Low-cost silicon carbide rod cold end production process
By using a fully automated feeding device and microwave preheating and drying technology, the problem of low automation in the cold end production of traditional silicon carbide rods has been solved, achieving efficient continuous production, reducing labor costs and time, and making it suitable for large-scale production.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511683132.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-17
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-03
AI Technical Summary
Traditional silicon carbide rod cold-end production has a low degree of automation, high costs for manual material handling, and low production efficiency, making it difficult to meet the needs of large-scale production.
The system employs a fully automated material receiving device and microwave preheating and drying technology to achieve automated material receiving and transfer. By combining microwave preheating and drying, the natural air drying step is eliminated, and continuous production is carried out using automated equipment.
It improves production efficiency, saves human resources, shortens drying time, is suitable for large-scale production, reduces production costs, and enhances automation and product quality.
Smart Images
Figure CN121447747A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of silicon carbide rod production, and more specifically to a low-cost cold-end production process for silicon carbide rods. Background Technology
[0002] The cold end of a silicon carbide (SiC) heating element is the lower-resistance section. Its core function is to transfer electrical energy to the heating element while minimizing its own heat generation, thus improving energy efficiency. A SiC heating element consists of a heating element and a cold end, located at the end connected to the power source. Its low-resistance design directs current into the heating element. Compared to the high-resistance heating element, the cold end has even lower resistance, preventing excessive heat generation and ensuring that heat is concentrated primarily in the heating element, thus improving heating efficiency. The cold end resistance is typically lower than that of the heating element, reducing energy loss. It is mainly used in high-temperature equipment such as industrial kilns and laboratory furnaces to ensure efficient current transmission and reduce the thermal impact of the cold end temperature on the equipment.
[0003] Traditional cold-end production processes for silicon carbide rods have several drawbacks, primarily: First, in traditional production, after the material exits from the bottom of the vertical extruder, manual handling is required. Operators hold a cold-end receiving rod, aligning the lower part with the exit port, and receive the rod in a groove on the rod. The rod is then moved downwards along the length of the material to receive it. This process has low automation, wastes manpower, and increases costs. Second, traditional production processes have low continuous production capacity. After molding using vertical molding equipment, the rod needs to be transferred to a drying area for air drying, followed by drying and calcination. Air drying takes 5-6 hours, and drying takes 10-20 hours. Besides the fact that production equipment is distributed across different areas and multiple transfers are required, reducing production efficiency, the overall drying time before reaching the high-temperature silicon infiltration stage is also long, further reducing efficiency. Third, the traditional method of natural air drying followed by drying and calcination after molding reduces production efficiency. The long air drying process and overall long production cycle cannot meet the needs of large-scale production.
[0004] In summary, this invention provides a low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process that is simple in structure, easy to operate, capable of continuous production, has high drying efficiency, high degree of automation, saves human resources, improves production efficiency, and meets the needs of large-scale production, and has broad market prospects. Summary of the Invention
[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process that is simple in structure, easy to operate, enables continuous production, has high drying efficiency, high degree of automation, saves human resources, improves production efficiency, and meets the needs of large-scale production, thereby overcoming the deficiencies in existing technologies.
[0006] The technical solution of this invention is implemented as follows: a low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process, characterized by comprising the following steps: S1. Automatic material receiving device for vertical extruder discharge port; S2. The formed blank is transferred using a fully automatic receiving device; S3. Transfer the formed blank to the preheating and drying device for microwave preheating and drying. S4. The preheated and dried molded blanks are automatically transferred to the drying equipment for drying. S5. High-temperature silicon infiltration is carried out on the dried molding blank.
[0007] In step S3, the microwave preheating and drying temperature is 80℃-100℃, and the drying time is 1 hour.
[0008] In step S4, the drying temperature is 100-140℃ and the drying time is 4-6 hours.
[0009] In S1, the automatic receiving device includes a track installed below the vertical extruder, a track car installed on the track, a receiving platform installed on the track car, a pusher slot hole in the middle of the receiving platform, a pusher travel trough plate at the bottom of the pusher slot hole, a first motor installed at one end inside the pusher travel trough plate, the output end of the first motor being fixedly connected to a first screw, the first screw being connected to the pusher plate on the top surface of the receiving platform through a first nut connecting bracket, several receiving trays are placed side by side on the receiving platform inside the pusher plate, and a preheating and drying treatment device is installed outside the track in the discharge direction of the pusher plate.
