How To Maintain And Upkeep The Glass Tempering Furnace?

Tempered glass mainly uses physical or chemical methods to form a compressive stress layer on the surface of the glass and a tensile stress layer inside. Just like everything else, the quality of a product is closely related to the production equipment. Only when the production equipment is in good condition can the quality of the product be guaranteed. To make the glass tempering furnace stable and in good use, maintenance and upkeep during use are particularly important. So, what knowledge of glass tempering furnace maintenance and upkeep needs to be understood?

Daily maintenance of glass tempering furnace

1. Check the operation box, console, and electrical control cabinet of the glass tempering furnace every day to see if there are any debris and dust on them, clean them up, and ensure that the doors of each electrical control cabinet of the tempering furnace are securely closed;

2. Check if the buttons and switches on the operation cabinet, station, and screen door of the glass tempering furnace are intact, and if the equipment is reliable; Test whether the foot switch of the glass tempering furnace is flexible and reliable; Check if the cutting photoelectric switch and encoder of the steelmaking furnace are loose or misaligned, if the operation signal is normal, and if the ventilation and heat dissipation fan operation inside the control cabinet is normal.

3. Wipe the surface of the photoelectric switch clean once a week; Check if the control wiring inside the cabinet shows any signs of looseness, dropping, or short circuits; Is there any looseness, adhesion, or heating phenomenon at the junction of the heating line of the tempering furnace; Clean the dust inside each electrical cabinet and box with a vacuum cleaner, check if the operation of the electric fan in the frequency converter of the tempering furnace is normal, and remove the dust at the air inlet.

Basic inspection of glass tempering furnace

The glass tempering furnace should avoid a clean tempering environment, so it is important to pay attention to whether there is dust and debris in the operating table, loading table, electrical control cabinet, and other parts of the tempering furnace at all times. In addition, all hidden dangers that affect the normal operation of the tempering furnace need to be eliminated. Before starting the tempering work, ensure that the doors of each electrical control cabinet are closed. At the same time, the normal operation of various switches and buttons in the tempering furnace is also important. The instruments and meters display normal indicators without damage, and the prompt and alarm indicator lights indicate normally. In addition, the emergency stop buttons in various parts can be used normally. Check that all photoelectric switches are not loose, misaligned, and the signal display is normal. Check that the ventilation and cooling fans in the control cabinet are operating normally.

Maintenance and upkeep of important parts of glass tempering furnace

1. Ceramic roller

As a key component of the tempering furnace equipment, the quality and installation quality of the ceramic roller conveyor directly affect the finished product quality of tempered glass.

1.1 Regular cleaning of ceramic rollers

When the optical effect of tempered glass products is poor, or when the glass explodes in the heating furnace, the furnace should be stopped in time to cool down and the ceramic rod path in the heating furnace should be cleaned. The process and requirements are as follows: first, use a scraper to clean the broken glass or other foreign objects adhered to the ceramic roller, and use a plastic soft brush to clean the attachments on the surface of the ceramic roller; Then use 400-600 grit fine corundum water sandpaper to polish the rotating ceramic roller until the surface of the roller feels smooth. Use a vacuum cleaner to clean the dust on the surface of the roller, and then use a clean, hairless, and soft white cloth to moisten and soften the water, starting from the middle and wiping from both sides to remove the dust. Ceramic rollers should avoid excessive polishing to avoid damaging the surface enamel. It is recommended to use distilled or pure water for wiping ceramic rollers, and do not use alkaline cleaning agents or chemical agents. After the above cleaning treatment, close the upper and lower furnace bodies in a timely manner to prevent dust from falling on the surface of the ceramic roller conveyor again. After cleaning, when heating up, the temperature should first be raised to around 200 degrees. After 1-2 hours of insulation and drying, the temperature should be raised again, and it is important to avoid rapid heating.

1.2 Replacement of ceramic rollers

Ceramic rollers can only be replaced after the furnace body cools down, otherwise it may cause the metal shaft head to loosen and detach. When replacing the roller conveyor, it should be operated by at least three people (one on each side and one to two in the middle). When disassembling, first remove the pulley, then loosen and remove the fixing screws of the bearing limit block, remove the bearing from the frame plate, and place a dense layer of cardboard in the hole of the end frame plate of the roller conveyor. Then, several people should simultaneously lift the roller conveyor and pull it outward. When extracting the ceramic roller, be careful to move gently and avoid collision or scratches on the roller conveyor.

When installing the ceramic roller conveyor, cardboard should be placed in the bearing installation hole first. Align the roller conveyor with the hole and insert it gently, slowly, and smoothly. Personnel in the furnace should respond in a timely manner to allow the shaft head at the insertion end to enter the bearing hole. Then, install the other end of the bearing and pulley, and manually check the rotation of the roller conveyor to ensure that it rotates flexibly and smoothly.

2. Top lifting transmission device

To ensure the smooth lifting of the furnace body, the trapezoidal screw inside the column is sprayed with an appropriate amount of N46 engine oil for lubrication after each lifting of the furnace top (or at least once a month). When driving the bevel gear, lithium based grease should be applied once a quarter. Top lifting chain: Use N46 engine oil once a month for lubrication. However, when the sprocket gear jumps out during use, it indicates that the chain tension is not enough and should be resolved by adjusting the tensioning sprocket. Top lifting reducer: The lubricating oil should be kept in the middle position of the oil window and replaced once a year. It is recommended to use 30 # or 40 # high-quality mechanical oil.

