High-end heating oven expansion system for thin film production

Abstract

The application discloses a heating oven expansion system for high-end film production, which comprises a whole continuous oven formed by splicing single box bodies along the longitudinal direction of the film, and the oven is arranged on a multidimensional controllable thermal expansion structure which comprises a central fixed point assembly, two lateral limiting expansion assemblies, a plurality of longitudinal limiting expansion assemblies and a plurality of free expansion adaptation assemblies; the central fixed point assembly is located at the bottom center of the middle box body; the lateral limiting expansion assemblies are symmetrically arranged at the two sides of the central fixed point assembly; the free expansion adaptation assemblies are symmetrically arranged at the two sides of the bottom center of each box body; one longitudinal limiting expansion assembly is arranged every other box body from the middle box body to the two sides, and each longitudinal limiting expansion assembly is located at the bottom center of the corresponding box body; the bottom of the middlemost box body is fixedly connected to the central fixed point assembly and the lateral limiting expansion assemblies; each longitudinal limiting expansion assembly is fixedly connected to the bottom of the corresponding box body; and each free expansion adaptation assembly is supported at the bottom of the corresponding box body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a heating oven device for plastic film production, specifically a high-end heating oven expansion system for film production. Background Technology

[0002] In the production process of high-end optical-grade thin films, the heating oven is a core piece of equipment for film stretching, shaping, and heat treatment. The oven undergoes thermal expansion and contraction deformation under long-term high-temperature operation, and the deformation accuracy and stability of the oven directly determine the core quality indicators of high-end films, such as flatness, light transmittance, and thickness uniformity. Compared to ordinary films, high-end optical-grade films have extremely high requirements for the temperature control accuracy, structural stability, and deformation tolerance of production equipment. Existing oven expansion compensation structures still have many technical defects and cannot meet the demands of high-precision production.

[0003] Existing patent CN110103450A discloses a "split-type insulated box for a plastic film transverse stretching machine," which adopts a split structure of insulated cover and insulated base plate. The longitudinal thermal expansion and contraction deformation of the box is offset by the overall sliding mechanism, effectively improving the uniformity of longitudinal deformation and insulation performance. However, this solution only addresses the longitudinal thermal expansion deformation of the oven and does not limit or compensate for the transverse expansion. In the continuous high-temperature production of high-end optical films, irregular micro-deformation occurs in the transverse direction of the oven, which can easily lead to misalignment of the chain clamp track and heating device inside the oven. This results in uneven transverse heating of the film, deviations in tensile tension, and ultimately quality defects such as thickness variations and poor optical stability, making it unsuitable for the high-precision production standards of high-end films.

[0004] Existing patent CN111707076 A discloses a "film production line oven and thermal balance oven unit," which optimizes the internal temperature field of the oven by setting up two sets of air ducts with opposite airflow directions and utilizing the principle of hot air misalignment compensation, thereby achieving uniform heating of the film as a whole and effectively improving the processing quality problems caused by local temperature differences. However, this solution only optimizes the hot air circulation and thermal balance structure, without considering the structural deviations caused by the high-temperature deformation of the oven body. When the oven body undergoes irregular expansion and deformation in the lateral and longitudinal directions, it will directly change the air duct installation spacing, air outlet angle, and hot air circulation path, offsetting the optimization effect of the thermal balance structure. The temperature control stability is greatly reduced, making it difficult to maintain the high-precision temperature control requirements of high-end film production in the long term.

[0005] Existing patent CN223456465 U discloses a "Horizontal Pull-Out Chamber with Bottom Inspection Door," which significantly shortens equipment maintenance and preheating time and improves equipment operation and maintenance efficiency by setting a detachable inspection door and reserving maintenance space at the bottom of the oven body. However, this solution only optimizes the oven's maintenance structure and does not involve the design of thermal expansion compensation and deformation limiting of the chamber body. It cannot solve the core problem of multi-dimensional deformation of the oven under high-temperature conditions. After long-term operation, the equipment will still experience problems such as decreased production accuracy and accelerated equipment wear due to the accumulation of chamber body deformation.

