TW201313627A - Molding device and molding method for glass casings - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a molding device and a manufacturing method for glass casings, the device and method capable of improving the productivity of the glass casings by shortening a molding cycle. The present invention is a molding device for glass casings, the molding device conveying a glass material (50) to heating, press molding, and cooling stages in sequence, and press molding the glass material by a molding die configured from an upper die (11) and a lower die (12). The molding device is provided with: a heating means (3b), a pressing means (4b) and a cooling means (5b) on which the lower die on which the glass material is mounted is mounted, and which perform heating, press molding and cooling processes, respectively, on the mounted glass material; and a control means which controls the respective processes, and the pressing means has two or more pairs of pressing plates and comprises an assignment means which, when the glass material is conveyed from the heating means to the pressing means, assigns the glass material, in turn, to two or more pressing plates.

Description

Glass frame forming device and forming method

The present invention relates to a molding apparatus and a molding method capable of continuously manufacturing a glass frame by press molding, and more particularly to a molding apparatus and a molding method for efficiently manufacturing a glass frame by shortening the cycle of the molding operation.

In recent years, various methods have been used for producing a press-formed product made of glass by heating and softening a glass material accommodated in a molding die and press-forming it. In addition, in order to reduce the manufacturing cost, a manufacturing apparatus that continuously molds a plurality of press-molded articles while conveying a molding die to each processing table is proposed, and is generally used for manufacturing an optical element (for example, refer to Patent Documents 1 to 3). ).

In the manufacturing apparatus of the press-formed product, when the glass material is heated and softened, and the press molding is performed, the mold is placed at a specific temperature to maintain a sufficient heating temperature for the formed material, and after the molding, the glass material is formed. The mixture is cooled and solidified, and finally cooled to a temperature of 200 ° C or lower which does not oxidize the mold. As described above, the shape of the molding die is accurately transferred to the glass material at the time of press molding, and is cooled and solidified, whereby the molded shape is maintained, and a press-formed product having high shape accuracy is obtained.

On the other hand, the advancement of electronic products is remarkable, and various portable electronic products have been developed, and the shape thereof has been reduced in size and thickness. As a frame of such a small-sized electronic product, it is known to use a resin or a metal. Glass and other materials. When the frame of such an electronic product is made of a glass frame, it is advantageous in that it has an excellent design appearance or a high texture, and is manufactured by a method such as cutting or polishing.

[Previous Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 8-259240

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-69019

[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-96676

However, when the glass frame is manufactured by cutting, polishing, or the like, it takes time to process the complicated and fine shape of the frame, and it is difficult to improve the productivity. When such a glass frame body can be produced by press molding as in the prior art, it is possible to manufacture a frame body which is not only improved in productivity but also has high shape accuracy. However, since the pressurizing plate used in the press forming is operated at a specific timing while repeating the heating, pressurization, and cooling of the forming die, the temperature rise and fall cycle of the pressurizing plate and the forming die becomes a rate limiting factor. It hinders the improvement of productivity above a certain level.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a temperature rise and fall cycle of a pressurizing plate and a forming die which may be a rate limiting factor for press forming when manufacturing a glass frame body. A molding apparatus and a molding method for a glass frame in which the molding cycle is shortened and the productivity of the glass frame is improved.

The inventors of the present invention have conducted intensive studies and found that the above problems can be solved by the molding apparatus and the molding method of the glass casing of the present invention, and completed the present invention.

That is, the glass frame forming apparatus of the present invention sequentially transports the plate-shaped glass material to each of the stages of heating, press forming, and cooling provided in the chamber, and includes the upper mold on the press forming platform. And a molding die of the lower mold, wherein the glass material is press-formed to form a glass frame; the molding device includes: a heating mechanism, a pressurizing mechanism, and a cooling mechanism, wherein the heating, press forming, and cooling are performed The platform is provided with each of the glass material underlying molds, and each of the glass materials mounted thereon is heated, pressed, and cooled, and a control mechanism that controls the heating, press molding, and cooling. deal with.

Further, the glass casing molding apparatus is characterized in that the pressurizing mechanism includes two or more pairs of pressure plates, and each pair of pressure plates is provided on the upper portion thereof and is transported from the heating mechanism to the lower mold. a lower pressing plate and a pressing plate above the upper mold are fixed to the lower portion thereof; and the forming device includes a distributing mechanism for placing the mold under the glass material from the heating mechanism to the When the pressurizing mechanism is transported, the two or more pairs of the pressurizing plates are sequentially dispensed and the lower mold is transported.

Moreover, the method for forming a glass frame according to the present invention includes a heating step of loading the plate-shaped glass material on the forming surface of the lower mold by using the above-described glass frame forming apparatus of the present invention. Heating the lower mold and the glass material by a heating mechanism; and pressing, moving at least one of the pair of pressure plates of the pressing mechanism up and down, and softening the heat by the upper mold and the lower mold The glass material is pressurized to transfer the shape of the molding surface; and the cooling step is performed after the pressing step, and the lower mold and the glass material transferred with the shape of the forming surface are cooled by a cooling mechanism; And a step of transferring the lower mold and the glass material to the pressurizing mechanism from the heating mechanism, and sequentially depositing the lower mold on the glass material and transferring the pair of the two or more pairs to the pair of pressurizations board.

According to the forming apparatus and the forming method of the glass frame of the present invention, the glass frame can be manufactured by press forming, and in the press forming, it can be directly affected by the temperature rise and fall period of the pressurizing plate which has previously become a rate limiting factor. The cycle of the forming operation can be shortened compared to the previous one. Therefore, the manufacturing of the glass frame is made efficient, and productivity is improved.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a molding apparatus for a glass casing according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a molding apparatus of Fig. 1 (in both figures, only the chamber 2 is shown by a cross section, and Figure 2 shows only the plates on the lower side of each platform and shows the positional relationship of the plates on each platform).

