Lead button processing equipment

Abstract

To provide a lead button processor which can safely and surely put a lead button on a cupel with an excellent work efficiency.SOLUTION: The lead button processor includes: a lead button processing jig having a lead button arrangement unit having a plurality of lead button arrangement holes opening in the upper part and in the lower part to provide a plurality of lead buttons as processing targets and a plate part provided in the lower part of the lead button arrangement unit in a freely extraction manner and forming the bottom surface of the lead button arrangement unit; an arm part for moving the lead button processing jig into a horizontal direction while supporting the lead button processing jig; and a body part having a handle for moving the arm part vertically.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lead button processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] The dry assay method is known as a method for trace analysis of precious metals such as Au and Ag. In the dry assay method, a sample is mixed with lead(II) oxide and a flux to prepare a molten sample, which is then melted in a crucible to capture the precious metal in a lead block and separate it from other sample components. Next, this lead block is molded to produce a lead button, which is then cupellated to soak the lead into an ashtray, and the precious metal is extracted and quantified (Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Japanese Industrial Standard M8111 "Determination of gold and silver in ores" Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to the Japanese Industrial Standard M8111 procedure, the cupellation process for lead buttons begins by preheating multiple cupells installed inside the cupellation furnace. Next, the lead buttons are dropped onto the cupells, held with metal tongs, to melt the buttons.

[0005] However, placing the lead button on the preheated cupell in the cupellation furnace poses a risk of burns to the worker, and placing the lead button on an inappropriate cupell can also lead to analytical errors.

[0006] Therefore, an object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a lead button processing device that can place lead buttons on a cupel safely, reliably, and with good work efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The inventors conducted extensive research to solve the above problems and discovered that the above problems can be solved by using a lead button processing device that is configured to allow multiple cupels that have been preheated in a cupellation furnace to be removed from the furnace and then the lead buttons to be processed to be placed on the multiple cupels all at once.

[0008] The present invention, which was completed based on the above findings, is defined by the following (1) to (7). (1) a lead button placement section having a plurality of lead button placement holes, each of which is open at the top and bottom, for placing a plurality of lead buttons to be processed; and a plate-like portion provided below the lead button arrangement portion so as to be freely inserted and removed and constituting the bottom surface of the lead button arrangement portion; a lead button processing jig having an arm portion configured to support the lead button processing jig and move the lead button processing jig in a horizontal direction, and a main body portion equipped with a handle for moving the arm portion in a vertical direction; A lead button processing device comprising: (2) A lead button processing device as described in (1), in which the lead button placement holes are aligned vertically and horizontally in the lead button placement section. (3) A lead button processing device as described in (1) or (2), wherein the plate-shaped portion has a plurality of elongated openings formed so as to extend in parallel with each other. (4) A lead button processing device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the main body has a carriage mechanism. (5) A lead button processing device described in any one of (1) to (4), wherein the main body further has a positioning guide portion into which a positioning jig fixedly provided on the outside of the lead button processing device is inserted. (6) A lead button processing device according to any one of (1) to (5), further comprising a support base for supporting a cupel arrangement member on which a plurality of cupels are arranged. (7) A lead button processing device as described in (6), in which the support base has a groove portion configured to accommodate the arm portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a lead button processing device can be provided that can place lead buttons on a cupel safely, reliably, and with good work efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic view showing the appearance of a lead button processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic view showing the appearance of a lead button processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic view showing the appearance of a plate-shaped portion 15 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view of an arm support part 21 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic view showing the appearance of a lead button processing device 10 and a positioning jig 29 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a support base 35 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic view showing the appearance of a lead button processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic view showing the appearance of a lead button processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 1 is a photograph showing the appearance of a cubic lead button 42 placed in a cupel 43 according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] [Configuration of lead button processing device] 1 and 2 are schematic external views of a lead button processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The lead button processing device 10 comprises a main body 13 equipped with a lead button processing tool 11 and an arm 12. Fig. 1 shows the lead button processing tool 11 not attached to the arm 12, while Fig. 2 shows the lead button processing tool 11 attached to the arm 12. The materials of each component constituting the lead button processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be selected appropriately from the viewpoint of heat resistance, corrosion resistance, strength, etc.

