Heat treatment facility

Abstract

To provide a heat treatment facility which can execute heat treatment while stirring an object to be treated in a temperature range of 1,500°C or higher.SOLUTION: A heat treatment facility 1 comprises: (A) a cylindrical retort 3 storing an object to be treated at the inside; (B) a batch-type heat treatment chamber 12 configured as a vacuum container in which the inside and the outside are air-tightly partitioned, and provided with a treatment chamber 26 storing the retort 3 at the inside; and (C) a conveyance unit 20 executing the delivery of the retort 3 to and from the heat treatment chamber 12. The heat treatment chamber 12 is a heating chamber comprising a treatment chamber 26 surrounded with an adiabatic wall 25 and a rotational mechanism part 40 supporting the retort 3 and rotating the retort 3 around a shaft center, and heating the object to be treated to a prescribed temperature, and components of the rotational mechanism part 40 disposed at the treatment chamber 26 of the heating chamber 12 and the retort 3 are formed from a carbon material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat treatment facility for performing a heat treatment on a workpiece. [Background technology]

[0002] When powder such as fine ceramics is heat-treated at a temperature of 1500°C or higher, it has been common to fill a carbon sheath placed on a tray with the powder and perform the heat treatment in a tray pusher type continuous furnace, etc. Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology related to this.

[0003] However, in the case of processes such as nitriding ceramics, in which a target substance is synthesized by reacting with the atmosphere in the furnace, the following problems arise. (1) When powder is filled into the sheath, the surface area exposed to the atmosphere is limited, making it unavoidable to take measures such as stacking small sheaths in multiple layers. Even if the powder is divided into small pieces, the surface area exposed to the atmosphere is also limited, so heat treatment takes a long time. (2) To solve the above problems, a common method is to increase the reaction area by stirring the material while processing it in a rotary kiln or the like. However, the mechanical structure of a rotary kiln requires the stirring part to be made of metal, and this mechanism cannot be used in temperatures above 1500°C (the maximum operating temperature for a metal stirring part is approximately 1300°C). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-123508 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE ... In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment facility capable of performing heat treatment on a workpiece while stirring it in a temperature range of 1500°C or higher. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The heat treatment equipment according to the first aspect of the present invention is defined as follows: (A) a cylindrical retort in which an object to be treated is accommodated; (B) a batch-type heat treatment chamber configured as a vacuum container in which the inside and outside are airtightly separated and a treatment chamber for accommodating the retort is provided inside the vacuum container; (C) a transport unit that transfers the retort between the heat treatment chamber and the transport unit; A heat treatment facility comprising: At least one of the heat treatment chambers is a heating chamber that includes a treatment chamber surrounded by a heat insulating wall and a rotation mechanism that supports the retort housed in the treatment chamber and rotates the retort about an axis, and heats the object to be treated to a predetermined temperature; Components of the rotation mechanism and the retort disposed in the treatment chamber of the heating chamber are made of a carbon material.

[0007] According to the heat treatment equipment of the first aspect thus defined, the components of the rotating mechanism and the retort disposed in the treatment chamber of the heating chamber are formed from a carbon material, thereby avoiding the problem of reduced strength that occurs when these components are made from metal, and the workpiece can be heat-treated while being stirred in a temperature range of 1500°C or higher.

[0008] Here, the rotation mechanism can include a pair of rolls arranged side by side at a distance within the processing chamber, extending from the opening side of the heating chamber in the depth direction of the heating chamber or extending in a left-right direction intersecting the depth direction, and a bearing member that holds the rolls rotatably (second aspect). In this way, by rotating the roll, the retort supported by the roll can be rotated.

[0009] In the present invention, a gas introduction opening that communicates the inside and outside of the retort is formed at the center of the end portion through which the axis of the retort passes, The heating chamber may be provided with a gas supplying means for supplying gas to the gas inlet opening of the retort housed in the processing chamber (third aspect). The gas inlet opening formed in the center of the end of the retort does not change position even when the retort rotates, so that even when the retort rotates around its axis, fresh gas can be continuously supplied to the inside of the retort through the gas inlet opening, accelerating the reaction between the material to be treated contained in the retort and the atmospheric gas.

