JP2019196542A - Apparatus for producing powder by plasma rotating electrode process and method of producing powder - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an apparatus for producing powder by a plasma rotating electrode process and a method of producing powder each of which allows for prevention of wear, breakage and temperature rise by suppressing friction, and resonance caused by rotation of an electrode member.SOLUTION: A chamber 11 has a gas supply opening 21, and an electrode insertion opening 22. Gas supply means 12 is provided to be capable of supplying atmosphere gas to the inside of the chamber 11 from the gas supply opening 21. An electrode member 14 has an elongated shape, and is provided to rotate around a center axis along a longitudinal direction while one side part 14a is disposed inside the chamber 11 through the electrode insertion opening 22. Plasma irradiation means 15 is provided to emit plasma toward the one end part 14a of the electrode member 14 in the chamber 11. The electrode member 14 is disposed with a gap 16 in the electrode insertion opening 22 so that the atmosphere gas supplied to the inside of the chamber 11 from the gas supply means 12 is discharge from the inside of the chamber 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a powder manufacturing apparatus and a powder manufacturing method using a plasma rotating electrode method.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the powder manufacturing apparatus 50 according to the conventional plasma rotating electrode method can rotate around a central axis along the length direction, with a chamber 51 having a gas supply port 51 a and a gas discharge port 51 b, A metal or alloy elongated electrode member 52 disposed inside the chamber 51, a plasma irradiation means 53 capable of irradiating plasma toward one end 52 a of the electrode member 52, and an atmosphere inside the chamber 51 Gas supply means 54 for supplying gas (for example, see Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  In this conventional powder manufacturing apparatus 50, the gas inside the chamber 51 is discharged from the gas discharge port 51b to make a vacuum, and then an atmospheric gas such as Ar or He is supplied from the gas supply means 54 through the gas supply port 51a to the chamber 51. Supply inside. Thereafter, plasma is irradiated by the plasma irradiation means 53 while rotating the electrode member 52 in a state where the chamber 51 is sealed. Thereby, one end portion 52a of the electrode member 52 is dissolved, and the melt is blown off inside the chamber 51 by the centrifugal force of the rotation of the electrode member 52 to be solidified to produce a spherical metal or alloy powder. It is supposed to be.

Koji Tsuji, Satoshi Yokomori, Tomohiro Nishimaki, “Structure and Strength of Powder Sintered Nickel Superalloys Prepared Using Plasma Rotating Electrode Method”, Journal of the Japan Institute of Metals, 2016, Vol. 80, No. 8, p. 508-514 Masaharu Tokimi, Kazuo Shanishi, “Manufacture of Ti alloy powder by plasma rotating electrode method”, Resource treatment technology, 1990, Vol.37, No.4, p.215-221 Ryohei Kumagai, “Preparation of Metal Spherical Powder by Plasma Rotating Electrode Method”, Materia, 1998, Vol. 37, No. 6, p.488-494

  However, as described in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3, the conventional plasma manufacturing apparatus 50 using the plasma rotating electrode method shown in FIG. 7 seals the electrode member 52 in order to manufacture the powder with the chamber 51 sealed. It is necessary to rotate in the state. For this reason, it is necessary to provide the electrode member 52 under a severe condition that it is difficult to center the support member that supports the electrode member 52 such as a bearing and does not allow vacuum leakage, and the friction there increases. There existed a subject that support parts, such as a bearing, were worn out or damaged. Further, there is a problem that the temperature rises due to friction, and the electrode member 52 and the support portion expand to make the electrode member 52 difficult to rotate. In addition, resonance vibration due to the rotation of the electrode member 52 is likely to increase, causing a problem that the device is damaged.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such a problem, and suppresses friction and resonance caused by rotation of the electrode member to prevent wear, breakage, and temperature rise. And it aims at providing a powder manufacturing method.

