JP2002316714A - Leveling method and leveling device for forming material - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently flatten a top face of forming material by a leveling member with a simple composition driven so as to reciprocate in a width direction during conveyance by a conveyer. SOLUTION: A lower end part of the leveling member 11 reciprocating in the width direction of the conveyer 3 at a conveying direction midway part of the conveyer 3 is formed so that it is gradually shortened from a conveying direction upstream end to a downstream end. By reciprocating the leveling member 11 in the width direction, the forming material 2 is raked comparatively shallow in an upstream end of the leveling member 11 and comparatively deep in a downstream end. By servo-controlling a height of the leveling member 11 on the basis of a height distribution of the forming material 2 after a leveling process, the top face of the forming material 2 is stably flattened.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a molding material for supplying a molding material such as a mixed molding material onto a conveyor, and then leveling the surface of the molding material on the conveyor so as to level the surface of the molding material. The present invention relates to a setting device and a leveling method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to obtain a long plate-like member by press-forming a raw material (molding material) in the form of a short fiber or powder, a mixed molding material is supplied onto a conveyor, and then the molding material is mixed. A manufacturing apparatus is used for compacting a molding material through a leveling step for smoothing the height (for example, JP-A-62-212110, JP-A-5-84737).
And Japanese Patent No. 3043152).

[0003] In the above-described leveling process of the manufacturing apparatus, in order to level and smooth the unevenness of the molding material (raw material), for example, a leveling apparatus disclosed in JP-A-11-208874 may be applied. Conceivable.

This conventional leveling device is for leveling the upper surface of a molding material temporarily stored in a molding material storage tank of a molding material storage device, and is provided in the width direction of the molding material storage tank. , A horizontal moving cylinder arranged in parallel with the vertical moving cylinder, a vertical moving cylinder driven horizontally by the horizontal moving cylinder, and a leveling plate vertically driven by the vertical moving cylinder. The leveling plate is formed in a comb-like shape. The leveling plate is moved up and down by an elevating cylinder in the upper part of the molding material storage tank, and is moved in one direction in the width direction of the molding material storage tank by a horizontal movement cylinder. Is reciprocated between one end and the other end. Then, the leveling plate is reciprocated in the width direction while raising and lowering the leveling plate in accordance with the unevenness of the upper surface of the molding material stored in the molding material storage tank, so that the upper surface of the molding material is leveled evenly. .

[0005]

In the above-mentioned conventional leveling apparatus, the lower edge of the leveling plate is made horizontal. However, this leveling apparatus is used in the leveling process of the molding material being conveyed by the conveyor. When applied, the molding material is largely swept to one side in the width direction at the upstream end side of the leveling plate, and the molding material passes through the leveling plate before the upper surface of the molding material is sufficiently scraped by the leveling plate. As a result, unevenness (unevenness) of height is generated in the width direction of the upper surface of the molding material on the downstream side of the leveling device.

[0006] Further, the molding material supplied onto the conveyor has a mountain shape in which the central portion in the width direction is convex before the leveling step, but the position of the top of the mountain shape is not stable. The top of the mountain is displaced in the width direction due to various factors.
When this level-shifted mountain-shaped molding material is evenly raked to the left and right by the leveling plate, there is a difference in the amount of squeezing of the molding material left and right, and a concave portion is formed on the upper surface of the molding material at one end in the width direction. On the other hand, at the other end in the width direction, a convex portion is formed on the upper surface of the molding material.

Therefore, the present invention provides a leveling method and a leveling apparatus for efficiently flattening the upper surface of a molding material by a leveling member which is reciprocally driven in the width direction while being conveyed by a conveyor, while having a simple structure. The purpose is to provide.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following technical measures.

That is, the present invention reciprocates in the width direction of the conveyor at an intermediate portion in the direction of conveyance of the conveyor so that the upper surface of the molding material deposited on the conveyor and conveyed by the conveyor becomes flat in the width direction. A method of scraping the molding material by a leveling member, wherein the leveling member has a predetermined length in a transport direction of the conveyor, and a lower end portion of the leveling member is downstream from the upstream end in the transport direction in the transport direction. It gradually decreases toward the end, and the leveling member reciprocates in the width direction while conveying the molding material by the conveyor, so that the molding material is relatively shallow at the upstream end side of the leveling member. It is characterized in that the molding material is leveled relatively deeply on the downstream end side.