[0010] The preheating and drying device includes a receiving platform, an isolation cover above the receiving platform, a dehumidifier installed on the top of the isolation cover, a microwave heater installed on the top of the inner cavity of the isolation cover, a discharge slot in the middle of the receiving platform, a discharge travel trough plate at the bottom of the discharge slot, a second motor installed at one end inside the discharge travel trough plate, the output end of the second motor being fixedly connected to a second screw, the second screw being connected to a second push plate on the top surface of the receiving platform through a second nut connecting bracket, and a discharge inlet square hole, a discharge outlet square hole, and a push inlet square hole respectively opened at the front end, rear end, and end facing the extruder outlet of the isolation cover.
[0011] The receiving platform moves along the track towards the discharge port below the vertical extruder via a railcar. When the top center of one end of the receiving tray aligns with the bottom center of the discharge port, the billet discharge operation begins. As the discharge operation progresses, the railcar drives the receiving tray to advance horizontally and receive the billet. After a section of billet is discharged, the first motor starts, driving the first screw to rotate. The pusher plate pushes the receiving tray that has completed receiving towards the discharge direction, and the connected receiving tray falls below the bottom center of the discharge port to repeat the receiving operation.
[0012] The receiving platform is adjacent to one side edge of the receiving platform. After the receiving platform moves to the position of the receiving platform and aligns with the receiving platform, the first motor is started, which drives the pusher plate to push the receiving tray loaded with billet toward the inner cavity of the isolation cover. During the pushing process, the receiving tray passes through the pusher inlet square hole and enters the isolation cover, and is placed below the microwave heater. The microwave heater is turned on to perform microwave preheating and drying of the billet. After the microwave preheating and drying is completed, the second screw is turned on, which drives the second pusher plate to enter from the outlet inlet square hole and pushes the receiving tray out from the outlet outlet square hole to the external conveying equipment.
[0013] The length of the material pushed into the square hole is not less than the length of the receiving tray, and the width of the material pushed into the square hole is not less than the thickness of the receiving tray.
[0014] The present invention has the following positive effects: First, this invention effectively solves the problem of high costs associated with manual material handling in traditional production processes. By using an automatic material handling device, it achieves automated material handling and transfer operations, resulting in a high degree of automation and saving human resources.
[0015] Secondly, this process has strong continuous production capacity. It realizes transfer operations at different workstations through automated transfer equipment, eliminating the natural air drying step and adopting microwave preheating drying followed by drying, which saves drying time overall. Compared with traditional processes, it can save about fifteen hours, speed up turnover production capacity, improve production efficiency, shorten the production cycle, and reduce costs accordingly, making it suitable for large-scale production needs.
[0016] Furthermore, this process achieves full automation from automatic material receiving to automatic transfer of materials after billet forming, and then to preheating and drying of the billets. This reduces transfer steps and distances, resulting in a highly integrated design. Using automatic material receiving instead of manual material receiving improves the quality assurance of billet forming, ensuring that the formed billets meet the required specifications. Automated feeding and discharging improves efficiency, saves manpower, and avoids safety hazards associated with high-temperature operations. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the main view connection structure of the automatic receiving device and the preheating and drying treatment device in the low-cost silicon carbide rod cold end production process of the present invention.
[0018] Figure 2 This is a top view schematic diagram of the connection structure between the automatic receiving device and the preheating and drying treatment device in the low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process of the present invention.
[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the automatic receiving device in the low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process of the present invention.
[0020] Figure 4 This is a side view of the preheating and drying device in the low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process of the present invention.
[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the preheating and drying device in the low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0022] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, a low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process includes the following steps: S1. Automatic material receiving device for vertical extruder discharge port; S2. The formed blank is transferred using a fully automatic receiving device; S3. Transfer the formed blank to the preheating and drying device for microwave preheating and drying. S4. The preheated and dried molded blanks are automatically transferred to the drying equipment for drying. S5. High-temperature silicon infiltration is carried out on the dried molding blank.
[0023] In S3, the microwave preheating and drying temperature is 80℃-100℃, and the drying time is 1 hour.
[0024] In S4, the drying temperature is 100-140℃ and the drying time is 4-6 hours.
[0025] This invention achieves low-cost production of the cold end of silicon carbide rods through the above five steps. After the material mixing operation, the billet is formed by a vertical extruder. The formed material is received by an automatic receiving device and transferred to a preheating and drying device for preheating treatment. Microwave preheating and drying are adopted, which effectively reduces the drying time. Compared with the traditional steps of natural air drying followed by drying, this invention can effectively shorten the drying time from more than 20 hours to 6-7 hours, greatly improving the drying efficiency.
