Rotary growth apparatus

Abstract

The application relates to a rotary growth device, in use, material is placed in a container, a first heating mechanism heats the container, so that the material in the container is melted. Then, a first lifting mechanism drives a connecting shaft to move along the length direction of a growth tube and enter the container. After the connecting shaft contacts the molten material in the container, the first lifting mechanism drives the connecting shaft to move upwards and rotates the connecting shaft, the rotating connecting shaft can facilitate the molten material to gradually leave the container and enter the inside of the growth tube, and the molten material is not prone to breaking defects in the process of being pulled by the rotating connecting shaft. In addition, when the rotating material moves along the length direction of the growth tube, the material can be prevented from being adhered to the inner wall of the growth tube, so that the material can more easily enter the inside of the growth tube. After the molten material leaving the container is cooled, the required product can be obtained. Thus, the product production can meet various and small requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of material processing technology, and in particular to a rotary growth device. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of glass, people have placed higher demands on its functions and performance, leading to the emergence of specialty glass in daily life. Specialty glass refers to glass with special components added to its interior according to actual needs, thereby achieving unique functions or fulfilling certain performance requirements. Examples include glass with properties such as light transmission, heat insulation, sound insulation, wear resistance, and resistance to climate change; some also possess characteristics such as heat preservation, heat absorption, and radiation protection. Taking microcrystalline glass as an example, its manufacturing process can be further divided into rolling, pressing, float glass, and casting methods.

[0003] In the float glass process, the formation of microcrystalline glass is completed in a tin bath purged with a protective gas. Specifically, sodium salts, calcium salts, and other glass materials are melted and then fed into the tin bath. The molten glass flows continuously from the furnace and floats on the surface of the relatively dense molten tin. Under the influence of gravity and surface tension, the molten glass spreads, flattens, and forms a smooth surface on the tin. After hardening and cooling, it is guided onto a transition roller table. The rollers on the table rotate, pulling the glass strip out of the tin bath and into an annealing furnace. After annealing and cutting, the glass product is obtained.

[0004] However, the glass technology involved in this process requires a large investment and consumes a lot of energy. Once the production line is started, stopping it will result in huge losses. It also cannot switch formulas or produce intermittently, so it cannot meet the production needs of various types of specialty glass in small quantities. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies and provide a rotary growth device that can meet the needs of producing a variety of special glasses in small quantities.

[0006] A rotary growth apparatus, the rotary growth apparatus comprising:

[0007] The main furnace chamber is equipped with a container and a first heating mechanism. The container is used to hold the material to be processed, and the first heating mechanism is used to heat the container so that the material inside the container melts.

[0008] A growth tube, the growth tube being located above the main furnace chamber; and

[0009] A first lifting mechanism, the first lifting mechanism comprising a connecting shaft, the connecting shaft movably penetrating the interior of the growth tube, the first lifting mechanism being capable of driving the connecting shaft to move along the length direction of the growth tube within the growth tube, so that the connecting shaft penetrates into the interior of the main furnace chamber from the top of the main furnace chamber and contacts the material inside the container, and the connecting shaft is capable of being driven to return from the main furnace chamber to the interior of the growth tube, the first lifting mechanism being further capable of driving the connecting shaft to rotate around the central axis thereof.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, the growth tube is arranged to be inclined relative to the horizontal plane.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, the growth tube is arranged to be inclined relative to the horizontal plane by an angle a, where 0 < a ≤ 80°.

[0012] In one of the embodiments, the connecting shaft is a telescopic shaft, and the first lifting mechanism is capable of lengthening or shortening the connecting shaft; or, the connecting shaft is a non-telescopic shaft, and the first lifting mechanism is capable of adjusting the position of the connecting shaft along the length direction of the growth tube.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, the growth device further comprises a first cooling mechanism, the first cooling mechanism being arranged outside the main furnace chamber, and the first cooling mechanism being used for cooling the growth tube extending outside the main furnace chamber.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, the growth device further comprises a second heating mechanism, the second heating mechanism being arranged outside the main furnace chamber, and the second heating mechanism being used for heating the growth tube.

[0015] In one of the embodiments, the rotary growth device further comprises a secondary furnace chamber, the secondary furnace chamber being openably connected to the top of the main furnace chamber; the first lifting mechanism is arranged on the secondary furnace chamber, and the growth tube is arranged inside the secondary furnace chamber.

[0016] In one of the embodiments, the growth tube is rotatably arranged on the secondary furnace chamber; the rotary growth device further comprises a rotating mechanism, the rotating mechanism being arranged on the secondary furnace chamber, the rotating mechanism being connected to the growth tube, and the rotating mechanism being used for driving the growth tube to rotate.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, the rotary growth device further comprises a second lifting mechanism, the second lifting mechanism being arranged on the secondary furnace chamber, the second lifting mechanism being connected to the growth tube, and the second lifting mechanism being used for driving the growth tube to move up and down, so that the growth tube is capable of penetrating into the interior of the main furnace chamber from the top of the main furnace chamber, and the growth tube is capable of returning from the main furnace chamber to the interior of the secondary furnace chamber.

[0018] In one of the embodiments, the rotary growth device further comprises a shearing mechanism, which is capable of shearing the material at the bottom end of the growth tube.

