Ceramic powder production method, drying method, and ceramic powder production system

Abstract

This plurality of steps for producing a ceramic powder includes a drying step in which a slurry that was obtained by wet-mixing one or more types of ceramic source materials is dried. The drying step includes blow-drying the slurry, and after the blow-drying of the slurry, drying the mixture resulting from blow-drying the slurry, in a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere.

Description

Ceramic powder production method, drying method, and ceramic powder production system

[0001] The present invention relates generally to methods for drying slurries, for example, ceramic powder production, including drying slurries.

[0002] In the process of producing ceramics (ceramic materials), ceramic raw materials are prepared, and drying of the slurry is performed, for example, during the preparation of the ceramic raw materials. Regarding drying, for example, techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known. Note that "ceramics" refers to a general term for inorganic materials composed of polycrystals, but may also contain metals or organic compounds. Furthermore, ceramics may be composed of single crystals or may be amorphous, such as glass. In this specification, "ceramics" may be polycrystalline, single crystal, amorphous, or a mixture thereof.

[0003] JP 2005-131504 A JP 2010-056005 A

[0004] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 allows the solvent to be vaporized below its boiling point by directly spraying gas onto the slurry.The technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 allows the drying rate to be increased by heating the slurry to increase its vapor pressure, and the drying rate to be further increased by reducing the pressure to lower the boiling point of the slurry.

[0005] It is desirable to dry the slurry at high speed. According to the technology of Patent Document 1, the drying speed increases as the heating temperature and the gas flow rate increase. Also, according to the technology of Patent Document 2, the drying speed increases as the heating temperature and the degree of vacuum increase.

[0006] However, the higher the heating temperature or the higher the degree of vacuum, the more likely it is that bumping will occur. Therefore, when drying multiple containers containing slurry at the same time, there is a risk that the slurry in one container will get into another container containing slurry, i.e., contamination (hereinafter referred to as "contamination") will occur.

[0007] Furthermore, when the slurry dries, the ceramic powder may be scattered around the room due to the gas blowing, resulting in contamination.

[0008] To prevent contamination, it is conceivable to cover the container containing the slurry, but the cover must have a hole to allow the evaporated solvent to escape from the container into the room, and there is a risk that the slurry and / or powder may escape from the hole due to bumping or scattering, resulting in contamination.

[0009] The multiple steps for producing the ceramic powder include a drying step of drying a slurry obtained by wet mixing one or more ceramic raw materials, which includes blow-drying the slurry and, after the blow-drying of the slurry, drying the mixture after the blow-drying of the slurry under vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere.

[0010] The slurry can be dried quickly to prevent contamination.

[0011] 1 shows an example of a system configuration in one embodiment of the present invention; 2 shows a part of the experimental system configuration and the flow of blending ceramic raw materials; 3 shows the rest of the experimental system configuration and the flow of blending ceramic raw materials; 4 shows an example of the dryer configuration; 5 shows the configuration of the drying process.

[0012] In the following description, an "interface apparatus" may be one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following: - One or more I / O (Input / Output) interface devices. The I / O (Input / Output) interface device is an interface device for at least one of an I / O device and a remote display computer. The I / O interface device for the display computer may be a communication interface device. The at least one I / O device may be a user interface device, for example, either an input device such as a keyboard and a pointing device, or an output device such as a display device. - One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., a NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0013] In the following description, the term "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a primary storage device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0014] In the following description, a "persistent storage device" may refer to one or more persistent storage devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices. A persistent storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (e.g., an auxiliary storage device), and more specifically, may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a non-volatile memory express (NVME) drive, or a storage class memory (SCM).

[0015] In the following description, the term "storage device" may refer to at least one of memory and persistent storage device.

[0016] In the following description, a "processor" may refer to one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also be another type of processor device such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The at least one processor device may be a single-core or multi-core device. The at least one processor device may also be a processor core. At least one processor device may be a processor device in a broad sense, such as a circuit that is a collection of gate arrays written in a hardware description language that performs part or all of the processing (for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0017] In the following description, functions such as the data acquisition unit 60, data presentation unit 50, data conversion unit 70, collection unit 101, feature calculation unit 103, image analysis unit 104, natural language analysis unit 105, organization unit 106, AI unit 108, IF unit 109, and AI unit 140 may be realized by one or more computer programs executed by a processor, by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., FPGAs or ASICs), or by a combination thereof. When a function is realized by a program executed by a processor, the specified processing is performed using a storage device and / or an interface device, etc., as appropriate, and therefore the function may be considered to be at least a part of the processor. Processing described using a function as the subject may also be processing performed by a processor or a device having the processor. A program may be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution computer or a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., a non-transitory recording medium). The description of each function is an example, and multiple functions may be combined into one function or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0018] In the following description, when elements of the same type are described without distinction, common reference symbols are used, and when elements of the same type are described with distinction, reference symbols are used.

[0019] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, "MI" stands for materials informatics, and "DB" stands for database.

