阅读说明：本技术 蜂窝结构体的制造方法 (Method for manufacturing honeycomb structure ) 是由 板津研 藤江将启 渡边祐二 于 2020-02-01 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种蜂窝结构体的制造方法,其能够提高蜂窝结构体的生产性。该蜂窝结构体的制造方法是利用柱状蜂窝成型体来制造蜂窝结构体的方法,其中该柱状蜂窝成型体具备：区划形成出多个隔室的隔壁,且该多个隔室从第一底面贯穿至第二底面,形成出流路,所述蜂窝结构体的制造方法包括以下工序：对柱状蜂窝成型体进行干燥的工序；以及在进行所述干燥的工序之后,向蜂窝成型体的第一底面施加吸引力,使得制冷剂从蜂窝成型体的第二底面流入,并在多个隔室内通过而从第一底面流出,由此对蜂窝成型体进行冷却的工序。(The invention provides a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure, which can improve the productivity of the honeycomb structure. The method for producing a honeycomb structure is a method for producing a honeycomb structure by using a columnar honeycomb molding comprising: a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure, the method comprising the steps of: drying the columnar honeycomb formed body; and a step of cooling the honeycomb formed body by applying suction force to the first bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body after the step of drying so that the coolant flows in from the second bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body, passes through the plurality of cells, and flows out from the first bottom surface.)

1. A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure by using a columnar honeycomb formed body, the columnar honeycomb formed body comprising: a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure, the method comprising the steps of:

drying the columnar honeycomb formed body; and

and a step of cooling the honeycomb formed body by applying suction force to the first bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body after the drying step so that the coolant flows in from the second bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body, passes through the plurality of cells, and flows out from the first bottom surface.

2. The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to claim 1, wherein in the cooling step, when the flow rate of the refrigerant sucked by the suction device is set to F₁The flow rate of the refrigerant that flows out from the first bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body by the suction device applying suction force to the first bottom surface is set to F₂When it is used, it satisfies 0.9 × F₁≤F₂≤1.0×F₁。

3. The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to claim 1 or 2,

the step of cooling includes:

inserting the honeycomb molded body into a hollow portion of an airbag type clamping mechanism from a first bottom surface side through an insertion port of the airbag type clamping mechanism, wherein the airbag type clamping mechanism is provided with the insertion port, a communication port communicated with a suction device, a hollow portion between the insertion port and the communication port, and an airbag arranged around the hollow portion;

inflating the airbag by injecting a fluid into the airbag, thereby fixing the honeycomb molded body to an airbag-type clamping mechanism; and,

And operating a suction device to apply a suction force to the first bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body fixed to the airbag-type clamping mechanism through the communication port.

4. The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the step of cooling further comprises: the coolant is supplied from the blower toward the second bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body.

5. The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the step of cooling includes: the honeycomb formed body having a temperature of 100 ℃ or higher is cooled to 40 ℃ or lower.

6. The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to claim 5, wherein in the step of cooling, a cooling time from 100 ℃ to 40 ℃ is 120 seconds or less.

7. The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cooling step is performed in a state where the honeycomb formed body is arranged so that the flow path direction of the cells is vertical.

8. The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising, after the cooling step: and sealing the openings of at least one cell on the first bottom surface side and/or the second bottom surface side of the honeycomb formed body.

9. The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising, after the cooling step: and cutting the honeycomb formed body in a direction orthogonal to the flow path direction of the cells.

10. The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising, after the cooling step: the step of cutting the honeycomb formed body in a direction orthogonal to the flow path direction of the cells and the step of sealing the openings of at least one cell on the first bottom surface side and/or the second bottom surface side of the honeycomb formed body are sequentially performed.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure.

Background

Exhaust gas discharged from internal combustion engines such as diesel engines and direct gasoline injection engines includes: a large amount of particles (particulate matter) mainly composed of carbon, which causes environmental pollution. Therefore, an exhaust system of a diesel engine or the like is generally equipped with: a filter for trapping particulates is also mounted in an exhaust system of a gasoline direct injection engine or the like: such a situation of the filter for trapping the particles shows an increase.