According to the leveling method of the present invention, the molding material is made relatively shallow at the upstream end side of the leveling member by making the lower end shape of the leveling member tapered without performing complicated control. Leveling, as the molding material is conveyed by the conveyor, the molding material is leveled relatively deep at the downstream end of the leveling member. As described above, as the molding material having a mountain shape before the leveling process is conveyed in the leveling area by the leveling member, the leveling member gradually separates the molding material left and right by a small amount. The amount of the molding material that is squeezed into the material is made uniform, which makes it possible to reduce the length of the leveling member (leveling area) as much as possible while efficiently flattening the upper surface of the molding material. Become.

In the above method of the present invention, the leveling member is adjusted while adjusting the height of the leveling member in accordance with the height of a plurality of portions in the width direction of the upper surface of the molding material on the downstream side in the transport direction of the leveling member. It can be reciprocated in the width direction of the conveyor.
According to this, the top position of the mountain-shaped molding material before the leveling process is shifted in the width direction of the conveyor,
Even if irregularities occur on the upper surface of the molding material at both ends in the width direction after leveling, the reciprocating operation is performed while adjusting the height of the leveling member, so that the amount of molding material left and right in the width direction is optimized according to the state It is possible to quickly flatten the upper surface of the sequentially conveyed molding material. Furthermore, even if the peak shape of the molding material before the leveling process fluctuates, servo control based on the state of the height at a plurality of positions on the upper surface of the molding material after leveling, that is, the height distribution in the width direction, is performed. Since the height of the member is adjusted, the upper surface of the molding material after the leveling step can be flattened.

Further, the present invention reciprocates in the width direction of the conveyor at an intermediate portion in the direction of conveyance of the conveyor so that the upper surface of the molding material deposited on the conveyor and being conveyed by the conveyor becomes flat in the width direction. In the method of scraping the molding material by the leveling member, the height of the leveling member is adjusted in accordance with the state of the height of a plurality of positions in the width direction of the upper surface of the molding material on the downstream side in the transport direction of the leveling member. The smoothing member is reciprocated in the width direction of the conveyor. According to this, even if unevenness occurs on the upper surface of the molding material at both ends in the width direction after leveling due to the top position of the mountain-shaped molding material being shifted in the width direction of the conveyor before the leveling process, By reciprocating while adjusting the height of the member, it is possible to optimize the amount of molding material in the left and right width direction according to the state and quickly flatten the upper surface of the sequentially conveyed molding material Becomes

The present invention also provides a leveling member for scraping a molding material such that the upper surface of the molding material deposited on a conveyor and being conveyed by the conveyor becomes flat in the width direction.
A driving device for reciprocating the leveling member in the width direction of the conveyor in the middle of the direction of conveyance of the conveyor, wherein the leveling member has a predetermined length in the direction of conveyance of the conveyor, The lower end of the leveling member is gradually lowered from the upstream end in the transport direction to the downstream end in the transport direction. According to the leveling device of the present invention, when the leveling member is reciprocated so that the downstream end in the transport direction of the lower end of the leveling member is at the level of the molding material after leveling, On the upstream end side of the member, it is possible to level the molding material relatively shallowly, and on the downstream end side of the leveling member, it is possible to level the molding material relatively deeply. Thereby, as the molding material having a mountain shape is conveyed before the leveling process, the leveling member is divided into left and right little by little by the leveling member, while shortening the length of the leveling member as much as possible,
It is possible to efficiently level the upper surface of the molding material.

