Ovens, discharge nozzle plates for distribution of gas through an oven, and methods to operate an oven

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10767283-B2
Application number	US-201615345553-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2016
Priority date	Nov 7, 2014
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

Ovens, discharge nozzle plates for distribution of gas through an oven, and methods to operate an oven are disclosed. Example ovens include a heating system to heat gas, a substrate heating volume, and a plenum comprising a side wall having a plurality of passages formed therein, the plenum configured to direct heated gas into the substrate heating volume from the plurality of passages, each of the plurality of passages formed in the plenum having a respective tapered cross-sectional shape.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oven, comprising:
a heating system to heat gas;
a substrate heating volume; and
a plenum comprising a side wall having a plurality of passages formed therein, the plenum configured to direct heated gas into the substrate heating volume from the plurality of passages, wherein each of the plurality of passages formed in the plenum has a respective tapered cross-sectional shape, a respective single inlet opening, and a respective single outlet opening, and wherein at least one of the passages formed in the side wall of the plenum comprises a tapered section extending from the respective inlet opening, and each of the plurality of passages comprises:
a tapered portion between the single inlet opening and the single outlet opening of the passage to stabilize and align the heated gas.

2. The oven as defined in claim 1 , wherein the substrate heating volume comprises a return structure opposite the plenum to direct at least a portion of the heated gas out of the substrate heating volume.

3. The oven as defined in claim 2 , wherein the return structure is to direct the at least the portion of the heated gas to the heating system.

4. The oven as defined in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of passages are distributed using one or more repeating patterns over the side wall.

5. The oven as defined in claim 4 , wherein the one or more repeating patterns comprise an arrangement of the passages over the side wall to optimize the distribution of the heated gas over a load area in the substrate heating volume.

6. The oven as defined in claim 1 , wherein the side wall comprises a first section having first ones of the passages and a second section of the side wall having second ones of the passages, the side wall comprising a third section between the first section of the side wall and the second section of the side wall, the third section of the side wall not having passages for directing the heated gas.

7. The oven as defined in claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the passages comprising the tapered section further comprises a curved or beveled edge along the respective inlet opening.

8. The oven as defined in claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the passages formed in the side wall of the plenum comprising the tapered section further comprises a straight section extending from an end of the tapered section to the respective outlet opening.

9. The oven as defined in claim 1 , wherein the plenum is tapered from a gas input location of the plenum toward an opposite end of the plenum.

10. The oven as defined in claim 9 , wherein the side wall is configured to output the gas from the plurality of passages at a substantially uniform volume.

11. An oven, comprising:
a heating system to heat gas;
a substrate heating volume;
a plenum comprising a side wall having a plurality of passages formed therein, the plenum configured to direct heated gas into the substrate heating volume from the plurality of passages, each of the plurality of passages formed in the plenum having a respective tapered cross-sectional shape; and
an air circulator configured to generate at least 0.3 inches water column of static pressure over the entirety of the side wall opposite the substrate heating area.

12. The oven as defined in claim 1 , further comprising an air circulator configured to generate at least 0.5 inches water column of static pressure over the entirety of the side wall opposite the substrate heating area.

13. A method for heating a substrate in an oven, comprising:
supplying heated gas to a supply structure disposed within an interior of the oven, the supply structure comprising a plenum; and
directing at least a portion of the heated gas to a substrate heating volume in the interior of the oven via passages formed in a side wall of the plenum, each of the passages having tapered cross-sectional shapes, a respective single inlet opening, and a respective single outlet opening, wherein the directing of at least the portion of the heated gas into the inlet openings of the passages comprises directing the at least the portion of the heated gas into respective tapered sections of the passages extending between the respective single inlet openings and the respective single outlet openings of the passages to stabilize and align the heated gas.

14. The method as defined in claim 13 , wherein the directing of at least the portion of the heated gas into the substrate heating volume via the passages comprises:
directing at least the portion of the heated gas into inlet openings of the passages; and
directing at least the portion of the heated gas into the substrate heating volume from outlet openings of the passages.

15. The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein the directing of at least the portion of the heated gas into the inlet openings of the passages comprises:
directing at least the portion of the heated gas along curved or beveled edges formed along the inlet openings of the passages.

16. The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein the directing of at least the portion of the heated gas into the substrate heating volume from the outlet openings of the passages comprises:
directing the at least the portion of the heated gas into straight sections of the passages prior to discharging the heated gas into the substrate heating volume.

17. The method as defined in claim 13 , further comprising recirculating the at least the portion of the heated gas from the substrate heating volume to the plenum via a return structure.

18. The method as defined in claim 13 , wherein the directing of at least the portion of the heated gas into the substrate heating volume via the passages comprises:
directing at least the portion of the heated gas into one or more repeating patterns of the passages over the side wall.

19. The method as defined in claim 13 , wherein the directing of at least the portion of the heated gas into the substrate heating volume via the passages comprises directing the at least the portion of the heated gas at a substantially uniform volume through the passages.

Assignees

• Despatch Industries Lp
• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Melgaard Hans L
• Ruf Daniel M
• Benson Matthew
• Vu Phillip
• Graham Robert Gerald
• Kragseth Rolf Douglas

Classifications

• F27D7/02

  Supplying steam, vapour, gases or liquids · CPC title

• F27D7/00

  Forming, maintaining or circulating atmospheres in heating chambers · CPC title

• D02J13/001 Primary

  in a tube or vessel · CPC title

• F27D2007/023

  Conduits · CPC title

• D01F9/32 Primary

  Apparatus therefor · CPC title