[0010] In the present invention, a plurality of the heat treatment chambers are arranged along a conveying track, The transport unit may be configured to move along the transport track and deliver the retort between the heat treatment chambers (fourth aspect). In this way, when successive heat treatments are performed at different temperatures, the workpiece can be subjected to a series of heat treatments including a plurality of steps with different conditions while being moved between a plurality of heat treatment chambers. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a heat treatment facility according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a retort in the same embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a heating chamber in the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a heating chamber and a transport unit in a connected state in the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the heating chamber and the transport unit. [Figure 7] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating the operation of a delivery mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 8]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the heating chamber in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a modified example of the heating chamber different from that shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a view showing the retort of FIG. 9 alone. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a heat treatment facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. The heat treatment facility 1 in the figure is preferably used when performing heat treatment on powder such as ceramics. In the figure, 10 denotes a rail that serves as a conveying track extending linearly in the left-right direction in the figure, and multiple batch-type heat treatment chambers (here, a first heating chamber 12 and a second heating chamber 13) are arranged linearly along this rail 10 with openings 28 (see FIG. 3) described below facing in the same direction, that is, upward in the figure. In addition, a charging table 16 is provided at the left end in FIG. 1, and an extraction table 18 is provided at the right end in the figure.

[0013] Reference numeral 20 denotes a transport unit that travels on rails 10. Transport unit 20 receives the workpiece on loading table 16, travels on rails 10, and loads the workpiece into first heating chamber 12 (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as heating chamber 12). Alternatively, the workpiece after being heat-treated in the first heating chamber 12 is received from the first heating chamber 12, travels on the rail 10, and is loaded into the second heating chamber 13 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the heating chamber 13). Furthermore, the transport unit 20 receives the workpiece after it has been heat-processed in the second heating chamber 13 from the second heating chamber 13 , travels on the rails 10 , and transports it to the extraction table 18 .

[0014] In this example, the powder W as the object to be treated is transported in a state of being accommodated inside the retort 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the retort 3 is equipped with a cylindrical retort body 4 with a bottom wall portion 4a and a peripheral wall portion 4b, and a lid portion 5 that closes an end opening 4c of the retort body 4. An internal storage space 6 surrounded by the bottom wall portion 4a, the peripheral wall portion 4b, and the lid portion 5 is provided inside the retort body 4. The lid portion 5 is separable from the retort body 4, and the powder W can be accommodated in the internal storage space 6 through the opening 4c that appears when the lid portion 5 is separated. At the center (end center) of the bottom wall portion 4a and the lid portion 5 through which the axis 3c of the retort 3 passes, openings 7 and 8 that communicate the internal storage space 6 with the outside are formed. This is to enable the supply of gas to the inside of the retort 3, and for example, the gas sent to the inside from the opening (gas introduction opening) 7 can be circulated toward the opening (gas discharge opening) 8 as shown by the arrow in the figure. The retort body 4 and lid 5 that constitute the retort 3 are formed using a carbon material that is less susceptible to strength loss in high-temperature environments of 1500° C. or higher, compared to when they are made of metal. Examples of carbon materials include graphite and C / C composites (carbon fiber reinforced carbon composite materials) (the same applies to carbon materials used in parts other than the retort 3).

[0015] 3 and 4 show the internal structure of the first heating chamber 12. As shown in FIG. The first heating chamber 12 has a bottomed, cylindrical, pressure-resistant furnace shell 22 and an insulating material 24 disposed therein. The insulating material 24 has a bottomed, generally cylindrical shape and constitutes an insulating wall 25. A processing chamber 26 for accommodating the retort 3 is formed inside the insulating wall 25. The heat insulating material used here may be a laminated heat insulating material made of graphite fiber (fibrous graphite felt). It is also possible to use a heat insulating material made of ceramic fiber instead of graphite fiber.

[0016] The first heating chamber 12 is provided with a sliding door 29 that opens and closes the opening 28. The door 29 slides on the inner surface of a flange 31 by a cylinder 30, and in the closed state, the door 29 air-tightly seals the opening 28 via a rubber packing. A plate-shaped insulating material 33 that constitutes a part of the insulating wall 25 together with the insulating material 24 is provided on the door 29 so as to move together with the insulating material 33, and the opening 34 of the substantially cylindrical insulating wall 25 is closed by the insulating material 33. In the heating chamber 12, a water-cooled panel 35 is provided on the inner surface side of the door 29 to protect the rubber packing that air-tightly seals the opening 28 from heat.

