JP2003048725A - Die for forming glass element and glass element formed equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide glass element forming equipment which is capable of increasing the amount of production of glass elements even if a formed machine is not increased and particularly, to provide the die. SOLUTION: The die comprises an upper die 12 and a lower die 16 and an intermediate die 14 arranged between both dies. The top and under surfaces of the intermediate die 14 are respectively provided with forming sections 141 and 142 and the intermediate die 14 is supported at the upper die 12 or the lower die 16 by link means 20, such as a lifting link 201, and spring means 22, etc.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for molding glass elements such as optical lenses and prisms, and more particularly to the structure of a glass element molding die used in the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Optical glass elements are generally produced by press molding with a glass element molding apparatus.
The glass material is heated between the upper mold and the lower mold to be softened and then press-molded. Such a glass element molding apparatus is disclosed in JP-A-10-167737 and JP-A-10-287434.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No.

FIG. 15 shows an outline of a conventional device.
FIG. 16 shows the mold open state, and FIG. 16 shows the mold clamped state. The upper die 12 is attached to the lower end of the upper shaft 1 which is a fixed shaft, and the lower die 16 is attached to the upper end of the lower shaft 2 which is a movable shaft (elevating shaft). The upper die 12 and the lower die 16 have forming portions 121 and 161 which are paired with each other, and the glass element 4 includes the glass material 3 and the forming portions 121 and 161 of the heated upper die 12 and lower die 16 respectively. After being sandwiched between them to be softened, they are pressed for a certain period of time to be molded.

[0004]

A conventional glass element molding die is composed of a pair of an upper die and a lower die as described above. Therefore, the number of molded products (glass elements) is determined by the number of molding parts (dies) provided in the mold.
Therefore, in order to increase the number of products per molding machine that can be molded in the same time, as compared with the conventional case, it is necessary to add a molding machine.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and is capable of increasing the production amount of glass elements without adding a molding machine, and more particularly to a glass element molding apparatus. Intended to provide a type.

[0006]

A glass element molding die according to the present invention comprises an upper die, a lower die, and an intermediate die arranged between the two dies. It is characterized in that a molding portion is provided in the.

The glass element molding die of the present invention comprises an upper die,
In addition to the lower mold, since there is an intermediate mold between these molds, at least the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate mold can be used as molding surfaces, so the number of products (glass elements) per molding machine Is more than doubled. It is also possible to provide a plurality of intermediate dies in the vertical direction. Therefore, mass production is possible without adding a molding machine, which contributes to cost reduction.

The molding part (die) provided in the intermediate mold is paired with the molding part of the upper mold and the molding part of the lower mold (however, not in terms of shape). During press molding of the glass element, the intermediate mold is sandwiched between the upper mold and the lower mold and is clamped at a constant pressure.Therefore, in order to apply the upper and lower pressures evenly, the molding part should be symmetrical with respect to the center. Need to be placed. The shape of the molding part is not particularly limited. The upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate mold may have substantially the same shape or may have different shapes. When the shapes are the same, the number of molding parts is the same on the upper and lower surfaces. In the case of the irregular shape, it is necessary to design the shape and the number so that the pressures on the upper and lower surfaces are even. In the case of the irregular shape, at least two kinds of glass elements can be manufactured at the same time.

Further, since the mold is subjected to heating and cooling, it is necessary to prevent a temperature difference between the molds. For that purpose, it is desirable that the molds have the same thickness. The mold material is selected from similar materials such as heat resistant steel, cemented carbide and ceramics. Further, in order to facilitate exchange due to abrasion of the mold, it can be divided into a mold part and a mold part, and the mold part can be configured to be attachable to and detachable from the mold part. Further, the mold part can be configured so as to be attachable / detachable for each molding part.

The intermediate mold is supported by the upper mold or the lower mold.
The intermediate die is fixed at a predetermined position, and the upper die and the lower die are attached to the elevating shaft. Further, in order to prevent the positional deviation between the molding parts, the intermediate mold has positioning means for the upper mold and the lower mold.

As one means for supporting the intermediate die, the intermediate die is supported by the upper die or the lower die via the link means.
In this case, the link means is a suspension link that connects the connecting portion (pivot portion by the pin) with the intermediate die via the elongated hole. Alternatively, the link means may be composed of a stretchable link.

As another means of supporting the intermediate mold, the intermediate mold is supported by the upper mold or the lower mold via spring means.
A coil spring or a fluid spring is used as the spring means.

The intermediate type positioning means comprises a plurality of guide pins and holes into which the guide pins are fitted. Further, the intermediate mold can be supported by the upper mold via a guide frame. In this case, the guide frame is configured to have a plurality of guide rods that pass through the upper die and the intermediate die, and a ring member that is attached to the guide rods and that supports the intermediate die. Further, in the above-mentioned suspension link, when a plurality of elongated holes are provided at upper and lower positions, or when the guide frame is made long and short in the guide frame, the intermediate mold can be supported by the upper mold in a plurality of vertical directions. .

The glass element molding apparatus according to the present invention is equipped with the glass element molding die of each of the above-described aspects.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but of course the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples. 1 is a view showing a mold open state of a glass element molding die according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view showing a mold clamped state of the same die. Also,
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the intermediate mold.

