THERMAL PROCESSING APPARATUS

• Main Authors: HIRANO TSUMORU, NAKAJIMA MASAHIKO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 20.12.2012
• Subjects: BLASTING; BURNERS; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; COMBUSTION APPARATUS; COMBUSTION PROCESSES; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED,LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; HEATING; LIGHTING; MACHINE TOOLS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; STORING OF DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS; TRANSPORTING; VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED ORSOLIDIFIED GASES; WEAPONS; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a definite constitution capable of reliably causing a catalytic reaction when heating a thermal processing member by burning a liquefied gas as a heat source in a thermal processing apparatus such as a soldering iron.SOLUTION: The thermal processing apparatus 1 comprises: a liquefied gas tank 3; a flow control valve 4 for controlling the flow of a gas ejected from the tank 3; an ejector 5 which sucks air from outside by the flow of the gas of the amount controlled by the flow control valve 4 to mix the air with the gas and generate a mixed gas having an air/fuel ratio optimum for the catalytic reaction; a catalyst 10 for smokeless combustion of the mixed gas by catalytic combustion reaction; and a thermal processing part 11 for heating and processing a workpiece by combustion of the catalyst 10. The apparatus includes a preheating zone 18 comprising a ceramic-covered heater wire 12 which generates heat by energization and continuously heats the mixed gas to the starting temperature or higher of catalytic combustion reaction in a mixed gas flow path 13 extending from the ejector 5 to the catalyst 10.