[0020] 1 shows an example of a system configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention. Note that the description of this embodiment can be based on at least a portion of the disclosures in unpublished prior applications PCT / JP2023 / 009174 and PCT / JP2023 / 009175 filed by the same applicant as the present application. A brief description of FIG. 1 will be given below.

[0021] The material creation support system 10 includes an experiment system 110, a data acquisition unit 60, an MI platform system 100, and a researcher terminal 11 A. The MI platform system 100 includes a data presentation unit 50 and a data conversion unit 70.

[0022] The data presentation unit 50 has an AI (Artificial Intelligence) unit 108 and an IF (Interface) unit 109. The AI ​​unit 108 performs training of the machine learning model and inference using the machine learning model. For example, in response to instructions from the IF unit 109, the AI ​​unit 108 outputs to the IF unit 109 the inference results obtained by inputting organized data obtained from the data mart 107 into the machine learning model. The IF unit 109 receives inquiries from the researcher terminal 11A and presents target data to the researcher terminal 11A in response to the inquiries. The researcher terminal 11A is an information processing terminal (e.g., a personal computer or smartphone) of the materials researcher 5A (an example of a user). The researcher terminal 11A is an example of a sender of an inquiry for target data and also an example of a recipient of the target data. When receiving an inquiry from the researcher terminal 11A (or periodically), the IF unit 109 presents the object represented by the target data (organized data obtained from the data mart 107 and / or data based on inference results obtained by instructing the AI ​​unit 108). The presented object may be, for example, a manufacturing recipe or material properties. In this embodiment, a "manufacturing recipe" refers to a method for creating a material and typically includes a material composition and / or a synthesis process. A "material composition" may be, for example, a blending composition, and a "synthesis process" may refer to raw material types (e.g., different particle sizes) and process conditions. A manufacturing recipe may also include a material development strategy. A "material property" refers to the properties exhibited by a substance (e.g., a structure) as a material and may specifically include, for example, one or more property items (e.g., strength, thermal expansion coefficient, etc.) and values ​​(typically numerical values) for each of the one or more property items.

[0023] The materials researcher 5A creates new materials and conducts experiments based on the presented target data. The target data may be presented (transmitted) to a system such as the experiment system 110 instead of or in addition to the researcher terminal 11A.

[0024] An experiment is conducted using the experimental system 110 based on the presented subject. The experimental system 110 may include a ceramics production system 111 (e.g., an air-fired kiln), a robot system 187 for the production system 111, and a ceramics evaluation system 112 (e.g., a device for evaluating thermal expansion coefficients). Experimental data is output from the experimental devices, such as the production system 111 and the evaluation system 112. The output experimental data is transmitted to and stored in the data server 120. A combinatorial experiment is an example of an experiment, and at least one of a high-throughput experiment, an automated experiment using a robot, and an experiment mainly performed by human labor may be adopted instead of or in addition to a combinatorial experiment. The production system 111 and the robot system 187 may be operated by the MI platform system 100 according to the manufacturing recipe data.

[0025] The data acquisition unit 60 includes a data server 120 and an experiment notebook unit 130. The data server 120 has two databases for storing experimental data from the experiment system 110: a production database 121 for storing experimental data from the production system 111, and an evaluation database 122 for storing experimental data from the evaluation system 112. "Experimental data" may be data related to an experiment, such as a summary, details, results, or evaluation of the experiment. The experiment notebook unit 130 manages the experimental data acquired from the databases managed by the data server 120 as an electronic experiment notebook 131.

[0026] The data conversion unit 70 includes a collection unit 101, a feature calculation unit 103, an image analysis unit 104, a natural language analysis unit 105, and an organization unit 106. The collection unit 101 collects experimental data from the electronic experiment notebook 131 or the database of the data server 120, formats the collected experimental data, and stores the formatted experimental data in the data lake 102. Alternatively, the collection unit 101 collects various data 150 and stores at least a portion of the various data 150 in the data lake 102. The feature calculation unit 103 calculates the feature values ​​of one or more predetermined types of data in the formatted experimental data. For example, the one or more types of data may be image data and text data. The image data is analyzed by the image analysis unit 104, and the feature calculation unit 103 calculates the feature values ​​of the image data based on the results of the analysis. Furthermore, the text data is text-mined by the natural language analysis unit 105, and the feature calculation unit 103 calculates the feature values ​​of the text data based on the results of the text mining. The organizer 106 organizes the data lake 102 into one or more data marts 107 as data sets that meet predetermined conditions.

[0027] The system shown in FIG. 1 is expected to efficiently and quickly execute the cycle of presenting target data → conducting an experiment → collecting experimental data → converting the experimental data into organized data → presenting target data based on the organized data. For example, organized data is prepared based on experimental data collected and formatted in the MI platform system 100, and the target data is presented to the materials researcher 5A by the MI platform system 100 based on the organized data. Data presentation to the materials researcher 5A may also be performed without going through the MI platform system 100. For example, another materials researcher 5B may use the trainee terminal 11B to acquire experimental data from the electronic experiment notebook 131, organize the experimental data, and input it into the AI ​​unit 140. The AI ​​unit 140 may be implemented outside (or within) the trainee terminal 11B.

