Vacuum heater and production process thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a vacuum heater and a production process thereof, and relates to the technical field of vacuum heaters, the vacuum heater comprises a shell, the interior of the shell is fixedly connected with a heating body used for heating, the two sides of the heating body are fixedly connected with insulating layers, the shell is divided into a bottom plate and a cover plate, and the bottom plate and the cover plate are fixedly connected with each other; the heating body is a strip-shaped resistor, the strip-shaped resistor is horizontally bent on the horizontal plane where the wide side face of the strip-shaped resistor is located and is coiled to form an annular structure, and the distances between adjacent sections of the annular structure are consistent. The insulating layer is a mica insulating layer; according to the heating body structure, the rigidity of the heating body is ensured by using the strip-shaped resistor, and the heating body is horizontally bent along the horizontal plane on which the wider side surface is positioned, so that the heating body structure has the advantage of forming a heater with the minimum depth, and the heating body structure can eliminate the possible non-uniformity of the spacing of the annular structure form during manufacturing; and meanwhile, the surface temperature uniformity of the base material is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vacuum heater technology, specifically a vacuum heater and its manufacturing process. Background Technology

[0002] Commonly used manufacturing processes for flat panel displays include chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, and plasma-induced chemical vapor deposition. Substrates or heaters are used not only in these processes but also in various other processes such as photocopying and heat treatment.

[0003] Under the same conditions, the film deposited at the end of the substrate with a higher temperature is thicker than that at the end with a lower temperature. Therefore, the temperature uniformity of the upper surface of the heater on which the substrate is mounted is the biggest factor determining the uniformity of the deposited film thickness.

[0004] With the increasing sophistication of component manufacturing processes, component manufacturers are demanding more precise temperature uniformity, and process temperatures are gradually rising. However, existing methods have limitations in meeting these market requirements.

[0005] The first problem is the temperature uniformity across different locations in the most commonly used sheathed heating wire. During the manufacturing process, when the thermistor wire is arranged in coils inside the heating wire, the spacing between the coils is not fixed. This is because it is difficult to create a completely uniform stress across the entire coil during the process of adjusting its length by pulling both ends. Therefore, the resistance value per unit length will vary depending on the location. Consequently, in areas with small spacing, the current per unit length is constant, resistance increases, electrical current increases, and ultimately, the temperature becomes high. Conversely, in areas with large spacing, the temperature decreases, resulting in an overall uneven temperature distribution.

[0006] Secondly, there's the issue of contact between the heating wire and the base material. As mentioned earlier regarding the process of purchasing the heating wire from the aluminum base material during base fabrication, machining the heating wire pattern grooves on the aluminum base material can be quite precise. However, due to the rigidity of the sheath, it's difficult to fabricate the heating wire to conform to the pattern grooves. Therefore, by forcibly inserting the heating wire using external force, it's impossible for the heating wire to make full contact with the heating wire groove. This combination of contact and non-contact areas becomes a cause of uneven temperature distribution. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a vacuum heater and its manufacturing process to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0009] A vacuum heater includes a housing, inside which a heating element for generating heat is fixedly connected. Insulating layers are fixedly connected to both sides of the heating element. The housing is divided into a bottom plate and a cover plate, which are fixedly connected to each other. The heating element is a strip resistor, which is horizontally bent and coiled on the horizontal plane of its wider side to form a ring structure, with adjacent segments of the ring structure having consistent spacing. The insulating layer is a mica insulating layer. A terminal block is fixedly connected to the middle of the heating element, and a conductor post is fixedly connected to the middle of one side of the housing. A wire is fixedly connected to the terminal block, passing through the conductor post and extending to the outside of the housing.

[0010] This application also provides a manufacturing process for a vacuum heater, comprising the following steps:

[0011] Step 1: Machining and sheet metal forming are performed on the base plate and cover plate respectively;

[0012] Step 2: Cover the base plate with an insulating layer, place the heating element on the insulating layer, and then cover it with another insulating layer to obtain a semi-finished product;

[0013] Step 3: The semi-finished product is fed into the shaping mechanism and covered with a cover plate to obtain the heater body. The shaping mechanism then cools and shapes the heater body.

