JPH08141525A - Machine and method for cleaning part - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a part washing machine capable of executing washing treatment of a plurality of processes. CONSTITUTION: The part washing machine is provided with a plurality of storage vessels 3, 4, and an overhead washing vessel 2 is located above the storage vessel. Water exhaust valves 5, 6, and 7 are provided at the bottom of the overhead washing vessel 2, and each of them is connected to the corresponding storage vessel. A washing liquid is contained in the first storage vessel 3, and a rinse liquid is contained in the second storage vessel 4. In the overhead washing vessel 2 a free rotary carriage 29 is provided, and the carriage 29 loaded with parts to be washed continues rotation during washing treatment. The washing liquid is fed from the first storage vessel 3 into the overhead washing vessel 2, and the parts loaded to the carriage 29 is washed. After finishing the washing, the exhaust water valve 5 is opened, and the solution in the overhead washing vessel 2 is returned into the first storage vessel 3. Next the rinse liquid or other treatment liquids is fed from the second storage vessel 4 into the overhead washing vessel 2, and such treatment as rinse or the like is applied, and after finishing the process liquids in the overhead washing vessel 2 is returned into the second storage vessel 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a parts washer and a parts washing method, and more particularly to a parts washer and a parts washing method capable of performing a multi-step washing process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Prior Art U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,791 to Sadwith and G. E. FIG. The component cleaning machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,669 issued to Minkin includes a turntable and a spray nozzle for injecting a cleaning liquid onto a component supported on the turntable. In the washer disclosed in the former patent, the spray nozzle rotates, whereas in the washer disclosed in the latter patent, the spray nozzle remains fixed.

US Pat. No. 3,054,411 to Randall discloses a component cleaner with a swingable basket and a rotatable spray nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,9 issued to Jackson
No. 94 discloses a parts washer equipped with a rotatable wash tank that can be moved between a washing position, a drying position and a parts picking position.

W. M. U.S. Pat. No. 1,767,858 to Shultz discloses a submersible rotatable drum for cleaning photographic plates. Clark
U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,388 to U.S.A.

[0005]

In the cleaning of parts and the like, there are cases where a rinsing step is required after cleaning and a cleaning operation of two or more kinds of processing liquids in multiple stages is required. Performing each processing step in a separate cleaning machine requires labor and time, and results in a decrease in productivity. Therefore, it is desirable to perform the processing in a single component cleaning machine.

Therefore, there is a demand for a single component washer capable of successively carrying out processes such as supply and recovery of a plurality of types of liquids such as cleaning liquids, other processing liquids, rinse liquids, and spray cleaning processes or immersion stirring cleaning processes. And the present invention is
An object is to provide a parts washer having the above-mentioned function.

[0007]

The present invention is proposed in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, and comprises an elevated cleaning tank, a first storage tank containing a cleaning solution, and a rinse solution or another processing solution. A second or additional storage tank to accommodate, a pump for supplying a cleaning liquid or a rinsing liquid from the first, second or additional storage tank to the elevated cleaning tank, and a rotatable carriage or part provided in the elevated cleaning tank. (EN) A component washing machine provided with a fixing device, a rotatable carriage having a guide means capable of moving in and out of the elevated cleaning tank, or a component fixing device.

Further, a parts washer provided with a motor and a drive mechanism for rotating the carriage or the parts fixing device at the washing / draining position, and a fan for blowing heated air to the carriage or the parts fixing device at the draining position. Parts washing machine, a parts washing machine in which the elevated cleaning tank is arranged above the first and second storage tanks, and a cleaning liquid or a rinsing liquid supplied into the elevated cleaning tank, respectively It is intended to provide a parts washer equipped with a plurality of valves for returning to the tank.

Then, an elevated cleaning tank, a first storage tank for storing a cleaning liquid, a second storage tank for storing a rinse liquid or another processing liquid, and a component cleaning having a rotatable carriage or a component fixing device. A method of cleaning a component by a machine, wherein the component is mounted on the carriage or the component fixing device, a cleaning liquid is injected from the first storage tank into the elevated cleaning tank, and the carriage or the component fixing device is connected to the elevated cleaning tank. Inside the elevated cleaning tank, the cleaning liquid in the elevated cleaning tank is drained by operating the valve, and a rinsing liquid or another processing liquid is injected into the elevated cleaning tank from the second storage tank. In the above, the carriage or the component fixing device is continuously rotated, the rinse liquid or other processing liquid in the elevated cleaning tank is drained by operating the valve, and the carrier is used in the drainage step of the elevated cleaning tank. There is provided a parts cleaning method that blows heated air onto di- or component fixing apparatus.