[0028] The MI platform system 100 provides target data, representing a ceramic manufacturing recipe, and performs experiments by generating ceramics (ceramic materials) according to the manufacturing recipe represented by the manufacturing recipe data. The generation of ceramics according to the manufacturing recipe includes blending ceramic raw materials. While at least some of the steps in blending the ceramic raw materials may be performed manually (e.g., by a materials researcher 5A), in this embodiment, the MI platform system 100 (an example of a computer system) automatically performs multiple steps for blending the ceramic raw materials by operating the manufacturing system 111 and the robot system 187 according to the manufacturing recipe data. This allows for rapid blending of ceramic raw materials. It is sufficient that at least one of the multiple steps is performed automatically. Alternatively, instead of generating the manufacturing recipe data, the MI platform system 100 may receive manufacturing recipe data from an external system and operate the manufacturing system 111 and the robot system 187 according to the received manufacturing recipe data. That is, a computer system such as the MI platform system 100 may generate or receive manufacturing recipe data and operate the fabrication system 111 and the robot system 187 according to the generated or received manufacturing recipe data.

[0029] 2 and 3 show the configuration of the experimental system 110 and the flow of blending ceramic raw materials.

[0030] In the manufacturing system 111, ceramics may be produced through processes such as raw material mixing (compounding of ceramic raw materials) → molding (molding of ceramic powder) → firing → processing, in accordance with the manufacturing recipe represented by the manufacturing recipe data 200. In the manufacturing system 111, at least the raw material mixing (compounding of ceramic raw materials) shown in the figure is performed.

[0031] The multiple steps for preparing the ceramic raw materials are the following five steps. In the following five steps, the second container may be the first container or a container separate from the first container. The third container may be the second container or a container separate from the second container. The fourth container may be the third container or a container separate from the third container. The fifth container may be the fourth container or a container separate from the fourth container. The sixth container may be a container separate from the fifth container. (A) A weighing and mixing step of weighing each of one or more ceramic raw materials 211, the solvent 213, and the pebbles 212, and placing the weighed one or more ceramic raw materials 211, the solvent 213, and one or more (typically multiple) pebbles 212 into the first container. (B) A wet mixing process in which one or more types of ceramic raw materials 211, a solvent 213, and one or more balls 212 are wet-mixed in a second container containing the one or more types of ceramic raw materials 211. (C) A drying process in which a slurry (raw materials 211 and solvent 213) obtained by wet mixing in a third container is dried. (D) A dry crushing process in which the dried raw materials (raw materials 290 (typically mixed raw materials) from which the solvent 213 has been evaporated) are crushed in a fourth container. (E) A ball separation process in which one or more balls 212 are separated from the crushed raw materials 290 in a fifth container to obtain ceramic powder in a sixth container.

[0032] These five steps allow ceramic raw materials to be blended at high speed. While all five steps in this embodiment do not require human intervention, at least one of these five steps may be performed manually (e.g., at least a portion of the operations of the robot system 187 may be performed manually). Even if at least one step is performed manually, ceramic raw materials can be blended at high speed. High-speed blending of ceramic raw materials contributes to the rapid creation of ceramics (ceramic materials). Specifically, for example, high-speed blending of ceramic raw materials allows experiments using the ceramic raw materials to be performed quickly. As a result, a large amount of experimental data can be accumulated in a short period of time, and this large amount of experimental data can be used to train and / or infer a machine learning model using a manufacturing recipe and material properties as input and output. In other words, further speedup and efficiency of the cycle of presenting target data → experiment → collecting experimental data → learning / inferencing a machine learning model using the experimental data → presenting target data is expected.

[0033] In this embodiment, all of the second to fifth containers are the first container, and the first container is the heat-resistant container 210. That is, in this embodiment, the process can be carried out up to the start of the boulder separation process without changing the container. Therefore, the process up to the start of the boulder separation process can be carried out without transferring the contents of the container, thereby contributing to the high-speed blending of ceramic raw materials. Furthermore, since the container is placed in the dryer 203 as described below (so that it can be used even when the slurry drying temperature is increased), it must be heat-resistant. For example, the heat-resistant container 210 made of Teflon (registered trademark), nylon, or the like is preferable.

[0034] The robots in the robot system 187 may be collaborative robots or other robots (e.g., industrial robots). Furthermore, a robot may be provided for each device in the manufacturing system 111, or one robot may be shared by two or more devices in the manufacturing system 111. The robots in the robot system 187 receive requests directly or indirectly from the MI platform system 100, for example, via a communication network, and operate in accordance with the received requests. In the case where a request is received indirectly, a control device of at least one robot may receive a request from the MI platform system 100 and issue a request based on the received request to the at least one robot. In the case where a request is received directly, a request may be received from the MI platform system 100 without passing through such a control device. Hereinafter, for simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that a request according to the manufacturing recipe data 200 is received from the MI platform system 100 for each robot in the robot system 187, regardless of whether the request is received directly or indirectly. Furthermore, the robot system 187 operates regardless of whether any of the one or more robots in the robot system 187 operates. The robot may send a notification (e.g., a status notification such as completion of the request) to the MI platform system 100 at the start or completion of an operation according to a request.