[0014] Step 4: Friction welding is performed on the shaped heater body using a welding device to combine the base plate and the cover plate to form a shell;

[0015] Step 5: Place the heater body with the completed shell welding into the testing mechanism for quality inspection. After the inspection is completed, the finished heater is obtained.

[0016] As a further aspect of the present invention: the shaping mechanism uses a molding unit to mold the cover plate and the semi-finished product together, and uses cooling pipes to cool the heater body from both the top and bottom.

[0017] As a further aspect of the present invention: before the molding operation, the shaping mechanism rolls the heater body flat by the rolling unit to make its top surface level and to make the insulation layer evenly and evenly distributed.

[0018] As a further aspect of the present invention: the detection mechanism generates a vacuum environment through a vacuum chamber, and performs quality detection on the heater body by observing the heating behavior of the heater body in the vacuum environment.

[0019] As a further aspect of the present invention: the molding unit includes a molding platform, and a molding groove is fixedly connected to the center of the molding platform. A frame is provided above the molding platform, and the bottom corners of the frame are fixedly connected to the molding platform by several support rods. A molding head is fixedly installed in the center of the frame. Molding contact plates are fixedly connected to the bottom of the molding head and the bottom of the inner wall of the molding groove. Cooling pipes are fixedly connected to the two opposite sides of the two molding contact plates. The cooling pipes are bent and coiled and fixedly connected to an external refrigeration device.

[0020] As a further embodiment of the present invention: the roller pressing unit includes a roller pressing guide rail, an mounting frame is slidably installed on the inner wall of the roller pressing guide rail, a directional motor is fixedly connected to one side of the mounting frame, a flipping frame is fixedly connected to the output end of the directional motor, a pressing roller is rotatably connected to one end of the flipping frame, and a vibrator is fixedly installed in the middle of the flipping frame.

[0021] As a further aspect of the present invention: the detection mechanism includes a vacuum chamber, a sealing cover is snapped onto the top of the vacuum chamber, a sealing gasket is fixedly connected to the bottom edge of the sealing cover, an exhaust plate is fixedly connected to the bottom of the vacuum chamber, a plurality of suction pipes are fixedly connected to the middle of the exhaust plate, and the plurality of suction pipes are all fixedly connected to an external vacuum pumping device; a plurality of detection slots are opened at the bottom of the sealing cover, and an infrared sensor is fixedly installed inside the plurality of detection slots.

[0022] As a further aspect of the present invention: the inner wall of the vacuum chamber is fixedly connected with a plurality of support members for supporting the heater body. The support members include a sliding rod, an adjusting ring is slidably connected to the middle of the sliding rod, and a support bending plate is fixedly connected to the top of the adjusting ring.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: By using a strip resistor, compared with a ring-shaped heater, the rigidity of the heating element can be guaranteed when using a strip-shaped planar approach. Furthermore, because it is horizontally bent along the horizontal plane of its wider side, it has the advantage of forming a heater with minimal depth, while simultaneously satisfying thermal efficiency and substrate rigidity. Compared with traditional multi-turn spring-style heating coils, the heating element structure of this application can eliminate the unevenness of the spacing of the ring-shaped structure that may occur during manufacturing, while also having the significant advantage of ensuring uniform surface temperature of the base material. The insulation layer is a mica insulation layer, which is lower in cost and has a longer service life compared to traditional insulating materials such as magnesium oxide or aluminum nitride.

[0024] This invention cools the heater body from both the top and bottom sides through cooling pipes. By cooling the heater body while it is being molded, the rapid shaping of the heater body is assisted, ensuring the stable connection of the various components of the heater body. The heater body is rolled flat by a roller pressing unit to make its top surface level. In conjunction with a vibrator, the heater body is vibrated during the rolling operation between the pressing roller and the heater body, so that the insulation layer can be evenly and flatly distributed.

[0025] This invention creates a vacuum environment by setting up a detection mechanism, and detects the heater by observing the heating behavior of the heater body in the vacuum environment, thereby improving the quality of the finished heater. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the vacuum heater of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a top view showing the layout of the heating element of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum heater of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the shaping mechanism of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the molding groove of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the roller pressing unit of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of the testing mechanism of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of the process flow of the present invention.