[0012] The lead button processing jig 11 includes a lead button placement portion 14 and a plate-shaped portion 15. The lead button placement portion 14 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape with a predetermined thickness. The thickness of the lead button placement portion 14 is not particularly limited as long as it is thick enough to accommodate the lead buttons to be processed, but it can be, for example, 5 to 20 mm. The length and width of the lead button processing jig 11 are not particularly limited and can be designed appropriately depending on the internal dimensions of the cupellation furnace used, the number of cupellations to be processed at one time, the size of the cupells, etc. The outer shape of the lead button placement portion 14 is not limited to a rectangular flat plate shape and can be designed appropriately as other polygonal, circular, or elliptical flat plate shapes, etc.

[0013] The lead button placement section 14 has a plurality of lead button placement holes 16 for accommodating a plurality of lead buttons to be processed. The lead button placement holes 16 are open at the top and bottom, with the lead buttons to be processed being inserted from the top and lead buttons being dropped from the bottom as described below. The lead button placement holes 16 are formed to be rectangular in shape when viewed from above. The outer shape of the lead button placement holes 16 is not limited to this rectangular shape, and can be appropriately designed to be any other polygonal, circular, elliptical, or other shape when viewed from above.

[0014] The length and width of the lead button placement hole 16 in plan view are not particularly limited as long as they are large enough to accommodate the lead buttons to be processed, and can be designed appropriately depending on the size and arrangement of the cupels. For example, if cupels with a diameter of 30 mm are arranged without any gaps, the length and width can be 20 to 30 mm. The number of lead button placement holes 16 can be designed appropriately depending on the number of samples, the internal dimensions of the cupellation furnace to be used, the size of the cupels, etc.

[0015] It is preferable that a plurality of lead button placement holes 16 are aligned vertically and horizontally in the lead button placement section 14. This configuration allows a larger number of lead button placement holes 16 to be arranged in the lead button placement section 14. Furthermore, as will be described later, when a lead button is dropped from above the cupel, it becomes easier to drop the button accurately into the targeted cupel. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a total of 49 lead button placement holes 16, each rectangular in plan view, are aligned vertically and horizontally in the lead button placement section 14, with seven holes 16 each.

[0016] The lead button arrangement section 14 is provided with a hook section 17 made of a plate-like member having a bent section at about 90 degrees. A total of four hook sections 17 are provided in pairs facing each other at the end of the lead button arrangement section 14. The pair of hook sections 17 are provided with their bent tips facing each other, and can be attached to the arm section 12 by hooking the bent tips as described below.

[0017] The plate-shaped portion 15 is removably provided below the lead button arrangement portion 14 and forms the bottom surface of the lead button arrangement portion 14. That is, when the plate-shaped portion 15 is provided below the lead button arrangement portion 14, the plate-shaped portion 15 closes the lower portion of the lead button arrangement hole 16 of the lead button arrangement portion 14, allowing lead buttons to be arranged in that space. The shape of the plate-shaped portion 15 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that its outline in a plan view be the same as that of the lead button arrangement portion 14. With this configuration, when provided below the lead button arrangement portion 14, the plate-shaped portion 15 and the lead button arrangement portion 14 form a compact, plate-like laminate, making handling easy. The lead button arrangement portion 14 and the plate-shaped portion 15 have holes that penetrate through them in the thickness direction when stacked together, and fixing pins 18 can be inserted into the holes to fix them to each other. The thickness of the plate-shaped portion 15 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1 to 5 mm.

[0018] When the plate-shaped portion 15 is stacked on the lead button arrangement portion 14 and viewed in plan, it has an engagement portion 19 that protrudes from the end of the lead button arrangement portion 14. The engagement portion 19 has a cylindrical protrusion, and by hooking a hook rod 20 (described later) onto the protrusion and sliding it, the plate-shaped portion 15 can be easily shifted or pulled out below the lead button arrangement portion 14.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 3, the plate-shaped portion 15 may have a plurality of elongated openings 44 formed so as to extend in parallel. With this configuration, when the plate-shaped portion 15 is positioned below the lead button arrangement portion 14, the lead buttons can be supported by portions of the plate-shaped portion 15 other than the openings 44. On the other hand, when the plate-shaped portion 15 is pulled out from below the lead button arrangement portion 14, it is not necessary to pull out the entire plate-shaped portion 15. Simply sliding the plurality of elongated openings 44 extending in parallel by one row and moving it to below the lead button arrangement holes 16 causes the lead buttons placed in the lead button arrangement holes 16 to lose support from the bottom surface and fall. This allows a plurality of lead buttons to fall quickly and almost simultaneously, improving processing efficiency.