[0035] The multiple devices in the production system 111 include an automatic weighing machine 201, a rotation-revolution mixer 202 (an example of a wet mixer and a crusher), a dryer 203, and a boulder separator 204. Each of these devices 201-204 receives a request from the MI platform system 100 directly or indirectly, for example, via a communication network, and operates in accordance with the received request. In the case where a request is received indirectly, a control device of at least one of the devices 201-204 may receive a request from the MI platform system 100 and issue a request based on the request to the at least one device. In the case where a request is received directly, a request may be received from the MI platform system 100 without passing through such a control device. For simplicity of explanation, it is assumed below that a request according to the manufacturing recipe data 200 is received from the MI platform system 100 for each device in the production system 111, regardless of whether the request is received directly or indirectly. The device in the production system 111 may send a notification (e.g., a status notification such as completion of the request) to the MI platform system 100 at the timing of starting or completing an operation according to the request.

[0036] In the weighing and mixing step, the robot system 187 sets the heat-resistant container 210 on the automatic weighing machine 201. The automatic weighing machine 201 weighs each of the one or more ceramic raw materials 211, the solvent 213, and the pebbles 212 according to one or more parameter values ​​related to weighing and / or mixing included in the manufacturing recipe represented by the manufacturing recipe data 200, and places the weighed one or more ceramic raw materials 211, the solvent 213, and the one or more pebbles 212 into the heat-resistant container 210. The robot system 187 removes the heat-resistant container 210 from the automatic weighing machine 201. According to the example shown in FIG. 2 , there are three types of ceramic raw materials 211A, 211B, and 211C.

[0037] The "one or more parameter values ​​related to weighing and / or mixing included in the manufacturing recipe" may be specified in a request received by the automatic weighing machine 201 from the MI platform system 100. The "one or more parameter values" may include at least one of the name and weight of each type of ceramic raw material 211, the name and weight of the solvent 213, and the name and weight of the beads 212. The solvent 213 may be an alcohol such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol). The beads 212 must be heat-resistant because they are placed in the dryer 203 as described below. For example, the one or more beads 212 may be at least one of alumina balls, zirconia balls, and nylon balls. While there are no limitations on the type of solvent 213, when using a cohesive material, ethanol or IPA, which has high dispersibility, is preferred as the solvent 213. There is no limitation on the type of balls 212, but examples of balls 212 include stainless steel, steel, carbon steel, chromium steel, tungsten carbide balls, silicon nitride, natural silica, SiC, agate (silicon oxide), polyurethane, Teflon, quartz, etc., and nylon balls are particularly preferred when it is desired to avoid the inclusion of impurities.

[0038] In the wet mixing step, the robot system 187 sets the heat-resistant container 210 (heat-resistant container 210 containing one or more types of ceramic raw materials 211, a solvent 213, and one or more balls 212) removed in the weighing and mixing step in the rotation-revolution mixer 202. The rotation-revolution mixer 202 wet-mixes (agitates) the one or more types of ceramic raw materials 211 in the heat-resistant container 210 according to one or more parameter values ​​related to wet mixing included in the manufacturing recipe. The robot system 187 removes the heat-resistant container 210 from the rotation-revolution mixer 202. In this step, the opening of the heat-resistant container 210 may or may not be covered with a lid.

[0039] The "one or more parameter values ​​related to wet mixing included in the manufacturing recipe" may be specified in a request received by the rotation-revolution mixer 202 from the MI platform system 100. The "one or more parameter values" may include at least one of the rotation speed of the rotation-revolution mixer 202 (e.g., the number of rotations per unit time) and the length of rotation time. Furthermore, although wet mixing may be performed using a ball mill or the like instead of the rotation-revolution mixer 202, employing the rotation-revolution mixer 202 as a wet mixing device contributes to high-speed blending of ceramic raw materials.

[0040] In the drying step, the robot system 187 sets the heat-resistant container 210 removed in the wet mixing step in the dryer 203. The dryer 203 dries the slurry in the heat-resistant container 210 in accordance with one or more parameter values ​​related to drying included in the manufacturing recipe. That is, the slurry is dried together with the balls 212. The robot system 187 removes the heat-resistant container 210 from the dryer 203. By drying the slurry and the balls 212 together, they can be directly subjected to dry crushing in the next step (without the need to transfer the contents of the container). The drying step will be described in detail later.

[0041] The "one or more parameter values ​​related to drying included in the recipe" may be specified in a request received by the dryer 203 from the MI platform system 100. The "one or more parameter values" may include all or part of the parameters related to the operation of the dryer 203, and may include, for example, at least one of the drying time, drying temperature (e.g., temperature per hour from the start of drying), the number of heat-resistant containers 210 to be set, carrier gas, gas flow rate, and vacuum level. The dryer 203 may have space for multiple heat-resistant containers 210. Therefore, the drying process may be performed after the weighing and mixing process and the wet mixing process are performed for multiple heat-resistant containers 210. Both the weighing and mixing process and the wet mixing process may be performed in parallel for multiple heat-resistant containers 210.