[0034] In the diagram: 1. Housing; 2. Insulation layer; 3. Heating element; 4. Electrical connector; 5. Molding table; 6. Molding groove; 7. Molding contact plate; 9. Cooling pipe; 10. Molding head; 12. Frame; 13. Roller guide rail; 14. Mounting frame; 16. Tilting frame; 17. Vibrator; 18. Pressing roller; 19. Vacuum box; 20. Exhaust plate; 21. Evacuation pipe; 22. Sealing cover; 23. Infrared sensor; 24. Sliding rod; 25. Adjusting ring; 26. Supporting bending plate; 27. Guide post; 28. Lifting ring. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] Please see Figures 1-8 In this embodiment of the invention, a vacuum heater includes a housing 1. A heating element 3 for generating heat is fixedly connected inside the housing 1. Insulating layers 2 are fixedly connected to both sides of the heating element 3. The housing 1 is divided into a bottom plate and a cover plate, which are fixedly connected to each other. The heating element 3 is a strip resistor, and the strip resistor is horizontally bent and coiled on the horizontal plane of its wider side to form a ring structure. Please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 2 In this embodiment, the heating element 3 is composed of two symmetrically arranged annular structures. The annular structure includes a C-shaped coiled portion on the outer side and an S-shaped coiled portion on the inner side. The spacing between adjacent segments of the annular structure is consistent. A power connector 4 is fixedly connected between the two annular structures for connecting to an external circuit. A wire post 27 is fixedly connected to the middle of one side of the housing 1. A wire is fixedly connected to the power connector 4. The wire passes through the wire post 27 and extends to the outside of the housing 1, and is connected to an external power source. Several lifting rings 28 are fixedly connected to the edge of one side of the housing 1 to facilitate the transportation and movement of the entire heater.

[0037] By using a strip resistor, compared to a ring-shaped heater, the rigidity of the heating element 3 can be guaranteed when using a strip planar method. Furthermore, since it is horizontally bent along the horizontal plane where the wider side is located, it has the advantage of forming a heater with minimal depth. This is a method that simultaneously satisfies thermal efficiency and substrate rigidity. Compared to the conventional multi-turn spring-style heating coil, the heating element 3 structure of this application can eliminate the non-uniformity of the ring structure spacing that may occur during manufacturing, while also having the significant advantage of ensuring the uniformity of the surface temperature of the base material.

[0038] Insulation layer 2 is a mica insulation layer 2, which is lower in cost and has a longer service life compared to traditional insulating materials such as magnesium oxide or aluminum nitride.

[0039] This application also provides a manufacturing process for a vacuum heater, comprising the following steps:

[0040] Step 1: Machining and sheet metal forming are performed on the base plate and cover plate respectively;

[0041] Step 2: Cover the base plate with an insulating layer 2, place the heating element 3 on the insulating layer 2, and then cover it with another insulating layer 2 to obtain a semi-finished product;

[0042] Step 4: Friction welding is performed on the shaped heater body using a welding device to combine the base plate and the cover plate to form shell 1;

[0043] Step 5: Place the heater body with the completed shell 1 welded into the testing mechanism for quality inspection. After the inspection is completed, the finished heater is obtained.

[0044] The molding unit includes a molding platform 5, with a molding groove 6 fixedly connected to the center of the molding platform 5. A frame 12 is installed above the molding platform 5, and the bottom corners of the frame 12 are fixedly connected to the molding platform 5 by several support rods. A molding head 10 is fixedly installed in the center of the frame 12. Molding contact plates 7 are fixedly connected to the bottom of the molding head 10 and the bottom of the inner wall of the molding groove 6. Cooling pipes 9 are fixedly connected to the two opposite sides of the two molding contact plates 7. The cooling pipes 9 are bent and coiled and fixedly connected to an external refrigeration device. The shaping mechanism uses the molding unit to mold the cover plate and the semi-finished product together, and cools the heater body from the top and bottom sides through the cooling pipes 9. By cooling the heater body 3 while molding and shaping, the rapid shaping of the heater body is assisted, ensuring the stable connection of the various components of the heater body 3.