[0020] The arm unit 12 is attached to the main body 13 of the lead button processing device 10 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. A pair of arms 12 are provided extending parallel to each other with a predetermined distance between them. The arm unit 12 is configured to support the lead button processing jig 11 while being able to move the lead button processing jig 11 in the horizontal direction. A mechanism for moving the arm unit 12 in the horizontal direction is provided in the main body 13 and will be described later.

[0021] The length and width of each arm portion 12 are not particularly limited as long as they are long enough and wide enough to support the lead button processing jig 11, but can be, for example, 10 to 100 cm in length and 2 to 10 cm in width.

[0022] One end of the arm portion 12 is supported by the arm portion support portion 21. As shown in Fig. 4, the arm portion support portion 21 has a plurality of fitting grooves 41 into which the arm portions 12 are fitted to support them, and by fitting the arm portions 12 into an appropriate one of these fitting grooves 41, the distance between the two arm portions 12 can be adjusted.

[0023] The main body 13 includes an arm moving unit 22 to which the arm 12 is attached and slides, and a platform 23 on which the arm moving unit 22 is placed. The main body 13 includes a lifting mechanism that moves a lifting shaft 24 connected to the arm 12 up and down by turning a lifting handle 25. The lifting mechanism of the lifting handle 25 is not limited to this configuration, and any known lifting mechanism can be used. The arm moving unit 22 includes a slide mechanism that moves a slide shaft 26 connected to the arm 12 laterally (in the direction in which the arm 12 extends). The slide shaft 26 is configured to move laterally by moving a slide handle 27 horizontally. The slide mechanism of the arm moving unit 22 is not limited to this configuration, and any known slide mechanism can be used. When the lead button processing device 10 is moved using casters 28, the arm 12 is fixed by locking the slide handle 27, preventing the arm 12 from sliding sideways and enabling safe movement.

[0024] The mounting base 23 has the arm moving unit 22 mounted thereon and is configured to stably support the arm moving unit 22. In the embodiment of the present invention, the mounting base 23 has a cart mechanism with casters 28. Since the mounting base 23 has a cart mechanism, the lead button processing device 10 can be easily moved.

[0025] For efficient processing of lead buttons, the lead button processing device 10 is preferably operated near the entrance of the cupellation furnace. Fixing the device in an appropriate position relative to the cupellation furnace eliminates the need to search for the appropriate location for the lead button processing device 10 each time processing is performed. From this perspective, as shown in FIG. 5, it is preferable to fix a positioning jig 29 to the outside of the lead button processing device 10. The positioning jig 29 may be mounted, for example, at a predetermined position on a support or wall of the cupellation furnace near the entrance. The positioning jig 29 includes a fixing portion 30 for fixing the device in an external predetermined position, such as on a support or wall of the cupellation furnace, and a guide rail 31 that projects horizontally from the fixing portion 30 and guides the main body 13 of the lead button processing device 10.

[0026] The main body 13 of the lead button processing device 10 preferably includes a positioning guide portion 32 on the mounting base 23. The positioning guide portion 32 is configured with guide rollers so that it can be placed on the guide rails 31 of the positioning jig 29 and pressed in to be fixed. FIG. 1 shows the positioning guide portion 32 placed on the guide rails 31 of the positioning jig 29 and pressed in to be fixed. The positioning guide portion 32 of the lead button processing device 10 is configured with guide rollers to match the structure of the guide rails 31 of the positioning jig 29, but the form is not limited to this and can be appropriately designed to match the structure of the positioning jig 29 so that it can be stably fixed to the positioning jig 29.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the external appearance of the lead button processing device 10 when a cupel placement member 34 containing multiple cupels is placed on a support stand 35. The support stand 35 supports the cupel placement member 34 within the cupellation furnace. The cupel placement member 34 constitutes a container with an open top and is sized to accommodate a desired number of cupels. The multiple cupels placed in the cupel placement member 34 are aligned vertically and horizontally to correspond to the alignment of the multiple lead buttons provided on the lead button processing jig 11 attached to the arm 12 of the main body 13, as described below. In the example shown in FIG. 7, seven cupels are aligned vertically and horizontally within the cupel placement member 34 to correspond to the lead button processing jig 11, which has seven lead buttons aligned vertically and horizontally.

[0028] FIG. 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the support base 35. The support base 35 is provided with a groove 40. Two grooves 40 are formed to extend parallel to each other, and are configured so that the two parallel-extending arm units 12 can be lowered into the grooves 40 from above to accommodate them, or the arm units 12 can be slid in and inserted from the side to accommodate them. The grooves 40 in the support base 35 allow the arm units 12 to place the cupel placement member 34 on the support base 35, and also allow the cupel placement member 34 on the support base 35 to be lifted and moved.

