# US 10,480,859 B2 · Carrier-type heat-treatment apparatus

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- Number: US 10,480,859 B2
- Document ID: US10480859B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/560,314
- Filed: 2016-03-14
- Published: 2018-02-22
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2015-03-27
- Assignees: Sumitomo Electric Sintered Alloy, Ltd.
- Applicants: Sumitomo Electric Sintered Alloy, Ltd.
- Inventors: Hidehisa Hirato; Naoto Igarashi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10480859B2

## CPC

- F27B 9/045: {Furnaces with controlled atmosphere}
- B22F 3/003: {Apparatus, e.g. furnaces (in general F27B)}
- B22F 3/24: After-treatment of workpieces or articles {(B22F3/1146 takes precedence)}
- F27B 9/047: {the atmosphere consisting of protective gases}
- F27B 9/24: being carried by a conveyor
- F27B 9/36: Arrangements of heating devices
- H01F 3/08: made from powder (powder coatings on sheets H01F3/02; on strips or ribbons H01F3/04; on wires H01F3/06)
- B22F 2998/10: Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps
- B22F 2999/00: Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy
- H01F 41/0206: {Manufacturing of magnetic cores by mechanical means (magnetic cores per se H01F27/24)}
- F27B: FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS
- B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
- H01F: MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES

## Abstract

A carrier-type heat-treatment apparatus including a furnace main body that includes heaters and a mesh belt that transports an object to be heat-treated into the furnace main body includes a gas pipe arranged inside the furnace main body, the gas pipe being configured to inject a gas into the furnace main body, in which a low-temperature zone and a high-temperature zone are provided inside the furnace main body with the gas, the low-temperature zone being provided on an entrance side of the furnace main body, the high-temperature zone being provided on an exit side of the furnace main body and having a temperature higher than the low-temperature zone.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A carrier heat-treatment apparatus including a furnace main body that includes heaters and a mesh belt that transports an object to be heat-treated into the furnace main body, comprising:
a gas pipe arranged inside the furnace main body, the gas pipe being configured to inject a gas into the furnace main body,
wherein a low-temperature zone and a high-temperature zone are provided inside the furnace main body with the gas, the low-temperature zone being provided on an entrance side of the furnace main body, the high-temperature zone being provided on an exit side of the furnace main body and having a temperature higher than the low-temperature zone,
wherein the heaters are aligned in a transportation direction of the object to be heat-treated,
wherein a heat insulator is arranged in a gap that is selected from gaps between the heaters aligned in the transportation direction and that is located in the vicinity of the gas pipe, and
wherein the gas from the gas pipe does not provide heat insulation within any of the gaps between the heaters aligned in the transportation direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The carrier heat-treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas pipe is arranged above the mesh belt and in a direction, intersecting a direction of motion of the mesh belt, and
the gas pipe includes a nozzle arranged on a peripheral wall thereof, the nozzle being configured to inject the gas.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The carrier heat-treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an injection direction of the gas is a direction toward an upper portion of the low-temperature zone rather than a vertically downward direction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The carrier heat-treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor in the furnace main body, wherein the gas is maintained at a temperature equal to car lower than a set temperature of the low-temperature zone based on detection results of the temperature sensor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The carrier heat-treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an inert gas storage facility coupled to the gas pipe, wherein the gas is an inert gas supplied from the inert gas storage facility.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The carrier heat-treatment apparatus according to claim 1, farther comprising a flow gas introduction mechanism configured to introduce a flow gas from the exit side toward the entrance side of the furnace main body,
wherein the flow as is air.