JP6270338B2 - Continuous heat treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a continuous heat treatment apparatus.

  As a continuous heat treatment apparatus that continuously conveys an object to be treated and performs heat treatment, for example, the one shown in Patent Document 1 is known. In the continuous heat treatment apparatus described in Patent Document 1, heat treatment is performed by sequentially passing an object to be processed conveyed by a conveyor through a heater and a cooling furnace installed in the processing chamber. Gas curtains are formed at the inlet and outlet of the processing chamber by injecting a purge gas in the form of a shower in order to maintain the processing chamber in an inert atmosphere by blocking it from the atmosphere.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2011-219316 (see FIG. 1)

In the conventional continuous heat treatment apparatus, the amount of purge gas injected to form the air curtain is substantially proportional to the opening area of the inlet and outlet of the processing chamber through which the object to be processed passes. For this reason, when the opening area of the said inlet and outlet was enlarged and expensive gas, such as argon gas, was used as purge gas, there existed a problem that the heat processing cost increased.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a continuous heat treatment apparatus capable of performing heat treatment of an object to be processed in an inert atmosphere while suppressing the amount of gas used. .

The continuous heat treatment apparatus of the present invention includes a carry-in chamber into which a workpiece is carried in, a treatment chamber that heat-treats the workpiece carried in from the carry-in chamber, and a carry-out into which the workpiece that has been heat-treated in the treatment chamber is carried in. A vacuum chamber in which chambers are formed in this order; a transport unit that is disposed in the vacuum chamber and that transports an object to be processed from the loading chamber to the unloading chamber through the processing chamber; and a loading chamber for the vacuum container A first load lock chamber connected to the first load lock chamber, and the first load lock chamber is replaced with an inert gas atmosphere, and a workpiece is transferred between the first load lock chamber and the loading chamber. 1 a load lock device and a second load lock chamber connected to the carry-out chamber of the vacuum vessel, and the second load lock chamber and the carry-out in a state where the second load lock chamber is replaced with an inert gas atmosphere. Receive processed material with the room Provided then you a second load lock device, wherein the first load lock chamber is provided with a loading unit of the object to be processed is carried from the outside, wherein the first load lock device, wherein an object to be processed first A moving means for moving from the load lock chamber to the carry-in chamber is provided, and the moving means of the moving means moves in the direction from the first load lock chamber to the carry-in chamber. An object crosses the transfer direction of the transfer means for transferring the object from the carry-in chamber to the processing chamber, and the first load lock device is a mechanism for carrying the object to be processed from the outside into the first load lock chamber. And a mechanism for transferring the object to be processed from the first load lock chamber to the carry-in chamber, and these mechanisms are arranged along a direction in which the object to be processed is moved from the first load lock chamber to the carry-in chamber. this is The features.

  According to the present invention, the object to be processed is transferred from the first load lock chamber in the state replaced with the inert gas atmosphere to the loading chamber of the vacuum container, and the object to be processed is heat-treated in the processing chamber of the vacuum container. From the unloading chamber, the object to be processed can be unloaded to the second load lock chamber in a state replaced with an inert gas atmosphere. Thereby, the process chamber can be maintained in an inert atmosphere without forming a gas curtain at the entrance and exit of the process chamber as in the prior art. Thereby, the to-be-processed object can be heat-processed in inert atmosphere, suppressing the usage-amount of gas.

In the first load lock device, the direction in which the workpiece is transferred between the first load lock chamber and the carry-in chamber intersects with the direction in which the workpiece is transferred from the carry-in chamber to the treatment chamber. since to be arranged, in this case, it is possible to radiant heat in the processing chamber can be inhibited from thermally affecting the first load lock unit through the carry-in chamber.

