Patent ID: 9587708
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: C21D,F16G

Claim:
1. An automatic heat treatment method for metal rings having elasticity, comprising: a step for pushing the metal rings into each of plural shelf members of an alignment stocker in a horizontal direction, wherein the plural shelf members are parallel to each other in a vertical direction and spaced a predetermined interval from each other, so that the metal rings pushed into each of the plural shelf members, respectively, are aligned in a vertical direction, and each of the plural shelf members has an opening having an inner periphery of which total sides are longer than a periphery of each metal ring, so that the openings are aligned in a vertical direction; a step for deforming each of the metal rings into a polygonal shape, which allows all of the metal rings to pass through the opening, by vertically inserting finger members into the centers of the aligned metal rings via the openings of the shelf members, and by expanding the finger members in a radial direction, respectively, so as to press and hold the insides of the metal rings, wherein the finger members extend in a vertical direction and can be expanded and contracted in a radical direction of the metal rings; a step for pulling all of the aligned metal rings in the polygonal shape out through the openings of the alignment stocker in a vertical direction by vertically moving the finger members while pressing and holding the insides of the metal rings; a step for transferring all of the aligned metal rings into each of the plural shelf members of a heat treatment jig by vertically inserting the finger members in which the aligned metal rings are held, into openings of the shelf members of the heat treatment jig, by contracting the finger members in a radial direction, so as to release the pressing and holding from the insides of the metals rings, and by vertically removing the finger members, after all of the aligned metal rings, which are deformed into the polygonal shape and pulled out of the alignment stocker, are inserted in a vertical direction from openings on the plural shelf members of the heat treatment jig into the heat treatment jig, wherein the plural shelf members of the heat treatment jig have the same structure as that of the plural shelf members of the alignment stocker; a step for heating the aligned metal rings and the heat treatment jig; a step for transferring all of the metal rings that are aligned in each of the plural shelf members of the heat treatment jig to the shelf members of the alignment stocker in a reverse manner of the transferring step from the alignment stocker to the heat treatment jig; and a step for pulling each of the metal rings out of the shelf members of the alignment stocker, wherein when a pushing direction front end of the metal ring or a pulling direction rear end of the metal ring passes on the opening of shelf member, a pushing direction rear end of the metal ring or a pulling direction front end of the metal ring is prevented from floating.