The glass frame forming apparatus 1 of the present invention comprises: a chamber 2 which is a forming chamber for forming a glass frame; a heating platform 3 which is disposed inside the chamber 2 and which is opposite to the plate-shaped glass material 50. And the glass material 50 is placed under the glass material to heat the glass material 50; the pressure forming platform 4 pressurizes the heat-softened plate-shaped glass material 50; and the cooling platform 5 The glass material having the shape of a glass frame is cooled by press molding.

Here, the chamber 2 as a forming chamber is provided at a place where a glass frame body is subjected to a forming operation. The glass material 50 is disposed in the chamber 2 The lower mold 12 is taken into the internal inlet 6 and after the press molding is completed, the formed glass material 50 and the lower mold 12 are taken out and taken out. Further, the intake port 6 and the take-out port 7 are provided with an intake shutter 6a and a take-off shutter 7a, respectively. The shutters are opened and closed as needed to allow the forming die 12 to pass in and out of the chamber 2 to maintain the environment within the chamber 2. Further, the inlet 6 and the outlet 7 are provided with molding die mounts 8 and 9 on which the lower mold 12 can be placed outside the chamber 2.

A heating platform 3, a press forming platform 4 and a cooling platform 5 are disposed inside the chamber 2 to press-form the glass frame, and the glass materials are sequentially processed by the platforms to prepare the glass material. shape. Actually, the lower mold 12 in which the plate-shaped glass material 50 is placed is taken into the chamber 2 from the inlet, and is sequentially moved while being subjected to a specific treatment on each of the above platforms. After the specific treatment is completed, the lower mold 12 is taken out from the take-out port to the outside of the chamber 2.

In order to soften the plate-shaped glass material 50 and easily deform it, and to heat it to a high temperature, the inside of the chamber 2 is maintained in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas so that the lower mold 12 and the upper mold 11 are not oxidized. In order to set it as an inert gas environment, it can be achieved by setting the chamber 2 to a closed structure and replacing the internal environment. Further, the chamber 2 may have a semi-hermetic structure, and the inert gas may be supplied to the chamber 2 while the chamber is under positive pressure so that the outside air does not flow therein, thereby maintaining the inert gas atmosphere. It is effective to take the intake gate 6a and the take-off shutter 7a in a simple configuration to make the inside of the chamber 2 semi-hermetic. Further, the chambers 2 and the shutters 6a and 7a are preferably formed of a material that does not precipitate gas or impurities at a high temperature. For example, stainless steel or alloy steel may be used. material. Further, the outer circumferences of the shutters 6a and 7a (including the molding die mounting tables 8, 9) may be sealed, and the flow of air from the outside into the chamber 2 may be further suppressed.

Next, each platform for performing the forming operation of the present invention will be described. Further, in the present invention, the molding die used in the press molding of the glass material 50 is composed of a mold 11 including a frame shape forming an upper surface and a mold 12 under the frame shape forming the lower surface. In the present invention, in the present invention, the upper mold 11 is fixed to the press forming stage 4, and the lower mold 12 is held in a state in which the glass material 50 is placed to be movable on each of the stages. Here, the molding die may be one in which the shape of one glass frame is obtained by one press operation, or one or more glass frames may be obtained. For example, in the molding die shown in Figs. 1 and 2, an example in which six frames can be formed by one pressurization operation is shown, but it is of course not limited thereto.

Further, the forming mold is made of a material such as cemented carbide, ceramics, stainless steel, or carbon, and the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 respectively have a molding surface for transferring the surface shape of the formed glass frame, as long as it can be made. The shape of the frame of the product is not particularly limited. As the shape of the frame, it is particularly preferable to have a shape having a free curved surface, and it is more preferable that the obtained frame has an axis-symmetrical shape. It is difficult to manufacture such a complicated shape by the manufacture by the prior grinding or the like, or the cost is increased, but in the present invention, it can be easily and inexpensively manufactured by press molding.

The heating stage 3 of the present invention is configured to soften the glass material 50 placed on the lower mold 12, and includes a heating plate 3b in which the heater 3a is embedded. The heating plate 3b heats the lower mold 12 by coming into contact with the lower mold 12, and further The glass material 50 placed on the lower mold 12 is heated indirectly.

Further, the heating stage 3 includes a heater 3d for directly heating and softening the glass material 50. Examples of the heater include a radiation-heatable heating element such as a cartridge heater, a ceramic heater, a SiC heater, and a carbon heater. These heaters may be embedded in a metal plate such as stainless steel or an alloy, or a glass tube such as quartz.

Further, in the heating stage 3, the heating plate 3b is fixed to the bottom plate of the chamber 2 via the heat insulating plate 3c so as not to directly transfer the heat of the plate itself to the chamber 2.

The press forming platform 4 of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of pairs of upper and lower pressure plates, and in the present embodiment, comprises two pairs of pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 (wherein, in FIG. The schematic configuration of the apparatus when viewed from the side shows the pressure plate 4b-2, but the pressure plate 4b-1 is hidden behind the surface 4b-2. The upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 are brought close to each other by narrowing the distance between the upper and lower pair of pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2, and the plate glass placed on the lower mold 12 is pressed in a softened state. The material 50 is deformed to transfer the shape of the molding surface of the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 to the glass material 50 to form a glass frame. As a specific configuration of the press molding platform 4, the pair of pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 are embedded in the heater 4a. The pressurization using the pressurizing plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 is performed in a heating temperature state before the maintenance. A cooling mechanism may be provided between the pair of upper and lower pair of pressure plates and the heat shield to control the cooling rate of the plate and the forming die (so that cooling can be accelerated). As the cooling mechanism, an air cooling method, a water cooling method, or the like can be used.

