阅读说明：本技术 金属的接合装置和热传导部件的壳体的制造装置 (Metal bonding device and device for manufacturing shell of heat conduction component ) 是由 石田淳一 郭聪 翟军伟 白根正嗣 于 2020-03-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供金属的接合装置和热传导部件的壳体的制造装置。该接合装置将一对金属板接合,多个处理部中的一个处理部是加热加压部。该接合装置具有：收纳室,其被壁部包围并收纳多个处理部；搬送口,其形成于壁部；搬送托盘,其能够载置一对金属板,并能够沿与搬送口交叉的移动方向移动；以及遮断机构,其关闭搬送口。遮断机构在搬送托盘至少位于移动方向的两端中的任意一端时关闭搬送口。(A metal joining device and a device for manufacturing a case of a heat conductive member are provided. The joining device joins a pair of metal plates, and one of the plurality of processing units is a heating and pressing unit. The joining device has: a housing chamber that is surrounded by the wall portion and houses the plurality of processing units; a conveying opening formed in the wall portion; a conveying tray capable of placing a pair of metal plates thereon and moving in a moving direction intersecting the conveying opening; and a blocking mechanism for closing the conveying opening. The blocking mechanism closes the conveying opening when the conveying tray is located at least at any one of the two ends in the moving direction.)

1. A metal joining apparatus having a plurality of processing sections for joining a pair of metal plates stacked one on top of the other,

one of the plurality of processing sections is a heating and pressing section,

the metal bonding apparatus comprises:

a housing chamber that is surrounded by a wall portion and houses the plurality of processing units;

a transfer port formed in the wall portion and connecting an inside and an outside of the housing chamber;

a conveyance tray on which the pair of metal plates can be placed and which can move in a movement direction intersecting the conveyance port; and

a blocking mechanism for closing the conveying opening,

the blocking mechanism closes the conveyance port when the conveyance tray is located at least at either one of both ends in the moving direction.

2. The metal joining apparatus according to claim 1,

the blocking mechanism includes:

a 1 st opening/closing portion attached to the wall portion and configured to open and close the conveyance port; and

a 2 nd opening/closing section connected to one end of the conveyance tray in the moving direction and larger than the conveyance port as viewed in the moving direction,

the 1 st opening/closing section closes the conveyance port at least when the conveyance tray is located at an end portion on one side in the moving direction,

when the conveyance tray is positioned at the other end in the moving direction, the 2 nd opening/closing portion comes into contact with an edge portion of the wall portion of the conveyance opening to close the conveyance opening.

3. The metal joining apparatus according to claim 2,

one side in the moving direction is an outer side of the housing chamber.

4. Metal joining apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,

the 1 st opening/closing portion moves along the wall portion to open and close the conveyance port.

5. The metal joining apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the pressure inside the housing chamber is higher than the pressure outside the housing chamber.

6. The metal joining apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the inside of the housing chamber is filled with an inert gas.

7. The metal joining apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the transfer port is a transfer port through which the pair of metal plates are transferred into the storage chamber, and is a transfer port through which the pair of metal plates are transferred out of the storage chamber.

8. A device for manufacturing a case of a heat conductive member, wherein,

the manufacturing apparatus of the case of the heat conductive member has the metal bonding apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 7,

the apparatus for manufacturing a case of a heat conductive member manufactures a case of a heat conductive member in which a working medium is sealed.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a metal joining device and a device for manufacturing a case of a heat conductive member.

Background

A conventional transfer device includes a cylindrical airtight chamber and a plurality of processing units arranged along the outer periphery of the airtight chamber. The airtight chamber and the processing unit are connected via an openable door. A conveyance mechanism is disposed inside the airtight chamber (see, for example, japanese patent application laid-open No. 2005-009702).

The conveying mechanism can be extended and contracted along the transverse direction. The processing unit is carried in or out of the object to be processed by the carrying mechanism. The open/close door is opened when the conveying mechanism carries in or carries out the processed object.