[0010]

A component washer according to the present invention is a rotatable carriage designed to accommodate the various fixtures of individual components or individual components that need to be cleaned of manufacturing residues or other contaminants. Is equipped with. The carriage may be mounted within the elevated wash basin or, for ergonomic reasons, in combination with a mechanical lifting device that automatically guides the carriage into the elevated wash basin.

At the bottom of the elevated wash tank is a series of drain valves designed to not interfere with the carriage actuation mechanism. These valves are electrically linked to the machine's automatic control sequence.

Below the elevated cleaning tank, there is arranged a series of storage tanks for storing the cleaning liquid and other processing liquids necessary for performing the intended cleaning work. The liquid supplied from the storage tank to the elevated cleaning tank by the pump is returned to the corresponding storage tank by driving and opening one of the series of drain valves in accordance with the sequence of the automatically controlled cleaning cycle.

Thus, through the use of the elevated cleaning tank, the pump and the series of drain valves, it is possible to perform multi-step cleaning treatment such as cleaning and rinsing in one elevated cleaning tank.

Further, by providing the parts washer with a high-speed blower and a heating device, the cleaned parts can be dried quickly and completely.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The component cleaning machine 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 includes an elevated cleaning tank 2 and storage tanks 3 and 4 up to three (two in the drawing). The cleaning liquid is stored in the first storage tank 3, and the other processing liquid is stored in the second storage tank 4. The elevated cleaning tank 2 is arranged above the storage tanks 3, 4 and has three drain valves 5, 6, 7 on the bottom surface. Drain valve 5,
6 and 7 are driven to open and close by valve actuators 8, 9 and 10, respectively, the first storage tank 3 is located directly below one drain valve 5, and the second storage tank 4 is directly below the central drain valve 5. positioned. A drain port 11 is connected to the other drain valve 7, as shown in FIG.

The processing liquid in the storage tanks 3, 4 is stored in the storage tanks 3, 4
12, 1 arranged behind (on the right in FIG. 2)
3 to the elevated cleaning tank 2 through the processing liquid pipe 14. If desired for a particular process, this solution can be pumped through the full-volume in-line filters 15,16. The supply of the processing liquid from the storage tanks 3 and 4 to the elevated cleaning tank 2 is controlled by the throttle valves 17 and 18. A check valve (not shown) is used to prevent the liquid from flowing back from the processing liquid pipe 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, drainage pipe connecting portions 19, 20 and electric heating devices 21, 22 are provided at the rear of the storage tanks 3, 4.
Also, a float switch 23 for controlling the water level of the liquid in the second storage tank 4 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, a component loading / unloading door 25 is rotatably attached to the front surface of an elevated cleaning tank cover 24 that covers the elevated cleaning tank 2. An atmosphere communicating portion 26 is provided on the upper portion of the elevated cleaning tank cover 24, and an air duct 28 disposed in the elevated cleaning tank 2 from a high-speed fan 27 connected to the atmosphere communicating portion 26 is provided to dry the work. The air is blown toward the work on the carriage 29 through. Further, the electric heating device 30 may be provided in the air flow to improve the drying effect. At the end of each sequence of the treatment cycle, the valve actuators 8 and 9 corresponding to the sequence are driven to open the drainage valves 5 and 6, and the treatment liquid is circulated to the respective storage tanks 3 and 4.
Alternatively, the valve actuator 10 is driven to send the processing liquid to the drain port 11, and the processing liquid is discharged from the cleaning machine 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wall portion 3 of the elevated cleaning tank 2
1, a pair of bearings 32, 33 is attached to the bearings 32, 3
3 supports the stub shaft 34, and the stub shaft 34
The carriage 29 is supported by. A variable speed motor 35 is coupled to the stub shaft 34 to impart rotational movement to the carriage 29 during the cleaning machine's processing cycle. The carriage 29 preferably rotates 3-12 revolutions per minute.

