Heat Treatment Equipment

Abstract

To provide a heat treatment apparatus which can make a temperature difference at least between the center in a longitudinal direction and both sides regarding heated air blown onto a web.SOLUTION: A web heat treatment apparatus comprises: a conveyance passage for a web in a heat treatment chamber; a duct 20 which is provided along the conveyance passage and through which heated air flows; and a plurality of nozzles 21 provided at intervals in a cross direction on a face on the side of the conveyance passage in the duct 20. The inside of each nozzle 21 is split into left, center, and right nozzle internal flow passages. A blow-off port 24c for blowing left heated air onto the web is opened in a left nozzle internal flow passage 23c, a blow-off port 24a for blowing central heated air onto the web is opened in a central nozzle internal flow passage 23a, a blow-off port 24b for blowing right heated air onto the web is opened in a right nozzle internal flow passage 23b, and at least the temperature of the central heated air is different from the temperatures of the left heated air and the right heated air.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a heat treatment apparatus that heats a web such as a film, metal foil, fabric, or paper while transporting it in a heat treatment chamber (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Heating is performed by blowing hot air from multiple nozzles provided in the heat treatment chamber. Heating can dry a coating liquid applied to the web, heat-treat the web, or stretch the web. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-106772 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-032436 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned heat treatment device, there are cases where it is desired to uniformly heat the entire web from one side to the other in the left-right direction (width direction), or where it is desired to heat one of the left-right central portion and both left and right side portions of the web to a higher temperature than the other.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a heat treatment apparatus capable of producing a temperature difference between at least the center and both left and right sides in the left-right direction for hot air blown onto a web from a nozzle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One embodiment of the present invention is a web heat treatment apparatus comprising a heat treatment chamber, a transport path along which a web is transported in a front-to-back direction within the heat treatment chamber, a duct provided along the transport path within the heat treatment chamber and through which hot air flows, and a plurality of nozzles arranged along the left-to-right direction on the surface of the duct facing the transport path and spaced apart in the front-to-back direction, wherein the interior of each nozzle is divided into a left-side nozzle flow path, a central nozzle flow path, and a right-side nozzle flow path so that the hot air from the duct flows in a left-to-right direction in a left-to-right portion, a central nozzle flow path, and a right-side nozzle flow path, wherein a left-side outlet opens into the left-side nozzle flow path for blowing left-side hot air onto the web, a central outlet opens into the central nozzle flow path for blowing central hot air onto the web, and a right-side outlet opens into the right-side nozzle flow path for blowing right-side hot air onto the web, and wherein the temperature of at least the central hot air is different from that of the left-side hot air and the right-side hot air. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this embodiment, it is possible to create a temperature difference between at least the center and both left and right sides in the left-right direction for the hot air blown from the nozzles onto the web. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a view showing the inside of a heat treatment chamber of a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the right, with the right side wall removed. [Figure 2] Cross section AA in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Cross section B-B in Figure 1. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] View of the upper duct from the right. [Figure 6] Cross section taken along CC in Figure 5. [Figure 7] DD cross section in Figure 5. [Figure 8] EE cross section in FIG. 5. [Figure 9]FF cross section in Figure 5. [Figure 10] View of the lower duct from the right. [Figure 11] Cross section of FIG. 10 taken along line G-G. [Figure 12] HH cross section in Figure 10. [Figure 13] 11 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. [Figure 14] Cross-sectional view of JJ in Figure 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0010] The heat treatment apparatus 10 of this embodiment heats the web W while transporting it in the front-to-rear direction inside the heat treatment chamber 11, thereby drying the coating liquid applied to the web W and stretching the web W in the width direction, oblique direction, or traveling direction. The web W is, for example, a metal foil, a film, a fabric, paper, etc.

[0011] In the following description, "front and back" refers to the web W being transported horizontally from front to back, and "left and right" refers to the web W being transported from the carry-in side (front) to the carry-out side (rear).

[0012] (1) Overall configuration of heat treatment equipment 1 to 3, the heat treatment apparatus 10 includes a rectangular parallelepiped heat treatment chamber 11 formed by thermally insulating walls. The interior of the heat treatment chamber 11 is heated by hot air blown out from nozzles 21 and 31. An inlet 12 for the web W opens at the front of the heat treatment chamber 11, and an outlet 13 for the web W opens at the rear of the heat treatment chamber 11. A transport path for the web W within the heat treatment chamber 11 is located in an area extending in the front-rear direction from the inlet 12 to the outlet 13.

[0013] 4, the heat treatment apparatus 10 further includes a tenter apparatus 60 that penetrates the heat treatment chamber 11 in the front-rear direction. The front part of the tenter apparatus 60 protrudes forward from the carry-in entrance 12, and the rear part of the tenter apparatus 60 protrudes rearward from the carry-out exit 13. The web W is transported along the transport path by the tenter apparatus 60, passes through the interior of the heat treatment chamber 11, and is heated.

[0014] (2) Structure of the duct and nozzle inside the heat treatment chamber As shown in FIG. 1, inside the heat treatment chamber 11, an upper duct 20 extending in the front-rear direction is provided above the transport path of the web W.