[0019] In one of the embodiments, the rotary growth device further comprises a gripper movably arranged inside the growth tube, the gripper is connected with the connecting shaft, the connecting shaft is capable of driving the gripper to move along the length direction of the growth tube and rotate inside the growth tube.

[0020] In one of the embodiments, the main furnace chamber is further provided with a second cooling mechanism, which is used for cooling the container and the material inside the main furnace chamber.

[0021] In one of the embodiments, the main furnace chamber is provided with an air extraction mechanism and an air supply mechanism, the air extraction mechanism is used for extracting and discharging the exhaust gas generated during the melting process of the material from the inside of the main furnace chamber, and the air supply mechanism is used for adding protective gas to the inside of the main furnace chamber.

[0022] In one of the embodiments, the rotary growth device further comprises a third lifting mechanism, which is arranged on the main furnace chamber, the third lifting mechanism is connected with the container, and the third lifting mechanism is used for driving the lifting movement of the container.

[0023] In one of the embodiments, the main furnace chamber is provided with a feeding port, which is used for being connected with a material preparation mechanism capable of providing the material.

[0024] In one of the embodiments, the rotary growth device is used for glass growth.

[0025] The rotating growth device can be used to produce products. In use, the material is placed in the container, and the first heating mechanism heats the container to melt the material in the container. Then, the first lifting mechanism drives the connecting shaft to move along the length direction of the growth tube and into the container. After the connecting shaft contacts the molten material in the container, the first lifting mechanism drives the connecting shaft to move upward and rotate. The rotating connecting shaft can pull the molten material out of the container and into the growth tube, and the molten material is less likely to break during the pulling process. In addition, the rotating material is less likely to stick to the inner wall of the growth tube when moving along the length direction of the growth tube, and thus is more likely to enter the growth tube. The molten material that has left the container can be cooled to obtain the desired product. In this way, the volume of the container can be flexibly adjusted and controlled according to actual needs. When the volume of the container is reduced, the production of small batches of material is suitable, the energy consumption is low, the production cost is relatively low, the formula can be switched and intermittent production can be performed according to actual needs, and thus a variety of small quantities of products can be produced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 A working state diagram of the rotating growth device of an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Figure 2 Another working state diagram of the rotating growth device of an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Figure 3 Still another working state diagram of the rotating growth device of an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Figure 4 Still another working state diagram of the rotating growth device of an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Figure 5 A temperature change curve diagram of the material as microcrystalline glass with working time of an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] 10, main furnace chamber; 11, container; 111, carbon-carbon crucible; 112, growth crucible; 12, first heating mechanism; 13, second cooling mechanism; 20, growth tube; 30, first lifting mechanism; 31, connecting shaft; 40, material; 41, rod body; 42, sharp spike; 50, first cooling mechanism; 60, second heating mechanism; 70, auxiliary furnace chamber; 80, shearing mechanism; 91, clamping jaw; 92, gas adjusting mechanism; 93, heat preservation cover; 94, third lifting mechanism; 95, optical sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] To make the above objectives, features and advantages of the present application more clear and easily understood, the specific embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be practiced in a number of different ways from those described herein without departing from the scope of the present application. It is therefore intended that the present application not be limited to the embodiments disclosed for purposes of disclosure.

[0033] It should be noted that the material to be processed in the present embodiment includes but is not limited to glass, especially special glass, such as for example, microcrystalline glass; in addition, the material to be processed can also be other various materials such as ceramic, crystal, metal, plastic and resin, etc. Among them, the material in the present embodiment is taken as microcrystalline glass as an example for expansion, but it is not limited thereto.

[0034] Referring to Figures 1 to 4 , Figures 1 to 4 The four different working state diagrams of the rotating growth equipment in the present embodiment are shown respectively. The rotating growth equipment provided by the present embodiment includes a main furnace chamber 10, a growth tube 20 and a first lifting mechanism 30. The main furnace chamber 10 is provided with a container 11 and a first heating mechanism 12. The container 11 is used to place the material to be processed 40. The first heating mechanism 12 is used to heat the container 11, so that the material 40 inside the container 11 is melted. The growth tube 20 is located above the main furnace chamber 10. The first lifting mechanism 30 includes a connecting shaft 31. The connecting shaft 31 is movably arranged in the interior of the growth tube 20. The first lifting mechanism 30 can drive the connecting shaft 31 to move in the length direction of the growth tube 20, so that the connecting shaft 31 penetrates into the interior of the main furnace chamber 10 from the top of the main furnace chamber 10 to contact the material 40 inside the container 11, and can drive the connecting shaft 31 to return from the main furnace chamber 10 to the interior of the growth tube 20. The first lifting mechanism 30 can also drive the connecting shaft 31 to rotate around the central axis thereof.

[0035] In some embodiments, the growth tube 20 includes but is not limited to any one or combination of quartz, graphite, corundum (Al2O3), fused brick (also known as fused zirconia corundum brick, English abbreviation AZS), platinum and glassy carbon.

[0036] Optionally, a release agent is arranged on the inner wall of the growth tube 20. The release agent includes boron carbide or graphite plating layer, etc. In this way, it is convenient to make the products after forming separate from the production tube and prevent mutual adhesion.

