JP5635819B2 - Heat treatment method and heat treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  In the present invention, after a heat treatment is performed in a heat treatment furnace that performs a heat treatment in a vacuum state in the furnace, the heat treatment is performed, and then the material is taken out to an adjacent processing chamber for physical or chemical processing. The present invention relates to a heat treatment method to be performed, a heat-treated product subjected to heat treatment by the heat treatment method, the heat treatment based on the heat treatment method, and a heat treatment apparatus for performing the heat treatment.

  Generally, in heat treatment using a vacuum heat treatment furnace, for example, quenching, the inside of the furnace is rapidly cooled, or a high-temperature sample is once taken out from the furnace and transferred to a refrigerant tank to perform heat processing. Yes.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-183236 (Patent Document 1) discloses a conventional in-furnace cooling vacuum heat treatment furnace. In this furnace cooling type vacuum heat treatment furnace, a nitrogen gas refrigerant introduction path is provided in the furnace, and after the heat treatment is completed, air is blown into the furnace by a cooling fan, and nitrogen gas is blown onto the workpiece (workpiece). Cooling.
In the case of the in-furnace cooling type vacuum heat treatment furnace, heat treatment is performed using a gas refrigerant to perform cooling treatment, but rapid cooling treatment such as water quenching cannot be performed. It is difficult to carry out heating and rapid quenching in a single furnace directly into the work piece in terms of work handling and workability.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-268451 (Patent Document 2) discloses a vertical heat treatment apparatus in which a quenching tank is disposed below a heat treatment furnace. In this vertical heat treatment apparatus, a quenching tank is disposed below the heat treatment furnace, the bottom of the heat treatment furnace is opened, and the heated workpiece is immersed in the quenching tank.

  Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-319512 (Patent Document 3) discloses a conventional two-chamber vacuum heat treatment furnace in which a vacuum heating chamber and a cooling chamber are connected in series. In this two-chamber vacuum heat treatment furnace, the work is brought into the cooling chamber, the inside is evacuated, then the intermediate door is opened and the work is transferred into a vacuum heating chamber held in a vacuum. Work is carried out from the room to the outside.

  In the case of the vertical heat treatment apparatus, since the work is suspended by a hanger wire in the furnace and transferred from the bottom of the furnace to the quenching tank, the work transfer mechanism can be simplified. However, since the suspended work is lowered into the processing tank with the inside of the heat treatment furnace open at the time of quenching, the vapor and gas components generated during the quenching process enter the heat treatment furnace directly above, and the work and heat treatment This causes a problem that the inside of the furnace is contaminated with water and impurities. When the inside of the heat treatment furnace is contaminated, cleaning such as cleaning takes time and the heat treatment efficiency is lowered.

Since the two-chamber vacuum heat treatment furnace has a structure in which the vacuum heating chamber and the cooling chamber are separated via an intermediate door, the heat-treated workpiece is carried out to the cooling chamber side and the vacuum is closed after the intermediate door is closed. The heating chamber can be shut off from the outside air. However, since a fork cart that travels along rails laid in the furnace is used as the workpiece transfer means, there is a problem that the configuration of the heat treatment furnace increases due to the installation of transfer equipment such as fork carts and rails. . Along with the increase in size, it is necessary to increase the volume in the furnace excessively, and there is a problem in that the efficiency of use of heating consumption energy decreases.
In particular, in a quenching process that requires rapid cooling, it is preferable to move the workpiece from a high-temperature heating position to a cooling position in a short time (about 1 second), but this movement time depends on the transport speed of the fork cart. With a normal transport mechanism, it has been difficult to achieve high-speed transport in such a short time. For this reason, it takes time until the fork cart is carried out to the cooling chamber side, and outside air enters the vacuum heating chamber opened by opening the intermediate door until it is closed, and impurities or the like adhere to the work or the vacuum heating chamber There was a risk of contamination.

