JP2002018371A - Glove cleaning equipment and cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide glove cleaning equipment by which the outside and inside of a dust-free glove is cleaned to class 10 cleanliness while reducing a cost and to furnish the cleaning method. SOLUTION: A cleaning solution is sprayed on the glove 10 from an upper jet nozzle 13a and a lower jet nozzle 13b in a cleaning section 13, and the solution jetted from the upper jet nozzle 13a is deposited on the outer surface of the glove 10 fixed to a fixing jig 31 to decontaminate the outer surface. The solution jetted from the lower jet nozzle 13b is expanded on the inner surface of the glove 10 and deposited on the whole inner surface to decontaminate the inner surface. Although the upward force of the solution jetted from the lower jet nozzle 13b is exerted on the inside of the glove 10, rods 31a are expanded and separated outward from one another, further the solution is also jetted downward, and hence the glove 10 is not detached from the jig 31.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for cleaning gloves used in a clean room such as a manufacturing site for semiconductor devices, medicines and foods, and more particularly, to a method suitable for reusing dustless gloves. The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for cleaning gloves.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a clean room such as a semiconductor device manufacturing site, dust-free gloves are used. Such gloves are sterilized by clean washing, and are made of natural rubber.

[0003] Conventionally, such gloves have been manufactured and then washed in a batch mode in a class 100 environment by a dedicated washing machine, and inserted into a dryer by handling to be dried. After that, under the environment of class 100, non-defective products and defective products are sorted and packaged. The gloves are disposable, and the surface is mainly washed when the gloves are washed.

[0004]

However, recently,
Since reuse of such gloves is being studied from the viewpoint of environmental pollution and the like, a method suitable for reuse is demanded instead of a cleaning method suitable for disposable as described above. In the above-mentioned conventional cleaning method, since there are many steps by workers, if the method is applied to reuse as it is, the labor cost required for the reuse is extremely high compared to the price per glove. There is a problem.

[0005] For this reason, it is necessary to reduce labor costs by going online, but in the case of reuse, the inside of the glove is also contaminated, so that not only the outside but also the inside of the glove is cleaned to a class 10 cleanliness. There is a need to.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a glove cleaning apparatus and a glove cleaning method capable of cleaning the outside and the inside of a dust-free glove to a class 10 cleanliness while reducing costs. The purpose is to provide.

[0007]

A glove cleaning apparatus according to the present invention comprises a conveyor, a plurality of glove fixing jigs for fixing gloves to the conveyor with their mouths widened, and gloves fixed to the conveyor. Spraying mist-like cleaning liquid on the outer surface of
Or two or more first cleaning liquid spraying means, and spraying a mist-like cleaning liquid on the inner surface of the glove fixed to the conveyor.
Or, two or more second cleaning liquid spraying means, a rinsing section provided downstream of the conveyor with respect to the first and second cleaning liquid spraying means and spraying water of 30 ° C. or more to the gloves; A pure water rinsing unit provided on the downstream side of the conveyor with respect to the glove and jetting ultrapure water to the glove; and blowing hot air on the glove provided on the downstream side of the conveyor with respect to the pure water rinsing unit. A hot air drying section for drying the gloves, and wherein the first and second cleaning liquid spraying means and the rinsing section have a cleanness of class 100.
Wherein the pure water rinsing unit and the hot air drying unit are provided in a clean room of class 10 of cleanliness.

In the present invention, the glove is fixed by widening its mouth by the glove fixing jig. Then, predetermined processing is performed in each clean room in this state. Therefore, since the processing of the front and back surfaces of the gloves is performed collectively on-line, even if the gloves have been used, the front and back surfaces can be easily cleaned to the class 10 cleanliness. Further, in the cleaning section, the first and second cleaning liquid spraying means sprays the mist-like cleaning liquid on the outer surface and the inner surface of the glove.
The cleaning liquid adheres securely to the entire surface of the glove, and the unwashed residue hardly occurs.

In the present invention, the size of the particles of the cleaning liquid is preferably 0.1 to 800 μm.
It is even more preferable that the thickness be 0 to 200 μm, and it is preferable that the rinsing portion blows out water of 40 ° C. or more at a water pressure of 10 N / cm ² or more. Further, the resistance value of the ultrapure water is desirably 13 MΩ or more, and the temperature of the surface of the glove in the hot air drying unit is desirably 50 ° C or more.