[0037] In use, the material 40 is placed in the container 11, and the first heating mechanism 12 heats the container 11 to melt the material 40 in the container 11. Then, the first lifting mechanism 30 drives the connecting shaft 31 to move along the length direction of the growth tube 20 and into the container 11. After the connecting shaft 31 contacts the molten material 40 in the container 11, the first lifting mechanism 30 drives the connecting shaft 31 to move upward and rotate. The rotating connecting shaft 31 can facilitate the molten material 40 to gradually move out of the container 11 and into the growth tube 20. The molten material 40 is less likely to break during the pulling process by the rotating connecting shaft 31. In addition, the rotating material 40 is less likely to stick to the inner wall of the growth tube 20 when moving along the length direction of the growth tube 20, so that the material 40 can more easily enter the growth tube 20. The molten material 40 that has moved out of the container 11 can be cooled to obtain the desired product. In this way, the volume of the container 11 can be flexibly adjusted and controlled according to actual needs. When the volume of the container 11 is reduced, it is suitable for small-batch production, has low energy consumption and low production cost, and can switch formulas and produce intermittently according to actual needs, so that a variety of small-batch products can be produced.

[0038] It should be noted that the connecting shaft 31 drives the molten material 40 to enter the growth tube 20 at a uniform speed, for example. In this way, the material 40 pulled by the connecting shaft 31 runs more smoothly and is less likely to break due to rapid speed increase when rising. Alternatively, the speed of the connecting shaft 31 moving along the length direction of the growth tube 20 includes but is not limited to 0.01 m / s to 0.1 m / s, for example, 0.01 m / s, 0.05 m / s, 0.06 m / s, 0.07 m / s, or 0.1 m / s, and the like, which can be flexibly adjusted and set according to actual needs, and is not limited herein. When the speed of the connecting shaft 31 moving along the length direction of the growth tube 20 is greater than 0.1 m / s, the material 40 is more likely to break during the pulling process. When the speed of the connecting shaft 31 moving along the length direction of the growth tube 20 is less than 0.01 m / s, the production efficiency is low.

[0039] The first heating mechanism 12 can include but is not limited to an electric heating rod, an electric heating plate, an electric heating sheet, a resistance wire, a burner, electromagnetic heating, infrared heating, or chemical reaction heating, and the like. The first heating mechanism 12 can be flexibly selected according to actual needs, as long as it can heat the container 11 to increase the temperature of the container 11.

[0040] The first heating mechanism 12 can be arranged on any side of the container 11 and abut against the outer wall of the container 11 to transfer heat to the container 11, or can be arranged in a circumferential direction around the container 11 and abut against the outer wall of the container 11 to transfer heat to the container 11, or can be spaced apart from the outer wall of the container 11 by air and transfer heat to the container 11 by heat radiation, so that the container 11 is heated to a preset temperature.

[0041] Specifically, the first heating mechanism 12 can melt the microcrystalline glass in the container 11 into a liquid state to realize microcrystalline glass melting and homogenization. After the microcrystal is melted into a liquid state, for example, the working power of the first heating mechanism 12 is controlled to reduce the temperature of the container 11, so as to preliminarily cool the liquid microcrystalline glass, which is beneficial to subsequent secondary cooling and forming of the growing tube 20 outside the main furnace chamber 10.

[0042] After the molten material 40 is discharged outside through the growing tube 20, it can be gradually cooled and formed at room temperature, or can be provided with the first cooling mechanism 50, which can rapidly cool and form the molten material 40 under the cooling action of the first cooling mechanism 50, thereby improving the production efficiency.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments, when the rotating growth device is placed in a normal posture, the growing tube 20 is arranged obliquely relative to the horizontal plane. In this way, when the first lifting mechanism 30 drives the connecting shaft 31 to move in the length direction of the growing tube 20, the connecting shaft 31 drives the molten material 40 into the obliquely arranged growing tube 20, and the obliquely arranged growing tube 20 supports the material 40, which can more easily pull the molten material 40 into the interior of the growing tube 20 than arranging the growing tube 20 in a vertical direction.

[0044] Please refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments, the growing tube 20 is arranged obliquely relative to the horizontal plane at an angle a, 0 < a ≤ 80°. Specifically, a includes but is not limited to 5°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25°, 30°, 45°, 50°, 60°, 75°, or 80°.

[0045] In some embodiments, the connecting shaft 31 is arranged as a telescopic shaft, and the first lifting mechanism 30 is capable of lengthening or shortening the connecting shaft 31. Specifically, the first lifting mechanism 30 comprises a cylinder, when the cylinder drives the connecting shaft 31 to extend, the connecting shaft 31 is correspondingly lengthened, and the connecting shaft 31 can extend out of the growth tube 20 and into the inside of the container 11 to contact the molten material 40 in the inside of the container 11; when the cylinder drives the connecting shaft 31 to retract, the connecting shaft 31 is correspondingly shortened, and the connecting shaft 31 can return to the inside of the growth tube 20 after being shortened, and drive the molten material 40 to move upward along the growth tube 20 and gradually into the inside of the growth tube 20. Since the connecting shaft 31 is arranged in a telescopic manner, the overall space occupied by the connecting shaft 31 after being retracted is relatively small.