JP-A-10-183236 JP 7-268451 A JP-A-8-319512

  In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a high-speed transfer from the heating position to the next processing position without providing a large-sized transfer facility in the heat treatment furnace. A heat treatment method capable of performing high-quality heat treatment without causing adhesion or contamination of impurities, moisture, etc., a heat treatment processed by the heat treatment method, and a heat treatment that performs heat treatment based on the heat treatment method It is to provide a processing apparatus.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, after a heat treatment is performed in a heat treatment furnace that performs heat treatment in a vacuum state in the furnace, the heat treatment is performed, and then the material is taken out to an adjacent processing chamber for physical or chemical treatment. In the heat treatment method for performing general processing, the heat treatment furnace has a communication portion communicating with the processing chamber, and an open / close door is disposed between a carry-out port of the communication portion and an opening of the processing chamber, In the heat treatment method, the object to be heated after the heat treatment is discharged and carried out to the processing chamber through the communication portion while the opening / closing door is instantaneously opened and closed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment method according to the first aspect, wherein the heat treatment furnace is subjected to a high-temperature and high-vacuum heat treatment in a high-temperature state of at least 1000 ° C. and a high vacuum state of 1 × 10 ⁻³ Pa or less. It is.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, in the state where the opening of the processing chamber is closed by the open / close door, the processing chamber is at least a predetermined vacuum lower than the vacuum degree of the heat treatment furnace. This is a heat treatment method that exhausts the gas every time and performs the processing.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second, or third aspect, the outlet of the communication portion is disposed above the opening of the processing chamber, and the object to be heated is placed in the heat treatment furnace. A high-speed unloading mechanism for discharging and unloading from the heating position toward the communicating portion is provided, and the unloading operation time by the high-speed unloading mechanism is performed in 1 to 0.05 seconds, and the object to be heated is passed through the communicating portion. It is a heat treatment method of dropping into the processing chamber from the carry-out port.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the communication unit is provided with detection means for detecting the heated object to be carried out by the high-speed carrying-out mechanism, It is a heat treatment processing method that instantaneously opens and closes the opening and closing door on condition that release is detected.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, a quenching tub is disposed in the processing chamber, and a heat-treated object subjected to high temperature treatment by the heat treatment is placed in the quenching tub through the communication portion. This is a heat treatment method in which a quenching process is performed.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is a heat treated product having material properties obtained by performing the heat treatment and the processing by the heat treatment processing method according to any one of the first to fifth embodiments.

  The eighth embodiment of the present invention includes a heat treatment furnace for performing a heat treatment in a vacuum state in the furnace, and after the heat treatment is performed in the heat treatment furnace by installing a heat treatment object, In the heat treatment apparatus for carrying out physical or chemical processing by unloading, the heat treatment furnace has a communication part communicating with the processing chamber, and an object to be heated is directed from the heating position in the heat treatment furnace to the communication part. A high-speed unloading mechanism for discharging and unloading, and an open / close door between the unloading port of the communication portion and the opening of the processing chamber, and the object to be heated after the heat treatment is performed, It is a heat treatment processing apparatus that performs high speed carry-out by the high-speed carry-out mechanism while discharging and carrying out the high-speed carry-out mechanism to the processing chamber through the communicating portion while the door is opened and closed instantaneously.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is the heat treatment apparatus according to the eighth aspect, wherein the heat treatment furnace performs a high-temperature high-vacuum heat treatment by setting the heat treatment furnace at a high temperature state of at least 1000 ° C. or higher and a high vacuum state of 1 × 10 ⁻³ Pa or less. It is.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth or ninth aspect, in the state where the opening of the processing chamber is closed by the open / close door, the processing chamber is at least a predetermined degree lower than the vacuum degree of the heat treatment furnace. It is a heat treatment processing apparatus having a vacuum exhaust apparatus that exhausts to a degree of vacuum.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the eighth, ninth or tenth aspect, the unloading port of the communication portion is disposed above the opening of the processing chamber, and the unloading operation time by the high-speed unloading mechanism is increased. It is a heat treatment processing apparatus that performs the treatment in 1 to 0.05 seconds and drops the object to be heated into the processing chamber from the carry-out port.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the eighth to eleventh aspects, the communication unit is provided with a detection unit that detects the object to be heated released by the high-speed carry-out mechanism, It is a heat treatment processing apparatus that instantaneously opens and closes the opening / closing door on condition that release is detected.

  In a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the eighth to twelfth aspects, a quenching tub is disposed in the processing chamber, and a heat-treated object subjected to high temperature treatment by the heat treatment is charged into the quenching tub, It is a heat treatment processing apparatus that performs quenching.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the eighth to thirteenth aspects, the high-speed carry-out mechanism includes a delivery member that feeds an object to be heated toward the communication portion, and a piston that reciprocates the delivery member. It is the heat processing apparatus which consists of a mechanism.

  A fifteenth aspect of the present invention is the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the eighth to fourteenth aspects, wherein the heat treatment furnace includes a high-frequency induction heating electric heating apparatus that heats the inside of the furnace by electromagnetic induction heating.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment method using the heat treatment furnace, the heat treatment furnace has a communication portion that communicates with the processing chamber, and an outlet of the communication portion and an opening of the processing chamber are provided. An opening / closing door is provided between the mouths, and the object to be heated after the heat treatment is discharged to the processing chamber through the communicating portion while the opening / closing door is instantaneously opened and closed, and then processed. As a result, it is possible to transfer a high-speed workpiece from a vacuum heating position to the next processing position using a simple workpiece discharge mechanism without providing a large-sized transfer facility in the heat treatment furnace, High quality heat treatment can be performed without causing contamination of the heat treatment furnace such as impurities and moisture and adhesion to the workpiece itself due to unloading, and the heat treatment efficiency can be improved.