As the filter, there is known a ceramic columnar honeycomb structure 100 including: a plurality of first compartments 108a extending from the first bottom surface 104 to the second bottom surface 106, the first bottom surface 104 being open and the second bottom surface 106 having a blanking portion 103; and a plurality of second cells 108b extending from the first bottom surface 104 to the second bottom surface 106, the first bottom surface 104 having a plugging portion 103 and the second bottom surface 106 being open, the plurality of first cells 108a and the plurality of second cells 108b being alternately arranged adjacent to each other with partition walls 112 interposed therebetween (see fig. 8).

A ceramic columnar honeycomb structure is produced by extrusion-molding a raw material to obtain a honeycomb molded body, and then firing the honeycomb molded body to produce a columnar honeycomb structure. Since the honeycomb formed article contains a large amount of moisture, the honeycomb formed article is extrusion-molded, dried and cooled, and then subjected to a firing step.

Jp 2002-283330 a (patent document 1) discloses a method in which an extrusion-molded clay honeycomb molded article is exposed to a high-humidity atmosphere having a humidity of 70% or more, dried by irradiating microwaves having a frequency of 1000 to 10000MHz, and then blown with hot air so as to pass through the cells, in order to dry the honeycomb molded article without causing defects such as cracks and wrinkles in the outer peripheral wall of the honeycomb molded article. Further, according to this document, it is disclosed that the honeycomb formed body dried by hot air is cooled to room temperature by blowing cold air blown from a cold air generator into the honeycomb formed body so as to pass through the cells.

Japanese patent laying-open No. 2013-121704 (patent document 2) discloses a method for producing a green honeycomb molding, which includes: a drying step of heating and drying a honeycomb green body having a plurality of through holes; and a cooling step of cooling the green body by supplying a refrigerant from a blower to the through hole of the green body while conveying the green body after the drying step. According to this document, the blank is heated and dried, and then forcibly cooled using a refrigerant, whereby deformation and breakage during cooling and processing can be suppressed.

Disclosure of Invention

According to the manufacturing techniques of the honeycomb structure described in patent document 1 and patent document 2, it is possible to suppress defects, deformation, or breakage of the honeycomb structure. However, in these manufacturing techniques, methods for improving the productivity of the honeycomb structure, which reduce the production cost and increase the production speed, have not been sufficiently studied.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure, which can improve productivity.

The present inventors have made intensive studies to solve the above problems, and have focused on the following points. In the prior art, a blower supplies cold air into cells of a honeycomb formed body. However, since the opening area of each cell of the honeycomb formed body is small, even if the refrigerant is conveyed toward the cell, the cold air may not efficiently enter the cell due to the resistance generated, and most of the refrigerant supplied from the blower does not pass through the cell. Therefore, in the conventional technique, cooling of the honeycomb formed body needs to be performed for a long time. In particular, there is a problem that the temperature in the vicinity of the outlet of the refrigerant from the honeycomb formed body is not easily lowered. In order to rapidly cool the honeycomb formed body, a large amount of refrigerant must be fed toward the honeycomb formed body, but this causes a problem of causing an increase in production cost.

The inventors of the present invention have studied a method for cooling a honeycomb formed body based on the above findings, and as a result, have found that: the refrigerant is drawn into the compartment rather than being delivered into the compartment. The present invention has been completed based on this finding, and is exemplified below.

[1] A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure by using a columnar honeycomb formed body, the columnar honeycomb formed body comprising: partition walls for partitioning a plurality of compartments, the compartments penetrating from a first bottom surface to a second bottom surface to form outlet channels, the method comprising:

drying the columnar honeycomb formed body; and

and a step of cooling the honeycomb formed body by applying suction force to the first bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body after the drying step so that the coolant flows in from the second bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body, passes through the plurality of cells, and flows out from the first bottom surface.

[2]According to [1]In the above method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure, when the flow rate of the refrigerant sucked by the suction device is set to F in the cooling step₁The flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out of the first bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body by the suction force applied to the first bottom surface by the suction device is set to F₂When it is used, it satisfies 0.9 × F₁≤F₂≤1.0×F₁。

[3] The method of producing a honeycomb structure according to [1] or [2], wherein,

the step of cooling includes:

inserting the honeycomb molded body into a hollow portion of an airbag type clamping mechanism from a first bottom surface side through an insertion port of the airbag type clamping mechanism, the airbag type clamping mechanism being provided with an insertion port, a communication port communicating with a suction device, a hollow portion between the insertion port and the communication port, and an airbag disposed around the hollow portion;

inflating the airbag by injecting a fluid into the airbag, thereby fixing the honeycomb molded body to an airbag-type clamping mechanism; and,

And operating a suction device to apply a suction force to the first bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body fixed to the airbag-type clamping mechanism through the communication port.