[0046] On the basis of the foregoing embodiments, the first lifting mechanism 30 further comprises a first motor, the first motor is connected with the cylinder, and the first motor is capable of driving the cylinder to rotate, thereby driving the connecting shaft 31 to rotate.

[0047] In some embodiments, the connecting shaft 31 is not limited to being arranged as a telescopic shaft, for example, the connecting shaft 31 can also be arranged as a non-telescopic shaft. The first lifting mechanism 30 is capable of adjusting the position of the connecting shaft 31 along the length direction of the growth tube 20. Specifically, the first lifting mechanism 30 is capable of driving the connecting shaft 31 to move toward the inside of the container 11, thereby correspondingly driving the connecting shaft 31 to enter the inside of the container 11 to contact the molten material 40; after the connecting shaft 31 is wrapped by the material 40, the first lifting mechanism 30 is further capable of driving the connecting shaft 31 to pull up the material 40 to return to the inside of the growth tube 20.

[0048] Optionally, the first lifting mechanism 30 comprises, but is not limited to, a gear and rack mechanism, a motor lead screw mechanism, a cylinder mechanism or a cam mechanism, etc., as long as it can realize the lifting movement of the connecting shaft 31. In addition, in order to realize the rotation of the connecting shaft 31, the first lifting mechanism 30 is integrated with a second motor for example, and the second motor drives the rotation of the connecting shaft 31.

[0049] In an embodiment, the growth device further comprises a first cooling mechanism 50. The first cooling mechanism 50 is arranged outside the main furnace chamber 10, and the first cooling mechanism 50 is used for cooling the growth tube 20 extending out of the main furnace chamber 10.

[0050] Optionally, the first cooling mechanism 50 can be either in the form of air cooling, for example, using a fan to blow air to the growth tube 20 to reduce the temperature of the growth tube 20; or in the form of physical contact cooling, for example, using a circulating water cooling pipe or a semiconductor refrigeration component to contact the outer wall of the growth tube 20, thereby reducing the temperature of the growth tube 20.

[0051] When the material 40 is glass-ceramics, the molten material 40 is gradually cooled from liquid to solid by the first cooling mechanism 50 during the process of being discharged out of the growth tube 20, so that the glass product in the form of a rod 41 is formed.

[0052] The rod 41 is adapted to the shape of the growth tube 20, and the shape of the growth tube 20 can be adjusted according to the shape of the glass product required. For example, when the growth tube 20 has a circular cross-section, the rod 41 formed by the growth tube 20 is a cylindrical rod; when the growth tube 20 has a rectangular cross-section, the glass product formed by the growth tube 20 is a rectangular rod 41. The cross-section of the growth tube 20 can also be other shapes, which are not limited herein.

[0053] It should be noted that after the glass product with the required shape is formed by the growth tube 20, various post-processing such as grinding, carving, printing, etc. can be performed on the glass product, so that the required glass product is obtained.

[0054] In some embodiments, the main furnace chamber 10 is also provided with a second cooling mechanism 13. The second cooling mechanism 13 is used to cool the container 11 and the material in the main furnace chamber 10. In this way, the functions of heating, melting, homogenizing, clarifying and initial cooling of the glass can be achieved in the main furnace chamber 10 under the cooling action of the second cooling mechanism 13.

[0055] In one embodiment, the growth device further comprises a second heating mechanism 60. The second heating mechanism 60 is arranged outside the main furnace chamber 10, and is used to heat the growth tube 20. In this way, after the first cooling mechanism 50 cools the growth tube 20 to form the glass-ceramics, the second heating mechanism 60 can be used to heat the growth tube 20 to nucleate and crystallize the glass-ceramics. Then, the first cooling mechanism 50 can be used to cool the growth tube 20 to obtain the required glass product.

[0056] It has been found through a large number of experiments and researches that after the second heating mechanism 60 is used to heat the growth tube 20, the temperature of the glass-ceramics formed by the first cooling mechanism 50 is increased, and the hardness of the glass product formed by the second cooling mechanism 60 is greatly improved.

[0057] It should be noted that in the heating process of the glass-ceramics formed by the first cooling mechanism 50, the specific temperature increase and the temperature increase time of the glass-ceramics can be flexibly adjusted and set according to the requirements of the specific glass type, as long as the nucleation and crystallization are met, which are not limited herein.

[0058] On the basis of the foregoing embodiments, in order to make the working principle of the rotating growth device in the present embodiment for growing microcrystalline glass more clear, the specific embodiments are introduced in combination with Figure 1 the rotating growth device and Figure 5 the temperature-time change relationship diagram of the microcrystalline glass in one embodiment of the rotating growth device are introduced:

[0059] In the 0-t1 stage, the microcrystalline glass is placed in the container 11, the first heating mechanism 12 heats the container 11, so that the temperature of the microcrystalline glass in the container 11 is raised and gradually melted, realizing the melting homogenization of the microcrystalline glass;

[0060] In the t1-t2 stage, for example, the first heating mechanism 12 is controlled to reduce the working power, specifically, the first heating mechanism 12 is turned off, in addition, the second cooling mechanism 13 is turned on to reduce the temperature of the container 11, so that the temperature of the microcrystalline glass in the container 11 is reduced, and the liquid microcrystalline glass is preliminarily cooled;

[0061] The t2 moment corresponds to the moment when the liquid microcrystalline glass is discharged outward through the growth pipe 20.

