Degreasing Equipment

Abstract

Provided is a degreasing apparatus 100 with which maintenance can be performed at an appropriate time to ensure the maximal operation time of the apparatus, and even when an unexpected abnormality occurs, the factor of the abnormality can more accurately be identified. For that purpose, the apparatus comprises: a heating furnace 1 for accommodating and degreasing an object W to be treated; a measurement device 2 for measuring the amount of generated gas that has been generated in the degreasing, or a value that indirectly represents same (hereinafter, will be referred to as the generated gas amount); and an information processing device 7 for calculating, on the basis of the generated gas amount that has been measured by the measurement device 2, management information that is information relating to management including an inspection / maintenance time.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a degreasing device for degreasing a processing object such as a ceramic material. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional degreasing devices of this type, such as that shown in Patent Document 1, require periodic maintenance. For example, a heating furnace that stores and degreases objects to be treated has an opening for loading and unloading the objects, and this opening is airtightly sealed with a lid during degreasing treatment, but the sealing member installed there is replaced during periodic maintenance.

[0003] Furthermore, if any abnormality occurs in the equipment, such as a malfunction in the treatment process, inspection and repair are carried out, during which various parts, including the sealing materials mentioned above, are replaced or adjusted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-43704 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, if the equipment is operated until an abnormality occurs, parts may be severely damaged, and recovery may take longer and cost more than expected. On the other hand, if the frequency of regular maintenance is increased in order to prevent abnormalities from occurring, the equipment operating time will inevitably decrease.

[0006] Furthermore, in the case of a sudden malfunction occurring in a treatment process, for example, the cause of the malfunction may not be sufficiently identified in the conventional apparatus.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to enable maintenance to be performed at appropriate times in this type of degreasing heating device, thereby preventing abnormalities from occurring in the device, ensuring maximum device operating time, and making it possible to more accurately identify the cause of an unexpected abnormality if it does occur. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In other words, the degreasing apparatus of the present invention is characterized by comprising a heating furnace which accommodates the object to be treated and performs the degreasing process thereon, a measuring device which measures the amount of gas generated during the degreasing process or a value which indirectly indicates this (hereinafter these will be referred to as the amount of gas generated), and an information processing device which calculates management information, which is information relating to management including inspection and maintenance timing, based on the amount of gas generated measured by the measuring device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] With the above configuration, inspection and maintenance can be carried out at appropriate times based on the amount of gas generated, preventing abnormalities in the equipment while ensuring maximum equipment operating time, and even if an unexpected abnormality does occur, the cause can be identified more accurately. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a degreasing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a graph showing the time course of an absorbance spectrum. [Figure 3] 1 is a graph showing the change over time in the waveform area of ​​a CH group shown in an absorbance spectrum. [Figure 4] 10 is a graph showing a calibration curve of the amount of generated gas and the integrated value. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a generated gas amount calculation unit in the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a management information calculation unit in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, a degreasing device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, this degreasing apparatus 100 includes a heating furnace 1 that accommodates a treatment object W such as a ceramic molded body and performs a degreasing process thereon, and a measuring device 2 that inline measures the weight of the gas generated by the decomposition and vaporization of the organic binder contained in the treatment object W during the degreasing process in this heating furnace 1, or a value indirectly indicating this weight (hereinafter, these will also be referred to as the amount of gas generated).

[0013] The heating furnace 1 comprises, for example, a metal furnace body 11 provided with an opening for loading and unloading the object to be treated W, and a metal door 12 for closing the opening. During degreasing treatment, the heating furnace 1 is maintained at a predetermined temperature for the degreasing treatment, so that gas generated from the object to be treated W is discharged from the heating furnace 1 together with degreasing gases such as inert gas and superheated steam introduced inside.

[0014] To this end, the heating furnace 1 is connected to a gas inlet pipe 3 for supplying the degreasing gas and a gas outlet pipe 4 for discharging the generated gas. In addition, the heating furnace 1 is also provided with a heater 5 for maintaining the interior of the heating furnace 1 at a predetermined degreasing temperature using a temperature control means such as a thermocouple, a fan 6 for circulating the degreasing gas within the heating furnace 1, and the like.

[0015] In addition, a control device (not shown) is also provided to control valves (not shown) provided in the gas introduction pipe 3, the fan 6, the heater 5, etc., to automatically perform a predetermined degreasing sequence.