The second load lock chamber includes a carry-out portion for carrying out the object to be processed to the outside, and the second load lock device has a moving means for moving the object to be processed from the carry-out chamber to the second load lock chamber. The moving means has a direction in which the object to be processed is moved from the carry-out chamber to the second load lock chamber, and intersects a transfer direction of the transfer means for transferring the object to be processed from the process chamber to the carry-out chamber. A mechanism for moving the object to be processed from the carry-out chamber to the second load lock chamber, and a mechanism for passing the work-out portion from the second load lock chamber through the carry-out portion to the outside. Is preferably arranged along the direction in which the workpiece is moved from the carry-out chamber to the second load lock chamber .
In this case, it is possible to suppress the radiant heat in the processing chamber from affecting the second load lock device via the carry-out chamber.

  It is preferable that a cylindrical muffle covering at least a part of the transfer unit and a heater for heating an object to be processed transferred by the transfer unit from the outside of the muffle are arranged in the processing chamber. In this case, the workpiece can be continuously heat-treated by the heater as the workpiece passes through the muffle.

The transport means includes an endless transport belt, and the muffle and the heater are disposed in an outward path portion of the transport belt from the carry-in chamber to the carry-out chamber, and the transport chamber includes the transport belt. It is preferable that a belt cooling unit for cooling the conveyor belt is disposed in a return path portion returning from the chamber to the carry-in chamber.
In this case, since the muffle and the heater are disposed in the forward path portion of the conveyance belt, and the belt cooling portion is disposed in the backward path portion of the conveyance belt, the heater and the belt cooling portion are arranged in series along the forward path portion of the conveyance belt. As compared with the above, the processing chamber can be formed compactly in the conveying direction of the conveying belt.

  The vacuum vessel preferably includes a vacuum section having a cylindrical cross section in which the processing chamber is formed, and the axis of the muffle is eccentric with respect to the axis of the vacuum section. In this case, since the axis of the muffle is eccentric with respect to the axis of the vacuum portion, the wiring space of the heater can be secured in the space in the processing chamber widened by the eccentricity. Moreover, when the belt cooling part is arrange | positioned in the return path part of a conveyance belt, the space which installs the return path part of a conveyance belt, a belt cooling part, etc. can be ensured. Therefore, the vacuum part can be reduced in size compared with the case where the axis of the muffle is on the axis of the vacuum part.

  In the continuous heat treatment apparatus, the muffle, the heater, and the belt cooling unit are preferably integrated as one unit. In this case, the muffle, the heater, and the belt cooling unit can be easily incorporated into the processing chamber.

  It is preferable that the belt cooling unit includes a cooling main body portion that is disposed in the vicinity of the conveyance belt and in which a flow path through which a cooling liquid flows is formed, and a belt slider that is in sliding contact with the conveyance belt. In this case, since the belt slider is disposed between the cooling main body and the conveyance belt, it is possible to prevent the cooling main body from being worn due to the conveyance belt slidingly contacting the cooling main body. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the coolant from leaking from the cooling main body in the vacuum vessel.

  It is preferable that the transport unit includes guide rollers that guide and support the transport belt and have flanges at both end portions in the axial direction for restricting the transport belt from moving in the width direction. In this case, the meandering portion of the guide roller can suppress the meandering of the conveyor belt, so that it is not necessary to adjust the conveyor belt drive mechanism in order to suppress the meandering.

  According to the continuous heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, the object to be treated can be heat-treated in an inert atmosphere while suppressing the amount of gas used.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the continuous heat processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is AA arrow sectional drawing of FIG. It is a top view which shows a 1st load lock apparatus and a 2nd load lock apparatus. It is BB arrow sectional drawing of FIG. 1 which shows the processing chamber of a vacuum vessel. It is an expanded sectional view showing a belt cooling part.

  Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a continuous heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a continuous heat treatment apparatus 1 heats a sintered metal that is an object to be processed, for example, before pressing. The sintered metal is made of a material that is easily oxidized, such as a magnet. In order to prevent oxidation, heat treatment is performed in an inert atmosphere with an inert gas such as argon gas. The continuous heat treatment apparatus 1 includes a vacuum vessel 2, a transport unit 3, a first load lock device 4, and a second load lock device 5.