[0062] In the t2-t3 stage, the first cooling mechanism 50 cools the growth pipe 20, so that the material 40 gradually changes from liquid to solid, and the microcrystalline glass is once cooled and formed;

[0063] In the t3-t4 stage, the second heating mechanism 60 heats the growth pipe 20, so that the microcrystalline glass is nucleated;

[0064] In the t4-t5 stage, the temperature of the microcrystalline glass is maintained unchanged, so that the microcrystalline glass is crystallized;

[0065] After t5, the first cooling mechanism 50 cools the growth pipe 20 to obtain the required glass product.

[0066] Therefore, the rotating growth device in the present embodiment can complete all steps of melting, clarifying, homogenizing, forming, nucleating and crystallizing of special glass, especially microcrystalline glass, and the device occupies small area.

[0067] The volume of the container 11 in the embodiment can be flexibly adjusted and set according to actual needs. The volume of the container 11 satisfies the weight of the material installed therein, including but not limited to 0.5 Kg, 1 Kg, 5 Kg, 10 Kg, 50 Kg, 100 Kg, 200 Kg, 500 Kg or 1000 Kg, etc. When a small-volume container 11 is selected, for example, the weight of the material that can be installed in the container 11 is less than or equal to 100 Kg, even less than or equal to 10 Kg, and even about 1 Kg, which is suitable for small-batch material production, has low energy consumption and low production cost, can switch the formula and intermittently produce according to actual needs, so that the production of various, small and low-cost special glass can be realized.

[0068] In some embodiments, the container 11 is specifically a crucible. The crucible includes but is not limited to any one or a combination of quartz crucible, corundum (Al2O3), fused brick (also known as fused zirconia corundum brick, English abbreviation AZS), molybdenum, tungsten, platinum, glass carbon and fireclay crucible, etc.

[0069] Specifically, the crucibles in the embodiment are, for example, two and are nested with each other. The crucible located at the outside is, for example, a carbon-carbon crucible 111, which plays a role of heat conduction and transmits heat to the crucible located at the inside, has a relatively long service life and does not need to be replaced frequently. The crucible located at the inside is a growth crucible 112, which is used to contain the material 40 to be processed and directly transmits heat to the material 40 to be processed to melt the material 40 and needs to be replaced frequently.

[0070] In one embodiment, the rotary growth device further includes a sub-furnace chamber 70. The sub-furnace chamber 70 is openably connected to the top of the main furnace chamber 10. The first lifting mechanism 30 is installed on the sub-furnace chamber 70. The growth tube 20 is installed in the interior of the sub-furnace chamber 70. Optionally, the first cooling mechanism 50 is arranged in the interior of the sub-furnace chamber 70, and the second heating mechanism 60 is arranged in the interior of the sub-furnace chamber 70. In this way, the sub-furnace chamber 70 plays a protective role on the growth tube 20, the first cooling mechanism 50 and the second heating mechanism 60, and provides an environment for the formation of products, which is conducive to improving the processing quality of the products. In addition, when the material 40 in the growth tube 20 is cooled to obtain a formed product, the sub-furnace chamber 70 can be opened, and then the formed product in the growth tube 20 can be demolded. In addition, the overall size of the rotary growth device is relatively small, and the equipment occupies a small area.

[0071] In one embodiment, the growth tube 20 is rotatably mounted on the auxiliary furnace chamber 70. The rotary growth apparatus further comprises a rotating mechanism mounted on the auxiliary furnace chamber 70. The rotating mechanism is connected to the growth tube 20 and is configured to drive the growth tube 20 to rotate. In this way, the growth tube 20 is provided with a rotating function, which prevents the material 40 inside the growth tube 20 from adhering to the inner wall of the growth tube 20, thereby facilitating the demolding of the material 40.

[0072] Alternatively, the top of the main furnace chamber 10 is provided with a first through hole, and the bottom of the auxiliary furnace chamber 70 is provided with a second through hole. The second through hole is arranged in a position corresponding to the first through hole, so that the connecting shaft 31 and the clamping jaw 91 can pass through the second through hole and the first through hole into the interior of the main furnace chamber 10, and the molten material 40 inside the container 11 can be pulled upward through the first through hole and the second through hole into the interior of the main furnace chamber 10.