[0017] A graphite heating element 37 is disposed as a heating means in the treatment chamber 26 accommodating the retort 3. As shown in Fig. 4, a plurality of heating elements 37 are disposed at intervals in the circumferential direction, and the outer wall of the retort 3 is heated by the heat generated by the heating element 37, and the heat is transferred to the inner wall of the retort 3, heating the powder W in the retort. The temperature to which the powder W is heated in the first heating chamber 12 is set to 1500°C or higher.

[0018] The heating chamber 12 also has a rotation mechanism 40 that supports the retort 3 loaded in the treatment chamber 26 and rotates the retort 3. The rotation mechanism 40 is configured to include a pair of rolls 41, 41, bearing members 43A, 43B that rotatably hold the roll 41, and a drive motor 45.

[0019] The pair of rolls 41, 41 are rod-shaped members arranged in parallel at a distance from each other in the lower region of the processing chamber 26, and as shown in Fig. 4, they abut against the peripheral wall portion 4b of the retort 3 to support the retort 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the roll 41 is formed to be longer in the axial direction than the retort 3 and is arranged in a manner extending from the opening 28 of the chamber 12 toward the depth direction of the chamber 12 (to the left in Fig. 3), and one end of the roll 41 on the right side in the figure is held by a bearing member 43A at a position closer to the opening 28 of the chamber 12 than the end face of the retort 3. The other end of the roll 41 on the left side in the figure penetrates the insulating wall 25 and is held by a bearing member 43B at a position outside the processing chamber 26. The other end of this roll 41 is connected to a drive motor 45, and in the rotation mechanism 40, the pair of rolls 41, 41 are rotated based on the rotational driving force of the drive motor 45, thereby making it possible to rotate the retort 3 around its axis.

[0020] Among the components constituting the rotation mechanism 40, the pair of rolls 41, 41 arranged in the processing chamber 26 and the bearing member 43A that holds one end of these rolls are exposed to high temperatures of 1500°C or higher, and are therefore formed, like the retort 3, from a carbon material that exhibits less loss in strength in high temperature environments of 1500°C or higher than if they were made of metal.

[0021] 3, the first heating chamber 12 is provided with an exhaust port 48. The exhaust port 48 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown), and the inside of the chamber (inside the processing chamber 26) is made into a vacuum state (reduced pressure state) by sucking (exhausting) the air or atmospheric gas inside the chamber through the exhaust port 48.

[0022] The heating chamber 12 is also provided with a gas supply port 50 for supplying nitrogen gas into the heating chamber 12. A nitrogen gas supply line 51 extending from a nitrogen gas source 52 is connected to the gas supply port 50, and a flow rate control valve 51a and an opening / closing valve 51b are provided on the flow path. Nitrogen gas supplied to the gas supply port 50 is guided through a gas guide pipe 53 inside the chamber to the processing chamber 26 inside the insulating wall 25. A tip 53a of the gas guide pipe 53 is provided at a position facing the gas inlet opening 7 of the retort 3, and the nitrogen gas delivered from the tip 53a of the gas guide pipe 53 is sent into the inside of the retort 3 through the gas inlet opening 7. In this embodiment, the nitrogen gas supply line 51, the gas supply port 50, and the gas guide pipe 53 form a gas delivery means.

[0023] The structure of the first heating chamber 12 has been described above, but the other, second heating chamber 13, has a basically similar structure. For this reason, in the second heating chamber 13, the parts that are the same as those in the first heating chamber 12 are indicated by reference numerals only, and detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0024] Next, the transport unit 20 will be described. As shown in Figure 5, the transport unit 20 has a traveling cart 90 that runs on the rails 10, and further has a connecting cart 92 that moves the insulation chamber 56 described below together with the delivery chamber 54 back and forth in the left-right direction in Figure 5, which is perpendicular to the rails 10, on the traveling cart 90, and connects and disconnects the delivery chamber 54 and the insulation chamber 56 to the first heating chamber 12 and the second heating chamber 13. Reference numeral 94 denotes a cylinder that moves the connecting cart 92 back and forth in the left and right direction in FIG. 5 by a small stroke, and the heat retention chamber 56 and the delivery chamber 54 are moved back and forth in the left and right direction in FIG. In this embodiment, the connecting cart 92, the rollers 96, the cylinder 94, etc. constitute the forward and backward moving means.