[4] The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the step of cooling further includes: the coolant is supplied from the blower toward the second bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body.

[5] The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the step of cooling includes: the honeycomb formed body having a temperature of 100 ℃ or higher is cooled to 40 ℃ or lower.

[6] The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to item [5], wherein in the step of cooling, the cooling time from 100 ℃ to 40 ℃ is 120 seconds or less.

[7] The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the cooling step is performed in a state in which the honeycomb formed body is arranged so that the flow path direction of the cells is vertical.

[8] The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of [1] to [7], further comprising, after the cooling step: and sealing the openings of at least one cell on the first bottom surface side and/or the second bottom surface side of the honeycomb formed body.

[9] The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of [1] to [8], further comprising, after the cooling step: and cutting the honeycomb formed body in a direction orthogonal to the flow path direction of the cells.

[10] The method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to any one of [1] to [7], further comprising, after the cooling step: the step of cutting the honeycomb formed body in a direction orthogonal to the flow path direction of the cells and the step of sealing the openings of at least one cell on the first bottom surface side and/or the second bottom surface side of the honeycomb formed body are sequentially performed.

Effects of the invention

According to one embodiment of the method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure of the present invention, since the use efficiency of the coolant can be improved when cooling the honeycomb formed body, the amount of the coolant used can be reduced and/or the honeycomb formed body can be cooled in a short time. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the productivity of the honeycomb structure can be improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of a honeycomb formed body to be cooled.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the airbag type gripping mechanism.

Fig. 3-1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a batch type cooling apparatus capable of simultaneously cooling a plurality of honeycomb formed bodies.

Fig. 3-2 is a schematic view showing another configuration example of a batch type cooling apparatus capable of simultaneously cooling a plurality of honeycomb formed bodies.

Fig. 3 to 3 are schematic diagrams showing still another example of a batch type cooling apparatus capable of simultaneously cooling a plurality of honeycomb formed bodies.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing a state where the robot arm inserts the honeycomb formed body into the air-bag type holding mechanism.

Fig. 5 is an example of a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the arrangement position of a thermocouple when monitoring the temperature change of a honeycomb formed body in the example.

Fig. 7 is a graph showing a temperature change during cooling of the honeycomb formed body in example 1.

Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view exemplarily showing the structure of a columnar honeycomb structure having a plugged portion.

Description of the symbols

100 … honeycomb shaped body, 102 … side, 104 … first bottom, 106 … second bottom, 108 … compartment, 108a … first compartment, 108B … second compartment, 112 … partition wall, 200 … air bag type clamping mechanism, 210 … insertion opening, 220 … communication opening, 230 … hollow part, 240 … air bag, 300A, 300B, 300C … cooling device, 310 … exhaust pipeline, 320 … exhaust fan, 330 … on-off valve, 340 … shell, 350 … blower, 360 … air supply pipeline, 370 … refrigerant outlet, 380 … cooler, 400 … mechanical arm, 410 … holding claw.

Detailed Description

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and it should be understood that: modifications, improvements and the like are appropriately designed based on the general knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows an example of a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to the present invention, which will be described below.

(1. Structure of Honeycomb molded body)

Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of a honeycomb formed body to be cooled. The illustrated honeycomb molding 100 includes: a side surface 102 and a plurality of cells 108, wherein the cells 108 are disposed inside the side surface 102, and pass through from the first bottom surface 104 to the second bottom surface 106 to form outlet channels. The plurality of cells 108 are partitioned by porous partition walls 112.