[0073] In one embodiment, the growth tube 20 is movably arranged in the main furnace chamber 10 and the auxiliary furnace chamber 70. The rotary growth apparatus further comprises a second lifting mechanism mounted on the auxiliary furnace chamber 70. The second lifting mechanism is connected to the growth tube 20 and is configured to drive the growth tube 20 to move up and down, so as to drive the growth tube 20 to pass into the interior of the main furnace chamber 10 from the top of the main furnace chamber 10, and to return to the interior of the auxiliary furnace chamber 70 from the main furnace chamber 10. In this way, the growth tube 20 is located in the interior of the auxiliary furnace chamber 70 before the material 40 inside the container 11 is heated and melted. After the material 40 inside the container 11 is heated and melted, the second lifting mechanism drives the growth tube 20 to move down into the interior of the main furnace chamber 10, and the bottom end of the growth tube 20 enters the interior of the container 11. Under the action of the connecting shaft 31, the molten material 40 can gradually enter the interior of the growth tube 20 through the bottom end. When the material 40 is pulled into the growth tube 20 to a certain length, for example, to the top end, that is, the material 40 fills the entire growth tube 20, the second lifting mechanism drives the growth tube 20 to move up into the interior of the auxiliary furnace chamber 70, away from the molten material in the interior of the container 11. At the same time, the first lifting mechanism 30 synchronously drives the material 40 in the interior of the growth tube 20 to enter the interior of the auxiliary furnace chamber 70, so that the growth tube 20 and the material 40 in the interior of the growth tube 20 are located in the interior of the auxiliary furnace chamber 70, which can achieve a better cooling and forming effect in the interior of the auxiliary furnace chamber 70.

[0074] In some embodiments, the growth tube 20 is provided with a rotating function, which prevents the material 40 inside the growth tube 20 from adhering to the inner wall of the growth tube 20, thereby facilitating the demolding of the material 40. Specifically, the second lifting mechanism not only drives the growth tube 20 to move up and down, but also drives the growth tube 20 to rotate around its central axis, thereby realizing the rotating function of the growth tube 20.

[0075] In some embodiments, the second lifting mechanism includes, but is not limited to, a rack and pinion mechanism, a motorized screw mechanism, a pneumatic cylinder mechanism, or a cam mechanism, etc., as long as it can realize the lifting movement of the growth tube 20. In addition, in order to realize the rotation of the growth tube 20, the second lifting mechanism is integrated with a rotary motor, for example, which drives the growth tube 20 to rotate.

[0076] In one embodiment, the rotary growth device further comprises a shearing mechanism 80. The shearing mechanism 80 is arranged at the bottom of the auxiliary furnace chamber 70, for example. The shearing mechanism 80 can shear the material 40 at the bottom end of the growth tube 20.

[0077] Optionally, the shearing mechanism 80 includes, but is not limited to, scissors, cutting blades, cutting plates, etc.

[0078] When the rod body 41 has a certain length in the growth tube 20, the specific length of the rod body 41 can be set according to actual needs. The bottom end of the rod body 41 is sheared by the shearing mechanism 80, and the sheared rod body 41 is inside the auxiliary furnace chamber 70 for post-processing.

[0079] Specifically, during the growth process, the material 40 is cooled and formed into a rod body 41 inside the growth tube 20. The top end of the rod body 41 enters the auxiliary furnace chamber 70 first, and the bottom end of the rod body 41 enters the auxiliary furnace chamber 70 later. The top end of the rod body 41 is cooled first and has a higher hardness, while the bottom end of the rod body 41 has a lower hardness and is separated from the material 40 in the container 11 and has a sharp spike 42.

[0080] Please refer to Figure 4 The bottom end of the rod body 41 is timely sheared by the shearing mechanism 80, so that the end face of the bottom end is more flat and beautiful. Moreover, the bottom end of the rod body 41 is separated from the container 11 and has not been sufficiently cooled, so it has a relatively low hardness and is easy to be cut off, and the operation is easy. In addition, the cut-off spike 42 can be returned to the container 11 for reuse.

[0081] On the contrary, if the bottom end of the rod body 41 is not sheared by the shearing mechanism 80, the rod body 41 with the spike 42 will flow into the post-processing step for processing. In the post-processing step, the spike 42 is usually directly snapped off or cut off. Since the spike 42 has been cooled and has a high hardness, it is easy to cause the rod body 41 to break during the post-processing process, thereby reducing the product quality.

[0082] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3In one embodiment, the rotary growth device further comprises a gripper 91 movably arranged inside the growth tube 20. The gripper 91 is connected with the connecting shaft 31, which can drive the gripper 91 to move along the length direction of the growth tube 20 and rotate inside the growth tube 20. In this way, when the gripper 91 extends into the molten liquid inside the container 11 and is wrapped by the molten liquid, the contact area between the gripper 91 and the molten liquid is large, and the adhesion force is large, so that the molten liquid can be easily pulled up and driven into the inside of the growth tube 20. In addition, the gripper 91 clamps the top of the material 40, which can also facilitate the material 40 to gradually enter the inside of the growth tube 20 along the length direction of the growth tube 20.

[0083] The glass melting process occurs chemical reaction, which can release a large amount of gas, such as CO2, H2O, NO2 and SO2. Based on this, the main furnace chamber 10 is provided with an exhaust mechanism. The exhaust mechanism is used to exhaust and treat the waste gas generated in the melting process of the material 40. Specifically, the exhaust mechanism adopts a large-capacity exhaust mechanism. In the glass melting process, the main furnace chamber 10 is subjected to large-capacity exhaust by the exhaust mechanism, which effectively removes the waste gas generated in the melting process.