[0015] 6 to 9, partition walls 28 are provided at two locations, one on the left and one on the right, inside the upper duct 20. Three in-duct flow paths 25a, 25b, and 25c are provided at the center, right, and left sides in the left-right direction as part of the flow path of hot air inside the upper duct 20. Each of the in-duct flow paths 25a, 25b, and 25c extends in the front-rear direction from the front end to the rear end inside the upper duct 20.

[0016] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, hot air inlets 26a are opened at the center of the front-rear direction on both the left and right side surfaces of the upper duct 20. As shown in Figures 6 and 8, introduction paths 27 extending from the introduction paths 26a on both the left and right side surfaces to the duct flow path 25a in the center in the left-right direction are provided inside the upper duct 20 as part of the hot air flow path. As shown in Figure 8, left and right duct flow paths 25b, 25c pass below the introduction paths 27 on both the left and right sides inside the upper duct 20. The introduction paths 27 and the left and right duct flow paths 25b, 25c are separated by a wall 29.

[0017] 8 and 9, the left and right duct flow paths 25b, 25c narrow in the vertical direction below the introduction path 27. This narrowed portion is called the narrow section. The left and right duct flow paths 25b, 25c have portions in front of and behind the introduction path 27 that are connected by this narrow section. When viewed from above, the left and right duct flow paths 25b, 25c intersect with the introduction path 27.

[0018] 5, 6, and 9, hot air blowing ports 26b, 26c are also opened at both front and rear positions on the left and right side surfaces of upper duct 20. Right blowing port 26b communicates with right duct inner flow path 25b, and left blowing port 26c communicates with left duct inner flow path 25c.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 5, a plurality of nozzles 21 are arranged at equal intervals in the front-rear direction on the lower surface (the surface on the conveying path side) of the upper duct 20. As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, each nozzle 21 extends in the left-right direction. The interior of each nozzle 21 is divided by two partition walls 22 into three intra-nozzle flow paths 23a, 23b, and 23c located at the center, right side, and left side in the left-right direction. Each of the three intra-nozzle flow paths 23a, 23b, and 23c is part of the flow path of hot air.

[0020] At the lower end of each of the intra-nozzle flow paths 23a, 23b, 23c, there open an outlet 24a, 24b, 24c for hot air to the heat treatment chamber 11. Each of the outlets 24a, 24b, 24c has a slit shape that is long in the left-right direction.

[0021] Each nozzle 21 has a length in the left-right direction of approximately 2500 mm. The length in the left-right direction of the intra-nozzle flow path 23a and the outlet 24a at the center in the left-right direction is, for example, 50 to 70% of the left-right length of the entire nozzle 21. Furthermore, the intra-nozzle flow path 23b and the outlet 24b on the right side have the same length in the left-right direction as the intra-nozzle flow path 23c and the outlet 24c on the left side.

[0022] 8 and 9, the intra-duct flow path 25a at the left-right center of the upper duct 20 communicates with the intra-nozzle flow paths 23a at the left-right center of each nozzle 21, the intra-duct flow path 25b on the right side of the upper duct 20 communicates with the intra-nozzle flow paths 23b on the right side of each nozzle 21, and the intra-duct flow path 25c on the left side of the upper duct 20 communicates with the intra-nozzle flow paths 23c on the left side of each nozzle 21. Note that, because narrow portions are formed as parts of the intra-duct flow paths 25b, 25c below the introduction path 27, hot air can flow into the intra-nozzle flow paths 23b, 23c from the narrow portions of the left and right intra-duct flow paths 25b, 25c below the introduction path 27.

[0023] 1 to 3, a lower duct 30 is provided inside the heat treatment chamber 11 below the transport path of the web W. The lower duct 30 is shorter in the front-rear direction than the upper duct 20. The front end of the lower duct 30 is located rearward of the front end of the upper duct 20.

[0024] 11 to 14, partition walls 38 are provided at two locations, one on the left and one on the right, inside the lower duct 30. Three in-duct flow paths 35a, 35b, and 35c are provided at the center, right, and left sides in the left-right direction as part of the flow path of hot air inside the lower duct 30. Each of the in-duct flow paths 35a, 35b, and 35c extends in the front-rear direction from the front end to the rear end inside the lower duct 30.

[0025] As shown in Figures 10 and 12, hot air inlets 36a are opened at the front of both the left and right side surfaces of the lower duct 30. As shown in Figures 12 and 13, introduction paths 37 extending from the introduction paths 36a on both the left and right side surfaces to the duct flow path 35a in the center in the left-right direction are provided inside the lower duct 30 as part of the hot air flow path. As shown in Figure 13, left and right duct flow paths 35b, 35c pass above the introduction paths 37 on both the left and right sides inside the lower duct 30. The introduction paths 37 and the left and right duct flow paths 35b, 35c are separated by a wall 39.

[0026] As can be seen from a comparison of Figures 13 and 14, the left and right duct flow paths 35b, 35c narrow in the vertical direction above the introduction path 37. This narrowed portion is called the narrow section. The left and right duct flow paths 35b, 35c have portions in front of and behind the introduction path 37 that are connected by this narrow section. When viewed from above, the left and right duct flow paths 35b, 35c intersect with the introduction path 37.