[0026] In actual operation, the material at the discharge port of the vertical extruder is automatically received by a fully automatic receiving device. The automatic receiving device includes a track 3 set below the vertical extruder 1, a track car 4 installed on the track 3, a receiving platform 5 set on the track car 4, a pusher slot 21 opened in the middle of the receiving platform 5, a pusher travel trough plate 6 set at the bottom of the pusher slot 21, a first motor 19 installed at one end inside the pusher travel trough plate 6, the output end of the first motor 19 is fixedly connected to the first screw 20, the first screw 20 is connected to the pusher plate 7 set on the top surface of the receiving platform 5 through the first nut connecting bracket 23, and several receiving trays 8 are placed side by side on the receiving platform 5 inside the pusher plate 7. The preheating and drying treatment device is set outside the track 3 in the discharge direction of the pusher plate 7.
[0027] The receiving platform 5 moves along the track 3 via the railcar 4 toward the discharge port 2 below the vertical extruder 1. When the top center of one end of the receiving tray 8 corresponds to the bottom center of the discharge port 2, the billet discharge operation begins. As the discharge operation proceeds, the railcar 4 drives the receiving tray 8 to move horizontally to receive the billet. After a section of billet is discharged, the first motor 19 runs, driving the first screw 20 to rotate. The pusher plate 7 pushes the receiving tray 8, which has completed receiving, toward the discharge direction. The receiving tray 8 connected to it falls below the bottom center of the discharge port 2 to repeat the receiving operation.
[0028] The formed blank is transferred to a preheating and drying device for microwave preheating and drying. The preheating and drying device includes a receiving platform 10, an isolation cover 15 is set above the receiving platform 10, a dehumidifier 16 is installed on the top of the isolation cover 15, and a microwave heater 26 is installed on the top of the inner cavity of the isolation cover 15. A discharge slot 22 is opened in the middle of the receiving platform 10, and a discharge travel trough plate 11 is set at the bottom of the discharge slot 22. A second motor 12 is installed at one end inside the discharge travel trough plate 11. The output end of the second motor 12 is fixedly connected to the second screw 13. The second screw 13 is connected to the second push plate 18 set on the top surface of the receiving platform 10 through the second nut connecting bracket 14. The front end, rear end and the end facing the extruder outlet of the isolation cover 15 are respectively provided with a discharge inlet square hole 25, a discharge outlet square hole 17 and a push inlet square hole 24.
[0029] The receiving platform 10 is adjacent to one edge of the receiving platform 5. After the receiving platform 5 moves to align with the receiving platform 10, the first motor 19 is started, driving the pusher plate 7 to push the receiving tray 8 loaded with billet toward the inner cavity of the isolation cover 15. During the pushing process, the receiving tray 8 passes through the pusher inlet square hole 24 into the isolation cover 15 and is placed below the microwave heater 26. The microwave heater 26 is turned on to microwave preheat and dry the billet. After the microwave preheating and drying is completed, the second screw 13 is turned on, driving the second pusher plate 18 to enter through the discharge inlet square hole 25 and push the receiving tray 8 out through the discharge outlet square hole 17 to the external conveying equipment. The length of the pusher inlet square hole 24 is not less than the length of the receiving tray 8, and the width of the pusher inlet square hole 24 is not less than the thickness of the receiving tray 8.
[0030] In actual operation, there are multiple receiving trays 8, and each receiving tray 8 is equipped with a receiving groove 9 on its top. When the receiving operation is carried out, the receiving platform 5 can receive the material through reciprocating operation. The material output from the discharge port 2 falls into the receiving groove 9. When the receiving groove 9 on the top of a receiving tray 8 gradually receives the cylindrical forming blank from one end to the other, the receiving platform 5 returns to the dehumidification position to realize the automatic receiving of blanks by the next receiving tray 8.
[0031] This invention enables continuous production. The formed blanks conveyed to the isolation hood 15 undergo microwave preheating at 80℃-100℃ via microwave heater 26. After preheating, some moisture is removed, and the blanks are then discharged through the second pusher plate 18. The second pusher plate 18 enters through the discharge inlet square hole 25 and applies a pushing force to the receiving tray 8, pushing it out through the discharge outlet square hole 17. Under the continuous operation of the conveyor belt, the microwave-preheated blanks are transported to the drying equipment for drying. The drying temperature is 140℃. The preheating and drying operations are integrated, resulting in strong continuous production capacity and fast drying speed. Compared to the traditional 24-72 hours required for natural air drying, this invention significantly shortens the drying time and improves drying efficiency by combining microwave preheating and drying.