The apparatus according to the present invention further comprises height detecting means for detecting the height of a plurality of locations in the width direction of the upper surface of the molding material on the downstream side of the leveling member in the conveying direction, and control for controlling the operation of the driving device. Means. Also,
The drive device may be configured to be able to move the leveling member also in the height direction, preferably, the movement of the leveling member in the height direction and the movement in the conveyor width direction. Each can be performed independently. Then, the control means reciprocates the leveling member in the conveyor width direction while adjusting the height of the leveling member in accordance with the state of the height at a plurality of positions in the width direction of the molding material detected by the height detecting means. The driving device may be configured to be controlled to operate. According to this, by the servo control by the control means, while changing the height of the leveling member based on the height of the molding material on the downstream side in the transport direction of the leveling member, the leveling member scrapes the upper surface of the molding material. Due to the leveling, the top position of the mountain-shaped molding material before the leveling process is shifted in the width direction of the conveyor, so that unevenness occurs on the upper surface of the molding material at both ends in the width direction after leveling. In addition, it is possible to optimize the scraping amount of the molding material in the left-right width direction according to the state, and quickly flatten the upper surface of the sequentially conveyed molding material.

The present invention also provides a leveling member for scraping a molding material such that the upper surface of the molding material deposited on a conveyor and being conveyed by the conveyor becomes flat in the width direction.
A drive device for reciprocating the leveling member in the width direction of the conveyor at an intermediate portion in the direction of transport of the conveyor, wherein the leveling member has a plurality of width directions on the upper surface of the molding material on the downstream side in the direction of transport of the leveling member. A height detecting means for detecting the height of the position, and a control means for controlling the operation of the driving device, wherein the driving device is configured to be able to move the leveling member also in the height direction, Adjusting the height of the leveling member in accordance with the state of the height of the molding material at a plurality of locations in the width direction detected by the height detection means, and reciprocating the leveling member in the conveyor width direction. The driving device is controlled. According to this, by the servo control by the control means, while changing the height of the leveling member based on the height of the molding material on the downstream side in the transport direction of the leveling member, the leveling member scrapes the upper surface of the molding material. Due to the leveling, the top position of the mountain-shaped molding material before the leveling process is shifted in the width direction of the conveyor, so that unevenness occurs on the upper surface of the molding material at both ends in the width direction after leveling. In addition, it is possible to optimize the scraping amount of the molding material in the left-right width direction according to the state, and quickly flatten the upper surface of the sequentially conveyed molding material.

In the present invention, the leveling member is
Any suitable shape such as a plate shape or a comb tooth shape can be used. In addition, the conveyor includes a molding material continuous conveyance unit configured by combining a bottom belt on the bottom side and side belts on both the left and right sides in an upper open U-shape, and the molding material is accumulated in the conveyance unit. It is possible to supply. The height detecting means may be configured to detect the height of the molding material at a plurality of positions in the width direction by one or a plurality of sensors reciprocating with the leveling member, or at predetermined intervals in the width direction. A configuration may be adopted in which the height of the molding material at a plurality of positions in the width direction is detected by a plurality of sensors that are fixedly installed, or any other appropriate configuration. Further, the height detecting means can detect at least the height of both ends in the width direction of the molding material and the height of the central portion in the width direction.

The control means includes: actual height data for at least one scan in a plurality of positions in the width direction detected by the height detecting means; one or a plurality of pattern data to be compared with the actual height data; And / or a storage device that stores the conditional expression data, and the hardware and / or software can be configured to perform the above control using the data stored in the storage device. Further, the control means may be constituted by a computer, may be constituted by a general-purpose sequencer, or may be constituted by a specially designed control circuit.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a press molding apparatus 1 provided with a leveling apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and the molding apparatus 1 conveys a molding material 2 as a molding material. A conveyor 3; a material supply device 4 for supplying the molding material 2 from above at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the conveyor 3; and an upper surface of the molding material 2 deposited on the conveyor 3 and being conveyed by the conveyor 3. The leveling device 10 for leveling the molding material 2 so as to be flat in the direction;
And a heating device (not shown) for heating and controlling the temperature of the molding material 2 during the above-mentioned consolidation molding. .

As the molding material 2, a molding material having low fluidity, such as a mixture of fiber and powder, is used. Further, by molding these molding materials 2 by the molding apparatus 1, it is possible to continuously mold a glass fiber reinforced resin molded plate or the like.