More specifically, in the press forming platform 4, the upper and lower pressing plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 is independently connected to the shaft, and the shaft 4d can move the pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 up and down by a cylinder (not shown). Thus, the distance between the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 is narrowed by moving both the upper and lower plates (or one of the upper side or the lower side) above and below the pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2. Thereby, the glass material 50 can be press-formed by a molding die. At this time, the press forming is performed at a specific pressure, and the glass frame shape can be accurately imparted to the sheet glass material.

Further, the upper and lower pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 are connected to the shaft 4d via the heat insulating plate 4c so as not to directly transfer the heat thereof to the chamber 2. Further, only one of the upper or lower side pressure plates may be moved to fix the other to the chamber 2, and at this time, the fixed pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 are the same as the heating plate 3b. It suffices that the heat of the pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 is not directly transmitted to the chamber 2 via the heat shield 4c.

The cooling stage 5 of the present invention includes a cooling plate 5b in which the heater 5a is embedded in order to cool and solidify the glass material 50 placed in the lower mold 12 and provided with the glass frame shape. The cold plate 5b is brought into contact with the die 12 under the press forming process, whereby the lower mold 12 can be cooled, and the glass material 50 placed on the lower mold 12 can be indirectly cooled. Since there is an example in which the upper portion of the glass frame placed on the lower mold 12 on the cooling plate 5b is opened and the cooling rate is too fast, the upper portion of the glass material 50 may be disposed as described in the heating platform. The heating source of the heater 3d controls the cooling rate of the glass unit.

Further, in the cooling stage 5, the cooling plate 5b is fixed to the bottom plate of the chamber 2 via the heat insulating plate 5c so as not to directly transfer the heat thereof to the chamber.

a plate-shaped glass material by bringing the cooling plate 5b into contact with the forming die The curing may be carried out as long as it is cooled below the glass transition point of the material, more preferably below the strain point. When the cooling is sufficiently performed, the shape of the glass frame of the plate-shaped glass material is stabilized, and deformation can be suppressed. Here, the term "cooling" refers to a temperature at which the sheet-like glass material is solidified so that the shape of the glass frame can be stably applied. Since the temperature is only about 50 to 150 ° C lower than that of the pressure plate, the temperature is still high. A heater 5a is embedded in the inside of the cooling plate 5b.

Further, the pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 are fixed to the shaft 4d via a heat shield as described above, and the shaft 4d is connected to the cylinder. Here, the cylinder may be moved by each of the plates, and for example, a cylinder such as an electric servo cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or an electric hydraulic cylinder may be used.

The heating plate 3b, the pressing plate 4b, and the cooling plate 5b are substantially parallel to the surface of the forming die and the horizontal plane, particularly in the pressing plates 4b-1 and 4b-2, in the pressing plate 4b-1 and When the contact surface of the 4b-2 and the molding die is inclined, the positions of the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 may become inconsistent, and the glass frame manufactured at that time may become a defective product. Therefore, the management of the boards on these platforms and the positioning of the lower molds need to be strictly performed.

In these platforms, the plate is inserted into a barrel heater inside a material such as stainless steel, super-hard, alloy steel, etc., and the barrel heater is heated to raise the temperature of the plate, thereby maintaining the required temperature. temperature.

Further, the heat insulating plates 3c, 4c, and 5c of the respective platforms may be any known heat insulating plates such as ceramics, stainless steel, die steel, or high speed steel, and are preferably high in hardness and pressurized. The pressure during molding and the like are also less likely to cause deformation and less variation in the ceramic. In the case of using a metal-based material, it is preferred to apply a coating of CrN, TiN, TiAlN on the surface. Reason.

As described above, the heating platform 3, the press forming platform 4, and the cooling platform 5 described above form a place (platform) for performing specific processing, respectively. Further, the lower mold 12 is mounted on each platform at a specific timing by a transport mechanism (not shown), so that the processing using each platform can be smoothly performed in order. The timing of this movement is controlled by the control mechanism.

More specifically, the processing of the heating plate 3b, the pressure plates 4b-1, 4b-2, and the cooling plate 5b is performed while sequentially transporting the lower mold 12 to the respective plates in the above-described order and moving them. In the process, if the lower die 12 is moved to the next platform, the platform that has finished processing is idle, so that the lower die 12 on which another plate-shaped glass material is placed is transported thereon, thereby simultaneously and continuously performing the plural The forming operation of a glass frame.

The above-described transport mechanism for performing this processing is not shown, but a robot arm or the like is exemplified. As long as the conveying mechanism is moved from the forming die mounting table 8 to the heating platform 3, from the heating platform 3 to the press forming platform 4, from the press forming platform 4 to the cooling platform 5, and moving from the cooling platform 5 It suffices to form the mold placing table 9.

Furthermore, in addition to controlling the movement timing of the forming mold, the control mechanism also controls the temperature of the upper and lower plates on the platforms for heating, press forming, and cooling, or the timing of the vertical movement, so that the control mechanism can be smoothly and continuously performed. A series of forming operations are controlled. At this time, the switch for taking in the shutter and taking out the shutter is also controlled. Further, it is preferable to control the supply amount or timing of the nitrogen gas in such a manner that the atmosphere in the chamber 2 is filled with an inert gas.

That is, the molding apparatus 1 of the glass frame is placed at a position of 1 or more. A glass frame forming apparatus that is conveyed by a molding die while performing a specific treatment while the line temperature rises.

Further, the glass frame forming apparatus 1 of the present invention is characterized in that a pair of pressing plates of two or more pairs are used as a pressurizing mechanism as described in the above-described press forming stage. Although the pair of pressurizing plates 4b of two sets are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pressurizing plates 4b may be provided with a plurality of sets of pressurizing plates.

