Heat treatment system and method therefore

A vertical heat treatment system comprising:

• a lifting mechanism which is vertically moved for carrying a holder, in which an object to be treated is held, in and out of a heat treatment furnace;
• a holder mounting portion for mounting thereon the holder to transfer the object;
• a holder transfer mechanism for transferring the holder between the lifting mechanism and the holder mounting portion;
• and
• a treating-object transfer mechanism for transferring the object to the holder which is supported on the holder transferring portion, the treating-object transfer mechanism having a motion space region which overlaps with a motion space region of the holder transfer mechanism,
• wherein said treating-object transfer mechanism comprises a swivel arm supported so as to be rotatable about a vertically extending rotation center shaft, and a transfer head provided on the tip portion of the swivel arm so as to be rotatable on a horizontal plane, and further comprises driving means having the sheltering function of moving the transfer head of the treating-object transfer mechanism on the horizontal plane along the outer peripheral edge of the lifting mechanism, which is positioned at a lower position, to cause the transfer head to take shelter on a side face portion of a housing.

A method for controlling a vertical heat treatment system comprising:

• a lifting mechanism which is vertically moved for carrying a holder, in which an object to be treated is held, in and out of a heat treatment furnace;
• a holder mounting portion for mounting thereon the holder to transfer the object;
• a holder transfer mechanism for transferring the holder between the lifting mechanism and the holder mounting portion;
• and a treating-object transfer mechanism for transferring the object to the holder which is supported on the holder transferring portion, the treating-object transfer mechanism having a motion space region which overlaps with a motion space region of the holder transfer mechanism, the treating-object transfer mechanism comprising a swivel arm supported so as to be rotatable about a vertically extending rotation center shaft, and a transfer head provided on the tip portion of the swivel arm so as to be rotatable on a horizontal plane,
• wherein the transfer head of the treating-object transfer mechanism is moved on the horizontal plane along the outer peripheral edge of the lifting mechanism, which is positioned at a lower position, to take shelter on a side face portion of a housing, when the holder transfer mechanism is operated.

A method for transferring an object to be treated, said method comprising:

• a mounting step of causing a holder, which serves to hold a plurality of objects to be heat-treated in a stacked state, to be mounted on a holder mounting table;
• a positioning step of moving said holder, which is mounted on said holder mounting table at said mounting step, together with said holder mounting table, on a plane along a holder mounting surface of said holder mounting table to position said holder at a predetermined position;
• a transfer step of transferring said objects to said holder which is positioned at said positioning step;
• and
• a returning step of removing said holder, to which said objects are transferred at said transfer step, from said holder mounting table to return said holder mounting table to a predetermined position.

A heat treatment system comprising:

• a heat treatment furnace for heat-treating an object to be treated;
• a throat which is provided in said heat treatment furnace for carrying said object in and out;
• and
• a cooling mechanism for cooling the vicinity of said throat.

A heat treatment system having a loading chamber in which a mechanism for carrying an object to be treated in and out of a throat of a bottom portion of a heat treatment furnace and which has a loading chamber separated as an airtight region,

• wherein said throat of said bottom portion of said heat treatment furnace is arranged above said loading chamber,
• said loading chamber including:
• a ventilating unit which has a ventilating port in the vicinity of said throat and a filter for purifying and sending a cooling fluid from the ventilating port to the vicinity of said throat from the side;
• a first heat exchanger which is arranged so as to face said ventilating port in the vicinity of said throat;
• an intake fan for sucking the cooling fluid in the vicinity of said throat over said first heat exchanger;
• a circulating duct which forms a circulating path for said cooling fluid between said intake fan and said ventilating unit so that said cooling fluid sucked by said intake fan returns to said ventilating unit, at least a part of sand circulating duct being arranged below said loading chamber;
• an intake port which is formed in the part of said circulating duct below said loading chamber so that a part of said cooling fluid sent by said ventilating unit is sucked below said loading chamber;
• and
• a second heat exchanger which is arranged in said circulating duct between said intake port and said filter so that the cooling fluid drawn into said circulating duct from said intake fan and said intake port to join is cooled.