[0016] The measuring device 2 includes a gas detection device 21 that detects the generated gas, and a gas amount calculation unit 22 that calculates the amount of the generated gas based on detection data output from the gas detection device 21.

[0017] The gas detection device 21 detects a predetermined component (e.g., a gas having a CH group) in the evolved gas, and in this example, an FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectrometer), which is a type of absorbance meter, is used. The gas detection device 21 is installed near the exhaust port of the heating furnace 1, but the installation location may be any location where the evolved gas can be detected, such as anywhere within the heating furnace 1 or within the gas exhaust pipe 4. Furthermore, the gas detection device 21 is not limited to an FTIR, and other devices such as an NDIR (non-dispersive infrared) gas sensor, a GC (gas chromatograph), an FID (flame ionization detector), or a TOC (total organic carbon) meter may also be used.

[0018] Here, the function of the gas amount calculation unit 22 is performed by an information processing device 7. The information processing device 7 is a so-called computer equipped with a CPU, memory, an I / O interface, a communication interface, etc., and performs the function of the gas amount calculation unit 22 by the CPU and its peripheral devices working together in accordance with a program stored in a predetermined area of ​​the memory.

[0019] Note that this information processing device 7 does not need to be physically integrated, but may be composed of multiple computers connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other, or, for example, the control device may be configured to perform all or part of the functions of this information processing device 7.

[0020] In addition to the gas amount calculation unit 22, the information processing device 7 also functions as a management information calculation unit 71 that calculates management information, which is information related to management including inspection and maintenance timing.

[0021] Next, the operations of the gas amount calculation unit 22 and the management information calculation unit 71 will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0022] When the degreasing process is started (step S11), the gas amount calculation unit 22 acquires detection data output from the gas detection device 21 at each sampling time (step S12) (step S13), and performs background correction and the like on the data to calculate an absorbance spectrum as shown in Fig. 2 (step S14). Note that Fig. 2 shows an example of the absorbance spectrum of each of the evolved gases at a first time, a second time, and a third time during the degreasing process.

[0023] The inventors have discovered that the waveform area of ​​the C—H group in this absorbance spectrum has a certain relationship (proportional relationship) with the amount of gas generated at the sampling time, and that the value obtained by integrating this waveform area over time over the degreasing treatment period, i.e., the integrated value of the waveform area at each sampling time, has a certain relationship (proportional relationship) with the amount of gas generated during the degreasing treatment, and is a value that indirectly indicates the amount of gas generated during the degreasing treatment period.

[0024] According to this principle, the gas amount calculation unit 22 calculates the area of ​​the waveform caused by the CH group (the area of ​​the shaded portion shown in FIG. 2) in the absorbance spectrum at each sampling time (step S15).

[0025] Then, the gas amount calculation unit 22 calculates the integrated value of the waveform area at each sampling time during the degreasing process (hereinafter also referred to as the actual integrated value) (step S17). The waveform area and the integrated value calculated in each degreasing process are recorded as log data in a predetermined area of ​​the memory.

[0026] 3 is a graph showing an example of the change in waveform area of ​​CH groups when the horizontal axis represents elapsed time, and represents the change in the amount of gas generated over time. From this graph, it can be seen that after a certain amount of time has passed since the start of degreasing treatment, the amount of gas generated gradually increases, passes its peak, and finally becomes 0, indicating that degreasing is complete. The area of ​​the peak waveform in this graph (shown with diagonal lines) is the integrated value.

[0027] A calibration curve showing the relationship between the integrated value and the amount of generated gas (amount of weight loss of the object to be treated W) is determined in advance by experiments or the like, as shown in Fig. 4. In this embodiment, calibration curve data showing this calibration curve is stored in the form of a calculation formula, a table, or the like in a calibration curve data storage unit 72 set in a predetermined area of ​​memory.

[0028] Furthermore, the amount of gas generated by normal degreasing processing is determined for each type of processing object W, and can be determined from experiments, past degreasing processing data, etc. In this embodiment, the amount of gas generated expected for each type of processing object W (hereinafter also referred to as the estimated amount of gas generated) is stored in advance in an estimated amount of gas generated storage unit 73 set in a predetermined area of ​​memory.

[0029] The management information calculation unit 71 recognizes the type of processing object W being degreased by input from an operator, etc., and obtains the estimated amount of gas generated from the processing object W by referring to the estimated amount of gas generated storage unit 73 (step S21).

