closed, and the inside of the standby chamber 400 is again sealed. Thereafter, the atmosphere release valve 430 is opened, and the pressure in the standby chamber 400 is returned to substantially atmospheric pressure. Then, the unloading side door 406A is opened, and the work tray 40A is unloaded from the standby chamber 400 (see FIG. 7).
Next, while the work tray 40B is being seam welded, the work tray 40C to be seam welded after the work tray 40B is carried into the standby chamber 200 opened to the atmosphere. Then, all the doors of the standby chamber 200 (the standby chamber side doors 204A and 204B and the loading / unloading side doors 206A and 206B) are closed, and the vacuum pressure is about the same as that of the vacuum chamber 100 by the vacuum pump 220 (see FIG. 8). ).

  Thereafter, the standby chamber side door 204 </ b> A is opened, and the work tray 40 </ b> C is transported to the first table 20 of the vacuum chamber 100. Then, after the seam welding of the work tray 40B is completed, the welding head 10 is moved to an arbitrary position of the work tray 40C on the first table 20, and the seam welding is started.

  The work tray 40B that has been welded is transferred to the standby chamber 400 in a vacuum state by opening the vacuum chamber side door 116 and the standby chamber side door 404B. Then, all the doors of the standby chamber 400 (the standby chamber side doors 404A and 404B and the carry-out side doors 406A and 406B) are closed, the atmosphere release valve 430 is opened, and the internal pressure of the standby chamber 400 is returned to substantially atmospheric pressure.

  Thereafter, the carry-out side door 406B is opened, and the work tray 40B is carried out of the standby chamber 400.

  Hereinafter, the same operation as described above is repeated, and the multi-table type seam welding apparatus 2 can continuously perform seam welding of the work tray 40.

  In this way, two chambers of the standby chamber 200 and the standby chamber 400 are provided with the vacuum chamber 100 interposed therebetween, and the vacuum chamber 100 and the standby chambers 200 and 400 are arranged on a straight line, and the work tray 40 is conveyed linearly. As a result, complicated control for loading / unloading is not necessary and loading / unloading of the work tray 40 is extremely efficient as compared with the case where loading / unloading is performed in one chamber (for example, the standby chamber 200). Can be done automatically.

  FIG. 9 shows a multi-table type seam welding apparatus 3 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. This seam welding apparatus 3 is an example in which two welding heads 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B are provided in a vacuum chamber 100.

  The two welding heads 10A and 10B are arranged on linear motors 14A and 14B that can move on two guide rails 12A and 12B arranged in parallel inside the vacuum head 100.

  Therefore, since welding head 10B can also weld work tray 40B while welding head 10A is welding work tray 40A, welding efficiency can be improved more.

  Further, since the two guide rails 12A and 12B are provided in parallel, the movable range of the welding heads 10A and 10B can be widened, and the guide rails 12A and 12B can be either the work tray 40A or 40B. Welding can be performed.

  It is preferable that the welding heads 10A and 10B move on one guide rail 12. Since two welding heads 12A and 12B can be moved on one guide rail 12, the number of members can be reduced and the cost can be reduced as compared with the case where two guide rails are provided.

  The multi-table type seam welding apparatus and the seam welding method of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. .

  The multi-table type seam welding apparatus and the seam welding method of the present invention can be used in the field of manufacturing electric appliances, electronic parts or other various articles, or logistics.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Multiple table type seam welding apparatus 10 Welding head apparatus 12 Rail 14 Linear motor 16 Z direction movable member 18 Welding roller 20 1st table 30 2nd table 40 Work tray 60 Ceramic container 70 Lid 100 Vacuum chamber 110, 112 Vacuum chamber side door 120, 220 Vacuum pump 130, 230 Atmospheric release valve 200 Standby chamber device 204A, 204B Standby chamber side door 206A, 206B Loading / unloading side door 210, 240 Transport device 300, 320 Transport device

Claims (10)