In the method of forming a glass frame, the operation of the above-described glass frame body will be described in detail, and the mold 12 is first heated to the pressure plate 4b-1 by being sufficiently heated on the heating plate 3b. At the same time, the press molding is performed continuously, and the other lower mold 12 is conveyed to the hot plate 3b. Here, the other lower mold 12 which is sufficiently heated is next conveyed to the pressurizing plate 4b. -2 is subjected to a press forming treatment. That is, the pressurizing plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 perform an operation for alternately press molding.

Therefore, in the present invention, the distribution mechanism is provided to alternately distribute the lower mold 12 to the pressure plate 4b when the mold 12 is placed under the glass material 50 from the heating platform 3 to the pressurizing platform. -1, 4b-2.

Though the transfer mechanism is not shown, the transport mechanism such as a robot arm used for transporting a mold that is normally performed during press molding of a mold transfer method is controlled so that it can be sequentially conveyed to the press-molded sheet. The author can do it. Therefore, in continuous press forming, the same pressurizing plate having two or more pairs of pressurizing plates is not continuously used, even in the case of using a pair of pressurizing plates, since the subsequent press forming is used idle The other pressure plate can be formed efficiently.

Further, the distribution mechanism by the distribution mechanism may be distributed to each of the pressure plates by using one transfer mechanism, or a plurality of transfer mechanisms may be used to determine the responsible pressure plate for distribution.

Further, at this time, it is preferable to shorten the moving distance from the heating plate 3b to the pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 by the conveying means as much as possible, for example, as shown in Fig. 2, preferably in relation to self-heating. Two pairs of pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 are arranged side by side in the direction in which the plates 3b to 2b are moved in the direction in which the cooling plates 5b are moved from right to left (upward and downward in Fig. 2). Further, in this case, it is preferable that the 4b-1 and 4b-2 arranged in parallel are equal to each other in the transport direction (upward and downward directions in FIG. 2). If it is equally disposed in this manner, the transfer distance from the heating plate 3b to the pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2, and the following self-pressurizing plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 to the cooling plate 5b can be shortened as a whole. .

Next, a method of forming a glass casing of the molding apparatus 1 using the glass casing will be described.

First, the lower mold 12 is placed on the molding die mounting table 8 on the inlet side, and the plate-shaped glass material 50 is placed on the upper portion of the lower mold 12. The take-in shutter 6 is opened to take the inlet opening, and the lower mold 12 is conveyed to the heating plate 3b by the conveying mechanism. Once transported, the lower mold 12 is heated to the same temperature as the hot plate 3b by contact with the lower heating plate 3b. At the same time, a heater 3d is disposed above the transporting lower mold 12 on the heating platform, whereby the glass material 50 placed on the lower mold 12 is heated by the heater 3d by radiant heating.

At this time, the temperature of the heating plate 3b is set to a temperature at which the lower mold 12 can be heated to a temperature range of the glass transition point to the softening point of the glass material 50, and the temperature of the heater 3d is set so that the glass material 50 can be heated to Falling point~ The temperature in the temperature range of the melting point. Thus, the temperature ranges of heating are individually controlled to different ranges, whereby the glass material 50 can be self-heating step to the pressurizing step, although it is fully softened for press forming, but it is not loose. On the other hand, in the next press forming step, the lower mold 12 can stably perform the pressurizing operation. Therefore, a glass frame of a desired shape can be obtained. At this time, the temperature increase rate is preferably about 5 to 200 ° C / min.

In this manner, the mold 12 and the sheet-like glass material 50 are sufficiently heated by the heating mechanism on the heating stage 3, and are carried by the conveying mechanism and placed on the lower pressing plate 4b-1 (4b-2). At this time, the pressurizing plate 4b-1 (4b-2) is also heated to the same temperature as the hot plate 3b, and press forming can be performed immediately. Further, the upper pressing plate 4b-1 (4b-2) is lowered to narrow the distance between the pressing plates 4b-1 (4b-2), thereby narrowing the distance between the upper die 11 and the lower die 12. On the other hand, the plate-shaped glass material 50 placed on the upper portion of the lower mold 12 is pressed to deform.

In this pressurizing step, as described above, the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 are brought close to each other, and pressure is applied from above and below the glass material 50, whereby press forming is performed. Thereby, the shape of the molding surface of the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 is transferred to the sheet glass material 50, and the glass frame shape is imparted.

The heating temperature of the pressurization in the pressurizing step is the same as the temperature of the heating on the heating stage of the preceding stage. Further, the pressure applied to the sheet glass material during pressurization is preferably 100 N to 20 kN, and particularly preferably 1 kN to 10 kN.

Further, in such a pressurizing step, if the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12 are brought close to a specific position, the temperature of the upper and lower pressure plates 4b-1 (4b-2) is lowered, so that the upper mold is transferred by heat transfer. 11 and the temperature of the lower mold 12 is lowered to make the formed The glass material 50 is released from the upper mold 11. The temperature of the pressure plate 4b-1 (4b-2) can be varied by the heater 4a. After the press forming, in order to release the glass material 50 from the upper mold 11, the temperature of the pressurizing plate 4b-1 (4b-2) is lowered to be lower than the falling point of the glass material 50 used, mainly by adding The platen 4b-1 (4b-2) is released from the difference in shrinkage ratio of the glass material 50. Further, a mechanism for forcibly releasing the glass material 50 on the upper shaft side may be provided to release the mold.

The mold-removed glass material 50 is again placed on the lower mold 12, and is conveyed to the cooling plate 5b from the pressure plate 4b-1 (4b-2) together with the lower mold 12 by a conveyance mechanism. This conveying mechanism is the same as the above-described conveying mechanism.