The outer shape of the honeycomb formed body is not particularly limited as long as it is columnar. For example, the bottom surface may be a polygonal or circular column. Examples of polygons include: quadrangles (rectangles, squares, etc.), hexagons, etc., and examples of circles include: perfect circles, ellipses, oblong circles, etc. In a typical embodiment, the outer shape of the honeycomb formed body may be: cylindrical or quadrangular. In addition, the size of the honeycomb formed body is preferably 600 to 20000mm in area of the bottom surface from the viewpoint of improving the thermal shock resistance²More preferably 1000 to 3000mm². In addition, the flow path of the cells of the honeycomb formed body to be cooledThe upward length (height) may be, for example, 100 to 500mm, and typically may be 120 to 400 mm.

The shape of the cells at a cross section orthogonal to the direction in which the cells extend (height direction) is preferably, although not limited to, a quadrangle, a hexagon, an octagon, or a combination thereof. Among them, square and hexagonal shapes are preferable. By setting the cell shape in this manner, when the fired product of the honeycomb formed body is used as a filter, the pressure loss during the flow of exhaust gas can be reduced, and the purification performance can be improved.

(2. Molding Process)

For example, the honeycomb formed body may be formed in the following order. A raw material composition containing a ceramic raw material, a dispersion medium (typically water), a pore-forming material, and a binder is kneaded to form a clay, and the clay is then extrusion-molded to produce a honeycomb molded article. Additives such as dispersing agents may be added to the raw material composition as needed. In the extrusion molding, there may be used: a die having a desired overall shape, cell shape, partition thickness, cell density, etc.

The ceramic material is not limited, but includes: powders of cordierite, mullite, zircon, aluminum titanate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, zirconia, spinel, indialite, sapphirine, corundum, titania, etc., and raw material powders for obtaining these ceramics. The raw material powder is not limited, but includes: silica, talc, alumina, kaolin, serpentine, pyrophyllite, brucite, boehmite, mullite, magnesite, and the like. The ceramic raw materials may be used alone in 1 kind, or may be used in combination in 2 or more kinds.

The honeycomb molded body after extrusion molding is subjected to a drying step. For example, hot air at about 120 to 160 ℃ may be blown to the molded article to dry the molded article. The drying step may be combined with high-frequency drying such as microwave drying, in addition to hot air drying.

(3. Cooling Process)

After the drying step, a cooling step of the honeycomb formed body is performed. The temperature of the honeycomb formed body at the start of the cooling step is not limited, but is usually 100 ℃ or higher, typically 100 to 150 ℃. In one embodiment, the cooling process comprises: suction force is applied to the first bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body, so that the refrigerant flows in from the second bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body, passes through the plurality of cells, and flows out from the first bottom surface, thereby cooling the honeycomb formed body. From the viewpoint of reducing the installation space of the cooling equipment, the cooling step is preferably performed in a state where the honeycomb formed body is arranged so that the flow path direction of the cells is vertical. The refrigerant is not particularly limited, but includes: air, nitrogen, noble gases (argon, etc.). In view of ease of handling and cost, air is preferred as the refrigerant. From the viewpoint of increasing the cooling rate, the temperature of the refrigerant is preferably 35 ℃ or lower, more preferably 30 ℃ or lower, and still more preferably 25 ℃ or lower. The temperature of the refrigerant may typically be 20 to 25 ℃.

The method of applying suction to the first bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body is not limited, but includes: a method of communicating the first bottom surface with the suction device via a pipe. As the suction device, for example, an exhaust fan such as a fan or a blower can be used. When the suction device is operated, the suction force applied to the first bottom surface propagates to the second bottom surface, and the refrigerant flows into the second bottom surface so as to be sucked into the second bottom surface. After the refrigerant flowing in from the second bottom surface passes through the compartment, substantially all of the refrigerant flows out from the first bottom surface. The honeycomb formed body is subjected to a cooling action during the passage of the refrigerant from the cells. The refrigerant flowing out of the first bottom surface is sent to the suction device through the pipe. The connection portion between the first bottom surface and the pipe is preferably high in airtightness so that no ambient gas is involved. By improving the airtightness of the connecting portion, it is possible to reduce: the difference between the flow rate of the refrigerant sucked by the suction device and the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out of the first bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body enables the suction device to operate efficiently. According to a preferred embodiment, in the cooling step, the flow rate of the refrigerant sucked by the suction device is set to F₁The suction device is used to suck the honeycomb formed bodyThe flow rate of the refrigerant that flows out from the first bottom surface by the suction force exerted on the first bottom surface is set to F₂When it is used, it satisfies 0.9 × F₁≤F₂≤1.0×F₁More preferably satisfies 0.95 × F₁≤F₂≤1.0×F₁. In the formula, F₁The method comprises the following steps: when the plurality of honeycomb formed bodies are to be cooled, the total flow rate of the coolant flowing out from the first bottom surfaces of the plurality of honeycomb formed bodies. In addition, in the formula, F₂The method comprises the following steps: when a plurality of suction devices are used, the total flow rate of the refrigerant sucked by the plurality of suction devices.