According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the workpiece that has been subjected to the high-temperature high-vacuum heat treatment in a high-temperature state of at least 1000 ° C. or higher and a high vacuum state of 1 × 10 ⁻³ Pa or less is quickly processed. High quality heat treatment can be performed by discharging into and out of the room without causing contamination of the heat treatment furnace such as impurities and moisture and adhesion to the workpiece itself.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, in a state where the opening of the processing chamber is closed by the open / close door, the processing chamber is exhausted to at least a predetermined vacuum level lower than the vacuum level of the heat treatment furnace. Since the processing is performed, the difference in the vacuum degree between the heat treatment furnace and the processing chamber is reduced compared with the case where the processing chamber is in a normal pressure state, and the opening / closing door is instantaneously opened and closed when the workpiece is discharged. Suppresses the backflow of the gas flow from the processing chamber and reduces impurities and unnecessary gas components in the processing chamber from the normal pressure state, thereby causing contamination in the heat treatment furnace due to impurities and moisture, and adhesion to the workpiece. Can be reliably eliminated, and higher-quality heat treatment can be performed.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the carry-out port of the communication part is disposed above the opening of the processing chamber, and the object to be heated is directed from the heating position in the heat treatment furnace to the communication part. A high-speed unloading mechanism for discharging and unloading is provided, the unloading operation time by the high-speed unloading mechanism is performed in 1 to 0.05 seconds, and the object to be heated is dropped into the processing chamber from the unloading port through the communicating portion. Therefore, the period during which the inside of the heat treatment furnace is opened can be set to 1 second or less, the back flow of the gas flow from the processing chamber is suppressed, and the inside of the heat treatment furnace due to impurities, moisture, etc. in the processing chamber can be suppressed. High quality heat treatment can be realized by reliably eliminating the occurrence of contamination and adhesion to the workpiece.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the opening / closing door is instantaneously opened / closed on the condition that the detection means provided in the communication portion detects the discharge of the object to be heated, the heat treatment furnace The period during which the inside is opened can be minimized, the backflow of the gas flow from the processing chamber is suppressed, and contamination of the heat treatment furnace due to impurities, moisture, etc. in the processing chamber and adhesion to the workpiece are prevented. It is possible to achieve high-quality heat treatment without any occurrence.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a quenching tub is disposed in the processing chamber, and a material to be heated that has been subjected to a high temperature treatment by the heat treatment is put into the quenching tub through the communication portion to perform a quenching process. At the time of charging into the quenching tub, the opening and closing door is closed, and the heat treatment furnace can be quenched while the heat treatment furnace is closed. Steam and gas components generated during the quenching process are generated in the heat treatment furnace. High quality vacuum quenching can be performed without penetrating inside or adhering to the workpiece.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, by performing the heat treatment and the processing treatment by the heat treatment method according to any one of the first to fifth embodiments, good quality material characteristics that eliminate the influence of impurities and the like are obtained. It is possible to obtain the heat-treated product provided.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in a heat treatment apparatus equipped with a heat treatment furnace for performing vacuum heat treatment, the object to be heated after the heat treatment is performed while the door is opened and closed instantaneously. Since the high-speed carrying-out mechanism carries out the high-speed carrying-out mechanism and discharges and carries it out to the processing chamber through the communicating portion to carry out the processing, it is possible to carry out the processing from the vacuum heating position by the discharge carrying without providing a large carrying facility in the heat treatment furnace. It can be transferred to the next processing position at high speed, and it can perform high-quality heat treatment without contamination of the heat treatment furnace such as impurities and moisture caused by unloading of the heated work and adhesion to the work itself. A heat treatment apparatus capable of improving the efficiency can be realized.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the workpiece that has been subjected to the high-temperature high-vacuum heat treatment in a high-temperature state of at least 1000 ° C. or higher and a high-vacuum state of 1 × 10 ⁻³ Pa or less is quickly obtained. A heat treatment apparatus capable of performing high-quality heat treatment without being contaminated in the heat treatment furnace or adhering to the workpiece itself by being discharged and carried out into the processing chamber can be realized.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, in the state where the opening of the processing chamber is closed by the open / close door, the vacuum exhaust device is at least a predetermined vacuum level lower than the vacuum level of the heat treatment furnace in the processing chamber. Since the processing is performed by exhausting the air, the opening and closing of the workpiece is released by reducing the difference in the degree of vacuum between the heat treatment furnace and the processing chamber as compared with the case where the processing chamber is in a normal pressure state. When the door is opened and closed instantaneously, the backflow of the gas flow from the processing chamber is suppressed, and impurities and unnecessary gas components in the processing chamber are reduced from the normal pressure state. It is possible to realize the heat treatment apparatus capable of reliably eliminating the occurrence of adhesion to the substrate and performing higher quality heat treatment.