[0084] In some embodiments, the main furnace chamber 10 is provided with a feeding port. The feeding port is used to be connected with a material preparation mechanism capable of providing the material 40. For example, the feeding port can be provided as a continuous feeding port, which is used to continuously receive the material 40 provided by the material preparation mechanism. The material 40 is fed into the inside of the container 11 through the feeding port, melted under the heating treatment of the container 11, and continuously discharged outward through the growth tube 20. Optionally, a switch valve is provided at the feeding port. When the material 40 in the container 11 is insufficient, the switch valve is opened to feed the material 40 into the container 11 through the feeding port; when the material 40 in the container 11 reaches a preset amount, the switch valve is closed to ensure that the main furnace chamber 10 is in a closed state, thereby preventing the gas in the external environment from entering the inside of the main furnace chamber 10 and adversely affecting the melting of the material 40 in the inside of the main furnace chamber 10. In addition, since the material 40 can be continuously supplemented into the inside of the main furnace chamber 10 through the feeding port, the material 40 in the inside of the container 11 can be ensured to be sufficient. In turn, the growth tube 20 continuously discharges, and the formed product of any length can be obtained. In addition, continuous feeding and melting can improve the production capacity and the service life of the crucible.

[0085] In some embodiments, the top of the auxiliary furnace chamber 70 is provided with a discharge port. The discharge port is opposite to the discharge end port position of the growth tube 20, and the formed product obtained by the growth tube 20 can be directly discharged outward through the discharge port, which can realize continuous and uninterrupted discharging. At the same time, the discharging will not be interfered by the auxiliary furnace chamber 70, so that the length of the formed product can be longer or shorter.

[0086] In some embodiments, the main furnace chamber 10 is provided with a gas exhaust mechanism. The gas exhaust mechanism is used to exhaust the waste gas generated during the melting of the material 40. In some embodiments, the main furnace chamber 10 is provided with a gas supply mechanism. The gas supply mechanism is used to supply protective gas into the interior of the main furnace chamber 10. In some embodiments, the protective gas includes, but is not limited to, inert gas. In some embodiments, the inert gas includes, but is not limited to, argon or nitrogen, etc. In this way, during the glass drawing process, the main furnace chamber 10 is supplied with inert gas, which provides low-pressure inert protection and pressure difference for the molten material in the container 11, thereby improving the quality of the product.

[0087] In particular, the gas exhaust mechanism and the gas supply mechanism are combined to form a gas adjustment mechanism 92. The gas adjustment mechanism 92 is used to exhaust and treat the waste gas generated during the melting of the material 40, and to supply protective gas into the interior of the main furnace chamber 10.

[0088] In some embodiments, the top of the main furnace chamber 10 is further provided with a heat preservation cover 93. The heat preservation cover 93 covers the top of the container 11 and serves as a heat preservation cover. In some embodiments, the heat preservation cover 93 is provided with a third through hole. The third through hole is arranged in correspondence with the position of the connecting shaft 31. In this way, the connecting shaft 31 and the clamping jaw 91 extend downward through the heat preservation cover 93 and into the interior of the container 11. In addition, under the lifting adjustment of the first lifting mechanism 30, the connecting shaft 31 and the clamping jaw 91 can move up and down relative to the heat preservation cover 93.

[0089] In one embodiment, the rotary growth device further includes a third lifting mechanism 94. The third lifting mechanism 94 is arranged on the main furnace chamber 10. The third lifting mechanism 94 is connected to the container 11. The third lifting mechanism 94 is used to drive the container 11 to move up and down. In this way, according to the height position of the bottom end of the connecting shaft 31 or the clamping jaw 91, the third lifting mechanism 94 drives the container 11 to move up and down, so as to adaptively adjust the height position of the container 11 in the main furnace chamber 10, so that the material 40 in the container 11 can be contacted by the bottom end of the connecting shaft 31 or the clamping jaw 91, thereby being pulled up into the interior of the growth tube 20.

[0090] In some embodiments, the third lifting mechanism 94 also has a rotating function, which can drive the container 11 to rotate, so that the material 40 in the container 11 is more uniform.

[0091] The specific structure of the third lifting mechanism 94 is similar to that of the first lifting mechanism 30, which will not be described here.

[0092] In some embodiments, the rotary growth device further comprises an optical sensor 95 and a controller. The optical sensor 95, the pressure adjusting mechanism, the rotating mechanism, the first heating mechanism 12, the first lifting mechanism 30, the first cooling mechanism 50, the second heating mechanism 60 and the third lifting mechanism 94 are electrically connected to the controller. The optical sensor 95 is used to detect the state of the material 40 inside the container 11, to determine whether the material 40 is heated to a molten state. In addition, the optical sensor 95 can also detect the height position of the material 40 inside the container 11. The controller can control the pressure adjusting mechanism, the rotating mechanism, the first heating mechanism 12, the first lifting mechanism 30, the first cooling mechanism 50, the second heating mechanism 60 and the third lifting mechanism 94 to work in coordination according to the state of the material 40 and the height position of the material 40 detected by the optical sensor 95, and the degree of automation is high.

[0093] The main furnace chamber 10 realizes the functions of heating, melting, homogenizing, clarifying and initial cooling of the glass-ceramic material; and then the auxiliary furnace chamber 70 realizes the functions of drawing the material 40 into the growth tube 20, preliminary cooling, tail cutting, nucleation, crystallization and cooling forming.