A typical operation process of the parts washer 1 is executed in the following sequence. The operator mounts one or a plurality of parts, a basket, or other work on the carriage 29, and manually closes the rotatable parts loading / unloading door 25. The operator pushes the cycle start device (not shown) of the control panel 36 to drive the pump 12 of the first storage tank 3. The pump 12 injects a high-pressure cleaning liquid flow to the components supported in the carriage 29 through the rising pipe and the injection holes of the processing liquid pipe 14. At the same time as the start of the cleaning cycle, the variable speed motor 35 is activated, whereby the carriage 29 rotates about its axis at a preset speed and a variable speed. The elevated cleaning tank 2 is filled with the cleaning liquid by the action of the pump 12, and the elevated cleaning tank 2 is in an overflow state. The overflowed cleaning liquid is returned to the first storage tank 3 by a fixed dam (not shown) provided in the elevated cleaning tank 2. When the elevated cleaning tank 2 is filled with the cleaning liquid, a jet device (not shown) is driven to further stir the cleaning liquid, and a high-energy turbulent flow is generated in the cleaning liquid. Further, the carriage 22 continues to rotate throughout the entire process.

When the first cleaning cycle approaches the end, the pump 12 continues to feed the cleaning liquid through the processing liquid pipe 14,
The speed change motor 35 keeps rotating the carriage 29, and the valve actuator 1 corresponding to the first storage tank 3
2 is driven, the drain valve 5 is opened, and the cleaning liquid in the elevated cleaning tank 2 is quickly returned to the first storage tank 3. As a result of high-speed drainage from the elevated cleaning tank 2, a high-speed flow is generated in the cleaning liquid flowing out from within the elevated cleaning tank 2, whereby most of the residue accumulated in the elevated cleaning tank 2 is discharged. When the elevated cleaning tank 2 is drained, the carriage 29 is again injected with the cleaning liquid from the processing liquid pipe 14. This operation can remove any particles or other remnants that have remained during the drainage process. Thereafter, the pump 12 is stopped and the variable speed motor 35 continues to rotate the carriage 29 for a short drainage period.

In order to make the parts washer of the present invention perform the best cleaning process, one of the second storage tank 4 or the second or the third storage tank which can be expanded and the rinse liquid is used. Two processing cycles may be added. In this case, the same sequence as the above-mentioned cleaning process cycle is repeated in each process, but the difference from the first cleaning process cycle is that it is arranged in the second storage tank 4 in the second and subsequent processing cycles. The float switch 23 is controlled so that the elevated cleaning tank 2 does not reach the overflow state. The float switch 23 installed in the second storage tank 4,
Alternatively, when the float switch installed in the third storage tank detects that the water level of the elevated cleaning tank 2 has risen above the set value from the water level of the second storage tank 4 or the third storage tank, the drain valve 6 or 7 Is opened, the liquid in the elevated cleaning tank 2 is discharged through the drain valve 6 or 7 and returns to the second storage tank 4 or the third storage tank.

After a short discharge period following the current processing cycle, the carriage 29 continues to rotate, the high speed fan 27 is driven, and a high speed air flow is jetted from the air duct 28 to the work mounted on the carriage 29. The air may be heated to a high temperature by an optional electric heating device 30 to reduce the time required to dry the work. During the drying process, the carriage 29 continues to rotate, which constantly redirects one or more workpieces, which enhances the exposure effect to the dry air flow, thus facilitating complete drainage of the internal cavities, quickly and Completely dried.