Further, a hole is formed in the conveyor at a position where the glove fixing jig is provided, and the glove is fixed to the glove fixing jig so that a mouth thereof is aligned with the hole. Is also good.

The method for cleaning gloves according to the present invention comprises the steps of: opening a glove in a clean room having a cleanness of class 100 and spraying a mist-like cleaning liquid on the outer surface and inner surface thereof; A step of spreading the mouth of the glove in a clean room and spraying water of 30 ° C. or higher,
A step of spraying ultrapure water by widening the mouth of the glove in a clean room of class 10 and blowing the warm air with a wide open mouth of the glove in a clean room of class 10; Drying the gloves;
It is characterized by having.

In each of the above steps, the gloves can be fixed to a conveyor and transported. In addition, the conveyor has a hole formed therein, and has a step of fixing the glove to the conveyor so that a mouth of the glove is aligned with the hole before the step of impregnating the glove in a water tank. Is also good.

Further, the size of the particles of the cleaning liquid is 0.1
To 800 μm, preferably 10 to 200 μm.
μm is even more desirable.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a glove cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a part of a glove cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a remaining part of the glove cleaning apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. is there. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the belt conveyor 3 in FIGS. 1 and 2 as viewed from the front side, and FIG.
It is a perspective view which shows the fixing method of the glove to the glove fixing jig in FIGS. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between a plurality of clean rooms in the glove cleaning apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the belt conveyor 3 is disposed in an annular shape.
A plurality of clean rooms 41 to 48 are provided in this order on the moving path. The cleanliness of the clean rooms 41 to 44 is, for example, class 100, and the cleanliness of the clean rooms 45 to 48 are, for example, class 10.
It is not limited to these.

As shown in FIG. 1, the clean rooms 41 to 44 are provided with a glove fixing section 11, a sorting section 12, a washing section 13 and a rinsing section 14 in this order, and as shown in FIG. Inside, a pure water rinsing unit 21, a hot air drying unit 22, a cooling unit 23, and a glove removal unit 2 are provided.
4 are provided.

In the glove fixing section 11, used and reused gloves are fixed to a glove fixing jig 31 provided on the surface of the belt conveyor 3.

In the sorting section 12, the front and back of the glove are checked, and if the back is outside, the gloves are unified so that the front is outside. In addition, according to the glove damage status, discard those with defects such as pinholes. Furthermore, gloves are also observed for dirt, and those with severe dirt are discarded. Thereafter, gloves are attached to the jig 31a again.

In the cleaning section 13, a plurality of upper jet nozzles 13a for spraying the cleaning liquid in the form of a mist from above the cleaning liquid belt conveyor 3 to the outside of the gloves, and the cleaning liquid in the form of a mist from below the cleaning liquid belt conveyor 3 to the inside of the glove. A plurality of lower jet nozzles 13b to be sprayed are arranged. A drain tank 13d for receiving the cleaning liquid is provided around the upper jet nozzle 13a and the lower jet nozzle 13b. A drain 13e is provided with a drain 13e. The upper jet nozzle 13a and the lower jet nozzle 13b are connected to a device (not shown) provided outside the drainage layer 13d to spray the cleaning liquid.

If the size of the particles of the spray cleaning liquid ejected from the upper jet nozzle 13a and the lower jet nozzle 13b is less than 0.1 μm, the gloves cannot be sufficiently washed. On the other hand, the particle size of the spray cleaning liquid is 80
If it exceeds 0 μm, the load of a device (not shown) connected to the upper jet nozzle 13a and the lower jet nozzle 13b to spray the cleaning liquid becomes excessive. Therefore, it is desirable that the size of the particles of the spray cleaning liquid is 0.1 to 800 μm, and particularly, the size of the particles is 10 to 20 μm.
More preferably, it is 0 μm.

A vinyl curtain 14a is provided at the entrance of the rinsing section 14, and a vinyl curtain 4 is provided at the exit. In the space between the vinyl curtains 14a and 4 of the rinsing part 14, a jet shower device for jetting hot water 14e having a temperature of 30 ° C. or more, for example, from above and below the glove fixed to the glove fixing jig 31 14b is provided. Further, there is provided a drainage receiving portion 14c which receives hot water which has been jetted and dropped on the glove fixed to the glove fixing jig 31. The drainage receiving section 14c is provided with a drainage port 14d.