Examples of a method for improving the airtightness of the connection portion between the first bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body and the pipe include: the method of hermetically covering the connection portion preferably uses, for example: method of a balloon type clamping mechanism. If the airbag type clamping mechanism is used, the airtightness of the connecting portion can be improved, and the pressing force from the airbag is easily dispersed over the entire contact surface with the honeycomb formed body, and a large pressure is not easily applied to a local portion, so that the honeycomb formed body is not easily broken at the time of fixing. Fig. 2 (a) shows a configuration example of the airbag type clamp mechanism 200. The airbag type gripping mechanism 200 includes: the suction device includes an insertion port 210, a communication port 220 communicating with the suction device, a hollow portion 230 between the insertion port 210 and the communication port 220, and an air bag 240 provided around the hollow portion 230. The air bag 240 is preferably provided so as to surround the hollow portion 230, and a plurality of air bags may be provided as necessary. The material of the airbag 240 is generally rubber, and is preferably heat-resistant rubber such as silicone rubber, fluororubber, acrylic rubber, or the like. In the airbag type clamping mechanism 200 according to the illustrated embodiment, the airbag 240 is provided with: a side wall 270 having a plurality of through holes 260 is formed, and on the outer peripheral side thereof: a flow path 290 for a fluid (typically, a gas such as air) that can be introduced into and discharged from the fluid port 280.

A method of fixing the honeycomb formed body to the airbag-type clamping mechanism 200 will be described. The honeycomb molded body 100 is inserted into the hollow portion 230 of the airbag-type clamping mechanism 200 from the first bottom surface 104 side through the insertion port 210. The communication port 220 may be provided with a bottom plate 250 having ventilation properties. The bottom plate 250 can prevent the honeycomb formed body from being inserted too deep. Further, the bottom plate 250 can play a role of determining the insertion depth of the honeycomb formed body by inserting the honeycomb formed body to such an extent that the first bottom surface 104 abuts against the bottom plate 250. The bottom plate 250 has ventilation, so that refrigerant can pass through. The bottom plate may have a plurality of through holes, for example, in a mesh shape. Next, if a fluid (typically, a gas such as air) is supplied from the fluid port 280 to the flow path 290, the fluid is injected into the airbag 240 through the through-hole 260. Thereby, the airbag 240 inflates toward the honeycomb formed body 100 inserted into the hollow portion 230. The honeycomb formed body 100 is fixed to the airbag type clamping mechanism 200 by the pressing force from the airbag 240 (see fig. 2B).

Next, the suction device is operated to apply a suction force to the first bottom surface 104 of the honeycomb formed body 100 fixed to the airbag-type clamping mechanism 200 through the communication port 220, so that the refrigerant flows in from the second bottom surface 106 of the honeycomb formed body 100, passes through the plurality of cells, and flows out from the first bottom surface 104.

In the cooling step, a coolant may be additionally supplied from the blower toward the second bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body. When the temperature of the refrigerant flowing from the second bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body is high by operating the suction device, the cooling rate may be decreased. For example, in summer, the temperature in the plant tends to rise, and in this case, when the air in the plant is used as the refrigerant, the cooling rate tends to decrease. Therefore, in this case, the cooling rate can be increased by supplying the coolant from the blower toward the second bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body. From the viewpoint of increasing the cooling rate, the temperature of the refrigerant supplied from the blower is preferably low. Specifically, the temperature of the refrigerant supplied from the blower is preferably lower by 5 ℃ or more, more preferably lower by 10 ℃ or more, and still more preferably lower by 15 ℃ or more than the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the second bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body when only the suction device is operated (typically, the same as the air temperature in the factory). The temperature of the refrigerant supplied from the blower is preferably 35 ℃ or lower, more preferably 30 ℃ or lower, further preferably 25 ℃ or lower, and may be, for example, 20 to 25 ℃.

