US 9,879,913 B2 · Method and plant for carrying out thermal treatments of braking elements, in particular brake pads

Abstract

A method and plant for thermally treating braking elements after a forming step, including a convective heating step at 150-300° C. and a infrared irradiation heating step, immediately in succession one relative to the other. A tunnel convection furnace is crossed by at least a first conveyor belt which translates along a first direction and on an upper face of which the braking elements are placed, is arranged laterally adjacent, with respect to the first direction, to an infrared heating tunnel furnace crossed by a second conveyor belt which translates along a second direction, parallel and opposite to the first one, and on an upper face of which the braking elements are placed. The first conveyor belt is larger than the second conveyor belt, and the braking elements appear in multiple side-by-side rows in a transverse and oblique direction with respect to the first and second directions. Robots placed at the opposite ends of the furnaces transfer the braking elements from the first conveyor belt to the second one or vice versa to a first end of the furnaces and place them on the first conveyor belt or second one to a second end of the furnaces being opposite to the first one, so as to change at will the sequence in which the infrared and convective heating steps are performed.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method for thermally treating braking elements comprising, in combination, a convective heating step and an infrared irradiation heating step, each of said steps being carried out immediately in sequence with respect to one another wherein the convective heating step is carried out in a tunnel convection furnace crossed by at least a first conveyor belt which translates along a first direction (D1) and on an upper face of which the braking elements are placed;

and
wherein the infrared irradiation heating step is carried out in a tunnel furnace with infrared heating arranged laterally adjacent, with respect to the first direction, to the tunnel convection furnace and crossed by a second conveyor belt which translates along a second direction (D2), parallel and opposite to the first direction, and on an upper face of which the braking elements are placed;
said braking elements being arranged on a first end of one of said first and second conveyor belts and collected at a second end, opposite to the first end, of the same conveyor belt to be transferred on an immediately adjacent end of the other of said first and second conveyor belts, so that the braking elements follow, along said first and second conveyor belts and during the entire execution of the thermal treatment, a substantially U-shaped path which allows the sequence at which the convective and the infrared heating steps are carried out to be changed as desired by simply reversing the running direction of the first and second conveying belts.

A plant for thermally treating braking elements said plant being configured to carry out, in combination, on the braking elements a convective heating step and an infrared irradiation heating step, immediately in sequence with respect to one another, and comprising:

a tunnel convection furnace crossed by at least a first conveyor belt which translates along a first direction (D1) and having an upper face adapted to accommodate the braking elements to be treated;
an infrared heating tunnel furnace crossed by a second conveyor belt which translates along a second direction (D2), parallel and opposite to the first conveyor belt, and having an upper face adapted to accommodate the braking elements to be treated;
the infrared heating tunnel furnace being arranged laterally adjacent, with respect to the first direction, to said tunnel convection furnace;
first robot means for transferring the braking elements from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt or vice versa at respective corresponding first ends of the tunnel convection furnace and infrared heating tunnel furnace, arranged immediately adjacent and side by side with respect to the first and second directions;
second robot means for arranging the braking elements on the first or on the second conveyor belt on the side of respective, corresponding second ends of said tunnel convection furnace and arranged immediately adjacent and side by side with respect to the first and second directions,
so as to change the sequence at which the plant carries out the convective and infrared heating steps as desired.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and plant for carrying out thermal treatments of braking elements, in particular brake pads

Life of this patent

Method and plant for carrying out thermal treatments of braking elements, in particular brake pads

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14