The vacuum vessel 2 includes, in order from the left side of FIG. 1, a first vacuum unit 21 in which a loading chamber 2A into which an object to be processed is loaded from the first load lock device 4 is formed, and a loaded material loaded from the loading chamber 2A. A second vacuum unit 22 in which a processing chamber 2B for heat-treating the processing object is formed; and a third vacuum unit 23 in which a carrying-out chamber 2C into which a processing object heat-treated in the processing chamber 2B is loaded is formed. It has.
That is, the object to be processed is heat-treated in the processing chamber 2B, then unloaded from the processing chamber 2B, and loaded into the unloading chamber 2C. Further, when the workpiece is unloaded from the unloading chamber 2 </ b> C, it is loaded into the second load lock device 5.
A carry-in port 21 a is formed in the first vacuum part 21, and a carry-out port 23 a is formed in the third vacuum part 23. A first flange portion 22b and a second flange portion 22c are formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the second vacuum portion 22, respectively. A flange portion 21b formed in the first vacuum portion 21 is connected to the first flange portion 22b. Further, the flange portion 23b formed in the third vacuum portion 23 is connected to the second flange portion 22c.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transfer means 3 is arranged in the vacuum vessel 2, and transfers the object to be processed from the loading chamber 2A to the unloading chamber 2C through the processing chamber 2B. The transport means 3 includes an endless transport belt 31 made of, for example, a mesh belt, a driving roller 32, a guide roller 33, and first to fifth rollers 34 to 38.

  In FIG. 2, the conveyor belt 31 is wound around a first roller 34 disposed in the carry-in chamber 2A and a second roller 35 disposed in the carry-out chamber 2C. The conveyor belt 31 constitutes an outward path portion 31A extending substantially horizontally from the carry-in chamber 2A toward the carry-out chamber 2C, and a return path portion 31B returning from the carry-out chamber 2C to the carry-in chamber 2A below the forward path portion 31A. Yes. In the vicinity of the second roller 35 in the return path portion 31 </ b> B of the transport belt 31, a third roller 36 is disposed that turns the transport direction of the transport belt 31 from obliquely downward to horizontal. Thus, in the processing chamber 2B, the forward path portion 31A of the transport belt 31 extends substantially horizontally at the upper position of the processing chamber 2B, and the return path portion 31B of the transport belt 31 extends substantially horizontally at the lower position of the processing chamber 2B. Are arranged as follows.

In the carry-in chamber 2 </ b> A, a drive roller 32 that applies a driving force to the conveyor belt 31 is disposed in the return path portion 31 </ b> B of the conveyor belt 31. A pair of fourth roller 37 and fifth roller 38 are rotatably disposed above the drive roller 32. The drive roller 32 is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown) such as a motor disposed in the carry-in chamber 2A. The driving roller 32 is disposed where the conveying belt 31 has passed a position cooled by a belt cooling unit 13 (described later). Thereby, after the conveying belt 31 is cooled, the belt driving mechanism such as the driving roller 32 and the conveying belt 31 can be engaged with each other, so that the temperature load on the belt driving mechanism can be reduced.
In the carry-in chamber 2 </ b> A, a guide roller 33 that guides and supports the transport belt 31 is disposed between the first roller 34 and the fourth roller 37. At both ends in the axial direction of the guide roller 33, annular flanges 33a are provided for restricting the transport belt 31 from moving in the width direction (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 2).

  FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the first load lock device 4 and the second load lock device 5. In FIG. 3, the first load lock device 4 delivers an object to be processed with the carry-in chamber 2 </ b> A of the vacuum vessel 2, and is attached to the first vacuum unit 21. The first load lock device 4 includes a load lock main body 41 in which a first load lock chamber 41a connected to the carry-in chamber 2A is formed, and a gate disposed between the load lock main body 41 and the carry-in chamber 2A. A valve 42, a shaft 43 inserted through the load lock body 41, and a chuck 44 attached to the tip of the shaft 43 are provided.