As the material supply device 4, a feeder of a belt type or a screw type can be used, or a kneader for mixing two or more kinds of raw materials may be used.

The conveyor 3 is, as shown in FIG.
An endless belt-shaped bottom belt 31 and an endless belt-shaped side belt 32 disposed on both left and right sides of the bottom belt 31,
On the outward path of the belts 31 and 32, they are combined in a U-shape with an upper section opening to form a conveying section of the molding material 2.
The material supply device 4 supplies the molding material 2 into the conveying section of the conveyor 3, and the supplied molding material 2 is piled up on the conveyor 3 as shown in FIG. It is continuously conveyed to the side (the right side in FIG. 2). The conveyor 3 can be transported at an appropriate speed, for example, 0.5 m / min. In addition, the right and left width of the conveyor 3 may be an appropriate size, but may be, for example, 400 mm.

The leveling device 10 of the present embodiment comprises a molding material 2
4. A leveling member 11 for scraping the molding material 2 so that the upper surface of the leveling member becomes flat in the width direction as shown in FIG. 4, and the leveling member 11 is provided at both ends in the width direction of the conveyor 3 in the middle of the conveyor 3 in the conveying direction. A drive unit 12 for reciprocating between the units, height detecting means for detecting the heights of a plurality of locations in the width direction on the upper surface of the molding material 2 on the downstream side in the transport direction of the leveling member 11, and controlling the operation of the drive unit 12. Control means (not shown) for performing the control.

The leveling member 11 has a plate shape having a predetermined length in the direction of conveyance of the conveyor 3, and the lower end of the leveling member 11 gradually decreases from the upstream end in the direction of conveyance to the downstream end in the direction of conveyance. It is formed in an inclined shape. The moving speed of the leveling member 11 in the width direction may be an appropriate speed. However, when the width of the conveyor 3 is 400 mm and the conveyor conveyance speed is 0.5 m / min, the moving speed is about 400 mm / s. Can be.

The driving device 12 is mainly composed of an XZ orthogonal arm robot capable of performing servo control independently in the width direction and the height direction. The driving device 12 reciprocates the leveling member 11 in the width direction. An X-axis arm 13, a Z-axis arm 14 for moving the leveling member 11 in the height direction,
A tool changer 15 for detachably holding the leveling member 11. Each of the arms 13 and 14 can be configured to include a ball screw that is rotationally driven by a servomotor and a slider that moves in the axial direction by the rotation of the ball screw.
The tool changer 15 can be attached to the slider of the Z-axis arm 14.

The above-mentioned control means can have an appropriate configuration, for example, a controller having a CPU, a storage device, an I / O unit and the like. A predetermined control program and control data are stored in a storage device of the control means, and the X-axis servo motor and the Z-axis motor of the drive device 12 are controlled in accordance with the control contents described in the control program.
It is configured to drive control the axis servomotor.

The height detecting means is integrally attached to the leveling member 11 so as to be above the molding material 2 and the leveling member 11.
A non-contact type distance sensor 16 composed of a laser displacement meter or the like disposed downstream of the controller and a controller of the control means. That is, the distance sensor 16
Is the distance to the upper surface of the molding material 2 (that is, the molding material 2) while reciprocating with the leveling member 11 in the width direction of the conveyor.
Is output to the controller at any time or at predetermined intervals. Controller is X-axis arm 1
3 and the control data of the Z-axis arm 14 and the sensor 1
6 by associating with the detection signal of FIG.
The height data at a plurality of locations in the width direction on the upper surface of the molding material 2 on the downstream side of is generated. Then, a plurality of pieces of height data for one scan when the leveling member 11 moves from one end to the other in the width direction can be stored in the storage device. It should be noted that such a configuration is merely an example, and the height detecting means may have an appropriate configuration according to the configuration of the controller or the configuration of the sensor. Further, the height detecting means can be constituted by a plurality of distance sensors fixedly arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction on the downstream side of the leveling member 11.

The content of control by the control means can be any appropriate one. For example, control as shown in FIGS. 5 to 11 can be performed.