[0027] 10, 12, and 14, hot air blowing ports 36b, 36c are also opened at rear positions on both the left and right sides of the lower duct 30. The right blowing port 36b communicates with the right duct inner flow path 35b, and the left blowing port 36c communicates with the left duct inner flow path 35c.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 10, a plurality of nozzles 31 are arranged at equal intervals in the front-rear direction on the upper surface (the surface on the conveying path side) of the lower duct 30. As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, each nozzle 31 extends in the left-right direction. The interior of each nozzle 31 is divided by two partition walls 32 into three intra-nozzle flow paths 33a, 33b, and 33c located at the center, right, and left in the left-right direction. Each of the three intra-nozzle flow paths 33a, 33b, and 33c is part of a flow path for hot air.

[0029] At the upper ends of the respective intra-nozzle flow paths 33a, 33b, 33c, there are opened outlets 34a, 34b, 34c for hot air into the heat treatment chamber 11. Each of the outlets 34a, 34b, 34c has a slit shape that is long in the left-right direction.

[0030] Each nozzle 31 has a length in the left-right direction of approximately 2500 mm. The length in the left-right direction of the nozzle internal flow path 33a and outlet 34a at the center in the left-right direction is, for example, 50 to 70% of the left-right length of the entire nozzle 31. The right-side internal nozzle flow path 33b and outlet 34b have the same length in the left-right direction as the left-side internal nozzle flow path 33c and outlet 34c.

[0031] The intra-duct flow path 35a at the left-right center of the lower duct 30 communicates with the intra-nozzle flow path 33a at the left-right center of each nozzle 31, the intra-duct flow path 35b on the right side of the lower duct 30 communicates with the intra-nozzle flow path 33b on the right side of each nozzle 31, and the intra-duct flow path 35c on the left side of the lower duct 30 communicates with the intra-nozzle flow path 33c on the left side of each nozzle 31. Since narrow portions are formed as part of the intra-duct flow paths 35b, 35c above the introduction path 37, hot air can flow into the intra-nozzle flow paths 33b, 33c from the narrow portions of the left and right intra-duct flow paths 35b, 35c even above the introduction path 37.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, each nozzle 31 of the lower duct 30 is located directly below each nozzle 21 of the upper duct 20.

[0033] (3) Structure for generating hot air 1, four hot air generators 50a, 50a', 50b, and 50c are provided at locations away from the heat treatment device 10. Although not shown, each of the hot air generators 50a, 50a', 50b, and 50c includes an air intake port, an electric heater for heating the intake air, an air outlet port, and a fan for taking in air from the intake port and blowing out the heated air from the outlet port.

[0034] The four hot air generators are a CR hot air generator 50a that generates hot air to be sent to the central duct internal flow paths 25a, 35a in the left-right direction through the right inlet paths 27, 37 of the upper and lower ducts 20, 30; a CL hot air generator 50a' that generates hot air to be sent to the central duct internal flow paths 25a, 35a in the left-right direction through the left inlet paths 27, 37 of the upper and lower ducts 20, 30; an R hot air generator 50b that generates hot air to be sent to the right duct internal flow paths 25b, 35b of the upper and lower ducts 20, 30; and an L hot air generator 50c that generates hot air to be sent to the left duct internal flow paths 25c, 35c of the upper and lower ducts 20, 30.

[0035] (4) Structure for taking in hot air into the duct 2 and 3, box-shaped storage chambers 40 are provided on both the left and right sides of the upper portion of the heat treatment chamber 11. As shown in Fig. 1, the interior of each storage chamber 40 is divided into three spaces, a front chamber 42a, a central chamber 42b, and a rear chamber 42c, by two partition walls 41, one in the front and one in the rear.

[0036] Taking the right-side storage room 40 as an example, as shown in Figure 1, the upper parts of the front room 42a, central room 42b and rear room 42c are provided with air intakes 44a, 44b and 44c that draw air into the rooms, and dampers 43a, 43b and 43c that adjust the amount of hot air taken in through the air intakes 44a, 44b and 44c.

[0037] Furthermore, HEPA filters (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filters) 46a, 46b, and 46c are provided inside the front chamber 42a, central chamber 42b, and rear chamber 42c, respectively, to remove dust and other particles from the air. Temperature sensors 47a, 47b, and 47c are also attached to the front chamber 42a, central chamber 42b, and rear chamber 42c, respectively, to measure the temperatures inside the chambers.

[0038] Below each HEPA filter 46a, 46b, 46c, openings 48a, 48b, 48c are provided at the lower end of each of the front chamber 42a, central chamber 42b, and rear chamber 42c, and hot air that has passed through the HEPA filters 46a, 46b, 46c exits through the openings 48a, 48b, 48c.

[0039] The left storage compartment 40 has the same structure as the right storage compartment 40. The same reference numerals will be used for the parts that are common to the left and right storage compartments 40.