  The load lock body 41 can be replaced with an inert gas atmosphere by evacuating the first load lock chamber 41a from the atmospheric state and restoring the pressure with an inert gas such as argon gas. A gate valve (not shown) is provided on the upper side of the first load lock chamber 41a (upper side in the paper plane in FIG. 3). By opening and closing the gate valve, an object to be processed is placed in the first load lock chamber 41a. It comes to be brought in.

  The gate valve 42 opens and closes the carry-in port 21a of the carry-in chamber 2A. When the first load lock chamber 41a is in the atmospheric state, the gate valve 42 is closed, and the first load lock chamber 41a, the carry-in chamber 2A, The communication of is blocked. When the first load lock chamber 41a is replaced with an inert gas atmosphere, the gate valve 42 opens the carry-in port 21a so that the first load lock chamber 41a and the carry-in chamber 2A communicate with each other. It has become.

  The shaft 43 is supported so as to reciprocate in the axial direction with respect to the load lock body 41 by extending and contracting an electric cylinder (not shown). The chuck 44 has a chuck main body 44a fixed to the tip end portion of the shaft 43, and a pair of claw members 44b attached to the chuck main body 44a, and holds the workpiece by the pair of claw members 44b. It has become. As the working fluid of the chuck 44, the same inert gas as the inert gas filled in the muffle 6 is used. Thereby, even if the working fluid leaks from the chuck 44, the inside of the muffle 6 can be maintained in an inert gas atmosphere.

  Therefore, when a workpiece is carried into the carry-in chamber 2A, first, the workpiece is carried into the first load lock chamber 41a. Specifically, the gate valve is opened, the workpiece is carried into the first load lock chamber 41a, the workpiece is gripped by the chuck 44, and the gate valve is closed. Then, the inside of the first load lock chamber 41a is evacuated from the atmospheric state, and the pressure is restored with an inert gas such as an argon gas, whereby the gate valve 42 is opened in a state where the inert gas atmosphere is substituted, and the shaft 43 is shown in FIG. By moving in the direction of the middle arrow a, the workpiece can be carried from the first load lock chamber 41a onto the conveyance belt 31 of the carry-in chamber 2A.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the first load lock device 4, the direction in which the object to be processed is transferred between the first load lock chamber 41 a and the carry-in chamber 2 </ b> A (the direction of arrow a in the figure) is from the carry-in chamber 2 </ b> A. It arrange | positions orthogonally to the direction (arrow b direction in a figure) which conveys a to-be-processed object to the processing chamber 2B.

  The second load lock device 5 delivers an object to be processed with the carry-out chamber 2 </ b> C of the vacuum vessel 2, and is attached to the third vacuum unit 23. The second load lock device 5 includes a load lock main body 51 in which a second load lock chamber 51a connected to the carry-out chamber 2C is formed, and a gate disposed between the load lock main body 51 and the carry-out chamber 2C. A valve 52, a shaft 53 inserted through the load lock body 51, and a chuck 54 attached to the tip of the shaft 53 are provided.

  The load lock body 51 can be replaced with an inert gas atmosphere by evacuating the second load lock chamber 51a from the atmospheric state and restoring the pressure with an inert gas such as argon gas. A gate valve (not shown) is provided on the upper side of the second load lock chamber 51a (upper side in the paper plane in FIG. 3). By opening and closing the gate valve, the object to be processed is transferred from the second load lock chamber 51a. It is supposed to be carried out.

  The gate valve 52 opens and closes the unloading port 23a of the unloading chamber 2C. When the second load lock chamber 51a is in the atmospheric state, the unloading port 23a is closed, and the second load lock chamber 51a, the unloading chamber 2C, The communication of is blocked. When the second load lock chamber 51a is replaced with an inert gas atmosphere, the gate valve 52 opens the carry-out port 23a so that the second load lock chamber 51a and the carry-out chamber 2C communicate with each other. It has become.