  According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the unloading port of the communicating portion is disposed above the opening of the processing chamber, and the unloading operation time by the high-speed unloading mechanism is 1 to 0.05 seconds. Since the object to be heated is dropped into the processing chamber from the carry-out port, the period during which the heat treatment furnace is opened can be reduced to 1 second or less, and the backflow of the gas flow from the processing chamber is suppressed. Thus, it is possible to realize a heat treatment apparatus capable of performing high-quality heat treatment without reliably causing contamination in the heat treatment furnace or adhesion to the workpiece due to impurities, moisture, or the like in the processing chamber.

  According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, since the opening and closing door is instantaneously opened and closed on the condition that the detection means provided in the communication portion detects the discharge of the object to be heated, the heat treatment furnace The period during which the inside is opened can be minimized, the backflow of the gas flow from the processing chamber is suppressed, and contamination of the heat treatment furnace due to impurities, moisture, etc. in the processing chamber and adhesion to the workpiece are prevented. It is possible to realize a heat treatment apparatus capable of performing high-quality heat treatment without causing generation.

  According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, a quenching tub is disposed in the processing chamber, and a material to be heated that has been subjected to a high temperature treatment by the heat treatment is put into the quenching tub through the communicating portion to perform a quenching process. At the time of charging into the quenching tub, the opening and closing door is closed, and the heat treatment furnace can be quenched while the heat treatment furnace is closed. Steam and gas components generated during the quenching process are generated in the heat treatment furnace. It is possible to realize a quenching heat treatment apparatus that can perform high-quality vacuum quenching without intruding into the workpiece or adhering to the workpiece.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the high-speed carry-out mechanism includes a feed member that feeds the object to be heated toward the communication portion and a piston mechanism that reciprocates the feed member. By the reciprocating piston drive of the delivery member by means of the above, the object to be heated is sent out toward the communicating part and the discharge can be performed quickly, and the heat treatment processing apparatus can be simplified without providing a large work transfer mechanism in the heat treatment furnace. Can be achieved.

  According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, since the inside of the heat treatment furnace is heated by the high-frequency induction heating electric heating apparatus, the heat treatment time is shortened and the heat to the workpiece material is increased by increasing the heating rate by high-frequency induction heating. A heat treatment apparatus capable of reducing the load and performing high-quality heat treatment can be realized.

It is a schematic block diagram of the vacuum hardening processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the control part of the said vacuum hardening processing apparatus. It is a flowchart of the vacuum automatic control and high temperature heating control which are performed in the vacuum hardening process by the said control part. It is a flowchart of the process control in the said hardening process. It is a figure for demonstrating the workpiece | work transfer process in the said quenching processing apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the modification of the connection part which concerns on this invention.

Hereinafter, a vacuum quenching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vacuum quenching processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.
The vacuum quenching apparatus includes a vacuum heat treatment furnace 1, a communication portion 2 disposed on one end side of the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1, and a quenching processing chamber 3 disposed below the communication portion 2. The vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 is a horizontal electric furnace, and a high frequency induction heating coil 4 of a high frequency induction heating electric heating device is wound around an outer peripheral surface. An evacuation unit 6 is provided at the end of the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 on the side opposite to the communication unit 2 via a connecting unit 5. An exhaust pipe 7 is connected to the vacuum exhaust section 6, and a turbo molecular pump (hereinafter referred to as TMP) 9 of a vacuum pump and a rotary pump of an auxiliary pump are connected to a suction side of the exhaust pipe 7 through a pressure control valve 8. (Hereinafter referred to as RP) 10 is connected. A communication pipe 28 communicating with the processing chamber 3 via an opening / closing valve 27 is connected to the connection pipe line between the TMP 9 and the RP 10. An opening / closing door 25 is installed at a connecting portion 23 between the carry-out port below the communication portion 2 and the opening at the top of the processing chamber 3. RP26 which exhausts the processing chamber 3 in the state obstruct | occluded by the opening / closing door 25 is provided. The open / close lid 25 is composed of a gate valve that is driven to open and close at high speed by the gate drive unit 24 under pulse control. In FIG. 1, RP10 and RP26 are denoted by P1 and P2, respectively.