A vinyl curtain 4 is provided at the entrance of the pure water rinsing section 21, and a vinyl curtain 21a is provided at the exit. Ultrapure water 21e having a resistance value of, for example, 13 MΩ or more is jetted from above and below the glove fixed to the glove fixing jig 31 into the space between the vinyl curtains 4 and 21a of the pure water rinsing unit 21. Jet shower unit 21b is provided. Further, there is provided a drainage receiving portion 21c which receives the ultrapure water which has been jetted and dropped on the glove fixed to the glove fixing jig 31.
The drainage receiving section 21c is provided with a drainage port 21d.

A vinyl curtain 21a is provided at the entrance of the hot air drying section 22, and a vinyl curtain 22a is provided at the exit. A duct 22b is arranged in the space between the vinyl curtains 21a and 22a of the hot air drying unit 22 so as to sandwich the belt conveyor 3 from above and below. A hot air radiator 22c is provided in the duct 22b.
A filter 22d is arranged between the belt conveyor 2c and the belt conveyor 3c. The air warmed by the warm air radiator 22c is sprayed on the glove fixed to the glove fixing jig 31 so that the surface thereof has a temperature of 50 ° C., for example.

In the cooling section 23, a filter 23a is disposed so as to sandwich the belt conveyor 3 from above and below. In the cooling unit 23, the gloves are not directly processed, and the gloves heated by the drying in the hot air drying unit 22 are naturally cooled.

Then, the glove fixed to the glove fixing jig 31 is removed from the glove removing portion 24.

As shown in FIG. 2, the glove fixing jigs 31 are arranged at regular intervals on the surface of the belt conveyor 3 in four rows, for example. The glove fixing jig 31 is composed of, for example, four rods 31a. The rod 31a is made of, for example, metal or resin, and has a length of, for example, 120 mm. The four rods 31a are arranged on the surface of the belt conveyor 3 so as to form a square having a diagonal length of 80 mm, for example. It gets bigger as you get away from it,
The tip portions are, for example, squares having a diagonal length of 100 mm.

Further, on the surface of the belt conveyor 3, a circular hole 32 having a diameter of, for example, 80 mm is formed inside the four bars 31a of the glove fixing jig 31.

Next, the operation of the cleaning apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

First, in the glove fixing portion 11, as shown in FIG. 3, the glove 10 is fixed to the glove fixing jig 31 by widening the mouth of the glove 10 and inserting four sticks 31a therein. . The glove 10 is made of, for example, 30% by weight of natural rubber, P
It is composed of 50% by weight of vinyl chloride resin such as VC and 20% by weight of nitrile rubber.

The belt conveyor 3 conveys the glove 10 fixed to the glove fixing jig 31 to the sorting section 12. And
The front and back of the glove 10 are checked, and if the back surface is outside, the glove 10 is unified so that the front surface is outside. In addition, the glove 10 is discarded if it has a defect such as a pinhole based on the damage status. Furthermore, the gloves 10 are also observed for dirt, and those with severe dirt are discarded. Then, the glove 10 is again attached to the jig 31a.
Attach.

Next, the belt conveyor 3 transports the glove 10 to the cleaning unit 13. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the cleaning liquid ejected from the upper jet nozzle 13a and the lower jet nozzle 13b in the cleaning unit 13.

In the cleaning section 13, a spray liquid is sprayed on the glove 10 from the upper jet nozzle 13a and the lower jet nozzle 13b. As described above, the size of the particles of the spray cleaning liquid is, for example, 0.1 to 800 μm, and more preferably, 10 to 200 μm. The cleaning liquid spouted from the upper jet nozzle 13a is
It adheres to the outer surface of the glove 10 fixed to 1 and removes dirt on the outer surface. On the other hand, the cleaning liquid ejected from the lower jet nozzle 13b spreads over the inner surface of the glove 10 and adheres to the entire inner surface to remove dirt on the inner surface.

An upward force is applied to the inside of the glove 10 by the cleaning liquid ejected from the lower jet nozzle 13b, but the rods 31a extend so as to open each other, and the cleaning liquid is also ejected from above. Gloves 10
Does not come off from the glove fixing jig 31.

The water overflowing from the gas washing tank 13a is received by the drain tank 13d and then discharged to the outside through the drain port 13e.