[0025] The transport unit 20 has a delivery chamber 54 at the front on the heating chambers 12, 13 side, and a heat-retaining chamber 56 at the rear on the opposite side.

[0026] The delivery chamber 54 has a pressure-resistant rectangular cylindrical wall 58, and defines therein a storage chamber 60 for storing the retort 3. A delivery mechanism 62 is provided in the storage chamber 60. The delivery mechanism 62 delivers the retort 3 between the heating chambers 12, 13 and the rear insulation chamber 56, and has a fork portion 62A and horizontal slide members 62B, 62C as shown in Fig. 7, which slide horizontally to deliver the retort 3 with the fork portion 62A in contact with the lower portion of the peripheral wall portion 4b of the retort 3. In the heating chambers 12, 13, the space 26a between the pair of rolls 41, 41 shown in Fig. 4 is used as a space into which the fork portion 62A is inserted during the delivery operation, thereby enabling the retort 3 to be delivered smoothly between the heating chambers 12, 13.

[0027] The delivery chamber 54 is provided with an exhaust port 63, which is connected to a vacuum pump 64 shown in FIG. 6 through an exhaust pipe 66A, so that the inside of the delivery chamber 54 is evacuated to a vacuum by the vacuum pump 64. An on-off valve 68A made of a solenoid valve is provided on the exhaust pipe 66, and communication between the exhaust port 63 and the vacuum pump 64 is established or cut off by opening and closing the on-off valve 68A.

[0028] The delivery chamber 54 is also provided with a gas supply port 70 as shown in FIG. 6, and nitrogen gas is supplied into the delivery chamber 54 through the gas supply port 70 . The front end of the delivery chamber 54, i.e., the left end in Fig. 5, is an opening 72 without a door. The delivery chamber 54 is provided with a flat frame-shaped packing 74 around the opening 72. By moving forward toward the first heating chamber 12 and the second heating chamber 13, the delivery chamber 54 is docked with the first heating chamber 12 and the second heating chamber 13 such that the frame-shaped packing 74 is in airtight contact with the outer surfaces of the first heating chamber 12 and the second heating chamber 13.

[0029] On the other hand, the latter heat-retaining chamber 56 has a heat insulating material 78 inside a bottomed cylindrical pressure-resistant furnace shell 76, and the heat insulating material 78 constitutes a heat insulating wall 80. The heat insulating wall 80 forms an accommodation chamber 82 inside, in which the retort 3 is accommodated. A stand 84 consisting of a pair of rod-shaped members is provided in the storage chamber 82. The retort 3 in the storage chamber 82 is placed on the stand 84 and supported.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 6, the heat-retaining chamber 56 is provided with an exhaust port 86 for evacuating the atmospheric gas therein, and the exhaust port 86 is connected to the vacuum pump 64 via an exhaust pipe 66B. An on-off valve 68B consisting of an electromagnetic valve is provided on the exhaust pipe 66B, and communication between the exhaust port 86 and the vacuum pump 64 is established and cut off by opening and closing the on-off valve 68B.

[0031] 5, the heat-retaining chamber 56 is provided with a heater 120 as a heating means for keeping the powder W warm inside the heat-retaining wall 80. The heat-retaining chamber 56 is provided with doors 110 and 112 made of a heat-insulating material for opening and closing the upper opening 104 and the lower opening 106 of the heat-insulating wall 80, and these doors are opened and closed by cylinders 114 and 116.

[0032] The heat-retaining chamber 56 is also provided with a gas supply port (not shown) in the furnace shell 76 for supplying nitrogen gas as a cooling gas into the interior. Also inside is a heat exchanger (not shown) that passes the supplied nitrogen gas between water-cooled pipes to lower the temperature through heat exchange, a cooling fan 100 that circulates the cooled nitrogen gas within the heat-retaining chamber 56, and a motor 102 that rotates this, which together form a gas cooling device for the powder W.

[0033] In this gas cooling device, the rotation of the cooling fan 100 causes the nitrogen gas, whose temperature has been reduced, to flow upward through the opening 106 at the bottom of the insulating wall 80, hit the retort 3, cool it, and then flow out of the opening 104 at the top of the insulating wall 80, where it passes through the heat exchanger again and is cooled. The powder W is cooled while this circulating flow is generated. Reference numeral 118 denotes a cooling water pipe provided above the opening 104 to prevent the cooling fan 100 from overheating.