If the sealing step described later is further performed when the honeycomb formed body has a temperature exceeding 40 ℃, the following is likely to occur: a defect (shrinkage defect) of the hole is generated in the sealing portion. By cooling to 40 ℃ or lower in the cooling step, the sealing step can be performed immediately after cooling. Therefore, in the cooling step, the honeycomb formed body having a temperature of 100 ℃ or higher is preferably cooled to 40 ℃ or lower, more preferably to 35 ℃ or lower, and still more preferably to 30 ℃ or lower. However, from the viewpoint of energy saving, excessive cooling is not required, and cooling to 10 ℃ or higher is preferable, cooling to 15 ℃ or higher is more preferable, and cooling to 20 ℃ or higher is even more preferable. When the temperature of the honeycomb formed body is referred to, unless otherwise specified, the temperature refers to the temperature of the portion of the honeycomb formed body having the highest temperature.

In the cooling, the time required for cooling the honeycomb formed body from 100 ℃ to 40 ℃ is preferably 120 seconds or less, more preferably 100 seconds or less, further preferably 80 seconds or less, and for example, may be 60 to 80 seconds or less. The cooling rate can be controlled by adjusting the temperature and flow rate of the refrigerant.

From the industrial viewpoint, it is preferable that a plurality of honeycomb formed bodies can be simultaneously cooled. Illustrated in FIG. 3-1: the cooling equipment 300A of the batch type can simultaneously cool a plurality of honeycomb formed bodies 100. The cooling device 300A includes: a common exhaust duct 310 communicating with the respective communication ports 220 of the plurality of airbag type gripping mechanisms 200, and an exhaust fan 320 communicating with the exhaust duct 310. The number of the airbag-type clamping mechanisms 200 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 10 or more, and more preferably 20 or more, because productivity can be improved when the number of the honeycomb formed bodies to be simultaneously cooled is large.

Each balloon-type gripper mechanism 200 is preferably configured to: the flow path direction of the cells when the honeycomb formed body 100 is inserted is in the vertical direction in order to save the installation space. In addition, each of the airbag type gripping mechanisms may be provided with: an opening and closing valve 330 for controlling the flow of the refrigerant. For example, by closing the on-off valve 330 of the unused airbag type clamp mechanism 200, an unnecessary flow of the refrigerant can be prevented.

The plurality of airbag type clamping mechanisms 200 may be disposed within the housing 340 like the cooling device 300B shown in fig. 3-2. In this case, a refrigerant such as air can be sent from the blower 350 into the casing 340. This makes it possible to perform the cooling step in the case 340 isolated from the outside atmosphere, and therefore, the temperature of the refrigerant in the cooling step can be easily controlled. The configuration may be such that: the refrigerant supplied from blower 350 flows into the casing through air duct 360 from refrigerant outlet 370. By providing cooler 380 at a middle of air blowing duct 360, the refrigerant flowing in air blowing duct 360 can be cooled. The cooling method is not particularly limited, but includes: for example, a heat pump type, a water cooling type, an air cooling type, or a combination of two or more of them. The refrigerant can be circulated by coupling the outlet of the exhaust fan 320 and the inlet of the blower 350, or by commonly using the exhaust fan 320 and the blower 350.

One or more refrigerant outlet ports 370 provided in casing 340 may be provided. The refrigerant outlets 370 may be provided so as to face the second bottom surfaces 106 of the respective honeycomb formed bodies 100 fixed to the plurality of airbag-type clamping mechanisms 200, as in the cooling device 300C shown in fig. 3 to 3. In this case, the distance between the refrigerant outlet 370 and the second bottom surface 106 of the honeycomb formed body 100 when the refrigerant is supplied may be 20cm or less, and may preferably be 14cm or less. Accordingly, the refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant outlet 370 flows toward the second bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body, and therefore: the temperature of the refrigerant rises before the refrigerant reaches the cells of the honeycomb shaped body.