  The communication portion 2 has a substantially T-shape that forms a workpiece discharge space, and communicates with the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 through a connecting portion 18 at one upper end. Further, a work carry-in port 19 for carrying the work 36 is provided on the other end side of the upper part of the communication part 2. The work carry-in port 19 has a shutter structure that can be freely opened and closed, and is closed during the vacuum heating process. The communication part 2 is provided with a pressure detection sensor 29 that measures the vacuum pressure of the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 and the communication part 2. Further, the communication portion 2 is provided with a pressure gauge 30a for visually checking the vacuum pressure. The lower part of the communication part 2 is open, and the opening forms a work exit for the workpiece, and a pair of light projecting / receiving sensors (light projecting part 21 and light receiving part 22) are disposed in the vicinity of the exit of the work exit. Yes.

  A quenching water tank 31 containing cooling water 32 is installed inside the processing chamber 3, and a quenching zone is formed with the open / close door 25 closed. Connected to the processing chamber 3 is a pipe provided with a pressure gauge 30b for visually checking the vacuum pressure in the room, and the pipe communicates with the outside air via an opening / closing valve 30c. A purging gas such as nitrogen can be introduced into the processing chamber 3 through the pipe by opening the opening / closing valve 30c. An opening / closing lid 33 is provided at the bottom of the processing chamber 3, and the quenching water tank 31 can be taken in and out by opening as shown by a broken line.

  In a substantially central part of the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1, a work installation table 15 for installing and setting the work 16 is installed. In addition, a temperature sensor 17 for detecting the internal temperature is installed at a substantially central portion. On the side of the vacuum exhaust unit 6, a piston mechanism for discharging and carrying out the workpiece set on the workpiece installation table 15 toward the communication unit 2 is disposed. The piston mechanism includes a piston rod 12 that reciprocates horizontally along the central axis of the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1, and a piston drive device 11 for the piston rod 12. By the reciprocating drive of the piston drive device 11, the tip end portion 13 of the piston rod 12 reciprocates as one reciprocating stroke from the vicinity of the connecting portion 5 to the heating position of the workpiece setting table 15. By the reciprocating movement of the piston rod 12, the workpiece 16 of the workpiece setting table 15 receives a horizontal pushing force by the contact of the tip portion 13, and is discharged from the furnace and jumped out as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. Then, it draws a trajectory of a parabola and falls to the communication part 2 and the processing chamber 3 side. A seal portion 14 for preventing vacuum leakage is provided on the rod introducing side of the vacuum exhaust portion 6. The seal portion 14 is composed of an O-ring seal member provided at a moving position of the piston rod 12 and a magnetic fluid shield mechanism (not shown) for shutting off the high vacuum of the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 and the outside air (atmospheric pressure). The piston driving device 11 is provided with optical detection sensors 34 and 35 for detecting the reciprocating stroke of the piston rod 12, and the hydraulic control unit 20 for the piston rod 12 is incorporated.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the control unit of the vacuum quenching apparatus according to the present embodiment.
The control unit of the vacuum quenching processing apparatus is configured by a computer 40 including a CPU 41, a ROM 42 storing various control programs, and a RAM 43 which is a work memory for control data. The ROM 42 stores an automatic vacuum control program, a vacuum heating temperature control program, a workpiece transfer control program, and the like of the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 that are executed under the control of the CPU 41. The vacuum quenching process in the vacuum quenching apparatus according to the present embodiment is executed by executing a vacuum automatic control program, a vacuum heating temperature control program, and a workpiece transfer control program.

  As input signals to the computer 40 of the control unit, the temperature detection signal B1 of the temperature sensor 17, the light reception detection signal B2 of the light receiving unit 22, the detection signals B3 and B4 of the optical detection sensors 34 and 35, and the pressure detection of the pressure detection sensor 29 are detected. Signal B5 is input via an interface circuit (not shown).

  The high-frequency induction heating electric heating device includes a high-frequency current control device 45 that generates an alternating current supplied to the high-frequency induction heating coil 4. The high-frequency current control device 45 can generate an alternating current with a high frequency of about 100 kHz and perform high-temperature heating at 1000 ° C. to 2000 ° C. by the SCR control method. Drive control of the high-frequency current control device 45 is performed by a microcontroller (PIC) 44. The PIC 44 is a control IC composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like, and performs current drive control of the high-frequency current control device 45. From the computer 40, a control signal for temperature control is output to the PIC 44 in accordance with a vacuum heating temperature control program. In accordance with this control signal, a variable current instruction signal is provided from the PIC 44 to the high-frequency current control device 45, and based on this, the high-frequency current control device 45 outputs a required alternating current A 1 to the high-frequency induction heating coil 4.