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2005-9702

In a conventional conveying device, a conveying mechanism moves a processing object and then returns the processing object to a central airtight chamber. For example, when the processing object is carried into or out of the airtight chamber, the opening/closing door is opened, the conveying mechanism carries the processing object in or out, and after the conveying mechanism returns to the airtight chamber, the opening/closing door is closed.

That is, the open/close door is kept open until the conveyance mechanism moves into the processing unit and reaches the outside from the processing unit. Therefore, the opening time of the opening/closing door becomes long, and foreign substances or gas from the outside flows into the processing unit. Therefore, if the processing is performed directly, the quality of the processing may be degraded.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a metal joining apparatus capable of suppressing intrusion of foreign matter into a housing chamber and suppressing variation in joining.

An exemplary metal bonding apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of processing units for bonding a pair of metal plates stacked one on top of the other. One of the plurality of processing units is a heating and pressing unit. The metal bonding device comprises: a housing chamber that is surrounded by a wall portion and houses the plurality of processing units; a transfer port formed in the wall portion and connecting an inside and an outside of the housing chamber; a conveyance tray on which the pair of metal plates can be placed and which can move in a movement direction intersecting the conveyance port; and a blocking mechanism for closing the conveying opening. The blocking mechanism closes the conveyance port when the conveyance tray is located at least at either one of both ends in the moving direction.

According to the exemplary metal bonding apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to suppress intrusion of foreign matter into the housing chamber and suppress variation in bonding of metals.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a heat conductive member.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the heat conductive member shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an enlarged joint portion of the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the metal joining apparatus in a state where the conveyance tray is positioned outside the housing chamber.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the metal joining apparatus in a state where the conveyance tray is positioned inside the housing chamber.

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the metal joining apparatus with the conveyance tray positioned outside the storage chamber.

Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the metal joining apparatus with the conveyance tray positioned inside the storage chamber.

Fig. 8 is a functional block diagram of a metal bonding apparatus.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a modified metal joining apparatus in a state where a conveyance tray is positioned at an outer end portion.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view of a state in which the conveyance tray of the bonding apparatus of the modified example is positioned at the inner end.

Description of the reference symbols

1: an engaging device; 1 a: an engaging device; 2: heating the pressurization part; 3: a storage chamber; 4: a conveying port; 5: a carrying tray; 6: a shutoff mechanism; 6 a: a shutoff mechanism; 7: a control unit; 31: a wall portion; 50: a drive section; 51: an upper surface; 61: the 1 st opening and closing part; 61 a: the 1 st opening and closing part; 62: the 2 nd opening/closing part; 63: an opening/closing drive section; 64: a hinge; 71: a position detection sensor; 100: a heat conductive member; 101: a housing; 102: a space; 103: a bottom plate portion; 104: a top plate portion; 105: a pillar portion; 106: a core structure.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification, the heat conduction member 100 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and the bottom plate 103 and the top plate 104 overlap in the direction of gravity. The direction in which the bottom plate 103 and the top plate 104 overlap each other is the Z direction. The short-side direction when the heat conductive member 100 is viewed in the Z direction is defined as the X direction, and the long-side direction is defined as the Y direction. The size relationship between the size, shape, and constituent elements in the drawings is an example, and is not necessarily the same as the actual size, shape, and size relationship between the constituent elements.

< Heat conduction Member 100 >

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a heat conductive member 100. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the heat conduction member 100 shown in fig. 1. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the heat conduction member 100 has a case 101 having a space 102 therein. The case 101 is formed by joining outer edge portions of a bottom plate 103 and a top plate 104 in a state of being overlapped in the Z direction. The outer edges of the bottom plate 103 and the top plate 104 are sealed by joining. That is, the space 102 of the casing 101 is sealed. A working medium Md is enclosed in the space 102. The working medium Md is, for example, water, but is not limited thereto.

In the space 102, a plurality of columnar portions 105 and a core structure 106 are arranged. The plurality of pillar portions 105 are disposed between the bottom plate portion 103 and the top plate portion 104, and maintain the interval between the bottom plate portion 103 and the top plate portion 104. The core structure 106 is a member that causes the liquid working medium Md to flow back by capillary action. In other words, the core structure 106 has a structure in which the liquid working medium Md can move by capillary action. As shown in fig. 2, the pillar portion 105 is in contact with the core structure 106.