Refrigerant outlet 370 may be configured as follows: the distance from the second bottom surface 106 of the honeycomb formed body 100 can be changed. Thus, the following steps are carried out: when the honeycomb formed body is inserted into and removed from the airbag-type clamping mechanism 200, the refrigerant outlet 370 is separated from the second bottom surface 106, so that the insertion and removal operation is not hindered, and the distance between the refrigerant outlet and the second bottom surface 106 of the honeycomb formed body 100 can be reduced when the refrigerant is supplied.

The method of inserting the honeycomb formed body 100 into the airbag-type clamping mechanism 200 may be a manual operation, but it is preferable to use a robot arm 400 as shown in fig. 4. The robot arm 400 is movable in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction, and is rotatable about the arm axis as a rotation axis. The robot arm 400 includes a holding claw 410, and can hold and release the honeycomb formed body 100 by opening and closing the holding claw 410. The robot arm 400 may be controlled by a control device. The robot arm 400 may be configured to: the honeycomb molded body 100 is held by moving to a position where the honeycomb molded body 100 is placed, and after the honeycomb molded body 100 is inserted into the airbag type clamping mechanism 200, the honeycomb molded body 100 is released. In addition, the robot arm 400 may be configured to: the cooled honeycomb formed body 100 is gripped, the honeycomb formed body 100 is pulled out from the airbag-type clamping mechanism 200, the honeycomb formed body 100 is moved to a predetermined position, and then the honeycomb formed body 100 is released. The robot arm 400 may have a plurality of holding claws. This makes it possible to simultaneously hold, move, and release a plurality of honeycomb formed bodies.

(4. cutting step)

After the cooling step, the following steps may be performed: and cutting the honeycomb formed body in a direction orthogonal to the flow path direction of the cells. By performing the cooling step using a long honeycomb formed article and then cutting the honeycomb formed article into a predetermined length, the number of cooling steps can be reduced, and therefore, the productivity can be improved. The cutting may use, for example, a rotary grindstone.

(5. sealing step)

After the cooling step, the following steps may be performed: and sealing the openings of at least one cell on the first bottom surface side and/or the second bottom surface side of the honeycomb formed body. In a typical sealing step, the cell openings on both bottom surfaces of the honeycomb formed body are sealed alternately. Thus, the plugging portions are formed in a checkerboard pattern on each bottom surface. The hole sealing procedure is as follows: and forming a hole sealing portion by sealing the opening of the cell. For example, in the sealing step, the openings of some of the cells are sealed with the same material as that used for manufacturing the honeycomb formed body, thereby forming the plugged portions. The sealing step can be performed according to a known method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure.

When the cutting step is performed, the sealing step may be performed after the cutting step. Therefore, in one embodiment, after the cooling step, the following steps are sequentially performed: the method for manufacturing a honeycomb formed body includes a step of cutting the honeycomb formed body in a direction orthogonal to a flow path direction of cells, and a step of sealing an opening of at least one cell on a first bottom surface side and/or a second bottom surface side of the honeycomb formed body.

A buffer step for adjusting the production rate may be provided after the cooling step and, if necessary, after the cutting step and before the sealing step. By providing the buffering step, the time until the hole sealing step is performed can be adjusted. In the buffering step, the honeycomb formed bodies after the cooling step and the cutting step performed as needed are arranged in a row, and a required number of honeycomb formed bodies are sequentially transferred to the plugging step. The conveyance of the honeycomb formed body in the buffer step may be controlled by a control device, or may be controlled by a robot arm that can grip, move, and release the honeycomb formed body.

In one embodiment, the sealing step includes the steps of:

a step of attaching a film to the first bottom surface and/or the second bottom surface of the honeycomb formed body;

a step of pressing a hole-sealing slurry into a plurality of holes after the plurality of holes are formed in the film;

drying and curing the slurry;

removing the cured slurry adhering to the film; and

and a step of peeling the film from the honeycomb formed body.

After the film is attached, a plurality of holes are formed in a film portion covering the cells to be provided with the plugging portions, and then the bottom surface portion to which the film is attached is immersed in the plugging slurry, and the plugging slurry is pressed from the plurality of holes toward the end portions of the cells. The method of providing the film with the plurality of holes is not particularly limited, and for example, it can be performed by laser processing using image processing. In one embodiment, the following are prepared: the cells on both bottom surfaces are alternately sealed with a plugging slurry.