[0045] Before the molding operation, the shaping mechanism rolls the heater body flat using a roller pressing unit to make its top surface level and to evenly distribute the insulation layer 2. The roller pressing unit includes a roller pressing guide rail 13, and a mounting frame 14 is slidably installed on the inner wall of the roller pressing guide rail 13. A directional motor is fixedly connected to one side of the mounting frame 14, and a flipping frame 16 is fixedly connected to the output end of the directional motor. A pressing roller 18 is rotatably connected to one end of the flipping frame 16, and a vibrator 17 is fixedly installed in the middle of the flipping frame 16. By setting the vibrator 17, when the pressing roller 18 is rolled with the heater body, it is vibrated, thereby driving the vibration between the heater body in contact with it, so that the insulation layer 2 can be evenly spread and dispersed.

[0046] The testing agency generates a vacuum environment through a vacuum chamber 19 and performs quality testing on the heater body by observing its heating behavior in the vacuum environment. The testing agency includes a vacuum chamber 19, with a sealing cover 22 snapped onto the top of the vacuum chamber 19. A sealing gasket is fixedly connected to the bottom edge of the sealing cover 22. An exhaust plate 20 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the vacuum chamber 19. Several suction pipes 21 are fixedly connected to the middle of the exhaust plate 20, and all suction pipes 21 are fixedly connected to an external vacuum pumping device. Several detection slots are opened inside the vacuum chamber 19 at the bottom of the sealing cover 22, and infrared sensors 23 are fixedly installed inside each detection slot.

[0047] The inner wall of the vacuum chamber 19 is fixedly connected with several support components for supporting the heater body. The support components include a sliding rod 24, an adjusting ring 25 is slidably connected to the middle of the sliding rod 24, and a supporting bending plate 26 is fixedly connected to the top of the adjusting ring 25. By setting the support components to support and limit the heater body, it is convenient to detect the heating status of each side and judge the quality of the heater. Since the adjusting ring 25 can slide along the sliding rod 24, the position of each supporting bending plate 26 is adjustable, thereby achieving stable support and fixation of heater bodies of different sizes.

[0048] When the process equipment of the present invention is used to manufacture heaters...

[0049] First, the sheet metal material is machined and formed using external equipment to obtain a base plate and cover plate with the required shape, size, and groove. An insulating layer 2 is then applied to the base plate, and a heating element 3 is placed on top of this layer. Another insulating layer 2 is then applied to obtain a semi-finished product. Before the insulating layer 2 is fully shaped, the semi-finished product is placed into a molding groove 6, and then the cover plate is placed on top. The cooling equipment connected to the cooling pipe 9 located below the molding groove 6 is activated to cool and shape the insulating layer 2 near the base plate. Then, the roller guide rail 13 moves the mounting frame 14, and the adjusting motor rotates the tilting frame 16, causing the pressing roller 18 to contact the top surface of the cover plate. The reciprocating motion of the pressure guide rail 13 and the mounting frame 14 drives the pressing roller 18 to reciprocate, pressing the insulating layer 2 below the cover plate. At the same time, the vibrator 17 vibrates, driving the pressing tube and the pre-made contact cover plate, and the insulating layer 2 below to vibrate, so that they are evenly dispersed. Then, the adjusting motor drives the flipping frame 16 to lift up, and the pressing guide rail 13 drives the mounting frame 14 to move and reset. The molding head 10 presses down, and the molding contact plate 7 is used to press the top of the cover plate, completing the initial combination of the cover plate and the bottom plate. The cooling equipment connected to the cooling pipe 9 in the molding head 10 is started to cool and shape the insulating layer 2 near the cover plate, thus obtaining the heater body.

[0050] The heater body is integrated into the welding equipment of the external device. The base plate and the cover plate are combined and welded by friction welding to form and fix the shell 1. Then the wires are connected.