[0042] In the dry crushing step, the robot system 187 sets the heat-resistant container 210 removed in the drying step in the rotation / revolution mixer 202. The rotation / revolution mixer 202 crushes the raw material in the heat-resistant container 210 in accordance with one or more parameter values ​​related to dry crushing included in the manufacturing recipe. The robot system 187 removes the heat-resistant container 210 from the rotation / revolution mixer 202. In this step, the opening of the heat-resistant container 210 may or may not be covered with a lid.

[0043] The "one or more parameter values ​​related to dry crushing included in the manufacturing recipe" may be specified in a request received by the rotational / revolutionary mixer 202 from the MI platform system 100. The "one or more parameter values" may include at least one of the rotational / revolutionary mixer 202 rotation speed (e.g., the number of rotations per unit time) and the rotation time length. Dry crushing may be performed by another crushing device instead of the rotational / revolutionary mixer 202, but employing the rotational / revolutionary mixer 202 as a crushing device contributes to high-speed blending of ceramic raw materials. A rotational / revolutionary mixer 202 as a crushing device may be provided separately from the rotational / revolutionary mixer 202 as a wet mixing device, but using the rotational / revolutionary mixer 202 to perform both wet mixing and crushing can conserve equipment resources.

[0044] In the boulder separation step, the robot system 187 sets the heat-resistant container 210 removed in the dry crushing step in the boulder separator 204. The heat-resistant container 210 contains a mixture of crushed raw material 290 and one or more boulders 212. The boulder separator 204 separates the one or more boulders 212 from the crushed raw material 290 in the heat-resistant container 210. As a result, ceramic powder, which is the crushed raw material 290, enters a receiving container 270 (an example of a sixth container). The receiving container 270 is removed from the boulder separator 204 by the robot system 187. In this step, if a lid is placed on the opening of the removed heat-resistant container 210, the robot system 187 may remove the lid and then set the heat-resistant container 210 in the boulder separator 204. Alternatively, the boulder separator 204 may be omitted, and the above-described operation of the boulder separator 204 may be performed by the robot system 187.

[0045] Specifically, in the boulder separation process, the robot system 187 sets a jig 271 having a net 300 on the heat-resistant container 210 and the receiving container 270 so that the net 300 is sandwiched between the opening of the heat-resistant container 210 and the opening of the receiving container 270. At this point, the receiving container 270 is above the heat-resistant container 210. The jig 271 fixes the heat-resistant container 210 and the receiving container 270. For example, the jig 271 has a fixing member 301 on the periphery of the net 300, to which at least a portion of the opening periphery (e.g., flange) of the heat-resistant container 210 and at least a portion of the opening periphery (e.g., flange) of the receiving container 270 are set. The robot system 187 or the boulder separation device 204 turns the heat-resistant container 210 and the receiving container 270 fixed to the jig 271 upside down. In other words, when the receiving container 270 is placed below the heat-resistant container 210 via the mesh 300, the balls 212 fall onto the mesh 300, and the crushed raw material 290 falls as ceramic powder into the receiving container 270 through the mesh 300. To increase separation efficiency, the robot system 187 or the ball separator 204 may vibrate the heat-resistant container 210 fixed to the jig 271. The mesh 300 is a sieve, filter, mesh, or the like, and is an example of a means for physically separating one or more balls 212 from the crushed raw material 290. Therefore, the mesh size is set to a size that prevents the balls 212 from passing through, regardless of their orientation. The material of the mesh 300 (sieve, filter, mesh, etc.) is not limited as long as it can separate the balls. For example, the material may be stainless steel, nylon, Sunline, polyamide, polyester, or fluororesin.

[0046] As described above, the wet mixing step is followed by the drying step, and then the dry crushing step and the boulder separation step are carried out, thereby enabling the ceramic raw material to be mixed at high speed.

[0047] Data representing the performance of the robot system 187 and the production system 111 and the details of the actual mixing of raw materials (e.g., actual weighing values, drying times, start and end times of each process, etc.) is recorded in the production DB 121 by at least one of the robot system 187, the production system 111, and other devices. At least a portion of the data may be components of the experimental data.

[0048] The heat-resistant container 210 and / or the receiving container 270 may have a label for identifying the container. This allows the container 210 or 270 (specifically, for example, the contents of the container 210 or 270) to be identified from the label. For example, the label may record a recipe or a summary thereof instead of or in addition to the container ID.

[0049] The ceramic raw material preparation method according to the above embodiment includes a method for producing ceramic powder, and the method for producing ceramic powder includes a drying step.