  The shaft 53 is supported so as to reciprocate in the axial direction with respect to the load lock body 51 by extending and contracting an electric cylinder (not shown). The chuck 54 has a chuck body 54a fixed to the tip of the shaft 53, and a pair of claw members 54b attached to the chuck body 54a. The pair of claw members 54b grip the workpiece. It has become. As the working fluid of the chuck 54, the same inert gas as the inert gas filled in the muffle 6 is used. Thereby, even if the working fluid leaks from the chuck 54, the inside of the muffle 6 can be maintained in an inert gas atmosphere.

  Accordingly, the gate valve 52 is opened in a state where the inside of the second load lock chamber 51a is replaced with an inert gas atmosphere by evacuating from the atmospheric state and returning to the inert gas atmosphere, and the shaft 53 is moved upward in the drawing. By doing so, the object to be processed on the conveyor belt 31 can be gripped by the chuck 54. Then, by moving the shaft 53 downward (in the direction of the arrow d) in the figure from this state, the object to be processed on the transport belt 31 can be transported from the transport chamber 2C to the second load lock chamber 51a. In this state, by opening the gate valve on the upper side of the second load lock chamber 51a, the object to be processed in the second load lock chamber 51a can be discharged to the outside.

  In the second load lock device 5, the direction in which the object to be processed is transferred between the second load lock chamber 51a and the unloading chamber 2C (the direction of the arrow d in the figure) is transferred from the processing chamber 2B to the unloading chamber 2C. Is disposed orthogonal to the direction (arrow c direction in the figure). In the present embodiment, the arrow b direction and the arrow c direction are the same direction.

  In FIG. 2, a cylindrical muffle 6 that covers substantially the entire forward path portion 31 </ b> A of the conveyor belt 31 is disposed in the loading chamber 2 </ b> A and the processing chamber 2 </ b> B of the vacuum vessel 2. In the processing chamber 2B, a heater 7 for heating the object to be processed conveyed by the forward path portion 31A from the outside of the muffle 6 to a predetermined temperature (for example, 800 degrees) is disposed in the entire longitudinal direction (left-right direction in the drawing) of the processing chamber 2B. It is extended and arranged. The muffle 6 is filled with an inert gas, and the object to be processed conveyed by the conveying belt 31 is heat-treated in an inert gas atmosphere in the muffle 6.

  4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 1 showing the processing chamber 2B of the vacuum vessel 2. FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the second vacuum portion 22 of the vacuum vessel 2 is formed in a cylindrical cross section. The muffle 6 is formed in the shape of a square cylinder in cross section, and is arranged in a state where the axis 6 a is eccentric with respect to the axis 22 a of the second vacuum part 22. The outer periphery of the muffle 6 is covered with the heater 7. The heater 7 is formed in a cylindrical shape in cross section, and is disposed via a heat insulating material 9 in a heater case 8 formed in a cylindrical shape in cross section around the axis 6a of the muffle 6.

  In order to connect a power cable or the like for supplying power to the heater 7 to the outer space of the heater case 8 in a space (lower right side space in FIG. 4) in the processing chamber 2B widened by decentering the muffle 6. A pair of connection terminals 10 are projected. The heater case 8 is fixed to a horizontal portion 12a of an attachment member 12 having an L-shaped cross section disposed at the lower portion of the processing chamber 2B via a pair of brackets 11.

  The pair of connection terminals 10 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction from the viewpoint of electrical insulation. Further, when the number of heaters 7 is increased, the number of connection terminals 10 and the power cables is also increased accordingly. Therefore, in the processing chamber 2B, a space for arranging the plurality of connection terminals 10 at predetermined intervals and a wiring space for a plurality of power cables are formed in advance.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, in the processing chamber 2 </ b> B of the vacuum vessel 2, a belt cooling unit 13 that cools the conveyance belt 31 with a coolant such as water is disposed below the return path portion 31 </ b> B of the conveyance belt 31. The chamber 2B is disposed so as to extend over the entire longitudinal direction.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the belt cooling unit 13. As shown in FIG. 5, the belt cooling unit 13 includes a cooling main body 14 disposed in the vicinity of the conveyance belt 31 and a belt slider 15 attached to the cooling main body 14. The cooling main body 14 is formed by integrating a plurality of (here, four) pipes 14 a to 14 d having a square tubular section arranged in parallel along the width direction of the transport belt 31. The plurality of pipes 14a to 14d are configured as flow paths through which the coolant flows.