[0051] The heater body is then placed into the vacuum chamber 19, supported by the bending plate 26. The sealing cover 22 is then placed on top, and the external vacuum pumping equipment is activated to extract the air from the vacuum chamber 19, simulating the actual working environment of the heater. The heater body is then powered on, and the infrared sensors 23 at various locations are used to detect and analyze the heating status at each location of the heater body to determine whether the temperature uniformity of the heater meets the requirements. After the test is passed, the lead wire post 27 is welded on, and the wire is led out from the lead wire post 27.

[0052] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications or alterations to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vacuum heater, characterized in that, The device includes a housing (1), a heating element (3) is fixedly connected inside the housing (1), and an insulating layer (2) is provided on both sides of the heating element (3); the heating element (3) is a strip resistor; the insulating layer (2) is a mica insulating layer (2); a grounding socket (4) is provided in the middle of the heating element (3), and a conductor post (27) is fixedly connected to the middle of one side of the housing (1).

2. A manufacturing process for a vacuum heater, characterized in that, Including the following Step 1: Machining and sheet metal forming are performed on the base plate and cover plate respectively; Step 2: Cover the base plate with an insulating layer (2), place the heating element (3) on the insulating layer (2), and then cover it with another insulating layer (2) to obtain a semi-finished product; Step 3: The semi-finished product is fed into the shaping mechanism and covered with a cover plate to obtain the heater body. The shaping mechanism then cools and shapes the heater body. Step 4: Friction welding is performed on the shaped heater body using a welding device to combine the bottom plate and the cover plate to form a shell (1); Step 5: Place the heater body with the completed shell (1) welding into the testing mechanism for quality inspection. After the inspection is completed, the finished heater is obtained.

3. The manufacturing process of a vacuum heater according to claim 2, characterized in that, In step three, the shaping mechanism uses a molding unit to mold the cover plate and the semi-finished product together, and uses cooling pipes (9) to cool the heater body from the top and bottom.

4. The manufacturing process of a vacuum heater according to claim 2, characterized in that, The shaping mechanism rolls the heater body flat by a roller pressing unit, making its top surface level and the insulation layer (2) evenly and evenly distributed.

5. The manufacturing process of a vacuum heater according to claim 2, characterized in that, In step four, the testing mechanism generates a vacuum environment through a vacuum chamber (19) and performs quality testing on the heater body by observing the heating behavior of the heater body in the vacuum environment.

6. The manufacturing process of a vacuum heater according to claim 3, characterized in that, The molding unit includes a molding table (5), a molding groove (6) is fixedly connected to the middle of the molding table (5), a frame (12) is provided above the molding table (5), a molding head (10) is fixedly installed in the middle of the frame (12), a molding contact plate (7) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the molding head (10) and the bottom of the inner wall of the molding groove (6), and a cooling pipe (9) is fixedly connected to one side of each of the two molding contact plates (7).

7. The manufacturing process of a vacuum heater according to claim 4, characterized in that, The roller pressing unit includes a roller pressing guide rail (13), and a mounting frame (14) is slidably installed on the inner wall of the roller pressing guide rail (13). A directional motor is fixedly connected to one side of the mounting frame (14), and a flipping frame (16) is fixedly connected to the output end of the directional motor. A pressing roller (18) is rotatably connected to one end of the flipping frame (16), and a vibrator (17) is fixedly installed in the middle of the flipping frame (16).

8. The manufacturing process of a vacuum heater according to claim 2, characterized in that, The detection mechanism includes a vacuum chamber (19), a sealing cover (22) is snapped onto the top of the vacuum chamber (19), a sealing gasket is fixedly connected to the bottom edge of the sealing cover (22), an exhaust plate (20) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the vacuum chamber (19), and several suction pipes (21) are fixedly connected to the middle of the exhaust plate (20); several detection slots are opened at the bottom of the sealing cover (22), and infrared sensors (23) are fixedly installed inside the several detection slots.

9. The manufacturing process of a vacuum heater according to claim 8, characterized in that, The inner wall of the vacuum chamber (19) is fixedly connected with several support members, including a sliding rod (24), an adjusting ring (25) is slidably connected to the middle of the sliding rod (24), and a supporting bending plate (26) is fixedly connected to the top of the adjusting ring (25).

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