  In order to achieve the above object, a powder manufacturing apparatus using a plasma rotating electrode method according to the present invention can supply an atmosphere gas into a chamber having a gas supply port and an electrode insertion port, and the gas supply port into the chamber. The gas supply means provided in the elongate, at least one end is made of metal or alloy, the one end is disposed inside the chamber through the electrode insertion port, and extends along the length direction. An electrode member provided to rotate around a central axis; and a plasma irradiation means provided inside the chamber so as to be able to irradiate plasma toward the one end of the electrode member, When the atmospheric gas is supplied into the chamber by the gas supply means while rotating the member, the atmospheric gas is discharged from the inside of the chamber. As the electrode member, characterized in that it is arranged with a gap in the electrode insertion slot.

  The powder manufacturing method by the plasma rotating electrode method according to the present invention is a powder manufacturing method by the plasma rotating electrode method using the powder manufacturing apparatus by the plasma rotating electrode method according to the present invention, wherein the atmosphere gas is placed inside the chamber. Then, the atmospheric gas is continuously supplied from the inside of the chamber through the gap by continuously supplying the atmospheric gas to the inside of the chamber by the gas supply means while rotating the electrode member. In this state, plasma is irradiated by the plasma irradiation means toward the one end of the electrode member to dissolve the one end, and the melt is centrifuged by rotation of the electrode member. A metal or alloy powder is produced by blowing off the inside of the chamber by force.

  In the powder manufacturing apparatus and the powder manufacturing method by the plasma rotating electrode method according to the present invention, since the electrode member is disposed with a gap in the electrode insertion port, the atmospheric gas is continuously supplied into the chamber by the gas supply means. Then, the atmospheric gas can be continuously discharged from the inside of the chamber through the gap of the electrode insertion opening. As described above, since atmospheric gas flows in one direction from the gas supply port toward the gap between the electrode insertion port inside the chamber, when the powder is manufactured by the plasma rotating electrode method, the outside air enters the chamber. It is possible to prevent the powder from being oxidized by the outside air.

  In the powder manufacturing apparatus and the powder manufacturing method using the plasma rotating electrode method according to the present invention, the gap may be provided in a bearing portion that supports the rotation of the electrode member. In this case, the friction between the rotating electrode member and the bearing portion can be suppressed as compared with the conventional one in which the electrode member to the bearing portion are sealed, thereby preventing wear, breakage, and temperature rise. it can. Since it can prevent that an electrode member and its support part expand | swell by a temperature rise and an electrode member becomes difficult to rotate, an electrode member can be rotated smoothly. Further, resonance due to rotation of the electrode member can be suppressed, and the apparatus can be prevented from being damaged.

  Moreover, in the powder manufacturing apparatus by the plasma rotating electrode method according to the present invention, the electrode member may be provided so as not to come into contact with a peripheral portion of the electrode insertion port. In this case, a gap can be formed between the electrode member and the peripheral edge of the electrode insertion opening. Since the electrode member and the peripheral edge portion of the electrode insertion opening do not come into contact with each other, friction and resonance can be prevented from occurring between them, and wear, breakage, and temperature rise can be effectively prevented.

  In the method for producing a powder by the plasma rotating electrode method according to the present invention, before producing the powder, the gap is sealed in a state where the electrode member is stopped so that the produced powder is not oxidized. It is preferable that after the gas is exhausted and evacuated, the atmospheric gas is supplied and filled into the chamber by the gas supply means. At this time, in order to close the gap of the electrode insertion opening, the powder manufacturing apparatus by the plasma rotating electrode method according to the present invention may have a sealing member that seals the gap when the electrode member is stopped. . Further, since it is necessary to leave a gap while the powder is produced by rotating the electrode member, the sealing member is configured to open the gap when the electrode member is rotated. It is preferable.

  In the case of having this sealing member, for example, there is a sealing mechanism provided along the periphery of the electrode insertion opening with the gap between the electrode member and the sealing mechanism facing the gap. And an annular chamber provided in an annular shape along the rotation direction of the electrode member, a pressurizing means for supplying gas to the annular chamber, and a decompression means for discharging the gas from the annular chamber. The sealing member is in a ring shape and is disposed in the annular chamber along the rotation direction of the electrode member. When the electrode member is stopped, the pressure member causes the annular chamber to By supplying the gas, the sealing member moves toward the opening of the annular chamber, seals the gap between the electrode member and the annular chamber, and when the electrode member rotates, The gas is discharged from the annular chamber by decompression means. The Rukoto, and said sealing member is moved towards the interior of the annular chamber, may be configured so as to open the gap. Thereby, sealing and opening of the gap can be performed relatively easily.