[0034] That is, in this embodiment, the heat-retaining chamber 56 has a cooling function in addition to a heat-retaining function for keeping the powder W warm.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 5, an opening 122 is provided between the heat-retaining chamber 56 and the delivery chamber 54, more specifically, at the end of the heat-retaining chamber 56 on the delivery chamber 54 side, and this opening 122 is opened and closed by a door 128 that slides on the inner surface of a flange 126 by a cylinder 124.

[0036] As in the heating chambers 12 and 13 described above, the door 128 of the heat-retaining chamber 56 is also provided with a plate-shaped insulating material 130 that moves integrally with the door 128 to open and close an opening 129 in the insulating wall 80, and a water-cooled panel 132 is provided on the door 128 to protect the rubber packing that airtightly seals the opening 122 from heat.

[0037] Next, a series of heat treatment operations using the heat treatment equipment 1 in this embodiment will be specifically described. First, the transport unit 20 receives the retort 3 containing the powder W therein from the charging table 16 (see FIG. 1) in the delivery chamber 54 by the delivery mechanism 62, and stores the retort 3 in the delivery chamber 54. Thereafter, the transport unit 20 moves to the position of the first heating chamber 12 and transports the retort 3.

[0038] Thereafter, the transport unit 20 uses the cylinder 94 to move the transfer chamber 54 together with the rear heat-retaining chamber 56 forward a small distance toward the heating chamber 12, and docks it against the first heating chamber 12 so that the frame-shaped gasket 74 at the tip of the transfer chamber 54 is in close contact with the outer surface of the heating chamber 12.

[0039] Then, with the door 128 between the transfer chamber 54 and the heat retention chamber 56 closed, the inside of the transfer chamber 54 is evacuated through the exhaust port 63 by the vacuum pump 64, and the inside of the transfer chamber 54 is reduced to a vacuum pressure similar to that of the first heating chamber 12.

[0040] When the pressure in the delivery chamber 54 becomes a vacuum pressure equivalent to the pressure in the first heating chamber 12, the door 29 of the first heating chamber 12 is opened, and the retort 3 in the delivery chamber 54 is loaded into the treatment chamber 26 in the first heating chamber 12 by the delivery mechanism 62 and set on the roll 41.

[0041] When the retort 3 is loaded into the first heating chamber 12, heating of the retort 3 is started, and the powder W in the retort 3 is heated to a first target heating temperature (for example, 2000° C.). In the first heating chamber 12, the retort 3 supported by the roll 41 is rotated by rotating the roll 41, which is a component of the rotation mechanism 40, to agitate the powder W contained therein. Nitrogen gas is introduced into the treatment chamber 26 from the tip 53a of the gas guide pipe 53, while the atmospheric gas in the treatment chamber 26 is exhausted to the outside of the treatment chamber 26 through the exhaust port 48. In the retort 3, a gas flow is formed in which the nitrogen gas introduced through the opening 7 flows toward the opening 8. As a result, in the first heating chamber 12, the powder W is brought into contact with fresh nitrogen gas supplied through the gas guide pipe 53 while being stirred in a predetermined temperature range, and the reaction between the powder W and the nitrogen gas can be promoted. When the heat treatment in the first heating chamber 12 is completed, the inside of the heating chamber is depressurized to a vacuum pressure again.

[0042] When the heat treatment in the first heating chamber 12 is completed, the transport unit 20, which had once been separated from the first heating chamber 12, is moved forward again toward the first heating chamber 12, and the delivery chamber 54 is docked with the first heating chamber 12. Then, the inside of the delivery chamber 54 and the inside of the heat retention chamber 56 are evacuated by the vacuum pump 64 to bring them to vacuum pressure, and the door 128 is opened.

[0043] Thereafter, the door 29 of the first heating chamber 12 is opened, and the powder W in the heating chamber 12 is moved together with the retort 3 into the delivery chamber 54, which is then moved from the delivery chamber 54 to the heat-retaining chamber 56, and the retort 3 is housed in the heat-retaining chamber 56. The heat-retaining chamber 56 is preheated to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 800°C) by energizing the heater 120, and the housed powder W is kept at 800°C, while the transport unit 20 moves to the second heating chamber 13.