  As an external output of the computer 40, a drive instruction signal is output to the drive driver piston driver circuit 46 of the piston drive device 11 by executing the workpiece transfer control program. The piston driver circuit 46 receives the drive instruction signal and performs hydraulic control. A piston reciprocating operation signal A2 is sent to the unit 20. The piston drive device 11 has a delivery capability in which the moving speed of the tip 13 of the piston rod 12 is 0.1 to 0.5 seconds in the forward direction. When the work transfer control program is executed, the gate valve opening / closing signal A4 is output from the computer 40 to the gate drive unit 24. Further, the computer 40 outputs an open / close control signal A3 to the pressure control valve 8 by executing the vacuum automatic control program.

  Further, a start switch 49 for instructing the operation of the vacuum quenching processing apparatus is connected to the computer 40, and a start instruction signal when the start switch 49 is pressed is input. Further, the computer 40 has a vacuum switch 50 for inputting a vacuum processing start instruction signal for starting the vacuum processing, a heater switch 51 for instructing the manual mode when the heating processing is executed manually, and various programs. A setting switch 52 consisting of a key group used for setting is connected. The computer 40 is connected with a display 47 for notifying the operation status such as the vacuum control state and the heating control state, and also connected with a buzzer 48 for generating an alarm sound when a device abnormality, a program abnormality or the like occurs. Yes.

The vacuum quenching process in the vacuum quenching apparatus having the above configuration will be described below.
FIG. 3 shows the vacuum automatic control and high-temperature heating control processes executed in the vacuum quenching process.
As a pre-stage process of the vacuum quenching process, the work 16 is loaded from the work carry-in port 19 and placed on the work setting table 15 and set. Moreover, the quenching water tank 31 is set in the processing chamber 3 which is closed from the communication portion 2 by closing the open / close door 25, and the processing chamber 3 is evacuated in advance. This is because by setting the inside of the processing chamber 3 to a low vacuum, the amount of gas components in the processing chamber 3 entering the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 when the open / close door 25 is opened and closed instantaneously is minimized. If the inside of the processing chamber 3 is kept at a low vacuum, gas components do not adhere when the workpiece is quenched, and high-quality vacuum quenching is possible. The vacuum in the processing chamber 3 is reduced by starting the RP 26 and RP 10. The degree of vacuum in the processing chamber 3 is maintained at about 1 Pa, for example.

  After performing the pre-stage process, the vacuum heating process is started by pressing the start switch 49 (step S1). If the vacuum heating conditions have been set, the vacuum processing is started by pressing the vacuum switch 50 (steps S3 and S4). When the vacuum heating condition is not set, the setting switch 52 is used to set the degree of vacuum and the heating temperature curve (steps S2 and S3).

The vacuum processing is performed by starting the TMP 9 and the RP 10 and evacuation is continued until the set vacuum degree is reached. The maintenance and maintenance of the set vacuum level is performed by remotely controlling the opening and closing of the pressure control valve 8. By using TMP9, a high vacuum of about 10 ⁻³ to 10 ⁻⁵ Pa can be formed. As an example of high-vacuum high-temperature quenching, when a CNT-dispersed TiNi shape memory alloy is quenched for use in an advanced medical guide wire, a high vacuum state (10 ⁻⁴ Pa) and a high temperature state (1100 ° C. to 1300 ° C.) ). When it is confirmed from the pressure detection signal B5 of the pressure detection sensor 29 that the set vacuum degree has been reached, the heating process is started (steps S4 and S5).

  The heat treatment is performed by energizing the high frequency induction heating coil 4 by the high frequency current control device 45 (step S6). The energization control of the high-frequency induction heating coil 4 at this time is executed so that the temperature rise, the maximum temperature maintenance, the temperature fall, etc. proceed in time series along the set heating temperature curve. In the example of the CNT-dispersed TiNi shape memory alloy workpiece, a high vacuum and high temperature state is maintained for about 1 to 2 hours. The in-furnace temperature management of the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 is performed by receiving the temperature detection signal B1 of the temperature detection sensor 17. When the high vacuum high temperature heat treatment along the set heating temperature curve is finished, the end of the vacuum heat treatment is notified to the display 47 (step S7). In this embodiment, only the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 is subject to automatic vacuum control, but the low vacuum in the processing chamber 3 may also be subject to automatic control.

FIG. 4 shows processing control in the quenching process.
The workpiece 16 that has been subjected to the vacuum heat treatment is put into the quenching water tank 31 of the processing chamber 3 through the connecting portion 2 and subjected to the quenching processing. When the vacuum heating process of FIG. 3 is completed, a piston reciprocation operation signal A2 is output to the hydraulic control unit 20 of the piston drive device 11 (steps S10 and S11). The tip portion 13 of the piston rod 12 collides with the workpiece 16, and the workpiece 16 is released to the connecting portion 2 side and falls toward the machining chamber 3 while drawing a parabola.