[0006] In summary, existing thin film production ovens generally suffer from defects such as single deformation compensation dimension, lack of precise lateral positioning, inability to coordinate multi-directional expansion, uncontrolled deformation in large-span ovens, and mismatch between deformation and temperature control structures. They cannot simultaneously meet the requirements for precise positioning and uniform compensation of oven thermal expansion, which can easily lead to substandard optical performance and dimensional accuracy of high-end optical films, becoming a key technical bottleneck restricting the improvement of yield of high-end optical films. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the problem that existing ovens lack thermal expansion constraints, leading to deformation of the oven body under high-temperature conditions and thus affecting the production accuracy and yield of high-end optical thin films, this invention proposes a heating oven expansion system for high-end thin film production.

[0008] A high-end thin-film production heating oven expansion system capable of solving existing technical problems includes a continuous oven formed by splicing multiple odd-numbered sections along the longitudinal direction of the film. Sealing components are provided at the joints between the sections. The key difference is that the oven is mounted on a multi-dimensional controllable thermal expansion structure consisting of a central fixed-point component, two lateral limiting expansion components, multiple longitudinal limiting expansion components, and multiple free expansion adapter components. All components are installed on a base platform.

[0009] 1. The central fixing point assembly is located at the bottom center of the middle box.

[0010] 2. The lateral limiting expansion components are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the central fixed point component.

[0011] 3. The free expansion adapter components are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the bottom center of each of the other boxes.

[0012] 4. Starting from the middle box and moving outwards to both sides, a longitudinal limiting expansion component is installed for every other box, with each longitudinal limiting expansion component located at the bottom center of the corresponding box.

[0013] 5. The bottom of the middle box is fixed to the center fixing point assembly and the lateral limiting expansion assembly.

[0014] 6. Each longitudinal limiting expansion component is fixed to the bottom of the corresponding box.

[0015] 7. Each free expansion adapter component is supported at the bottom of its corresponding housing.

[0016] In the above structure, the central fixed point component becomes the only stationary reference point of the oven, which can achieve bidirectional uniform thermal expansion of the oven body while fixing and limiting it; the longitudinal limiting expansion component can realize longitudinal segmented guided expansion of the large-span oven, restrict the lateral displacement of the oven body, and ensure that each segment of the oven can only expand uniformly in the preset longitudinal direction, avoiding segment tilting and misalignment of splicing seams; the free expansion adapter component is used to support the weight of the oven body, while meeting the bidirectional thermal expansion requirements of the oven body in both longitudinal and slight lateral directions, realizing the maximum free extension and contraction of the side of the oven body; this structure, together with the central fixed reference and segmented limiting structure, makes the overall thermal deformation of the oven body evenly distributed to each section of the oven body, completely solving the problems of local stress concentration and local deformation exceeding the tolerance in large-span ovens.

[0017] Furthermore, one structure of the central fixing point assembly includes a base plate I, with a mounting seat I centrally placed on the base plate I. Lateral limiting members are provided on both the longitudinal and transverse sides of the base plate I to fix the mounting seat I in place.

[0018] Furthermore, one structure of the lateral limiting expansion assembly includes a base plate II, a mounting seat II centrally located on the base plate II, and seat plates mounted on both longitudinal sides of the base plate II. A row of heavy-duty balls II arranged laterally is provided between the mounting seat II and each side seat plate. Ball baffles mounted on the seat plates are provided on both lateral sides of the mounting seat II.

[0019] Furthermore, one structure of each longitudinal limiting expansion component includes a base plate III, a guide block centrally placed on the base plate III, and fixed seats mounted on the base plate III symmetrically arranged on both sides of the guide block in the lateral direction. Each fixed seat is equipped with a limiting block that limits the lateral movement of the limiting guide block.