[0040] 1, an R hot air generator 50b is connected to the air intakes 44a, 44c of the front chamber 42a and rear chamber 42c in the right-side storage chamber 40, and an L hot air generator 50c is connected to the air intakes 44a, 44c of the front chamber 42a and rear chamber 42c in the left-side storage chamber 40. In addition, a CR hot air generator 50a is connected to the air intake 44b of the central chamber 42b in the right-side storage chamber 40, and a CL hot air generator 50a' is connected to the air intake 44b of the central chamber 42b in the left-side storage chamber 40.

[0041] Furthermore, on both the left and right sides of the heat treatment device 10, an opening 48a at the lower end of the front chamber 42a and the front air inlets 26b, 26c of the upper duct 20 are connected by a connecting duct 49a (see Figure 1), an opening 48b at the lower end of the central chamber 42b and the air inlet 26a at the center of the front-to-rear direction of the upper duct 20 are connected by a connecting duct 49b as shown in Figure 2, and an opening 48c at the lower end of the rear chamber 42c and the rear air inlets 26b, 26c of the upper duct 20 are connected by a connecting duct 49c as shown in Figure 3.

[0042] Furthermore, on both the left and right sides of the heat treatment device 10, as shown in FIG. 2, an opening 48b at the lower end of the central chamber 42b is connected to the front air inlet 36a of the lower duct 30 by a connecting duct 49d, and as shown in FIG. 3, an opening 48c at the lower end of the rear chamber 42c is connected to the rear air inlets 36b, 36c of the lower duct 30 by a connecting duct 49e.

[0043] These connecting ducts 49a, 49b, 49c, 49d, and 49e are also part of the flow path of hot air.

[0044] (5) Hot air flow The hot air generated by the CR hot air generator 50a (the flow of the hot air is indicated by arrows in the figure) is taken into the central chamber 42b on the right side, and the hot air generated by the CL hot air generator 50a' is taken into the central chamber 42b on the left side. On each side, a portion of the hot air taken into the central chamber 42b passes through the connecting duct 49b and the inlet passage 27 of the upper duct 20 to reach the central in-duct flow path 25a in the left-right direction of the upper duct 20, and the remainder passes through the connecting duct 49d and the inlet passage 37 of the lower duct 30 to reach the central in-duct flow path 35a in the left-right direction of the lower duct 30. The hot air that reaches the central in-duct flow path 25a in the left-right direction of the upper duct 20 passes through the central in-nozzle flow path 23a in the left-right direction of the upper nozzle 21 and is blown into the heat treatment chamber 11 as central hot air. In addition, the hot air that reaches the duct internal flow path 35a in the center of the left-right direction of the lower duct 30 passes through the nozzle internal flow path 33a in the center of the left-right direction of the lower nozzle 31 and is blown into the heat treatment chamber 11 as central hot air.

[0045] The hot air generated by the R hot air generator 50b is taken into the right front chamber 42a and the right rear chamber 42c.

[0046] The hot air taken into the right front chamber 42a passes through the connecting duct 49a, the right duct inner flow path 25b in the upper duct 20, and the right nozzle inner flow path 23b, and is blown into the heat treatment chamber 11 as right hot air.

[0047] Furthermore, a portion of the hot air taken into the right rear chamber 42c passes through the connecting duct 49c, the right-side in-duct flow path 25b in the upper duct 20, and the right-side in-nozzle flow path 23b, and is blown into the heat treatment chamber 11 as right-side hot air. Here, at the intersection of the right-side in-duct flow path 25b and the introduction path 27, a narrow portion of the in-duct flow path 25b is formed below the introduction path 27, and the hot air flows into this narrow portion. Although the flow of the hot air is poor at this narrow portion, because the hot air flows into and collides with the narrow portion from both the front and rear portions of the in-duct flow path 25b, the hot air blown out from the nozzle 21 below this narrow portion has the same air volume and air speed as the hot air blown out from the nozzle 21 in other portions. The remainder of the hot air taken into the right rear chamber 42c passes through the connecting duct 49e, the right-side duct inner flow path 35b of the lower duct 30, and the right-side nozzle inner flow path 33b, and is blown out as right-side hot air into the heat treatment chamber 11. As for the lower side, the hot air blown out from the nozzle 31 above the narrow portion of the right-side duct inner flow path 35b is the same in air volume and air speed as the hot air blown out from the nozzle 31 in other parts.

[0048] The hot air generated by the L hot air generator 50c is taken into the left front chamber 42a and the left rear chamber 42c.

[0049] The hot air taken into the left front chamber 42a passes through the connecting duct 49a, the left duct inner flow path 25c in the upper duct 20, and the left nozzle inner flow path 23c, and is blown into the heat treatment chamber 11 as left hot air.

[0050] Furthermore, a portion of the hot air taken into the left rear chamber 42c passes through the connecting duct 49c, the left intra-duct flow path 25c in the upper duct 20, and the left intra-nozzle flow path 23c, and is blown into the heat treatment chamber 11 as left hot air. Here, at the intersection of the left intra-duct flow path 25c and the introduction path 27, a narrow portion of the intra-duct flow path 25c is formed below the introduction path 27, and the hot air flows into this narrow portion. Although the flow of the hot air is poor at this narrow portion, because the hot air flows into and collides with the narrow portion from both the front and rear portions of the intra-duct flow path 25c, the hot air blown out from the nozzle 21 below this narrow portion has the same air volume and air speed as the hot air blown out from the nozzle 21 in other portions. The remainder of the hot air taken into the left rear chamber 42c passes through the connecting duct 49e, the left inner duct flow path 35c of the lower duct 30, and the left inner nozzle flow path 33c, and is blown out as left hot air into the heat treatment chamber 11. As for the lower side, the hot air blown out from the nozzle 31 above the narrow portion of the left inner duct flow path 35c is the same in air volume and air speed as the hot air blown out from the nozzle 31 in other parts.