FIG. 5 is a diagram specifically illustrating the transfer process of the workpiece 16.
As shown in (5A) of FIG. 5, when the workpiece 16 that falls in a parabola reaches the detection area of the light projecting / receiving sensor (the light projecting unit 21 and the light receiving unit 22), an instantaneous opening / closing process of the door 25 is executed. (Step S12). If the light receiving output from the light receiving unit 22 does not occur even after a certain time (for example, 5 seconds) has elapsed after the piston driving device 11 is driven, an error is notified to the display 47 as the occurrence of the workpiece discharge abnormality, The buzzer 49 is operated to output a warning alarm (steps S16 and S17).

  When the workpiece 16 reaches the detection area of the light projecting / receiving sensor (light projecting unit 21 and light receiving unit 22) and the light receiving detection signal B2 of the light receiving unit 22 is output, the gate valve opening / closing signal A4 is output to the gate driving unit 24. Then, as shown in FIG. 5 (5B), the door 25 is opened and closed instantaneously (steps S12 and S13). Due to the high-speed feeding operation of the piston rod 12 by the piston driving device 11, the time required from when the workpiece 16 is released until the machining chamber 3 is closed, that is, the unloading operation time can be performed in 1 to 0.05 seconds. . After a predetermined time has elapsed since the instant opening and closing of the open / close door 25 has ended, an end notification is given that the high-vacuum and high-temperature quenching process has been completed (steps S14 and S15).

  According to the vacuum quenching apparatus according to the present embodiment, the work after the high vacuum high temperature heat treatment in the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 is discharged into the processing chamber 3 through the communication portion 2 while the door 25 is opened and closed instantaneously. Since it is carried out and processed, it can be transferred at high speed from the vacuum heating position to the next quenching position by a simple piston mechanism without providing a large-sized transfer facility in the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1. Therefore, high-quality high-vacuum high-temperature quenching can be performed without causing contamination in the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 such as impurities and moisture and adhesion to the work itself due to carrying out the heated work. In particular, the inside of the processing chamber 3 is also evacuated in advance, so that sintering can be performed with almost no unnecessary elements adhering to the workpiece. For example, in the case of a CNT-dispersed TiNi shape memory alloy, the amount of oxygen increase during quenching can be made 0.1 wt% or less.

In the present embodiment, the communication portion 2 that forms a substantially T-shaped workpiece discharge space is provided, and the discharged workpiece is naturally dropped and put into the processing chamber 3 below. However, the communication portion 2 has this shape. Not limited to this, a space formed by extending the furnace end portion of the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 may be used as the communication portion.
FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a modified example of the connecting portion according to the present invention, and shows a configuration in which a space having a shape obtained by extending the furnace end portion of the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 is used as the communication portion 52. In FIG. 6, the same members as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.
In this modified example, the connecting portion 52 and the processing chamber 55 are arranged substantially in parallel with the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1, and a light projecting / receiving sensor 54 for detecting a discharge work is disposed in the vicinity of the processing chamber 55 of the connecting portion 52. An open / close door 53 that opens and closes in the vertical direction is disposed between the connecting portion 52 and the processing chamber 55. An opening / closing door 56 is provided on one side wall of the processing chamber 55, and workpieces can be introduced and the quenching water tank 31 can be taken in and out. The work is installed in the furnace by opening the door 56. According to this modification, the connecting portion 52 and the processing chamber 55 can be arranged in parallel with the vacuum heat treatment furnace 1 so that the connecting portion 52 can be formed in a compact manner, thereby reducing the vacuum exhaust space and reducing the discharge distance and time. Can be achieved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and includes various modifications and design changes within the technical scope without departing from the technical idea of the present invention. Needless to say.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heat treatment apparatus suitable for heat treatment such as vacuum high-temperature quenching, which can perform high-quality heat treatment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum heat treatment furnace 2 Communication part 3 Processing chamber 4 High frequency induction heating coil 5 Connection part 6 Vacuum exhaust part 7 Exhaust pipe 8 Pressure control valve 9 Turbo molecular pump 10 Rotary pump 11 Piston drive device 12 Piston rod 13 Tip part 14 Seal part 15 Workpiece installation table 16 Workpiece 17 Temperature sensor 18 Connecting portion 19 Workpiece inlet 20 Hydraulic control portion 21 Light emitting portion 22 Light receiving portion 23 Connecting portion 24 Gate drive portion 25 Opening and closing door 26 Rotary pump 27 Opening and closing valve 28 Communication pipe 29 Pressure detection sensor 30a Pressure gauge 30b Pressure gauge 30c Open / close valve 31 Quenching water tank 32 Water 33 Open / close lid 34 Optical detection sensor 35 Optical detection sensor 36 Work 40 Computer 41 CPU
42 ROM
43 RAM
44 PIC
45 High Frequency Current Control Device 46 Piston Driver Circuit 47 Display 48 Buzzer 49 Start Switch 50 Heater Switch 51 Setting Switch 52 Connection Port 53 Open / Close Door 54 Light Emitting / Reception Sensor 55 Processing Chamber 56 Open / Close Door A1 AC Current A2 Piston Reciprocating Operation Signal A3 Open / Close Control Signal A4 Gate valve opening / closing signal B1 Temperature detection signal B2 Light reception detection signal B3 Detection signal B4 Detection signal B5 Pressure detection signal