[0020] Furthermore, one structure of the free expansion adapter includes a base plate IV, a ball seat is centrally placed on the base plate IV and fixed to the base plate IV by a clamping component, and two rows of ball grooves are provided on the ball seat, each ball groove is fitted with a heavy-duty ball IV that is higher than the ball seat and can rotate flexibly.

[0021] Furthermore, the interval between the longitudinal limiting expansion components is 4m to 6m.

[0022] Furthermore, the sealing component is a high-temperature resistant sealing strip.

[0023] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0024] The expansion system of the heating oven for high-end thin film production of this invention achieves precise compensation and constraint of longitudinal and lateral thermal expansion and contraction of the oven by designing an adaptive expansion compensation and limiting structure, eliminating irregular deformation of the oven body, ensuring the installation accuracy and operational stability of the heating components and chain track inside the oven, maintaining a uniform and stable temperature field inside the oven, and ultimately realizing high-precision, high-yield, and stable continuous production of high-end optical-grade thin films.

[0025] This invention addresses the core pain points of existing ovens—namely, their single-dimensional deformation compensation, lack of precise positioning reference, and irregular deformation of large-span chambers—through a central four-way locking positioning, precise lateral limiting, longitudinal segmented guidance, and freely adaptable side structure. It is suitable for high-precision production conditions of high-end optical thin films up to 250℃ and offers the following significant advantages:

[0026] 1. Establish a unique deformation benchmark to completely eliminate the overall offset of the oven. Set up a four-way fully locked central fixed point component as the only fixed benchmark for the thermal expansion of the oven. This completely changes the defects of traditional ovens that have no fixed benchmark and deform arbitrarily in both directions. It makes the oven body only expand and contract evenly to both sides after being heated, eliminating problems such as overall movement, tilting, and stress concentration of the oven from the root and greatly improving the stability of large-span oven structures.

[0027] 2. To address the shortcoming of existing technologies that lack lateral expansion constraints, a dedicated lateral limiting expansion component is installed on both sides of the central fixed area. Through heavy-duty ball bearing low-resistance sliding and a double-sided limiting structure, the oven achieves minute, uniform, and controllable lateral deformation, effectively limiting the problem of irregular lateral displacement of the oven body.

[0028] 3. Achieve longitudinal segmented controllable expansion to meet the production needs of large-span ovens. Use longitudinal limiting expansion components evenly arranged at 4m to 6m intervals to segment and guide the large-size oven. While ensuring longitudinal free thermal compensation of the oven body, strictly limit the lateral displacement of the segmented oven body, and accurately control the overall thermal deformation error of the large-span oven within the design range, ensuring the consistency of the overall size accuracy of the wide-width optical film.

[0029] 4. The side of the oven is equipped with a free expansion adapter component. Through high-precision grooves and heavy-duty ball bearing structure, the oven body can achieve low resistance and large stroke free expansion and contraction. While supporting the overall weight of the oven, it can evenly distribute the overall thermal expansion of the oven, avoid local deformation accumulation and stress overload, and at the same time take into account the load-bearing stability and deformation flexibility of the oven body. It can adapt to the production conditions of spliced ​​ovens of different length specifications, and the structure has extremely strong adaptability.

[0030] 5. The entire process adopts a composite structure of rigid fixing and heavy-duty ball bearing flexible sliding, eliminating rigid collisions and hard stress tension, which greatly reduces wear and fatigue damage to the chamber and connecting parts. The equipment has high operational stability and low failure rate, effectively extending the service life of the drying oven and reducing the production and maintenance costs and downtime losses for enterprises. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram (top view) of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 for Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the central fixed point component in the implementation method.

[0033] Figure 3 for Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the lateral limiting expansion component in the implementation method.

[0034] Figure 4 for Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the longitudinal limiting expansion component in the implementation method.

[0035] Figure 5 for Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the free expansion adapter component in the implementation method.