At the end of the drying cycle, the carriage 29
The carriage 29 continues to rotate until a proximity switch (not shown) that detects that the carriage has reached the rotational position for loading and unloading. High-speed fan 27 when the proximity switch operates
Turns off, the shift motor 35 stops, and the carriage 2
9 is stationary at the rotational position for loading / unloading, and the control panel 3 is used to notify the completion of the processing cycle by an optical signal.
The light of 6 lights up. The worker is the part loading / unloading door 25.
Open and take out the work from the carriage 29.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment, in which the carriage 42 of the component cleaning device 41 and the carriage rotating mechanism 4 are shown.
3 is attached to the elevating mechanism 44, the carriage 42 is floated from the cleaning position a of the elevated cleaning tank 45 to the transfer position b, and the basket 47 can be transferred from the access door 46 to the carriage 42. Loading and unloading of works can be automated by combining with a basket transfer device. Since other configurations are the same as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, description thereof will be omitted. According to the present invention, a line rinsing process using fresh water is incorporated at any stage of the treatment cycle. You can By using a line rinse, it is possible to obtain the best rinsing effect of minimizing the chemical stains remaining on the surface while minimizing the appearance defects such as stains due to water droplets. In addition, the characteristics of the rinse liquid can be improved by adding an auxiliary heating device, and the overall effect of the subsequent processing can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but various modifications as described below can be made within the technical scope of the present invention. For example, in order to further improve the cleaning ability of the present invention, the elevated cleaning tank may be provided with ultrasonic transducers singly or in parallel. By providing an ultrasonic transducer in the elevated cleaning tank, the present invention can perform multi-step ultrasonic treatment using an ultrasonic device including a general ultrasonic transducer and its driving device. As a result, a significant cost reduction can be achieved compared to the conventional in-line type ultrasonic cleaning system. Furthermore, by installing the ultrasonic transducer at a position where it is easy to reach from the outside of the elevated cleaning tank, there is an advantage that even if the ultrasonic transducer should fail, the maintenance time required for its replacement can be shortened. To be

[0027]

The parts washing machine of the present invention is provided with an elevated washing tank and a plurality of storage tanks, and controls a pump and a series of drain valves to wash a plurality of kinds of liquids such as a washing liquid, another processing liquid and a rinsing liquid. By sequentially controlling the processes such as the supply and recovery of the product, and the spray cleaning process or the dipping stirring cleaning process, the multi-step cleaning process can be executed by a single component washer, which contributes to the reduction of capital investment and the improvement of productivity. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an isometric perspective view of a component washer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the component washer of FIG.

3 is a side view of the component washer of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the component washer showing another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Parts Washer 2 Elevated Cleaning Tank 3 First Storage Tank 4 Second Storage Tank 5, 6, 7 Drain Valve 8, 9, 10 Valve Actuator 12, 13 Pump 14 Processing Liquid Pipe 23 Float Switch 25 Access Door 27 High Speed Fan 28 Air duct 29 Carriage 30 Electric heating device 32, 33 Bearing 34 Stub shaft 35 Speed change motor 36 Control panel

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An elevated cleaning tank, a first storage tank for storing a cleaning liquid, a second or additional storage tank for storing a rinsing liquid or another processing liquid, and a cleaning liquid or a rinsing liquid for the first,
A pump that supplies from the second or additional storage tank to the elevated cleaning tank, a rotatable carriage or a component fixing device provided in the elevated cleaning tank, or a rotation having a guide means that is movable in and out of the elevated cleaning tank. A parts washer equipped with a free carriage or parts fixing device. 2. The component cleaning machine according to claim 1, further comprising a motor and a drive mechanism for rotating the carriage or the component fixing device at a cleaning / drainage position. 3. The component washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the carriage or the component fixing device at the drainage position is provided with a fan for blowing heated air. 4. The component cleaning machine according to claim 1, wherein the elevated cleaning tank is arranged above the first and second storage tanks. 5. The component cleaning machine according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of valves for returning the cleaning liquid or the rinsing liquid supplied into the elevated cleaning tank to the corresponding storage tanks. 6. An elevated cleaning tank, a first storage tank containing a cleaning liquid, and a second storage tank containing a rinsing liquid or another processing liquid.
And a component cleaning device having a rotatable carriage or a component fixing device, wherein the component is mounted on the carriage or the component fixing device, and a cleaning liquid is elevated from the first reservoir to the elevated tank. Inject it into the washing tank,
The carriage or the component fixing device is rotated in the elevated cleaning tank, the cleaning liquid in the elevated cleaning tank is drained by operating the valve, and a rinsing liquid or another treatment liquid is discharged from the second storage tank to the elevated tank. It is injected into the cleaning tank, the carriage or the component fixing device is continuously rotated in the elevated cleaning tank, and the rinse liquid or other processing liquid in the elevated cleaning tank is drained by operating the valve, and the elevated cleaning is performed. A method of cleaning a component, wherein heated air is blown to the carriage or the component fixing device in a tank draining step.