Claims (10)

A heat treatment processing method in which a heat treatment furnace is installed in a heat treatment furnace in a vacuum state and heat treatment is performed and then heat treatment is performed, and then a physical or chemical processing treatment is carried out to an adjacent processing chamber. The heat treatment furnace has a communication portion communicating with the processing chamber, and an open / close door is disposed between the outlet of the communication portion and the opening of the processing chamber, and the heat treatment furnace is subjected to the heat treatment. During the moment when the door is opened and closed instantaneously, the heat treatment material is discharged into the processing chamber through the communication portion and carried out to perform the processing. The processing is quenching, and the object to be heated is placed in the heat treatment furnace. A high-speed unloading mechanism for discharging and unloading from the heating position toward the communicating portion, and a detecting means for detecting the object to be heated unloaded by the high-speed unloading mechanism is provided in the communicating portion, and the heated processing Subject to the detection of the release of Heat treatment method and performing instantaneous closing of the closing. 2. The heat treatment method according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment furnace is subjected to a high temperature and high vacuum heat treatment in a high temperature state of at least 1000 ° C. and a high vacuum state of 1 × 10 ⁻³ Pa or less. 3. The processing according to claim 1, wherein the processing is performed by evacuating the processing chamber to a predetermined vacuum level lower than a vacuum level of the heat treatment furnace in a state where the opening of the processing chamber is closed by the opening / closing door. Heat treatment method. The heat treatment processing according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a quenching tub is disposed in the processing chamber, and a to-be-heated material subjected to a high temperature treatment by the heat treatment is put into the quenching tub through the communication portion to perform a quenching process. Method. A heat treatment furnace for performing heat treatment in a vacuum state in the furnace is provided, and after the heat treatment is performed in the heat treatment furnace by placing an object to be heated, the heat treatment furnace is taken out to an adjacent processing chamber to be physically or chemically treated. In the heat treatment processing apparatus for performing the processing, the heat treatment furnace has a communication part communicating with the processing chamber, and a high-speed carry-out for discharging and carrying out the object to be heated from the heating position in the heat treatment furnace toward the communication part. A mechanism, and an opening / closing door between the unloading port of the communication portion and the opening of the processing chamber, and the object to be heated after the heat treatment is performed while the opening / closing door is opened / closed instantaneously. High-speed carrying out by a high-speed carrying-out mechanism, discharging to the processing chamber through the communicating part, carrying out the processing by carrying out the processing, the working process is quenching, and the heated part discharged by the high-speed carrying-out mechanism to the communicating part A detection means to detect the processed material is installed. Heat treatment processing apparatus and performs an instantaneous opening and closing of the door on condition that it has detected the release of the object to be heated treated. The heat treatment processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the heat treatment furnace is subjected to a high temperature and high vacuum heat treatment in a high temperature state of at least 1000 ° C. or higher and a high vacuum state of 1 × 10 ⁻³ Pa or less. 7. The vacuum exhaust device according to claim 5, further comprising a vacuum exhaust device that exhausts the processing chamber to a predetermined vacuum level lower than a vacuum level of the heat treatment furnace in a state where the opening of the processing chamber is closed by the opening / closing door. Heat treatment processing equipment. The heat processing apparatus in any one of Claims 5-7 which arrange | position a quenching bathtub in the said process chamber, throw in into the said quenching bathtub the to-be-heated material processed at the high temperature by the said heat processing, and perform a quenching process. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8 , wherein the high-speed carry-out mechanism includes a feed member that feeds an object to be heated toward the communication portion, and a piston mechanism that reciprocates the feed member. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 9 , wherein the heat treatment furnace includes a high-frequency induction heating electric heating apparatus that heats the inside of the furnace by electromagnetic induction heating.

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