The pore-sealing slurry can be prepared by, for example, mixing a ceramic powder, a dispersion medium (e.g., water, etc.), and if necessary, additives such as a binder, a peptizer, and a foaming resin. The ceramic is preferably a ceramic containing at least 1 selected from the group consisting of cordierite, mullite, zircon, aluminum titanate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, zirconia, spinel, indian stone, sapphirine, corundum, and titania, and is more preferably the same material as the honeycomb structure. Examples of the binder include: polyvinyl alcohol, methyl cellulose, and the like.

In many cases, excess cured plugging slurry adheres to the bottom surface side and the side surface side of the honeycomb formed body in the film of the plugged honeycomb formed body with the film attached. Since removal of the cured excess plugging slurry can be advantageous in that the film can be easily peeled off, it is preferable to remove the cured excess plugging slurry. The method for removing the excess sealing slurry that has been cured is not particularly limited, and for example, the excess sealing slurry can be removed by brushing. Brushing may be performed manually, but from an industrial point of view, it is preferable to automatically perform brushing using a brushing device.

After removing the cured excess plugging slurry, the film is peeled from the honeycomb formed body. The film peeling method is not particularly limited, but the film can be peeled by pulling the film by a manual operation, but from the industrial viewpoint, it is preferable to automatically perform the peeling by using a film peeling apparatus.

(6. firing Process)

After the honeycomb formed body is cooled, and then, if necessary, a cutting step and/or a plugging step are performed, a firing step of the honeycomb formed body may be performed. The firing conditions may be any known conditions for the honeycomb structure, and are not particularly limited.

The degreasing step may be performed before the firing step. The combustion temperature of the adhesive is about 200 ℃, and the combustion temperature of the pore-forming material is about 300-1000 ℃. Therefore, the honeycomb formed body may be heated to a temperature of about 200 to 1000 ℃ to perform the degreasing step. The heating time is not particularly limited, but is usually about 10 to 100 hours. The honeycomb formed body after the degreasing step is referred to as a calcined body. The firing step depends on the material composition of the honeycomb formed body, but may be performed by heating the calcined body to 1350 to 1600 ℃ and holding it for 3 to 10 hours, for example.

(7. joining step)

The respective honeycomb fired products may be used as honeycomb cells, and the side surfaces of the plurality of honeycomb cells may be joined to each other with a joining material to be integrated into a cell joined body. The cell assembly can be produced as follows. Two bottom surfaces of each honeycomb unit are adhered with: the bonding material is applied to the bonding surface (side surface) in a state of the film for preventing the bonding material from adhering.

Next, the honeycomb units are adjacently disposed so that the side surfaces of the honeycomb units face each other, and after the adjacent honeycomb units are pressure-bonded to each other, the honeycomb units are heated and dried. Thus, the following were produced: and a cell assembly in which the side surfaces of adjacent honeycomb cells are joined to each other by a joining material. The outer peripheral portion of the cell assembly may be ground into a desired shape (for example, a cylindrical shape), and the outer peripheral surface may be coated with a coating material and then heated and dried to form the outer peripheral wall.

The material of the film for preventing adhesion of the bonding material is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use: for example, synthetic resins such as polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyimide, and teflon (registered trademark). The film preferably includes an adhesive layer, and the material of the adhesive layer is preferably an acrylic resin, a rubber (for example, a rubber containing natural rubber or synthetic rubber as a main component), or a silicone resin.

As the film for preventing adhesion of the bonding material, for example, an adhesive film having a thickness of 20 to 50 μm can be preferably used.

As the bonding material, for example, a bonding material prepared by mixing ceramic powder, a dispersion medium (e.g., water, etc.), and, if necessary, additives such as a binder, a peptizer, and a foaming resin can be used. The ceramic is preferably a ceramic containing at least 1 selected from the group consisting of cordierite, mullite, zircon, aluminum titanate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, zirconia, spinel, indian stone, sapphirine, corundum, and titania, and is more preferably the same material as the honeycomb structure. Examples of the binder include polyvinyl alcohol and methyl cellulose.

The honeycomb structure according to the present invention can be used as a heat exchanger, a catalyst carrier, and the like, in addition to a filter.