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US 11,897,218 B2Granted
Cleaning device and method for cleaning vulcanization mold
AssigneeThe Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
InventorsMitsuo Tsuji, Yoshinori Izumi
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Abstract
Provided are a cleaning device and a method for cleaning a vulcanization mold. At the time of cleaning a molding surface of a vulcanization mold by irradiating with a laser beam from a laser head, an inert gas is supplied from a supply nozzle and an irradiation range of the molding surface irradiated with the laser beam is brought into an atmosphere of the inert gas.
Claims14
A method for cleaning a vulcanization mold by irradiating a cleaning target portion of the vulcanization mold with a laser beam, the method comprising:
- providing the vulcanization mold for a tire, and
- bringing an irradiation range of the cleaning target portion irradiated with the laser beam into an atmosphere of inert gas, thereby preventing forming of ultrafine protrusions having a height of nm level on a surface of the cleaning target portion cleaned by being irradiated with the laser beam,
- wherein an output of a light source of the laser beam is 1 W or greater and 5 kW or less, a pulse width of the laser beam is 11 ns or greater and 500 ns or less, a pulse energy of the laser beam is 1 mJ or greater and 0.1 J or less, a pulse frequency of the laser beam is 3.1 kHz or greater and 100 kHz or less, a beam diameter of the laser beam is from 0.1 mm to 3 mm, and a fluence of the laser beam is 0.5 J/m2 or greater and 4.0 J/m2 or less.
A cleaning device for a vulcanization mold, comprising:
- a laser oscillator;
- and
- a laser head configured to irradiate a cleaning target portion of the vulcanization mold for a tire with a laser beam supplied from the laser oscillator,
- the cleaning device comprising a gas supply unit configured to bring an irradiation range of the cleaning target portion irradiated with the laser beam into an atmosphere of inert gas, thereby preventing forming of ultrafine protrusions having a height of nm level on a surface of the cleaning target portion cleaned by being irradiated with the laser beam,
- wherein an output of a light source of the laser beam is 1 W or greater and 5 kW or less, a pulse width of the laser beam is 11 ns or greater and 500 ns or less, a pulse energy of the laser beam is 1 mJ or greater and 0.1 J or less, a pulse frequency of the laser beam is 3.1 kHz or greater and 100 kHz or less, a beam diameter of the laser beam is from 0.1 mm to 3 mm, and a fluence of the laser beam is 0.5 J/m2 or greater and 4.0 J/m2 or less.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.