Automatic mask peeling apparatus

An automatic mask peeling apparatus for peeling a mask of a masked plugging honeycomb structure;

• the masked plugging honeycomb structure being obtainable by adhering, on at least one end face of a quadrangular prism-like honeycomb structure having a plural number of porous partition walls for dividing a plurality of cells, a mask having a larger area than that of the one end face, opening a plural number of holes at a predetermined position of the mask to form plugging sections by immersing the masked structure in plugging slurry at one end face to which the holed mask has been adhered, thereby the plugging slurry penetrates into the holes to form the plugging sections, and dry plugging slurry inclusive of one attached on the mask to solidify plugging slurry, which comprises:
• a brushing apparatus for removing the solidified plugging slurry having been attached to the mask of the masked plugging honeycomb structure;
• an air injection apparatus for injecting, after removing the solidified plugging slurry having been attached to the mask of the masked plugging honeycomb structure, air from the opposite end face-side of the one end face to a folded surplus part of the mask at the one end face to raise the folded surplus part of the mask;
• a mask peeling apparatus for holding the folded surplus part raised by the air injection apparatus to peel the mask from the masked plugging honeycomb structure;
• and
• a carrying apparatus for carrying the masked plugging honeycomb structure from the brushing apparatus to the mask peeling apparatus.