[0051] The air flow from the hot air generators 50a, 50a', 50b, 50c to the outlets 24a, 24b, 24c, 34a, 34b, 34c of the nozzles 21, 31 is generated by the rotation of the fans of the hot air generators 50a, 50a', 50b, 50c.

[0052] 2 and 3, exhaust air suction ports 14 for sucking air from inside the heat treatment chamber 11 are provided on both the left and right sides of the heat treatment chamber 11. The air sucked in through the exhaust air suction ports 14 passes through an exhaust flow path 15 extending in the vertical direction and is discharged to the outside through an exhaust port 16 provided at the top of the exhaust flow path 15.

[0053] (6) Structure of the tenter device As shown in Fig. 4, the tenter apparatus 60 has a pair of left and right tenter chains 61, 62. The left tenter chain 61 is an endless chain stretched between a left driven sprocket 63 and a left driving sprocket 64, and the right tenter chain 62 is an endless chain stretched between a right driven sprocket 65 and a right driving sprocket 66. The left driven sprocket 63 and the right driven sprocket 65 are arranged on the feed side of the web W, and the left driving sprocket 64 and the right driving sprocket 66 are arranged on the discharge side of the web W.

[0054] This tenter apparatus 60 is a clip tenter apparatus. A pair of left and right tenter chains 61, 62 each have a plurality of clips 67 attached at predetermined intervals as holding members for the web W. Each clip 67 is structured to be able to pinch and hold the left and right ear portions of the web W.

[0055] As the drive sprockets 64, 66 rotate and the pair of left and right tenter chains 61, 62 rotate, these clips 67 also rotate. In Figure 4, the rotation directions of the sprockets 63, 64, 65, 66 and the rotation directions of the tenter chains 61, 62 are indicated by arrows.

[0056] Two tenter rails 68a, 68b are provided in parallel between the left passive sprocket 63 and the left driving sprocket 64. The tenter rail 68a on the inner side in the width direction (left-right direction) of the tenter apparatus 60 is the rail on which the left tenter chain 61 rests when traveling backward. The tenter rail 68b on the outer side in the width direction (left-right direction) of the tenter apparatus 60 is the rail on which the left tenter chain 61 rests when traveling forward.

[0057] Two tenter rails 69a, 69b are also provided in parallel between the right driven sprocket 65 and the right driving sprocket 66. The tenter rail 69a on the inner side in the width direction (left-right direction) of the tenter apparatus 60 is the rail on which the right tenter chain 62 rests when traveling backward. The tenter rail 69b on the outer side in the width direction (left-right direction) of the tenter apparatus 60 is the rail on which the right tenter chain 62 rests when traveling forward.

[0058] The tenter rails 68a, 68b, 69a, and 69b extend in the front-to-rear direction inside the heat treatment chamber 11. Although not shown, the tenter rails 68a, 68b, 69a, and 69b pass through an inlet 12 at the front end of the heat treatment chamber 11 and an outlet 13 at the rear end thereof, respectively, and extend from the inside to the outside of the heat treatment chamber 11. The drive sprockets 64 and 66 and the driven sprockets 63 and 65 are located outside the heat treatment chamber 11.

[0059] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, covers 58 and 59 are provided on both the left and right sides of the heat treatment chamber 11 to cover at least the tenter chains 61 and 62 from above.

[0060] When the left and right drive sprockets 64, 66 rotate at a constant speed, the left and right tenter chains 61, 62 rotate at a constant speed accordingly. Then, the web W held by the clips 67 between the left and right tenter chains 61, 62 is transported rearward at a constant speed, carried into the heat treatment chamber 11, heat-treated, and then carried out from the heat treatment chamber 11. Therefore, the space between the left and right tenter chains 61, 62 forms a transport path for the web W.

[0061] Forward of the carry-in entrance 12 of the heat treatment chamber 11, gripping devices (not shown) for gripping the selvage portions of the web W with clips 67 are provided near the left and right driven sprockets 63, 65. Further, rearward of the carry-out exit 13 of the heat treatment chamber 11, near the left and right drive sprockets 64, 66, grip releasing devices (not shown) for releasing the selvage portions of the web W from the clips 67 are provided.

[0062] The distance from the right end of the right-side outlet 24b, 34b of each of the upper and lower nozzles 21, 31 to the left end of the left-side outlet 24c, 34c (this distance is referred to as the nozzle width) is equal to or greater than the width of the web W held by the left and right clips 67. In a preferred embodiment, the nozzle width is 100 mm or more wider than the width of the web W, and the left and right ends of the nozzles 21, 31 are located 50 mm or more outside the left and right ends of the web W. This allows the hot air blown out from the nozzles 21, 31 to be blown from the right side to the left side of the web W.