[0050] The drying process according to this embodiment can be applied to the drying process in the ceramic raw material preparation method according to this embodiment, but the ceramic raw material preparation method is not particularly limited as far as the drying process of the ceramic slurry is concerned. As shown in FIG. 5 , the drying process according to this embodiment includes a first drying step in which the slurry is air-dried, and a second drying step in which the mixture (e.g., a clay or mud-like slurry) after the first drying step is dried under vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere. The first drying step contributes to preventing bumping of the slurry in the early stages of drying. The second drying step contributes to preventing powder scattering. Furthermore, in the second drying step, bumping can be avoided if the slurry after the first drying has a small amount of liquid phase components. As a result, both the first drying step and the second drying step can be expected to be performed quickly to prevent contamination, thereby enabling the slurry to be dried quickly and without contamination overall.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 4 , the dryer 203 has, for example, a first drying section 401, a second drying section 402, a storage section 403, and a recovery section 404. The first drying section 401 may include a heater, a temperature sensor, etc., and performs air drying. The second drying section 402 may include a heater, a temperature sensor, etc., and performs drying under vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere (e.g., vacuum drying or nitrogen drying). The storage section 403 has a space (room) in which a specimen (a container containing a slurry in this embodiment) can be placed. The recovery section 404 has a cooler, and the cooler recovers the solvent evaporated from the slurry.

[0052] As described above, the dryer 203 is a device capable of performing both air drying and drying under a vacuum or inert gas atmosphere. The dryer 203 may be a first dryer (e.g., an air dryer) having a first drying section 401, or a second dryer (e.g., a vacuum dryer or a nitrogen dryer) having a second drying section 402. The second dryer may be separate from the first dryer. Both the first dryer and the second dryer may be provided with a storage section and a recovery section. However, by adopting the dryer 203 in which the first and second dryers are integrated, as in this embodiment, faster drying can be expected. One reason for this is that there is no need to transfer the container containing the slurry between the dryers.

[0053] Specifically, for example, the ceramic powder production system includes a production system 111 including a plurality of devices, a robot system 187 including one or more robots for at least one of the plurality of devices, and an MI platform system 100 (an example of a computer system) that, for example, automatically performs a plurality of steps for producing ceramic powder by operating the production system 111 and / or the robot system 187 according to production recipe data that represents a ceramic production recipe, and the plurality of devices includes a dryer 203 (an example of one or more dryers). The drying process includes the following steps: a robot in the robot system 187 loads the slurry into the dryer 203 (an example of a dryer having a first drying section 401); the first drying section 401 blows air onto the slurry; the second drying section 402 blows air onto the mixture after the air-drying; and the robot in the robot system 187 removes the mixture dried under vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere from the dryer 203 (an example of a dryer having a second drying section 402). In this manner, the drying process can be performed automatically. While a method of placing a lid on the container containing the slurry can be used to reduce the possibility of contamination, this embodiment can prevent contamination without such a lid. Furthermore, by adopting the dryer 203, which integrates the first and second dryers, there is no need to transfer the container containing the slurry between the dryers, thereby reducing the time required for the drying process. In addition, when the first and second dryers are separate, the drying process may include using a robot in the robot system 187 to remove the mixture after air-drying the slurry from the first dryer, and using a robot in the robot system 187 to load the mixture removed from the first dryer into the second dryer.

[0054] "After the air drying of the slurry" refers to the time when the solvent content of the slurry is deemed to have reached a target content defined as a content at which bumping does not occur even when drying under vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere. The target content is preferably the lowest content that does not result in over-drying by air drying, in other words, the lowest content that does not cause powder scattering of the slurry during air drying. This is because air drying the slurry as much as possible without causing bumping or powder scattering allows the slurry to be dried more quickly. Note that "the solvent content of the slurry is deemed to have reached the target content" may refer to the time that a predetermined drying time has elapsed under predetermined drying conditions (e.g., air drying conditions specified by the manufacturing recipe). Specifically, for example, the dryer 203 (or the robot system 187 or the MI platform system 100) may measure the elapsed time from the start of the first drying (air drying) under predetermined drying conditions (e.g., the first conditions described below). When the dryer 203 (or the robot system 187 or the MI platform system 100) detects that the elapsed time has reached a predetermined time, it may automatically prepare for a second drying (drying under a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere) according to predetermined drying conditions (e.g., the second conditions described below) (e.g., such preparation may be made by the robot system 187 and / or the MI platform system 100), and the second drying may be automatically started by the dryer 203 (or the robot system 187 or the MI platform system 100).

[0055] Examples of slurry factors include the type of raw material powder (composition, particle size, specific surface area, etc.), the type of solvent, and the amount of solvent.