  The powder manufacturing apparatus by the plasma rotating electrode method according to the present invention may have gas injection means provided so as to be able to inject the same gas as the atmospheric gas so as to cover the gap inside the chamber. In this case, the gas injected from the gas injection means can more effectively prevent outside air from entering through the gap between the electrode insertion ports, and can enhance the antioxidant effect of the produced powder.

  In this case, the gas injection means may be capable of injecting the gas toward the electrode member so that the electrode member can be cooled. In this case, since an electrode member can be cooled, it can prevent more effectively that an electrode member expand | swells and becomes difficult to rotate.

  The powder manufacturing apparatus by the plasma rotating electrode method according to the present invention has opening / closing means, and the electrode member is detachably provided from the outside of the chamber with respect to the arrangement position of the electrode insertion port, and the opening / closing means May be provided so that the electrode insertion port can be sealed when the electrode member is removed from the arrangement position of the electrode insertion port. In this case, for example, when the electrode member is removed from the position where the electrode insertion port is disposed, for example, when the electrode member is replaced, the electrode insertion port is sealed with an opening / closing means, so that the outside of the vacuum chamber is free of air, dust, etc. It is possible to prevent impurities from entering and atmospheric gas from leaking from the inside of the chamber.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the powder manufacturing apparatus and powder manufacturing method by a plasma rotating electrode method which can suppress the friction and resonance by rotation of an electrode member, and can prevent wear, damage, and a temperature rise can be provided.

It is the front view which permeate | transmitted the inside of the chamber which shows the powder manufacturing apparatus by the plasma rotating electrode method of embodiment of this invention. It is the front view which permeate | transmitted the inside of the chamber which shows the modification which has a sealing member of the powder manufacturing apparatus by the plasma rotating electrode method of embodiment of this invention. It is the front view which permeate | transmitted the inside of the chamber which shows the modification which has a gas injection means of the powder manufacturing apparatus by the plasma rotating electrode method of embodiment of this invention. The powder manufacturing apparatus by the plasma rotating electrode method of the embodiment of the present invention shows a modified example having a sealing mechanism, (a) in a state in which the gap is sealed, and (b) in the vicinity of the sealing mechanism in a state in which the gap is opened. FIG. The powder manufacturing apparatus by the plasma rotating electrode method of the embodiment of the present invention shows a modified example having an opening / closing means, in which the vicinity of the electrode insertion port is enlarged, (a) front view, (b) ) Right side view. (A) Scanning electron microscope (SEM) photograph of powder produced by the powder production apparatus by the plasma rotating electrode method shown in FIG. 1, (b) (a) SEM photograph at a smaller magnification, (c) Half of the powder It is a SEM photograph when grind | polished. It is the front view which permeate | transmitted the inside of the chamber which shows the powder manufacturing apparatus by the conventional plasma rotating electrode method.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 6 show an apparatus for producing powder by the plasma rotating electrode method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the powder manufacturing apparatus 10 includes a chamber 11, a gas supply unit 12, a bearing portion 13, an electrode member 14, and a plasma irradiation unit 15.

  The chamber 11 has a disk shape with a predetermined thickness, and is installed so that both surfaces are vertical. The chamber 11 has a gas supply port 21 provided at the upper part of one surface, an electrode insertion port 22 provided at the center of the other surface, and a funnel-shaped recovery part 23 provided at the lower side surface. is doing. The collection unit 23 has a collection port 23a that can be opened and closed at the lower end.

The gas supply means 12 communicates with the gas supply port 21 and is provided so as to be able to supply atmospheric gas from the gas supply port 21 into the chamber 11. The atmospheric gas is Ar, He, N ₂ or the like. The bearing portion 13 is attached along the peripheral edge portion of the electrode insertion port 22. In a specific example, the bearing portion 13 is made of a bearing.