Next, the lower mold 12 is cooled by the cooling plate 5b, and similarly to the above-described heating step, the lower mold 12 is cooled by contact with the lower side cooling plate 5b. By the cooling of the lower mold 12, the glass material 50 which is formed and has an increased contact area with the molding surface of the lower mold 12 is cooled together with the lower mold 12. After sufficiently cooling, the take-off shutter 7 is opened to open the outlet opening, and the lower mold 12 is taken out from the chamber 2 to the outside of the apparatus by the conveying mechanism, and placed on the forming die mounting table 9 on the take-out side.

In this case, the cooling system is preferably cooled to a glass transition point (Tg) of the sheet-like glass material, and more preferably cooled to a temperature equal to or lower than the strain point of the sheet glass material. At this time, the cooling rate is preferably about 5 to 150 ° C / min.

As described above, the glass material 50 is formed into a glass frame shape by an operation including one of heat treatment, pressure molding, and cooling. Further, the present invention is characterized in that in the press forming step, two or more pressurizing mechanisms are used to distribute the heated glass in the heating step. The material 50 is transported on one side.

Hereinafter, a description will be given of a case where the processing is performed in the heating, press forming, and cooling as a whole, with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3E and FIGS. 4A to 4F. 3A to 3E are views showing a forming operation when molding is performed using the molding apparatus of Fig. 1, and are similar to Fig. 2 in a plan view of the apparatus.

In this description, the glass material 50 is conveyed in the apparatus while being placed on the lower mold 12.

First, on the molding die stage 8 on the inlet 6 side, the glass material 50 (1) is placed on the lower mold 12 to prepare for press molding (Fig. 3A).

The glass material 50 (1) is directly introduced into the apparatus from the inlet 6 and conveyed to the heating plate 3b. On the heating plate 3b, the glass material 50(1) is delivered to a heating step to be heated to a specific temperature. At the same time, on the forming mold mounting table 8, the next glass material 50 (2) for press forming is placed on the lower mold 12 (Fig. 3B).

Then, the heated glass material 50 (1) is conveyed to the pressurizing plate 4b-1, and the glass material 50 (2) is conveyed to the hot plate 3b. The glass material 50 (1) is subjected to a press forming treatment on the pressurizing plate 4b-1, and the glass material 50 (2) is heated to a specific temperature on the plate 3b. At the same time, on the forming mold mounting table 8, the next glass material 50 (3) for press forming is placed on the lower mold 12 (Fig. 3C).

At this time, in the press forming step, after transferring the shape by press molding as described above, it is necessary to temporarily lower the temperature of the pressurizing plate 4b-1 in order to release the glass material 50 from the upper mold 11. The lowering is followed by the pressure forming, and it is necessary to reheat and heat the temperature rise and fall to the pressurizing temperature. The time of the temperature rise and fall cycle is difficult to shorten, so that this step becomes a rate limiting factor for the overall manufacturing.

Therefore, in the press forming operation of the mold shifting method, after the press-off operation after the pressurization, the pressurizing plate is again heated to the press forming temperature and then subjected to the subsequent press forming, but in the present invention Since two or more pairs of pressure plates are provided, the press forming operation can be performed immediately. In other words, the preparation may be performed in such a manner that the temperature of the pressurizing plate 4b-1 is lowered and the demolding operation is performed, and the temperature of the other pair of pressurizing plates 4b-2 provided is raised to allow for press forming. The temperature is such that press forming can be performed immediately.

Thus, while the pressurizing plate 4b-2 can be immediately subjected to the press forming operation, the glass material 50(1) which is press-formed and demolded is conveyed to the cooling plate 5b, and is heated in the heating step. The glass material 50 (2) is conveyed to the pressurizing plate 4b-2, and the glass material 50 (3) is conveyed to the hot plate 3b. The glass material 50 (1) is sufficiently cooled to a specific temperature on the cooling plate 5b, and the glass material 50 (2) is subjected to pressure forming treatment on the pressing plate 4b-1, and the glass material 50 is placed on the heating plate 3b ( 3) Heat to a specific temperature. At the same time, on the forming mold mounting table 8, the next glass material 50 (4) for press forming is placed on the lower mold 12 (Fig. 3D).

Then, the cooled glass material 50 (1) is taken out from the take-out port 6 to the outside of the apparatus, and conveyed to the forming mold mounting table 9, and the glass material 50 (2) which is press-formed and demolded is conveyed to the cooling plate. 5b, the heated glass material 50(3) is transferred to the pressure plate 4b-2 in the heating step, and the glass material 50(4) is conveyed to the heating plate 3b. On the forming mold mounting table 9, the glass material 50(1) is separated from the lower mold 12, and is conveyed for performing post-processing. The other side On the surface, the lower mold 12 is moved to the inlet 6 side of the molding apparatus by performing a press forming process again. Further, the glass material 50 (2) is sufficiently cooled to a specific temperature on the cooling plate 5b, and the glass material 50 (3) is subjected to pressure forming treatment on the pressure plate 4b-1, and the glass is placed on the heating plate 3b. Material 50 (4) is heated to a specific temperature. At the same time, on the forming mold mounting table 8, the next glass material 50 (5) for press forming is placed on the lower mold 12 (Fig. 3E).

Further, in the press forming operation, if an attempt is made to focus only on the operation of the pressurizing plate, the ones shown in FIGS. 4A to 4F and FIG. 5 can be exemplified. 4A to 4F are views showing the operation of the press forming step in the molding process using the molding apparatus of Fig. 1, and the pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 of Fig. 1 are observed from the side of the inlet 6. Figure.