When the case 101 is heated by the external heating element Ht, the temperature of the working medium Md increases and the working medium Md changes from a liquid state to a gas state. That is, the working medium Md is converted into the vapor Vp by the heat from the heating element Ht. The vapor Vp flows to a portion of the space 102 distant from the heating element Ht. Thus, the heat conductive member 100 transports the heat transferred from the heating element Ht.

The vapor Vp may condense on the top plate 104, the column 105, and the like. The condensed working medium Md is adsorbed to the core structure 106 along the column portion 105, and flows back to the region heated by the heating element Ht by the capillary phenomenon. By repeating the above operations, the heat conduction member 100 transports heat from the heating element Ht by the state change of the working medium Md. Thereby, the heating element Ht is cooled. The transferred heat is transferred to the housing 101. The heat transferred to the casing 101 is discharged to the outside at a temperature lower than the temperature of the casing 101.

Examples of the heat generating element Ht include, but are not limited to, integrated circuits such as a CPU, MPU, and memory, devices having a rotating body such as a hard disk and an optical disk, and devices used in electronic devices such as a smartphone, a tablet PC, and a personal computer, such as a battery and a liquid crystal panel. The heat conductive member 100 can be widely used for heat dissipation of a device that generates heat in accordance with operation.

< bonding of metals >

The case 101 of the heat conductive member 100 is formed by joining outer edge portions of the bottom plate portion 103 and the top plate portion 104 to each other. Next, the joining of the outer edge portions of the bottom plate 103 and the top plate 104 will be described. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an enlarged joint portion of the bottom plate 103 and the top plate 104.

In the case 101, the joining of the bottom plate portion 103 and the top plate portion 104 is performed by applying heat and pressure. Specifically, the bottom plate 103 and the top plate 104, which have been heated to a predetermined temperature, are brought into contact with each other, and pressure is applied to the contact surfaces. The predetermined temperature is lower than the melting temperature of the bottom plate 103 and the top plate 104.

For example, when the bottom plate 103 and the top plate 104 are made of copper, the predetermined temperature may be a temperature lower than the melting point of copper, but is not limited thereto. The heating for raising the temperature of the bottom plate 103 and the top plate 104 to a predetermined temperature may be performed before the pressurization, or may be performed simultaneously with the pressurization.

By continuously bringing metals heated to a predetermined temperature or higher into contact with each other at a predetermined pressure or higher, a change occurs in the bonding surface of the metals. As shown in fig. 3, at the boundary between the bottom plate 103 and the top plate 104, a part of the particles Cp exist across both the bottom plate 103 and the top plate 104. As described above, the bottom plate portion 103 and the top plate portion 104 are joined. The joint between the bottom plate 103 and the top plate 104 has a hermetic seal property capable of suppressing permeation of the liquid working medium Md and the vapor Vp of the working medium.

< Metal bonding device 1 >

The metal bonding apparatus 1 for bonding metals described above will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the metal bonding apparatus 1 in a state where the conveyance tray 5 is positioned outside the housing chamber 3. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the metal bonding apparatus 1 in a state where the conveyance tray 5 is positioned inside the housing chamber 3. Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the metal bonding apparatus 1 in a state where the conveyance tray 5 is positioned outside the housing chamber 3. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the metal bonding apparatus 1 in a state where the conveyance tray 5 is positioned inside the housing chamber 3. Fig. 8 is a functional block diagram of the metal joining apparatus 1.

The metal bonding apparatus 1 bonds a pair of metal plates Mt that are stacked one on top of the other. The bottom plate 103 and the top plate 104 are examples of a pair of metal plates Mt. That is, the metal bonding device 1 can be used as a manufacturing device of the case 101 of the heat conductive member 100 for manufacturing a case of the heat conductive member 100 in which the working medium is sealed.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the metal bonding apparatus 1 includes a plurality of processing units St. The plurality of processing units St include a heating and pressurizing unit 2. The heating and pressing section 2 heats and presses the pair of metal plates Mt. In other words, the pair of metal plates Mt heated to increase in temperature are pressed. That is, the metal bonding apparatus 1 includes a plurality of processing units St, and bonds a pair of metal plates Mt that are stacked one on top of the other. One of the plurality of processing units St is a heating and pressurizing unit 2.