3. Main transmission mechanism

The main transmission mechanism of the tempering furnace is the core of the equipment, and only the smooth operation of this part can ensure the production of high-quality tempering products by the tempering furnace.

Regularly observe the oil level of the lubricating oil in the main transmission cycloidal pinwheel reducer to protect it in the middle position of the oil window. The lubricating oil should be replaced once a year, and it is recommended to use 30 # or 40 # clean mechanical oil. Adjust the tension of the main drive chain, regularly check the condition of the main drive chain, loosen the connecting screws between the main drive motor and the base, rotate the limit screw to push the motor to the appropriate position, tighten the chain, and then tighten the connecting screws. The lubrication of the chain at the main drive motor should be done once a week, using N46 engine oil. The transmission chain at the main transmission ceramic roller must not be lubricated with engine oil or grease, and must be lubricated with belt wax.

4. Ceramic roller transmission device

The transmission mode of ceramic roller conveyor is top wheel transmission, and once the ceramic roller conveyor is stuck, it will protect the roller conveyor due to slipping, which will result in roller conveyor marks on the glass surface and affect the surface quality of the glass. So the adjustment of the tightening degree of the top wheel should be controlled within an appropriate range. If the tightening force is too small, the belt may slip, and normal transmission cannot be guaranteed; If the top tightening force is too large, it will worsen the stress condition of the ceramic roller at higher temperatures, and even cause the ceramic roller shaft head to loosen. Therefore, it is better to adjust to achieve a small top tightening force to ensure the normal transmission of the ceramic roller. In addition, the wax powder on the belt of the main transmission rubber coat wheel often falls off, which can cause blockage of the lower top wheel spring mechanism and inflexibility of movement. Cleaning should be carried out every time the furnace is shut down, and lubricating oil should be added to the sliding rod and spring.

5. Bearing lubrication

The main transmission shaft bearings, ceramic roller bearings, furnace door shaft bearings, furnace top lifting transmission shaft bearings, and furnace top lifting trapezoidal screw bearings of the glass tempering furnace need to be regularly inspected and lubricated. The lubricant used is lithium grease, and the lubrication cycle is generally once every six months for ceramic roller bearings, and once a year for others. In addition, the lubrication of ceramic roller bearings can only achieve good working temperature when there is excess grease added and a small amount of lubrication can be maintained. The lubrication of the furnace top lifting bevel gear uses lithium grease and is applied quarterly.

6. Replace the thermocouple

Thermocouples are the temperature source components of tempering furnaces, which are directly related to the accuracy of furnace temperature control and the appearance quality of products. Therefore, it is necessary to observe the working status of thermocouples at all times and replace them in a timely manner if problems arise. Mark their positions when replacing to prevent wiring errors. Before replacing the new thermocouple, it should be measured, verified, and straightened, and an appropriate amount of lubricating oil should be sprayed.

7. Replace the heating element

The damage of the heating furnace wire can cause uneven temperature inside the heating furnace, resulting in the glass not reaching the set temperature value or uneven temperature when heated in the furnace, leading to cracking in the heating furnace or in the wind grid, thereby reducing the product yield and causing damage to the ceramic roller channel of the heating furnace. Therefore, if any damage is found to the heating furnace wire, it should be replaced in a timely manner. Before replacing the heating furnace wire, it is necessary to cut off the power supply of the heating furnace to avoid electric shock accidents. In addition, before replacing the furnace wire, the resistance value of the furnace wire should be measured to ensure that each furnace wire has the same resistance value, so that the furnace temperature is uniform and consistent.

8. Maintenance of wind grilles

The wind grid of the glass tempering furnace is composed of a transmission roller track and an upper and lower wind grid. Once the glass bursts in the wind grid, it may cut the aramid roller track rope on the transmission roller track, causing the glass to not be smoothly transmitted to the unloading platform, and the entire tempering process cannot proceed smoothly. So if the aramid rope is found to be broken, immediate maintenance and replacement should be carried out. After removing the damaged aramid rope, the adhesive substances and adhesives on the surface of the roller conveyor should be removed to ensure a smooth surface. When winding aramid ropes, they should always be in a taut, straight, and not twisted state. The spiral pitch is uniform, and the rotation direction is opposite to the rotation direction of the aramid rope on the adjacent roller conveyor; Apply adhesive to the inner surface of the aramid rope and bond it to the roller conveyor, ensuring that there is no adhesive present on the surface of the unrolled square wheel rope, and the head and tail ends are firmly fixed. In addition, the transmission roller bearings in the wind grid should also be inspected in a timely manner, and any blockage should be promptly repaired by maintenance workers. If the air duct of the wind grid breaks, it should be replaced in a timely manner to avoid affecting the stability of the wind pressure of the wind grid.

In short, tempered glass processing enterprises can also develop suitable maintenance plans based on their actual situation. After all, only by strictly following the maintenance plan for daily inspection, adjustment, maintenance and upkeep, timely solving hidden faults, extending equipment life, and reducing downtime, can they ensure the normal operation of the cycle, ensure the production of high-quality tempered glass products, and improve production efficiency.