  The electrode member 14 has an elongated cylindrical shape, and at least one end portion 14a is made of a metal such as Co or Ti or an alloy. One end portion 14 a of the electrode member 14 is disposed inside the chamber 11 through the electrode insertion port 22, and the other end portion 14 b is disposed outside the chamber 11. The electrode member 14 is rotatably attached to the electrode insertion port 22 via the bearing portion 13, and rotates around the central axis along the length direction by rotating the other end portion 14b with a motor or the like. It is configured as follows.

  The plasma irradiation means 15 has a plasma torch 25 provided so as to penetrate one surface of the chamber 11 so as to face one end portion 14 a of the electrode member 14, and a voltage between the plasma torch 25 and the electrode member 14. And a voltage application unit 26 provided so as to be able to apply. The plasma irradiation means 15 applies a voltage between the plasma torch 25 and the electrode member 14 by the voltage application unit 26, so that the plasma irradiation means 15 moves from the plasma torch 25 toward one end 14 a of the electrode member 14 inside the chamber 11. It is configured to irradiate plasma.

  In the powder manufacturing apparatus 10, a gap 16 communicating with the inside and the outside of the chamber 11 is provided in the bearing portion 13 that supports the rotation of the electrode member 14. When the powder production apparatus 10 rotates the electrode member 14 and supplies the atmospheric gas to the inside of the chamber 11 by the gas supply means 12, the atmospheric gas is discharged from the inside of the chamber 11 through the gap 16. It has become.

  The powder manufacturing method by the plasma rotating electrode method of the embodiment of the present invention can be performed by the powder manufacturing apparatus 10 by the plasma rotating electrode method of the embodiment of the present invention. That is, first, after the gas inside the chamber 11 is discharged and evacuated, the gas supply means 12 supplies the atmospheric gas into the chamber 11 and fills the chamber 11 with the atmospheric gas. Thereafter, the atmospheric gas is continuously supplied into the chamber 11 by the gas supply means 12 while rotating the electrode member 14. Thereby, atmospheric gas can be continuously discharged | emitted from the inside of the chamber 11 through the clearance gap 16 of the bearing part 13 of the electrode insertion port 22. FIG.

  In such a state where the atmosphere gas is supplied and overflowed, plasma is irradiated from the plasma torch 25 toward the one end portion 14a of the electrode member 14 by the plasma irradiation means 15. As a result, one end portion 14a of the electrode member 14 is dissolved, and the melt is blown off inside the chamber 11 by the centrifugal force of rotation of the electrode member 14 to be cooled, so that a substantially spherical metal or alloy powder It becomes. The powder thus produced collects in the recovery unit 23 at the bottom of the chamber 11 and can be recovered from the recovery port 23a. The recovered powder can be used, for example, as a raw material powder for an additive manufacturing method (3D printer) in addition to conventional industrial applications.

  In the powder manufacturing apparatus 10 and the powder manufacturing method according to the plasma rotating electrode method of the embodiment of the present invention, the atmospheric gas is generated in the gap 16 between the gas supply port 21 and the electrode insertion port 22 inside the chamber 11 during the powder manufacturing. Therefore, the outside air can be prevented from entering the chamber 11 and the powder can be prevented from being oxidized by the outside air.

  Further, since the gap 16 is provided in the bearing portion 13, the friction between the rotating electrode member 14 and the bearing portion 13 is reduced as compared with the conventional one in which the electrode member 14 to the bearing portion 13 are sealed. It can be suppressed, and wear, breakage, and temperature rise can be prevented. Since it can prevent that the electrode member 14 and its support part expand | swell by temperature rise, and the electrode member 14 becomes difficult to rotate, the electrode member 14 can continue rotating smoothly. Further, resonance due to rotation of the electrode member 14 can also be suppressed, and the apparatus can be prevented from being damaged.