[0044] Next, the transport unit 20 loads the retort 3 into the second heating chamber 13. Note that the operation of transferring the retort 3 between the second heating chamber 13 and the transport unit 20 is similar to the above-mentioned operation of transferring the retort 3 between the first heating chamber 12 and the transport unit 20, and therefore a detailed description of the subsequent transfer operation will be omitted.

[0045] When the retort 3 is loaded into the second heating chamber 13, heating of the retort 3 is started, and the powder W in the retort 3 is heated to a second target heating temperature (e.g., 800°C), and the heat treatment is continued. In the second heating chamber 13, as in the first heating chamber 12, the retort 3 is rotated and nitrogen gas is fed into the furnace during the heat treatment.

[0046] When the heat treatment in the second heating chamber 13 is completed, the transport unit 20 removes the retort 3 from the second heating chamber 13 and places it in the heat-retaining chamber 56 to cool the powder W. At this time, nitrogen gas is introduced into the heat-retaining chamber 56 to pressurize the inside of the chamber to a predetermined pressure, and cooling water is passed through the heat exchanger serving as the gas cooling means while rotating the fan 100 to forcibly circulate the gas in the heat-retaining chamber 56 and gas-cool the powder W.

[0047] The cooled powder W is then discharged onto the extraction table 18 at the right end in Fig. 1. This completes a series of heat treatments of the powder W. The powder W discharged onto the extraction table 18 is then taken to a downstream process.

[0048] According to the heat treatment equipment 1 of this embodiment configured as described above, the components of the rotating mechanism 40 and the retort 3 arranged in the treatment chamber 26 of the heating chambers 12 and 13 are made of carbon material, so that the powder W can be heat-treated while being stirred in a temperature range of 1500°C or higher while avoiding the problem of strength reduction that occurs with metal parts. When carbon materials are exposed to reactive gases (such as carbon dioxide) at high temperatures, they react with the reactive gas and are worn away. However, according to the heat treatment equipment 1 of this embodiment, the inside of the insulating wall 25 (i.e., the inside of the furnace shell 22 configured as a vacuum container) in which the various parts made of the carbon material are housed can be easily turned into a nitrogen gas atmosphere by vacuum purging, thereby suppressing wear of the various parts made of the carbon material.

[0049] In the heat treatment equipment 1 of this embodiment, a pair of rolls 41, 41 arranged side by side at a distance in the treatment chamber 26 in a manner extending from the opening 28 side of the heating chambers 12, 13 in the depth direction of the heating chambers 12, 13, and bearing members 43A, 43B that rotatably hold the roll 41 are included in the rotation mechanism 40, and the retort 3 supported by the roll 41 can be rotated by rotating the roll 41. In addition, by using the space 26a between the pair of rolls 41, 41 as a space into which the fork part 62A of the transport unit is inserted during the transfer operation, the retort 3 can be smoothly transferred to and from the heating chamber.

[0050] In the heat treatment equipment 1 of this embodiment, a gas inlet opening 7 is formed in the center of the end (bottom wall portion 4a) through which the axis 3c of the retort 3 passes, and a gas supply means for supplying gas toward the gas inlet opening 7 of the retort 3 contained in the treatment chamber 26 is provided in the heating chambers 12, 13. Therefore, even when the retort 3 is rotating around its axis, fresh nitrogen gas can be continuously supplied into the retort 3 through the gas inlet opening 7, and the reaction between the powder W contained in the retort 3 and the nitrogen gas can be promoted.

[0051] In the heat treatment equipment 1 of this embodiment, two heating chambers 12, 13 are arranged along a rail 10, and a transport unit 20 is configured to move along the rail 10 to transfer the retort 3 between the heating chambers 12, 13. As the powder W is moved between the heat treatment chambers, it can be subjected to a series of heat treatments including two heating steps with different conditions.

[0052] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, this is merely an example, and the present invention can be configured in various modified forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. (a) For example, the above embodiment is an example equipped with a cylindrical retort, but the retort can be configured with a polygonal shape other than a circle. Also, a configuration different from that of the above embodiment can be appropriately adopted for the configuration of the rotation mechanism for rotating the retort. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of annular protrusions 3d of a predetermined width are provided at intervals in the axial direction on the outer peripheral surface of the retort 3 having an octagonal cross section, and a pair of rolls 41B, 41B that engage with the respective annular protrusions 3d to support the retort 3 are disposed below the retort 3, and the retort 3 can be rotated by driving the rolls 41B to rotate. Here, it is also possible to form gear-shaped portions that mesh with each other on the outer peripheral surfaces of the annular protrusions 3d and the rolls 41B that abut against each other, and rotate the retort 3 by the meshing of the gears.