[0094] According to the thermal conductivity and thermal radiation properties of the glass, the thermal field, the heater, the furnace cavity space and the heat preservation system of the main furnace chamber 10 are flexibly adjusted and designed to realize the functions of uniform heating, melting and preliminary cooling of the glass.

[0095] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that if these terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0096] In addition, if these terms "first", "second" appear, these terms are only for description purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features referred to. Therefore, the features limited by "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, if the term "multiple" appears, the meaning of "multiple" is at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically limited.

[0097] In this application, unless otherwise clearly indicated and limited, if there are terms such as "mount", "connect", "connect", "fix", etc., these terms should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly limited. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0098] In this application, unless otherwise clearly indicated and limited, if there are terms such as "mount", "connect", "connect", "fix", etc., these terms should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly limited. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0099] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on another element or there can be a middle element. If an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to another element or there can be a middle element. If present, the terms "vertical", "horizontal", "up", "down", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation.

[0100] The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined in any manner. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described, but as long as the combination of the technical features does not exist contradictory, it should be considered as the scope of the description.

[0101] The above-described embodiments only express several embodiments of the present application, and the description is more specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, a number of modifications and improvements can be made, which are within the scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of the patent of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A rotary growth apparatus characterised in that, A rotating growth apparatus for growing glass, the rotating growth apparatus comprising: a main furnace chamber provided with a container for placing material to be processed and a first heating mechanism for heating the container so that the material inside the container is melted; a growth tube located above the main furnace chamber, the growth tube being arranged obliquely with respect to a horizontal plane; and a first lifting mechanism comprising a connecting shaft movably penetrating the inside of the growth tube, the first lifting mechanism being capable of driving the connecting shaft to move along the length direction of the growth tube inside the growth tube so that the connecting shaft penetrates into the inside of the main furnace chamber from the top of the main furnace chamber and contacts the material inside the container, and is capable of driving the connecting shaft to return from the main furnace chamber to the inside of the growth tube, and the first lifting mechanism is also capable of driving the connecting shaft to rotate about its central axis.

2. The rotary growth apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The growth tube is obliquely arranged with respect to a horizontal plane at an angle a, where 0 < a ≤ 80°.

3. The rotary growth apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The connecting shaft is a telescopic shaft, and the first lifting mechanism is capable of lengthening or shortening the connecting shaft; or the connecting shaft is a non-telescopic shaft, and the first lifting mechanism is capable of adjusting the position of the connecting shaft along the length direction of the growth tube.

4. The rotary growth apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The growth apparatus further comprises a first cooling mechanism, the first cooling mechanism being arranged outside the main furnace chamber and being used for cooling the growth tube extending outside the main furnace chamber.

5. The rotary growth apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The growth apparatus further comprises a second heating mechanism, the second heating mechanism being arranged outside the main furnace chamber and being used for heating the growth tube.

6. The rotary growth apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The rotating growth apparatus further comprises a sub-furnace chamber, the sub-furnace chamber being openably connected to the top of the main furnace chamber; the first lifting mechanism is arranged on the sub-furnace chamber, and the growth tube is arranged inside the sub-furnace chamber.

7. The rotary growth apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The growth tube is rotatably arranged on the sub-furnace chamber; the rotating growth apparatus further comprises a rotating mechanism arranged on the sub-furnace chamber, the rotating mechanism being connected to the growth tube and being used for driving the growth tube to rotate.

8. A rotary growth apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that, The rotating growth apparatus further comprises a second lifting mechanism arranged on the sub-furnace chamber, the second lifting mechanism being connected to the growth tube and being used for driving the growth tube to move up and down, so as to drive the growth tube to penetrate into the inside of the main furnace chamber from the top of the main furnace chamber and to return from the main furnace chamber to the inside of the sub-furnace chamber.

9. The rotary growth apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The rotating growth apparatus further comprises a shearing mechanism capable of shearing the material at the bottom end of the growth tube.

10. The rotary growth apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The rotating growth apparatus further comprises a gripper movably arranged inside the growth tube, the gripper being connected to the connecting shaft, the connecting shaft being capable of driving the gripper to move along the length direction of the growth tube inside the growth tube and to rotate inside the growth tube.

11. The rotary growth apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The main furnace chamber is also provided with a second cooling mechanism; the second cooling mechanism is used for cooling the container and the material in the main furnace chamber.

12. The rotary growth apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The main furnace chamber is provided with an air extraction mechanism and an air supply mechanism; the air extraction mechanism is used for extracting and discharging the waste gas generated during the melting process of the material from the inside of the main furnace chamber; the air supply mechanism is used for adding protective gas to the inside of the main furnace chamber.

13. The rotary growth apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The rotary growth device further comprises a third lifting mechanism; the third lifting mechanism is arranged on the main furnace chamber, the third lifting mechanism is connected with the container, and the third lifting mechanism is used for driving the lifting movement of the container.

14. The rotary growth apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The main furnace chamber is provided with a feeding port, and the feeding port is connected with a material preparation mechanism capable of providing the material.

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