The plurality of processing units St may be only the heating and pressing unit 2, or may include processing units that perform processing such as positioning, preliminary heating, preliminary cooling, and surface processing in addition to the above processing units. The processing units St other than the heating and pressing unit 2 are exemplified and not limited to these.

The metal bonding apparatus 1 includes a storage chamber 3, a transfer port 4, a transfer tray 5, and a blocking mechanism 6. The housing chamber 3 is surrounded by a wall portion 31. The storage chamber 3 stores therein a plurality of processing units St. That is, the housing chamber 3 is surrounded by the wall 31 and houses the plurality of processing units St. The storage chamber 3 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the wall portions 31 constitute respective faces of the rectangular parallelepiped. The wall 31 extends upward from the bottom of the storage chamber 3, for example.

The metal bonding apparatus 1 includes a housing chamber 3 for housing the plurality of processing units St. The housing chamber 3 is surrounded by a wall portion 31. The housing chamber 3 is enclosed by the wall 31 to seal the interior. Here, the sealing includes a state in which the movement of an inert gas described later is completely blocked inside and outside the housing chamber 3, and also includes a case in which some gas moves.

The storage chamber 3 has a conveying mechanism Tr for conveying a pair of metal plates Mt therein. The conveying mechanism Tr is, for example, an endless conveyor capable of conveying an article. The conveying mechanism Tr conveys the pair of metal plates Mt in the direction indicated by the arrow. Then, the plurality of processing sections St are arranged on the trajectory of the transport mechanism Tr, and the pair of metal plates Mt are transported to the next processing section St by the transport mechanism Tr. The conveying mechanism Tr may be a conveyor, a turntable, a robot, or the like.

The conveying opening 4 is formed in the wall portion 31. The transfer port 4 connects the inside and the outside of the housing chamber 3. That is, the transfer opening 4 is formed in the wall portion 31 and connects the inside and the outside of the housing chamber 3. The conveying opening 4 is a through hole. The pair of metal plates Mt are transported from the outside of the housing chamber 3 to the inside of the housing chamber 3 through the transport port 4, and are transported from the inside of the housing chamber 3 to the outside of the housing chamber 3, as will be described in detail later. That is, the transfer port 4 is a transfer port through which the pair of metal plates Mt are transferred into the housing chamber 3, and is a transfer port through which the metal plates Mt are transferred out of the housing chamber 3. By concentrating the carrying-in port and the carrying-out port in the carrying port 4, the amount of gas flowing out of the housing chamber 3 can be reduced. Further, since the carrying in and carrying out are performed with respect to the 1 storage chambers 3 by the 1 transport tray 5 and the blocking mechanism 6, the structure of the storage chambers 3 can be simplified.

The conveyance tray 5 can place the pair of metal plates Mt on the upper surface 51. The conveyance tray 5 can enter the inside of the housing chamber 3 from the outside through the conveyance port 4, and can enter the outside of the housing chamber 3 from the inside through the conveyance port 4. Further, the conveyance tray 5 can be moved in the movement direction intersecting the conveyance port 4 by the power from the driving unit 50 shown in fig. 8. That is, the conveyance tray 5 can move in the movement direction intersecting the conveyance port 4 while the pair of metal plates Mt are placed thereon. The upper surface 51 of the conveyance tray 5 may include a positioning member (not shown) for positioning the pair of metal plates Mt.