[0036] Drawing number markings: 1. Oven; 1-1. Chamber body; 2. Center fixing point assembly; 2-1. Base plate I; 2-2. Mounting seat I; 2-3. Fixed seat I; 2-4. Top seat; 2-5. Limiting block I; 2-6. Top rod; 3. Lateral limiting expansion mechanism; 3-1. Base plate II; 3-2. Seat plate; 3-3. Heavy-duty ball bearing II; 3-4. Ball bearing baffle; 3-5. Mounting seat II; 4. Longitudinal limiting expansion mechanism; 4-1. Base plate III; 4-2. Guide block; 4-3. Limiting block III; 4-4. Fixed seat III; 5. Free expansion adapter mechanism; 5-1. Base plate IV; 5-2. Ball bearing seat; 5-3. Pressure plate; 5-4. Heavy-duty ball bearing IV; 6. Base platform. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0038] The invention relates to an expansion system for a high-end thin film production heating oven. The core of this system adopts a multi-dimensional collaborative deformation compensation structure that combines central fixed positioning, lateral limiting expansion, longitudinal segmented guiding expansion, and side free expansion. This effectively solves the problem of irregular deformation of the oven body 1-1 caused by high-temperature thermal expansion and contraction.

[0039] This invention relates to a high-end thin film production heating oven expansion system, comprising a continuous oven 1 (operating temperature less than 250℃) composed of 13 sections 1-1 spliced ​​along the longitudinal direction of the film (the length directions to the left and right in the figure, and the width directions to the front and back in the figure are the transverse directions of the film). High-temperature resistant sealing strips are provided at the joints between the sections 1-1 of the oven 1. The oven 1 is mounted on a multi-dimensional controllable thermal expansion structure consisting of a central fixed point component 2, two transverse limiting expansion components 3, six longitudinal limiting expansion components 4, and twenty-four free expansion adapter components 5. Figure 1 As shown.

[0040] A central fixing point assembly 2 and two lateral limiting expansion assemblies 3 are arranged corresponding to the middle box 1-1. The central fixing point assembly 2 is located at the center of the box 1-1, and the two lateral limiting expansion assemblies 3 are symmetrically arranged laterally (front and rear) on both sides of the central fixing point assembly 2. Figure 1 As shown.

[0041] The central fixing point assembly 2 includes a base plate I2-1 bolted to the base platform 6. A mounting seat I2-2 is centrally located on the base plate I2-1. A pair of fixing seats I2-3 and a pair of top seats 2-4 are respectively provided on the horizontal (front and rear) and vertical (left and right) sides of the mounting seat I2-2. Each fixing seat I2-3 and each top seat 2-4 is bolted to the base plate I2-1. Each fixing seat I2-3 is bolted with a limiting block I2-5 (limiting the front and rear sides) that acts on the corresponding side of the mounting seat I2-2. (Rearward displacement), each top seat 2-4 is screwed with a top rod 2-6 acting on the corresponding side of the mounting seat I2-2 (limiting left and right displacement), the interaction of the limiting block I2-5 and the top rod 2-6 (using screws) completely locks the mounting seat I2-2 in the front, back, left and right directions, the mounting seat I2-2 is welded and fixed to the bottom of the middle box 1-1; during operation, the mounting seat I2-2 firmly locks the middle of the oven 1 as a fixed point for thermal expansion, so that the box 1-1 can only expand evenly in the longitudinal and transverse directions after being heated, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown.