[0029] [Lead button] FIG. 9 is an external observation photograph showing an example of a cupel 43 containing a lead button 42. In this example, the lead button 42 is formed into a cube. The composition and shape of the lead button 42 to be processed by the lead button processing device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately prepared and designed using known methods. For example, a method for manufacturing the lead button 42 involves first placing a sample to be analyzed in a crucible, followed by adding lead(II) oxide and a flux. Next, the sample, lead(II) oxide, and flux in the crucible are stirred and mixed.

[0030] The sample to be analyzed is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, ores containing valuable metals, recycled raw materials, or samples containing valuable metals generated in the processing steps from a flash furnace to an electrolytic cell in the smelting of non-ferrous metals such as copper, etc. The sample may contain precious metals such as Ag, Au, Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, and Ir.

[0031] The flux is prepared by estimating the precious metal content from the rough composition of the sample, determining the reducing and oxidizing power of the weighed sample, and then mixing an appropriate amount of flux to form a predetermined amount of lead button from the weighed sample. Examples of fluxes that can be used include borax, silica sand, sodium carbonate, oxide ores such as manganese oxide, sulfide ores, and potassium nitrate. Flour, starch, iron materials, etc. can also be used as reducing agents, if necessary.

[0032] After preparing the crucible containing the prepared sample containing lead(II) oxide and a flux, the sample in the crucible is coated with salt or the like. The crucible is then placed in a melting furnace to melt the sample. Melting conditions can be appropriately set depending on the composition or amount of the sample in the crucible, the number of crucibles, the desired processing efficiency, etc. For example, melting can be performed at 880 to 1100°C for 100 minutes.

[0033] After melting, the crucible is removed from the melting furnace, and the sample in the crucible is poured into individual molds. The poured samples are then molded into the desired shape to produce lead buttons. The lead ingots produced by the pouring process are then removed from the molds and molded into a desired shape, such as a cube, rectangular parallelepiped, or cone, to produce lead buttons.

[0034] [Method for processing lead buttons using a lead button processing device] Next, a method for processing lead buttons using the lead button processing device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. <1. Carrying the cupell placement components into the cupellation furnace> First, a cupel placement member 34, on which a predetermined number of empty cupels are arranged in parallel lengthwise and widthwise, is placed on the two arms 12 of the lead button processing device 10. At this time, if a positioning guide or the like is provided at a predetermined position on the lead button processing device 10, the cupel placement member 34 can be quickly placed in the correct position by abutting it against the positioning guide, for example. Next, the main body 13 is pushed and the positioning guide portion 32 of the main body 13 is placed on the guide rail 31 of the positioning jig 29 attached beside the cupellation furnace and pushed in to be fixed. At this time, the main body 13 is installed in a position adjacent to the support stand 35. Next, the lifting handle 25 is turned to adjust the height of the arm unit 12 to match the height of the groove 40 of the support base 35. Next, the slide handle 27 is turned to slide the arm unit 12 toward the support base 35, and the arm unit 12 is inserted and accommodated in the groove 40. At this time, the lifting handle 25 may be turned to adjust the height of the arm unit 12 to a position higher than the support base 35, the slide handle 27 may be turned to slide the arm unit 12 above the support base 35, and then the lifting handle 25 may be turned to lower the arm unit 12 and accommodate the arm unit 12 in the groove 40. After accommodating the arm unit 12 in the groove 40, the lifting handle 25 is turned to lower the height of the arm unit 12 and move it away from the cupel placement member 34. This causes the cupel placement member 34 to be supported solely by the support base 35 (the schematic diagram in FIG. 7 shows this state). Next, the slide handle 27 is turned to pull the arm portion 12 out of the groove portion 40 . Next, the support stand 35 on which the cupell placement member 34 is placed is carried into the cupellation furnace.

[0035] <2. Preheating the cupell in the cupellation furnace> Next, the cupel in the cupel placement member 34 placed in the cupellation furnace is preheated as described above. The preheating temperature of the cupel in the cupellation furnace is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to preheat it to a temperature of 790°C to 950°C in order to sufficiently remove impurities and moisture adhering to the surface of the cupel in advance.

[0036] <3. Removal of cupellated components from cupellation furnace> After the preheating of the cupell is completed, the support stand 35 is removed from the cupellation furnace and returned to its original position (adjacent to the main body 13).