First, the operation of the pressing plate will be described with reference to Figs. 4A to 4F.

The pair of pressurizing plates 4b-1 are prepared by separately raising the temperature to the pressurizing temperature in advance, and immediately starting the press forming operation when the glass material 50 is transported. When the glass material 50 is sufficiently heated on the heating plate 3b, the lower mold 12 and the glass material 50 are transferred to the pressure plate 4b-1. At this time, the other pair of pressure plates 4b-2 convey the pressurized glass material 50 to the cooling plate 5b (FIG. 4A).

When the glass material 50 is conveyed, the pressurizing plate 4b-1 immediately starts the pressurizing operation, and the glass material 50 is given the molding surface shape of the forming mold. The other pair of pressurizing plates 4b-2 were heated to a pressurizing temperature (Fig. 4B).

After the glass material 50 is pressurized, the pressure plate 4b-1 is gradually cooled to lower the temperature. At this time, strain between the pressure plate 4b-1 and the pressurized glass material 50 mainly due to the difference in heat shrinkage rate is caused, and the glass material 50 adhered to the upper mold 11 is released from the upper mold 11, Glass material 50 is placed again On the lower die 12. The other pair of pressurizing plates 4b-2 are prepared by sufficiently raising the temperature to the pressurizing temperature and maintaining the temperature, and immediately starting the press forming operation when the glass material 50 is transported (FIG. 4C).

Then, the pressed glass material 50 is conveyed together with the lower mold 12 to the cooling plate 5b. On the other hand, the glass material 50 is transferred from the heating plate 3b to the pressure plate 4b-2 (Fig. 4D).

The cooled pressurizing plate 4b-1 whose temperature has temporarily decreased is again heated to the pressurizing temperature. When the glass material 50 is transported to the pressurizing plate 4b-2, the pressurizing operation is immediately started, and the glass material 50 is given the molding surface shape of the forming mold (Fig. 4E).

The pressurizing plate 4b-1 is prepared by sufficiently raising the temperature to the pressurizing temperature and maintaining the temperature, and immediately starting the press forming operation once the glass material 50 is transported. The pressurizing plate 4b-2 is gradually cooled after pressurizing the glass material 50 to lower the temperature. At this time, strain between the pressure plate 4b-2 and the pressurized glass material 50 mainly due to the difference in heat shrinkage rate is caused, and the glass material 50 adhered to the upper mold 11 is released from the upper mold 11, and the glass is released. The material 50 is again placed on the lower mold 12 (Fig. 4F).

Thereafter, the operations of FIGS. 4A to 4F are repeated, and the glass frame is continuously manufactured.

An example of the relationship between the temperature changes of the pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 at this time is shown in Fig. 5. Each of the pressure plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 is a temperature rise and fall cycle in which the same heating-pressurization-cooling (release) is repeated, but the phase is shifted and the pressurization operation is alternately performed. This timing can be arbitrarily set.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the heating step and the cooling step respectively change the temperature stepwise, by setting one or more heating flats in the heating step. The stage causes the temperature of the sheet glass material to rise stepwise to be heated to the forming temperature on the heating platform before the pressure forming platform. Further, by providing one or more cooling stages in the cooling step, the temperature of the sheet glass material is gradually lowered, and the temperature is set to 200 ° C or lower. By heating and cooling in a stepwise manner, it is possible to suppress a sharp temperature change of the sheet glass material, thereby suppressing the occurrence of cracks or avoiding deterioration of characteristics of the glass frame such as strain.

An example of a forming apparatus for a glass frame body using a plurality of heating stages and cooling stages for performing such a heating step and a cooling step is shown in FIG. The glass casing molding apparatus 21 shown in FIG. 6 includes a chamber 22, a first heating stage 23, a second heating stage 24, a third heating stage 25, a press forming stage 26, a first cooling stage 27, and a 2 means for cooling the platform 28 and the third cooling platform 29. In the chamber 22, similarly to the forming apparatus 1 for the glass casing, the inlet 30 of the lower mold 12 and the take-off gate 30a of the switchable inlet 30, the take-out port 31, and the take-off opening of the switchable outlet 31 are provided. 31a, and the mold holders 32 and 33 are provided on the outer sides of the inlet 30 and the outlet 31.

The glass frame forming apparatus 21 has the same configuration as that of the glass frame forming apparatus 1 of Fig. 1 except that three heating stages and three cooling stages are provided to be heated and cooled in stages.

Preheating is performed on the first heating stage 23 by temporarily heating the sheet glass material to a temperature below the glass transition point, preferably about 50 to 200 ° C lower than the glass transition point, and heating the second heating stage 24 to The temperature between the glass transfer point and the drop point is heated to the glass drop on the third heating stage 25 Above the volt point, it is preferably a temperature higher than the drop point by about 5 to 150 °C. Further, while maintaining the molding temperature on the press molding stage 26, the molding operation by the molding die is performed, and the shape of the glass frame is provided, and the first cooling stage 27 is cooled to a glass transition point of the molding material, preferably Below the strain point, the forming mold which is further cooled to 200 ° C or lower on the second cooling stage 28 is not oxidized, and is cooled to room temperature on the third cooling stage 29 .

Here, the third cooling stage replaces the heaters in the other platforms, and the board to be used is a water-cooled board in which piping is provided so that the cooling water circulates, whereby the cooling can be efficiently performed.

Then, in the present embodiment, the glass material obtained by cooling is transferred to a plurality of glass frame shapes, and is formed into a single glass frame shape, and subjected to processing such as cutting and polishing. Thus become the final product.

