Heat treatment apparatus

A heat treatment apparatus comprising:

• a heating chamber to provide heat energy to a workpiece;
• a cooling chamber disposed adjacent to the heating chamber to cool the workpiece provided with the heat energy;
• a conveyance tray to support the workpiece, the conveyance tray forming a through hole;
• and
• a first conveyance mechanism to convey the conveyance tray along a conveyance path from the heating chamber to the cooling chamber;
• wherein
• the conveyance path is formed horizontally in the heating chamber and the cooling chamber,
• the first conveyance mechanism includes a heating chamber-side conveyance portion disposed in the heating chamber to convey the conveyance tray along the conveyance path, and a cooling chamber-side conveyance portion disposed in the cooling chamber to convey the conveyance tray along the conveyance path,
• the heating chamber-side conveyance portion includes a heating chamber-side motor and a belt or chain, wherein the heating chamber-side conveyance portion displaces the conveyance tray along the conveyance path by rotating the belt or chain while receiving power from the heating chamber-side motor, and
• the cooling chamber-side conveyance portion includes a cooling chamber-side motor and a belt or chain, wherein the cooling chamber-side conveyance portion displaces the conveyance tray along the conveyance path in the conveyance direction by rotating the belt or chain while receiving power from the cooling chamber-side motor;
• the heat treatment apparatus further including:
• an induction heating coil disposed above the conveyance path in the heating chamber to heat the workpiece;
• and
• a second conveyance mechanism to move the workpiece between the conveyance tray and the induction heating coil in the heating chamber, wherein
• the second conveyance mechanism includes a support member disposed below the conveyance path and the support member is configured to support the workpiece and to move the workpiece between the conveyance tray and the induction heating coil, and
• the heat treatment apparatus further including:
• a cylindrical lower member disposed below the belt or chain in the cooling chamber;
• a cylindrical upper member disposed above the belt or chain in the cooling chamber;
• and
• a displacement mechanism, comprising a fluid pressure cylinder and a movable rod, that is configured to displace the upper member relative to the lower member, wherein
• the displacement mechanism is configured to displace the upper member toward a lower side of the cooling chamber in a vertical direction when the conveyance tray is in the cooling chamber such that the conveyance tray becomes sandwiched between the upper member and the lower member and an inner space of the upper member, the through hole of the conveyance tray and an inner space of the lower member become connected with each other such that the spaces and the through hole become a coolant passage,
• the coolant passage extends from a lower side of the conveyance path toward an upper side of the conveyance path and is configured to pass a coolant therethrough to cool the workpiece, and
• the displacement mechanism is configured to displace the upper member toward an upper side of the cooling chamber in the vertical direction to separate the upper member from the conveyance tray to thereby dissolve formation of the coolant passage.