A vacuum chamber that keeps its interior in a vacuum,
A standby chamber device that is provided in the vacuum chamber and keeps the inside of the chamber in a vacuum state;
A first table disposed in the vacuum chamber and carrying a workpiece from the standby chamber device and moving in the X direction;
A second table disposed in the vacuum chamber and carrying a workpiece from the standby chamber device and moving in the X direction;
A welding head device disposed in the vacuum chamber and moving in a Y direction perpendicular to the X direction on the first table and the second table;
A Z-direction movable member mounted on the welding head device and relatively moving in the Z direction perpendicular to the X direction and the Y direction;
A welding roller mounted on the Z-direction movable member to weld the workpiece;
A multi-table type seam welding apparatus. While the workpiece placed on the first table is welded in the vacuum chamber, the second table carries the workpiece from the standby chamber device into the vacuum chamber. ,
The multi-table type seam welding apparatus according to claim 1. The standby chamber device includes standby chamber opening / closing means for communicating its own internal space with the vacuum chamber side,
When the workpiece is carried in or out of the vacuum chamber, the standby chamber device opens the standby chamber opening / closing means and communicates with the vacuum chamber in a state where the workpiece is kept in a vacuum. ,
The multi-table type seam welding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The standby chamber device includes:
First supply means for supplying the workpiece to the first table of the vacuum chamber;
Second supply means for supplying the workpiece to the second table of the vacuum chamber;
Characterized by comprising,
The multi-table type seam welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The standby chamber device includes:
A loading-side chamber that houses the workpieces before welding and supplies the workpieces before welding to the first and second tables of the vacuum chamber, after the vacuum is set in itself;
The vacuum chamber is configured to include a discharge-side chamber that receives workpieces after welding from the first and second tables of the vacuum chamber after being vacuumed, and discharges the workpiece to the outside.
The multi-table type seam welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The standby chamber device includes:
A loading-side first chamber for accommodating the workpieces before welding and, after bringing the workpiece into a vacuum state, conveying the workpieces before welding to the first table of the vacuum chamber;
A vacuum chamber on the unloading side that receives a workpiece after welding from the first table of the vacuum chamber and conveys the workpiece to the outside,
A second chamber on the carry-in side that accommodates the workpieces before welding and, after bringing the workpiece into a vacuum state, conveys the workpieces before welding to the second table of the vacuum chamber;
The vacuum chamber is configured to include a discharge-side second chamber that receives a workpiece after welding from the second table of the vacuum chamber after being vacuumed, and conveys the workpiece to the outside.
The multi-table type seam welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The carry-in side first chamber, the vacuum chamber, and the carry-out side first chamber are arranged in substantially the same straight line direction,
The carry-in side second chamber, the vacuum chamber, and the carry-out side second chamber are arranged in substantially the same linear direction,
The multi-table type seam welding apparatus according to claim 6. The welding head device includes a first welding head device and a second welding head device that move in a direction perpendicular to the X direction on the first table and the second table. And
The multi-table type seam welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The movement axis of the first welding head and the movement axis of the second welding head are provided in parallel,
The first welding head and the second welding head can be individually moved in a direction perpendicular to the X axis,
The multi-table type seam welding apparatus according to claim 8. Vacuum the vacuum chamber for seam welding the workpiece,
Transport the workpieces before welding to a standby chamber device attached to the vacuum chamber,
Make the inside of the standby chamber apparatus vacuum,
Transporting the workpieces before welding from the standby chamber device to the first table of the vacuum chamber;
Seam welding the workpiece placed on the first table by a welding head device installed in the vacuum chamber;
While the workpiece is being seam welded, the inside of the standby chamber device is opened to the atmosphere,
While seam welding the workpiece, transport other workpieces before welding to the standby chamber device,
During the seam welding of the workpiece, the inside of the standby chamber apparatus is evacuated,
While seam welding the workpiece, the other workpiece before welding is transferred from the standby chamber device to the second table of the vacuum chamber,
After seam welding of the workpiece placed on the first table is completed, the welding head device is moved from the first table to the second table,
While the welding head device is seam welding the workpiece placed on the second table, the welded workpiece placed on the first table is transferred from the vacuum chamber to the standby chamber device. ,
After the standby chamber is opened to the atmosphere, the workpiece after welding is transferred to the outside from the standby chamber,
During seam welding of the workpiece placed on the second table, the workpiece to be welded next is carried into the standby chamber device, and the inside of the standby chamber device is evacuated,
While seam welding the work placed on the second table, the work to be welded next is transferred from the standby chamber device to the first table of the vacuum chamber,
A seam welding method, comprising: moving the welding head device from the second table to the first table after seam welding of the workpiece placed on the second table is completed.

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