  The plurality of pipes 14a to 14d include a first pipe 14a and a fourth pipe 14d in which discharge ports 14a1 and 14d1 for discharging the cooling liquid are formed, and a second pipe in which supply ports 14b1 and 14c1 for supplying the cooling liquid are formed. It consists of a pipe 14b and a third pipe 14c. The first pipe 14 a and the second pipe 14 b are formed with communication ports (not shown) that communicate with each other at predetermined locations in the longitudinal direction (the conveyance direction of the conveyance belt 31). Moreover, the 3rd piping 14c and the 4th piping 14d are formed with the communication port (illustration omitted) which connects a mutual flow path in the predetermined location of a longitudinal direction. A discharge nozzle 16 for discharging the coolant is connected to the discharge ports 14a1 and 14d1, and a supply nozzle 17 for supplying the coolant is connected to the supply ports 14b1 and 14c1, respectively.

  The belt slider 15 is made of a material having high heat resistance such as stainless steel, and has a flat sliding contact portion 15 a fixed to the upper surface of the cooling main body portion 14. The lower surface (conveying surface) of the return path portion 31B of the conveying belt 31 is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the sliding contact portion 15a. Thus, the return path portion 31B is cooled by the coolant flowing through the pipes 14a to 14d via the sliding contact portions 15a of the belt sliders 15. Further, even if the use of the continuous heat treatment apparatus 1 is repeated, the belt main body 14 can be prevented from being worn by the belt slider 15. That is, when the belt slider 15 is worn by sliding contact with the transport belt 31, only the belt slider 15 needs to be replaced, and wear of the cooling main body portion 14 that is likely to be complicated can be prevented.

  The belt cooling unit 13 is attached to the vertical part 12 b of the attachment member 12 via a flat plate-like support member 18 fixed to the lower surface of the cooling main body part 14. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the muffle 6, the heater 7, the heater case 8, the heat insulating material 9, and the belt cooling unit 13 disposed in the processing chamber 2 </ b> B are attached to the common attachment member 12, It is integrated as one unit.

When assembling the continuous heat treatment apparatus 1, first, the integrated unit is inserted into the second vacuum part 22 of the vacuum vessel 2. Then, the belt 31 is loaded into the unit, and the constituent members such as the driving roller 32 of the conveying unit 3 are attached. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2, the flange portion 21 b of the first vacuum portion 21 is connected to the first flange portion 22 b of the second vacuum portion 22, and the third vacuum is connected to the second flange portion 22 c of the second vacuum portion 22. The flange part 23b of the part 23 is connected, and the first to third vacuum parts 21 to 23 are integrated. Finally, the first and second load lock devices 4 and 5 are attached to the first vacuum unit 21 and the third vacuum unit 23, respectively.
As described above, the continuous heat treatment apparatus 1 can be assembled by mounting the unit in which the muffle 6, the heater 7, the belt cooling unit 13 and the like are integrated in advance in the vacuum vessel 2, so that the assembly work of the apparatus is complicated. Can be prevented.

  According to the continuous heat treatment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, an object to be processed is carried into the loading chamber 2A of the vacuum vessel 2 from the first load lock chamber 41a in the state replaced with the inert gas atmosphere, and the processing chamber 2B of the vacuum vessel 2 is loaded. After heat-treating the workpiece, the workpiece can be carried out from the carry-out chamber 2C of the vacuum vessel 2 to the second load lock chamber 51a in a state where the inert gas atmosphere is substituted. Thereby, the inside of the processing chamber 2B can be maintained in an inert atmosphere without forming a gas curtain at the entrance / exit of the processing chamber as in the prior art. Thereby, the to-be-processed object can be heat-processed in inert atmosphere, suppressing the usage-amount of gas.