The conveyance tray 5 linearly reciprocates the outer end P1 and the inner end P2 of the storage chamber 3. When the conveyance tray 5 is positioned at the end P1 outside the storage chamber 3, the pair of metal plates Mt are arranged on the upper surface. Then, the pair of metal plates Mt are carried into the storage chamber 3 by moving the conveyance tray 5, on which the pair of metal plates Mt are arranged on the upper surface 51, into the storage chamber 3. Then, after the conveyance tray 5 reaches the end P2 inside the storage chamber 3 (see fig. 5 and 7), the pair of metal plates Mt are reloaded to the conveyance mechanism Tr by a loading/unloading mechanism (not shown).

The pair of processed metal plates Mt conveyed by the conveying mechanism Tr are arranged on the upper surface 51 of the conveying tray 5 at the end P2 located inside the storage chamber 3 from the conveying mechanism Tr by the transfer mechanism. Then, the pair of metal plates Mt are carried out of the housing chamber 3 by moving the conveyance tray 5 to the outside of the housing chamber 3. When the transport tray 5 moves to the outer end P1 of the storage chamber 3, the pair of metal plates Mt move from the upper surface 51 of the transport tray 5.

The drive unit 50 is connected to the control unit 7 (see fig. 8). The drive unit 50 drives the conveyance tray 5 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 7. Examples of the driving unit 50 include, but are not limited to, a motor and a linear motor.

The blocking mechanism 6 closes the conveyance port 4. The blocking mechanism 6 includes a 1 st opening/closing unit 61, a 2 nd opening/closing unit 62, and an opening/closing drive unit 63 (see fig. 8). The 1 st opening/closing portion 61 is attached to the inner surface of the wall portion 31 of the storage chamber 3. The 1 st opening/closing portion 61 is movable in the lateral direction along the wall portion 31. The 1 st opening/closing portion 61 is not limited to this configuration, and may be configured to be rotatably attached to the wall portion 31, for example, and to close the conveyance opening 4 by rotating. A structure capable of closing the transfer port 4 can be widely adopted.

As shown in fig. 4 to 7, the 1 st opening/closing unit 61 is capable of reciprocating between a closed position Ps1 at which the conveyance port 4 is closed and an open position Ps2 at which the conveyance port 4 is opened by moving to the left of the conveyance port 4 when the conveyance port 4 is viewed from the outside in the moving direction of the conveyance tray 5. The 1 st opening/closing section 61 is configured to move along the wall portion 31 in the lateral direction with respect to the conveyance port 4, but is not limited thereto. For example, the movement may be in the up-down direction or in the oblique direction.

That is, the blocking mechanism 6 includes the 1 st opening/closing portion 61, and the 1 st opening/closing portion 61 is attached to the wall portion 31 and opens and closes the conveyance port 4. The 1 st opening/closing portion 61 moves along the wall portion 31 to open and close the transfer port 4.

As shown in fig. 8, the opening/closing drive unit 63 is connected to the control unit 7. The opening/closing drive unit 63 drives the 1 st opening/closing unit 61 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 7. Examples of the opening/closing drive unit 63 include a motor and a linear motor, but are not limited thereto.

The 2 nd opening/closing unit 62 is attached to an outer end in the moving direction of the conveyance tray 5. The 2 nd opening/closing portion 62 is a rectangular plate larger than the conveyance port 4 when viewed from the moving direction of the conveyance tray 5. That is, the blocking mechanism 6 includes the 2 nd opening/closing portion 62, and the 2 nd opening/closing portion 62 is connected to one end portion of the conveyance tray 5 in the moving direction and is larger than the conveyance port 4 as viewed in the moving direction. In addition, one side is the outside of the housing chamber 3 in the moving direction. The 2 nd opening/closing portion 62 is a rectangular plate larger than the conveyance port 4 when viewed from the moving direction of the conveyance tray 5. When the conveyance tray 5 is positioned at the end P2 inside the storage chamber 3 in the moving direction, the 2 nd opening/closing portion 62 comes into contact with the edge portion of the conveyance port 4 on the outer surface of the wall portion 31 (see fig. 5 and 7). Thereby, the conveyance port 4 is closed by the 2 nd opening/closing portion 62.