FIG. 5 shows a state when the supply amount of the molding material 2 is reduced. At this time, concave portions are formed at both ends in the width direction as shown in FIG. 5 (c). At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the height of the leveling member 11 is reduced by a predetermined amount so that Z
By driving the shaft arm 14 to reciprocate the leveling member 11 in the width direction, the amount of the mountain-shaped molding material 2 squeezed to the left and right is increased, whereby the molding material 2 is leveled. Become like

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the supply amount of the molding material 2 is increased. At this time, as shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the height of the leveling member 11 is increased by a predetermined amount.
By driving the shaft arm 14 to reciprocate the leveling member 11 in the width direction, the amount of the mountain-shaped molding material 2 that is squeezed to the left and right is reduced, and the molding material 2 is leveled evenly. Become like

FIG. 9 shows a state in which the position of the top (center) of the mountain-shaped molding material 2 has changed in the width direction. At this time, as shown in FIG. A convex portion is formed at the end in the width direction, while a concave portion is formed at the opposite end. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10, the height of the leveling member 11 is made different between when moving from one end side in the width direction to the other end side and when moving from the other end side to the one end side. By changing the scraping amount of
The molding material 2 comes to be leveled.

The outline of the control flow of the control means for performing such control will be described with reference to FIG. 11. First, in the initial setting step S1, the X-axis arm 13,
The Z-axis arm 14 is set to a predetermined initial state and the leveling member 1 is set.
1 is set to a predetermined height at the left end.

Next, in step S2, the X-axis arm 1
3 is driven to move the leveling member 11 from the left end to the right end while maintaining the height. At this time, the width direction position of the sensor 16 is obtained based on the control data of the X-axis arm 13, and based on the detection signal of the sensor 16 when the sensor 16 is at the predetermined width direction position, the predetermined position in the width direction is determined. The height of the molding material 2 is detected, and the heights of the molding material 2 at a plurality of positions in the width direction are stored in a storage device. The height detecting means includes at least the height of both ends of the molding material 2 in the width direction,
It is preferable that the height at the center in the width direction be stored.

Then, in step S3, the leveling member 11
It is determined based on the height data of the molding material 2 at a plurality of positions in the width direction stored in the storage device whether or not the concave portions are formed at both ends in the width direction of the upper surface of the molding material 2 on the downstream side of the molding material 2. If the Z-axis arm 14 is controlled to move downward by a predetermined amount,
The leveling member 11 is lowered by a predetermined amount. In step S4, it is determined whether or not convex portions are formed at both ends in the width direction of the upper surface of the molding material 2 based on the height data of the molding material 2 at a plurality of positions in the width direction stored in the storage device. If true, the Z-axis arm 14 is controlled to move upward by a predetermined amount, and the leveling member 11 is controlled.
Is increased by a predetermined amount. In step S5, it is determined whether a convex portion is formed at the left end in the width direction of the molding material 2 and a concave portion is formed at the right end. If true, the leveling member 11 positioned at the right end is determined. Increase the height by a predetermined amount. In step S6, a recess is formed at the left end of the molding material 2 in the width direction.
It is determined whether or not a convex portion is formed at the right end, and if true, the height of the leveling member 11 located at the right end is reduced by a predetermined amount.

Next, in step S7, the X-axis arm 1
3 is driven to move the leveling member 11 from the right end to the left end while maintaining the height at that time. At this time,
Similarly to the above, the height of the molding material 2 at a predetermined position in the width direction is detected based on the detection signal of the sensor 16, and the heights of the molding material 2 at a plurality of positions in the width direction are stored in a storage device.