[0030] Furthermore, the management information calculation unit 72 refers to the calibration curve data and calculates an estimated integrated value that is an integrated value corresponding to the estimated amount of generated gas (step S22).

[0031] Next, the management information calculation unit 71 calculates a difference by subtracting the estimated integrated value from the actually measured integrated value (step S23), and if the difference value exceeds a predetermined threshold value (step S24), outputs information indicating that the inspection / maintenance period has arrived, which is one piece of management information (step S25). This information is output and displayed on the display of the information processing device 7 or on a mobile terminal or the like connected to the information processing device 7 by wire or wirelessly.

[0032] The reason why the measured integrated value exceeds the estimated integrated value is that the door seals, fan shaft seals, etc., begin to deteriorate. When these seals begin to deteriorate, the amount of air mixed in from outside increases, even if it does not lead to abnormalities in the degreasing process or equipment failure, which accelerates the decomposition of the generated gas and increases the integrated value (amount of generated gas). In addition, a similar condition can also occur due to the storage conditions of the object to be processed, etc.

[0033] Upon receiving the management information, the operator temporarily stops the operation of the degreasing device 100 and performs inspection and maintenance such as a leak test and seal replacement.

[0034] The above-described configuration allows for early detection of seal deterioration and other issues, enabling inspection and maintenance to be performed at exactly the right time. This prevents abnormalities from occurring in the degreasing device 100 and eliminates the need for unnecessary inspection and maintenance, ensuring maximum device uptime.

[0035] Furthermore, even if an unexpected abnormality occurs, the log data and the difference value between the integrated value and the expected integrated value are recorded in memory and can be referenced, so the cause of the abnormality can be identified more accurately. In this respect, the log data and the difference value can be said to be feedback information for quality control of the processing object W, which is one type of management information.

[0036] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0037] For example, in the above embodiment, the time for inspection and maintenance was determined to be the time when the difference value obtained by subtracting the estimated integrated value from the actual integrated value exceeded a predetermined threshold value. However, it is also possible to record the amount of change in the actual integrated value for each degreasing process, and based on the rate at which this change increases, predict the time in the future when the difference value will exceed the predetermined threshold value, and output this predicted time in advance as the time for inspection and maintenance.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the need for inspection and maintenance was determined by comparing the actual accumulated value with the estimated accumulated value, but the determination may also be made by comparing the amount of gas generated with the estimated amount of gas generated by converting using the calibration curve data.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the amount of evolved gas was measured based on the absorbance spectrum of the CH group contained in the evolved gas, but other functional groups or components may also be used. In this respect, the above embodiment uses FTIR as the gas detection device, which allows measurement and analysis focusing on various components of the evolved gas, thereby obtaining more information and making a significant contribution to inspection and maintenance, quality control, abnormality identification, etc.

[0040] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. The features of the above-described configuration can be summarized as follows:

[0041] [1] A degreasing apparatus characterized by comprising: a heating furnace for accommodating an object to be treated and degreasing the object; a measuring device for in-line measuring the amount of gas generated during the degreasing process or a value indirectly indicating this (hereinafter referred to as the amount of gas generated); and an information processing device for calculating management information, which is information related to management including inspection and maintenance timing, based on the amount of gas generated measured by the measuring device. With this system, inspection and maintenance can be carried out at appropriate times based on the amount of gas generated, preventing abnormalities in the equipment while ensuring maximum equipment uptime. In addition, even if an unexpected abnormality does occur, the cause can be identified with greater accuracy.

[0042] [2] The degreasing device described in [1], wherein the information processing device calculates the management information based on the difference between the amount of generated gas measured by the measuring device and the amount of generated gas expected to be generated from the object to be treated. In this way, highly accurate management information can be calculated.

[0043] [3] The degreasing device according to [1] or [2], wherein the management information includes feedback information for quality control of the object to be treated. Such a system would allow for improvements in degreasing protocols and storage of materials to be treated.

[0044] [4] The degreasing apparatus according to [1], [2] or [3], wherein the measuring device includes a gas detection device that detects the generated gas and a gas amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of the generated gas based on detection data from the gas detection device. Such a device would allow for in-line real-time measurement of the amount of gas generated.