Further, the molding apparatus for the glass casing shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 is exemplified by a pair of pressing plates including two sets, but as described above, a pair of two or more complex arrays may be provided. Pressurized plate. In this case, in the operation of the temperature rising-pressure forming-cooling (release), each of the pressing plates may be operated only by shifting for a predetermined period of time. For example, if the operation is performed by dividing the process time by the number of the pair of pressure plates, the press operation is performed at equal intervals. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently manufacture the glass material by sequentially supplying the glass material. Glass frame.

[Examples]

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in further detail by way of examples.

(Example 1)

The glass frame body was molded as follows using the molding apparatus 21 of the glass frame of Fig. 6.

The glass frame forming apparatus 21 used herein is a plate having three 1.5 kW barrel heaters inside a rectangular block of 100 × 75 × 30 mm made of tungsten carbide, and is used as a heating plate, a pressurizing plate, and cooling. A plate was used, and a 140×75×10 mm plate-like body made of two pieces of SUS304 was used as a heat insulating plate.

Further, the cylinder for moving the upper and lower plates is an air cylinder, and the shaft having a shaft diameter of 40 mm is connected and fixed to the upper plate. The chamber was a 600×450×320 mm box made of SS400, and 600×450×30 mm was used as the plate system under the chamber.

Further, the forming mold includes the upper mold 11 and the lower mold 12, and is made of a superhard alloy containing tungsten carbide. The shape of the glass frame obtained by press molding is such that the upper and lower surfaces have a free curved surface shape, and a molding die in which the shape of the glass frame is formed by one molding die is used.

A plate-shaped glass material containing an alkali metal oxide of 90 × 60 mm and a thickness of 4 mm was placed on the lower mold 12. Further, the sheet glass material had a strain point of 580 ° C, a glass transition point (Tg) of 620 ° C, and a point of fall (At) of 700 ° C.

The plate-shaped glass material lower mold 12 is placed and placed on the first heating plate 23b by the conveyance mechanism, and the glass material 50 is heated from above by radiation by the upper heater 23d.

The lower mold 12 and the sheet glass material were heated for 120 seconds, then transferred and placed on the second heating plate 24b, and the glass material 50 was heated by the upper heater 24d for 120 seconds. Furthermore, it is transported and placed on the third heating plate 25b. At the same time, the glass material 50 is heated by the upper heater 25d for 120 seconds to soften the sheet glass material. Further, the first heating plate 23b was set to 550 ° C, the second heating plate 24 b was set to 650 ° C, and the third heating plate 25 b was set to 750 ° C. Further, the set temperature of the upper heater was set to 950 °C.

Next, the lower mold 12 is conveyed and placed on the pressurizing plate 26b-1, and the upper pressurizing plate 26b-1 is lowered, and a pressure of 8 kN is applied to the plate-shaped glass material 50 by the cylinder 26d for 120 seconds. Press forming. After the pressurizing operation, the pressurizing plate 26b-1 is cooled to release the upper mold 11 and the glass material 50, and the lower mold 12 of the glass material 50 after the mold release is placed is transferred to the first cooling plate 27b. The time was set to 60 seconds, and the time during which the pressure plate 26b-1 temporarily cooled for demolding was again heated and maintained at the pressurization temperature was set to 60 seconds. The pressurizing temperature of the pressurizing plate 26b was 750 °C.

After the pressurization, the upper mold 12 is transferred to the first cooling plate 27b for cooling for 120 seconds, and then the lower mold 12 is transferred to the second cooling plate 28b and cooled for 120 seconds, and then the lower mold 12 is transferred to the second mold. 3 Cooling plate 29b and cooling for 120 seconds. At this time, the first cooling plate 17b is set to 450 ° C, the second cooling plate 18b is set to 200 ° C, and the third cooling plate 19b is set to 20 ° C (cooling water temperature).

Further, in the respective molding cycles of the heating-pressure forming-cooling, the pressurizing plates 4b-1 and 4b-2 are alternately used for continuous press forming. The operation at this time is completed in the order and timing illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5, and the process time is set to 120 seconds as described above.

Further, the glass material 50 is cooled to room temperature or lower by a cooling step, and Take it out to the outside of the unit. The taken-out press-formed product is separated from the lower mold 12, and the press-molded article is obtained by cutting, cutting, polishing, or the like to obtain a desired glass frame.

As described above, according to the molding apparatus and the manufacturing method of the glass casing of the present invention, the molding cycle can be shortened by a simple operation, and the glass casing can be efficiently produced. According to this apparatus and method, since the molding can be easily performed by press molding or the like, and the productivity of the molded article can be improved, the glass frame as the final product can be produced stably and at low cost.

[Industrial availability]

The glass frame forming apparatus of the present invention can be widely used in the production of a glass frame by press molding.