Further, an elastic member (not shown) such as rubber or silicone may be attached to the portion of the 2 nd opening/closing portion 62 that contacts the wall portion 31. By attaching the elastic member, the impact of the contact between the 2 nd opening/closing portion 62 and the wall portion 31 can be suppressed to be small. Further, the sealing property when the 2 nd opening/closing section 62 closes the conveyance port 4 can be improved by the elastic member.

As shown in fig. 8, the control unit 7 is connected to the drive unit 50 that drives the conveyance tray 5 and the opening/closing drive unit 63 of the blocking mechanism 6. The control unit 7 is also connected to a position detection sensor 71 that detects the position of the conveyance tray 5. In addition, the control unit 7 is connected to the transport mechanism Tr. The position detection sensor 71 detects the position of the conveyance tray 5.

The control unit 7 includes electronic circuits such as a CPU and an MPU. For example, an electronic component is mounted on an electronic substrate. The controller 7 controls the conveyance tray 5, the blocking mechanism 6, and the conveyance mechanism Tr. That is, the control unit 7 causes the blocking mechanism 6 to open and close the conveyance port 4 in synchronization with the operation of the conveyance tray 5.

The controller 7 controls the plurality of processing units St and the transport mechanism Tr. When the conveyance of the conveyance mechanism Tr is stopped, such as when the processing of any one of the processing units St is waiting, the conveyance of the conveyance mechanism Tr is waiting, or the like, the controller 7 drives the conveyance tray 5 to carry the pair of external metal plates Mt into the storage chamber 3. Accordingly, since the pair of metal plates Mt can be carried in when the transport mechanism Tr is stopped, the pair of metal plates Mt can be immediately carried to the first processing unit St when the next movement of the transport mechanism Tr is started. This can save the processing time of the entire metal bonding apparatus 1. The timing of the movement of the conveyance tray 5 is only an example, and is not limited to the above.

Next, the operation of the blocking mechanism 6 will be described. When the conveyance tray 5 disposed at the outer end P1 of the storage chamber 3 moves inward, the conveyance port 4 opens. That is, when the position detection sensor 71 detects that the inner end of the transport tray 5 in the moving direction has moved to approach the transport port 4 by a predetermined distance, the control unit 7 drives the opening/closing drive unit 63. Thereby, the 1 st opening/closing unit 61 moves to the open position Ps2, and the conveyance port 4 is opened. When the conveyance tray 5 is disposed at the end P2 inside the storage chamber 3, the conveyance port 4 is closed by the 2 nd opening/closing unit 62 (see fig. 5 and 7).

When the transport tray 5 disposed at the end P2 inside the storage chamber 3 moves outward, the 2 nd opening/closing unit 62 moves away from the transport opening 4 to open the transport opening 4. When the position detection sensor 71 detects that the inner end of the conveyance tray 5 in the moving direction has moved to the outside of the inner end of the conveyance port 4, the control unit 7 drives the opening/closing drive unit 63. Thereby, the 1 st opening/closing portion 61 moves to the closing position Ps1 to close the conveyance port 4, and the conveyance tray 5 is disposed at the outer end P1 (see fig. 4 and 6).

That is, the 1 st opening/closing section 61 closes the conveyance port 4 at least at the end P1 on the side of the conveyance tray 5 in the moving direction. When the transport tray 5 is positioned at the other end P2 in the moving direction, the 2 nd opening/closing portion 62 comes into contact with the edge portion of the wall portion 31 of the transport opening 4 to close the transport opening 4.

Further, in the metal joining apparatus 1, the blocking mechanism 6 closes the conveyance port 4 when the conveyance port 4 is opened and the conveyance tray 5 is inserted into the housing chamber 3, and closes the conveyance port 4 when the conveyance port 4 is opened and the conveyance tray 5 is moved from the housing chamber 3.

In the metal bonding apparatus 1, the conveyance port 4 is opened only in a short time when the conveyance tray 5 moves. Therefore, the outside air is less likely to flow into the storage chamber 3 through the transfer opening 4. This can prevent dust and oxygen from entering the housing chamber 3, and can improve the adhesion of the joint between the pair of metal plates Mt.