[0056] The present invention will be explained in more detail by the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0057] To dry the alumina slurry, the following process was attempted. Commercially available alumina powder (particle size 0.4 μm) was prepared, and an alumina slurry was prepared using IPA (isopropyl alcohol) as the solvent, with the IPA content at 95 vol%. The IPA ratio was calculated as follows: IPA volume / (IPA volume + alumina volume) × 100. 35 g of the resulting slurry was dispensed into a Teflon container and dried in a blower dryer until the IPA reached the specified volume ratio (drying process X). The Teflon container was heated to approximately 60°C, and N2 gas was sprayed onto the liquid surface from a 1 cm inner diameter nozzle at a flow rate of 3 L / min to dry the slurry. The slurry after drying process X was placed in a vacuum dryer and dried until the IPA was completely evaporated (drying process Y). The vacuum drying was performed by heating the Teflon container to 90°C and evacuating the air with a dry pump to maintain a vacuum of 172 hPa. In Table 2, "Residual amount of IPA after drying process X" specifically refers to the residual amount of IPA in vol % when switching from drying process X to drying process Y. - In drying process X, whether or not powder would scatter was determined using the scale set forth in Table 1. The results are shown in Table 2. - In drying process Y, whether or not the slurry would bump was determined using the scale set forth in Table 1. The results are shown in Table 2. - The drying speed was determined from the time required for drying processes X and Y using the scale set forth in Table 1. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0058] According to the first aspect, the target content is preferably a content of 5.0 vol% or more and 70.0 vol% or less, because the evaluations of both contamination and drying speed are either "A" or "C" (the degree of contamination is small and the drying speed is not slow).

[0059] According to the second aspect, the target content is preferably a content in the range of 26.0 vol% to 68.0 vol% within the range according to the first aspect, because the contamination evaluation is "A" or "B" (no contamination occurs).

[0060] According to the third aspect, the target content is preferably a content in the range of 5.0 vol% to 61.5 vol% within the range according to the first aspect, because the drying rate is evaluated as "A" or "B" (the drying rate is fast).

[0061] According to the fourth aspect, the target content is preferably in the overlapping portion between the range according to the second aspect and the range according to the third aspect, i.e., a content in the range of 26.0 vol% to 61.5 vol%, inclusive, because both the contamination and the drying rate are evaluated as "A" or "B".

[0062] According to the fifth aspect, the target content is preferably a content in the range according to the second aspect, that is, 45.0 vol % or more and 61.5 vol % or less, because all of the contamination evaluations are "A."

[0063] The air drying of the slurry may be performed according to first conditions, and the first conditions may include at least one of the following (x1) to (x3). Factors for air drying include heating temperature, gas flow rate, and gas flow velocity. The larger the values ​​of these factors, the more likely contamination (e.g., bumping) will occur, but the faster the drying speed will be. (x1) A relatively high gas flow rate within a gas flow rate range determined based on a target content of solvent after the slurry has been air-dried. (x2) A relatively high gas flow velocity within a gas flow velocity range determined based on the target content. (x3) A relatively high heating temperature within a heating temperature range determined based on the target content.

[0064] Drying the mixture after air drying of the slurry under vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere may be carried out in accordance with second conditions, and the second conditions may include at least one of the following (y1) to (y3). Factors for drying under vacuum (vacuum drying) include, for example, heating temperature and degree of vacuum, and factors for drying in an inert gas atmosphere (e.g., nitrogen drying) include, for example, heating temperature, gas flow rate (e.g., nitrogen gas flow rate), and gas flow velocity. This is because the larger the values ​​of these factors, the more likely contamination (e.g., bumping or powder scattering) will occur, but the faster the drying rate. (y1) A relatively high heating temperature within a heating temperature range determined based on the target content. (y2) A relatively high degree of vacuum within a vacuum degree range determined based on the target content. (y3) A relatively high inert gas flow rate within an inert gas flow rate range determined based on the target content.

[0065] The amount of solvent that can be recovered per hour by the cooler can be further included as a factor for air drying and a factor for drying under a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere. The drying conditions such as the first condition and the second condition may be determined based on the amount of solvent that can be recovered per hour by the cooler (i.e., recovery capacity).

[0066] The manufacturing recipe generated by the MI platform system 100 may include drying conditions having at least one of first conditions and second conditions. The first conditions may be generated by the MI platform system 100 based on conditions including at least one of the type of ceramic raw material in the slurry, the type of solvent in the slurry, the amount of solvent in the slurry, and the model and / or specifications of the dryer 203 (e.g., particularly the specifications of the first drying section 401). The second conditions may be generated by the MI platform system 100 based on conditions including at least one of the type of ceramic raw material in the slurry, the type of solvent in the slurry, the amount of solvent in the slurry, and the model and / or specifications of the dryer 203 (e.g., particularly the specifications of the second drying section 402).

[0067] Although one embodiment has been described above, this is merely an example for explaining the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms.

[0068] 10...Material creation support system 100...MI platform system 111...Production system 187...Robot system 203...Dryer 401...First drying section 402...Second drying section

Claims

1. A method for producing ceramic powder, comprising: operating a production system including a plurality of devices; and a robot system including one or more robots for at least one of the plurality of devices by a computer in accordance with production recipe data representing a ceramic production recipe, thereby automatically performing a plurality of steps for producing ceramic powder, wherein the plurality of steps includes a drying step of drying a slurry obtained by wet mixing one or more types of ceramic raw materials, and the drying step includes: blow-drying the slurry; and, after blow-drying the slurry, drying the mixture after blow-drying the slurry under vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere.

2. The ceramic powder production method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices include one or more dryers having a first drying section for air drying and a second drying section for drying under a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere, and the drying process includes: using a robot in the robot system to load the slurry into the dryer having the first drying section; using the first drying section to air dry the slurry; using the second drying section to dry the mixture after air drying of the slurry under a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere; and using a robot in the robot system to remove the mixture dried under a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere from the dryer having the second drying section.