[0042] The lateral limiting expansion assembly 3 includes a base plate II 3-1 bolted to a base platform 6. A mounting seat II 3-5 is centrally located on the base plate II 3-1. Mounting seats II 3-5 are symmetrically arranged longitudinally (left and right) along their lengths (left and right). Each mounting seat 3-2 is bolted to the base plate II 3-1. A slot of uniform width exists between the mounting seat II 3-5 and the left and right mounting seats 3-2. Each slot is fitted with a row of heavy-duty ball bearings II 3-3 arranged laterally (front and back). The mounting seat II 3-5 also has mounting plates II 3-3 mounted laterally (front and back) on the left and right sides. The ball bearing baffle 3-4 between the base plates 3-2 (closes the slot to prevent the heavy-duty ball bearings II 3-3 from falling off), and the mounting base II 3-5 are welded and fixed to the bottom of the middle housing 1-1; during operation, when the housing 1-1 undergoes a slight lateral expansion due to heat, the mounting base II 3-5 can slide freely in the lateral direction (front and back), while being confined within the base plate II 3-1, allowing only uniform and slight expansion, eliminating free displacement of the housing 1-1, controlling the lateral deformation of the housing 1-1 within an effective range, and avoiding the defect of insufficient optical performance of the optical film caused by free deformation of the housing 1-1, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 3 As shown.

[0043] To achieve longitudinal expansion limiting of oven 1, three (a total of six) longitudinal limiting expansion components 4 are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the central fixed point component 2, i.e., the middle chamber 1-1. The interval between any two adjacent longitudinal limiting expansion components 4 is 4m to 6m. The distance between the central fixed point component 2 and the first longitudinal limiting expansion component 4 on the left and right is 4m to 6m. The three longitudinal limiting expansion components 4 on each side are respectively aligned with the center of the second, fourth, and sixth chambers 1-1 (counting from the inside out) on the same side. Component 4 has 12 symmetrical free expansion adapter components 5 on both sides of its transverse (front and rear) direction; the first, third, and fifth chambers 1-1 on each side (without longitudinal limiting expansion components 4 counted from the inside out) also have 12 symmetrical free expansion adapter components 5 on their transverse (front and rear) direction. The function of the free expansion adapter components 5 is to allow each chamber 1-1 to achieve maximum free expansion, and the free expansion adapter components 5 can provide load-bearing capacity for the oven 1, while simultaneously meeting the thermal expansion requirements in both longitudinal and transverse directions. Figure 1 As shown.

[0044] The longitudinal limiting expansion assembly 4 includes a base plate Ⅲ4-1 bolted to a base platform 6. The base plate Ⅲ4-1 has symmetrically arranged fixing seats Ⅲ4-4 laterally (front and rearward). The front and rear fixing seats Ⅲ4-4 each have front and rear limiting blocks Ⅲ4-3 (mounted with screws). A longitudinal (left and rightward) limiting groove is formed between the front and rear limiting blocks Ⅲ4-3. A guide block 4-2 slidably disposed within the limiting groove, located on the base plate Ⅲ4-1, restricts the lateral (front and rearward) displacement of the oven body, allowing it to slide only longitudinally (left and rightward). The guide block 4-2 is welded and fixed to the bottom of the corresponding oven body 1-1. During operation, after the oven 1 is heated, the guide block 4-2 can slide longitudinally (length direction) between the front and rear limiting blocks Ⅲ4-3, thereby limiting the lateral displacement of the oven body 1-1 and ensuring that each section of the oven body 1-1 expands uniformly only in a preset direction. Figure 1 , Figure 4 As shown.

[0045] The free expansion adapter component 5 (allowing the housing 1-1 to slide at maximum stroke) includes a base plate IV5-1 bolted to the base platform 6. A ball bearing seat 5-2 is mounted on the base plate IV5-1. The ball bearing seat 5-2 is pressed and fixed to the base plate IV5-1 by two rows of pressure plates 5-3. The ball bearing seat 5-2 has two rows of high-precision grooves evenly spaced (five grooves per row longitudinally). Each groove contains a heavy-duty ball bearing IV5-4 that can rotate flexibly. The groove depth is small. The outer diameter of the heavy-duty ball bearings IV5-4, i.e., the heavy-duty ball bearings IV5-4 protruding from the top of the ball bearing seat 5-2, and the bottom of the chamber 1-1 resting on 10 evenly spaced heavy-duty ball bearings IV5-4, ensures that the chamber 1-1 can smoothly expand and contract. During operation, the chamber 1-1 can freely expand and contract on the heavy-duty ball bearings IV5-4 without being fixedly constrained. Combined with the central fixed point and segmented limiting structure, this achieves uniform expansion of the oven 1 from the center to both longitudinal sides, evenly distributing the overall longitudinal deformation to each section of the chamber 1-1. Figure 1 , Figure 5 As shown.