[0032] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A low-cost cold-end production process for silicon carbide rods, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Automatic material receiving device for vertical extruder discharge port; S2. The formed blank is transferred using a fully automatic receiving device; S3. Transfer the formed blank to the preheating and drying device for microwave preheating and drying. S4. The preheated and dried molded blanks are automatically transferred to the drying equipment for drying. S5. High-temperature silicon infiltration is carried out on the dried molding blank.
2. The low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S3, the microwave preheating and drying temperature is 80℃-100℃, and the drying time is 1 hour.
3. The low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S4, the drying temperature is 100-140℃ and the drying time is 4-6 hours.
4. The low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S1, the automatic receiving device includes a track (3) set below the vertical extruder (1), a track car (4) is installed on the track (3), a receiving platform (5) is set on the track car (4), a pusher slot (21) is opened in the middle of the receiving platform (5), a pusher travel slot plate (6) is set at the bottom of the pusher slot (21), a first motor (19) is installed at one end inside the pusher travel slot plate (6), the output end of the first motor (19) is fixedly connected to the first screw (20), the first screw (20) is connected to the pusher plate (7) set on the top surface of the receiving platform (5) through the first nut connecting bracket (23), and several receiving trays (8) are placed side by side on the receiving platform (5) inside the pusher plate (7). The preheating and drying treatment device is set outside the track (3) in the discharge direction of the pusher plate (7).
5. The low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process according to claim 4, characterized in that: The preheating and drying device includes a receiving platform (10), an isolation cover (15) is provided above the receiving platform (10), a dehumidifier (16) is installed on the top of the isolation cover (15), a microwave heater (26) is installed on the top of the inner cavity of the isolation cover (15), a discharge slot (22) is provided in the middle of the receiving platform (10), a discharge travel slot plate (11) is provided at the bottom of the discharge slot (22), a second motor (12) is installed at one end inside the discharge travel slot plate (11), the output end of the second motor (12) is fixedly connected to the second screw (13), the second screw (13) is connected to the second push plate (18) provided on the top surface of the receiving platform (10) through the second nut connecting bracket (14), and a discharge inlet square hole (25), a discharge outlet square hole (17) and a push inlet square hole (24) are respectively provided at the front end, the rear end and the end facing the extruder outlet of the isolation cover (15).
6. The low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process according to claim 4, characterized in that: The receiving platform (5) moves along the track (3) via the railcar (4) toward the discharge port (2) below the vertical extruder (1). When the top center of one end of the receiving tray (8) corresponds to the bottom center of the discharge port (2), the billet discharge operation begins. As the discharge operation continues, the railcar (4) drives the receiving tray (8) to move horizontally to receive the billet. After a section of billet is discharged, the first motor (19) runs, driving the first screw (20) to rotate. The pusher plate (7) pushes the receiving tray (8) that has completed receiving to move toward the discharge direction. The receiving tray (8) connected to it falls below the bottom center of the discharge port (2) to repeat the receiving operation.
7. The low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process according to claim 5, characterized in that: The receiving platform (10) is adjacent to one side edge of the receiving platform (5). After the receiving platform (5) moves to the position of the receiving platform (10) and aligns with the position of the receiving platform (10), the first motor (19) is started, which drives the pusher plate (7) to push the receiving tray (8) loaded with billet toward the inner cavity of the isolation cover (15). During the pushing process, the receiving tray (8) passes through the pusher entry square hole (24) and enters the isolation cover (15), and is placed below the microwave heater (26). The microwave heater (26) is turned on to perform microwave preheating and drying on the billet. After the microwave preheating and drying is completed, the second screw (13) is turned on, which drives the second pusher plate (18) to enter from the discharge entry square hole (25) and pushes the receiving tray (8) out from the discharge output square hole (17) to the external conveying equipment.
8. The low-cost silicon carbide rod cold-end production process according to claim 5, characterized in that: The length of the material pusher entering the square hole (24) is not less than the length of the receiving tray (8), and the width of the material pusher entering the square hole (24) is not less than the thickness of the receiving tray (8).