[0063] 1, a rail spacing change device 70 for changing the spacing between the left tenter rails 68a, 68b and the right tenter rails 69a, 69b is disposed at the front lower portion of the heat treatment chamber 11. Because the lower duct 30 is disposed behind the rail spacing change device 70, the lower duct 30 is shorter than the upper duct 20 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0064] (7) Electrical configuration and control of heat treatment equipment The heat treatment device 10 is provided with a control device (not shown) consisting of a computer. The control device is connected to motors that rotate the drive sprockets 64 and 66, motors that rotate the fans of the hot air generators 50a, 50a', 50b, and 50c, heaters of the hot air generators 50a, 50a', 50b, and 50c, temperature sensors 47a, 47b, and 47c, dampers 43a, 43b, and 43c, etc. The control device controls these connected devices, etc.

[0065] The temperature of the hot air blown out from the respective outlets 24a, 24b, 24c, 34a, 34b, 34c of the upper and lower nozzles 21, 31 is adjusted by the control device controlling the heaters of the hot air generators 50a, 50a', 50b, 50c based on the temperatures measured by the temperature sensors 47a, 47b, 47c. In this embodiment, the upper and lower nozzles 21, 31 are controlled so that the temperature of the hot air blown out from the outlets 24b, 24c, 34b, 34c on the left and right sides is higher than the temperature of the hot air blown out from the central outlet 24a, 34a in the left-right direction. To achieve this, the control device controls the heaters of the respective hot air generators 50a, 50a', 50b, 50c so that the temperatures of the temperature sensors 47a, 47c in the front and rear chambers 42a, 42c are higher than the temperature of the temperature sensor 47b in the central chamber 42b.

[0066] The temperature of the hot air blown out from the outlets 24b, 24c, 34b, 34c on both the left and right sides of the nozzles 21, 31 is approximately the same as the temperature of the temperature sensors 47a, 47c in the front chamber 42a and the rear chamber 42c, and is controlled to be, for example, 150 to 200° C. Furthermore, the temperature difference between the temperature of the hot air blown out from the outlets 24b, 24c, 34b, 34c on both the left and right sides of the nozzles 21, 31 and the temperature of the hot air blown out from the outlets 24a, 34a in the left-right center of the nozzles 21, 31 is controlled to be, for example, within 30° C.

[0067] The volume of hot air blown out from each of the outlets 24a, 24b, 24c, 34a, 34b, 34c is adjusted by adjusting the volume of hot air blown out from each of the hot air generators 50a, 50a', 50b, 50c and by controlling the dampers 43a, 43b, 43c. In the upper and lower nozzles 21, 31, the volume of hot air blown out from the outlets 24b, 24c, 34b, 34c on the left and right sides may be the same as the volume of hot air blown out from the central outlet 24a, 34a in the left-right direction, or may be slightly greater than the volume of hot air blown out from the central outlet 24a, 34a in the left-right direction.

[0068] When there is a difference between the volume of hot air blown out from the outlets 24b, 24c, 34b, 34c on the left and right sides and the volume of hot air blown out from the outlets 24a, 34a in the center in the left-right direction, the difference is controlled, for example, so that the wind speed at the outlet is within 5 m / s.

[0069] (8) Operation of the heat treatment device During the heat treatment of the web W, the left and right drive sprockets 64, 66 rotate at a constant speed, and the left and right tenter chains 61, 62 revolve at a constant speed. As a result, the web W, which is gripped by the clips 67 between the left and right tenter chains 61, 62 and spread out, is transported rearward at a constant speed and passes through the heat treatment chamber 11.

[0070] In the heat treatment chamber 11, hot air blown from the upper and lower nozzles 21, 31 hits the web W being transported by the tenter device 60, and the web W is heated.

[0071] In this embodiment, the temperatures of the left and right tenter chains 61, 62 drop because their front and rear ends exit the heat treatment chamber 11 and come into contact with room-temperature air. Covers 58, 59 are provided to cover the tenter chains 61, 62, preventing the hot air blown from the nozzles 21, 31 from directly hitting the tenter chains 61, 62, making it difficult for the temperature of the tenter chains 61, 62 to rise. In this case, the left and right sides of the web W, including the left and right ears, held by the clips 67 are less likely to be heated than the central portion, resulting in a lower temperature than the central portion. However, as described above, the temperature of the hot air blown from the left and right outlets 24b, 24c, 34b, 34c of both the upper and lower nozzles 21, 31 is higher than the temperature of the hot air blown from the central outlets 24a, 34a in the left-right direction. Therefore, within the heat treatment chamber 11, the left and right covers 58, 59 and the left and right side portions (edge ​​portions) of the web W that are exposed to this high-temperature hot air are heated from the center portion, and the entire web W is heated uniformly in the width direction.