Then, in step S8, the leveling member 11
It is determined based on the height data of the molding material 2 at a plurality of positions in the width direction stored in the storage device whether or not the concave portions are formed at both ends in the width direction of the upper surface of the molding material 2 on the downstream side of the molding material 2. If the Z-axis arm 14 is controlled to move downward by a predetermined amount,
The leveling member 11 is lowered by a predetermined amount. In step S9, it is determined whether or not convex portions are formed at both ends in the width direction of the upper surface of the molding material 2 based on the height data of the molding material 2 at a plurality of positions in the width direction stored in the storage device. If true, the Z-axis arm 14 is controlled to move upward by a predetermined amount, and the leveling member 11 is controlled.
Is increased by a predetermined amount. In step S10, it is determined whether a convex portion is formed at the left end in the width direction of the molding material 2 and a concave portion is formed at the right end. If true, the leveling member 11 located at the left end is determined. The height is reduced by a predetermined amount. In step S11, it is determined whether a concave portion is formed at the left end in the width direction of the molding material 2 and a convex portion is formed at the right end. If true, the leveling member 11 positioned at the left end is determined. Increase the height by a predetermined amount.

The present embodiment has control steps 12 and 13 for automatically replacing the leveling member 11 at predetermined time intervals. That is, in step 12, the leveling member 1
It is determined whether or not the elapsed time since the last change of the tool 1 has exceeded a predetermined time.
Also, the X-axis arm 13 and the Z-axis arm 14 are driven and controlled so that the leveling member 11 is automatically replaced by using an appropriate tool change jig for holding the leveling member to be replaced. ing.

By repeating these steps,
The servo of the leveling member 11 is reciprocated in the width direction while the height of the leveling member 11 is servo-controlled based on the height distribution of the molding material 2 on the downstream side in the width direction. The upper surface is flattened so as to be flat in the width direction.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the design can be changed as appropriate. For example, the driving device of the leveling member may be constituted by an articulated robot, and may have any other appropriate configuration as long as the leveling member can reciprocate in the width direction.

The leveling member 11 can also be formed in a comb shape as shown in FIG. The comb-shaped leveling member 11 is formed by arranging a plurality of bar members in the conveying direction in two rows in the width direction. The bar member on the upstream side in the conveying direction is relatively short, and the bar member on the downstream side in the conveying direction is relatively short. By making the bar-shaped member relatively long, the lower end portion of the leveling member 11 is inclined as a whole. In this embodiment, the plurality of rod members 11a on the upstream end side have the same length, and the plurality of rod members 11b on the center side in the transport direction are the same as the rod members 1a.
1a, the plurality of rod-shaped members 11c on the downstream end side in the transport direction have the same length slightly longer than the rod-shaped member 11b, and the lower end of the leveling member 11 is It is configured to gradually decrease from the upstream end to the downstream end.

[0041]

According to the present invention, the upper surface of the molding material being conveyed is flattened in the width direction by the leveling member having an inclined height on the upstream side and the downstream side, so that the material is deposited in a mountain shape. It is possible to evenly flatten the upper surface of the molding material while uniformizing the scraping amount of the molding material in the left-right width direction and shortening the leveling process length as much as possible. Furthermore, by adjusting the height of the leveling member by a servo mechanism based on the distribution of the height in the width direction of the upper surface of the molding material after the leveling process, the molding material may increase or decrease during molding, or a mountain-shaped molding may be performed. Even if the position of the top of the material fluctuates in the width direction, the height of the leveling member is adjusted to follow the fluctuation, thereby preventing the occurrence of unevenness on the upper surface of the molding material.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified perspective view of a leveling device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall schematic side view of a molding device including the leveling device.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conveyor corresponding to a cross section taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a conveyor corresponding to a cross section taken along line CC of FIG. 2;

5A and 5B are explanatory views of a state in which concave portions are formed at both ends in a width direction of a molding material, wherein FIG.
2B is a view corresponding to a cross section taken along line BB of FIG. 2, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional equivalent view.

6A and 6B are explanatory views of a state in which concave portions formed at both ends in a width direction of a molding material are eliminated, wherein FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional equivalent view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional equivalent view of FIG. 2.

7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams of a state in which convex portions are formed at both ends in a width direction of a molding material, wherein FIG.
2B is a view corresponding to a cross section taken along line BB of FIG. 2, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional equivalent view.

8A and 8B are explanatory views of a state in which convex portions generated at both ends in a width direction of a molding material are eliminated, wherein FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line AA in FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG. 3C is a sectional view corresponding to the line CC of FIG. 2.