[0045] [5] The degreasing apparatus according to [4], wherein the gas detection device is equipped with an FTIR. Such a device would enable measurements focusing on various components of the generated gas and provide more information, making it a great contribution to inspection and maintenance, quality control, and abnormality identification. [Industrial Applicability]

[0046] Inspection and maintenance can be carried out at appropriate times based on the amount of gas generated, preventing abnormalities in the equipment and ensuring maximum equipment uptime. In addition, even if an unexpected abnormality does occur, the cause can be identified with greater accuracy. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 100 Degreasing equipment W... Processing object 1...Heating furnace 2. Measuring equipment 21 Gas detection device 22 Gas generation amount calculation section 7. Information processing device 71...Management information calculation section

Claims

1. a heating furnace for accommodating the object to be treated and performing degreasing treatment; a measuring device for measuring the amount of gas generated during the degreasing process or a value indirectly indicating this amount (hereinafter referred to as the amount of gas generated); an information processing device that calculates management information, which is information related to management including inspection and maintenance timing, based on the amount of generated gas measured by the measurement device; The information processing device calculates the management information based on the difference between the amount of generated gas measured by the measuring device and the amount of generated gas expected to be generated from the object to be treated.

2. A heating furnace that accommodates and degreases the object to be treated; a measuring device for measuring the amount of gas generated during the degreasing process or a value indirectly indicating this amount (hereinafter referred to as the amount of gas generated); an information processing device that calculates management information, which is information related to management including inspection and maintenance timing, based on the amount of generated gas measured by the measurement device; The measuring device is an FTIR, the information processing device uses an integrated value of a waveform area of ​​the absorbance spectrum at each sampling time during the degreasing process as the amount of generated gas; the information processing device pre-stores a calibration curve showing the relationship between the integrated value and the amount of generated gas, and calculates an estimated integrated value, which is the integrated value corresponding to the estimated amount of generated gas, by referring to the calibration curve; The degreasing device is characterized in that the information processing device outputs information indicating that it is time for inspection and maintenance when the difference between the actual measured accumulated value and the estimated accumulated value exceeds a predetermined threshold.

3. A heating furnace that accommodates and degreases the object to be treated; a measuring device for measuring the amount of gas generated during the degreasing process or a value indirectly indicating this amount (hereinafter referred to as the amount of gas generated); an information processing device that calculates management information, which is information related to management including inspection and maintenance timing, based on the amount of generated gas measured by the measurement device; The information processing device is characterized in that it outputs information indicating that it is time for inspection and maintenance when the difference between the amount of gas generated by the measuring device and the amount of gas expected to be generated from the object to be treated exceeds a predetermined threshold.

4. 4. The degreasing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the management information includes feedback information for quality control of the object to be treated.

5. 4. The degreasing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measuring device comprises a gas detection device that detects the generated gas, and a gas amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of the generated gas based on detection data from the gas detection device.

6. The measuring device is an FTIR, 4. The degreasing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing device uses, as the amount of generated gas, an integrated value of a waveform area of ​​an absorbance spectrum at each sampling time during the degreasing process of the degreasing apparatus.

7. 7. The degreasing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the information processing device stores the waveform area of ​​the absorbance spectrum at each sampling time and its integrated value as log data.

8. The degreasing device according to claim 1 , wherein the information on inspection and maintenance timing output by the information processing device is information for prompting replacement of a seal used in the degreasing device.

9. The degreasing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information processing device outputs information indicating that inspection / maintenance time has arrived, or outputs information on a predicted future timing of inspection / maintenance time, based on the amount of generated gas measured by the measuring device.

10. The present invention is applied to a degreasing apparatus including a heating furnace that accommodates an object to be treated and performs a degreasing process therein, and a measuring device that performs in-line measurement of the amount of gas generated during the degreasing process or a value that indirectly indicates this amount (hereinafter, these are referred to as the amount of gas generated), a function of calculating management information, which is information related to management including inspection and maintenance timing, based on the amount of generated gas measured by the measuring device; The program causes the degreasing device to perform a function of calculating the management information based on the difference between the amount of gas generated measured by the measuring device and the amount of gas expected to be generated from the object to be treated.

11. The present invention is applied to a degreasing apparatus including a heating furnace that accommodates an object to be treated and performs a degreasing process therein, and a measuring device that performs in-line measurement of the amount of gas generated during the degreasing process or a value that indirectly indicates this amount (hereinafter, these are referred to as the amount of gas generated), calculating management information, which is information regarding management including inspection and maintenance timing, based on the amount of generated gas measured by the measuring device; A method characterized in that the management information is calculated based on the difference between the amount of gas generated measured by the measuring device and the amount of gas expected to be generated from the object to be treated.

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