  In the first load lock device 4, the direction in which the workpiece is delivered between the first load lock chamber 41a and the carry-in chamber 2A intersects the direction in which the workpiece is conveyed from the carry-in chamber 2A to the treatment chamber 2B. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the radiant heat from the heater 7 in the processing chamber 2B from affecting the first load lock device 4 via the carry-in chamber 2A.

  Further, in the second load lock device 5, the direction in which the workpiece is transferred between the second load lock chamber 51a and the carry-out chamber 2C intersects the direction in which the workpiece is transferred from the process chamber 2B to the carry-out chamber 2C. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the radiant heat generated by the heater 7 in the processing chamber 2B from affecting the second load lock device 5 via the carry-out chamber 2C.

Further, in the processing chamber 2B, a cylindrical muffle 6 that covers the forward path portion 31A of the conveyor belt 31 and a heater 7 that heats the object to be processed conveyed by the conveyor belt 31 from the outside of the muffle 6 are disposed. Therefore, the object to be processed can be continuously heat-treated by the heater 7 as the object to be processed passes through the muffle 6.
Further, since the axis 6a of the muffle 6 is eccentric with respect to the axis 22a of the second vacuum portion 22, a wiring space such as a power cable for supplying electric power to the heater 7 in the space in the processing chamber 2B widened by this eccentricity. Can be secured. In addition, it is possible to secure a space for installing the return path portion 31A of the conveyor belt 31, the belt cooling unit 13, and the like. Therefore, compared with the case where the axis 6a of the muffle 6 is on the axis 22a of the second vacuum part 22, the second vacuum part 22 can be reduced in size.

Further, since the muffle 6 and the heater 7 are disposed in the forward path portion 31A of the transport belt 31, and the belt cooling unit 13 is disposed in the return path portion 31B of the transport belt 31, the heater 7 and the belt cooling section 13 are connected to the forward path of the transport belt 31. The processing chamber 2B can be formed more compactly with respect to the transport direction of the transport belt 31 than when arranged in series along the portion.
Further, since the muffle 6, the heater 7, and the belt cooling unit 13 are integrated as one unit, the muffle 6, the heater 7, and the belt cooling unit 13 can be easily incorporated into the processing chamber 2B.

In the belt cooling unit 13, the belt slider 15 that is in sliding contact with the conveyance belt 31 is disposed between the cooling main body 14 and the conveyance belt 31, so that the conveyance belt 31 is in sliding contact with the cooling main body 14. It is possible to prevent the cooling main body 14 from being worn due to the above. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the coolant from leaking from the cooling main body 14 in the vacuum vessel 2.
Moreover, since the conveyance means 3 can suppress the meandering of the conveyance belt 31 by the flange 33a of the guide roller 33, it is not necessary to adjust the drive mechanism of the conveyance belt 31 in order to suppress the meandering. Become.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the first load lock device 4 (second load lock device 5) in the above embodiment is covered between the first load lock chamber 41a (second load lock chamber 51a) and the loading chamber 2A (unloading chamber 2C). The direction in which the workpiece is delivered is arranged orthogonal to the direction in which the workpiece is transported from the carry-in chamber 2A (carry-out chamber 2C) to the processing chamber 2B, but the thermal effect due to radiant heat in the processing chamber 2B is suppressed. If possible, they may be arranged so as to intersect at a predetermined angle other than 90 degrees. In addition, the muffle 6 in the above embodiment covers the forward path portion 31A that is a part of the conveyor belt 31, but the forward path portion 31A and the backward path portion 31B may be covered.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Continuous heat processing apparatus 2 Vacuum container 2A Loading chamber 2B Processing chamber 2C Unloading chamber 3 Conveying means 4 1st load lock apparatus 5 2nd load lock apparatus 6 Muffle 7 Heater 13 Belt cooling part 14 Cooling main-body part 15 Belt slider 22 2nd vacuum Part (vacuum part)
31 Conveying belt 31A Outward part 31B Inward part 33 Guide roller 33a Ridge part 41a First load lock chamber 51a Second load lock chamber