Next, the belt conveyor 3 transports the glove 10 to the rinsing section 14. In the rinsing section 14, the jet shower 14b jets hot water 14e, preferably 40 ° C. or more, to the glove 10 from above and below at a water pressure of, for example, 10 N / cm ² or more. The warm water 14e rinses the front and back surfaces of the glove 10. The time required for the glove 10 to pass through the rinsing section 14 is, for example, about 5 minutes.
The cleanliness of the glove 10 discharged from the rinsing part 14 satisfies the class 100.

Although an upward force is applied to the inside of the glove 10 by the hot water 14e, the glove 10 does not come off the glove fixing jig 31 because the sticks 31a extend so as to open each other. Also, due to the vinyl curtains 14a and 4,
The splash of the warm water 14e to the outside is prevented.

The used hot water 14e is supplied to the drainage receiving section 1
After being received by 4c, it is discharged to the outside from the drain 14d.

Thereafter, the belt conveyor 3 conveys the glove 10 to the pure water rinsing section 21. In the pure water rinsing section 21,
The jet shower 21b has a resistance value of, for example, 13 MΩ.
The above ultrapure water 21e is jetted onto the glove 10 from above and below. The warm water 14e exerts an ultrapure water rinsing effect on the front and back surfaces of the glove 10. The time required for the glove 10 to pass through the pure water rinse section 21 is, for example, about 5 minutes.

Although an upward force acts on the inside of the glove 10 by the ultrapure water 21e, the glove 10 does not come off the glove fixing jig 31 because the rods 31a extend so as to open each other. Further, the plastic curtains 4 and 21a prevent the ultrapure water 21e from scattering to the outside.

The used ultrapure water 21e is received by the drainage receiving portion 21c and then discharged from the drainage port 21d to the outside.

Subsequently, the belt conveyor 3 conveys the glove 10 to the hot air drying section 22. In the hot-air drying section 22, the hot-air radiator 22c heats the air sent from the duct 22b and sprays the air on the gloves 10. The glove 10
Front and back dry. The time required for the glove 10 to pass through the hot air drying unit 22 is, for example, about 3 minutes.

Hot air radiator 22c and belt conveyor 3
Since the filter 22d is arranged between the glove 10, the fine particles floating in the air are removed before adhering to the glove 10. The temperature of the hot air is, for example, 50 ° C. or more on the surface of the glove 10, but is not particularly limited as long as the glove 10 does not deteriorate. The supply amount of the hot air is, for example, 6000 m.
³ / hour.

Although an upward force acts on the inside of the glove 10 due to the warm air, the glove 10 does not come off the glove fixing jig 31 because the rods 31a extend so as to open each other. In addition, by the vinyl curtains 21a and 22a,
The diffusion of the warm air to the outside is prevented.

Next, the belt conveyor 3 conveys the glove 10 to the cooling unit 23. In the cooling unit 23, the glove 10 is naturally cooled. The time required for the glove 10 to pass through the cooling section 23 is, for example, about 5 minutes. The cleanliness of the glove 10 discharged from the cooling unit 23 satisfies the class 10. The filter 23a is provided to check the cleanliness of class 10.

Then, the belt conveyor 3 conveys the gloves to the glove removal outside 24. The glove 10 is detached from the glove fixing jig 31 at the glove removing portion 24.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the work by the worker is significantly reduced by going online,
Labor costs can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to reduce contamination caused by workers' hands. Further, the belt conveyor 3 has a circular hole 3 at a position where the glove 10 is fixed.
Since 2 is formed, it is possible to clean the back surface of the glove 10 and the like with the same efficiency as the front surface treatment. Therefore, the processing of the front and back surfaces of the glove 10 can be performed collectively. As a result, the number of steps can be reduced by half as compared with the case where the front and back surfaces are processed in individual steps.

The inventor of the present application has also studied a method of immersing the glove in the cleaning liquid. In this method, when the glove is immersed in the cleaning liquid, the bubbles stay in the finger portion of the glove and the cleaning liquid is entirely applied to the inner surface. May not go all the way. For this reason, there is a possibility that unwashed portions may occur. Further, in this method, since the cleaning liquid needs to be stored in the tank, there is a problem that the consumption of the cleaning liquid is large. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, since no stagnation of air can occur, unwashed residue is significantly reduced, and it is not necessary to store the cleaning liquid, and it is sufficient to prepare a minimum necessary amount of cleaning liquid.