1‧‧‧Shaping device for glass frame

2‧‧‧ chamber

3‧‧‧heating platform

3a‧‧‧heater

3b‧‧‧heating plate

3c‧‧‧insulation board

3d‧‧‧heater

4‧‧‧Pressure forming platform

4a‧‧‧heater

4b-1‧‧‧pressure plate

4b-2‧‧‧pressure plate

4c‧‧‧heat insulation board

4d‧‧‧Axis

5‧‧‧Cooling platform

5a‧‧‧heater

5b‧‧‧Cooling plate

5c‧‧‧heat insulation board

6‧‧‧Entry

6a‧‧‧Get in the gate

7‧‧‧Export

7a‧‧‧Remove the barrier

8‧‧‧ Forming table

9‧‧‧Forming mold mounting table

11‧‧‧上模

12‧‧‧Down

21‧‧‧Forming device

22‧‧‧ chamber

23‧‧‧1st heating platform

23b‧‧‧1st heating plate

23d‧‧‧heater

24‧‧‧2nd heating platform

24b‧‧‧2nd heating plate

24d‧‧‧heater

25‧‧‧3rd heating platform

25b‧‧‧3rd heating plate

25d‧‧‧heater

26‧‧‧Pressure forming platform

26b‧‧‧Pressure plate

26b-1‧‧‧Pressure plate

26d‧‧‧cylinder

27‧‧‧1st cooling platform

27b‧‧‧1st cooling plate

28‧‧‧2nd cooling platform

28b‧‧‧2nd cooling plate

29‧‧‧3rd cooling platform

29b‧‧‧3rd cooling plate

30‧‧‧Entry

30a‧‧‧Into the gate

31‧‧‧Export

31a‧‧‧Remove the barrier

32‧‧‧Forming mold mounting table

33‧‧‧Forming mold mounting table

50‧‧‧glass material

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a molding apparatus for a glass casing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic configuration view showing a molding apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3A is a view showing a forming operation when forming using the forming apparatus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3B is a view showing a forming operation when forming using the forming apparatus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3C is a view showing a forming operation when forming using the forming apparatus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3D is a view showing a forming operation when forming using the forming apparatus of Fig. 1.

Figure 3E illustrates the forming operation when forming using the forming apparatus of Figure 1. Figure.

Fig. 4A is a view for explaining the action of the press forming step when molding using the molding apparatus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4B is a view for explaining the action of the press forming step when molding using the molding apparatus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4C is a view for explaining the action of the press forming step when molding using the molding apparatus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4D is a view for explaining the operation of the press forming step when molding using the molding apparatus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4E is a view for explaining the action of the press forming step when molding using the molding apparatus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4F is a view for explaining the operation of the press forming step when molding using the molding apparatus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a graph showing the temperature rise and fall periods of the pressurizing plates in the press forming step of Figs. 4A to 4F.

Fig. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a molding apparatus for a glass casing according to another embodiment of the present invention.

1‧‧‧Shaping device for glass frame

2‧‧‧ chamber

3‧‧‧heating platform

3a‧‧‧heater

3b‧‧‧heating plate

3c‧‧‧insulation board

3d‧‧‧heater

4‧‧‧Pressure forming platform

4a‧‧‧heater

4b-1‧‧‧pressure plate

4b-2‧‧‧pressure plate

4c‧‧‧heat insulation board

4d‧‧‧Axis

5‧‧‧Cooling platform

5a‧‧‧heater

5b‧‧‧Cooling plate

5c‧‧‧heat insulation board

6‧‧‧Entry

6a‧‧‧Get in the gate

7‧‧‧Export

7a‧‧‧Remove the barrier

8‧‧‧ Forming table

9‧‧‧Forming mold mounting table

11‧‧‧上模

12‧‧‧Down

50‧‧‧glass material

Claims (10)

A glass frame forming apparatus characterized in that a plate-shaped glass material is sequentially conveyed to each of a platform for heating, press forming, and cooling provided in a chamber, and is included in the press forming platform. Forming molds for the upper mold and the lower mold pressurizing the glass material to form a glass frame; the molding device includes: a heating mechanism, a pressurizing mechanism, and a cooling mechanism, wherein the heating, press forming, and cooling are performed Each of the platforms is provided with each of the glass material lower molds mounted thereon, and each of the mounted glass materials is heated, pressed, and cooled, and a control mechanism that controls the heating, press molding, and cooling. And each of the pressurizing mechanisms includes two or more pairs of pressurizing plates, and each pair of pressurizing plates includes a pressing plate mounted on the upper portion thereof and transferred from the heating mechanism to the lower die, and a lower portion is fixed with a pressurizing plate on the upper mold; and the forming device includes a distributing mechanism for pressurizing the mold from the heating mechanism under the glass material When the mechanism is transported, the two or more pairs of the pressure plates are sequentially allocated and transported to the lower mold. A molding apparatus for a glass frame according to claim 1, wherein the glass frame body is a molded article having a free curved surface shape. The forming apparatus of the glass frame of claim 2, wherein the glass frame has an axis-symmetrical shape. The glass frame forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pressurizing mechanism continuously repeats temperature rise, pressure forming, and cooling (off) The action of the modulo). The molding apparatus for a glass frame according to claim 4, wherein in the operation of heating, press molding, and cooling (release) of the pressurizing mechanism, each of the pair of pressurizing plates of two or more pairs is only shifted by a specific one. Time to move. A molding apparatus for a glass frame according to claim 1, wherein the heating means comprises a heating plate for heating the lower mold by heat transfer, and a heater for heating the glass material by irradiation. The forming apparatus of the glass frame of claim 6, wherein the heating means individually manages the temperature of the heating plate and the temperature of the heater. A molding apparatus for a glass frame according to claim 1, wherein two or more pairs of the pressing plates of the pressurizing means are arranged side by side in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction from the heating means to the cooling means. A method of forming a glass frame, comprising: a heating step of using the glass frame forming device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 to load the plate-shaped glass material on the lower mold a heating surface for heating the lower mold and the glass material by a heating mechanism; and a pressurizing step of moving at least one of the pair of pressure plates of the pressing mechanism up and down by the upper mold and the lower mold pair The heat-softened glass material is pressurized to transfer the shape of the molding surface; and the cooling step is performed after the pressing step, and the lower mold and the glass material to which the molding surface shape is transferred are cooled by a cooling mechanism; In the dispensing step, when the lower mold and the glass material are transferred from the heating mechanism to the pressurizing mechanism, the lower molds on which the glass material is placed are sequentially distributed and transported to the pair of pairs or more. Pressure board. The method for forming a glass frame according to claim 9, wherein in the heating step, the lower mold is individually heated and controlled in a temperature range from a glass transition point to a softening point of the glass material, and the glass material is heated and controlled. From the point of fall to the temperature range of the melting point.