Heat treatment furnace apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025100059-A1
Application number	US-202418973520-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 9, 2024
Priority date	May 19, 2023
Publication date	Mar 27, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A heat treatment furnace apparatus according to an embodiment heats, when a metal plate is brazed to a ceramic substrate, at least one storage container made of stainless steel, in which a plurality of ceramic metal substrates are stored, to subject the plurality of ceramic metal substrates to a heat treatment at 600 degrees Celsius or more and less than 950 degrees Celsius. The heat treatment furnace apparatus includes: a heater provided outside a furnace body;
a rail section that transports the storage container placed inside the furnace body; and a transport device that transports the storage container placed on the rail section in a predetermined transport direction along the rail section while moving the storage container in a direction perpendicular to the rail section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A heat treatment furnace apparatus that heats, when a metal plate is brazed to a ceramic substrate, at least one storage container made of stainless steel, in which a plurality of ceramic metal substrates are stored, to subject the plurality of ceramic metal substrates to a heat treatment at 600 degrees Celsius or more and less than 950 degrees Celsius, the heat treatment furnace apparatus comprising:
a heater provided outside a furnace body; a rail section that transports the storage container placed inside the furnace body; and a transport device that transports the storage container placed on the rail section in a predetermined transport direction along the rail section while moving the storage container in a direction perpendicular to the rail section, wherein the transport device includes a first moving device for moving the storage container in the transport direction, and a second transport device for integrally moving the storage container and the first moving device in a vertical direction, the first moving device includes a container support plate for supporting the storage container, a support member for supporting the container support plate, and a first moving mechanism for moving the support member in the transport direction, the second moving device includes a support plate for supporting the support member movably along the transport direction, and a second moving mechanism for raising and lowering the support plate, the rail section has a central portion in which a space passing therethrough in a vertical direction is formed along the transport direction, the rail section has an upper space configured as a transport space for the storage container, and the rail section has an upper surface configured as a placement surface for the storage container, the container support plate is supported by the support member in a state in which the container support plate is inserted into the space of the rail section with an upper surface of the container support plate being parallel to a storage container placement surface of the rail section, the rail section
includes an inlet side chain belt mechanism such that there are provided an endless circular inlet side chain belt section and a drive section that circulates the inlet side chain belt section, a downstream end portion of a transport surface of the inlet side chain belt section is connected to an upstream end portion of the storage container placement surface of the rail section, and the transport surface of the inlet side chain belt section is disposed along the storage container placement surface, and
includes an outlet side chain belt mechanism such that there are provided an endless circular outlet side chain belt section and a drive section that circulates the outlet side chain belt section, an upstream end portion of a transport surface of the outlet side chain belt section is connected to a downstream end portion of the storage container placement surface of the rail section, and the transport surface of the outlet side chain belt section is disposed along the storage container placement surface,
the container support plate is configured such that when a height of the upper surface of the container support plate coincides with a height of the storage container placement surface of the rail section, an upstream end potion of the upper surface of the container support plate overlaps a downstream end portion of the transport surface of the inlet side chain belt section, and the container support plate is configured such that a downstream end portion of the upper surface of the container support plate overlaps the upstream end portion of the transport surface of the outlet side chain belt section.

2 . The heat treatment furnace apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the inlet side chain belt section and the outlet side chain belt section include a space passing through a central portion in a vertical direction, a mechanism is provided such that the space of the inlet side chain belt section has an inlet side lift platform connected to an inlet side lift cylinder, the mechanism is at a same height as a loading section of an inlet side loading mechanism at a higher position than an upper surface of the inlet side chain belt section, and the storage container is transported from the loading section, and the inlet side lift cylinder is lowered, thereby placing the storage container on the inlet side chain belt section, and a mechanism is provided such that the space of the outlet side chain belt section has an outlet side lift platform connected to an outlet side lift cylinder, the outlet side lift platform, which is at a position lower than an upper surface of the outlet side chain belt section, is raised by the outlet side lift cylinder to the storage container located downstream of the outlet side chain belt section, and thus the outlet side lift platform moves to a same height as a discharge section of an outlet side unloading mechanism, and the storage container is transported to an unloading section.

3 . The heat treatment furnace apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transport device is a device for moving the storage containers so as to draw a square pulse-shaped path while placing the storage containers on the rail section with required intervals between the storage containers.

4 . The heat treatment furnace apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the furnace body has an inert gas atmosphere, and is configure to allow the inert gas to flow into the furnace body from an outside and to flow out of the furnace body.

5 . The heat treatment furnace apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second moving mechanism has a link mechanism for raising and lowering the support plate with its support surface parallel to the transport direction, and is configured to reciprocate the support plate parallel to the transport direction to raise and lower the support plate via the link mechanism.

6 . The heat treatment furnace apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the second moving mechanism includes
a moving mechanism aid plate provided so as to be movable along the transport direction relative to the furnace body,
a plurality of protruding portions each having a sloped surface, the sloped surface being provided at a predetermined interval along the transport direction on a base section of the second moving mechanism, having one end portion on an upstream side protruding upward, and being sloped upward toward the protruding one end from another end portion on a downstream side of the base section, and
a plurality of rollers that are rotatably connected to the moving mechanism aid plate, and reciprocate while rotating on the sloped surface of a protruding portion on an upper surface of the base section, and
the moving mechanism aid plate is reciprocated in parallel to the transport direction, and thereby the moving mechanism aid plate is raised and lowered integrally with the rollers by reciprocating the rollers along the sloped surface in a state in which the support surface of the moving mechanism aid plate is parallel to the transport direction.

7 . The heat treatment furnace apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heater is installed in a vertical direction on an outer side surface of the furnace body, and a position of the heater is at a same height as that of the storage container when the storage container is on the rail section.

8 . The heat treatment furnace apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the heat treatment furnace apparatus includes the storage container, and a hole portion is formed on a bottom surface of the storage container so as to include a central portion of the storage container.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Materials Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hoshino Masanori
• Kato Hiromasa
• Sato Hideki

Classifications

• B23K1/008

  Soldering within a furnace (B23K1/012 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B23K3/04

  Heating appliances · CPC title

• B23K2103/18

  Dissimilar materials · CPC title

• B23K3/08 Primary

  Auxiliary devices therefor · CPC title

• F27B9/24

  being carried by a conveyor · CPC title