  In addition, the powder manufacturing apparatus 10 does not have the bearing part 13 and may be provided so that the electrode member 14 may not contact the peripheral part of the electrode insertion port 22. In this case, a gap 16 can be formed between the electrode member 14 and the peripheral edge of the electrode insertion opening 22. Since the electrode member 14 and the peripheral edge portion of the electrode insertion port 22 do not come into contact with each other, friction and resonance can be prevented from occurring between them, and wear, breakage, and temperature rise can be effectively prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the powder manufacturing apparatus 10 seals the gap 16 of the electrode insertion port 22 when the electrode member 14 is stopped, and opens the gap 16 when the electrode member 14 rotates. You may have the sealing member 31 comprised in this way. In this case, the gap 16 of the electrode insertion opening 22 can be closed by the sealing member 31 when the inside of the chamber 11 is evacuated before supplying the atmospheric gas. Further, while the electrode member 14 is rotated to produce the powder, the gap 16 of the electrode insertion port 22 can be opened by the sealing member 31 in order to discharge the atmospheric gas.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the powder manufacturing apparatus 10 includes gas injection means 32 provided so as to be able to inject the same gas as the atmospheric gas so as to cover the gap 16 of the electrode insertion port 22 inside the chamber 11. It may be. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the gas injection means 32 has an injection portion 33 provided so as to surround the side surface of the electrode member 14 inside the electrode insertion port 22 of the chamber 11, and from the injection portion 33 to the electrode member 14. The atmosphere gas is jetted toward the side surface without any gap. In this case, the gas injected from the gas injection means 32 can more effectively prevent outside air from entering through the gap 16 of the electrode insertion port 22, and can enhance the antioxidant effect of the produced powder. Moreover, the electrode member 14 can be cooled by the gas injected from the gas injection means 32, and it can prevent more effectively that the electrode member 14 expand | swells and becomes difficult to rotate.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the powder manufacturing apparatus 10 may have a sealing mechanism 41 provided along the periphery of the electrode insertion opening 22 with a gap 16 between the electrode manufacturing member 10 and the electrode member 14. Good. At this time, the sealing mechanism 41 includes an annular chamber 42, a pressurizing / depressurizing chamber 43, a pressurizing unit 44, a decompressing unit 45, and a sealing member 46. The annular chamber 42 opens toward the gap 16 and is provided in an annular shape along the rotation direction of the electrode member 14. The pressurizing / depressurizing chamber 43 is connected to the annular chamber 42 on the side opposite to the opening 42 a of the annular chamber 42, and is partitioned from the annular chamber 42 by a partition plate 47. The partition plate 47 has a communication hole 47 a provided so as to penetrate the thickness in order to communicate the annular chamber 42 and the pressurization / decompression chamber 43.

  The pressurizing means 44 is provided so as to supply gas to the pressurizing / depressurizing chamber 43 through the pressurizing valve 44a, and can supply gas to the annular chamber 42 through the communication hole 47a. The decompression means 45 is provided so as to exhaust gas from the pressurization / decompression chamber 43 through the decompression valve 45a, and can exhaust gas from the annular chamber 42 through the communication hole 47a. The sealing member 46 is made of an elastic O-ring, and is disposed inside the annular chamber 42 along the rotation direction of the electrode member 14. The sealing member 46 has a thickness capable of closing the annular chamber 42 in the width direction.

  In this case, the gap 16 can be sealed and opened by the sealing mechanism 41 as follows. First, when the electrode member 14 is stopped, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the pressure reducing valve 45a is closed and the pressure increasing valve 44a is opened, and the pressure applying means 44 causes the annular chamber to pass through the communication hole 47a. Gas is supplied to 42. As a result, the sealing member 46 moves toward the opening 42a of the annular chamber 42, and the annular chamber 42 becomes high pressure. Therefore, the sealing member 46 comes into close contact with the periphery of the electrode member 14, and the electrode member 14 and the annular chamber 42 are in close contact with each other. The gap 16 can be sealed between the two. Next, when the electrode member 14 rotates, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the pressurizing valve 44a is closed and the pressure reducing valve 45a is opened, and the pressure reducing means 45 causes the pressure chamber 45 and the communication hole 47a to leave the annular chamber 42. Exhaust the gas. Thereby, since the annular chamber 42 becomes a vacuum (low pressure), the sealing member 46 moves away from the electrode member 14 toward the inside of the annular chamber 42, and the gap 16 can be opened. The bearing portion 13 does not need to support the electrode member 14 in a sealed state, and may be provided inside or outside the chamber 11 with respect to the sealing mechanism 41. 41 may be incorporated.