In the housing chamber 3, the internal pressure is higher than the external air pressure. Accordingly, when the transfer port 4 is opened, the inert gas flows out from the housing chamber 3, and the environment inside the housing chamber 3 can be kept constant. This also suppresses entry of dust and oxygen into the housing chamber 3, and improves the adhesion of the joint between the pair of metal plates Mt.

The storage chamber 3 is filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon. That is, the inside of the housing chamber 3 is filled with the inert gas. Accordingly, oxygen inside the housing chamber 3 is removed, and the pair of metal plates Mt and the metal members included in the heating and pressurizing portion 2 are not easily oxidized even if the temperature is raised by the processing of the heating and pressurizing portion 2.

The control unit 7 may be configured to perform other control.

In the present embodiment, the 2 nd opening/closing portion 62 is provided at the outer end in the moving direction of the conveyance tray 5, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the 2 nd opening/closing portion 62 may be provided at the inner end. In this case, when the transport tray 5 is located at the outer end P1 in the moving direction, the 2 nd opening/closing section 62 closes the transport port 4, and when the transport tray 5 is located at the inner end P2, the 1 st opening/closing section 61 closes the transport port 4. In this configuration, when the conveyance tray 5 is positioned at one of both ends in the moving direction, the conveyance port 4 is closed.

< modification example >

A metal joining apparatus 1a according to a modification will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the conveyance tray 5 of the metal bonding apparatus 1a of the modification is positioned at an end P1 outside the housing chamber 3. Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the state where the conveyance tray 5 of the bonding apparatus 1a of the modification is positioned at an end P2 inside the housing chamber. In the metal joining device 1a of the modified example, the 1 st opening/closing portion 61a of the blocking mechanism 6a is different from the 1 st opening/closing portion 61 of the blocking mechanism 6. The blocking mechanism 6a is different from the blocking mechanism 6 in that the 2 nd opening/closing portion is omitted. The other points of the metal bonding apparatus 1a are the same as those of the metal bonding apparatus 1. Therefore, parts of the metal joining device 1a that are substantially the same as the metal joining device 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description of the substantially same parts is omitted.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, in the metal joining device 1a, the 1 st opening/closing portion 61a of the blocking mechanism 6a is supported via a hinge 64 so as to be rotatable inward on the inner surface of the wall portion 31. The 1 st opening/closing section 61a rotates about the hinge 64 to open and close the conveyance port 4.

The 1 st opening/closing portion 61a reciprocates in the rotational direction between a closing position Pc1 at which it contacts the inner surface of the wall portion 31 to close the transfer port 4 and an opening position Pc2 at which the lower end portion rotates toward the inside of the storage chamber 3 about the hinge 64.

Then, when the transport tray 5 is located at the end P1 outside the storage chamber 3 and the end P2 inside the storage chamber, the controller 7 drives the opening/closing drive unit 63 to move the 1 st opening/closing unit 61a to the closed position Ps 1.

In this way, the 1 st opening/closing portion 61a that rotates about the hinge 64 may be used. Even if the blocking mechanism 6a has only the 1 st opening/closing portion 61a, the conveying port 4 can be opened and closed in conjunction with the movement of the conveying tray 5. The 1 st opening/closing portion 61a may be configured to rotate to the outside, or may be configured to move along the wall portion. As the 1 st opening/closing section 61a, a structure capable of opening/closing the conveyance port 4 can be widely adopted.

As described above, in the metal joining apparatuses 1 and 1a, the conveying port 4 is configured to be opened only in a short time such as when the conveying tray 5 moves. Therefore, the outside air is less likely to flow into the housing chamber 3, and foreign matter such as dust and oxygen are less likely to enter the housing chamber 3. Thus, in the metal joining apparatuses 1 and 1a according to the present embodiment, the pair of metal plates Mt can be manufactured, which are joined together with high joining force at the joining portion and with oxidation suppressed.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above. In addition, the embodiments of the present invention can be variously modified as long as they do not depart from the gist of the invention.

The metal bonding apparatus of the present invention can be used for manufacturing a metal case in which a working medium is sealed, for example.