[0053] (b) In the above embodiment, the pair of rolls is arranged in a manner extending from the opening side of the heating chamber in the depth direction of the heating chamber, but for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the pair of rolls 41C, 41C can be arranged in a manner extending in the left-right direction different by 90° from the above embodiment. In this example, as shown in FIG. 9(B), two retorts 3B can be accommodated in the treatment chamber 26 inside the insulating wall 25 formed in a rectangular cylindrical cross section, and each retort 3B is supported by a pair of rolls 41C, 41C. Each end of the roll 41C is held by bearing members 43A and 43B at a position outside the treatment chamber 26, and the pair of rolls 41C, 41C can be rotated based on the rotational driving force of the drive motor 45 to rotate the retort 3B around the axis 3c. In this example, the retort 3B and the roll 41C are made of a carbon material.

[0054] FIG. 10 is a view showing the retort 3B in the example of FIG. 9 alone. This retort 3B has annular protrusions 3d of a predetermined width formed at three locations, namely, both ends and the central portion in the axial direction, and the recessed portion 3e formed between the annular protrusions 3d is used as a space into which the fork portion 62A of the conveying unit 20 is inserted during the delivery operation, and the annular protrusions 3d engage with the roll 41C. In this retort 3B, by providing an annular protrusion 3d also in the central portion in the axial direction, the contact area with the roll 41C can be increased, thereby improving the stability of the rotation operation. In addition, it is also possible to expand the internal storage space (which stores the object to be processed) formed inside the retort 3B in a direction perpendicular to the axis 3c in accordance with the annular protrusion 3d in the central portion.

[0055] (c) Although the above embodiment is an example of a heat treatment facility equipped with two heating chambers, it may be equipped with one or three or more heating chambers. By providing multiple chambers, it is possible to carry out multiple treatments under the same conditions in parallel. In addition to the heating chambers, it is also possible to further provide a cooling chamber for cooling the workpiece and / or a slow cooling chamber for slow cooling. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1 Heat treatment equipment 3,3B Retort 3c axis center 7 Opening (gas inlet opening) 10 Rail (transport track) 12 First heating chamber (heat treatment chamber) 13 Second heating chamber (heat treatment chamber) 20 Transport unit 22 Furnace shell 25 Insulated walls 26 Processing Room 28 Opening 40 Rotation mechanism 41, 41B, 41C Roll 43A, 43B Bearing members 53 Gas guide pipe (gas supply means) W Powder (processing material)

Claims

1. (A) a cylindrical retort in which an object to be treated is accommodated; (B) a batch-type heat treatment chamber configured as a vacuum container in which the inside and the outside are airtightly partitioned, and in which a treatment chamber for accommodating the retort is provided; (C) a transport unit that transfers the retort between the heat treatment chamber and the transport unit; A heat treatment facility comprising: At least one of the heat treatment chambers is a heating chamber that includes a treatment chamber surrounded by a heat insulating wall and a rotation mechanism that supports the retort housed in the treatment chamber and rotates the retort about an axis, and heats the object to be treated to a predetermined temperature; The heat treatment equipment, wherein components of the rotation mechanism and the retort disposed in the treatment chamber of the heating chamber are made of a carbon material.

2. 2. The heat treatment equipment according to claim 1, wherein the rotation mechanism includes a pair of rolls arranged side by side at a distance from each other in the treatment chamber, the rolls extending from the opening side of the heating chamber in a depth direction of the heating chamber or in a left-right direction intersecting the depth direction, and a bearing member that holds the rolls rotatably.

3. The retort has a gas inlet opening at the center of the end portion through which the axis passes, which allows communication between the inside and outside of the retort, 2. The heat treatment facility according to claim 1, wherein the heating chamber is provided with a gas supply means for supplying gas to the gas inlet opening of the retort housed in the treatment chamber.

4. A plurality of the heat treatment chambers are arranged along the conveying track; The heat treatment facility according to claim 1 , wherein the transport unit moves along the transport track to transfer the retort between the heat treatment chambers.

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