  Moreover, the powder manufacturing apparatus 10 may have an opening / closing means provided so that the electrode insertion port 22 can be sealed when the electrode member 14 is removed from the arrangement position of the electrode insertion port 22. At this time, the electrode member 14 is detachably provided from the outside of the chamber 11 with respect to the arrangement position of the electrode insertion port 22, for example. In this case, when the electrode member 14 is removed from the position where the electrode insertion port 22 is disposed, for example, when the electrode member 14 is exchanged, the electrode insertion port 22 is sealed by the opening / closing means, so that the vacuum chamber 11 is filled. It is possible to prevent impurities such as outside air and dust from entering and leakage of atmospheric gas from the inside of the chamber 11.

  In this case, the opening / closing means may have any configuration as long as the electrode insertion port 22 can be sealed. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the opening / closing member has a position where the electrode insertion port 22 is closed and a position where the electrode insertion port 22 is opened around the rotation axis 48 a perpendicular to the side surface of the chamber 11 in the vicinity of the electrode insertion port 22. A lid member 48 provided to be rotatable along the outer side surface or the inner side surface of the chamber 11 may be provided. The opening / closing means rotates inside or outside the chamber 11 around the rotation axis parallel to the side surface of the chamber 11 toward the outside or inside of the chamber 11 to insert the electrode You may have the cover member provided so that the opening | mouth 22 could be opened and closed. The opening / closing member slides along the inner surface or the outer surface of the chamber 11 into the opening on the inner side or the outer side of the chamber 11 of the electrode insertion port 22 so that the electrode insertion port 22 can be opened and closed. You may have a formula lid member.

Metal powder was manufactured by the powder manufacturing method of the embodiment of the present invention using the powder manufacturing apparatus 10 by the plasma rotating electrode method shown in FIG. The atmosphere gas was Ar, Ti ₆ Al ₄ V was used as the electrode member 14, and the rotation speed of the electrode member 14 was 20,000 rpm. Further, the plasma irradiation means 15 performs plasma toward one end portion 14a of the electrode member 14 at a gas flow rate of 35 liters / min or less and a cooling water flow rate of about 25 m ³ / h under the condition of 120 kW output with argon gas. Was irradiated.

  For comparison, metal powder was manufactured using a powder manufacturing apparatus 50 according to the conventional plasma rotating electrode method shown in FIG. The temperature outside the chamber 51 during manufacture was set to 450 K at the maximum, and other conditions were the same as when the powder manufacturing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 was used.

  A scanning electron microscope (SEM) photograph of the powder produced by the powder production apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, and an SEM photograph when the powder is half-polished is shown in FIG. c). As shown to Fig.6 (a) and (b), it was confirmed that the manufactured powder has comprised the spherical shape whose diameter D50 is 60 micrometers-90 micrometers. Moreover, it was 100 ppm when the oxygen content of the manufactured powder was measured. Moreover, as shown in FIG.6 (c), it was also confirmed that the manufactured powder is not hollowed out. On the other hand, the powder manufactured using the conventional powder manufacturing apparatus 50 shown in FIG. 7 was also spherical with a diameter D50 of about 60 μm to 90 μm and an oxygen content of 100 ppm. Thus, it was confirmed that even with the powder production apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to produce a powder having substantially the same quality as that of the conventional powder production apparatus 50 that is produced by sealing the chamber 51.