3. The ceramic powder production method described in claim 1, wherein "after drying the slurry by air blowing" refers to after the solvent content of the slurry is deemed to have reached a target content defined as a content at which no bumping occurs even when drying is performed under the vacuum or in the inert gas atmosphere.

4. The ceramic powder production method according to claim 3, wherein the target content is a content of 5.0 vol% or more and 70.0 vol% or less.

5. The ceramic powder production method according to claim 4, wherein the target content is a content of 26.0 vol% or more and 68.0 vol% or less.

6. The ceramic powder production method according to claim 4, wherein the target content is a content of 5.0 vol% or more and 61.5 vol% or less.

7. The plurality of devices include one or more dryers having a first drying section that performs air drying and a second drying section that performs drying under a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere, and the drying process includes air drying of the slurry using the first drying section in accordance with first conditions, and the first conditions include at least one of the following (x1) to (x3): (x1) a relatively high gas flow rate within a gas flow rate range determined based on a target content of solvent after the slurry has been air dried; (x2) a relatively high gas flow rate within a gas flow rate range determined based on the target content; (x3) a relatively high heating temperature within a heating temperature range determined based on the target content. The ceramic powder production method described in claim 1.

8. The plurality of devices include one or more dryers having a first drying section for air drying and a second drying section for drying under vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere, and the drying step includes drying the mixture after air drying of the slurry under vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere by the second drying section in accordance with second conditions, and the second conditions include at least one of the following (y1) to (y3): (y1) a relatively high heating temperature within a heating temperature range determined based on the target content; (y2) a relatively high degree of vacuum within a vacuum degree range determined based on the target content; (y3) a relatively high inert gas flow rate within an inert gas flow rate range determined based on the target content. The ceramic powder production method described in claim 1.

9. The ceramic powder production method according to claim 1, wherein the drying step comprises: drying the slurry by air blowing in the first drying section according to first conditions; and drying the mixture after air blow drying of the slurry in a vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere in the second drying section according to second conditions; wherein the manufacturing recipe is generated by the computer and comprises the first conditions and the second conditions; wherein the first conditions are generated by the computer based on conditions including at least one of the type of ceramic raw material in the slurry, the type of solvent in the slurry, the amount of solvent in the slurry, and the model and / or specifications of a dryer having the first drying section; and wherein the second conditions are generated by the computer based on conditions including at least one of the type of ceramic raw material in the slurry, the type of solvent in the slurry, the amount of solvent in the slurry, and the model and / or specifications of a dryer having the second drying section.

10. A drying method comprising: a first drying step of blowing air onto a slurry; and a second drying step of drying the mixture of the air-dried slurry under vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere after the first drying step.

11. The drying method according to claim 10, wherein "after drying the slurry by air blowing" refers to after the solvent content of the slurry is deemed to have reached a target content defined as a content at which no bumping occurs even when drying is performed under the vacuum or the inert gas atmosphere.

12. The ceramic powder production method according to claim 11, wherein the target content is a content of 5.0 vol% or more and 70.0 vol% or less.

13. The ceramic powder production method according to claim 12, wherein the target content is a content of 26.0 vol% or more and 68.0 vol% or less.

14. The ceramic powder production method according to claim 12, wherein the target content is a content of 5.0 vol% or more and 61.5 vol% or less.

15. The drying method according to claim 10, wherein the first drying step involves blow-drying the slurry in accordance with first conditions, and the first conditions include at least one of (x1) to (x3): (x1) a relatively high gas flow rate within a gas flow rate range determined based on a target content of solvent after the slurry has been blow-dried; (x2) a relatively high gas flow rate within a gas flow rate range determined based on the target content; and (x3) a relatively high heating temperature within a heating temperature range determined based on the target content.

16. The drying method described in claim 10, wherein the second drying step is carried out by drying the mixture after air drying of the slurry under vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere in accordance with second conditions, and the second conditions include at least one of the following (y1) to (y3): (y1) a relatively high heating temperature within a heating temperature range determined based on the target content; (y2) a relatively high degree of vacuum within a vacuum range determined based on the target content; (y3) a relatively high inert gas flow rate within an inert gas flow rate range determined based on the target content.

17. A ceramic powder production system comprising: a production system including a plurality of devices; a robot system including one or more robots for at least one of the plurality of devices; and a computer system that causes the production system and the robot system to perform at least one or more steps among a plurality of steps for producing ceramic powder by operating the production system and the robot system in accordance with production recipe data that represents a ceramic production recipe, wherein the plurality of devices include one or more dryers having a first drying section that performs air drying and a second drying section that performs drying under a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere, and the plurality of steps includes a drying step that dries a slurry obtained by wet mixing one or more types of ceramic raw materials, and the drying step includes: air-drying the slurry in the first drying section; and, after air-drying the slurry, drying the mixture after air-drying the slurry in the second drying section under a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere.

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