In this embodiment, the circular holes 32
Is formed at a position where the glove 10 is fixed, but may be formed at another position of the belt conveyor.

[0049]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
Gloves are processed in a class 100 clean room and then in a class 10 clean room. At that time, the gloves are widened, so the processing of the front and back surfaces of the gloves can be performed collectively online. it can. For this reason,
Even if gloves have been used, the front and back surfaces thereof can be easily cleaned to a class 10 cleanliness. As a result, costs can be reduced. As described above, conventionally, in order to clean the front and back surfaces of the glove, twice as much time was required as when cleaning the sheet-shaped member. Since cleaning can be performed at once, the number of steps and the required time can be significantly reduced.

In the cleaning section, the first and second cleaning liquid spraying means spray the mist cleaning liquid onto the outer surface and the inner surface of the glove, so that the cleaning liquid adheres to the entire surface of the glove and remains unwashed. Can be reliably reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a part of a glove cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a remaining portion of the glove cleaning apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the belt conveyor 3 in FIGS. 1 and 2 as viewed from the front side thereof.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a method of fixing the glove to the glove fixing jig 31 in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between a plurality of clean rooms in the glove cleaning apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a cleaning liquid ejected from jet nozzles 13a and 13b in a cleaning unit 13.

[Description of Signs] 3; Belt Conveyor 4; Vinyl Curtain 5; Vent 10; Glove 11; Glove Fixing Unit 12; Sorting Unit 13; Gas Cleaning Unit 14; Rinsing Unit 21; Pure Water Rinse Unit 22; 23; cooling section 24; glove removal outside 31; glove fixing jig 32; circular hole 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48;

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kanji Yokoe 38 Saorigu-ji Temple, Saori-cho, Kaifu-gun, Aichi F-term (reference) 3B201 AA46 AB14 AB42 BB24 BB33 BB92 BB93 CC01 CC12

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A conveyor, a plurality of glove fixing jigs for fixing gloves to the conveyor with their mouths widened, and one or more spraying mist-like cleaning liquid on an outer surface of the gloves fixed to the conveyor. A first cleaning liquid spraying means, and one or more second cleaning liquid spraying means for spraying a mist-like cleaning liquid on an inner surface of a glove fixed to the conveyor;
And a rinsing section provided downstream of the conveyor with respect to the second cleaning liquid spraying means and spraying water of 30 ° C. or more to the glove; and a rinsing section provided downstream of the conveyor with respect to the rinsing section. A pure water rinsing section that spouts ultrapure water,
A hot-air drying unit provided on the downstream side of the conveyor with respect to the pure water rinsing unit and drying the glove by blowing hot air on the glove, wherein the first and second cleaning liquid spray means And the rinsing section has a cleanliness class 1
A glove cleaning apparatus, wherein the glove cleaning apparatus is provided in a clean room of Class 10, wherein the pure water rinsing unit and the hot air drying unit are provided in a clean room of class 10. 2. The glove cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the size of the particles of the cleaning liquid is 0.1 to 800 μm. 3. The rinsing section is provided with 10 ° C. water or more.
Cleaning apparatus of a glove according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that ejected at N / cm ² or more pressure. 4. The glove cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the resistance value of the ultrapure water is 13 MΩ or more. 5. The temperature of the surface of the glove in the hot air drying section is 50 ° C. or higher.
The glove washing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 4. 6. A hole is formed in the conveyor at a position where the glove fixing jig is provided, and the glove is fixed to the glove fixing jig such that a mouth thereof is aligned with the hole. The glove cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein 7. A step of spreading the glove mouth in a clean room having a cleanliness class 100 and spraying a mist-like cleaning liquid on the outer surface and the inner surface thereof; Expanding the gloves and spraying ultrapure water in a glove in a clean room of class 10; and purging the gloves with ultrapure water in a clean room of class 10; Drying the glove by spreading its mouth over the glove and blowing hot air on the glove. 8. The method for cleaning gloves according to claim 7, wherein in each of the steps, the gloves are fixed and transported on a conveyor. 9. A hole is formed in the conveyor,
9. The method for cleaning gloves according to claim 8, further comprising, before the step of impregnating the gloves in the water tank, fixing the gloves to the conveyor such that their mouths are aligned with the holes. . 10. The method for cleaning gloves according to claim 7, wherein the size of the particles of the cleaning liquid is 0.1 to 800 μm.