[0072] (9) Effects of the embodiment In this embodiment, the interior of the nozzles 21, 31 is divided into a left-side intra-nozzle flow path 23c, a central intra-nozzle flow path 23a, and a right-side intra-nozzle flow path 23b. A left-side outlet 24c that blows hot air to the left side toward the web W is opened in the left-side intra-nozzle flow path 23c, a central outlet 24a that blows hot air to the center toward the web W is opened in the central intra-nozzle flow path 23a, and a right-side outlet 24b that blows hot air to the right side toward the web W is opened in the right-side intra-nozzle flow path 23b. This makes it possible to make the temperature of at least the hot air at the center in the left-right direction different from the temperatures of the hot air on the left and right sides. Therefore, hot air of appropriate temperatures can be blown toward the center and both left and right sides in the left-right direction, respectively, making it easy to uniformly heat the entire web W from one side to the other in the left-right direction (width direction).

[0073] Furthermore, since the temperature inside the heat treatment chamber 11 is generally lower on the left and right sides than in the center in the left-right direction, the left and right sides of the web W are likely to become cold. In particular, in this embodiment, the left and right tenter chains 61, 62 exit the heat treatment chamber 11 and cool down while rotating, and the covers 58, 59 that cover the left and right tenter chains 61, 62 are provided, so the left and right sides of the web W are likely to become cold. However, in this embodiment, the temperature of the hot air emitted from the right and left outlets 24b, 24c, 34b, 34c in the left-right direction is higher than the temperature of the hot air emitted from the center outlets 24a, 34a in the left-right direction. As a result, hot air of higher temperature is blown toward the left and right covers 58, 59, the tenter chains 61, 62, the clips 67, and the positions of the selvages of the web W, and the left and right sides of the web W can be heated as sufficiently as the center portion. Therefore, even if the temperature inside the heat treatment chamber 11 tends to be lower on both sides than in the center in the left-right direction, it is easy to uniformly heat the entire web W from one side to the other in the left-right direction (width direction).

[0074] Here, the heating location (CR hot air generator 50a, CL hot air generator 50a') and flow path of the hot air sent to the central outlets 24a, 34a in the left-right direction are different from the heating location (R hot air generator 50b, L hot air generator 50c) and flow path of the hot air sent to the right and left outlets 24b, 24c, 34b, 34c in the left-right direction. Therefore, it is easy to make the temperature of the hot air coming out of the right and left outlets 24b, 24c, 34b, 34c in the left-right direction higher than the temperature of the hot air coming out of the central outlets 24a, 34a in the left-right direction.

[0075] In addition, hot air inlet passages 27, 37 are provided that extend from air inlets 26a, 36a on both the left and right sides of ducts 20, 30 to in-duct flow passages 25a, 35a at the center in the left-right direction within ducts 20, 30, and the inlet passages 27, 37 are separated from in-duct flow passages 25b, 25c, 35b, 35c on the right and left sides within ducts 20, 30. Therefore, hot air can be sent to in-duct flow passages 25a, 35a at the center in the left-right direction.

[0076] (10) Example of change Various modifications can be made to the above embodiment.

[0077] For example, a pin tenter device may be used as the tenter device. Similar to the clip tenter device, the pin tenter device is equipped with drive sprockets 64, 66, driven sprockets 63, 65, tenter rails 68a, 68b, 69a, 69b, and tenter chains 61, 62, but instead of the clips 67 of the clip tenter device, upward-facing pins are provided at equal intervals as holding members for the web W. The web W is then transported through the heat treatment chamber 11 with the pins piercing it from above.

[0078] Furthermore, instead of the tenter device, a plurality of rollers may be arranged in the front-rear direction on the transport path from the entrance 12 to the exit 13 of the heat treatment chamber 11, and the web W may be transported on these rollers.

[0079] Furthermore, the web W may be conveyed in a floating state along the conveyance path from the entrance 12 to the exit 13 of the heat treatment chamber 11 without using a tenter device or rollers on the conveyance path.

[0080] In addition, in a clip tenter device, a pin tenter device, or a heat treatment device using a conveying method with rollers, the nozzles and ducts may be provided only above the conveying path of the web W.

[0081] Furthermore, the upper duct and / or the lower duct may not have anything equivalent to the left and right inlet passages 27, 37 in the above embodiment, and hot air may be introduced directly from outside the duct into the duct inner passages 25a, 35a in the center in the left-right direction. For example, in the upper duct 20, an opening is provided on the upper surface of the duct inner passage 25a in the center in the left-right direction, and a connecting duct is connected to this opening so that hot air flows in. In the lower duct 30, an opening is provided on the lower surface of the duct inner passage 35a in the center in the left-right direction, and a connecting duct is connected to this opening so that hot air flows in.

[0082] Moreover, instead of an electric heater, a steam heater, a gas burner, or the like may be used to heat the air.

[0083] Furthermore, the number of hot air generators is not limited to four as described above. For example, the number of hot air generators may be increased, and different hot air generators may be used to generate the hot air sent to the upper duct 20 and the hot air sent to the lower duct 30. This not only makes it possible to differentiate the temperature of the hot air between the center, right, and left sides in the left-right direction, but also makes it possible to differentiate the temperature of the hot air between the upper nozzle 21 and the lower nozzle 31.