[0037] <4. Inserting lead buttons into the cupel of the cupel placement component> Next, the lead button processing jig 11 is attached to the arm portion 12. It is preferable to attach the lead button processing jig 11 while the cupell is being preheated in the cupellation furnace. By attaching the jig at this time, the lead buttons can be quickly introduced into the preheated cupell. The lead buttons to be processed are already placed in each of the multiple lead button placement holes 16 of the lead button processing jig 11. The lead button processing jig 11 may be attached to the arm portion 12 with the lead button to be processed placed in the lead button placement holes 16 of the lead button processing jig 11, or the lead button to be processed may be placed in the lead button placement holes 16 of the lead button processing jig 11 after the lead button processing jig 11 is attached to the arm portion 12. Next, turn the lifting handle 25 to adjust the height of the arm unit 12 to a predetermined height above the cupel placement member 34 on the support base 35. Next, turn the slide handle 27 to slide the arm unit 12 until it is above the cupel placement member 34 on the support base 35 (the schematic diagram in Figure 8 shows this state). Next, the hook rod 20 is hooked onto the engaging portion 19 of the plate-shaped portion 15, and the plate-shaped portion 15 is slid. At this time, the parallel, elongated openings 44 formed in the plate-shaped portion 15 are slid by one row, and the openings 44 are moved to below the lead button placement holes 16, and the lead buttons placed in the lead button placement holes 16 lose support from the bottom surface and fall into the cupel all at once. Next, the plate-shaped portion 15 is returned to its original position, and the slide handle 27 is turned to slide the arm portion 12 back toward the lifting shaft 24.

[0038] <5. Carrying the cupellated parts containing lead buttons into the cupellation furnace> Next, the support stand 35 on which the cupel placement member 34 with the lead button inserted is placed is carried into the cupellation furnace.

[0039] <6. Cupellation of lead buttons> Next, the lead buttons placed in the cupells in the cupell placement member 34 installed in the cupellation furnace as described above are melted. The melting conditions are not particularly limited and can be set appropriately depending on the constituent material of the lead buttons, but for example, the melting can be carried out by heat treatment at 790 to 950°C for 20 to 60 minutes. Next, air is introduced into the cupellation furnace to cupellate the molten lead button in the cupell to create a bead.

[0040] <7. Removal of cupellated components from the cupellation furnace> After the cupellation process is completed, the support 35 is removed from the cupellation furnace and returned to its original position (adjacent to the main body 13). In this way, the molten lead button in the cupellation furnace can be cupelled to produce a bead.

[0041] [effect] According to the lead button processing device of the present invention, it is possible to remove a plurality of cupels preheated in a cupellation furnace from the furnace and then insert the lead buttons to be processed into the cupellation furnace all at once. This eliminates the need to insert the lead buttons into the cupellation furnace one by one, improving the safety of work in front of the cupellation furnace. It also reduces the occurrence of analytical errors caused by placing lead buttons in the wrong cupell. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 10 Lead button processing device 11 Lead button processing jig 12 Arm section 13 Main body 14 Lead button placement section 15 Plate-shaped part 16 Lead button placement hole 17 Hook 18 Fixing pin 19 Engagement part 20 Hook rod 21 Arm support 22 Arm moving part 23 Mounting table 24 Elevating axis 25 Lifting handle 26 Slide shaft 27 Slide handle 28 Caster 29 Positioning jig 30 Fixed part 31 Guide rail 32 Positioning guide 34 Cupel placement components 35 Support stand 40 Groove 41 Fitting groove 42 Lead Button 43 Cupel 44 Opening

Claims

1. a lead button placement section having a plurality of lead button placement holes, each of which is open at the top and bottom, for placing a plurality of lead buttons to be processed; a plate-like portion provided below the lead button arrangement portion so as to be freely inserted and removed, constituting a bottom surface of the lead button arrangement portion, the plate-like portion having a plurality of elongated openings formed so as to extend in parallel with each other; A lead button processing jig having an arm portion configured to support the lead button processing jig and move the lead button processing jig in a horizontal direction, and a main body portion equipped with a handle for moving the arm portion in a vertical direction; A lead button processing device comprising:

2. The lead button processing device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the lead button placement holes are aligned vertically and horizontally in the lead button placement section.

3. The lead button processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the main body has a carriage mechanism.

4. A lead button processing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the main body further has a positioning guide portion into which a positioning jig fixedly provided on the outside of the lead button processing device is inserted.

5. The lead button processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a support base for supporting a cupel arrangement member on which a plurality of cupels are arranged.

6. The lead button processing device according to claim 5, wherein the support base is provided with a groove configured to accommodate the arm portion.

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