Patent ID: 7966966

Claim:
A vacuum/high pressure filling apparatus comprising: a base table, a lower fixed frame arranged on the base table, an upper frame fixed to a lower face of an attachment plate installed above the base table, a hermetically sliding mechanism adapted to secure gastightness between the lower fixed frame and the upper frame, and a sliding drive mechanism to drive the hermetically sliding mechanism, the hermetically sliding mechanism comprising a sliding frame which is vertically slidably fitted around the outer circumferential face of either one of the lower fixed frame and the upper frame and which vertically moves and slidably closely contacts the outer circumference of the other while the upper frame and lower fixed frame are held in a fixed position, so that gastightness is ensured among the lower fixed frame, the sliding frame and the upper frame by sliding the sliding frame with the sliding drive mechanism, wherein a hermetic partition chamber unit is formed by the base table, the lower fixed frame, the upper frame, the attachment plate and the sliding frame by driving the sliding frame with the sliding drive mechanism, the vacuum/high pressure filling apparatus further comprising a vacuum suction opening provided for the hermetic partition chamber unit to evacuate the hermetic partition chamber unit to vacuum, a pressurizing opening provided for the hermetic partition chamber unit to set the interior of the hermetic partition chamber unit to a high pressure state with a high pressure gas, a liquid vessel arranged on the base table and in an inner side of the lower fixed frame and adapted to receive a filling liquid, a holder arranged in the hermetic partition chamber unit for a porous workpiece to be processed, and an elevator unit adapted to move the filling liquid in the liquid vessel and the porous workpiece holder relative to each other inside the hermetic partition chamber unit to immerse the porous workpiece into the filling liquid in the liquid vessel and pulls up the workpiece from the filling liquid, wherein, the porous workpiece is held above the filing liquid by the holder, the hermetic partition chamber unit is formed, the porous workpiece is degassed through evacuating the interior of the hermetic partition chamber unit to vacuum through the vacuum suction opening, the porous workpiece is immersed into the filling liquid, the hermetic partition chamber unit is set to a high pressure state by introducing the high pressure gas thereinto through the pressurizing opening, the filling liquid is impregnated into the porous workpiece by applying the high pressure upon the upper surface of the filling liquid inside the liquid vessel, the impregnated workpiece is pulled up from the filling liquid, the hermetic partition chamber unit is opened, and the impregnated workpiece is taken outside.