[0084] In the above, we have described a case where the temperature inside the heat treatment chamber is such that the temperature on both sides of the web is lower than the center, and the temperature of the hot air on the left and right sides is made higher than the temperature of the hot air at the center, thereby uniformly heating the entire web from one side to the other in the left-right direction. However, this is not limited to the characteristics of the heat treatment chamber, the temperature relationship between the hot air at the center and both sides, and the desired heating state of the web. For example, in order to make the center of the web hotter than the left and right sides, the temperature of the hot air at the center may be made higher than the temperature of the hot air at the left and right sides. Furthermore, in order to make the left and right sides of the web hotter than the center, the temperature of the hot air on the left and right sides may be made higher than the temperature of the hot air at the center.

[0085] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented by way of example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] W...web, 10...heat treatment device, 11...heat treatment chamber, 12...carry-in entrance, 13...carry-out exit, 14...exhaust air suction port, 15...exhaust flow path, 16...exhaust port, 20...upper duct, 21...nozzle, 22...partition wall, 23a, 23b, 23c...flow path inside nozzle, 24a, 24b, 24c...blowing outlet, 25a, 25b, 25c...flow path inside duct, 26a, 26b, 2 6c...inlet, 27...inlet passage, 28...partition wall, 29...wall, 30...lower duct, 31...nozzle, 32...partition wall, 33a, 33b, 33c...flow passage inside nozzle, 34a, 34b, 34c...outlet, 35a, 35b, 35c...flow passage inside duct, 36a, 36b, 36c...inlet, 37...inlet passage, 38...partition wall, 39...wall, 40...storage room, 41 ...Partition wall, 42a...Front chamber, 42b...Central chamber, 42c...Rear chamber, 43a, 43b, 43c...Damper, 44a, 44b, 44c...Air intake, 46a, 46b, 46c...HEPA filter, 47a, 47b, 47c...Temperature sensor, 48a, 48b, 48c...Opening, 49a, 49b, 49c, 49d, 49e...Connecting duct, 50a, 50a', 50b, 50c...Hot air generator, 58, 59...Cover, 60...Stenter unit, 61...Left tenter chain, 62...Right tenter chain, 63...Left passive sprocket, 64...Left driving sprocket, 65...Right passive sprocket, 66...Right driving sprocket, 67...Clip, 68a, 68b, 69a, 69b...Stenter rail, 70...Rail spacing change device

Claims

1. a heat treatment chamber; a conveying path along which the web is conveyed in the front-rear direction within the heat treatment chamber; a duct provided along the transport path in the heat treatment chamber, through which hot air flows; a plurality of nozzles arranged along the left-right direction of a surface of the duct facing the transport path and spaced apart in the front-rear direction; In a web heat treatment device comprising: The inside of each nozzle is divided into a left-side nozzle flow path, a central nozzle flow path, and a right-side nozzle flow path so that the hot air from the duct flows separately into a left portion, a central portion, and a right portion along the left-right direction, a left-side outlet that blows left-side hot air onto the web is opened in the left-side nozzle internal flow path; a central outlet for blowing central hot air onto the web is opened in the central nozzle flow path; a right-side outlet for blowing right-side hot air onto the web is opened in the right-side nozzle internal flow path, At least the temperature of the hot air in the center is different from the temperatures of the hot air on the left and right sides. A heat treatment apparatus characterized by:

2. The temperature of the hot air in the center is higher than the temperature of the hot air on the left and right sides. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The inside of the duct is divided into a left duct flow path, a central duct flow path, and a right duct flow path so that hot air flows separately into a left portion, a center portion, and a right portion along the left-right direction, the left nozzle internal flow path and the left duct internal flow path are in communication with each other, the central nozzle internal flow path and the central duct internal flow path are in communication with each other; the right-side nozzle internal flow path and the right-side duct internal flow path are in communication with each other; The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 .

4. A left connecting duct is connected to a left side surface of the duct, and sends left hot air to the left duct internal flow path. a left-side inlet passage for sending central hot air to the central duct passage is connected through the left-side duct passage of the duct; a right-side inlet passage for sending central hot air to the central duct passage is connected through the right-side duct passage of the duct; A right-side connecting duct is connected to the right side surface of the duct, and sends right-side hot air to the right-side duct internal flow path. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 3 .

5. A narrow portion is formed in the left duct flow path at a location where the left duct flow path overlaps the left introduction path in the vertical direction, and the hot air on the left side is sent to the left nozzle flow path through this left narrow portion. a narrow portion where the right-side internal duct flow path is narrowed in the vertical direction is formed at a location where the right-side internal duct flow path overlaps with the right-side introduction path in the vertical direction, and the hot air on the right side is sent to the right-side internal nozzle flow path through this right-side narrow portion; The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 4 .

6. The duct includes an upper duct arranged above the transport path, The nozzle is an upper nozzle arranged on the lower surface of the upper duct. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 .

7. The duct also includes a lower duct that is disposed below the conveying path, The nozzle is a lower nozzle arranged on an upper surface of the lower duct. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 6 .

8. A tenter device is disposed in the heat treatment chamber, the tenter device holds left and right edge portions of the web with left and right holding members and causes the web to travel in the front-rear direction on the transport path, hot air is blown from the left air outlet toward the position of the left holding member; hot air is blown out from the right air outlet toward the position of the right holding member; The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 .

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