  Further, when the state of wear and the like after production was observed, the bearing portion 13 of the powder production apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 has a life of about 100 times that of the bearing portion of the conventional powder production apparatus 50 shown in FIG. It was confirmed to extend.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Powder manufacturing apparatus (by plasma rotating electrode method) 11 Chamber 21 Gas supply port 22 Electrode insertion port 23 Recovery part 23a Recovery port 12 Gas supply means 13 Bearing part 14 Electrode member 15 Plasma irradiation means 25 Plasma torch 26 Voltage application part 16 Gap

31 sealing member 32 gas injection means 33 injection part

41 Sealing mechanism 42 Annular chamber 42a Opening 43 Pressurizing / depressurizing chamber 44 Pressurizing means 44a Pressurizing valve 45 Depressurizing means 45a Pressure reducing valve 46 Sealing member 47 Partition plate 47a Communication hole

48 Lid member 48a Rotating shaft

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 Conventional powder manufacturing apparatus (by plasma rotating electrode method) 51 Chamber 51a Gas supply port 51b Gas discharge port 52 Electrode member 53 Plasma irradiation means 54 Gas supply means

Claims (9)

A chamber having a gas supply port and an electrode insertion port;
Gas supply means provided so as to be able to supply atmospheric gas into the chamber from the gas supply port;
Elongated, at least one end is made of metal or alloy, and the one end is disposed inside the chamber through the electrode insertion port, and is provided to rotate around a central axis along the length direction. An electrode member;
Plasma irradiation means provided inside the chamber so as to be able to irradiate plasma toward the one end of the electrode member,
When the atmosphere gas is supplied to the inside of the chamber by the gas supply means while rotating the electrode member, the electrode member has a gap in the electrode insertion port so that the atmosphere gas is discharged from the inside of the chamber. An apparatus for producing powder by a plasma rotating electrode method, characterized by being arranged with a gap in between.   The plasma rotating electrode according to claim 1, further comprising a sealing member configured to seal the gap when the electrode member is stopped and to open the gap when the electrode member rotates. Powder production equipment by the method. Having the sealing member, having the sealing mechanism provided along the periphery of the electrode insertion opening, with the gap between the electrode member,
The sealing mechanism opens toward the gap, and is provided with an annular chamber provided in an annular shape along the rotation direction of the electrode member, pressurizing means for supplying gas to the annular chamber, and the annular chamber from the annular chamber Pressure reducing means for discharging gas, and the sealing member is in a ring shape and is arranged inside the annular chamber along the rotation direction of the electrode member, and when the electrode member is stopped, By supplying the gas to the annular chamber by the pressurizing means, the sealing member moves toward the opening of the annular chamber, and seals the gap between the electrode member and the annular chamber, When the electrode member rotates, the gas is discharged from the annular chamber by the decompression means, so that the sealing member moves toward the inside of the annular chamber and opens the gap. The claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned Powder production equipment using the plasma rotating electrode method.   The said gap is provided in the bearing part which supports rotation of the said electrode member, The powder manufacturing apparatus by the plasma rotating electrode method of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The said electrode member is provided so that it may not contact with the peripheral part of the said electrode insertion port, The powder manufacturing apparatus by the plasma rotating electrode method of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The plasma rotating electrode according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising gas injection means provided so as to be able to inject the same gas as the atmosphere gas so as to cover the gap inside the chamber. Powder production equipment by the method.   The powder manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the gas injection means is capable of injecting the gas toward the electrode member so that the electrode member can be cooled. Having opening and closing means,
The electrode member is detachably provided from the outside of the chamber with respect to the arrangement position of the electrode insertion port,
The said opening / closing means is provided so that the said electrode insertion port can be sealed when the said electrode member is removed from the arrangement | positioning position of the said electrode insertion port. The powder manufacturing device by the plasma rotating electrode method. A method for producing a powder by a plasma rotating electrode method using the powder producing apparatus by a plasma rotating electrode method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
After the atmosphere gas is filled into the chamber, the atmosphere gas is continuously supplied into the chamber by the gas supply means while rotating the electrode member, thereby allowing the inside of the chamber to pass through the gap. The atmospheric gas is continuously discharged from
In this state, the one end of the electrode member is irradiated with plasma by the plasma irradiating means to dissolve the one end, and the melt is dissolved by the centrifugal force of the rotation of the electrode member. A powder production method by a plasma rotating electrode method, wherein metal or alloy powder is produced by blowing away inside a chamber.