[0046] This invention effectively solves the problem of irregular thermal expansion after high-temperature heating that is prone to occur in large-size ovens 1, controls the overall thermal deformation error of large-span ovens 1 within the design range, ensures the consistency of production precision of wide-width films, and guarantees the quality of optical film products.

Claims

1. A heating oven expansion system for high-end film production, comprising an integral continuous oven (1) formed by splicing multiple odd-numbered chambers (1-1) along the longitudinal direction of the film, wherein sealing components are provided at the joints between the chambers (1-1), characterized in that: The oven (1) is set on a multi-dimensional controllable thermal expansion structure consisting of a central fixed point assembly (2), two lateral limiting expansion assemblies (3), multiple longitudinal limiting expansion assemblies (4), and multiple free expansion adapter assemblies (5). All assemblies are mounted on a base platform (6), wherein: The center fixing point assembly (2) is located at the bottom center of the middle box (1-1); The lateral limiting expansion component (3) is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the central fixing point component (2); The free expansion adapter component (5) is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the bottom center of each of the other boxes (1); From the middle box (1-1) outwards to both sides, a longitudinal limiting expansion component (4) is set every other box (1-1), and each longitudinal limiting expansion component (4) is located at the bottom center of the corresponding box (1-1); The bottom of the middle box (1-1) is fixed to the center fixing point assembly (2) and the lateral limiting expansion assembly (3); Each longitudinal limiting expansion component (4) is fixed to the bottom of the corresponding housing (1-1); Each free expansion adapter component (5) is supported at the bottom of the corresponding box (1-1).

2. The heating oven expansion system for high-end thin film production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The central fixing point assembly (2) includes a base plate I (2-1) and a mounting seat I (2-2) centrally located on the base plate I (2-1). Lateral limiting members are provided on the base plate I (2-1) on both the longitudinal and transverse sides of the mounting seat I (2-2) to fix the mounting seat I (2-2) in place.

3. The heating oven expansion system for high-end thin film production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lateral limiting expansion assembly (3) includes a base plate II (3-1), a mounting seat II (3-5) centrally located on the base plate II (3-1), and seat plates (3-2) installed on the base plate II (3-1) on both longitudinal sides of the mounting seat II (3-5). There are heavy-duty ball bearings II (3-3) arranged in a transverse row between the mounting seat II (3-5) and each side seat plate (3-2). There are ball bearing baffles (3-4) installed on the seat plates (3-2) on both transverse sides of the mounting seat II (3-5).

4. The heating oven expansion system for high-end thin film production according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each longitudinal limiting expansion component (4) includes a base plate Ⅲ (4-1), a guide block (4-2) centrally located on the base plate Ⅲ (4-1), and a fixed seat (4-4) symmetrically mounted on the base plate Ⅲ (4-1) on both sides of the guide block (4-2). Each fixed seat (4-4) is equipped with a limiting block Ⅲ (4-3) that limits the lateral movement of the limiting guide block (4-2).

5. The heating oven expansion system for high-end thin film production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The free expansion adapter component (5) includes a base plate Ⅳ (5-1), a ball seat (5-2) is centrally placed on the base plate Ⅳ (5-1) and fixed to the base plate Ⅳ (5-1) by a clamping component. The ball seat (5-2) has two rows of ball grooves, and each ball groove is fitted with a heavy-duty ball Ⅳ (5-5) that is higher than the ball groove and can rotate flexibly.

6. The heating oven expansion system for high-end thin film production according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The interval between the longitudinal limiting expansion components (4) is 4m to 6m.

7. The heating oven expansion system for high-end thin film production according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The sealing component is a high-temperature resistant sealing strip.

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