For a permanent magnet producing device and manufacturing method

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED : To continuously and reliably perform a series of alloy-powder-manufacturing steps from hydrogen occlusion to pulverization and cooling. SOLUTION : An apparatus for manufacturing the alloy powder for a permanent magnet pulverizes an alloy slug of a raw material containing a rare earth element, a metallic element and boron into the alloy powder. The apparatus has a structure having a hydrogen-occluding portion, a heat-treating portion and a cooling portion sequentially along a central axis. Each portion of them is integrated into a vessel which can rotate in a normal direction and a reverse direction. Each of the hydrogen-occluding portion and the cooling portion has a gash-shaped or fin-shaped helical part so that the spiral direction of the hydrogen-occluding portion is opposite to that in the cooling portion. The manufacturing method comprises the steps of : making the alloy slug of a raw material occlude hydrogen while rotating the integrated vessel in the hydrogen-occluding portion in a reverse direction which stays the alloy slug; subsequently moving the alloy powder from the hydrogen-occluding portion to the heat-treating portion by rotating the vessel in a normal direction; heat-treating it in the heat-treating portion while rotating the vessel in a normal direction; then moving the alloy powder to the cooling portion by rotating the vessel in a normal direction again; cooling it therein; and discharging it. COPYRIGHT : (C)2005, JPO&NCIPI