9A and 9B are explanatory diagrams illustrating a state in which a concave portion is formed at one end in a width direction of the molding material and a convex portion is formed at the other end, and FIG.
A sectional view corresponding to the line A, (b) is a sectional view corresponding to the line BB in FIG. 2,
FIG. 3C is a view corresponding to a cross section taken along line CC of FIG. 2.

10A and 10B are explanatory views of a state in which a concave portion at one end in a width direction of the molding material and a convex portion at the other end are eliminated, and FIG.
FIG. 2B is a sectional view corresponding to the line BB, FIG.
FIG. 3C is a view corresponding to a cross section taken along line CC of FIG. 2.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control flow of a control unit of the leveling device.

FIG. 12 shows a leveling member of a leveling device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a simplified front view and (b) is a simplified side view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Molding material 3 Conveyor 10 Leveling device 11 Leveling member 12 Drive

Claims (6)

[Claims] An equalizing member that reciprocates in the width direction of the conveyor at an intermediate portion in the conveyance direction of the conveyor so that the upper surface of the molding material deposited on the conveyor and being conveyed by the conveyor becomes flat in the width direction. In the method of leveling the molding material, the leveling member has a predetermined length in a conveying direction of the conveyor, and a lower end of the leveling member moves from an upstream end in the conveying direction to a downstream end in the conveying direction. By gradually reciprocating the leveling member in the width direction while the molding material is being conveyed by the conveyor, the molding material is relatively shallowly leveled on the upstream end side of the leveling member, and A method of leveling a molding material, wherein the molding material is agitated relatively deeply at a downstream end side. 2. The leveling member is moved in the conveyor width direction while adjusting the height of the leveling member in accordance with the height at a plurality of locations in the width direction of the upper surface of the molding material on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the leveling member. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the molding material is reciprocated. 3. A leveling member that reciprocates in the width direction of the conveyor at an intermediate portion in the direction of conveyance of the conveyor so that the upper surface of the molding material deposited on the conveyor and being conveyed by the conveyor becomes flat in the width direction. In the method of leveling the molding material, adjusting the height of the leveling member according to the height of a plurality of locations in the width direction of the upper surface of the molding material on the downstream side in the transport direction of the leveling member, A method for leveling a molding material, wherein a member is reciprocated in a conveyor width direction. 4. A leveling member for flattening the molding material so that the upper surface of the molding material deposited on the conveyor and being conveyed by the conveyor is flat in the width direction, and the leveling member is moved in the conveying direction of the conveyor. A driving device for reciprocating in the width direction of the conveyor in the middle part, a molding material leveling device, wherein the leveling member has a predetermined length in the conveying direction of the conveyor,
A leveling device for a molding material, wherein a lower end portion of the leveling member gradually decreases from an upstream end in the transport direction to a downstream end in the transport direction. 5. A height detecting means for detecting heights of a plurality of locations in a width direction of an upper surface of a molding material on a downstream side in a conveying direction of the leveling member, and a control means for controlling operation of the driving device, The drive device is configured to be able to move the leveling member also in the height direction, and the control unit is configured to level the leveling member in accordance with the state of the height at a plurality of positions in the width direction of the molding material detected by the height detection unit. 5. The leveling device according to claim 4, wherein the driving device is controlled to reciprocate the leveling member in the width direction of the conveyor while adjusting the height of the member. 6. A leveling member for scraping a molding material such that an upper surface of the molding material deposited on the conveyor and being conveyed by the conveyor is flat in a width direction, and the leveling member is moved in a conveying direction of the conveyor. A molding device having a driving device for reciprocating in the width direction of the conveyor at an intermediate portion, wherein a height for detecting a plurality of heights in the width direction of the upper surface of the molding material on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the leveling member. Detecting means, comprising a control means for controlling the operation of the driving device, the driving device is configured to be able to move the leveling member also in the height direction,
The control means reciprocates the leveling member in the conveyor width direction while adjusting the height of the leveling member in accordance with the height of a plurality of locations in the width direction of the molding material detected by the height detection means. A molding material leveling device, wherein the driving device is controlled so as to cause the driving device to perform the control.