Claims (9)

A vacuum in which a loading chamber into which a workpiece is carried in, a processing chamber for heat treating the workpiece loaded from the loading chamber, and a carry-out chamber into which the workpiece processed in the processing chamber is loaded are formed in this order. A container,
A conveying means disposed in the vacuum vessel and configured to convey an object to be processed from the loading chamber to the unloading chamber through the processing chamber;
A first load lock chamber connected to the carry-in chamber of the vacuum container; and the first load lock chamber is replaced with an inert gas atmosphere, and the first load lock chamber is placed between the first load lock chamber and the carry-in chamber. A first load lock device for delivering a processed material;
A second load lock chamber connected to the discharge chamber of the vacuum container, and the second load lock chamber is replaced with an inert gas atmosphere between the second load lock chamber and the discharge chamber. and the second load lock device that delivers the processed product, the Bei example,
The first load lock chamber includes a loading unit into which an object to be processed is loaded from the outside,
The first load lock device is provided with a moving means for moving an object to be processed from the first load lock chamber to the loading chamber, and the object to be processed loaded from the loading portion of the moving means is moved to the first load lock device. 1 The direction of movement from the load lock chamber to the carry-in chamber intersects the transfer direction of the transfer means for transferring the object to be processed from the carry-in chamber to the process chamber,
The first load lock device includes a mechanism for carrying an object to be processed from the outside into the first load lock chamber, and a mechanism for transferring the object to be processed from the first load lock chamber to the loading chamber. The mechanism is arranged along the direction in which the workpiece is moved from the first load lock chamber to the carry-in chamber . The second load lock chamber includes an unloading unit for unloading the workpiece to the outside,
The second load lock device is provided with a moving means for moving an object to be processed from the unloading chamber to the second load lock chamber, and the object of the moving means is moved from the unloading chamber to the second load lock. The direction of movement to the chamber intersects the transport direction of the transport means for transporting the object to be processed from the processing chamber to the unloading chamber;
A mechanism for moving an object to be processed from the unloading chamber into the second load lock chamber, and a mechanism for passing the unloading portion from the second load lock chamber through the unloading chamber to the outside; The continuous heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the continuous heat treatment apparatus is disposed along a direction in which an object is moved from the carry-out chamber to the second load lock chamber .   2. The cylindrical muffle that covers at least a part of the transfer unit and a heater that heats an object to be processed transferred by the transfer unit from the outside of the muffle in the processing chamber. 2. The continuous heat treatment apparatus according to 2.   The continuous heat treatment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the heater is provided from one end of the muffle in the transport direction to the other end. The transport means includes an endless transport belt,
The muffle and the heater are arranged in an outward path portion from the carry-in chamber to the carry-out chamber of the transport belt,
5. The continuous heat treatment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a belt cooling unit that cools the transport belt is disposed in a return path portion of the transport belt that returns from the carry-out chamber to the carry-in chamber. The vacuum vessel has a vacuum section with a cylindrical cross section in which the processing chamber is formed,
The continuous heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein an axis of the muffle is eccentric with respect to an axis of the vacuum part.   The continuous heat treatment apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the muffle, the heater, and the belt cooling unit are integrated as one unit.   8. The belt cooling unit according to claim 5 or 7, wherein the belt cooling unit includes a cooling main body portion that is disposed in the vicinity of the conveyance belt and in which a flow path through which a cooling liquid flows is formed, and a belt slider that is in sliding contact with the conveyance belt. The continuous heat treatment apparatus as described. The continuous means according to claim 7 or 8 , wherein the conveying means includes a guide roller that guides and supports the conveying belt and has flanges at both ends in the axial direction for restricting movement of the conveying belt in the width direction. Heat treatment equipment.

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