The mold 10 includes an upper mold 12 and an intermediate mold 14.
And a lower mold 16. The intermediate mold 14 is disposed between the upper mold 12 and the lower mold 16. Each of the mold parts has a molding surface (or a molding surface) that is parallel to the horizontal direction. Here, molding parts having substantially the same shape for molding the glass element 4 (four molding surfaces in one embodiment) are formed. They are arranged in the same number and symmetrically with respect to the central axis. Reference numeral 121 denotes a molding part (upper mold molding part) provided on the molding surface 122 on the lower surface of the upper mold 12.
161 is a molding part (lower mold molding part) provided on the molding surface 162 of the upper surface of the lower mold 16. And the intermediate type 1
On the upper and lower molding surfaces 143 and 144 of the upper and lower surfaces 4, the molding portions 14 and
1, 142 are provided. Further, the upper mold 12, the middle mold 14, and the lower mold 16 are configured to have substantially the same thickness so that a heating temperature difference does not occur. For the mold material, heat-resistant steel, cemented carbide, ceramics and similar materials are used so that there is no difference in thermal expansion and contraction.

The upper die 12 is attached to the upper shaft 1 of the fixed shaft via the die plate 100, and the lower die 16 is attached to the lower shaft 2 of the movable shaft (elevating shaft) via the die plate 102. The upper shaft 1 and the lower shaft 2 may have opposite driving relationships, that is, the former is a movable shaft and the latter is a fixed shaft.

In this embodiment, the intermediate die 14 is supported by the upper die 12 via the link means 20 provided on the outer peripheral portion. A plurality of suspension links 201 are shown as an example of the link means 20, and each suspension link 201 is shown.
On the side surfaces of the upper mold 12 and the intermediate mold 14,
2, 203, and the pin 203, which is a connecting portion with the intermediate mold 14, is slidably connected through an elongated hole 204. The length of the long hole 204 may be a length that allows the upward movement of the pin 203 when the die is clamped (see FIG. 2). Further, the lower end 205 of the elongated hole 204 is the stopper end of the pin 203, and at this position, the intermediate mold 14
Is supported horizontally. Incidentally, contrary to the above, the intermediate type 1
The connecting portion (pin 203) with 4 may be fixed, and the connecting portion (pin 202) with the upper die 12 may be slidably connected through the elongated hole, but in this case, when the die is clamped. Since the suspension link rises, it is limited to the case where the relief part is above. The illustrated example is usually preferred.

Further, as another example of the link means 20, an expandable link such as a pantograph may be used. In this case, the intermediate mold 14 can be supported by the upper mold 12 or the lower mold 16.

The intermediate mold 14 is positioned with respect to the upper mold 12 and the lower mold 16 during mold clamping. The positioning means 30 is composed of a plurality of guide pins 301 and 302 and holes 303 and 304 into which the guide pins 301 and 302 are fitted. Here, the guide pins 301, 302
Are erected vertically on the upper die 12 and the lower die 16, respectively, and the holes 303 and 304 are provided so as to penetrate the intermediate die 14. Of course, it does not matter what the dimensional relationship is even if the blind hole does not penetrate. The arrangement relationship between the guide pin and the hole may be reversed. In other words, the guide pin on the intermediate type,
Fitting holes may be provided in the upper mold and the lower mold.

Next, a glass element molding method using the mold 10 having the above structure will be described. First, Fig. 1
In the state where the mold is opened, the glass material 3 is moved to the intermediate mold 14
The upper mold part (intermediate mold upper mold part) 141 and the lower mold 16 (lower mold mold part) 161 are placed. Next, the lower shaft 2 is driven by a drive device (servo motor, hydraulic cylinder, etc.) not shown and raised. This allows
The lower mold 16 rises and the lower mold guide pin 302 and the corresponding hole 304 are fitted to position the intermediate mold 14 with respect to the lower mold 16, and then the lower mold 16 continues to be positioned in the lower mold molding portion 161. The glass material 3 comes into contact with the inner surface of the molding part 142 on the lower surface of the intermediate mold 14 (intermediate mold lower surface molding part), and pushes up the intermediate mold 14 through the glass material 3. Subsequently, the intermediate die 14 is also positioned and raised with respect to the upper die 12 by fitting the upper die guide pin 301 and the hole 303. At this time, since the suspension link 201 supporting the intermediate mold 14 is coupled to the intermediate mold 14 by the pin 203 through the elongated hole 204, the pin 203 slides upward along the elongated hole 204, so that the intermediate mold 14 is slid upward. 14 can be pushed up and raised. As the intermediate mold 14 is pushed up and raised, the glass material 3 in the intermediate mold upper surface molding portion 141 is moved upward.
It contacts the inner surface of 1.

As described above, the glass material 3 includes the upper die molding portion 121, the intermediate die upper surface molding portion 141, and
When it is sandwiched between the lower mold forming part 161 and the intermediate mold lower surface forming part 142, for example, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-16.
As described in Japanese Patent No. 7737, the quartz tube is lowered to form a closed space around the mold 10, and an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is introduced into the closed space. The mold 10 is heated by an infrared lamp or the like.
By this heating, the glass material 3 is softened at a temperature equal to or higher than the transition point, so that the lower shaft 2 is further pushed up at that time and the mold 10 is pressurized at a predetermined pressure for a certain time (see FIG. 2).
As a result, the upper mold molding part 121 and the intermediate mold upper surface molding part 14 are formed.
1, and the lower mold molding part 161 and the intermediate mold lower surface molding part 142
The inner surface shape of is transferred to the glass material 3, and the glass element 4 having a predetermined shape is press-molded. After that, the mold 10 is cooled and then opened, and the molded glass element 4 is taken out.

Therefore, according to this mold structure, since it has at least upper and lower molding surfaces, the number of products that can be molded in one molding machine in the same time is the same as the conventional pair of upper and lower molds. It is at least twice as many as the case of. A plurality of intermediate dies 14 can be provided if the supporting method is taken into consideration, and in this case, the number of products is further increased. Moreover, since it does not require additional molding machines, it is suitable for mass production of glass elements,
Moreover, the glass element can be provided at low cost.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a mold opening state in the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a mold clamping state similarly. In this embodiment, the intermediate die 14 is supported by the lower die 16 via a coil spring 221 as a supporting means of the intermediate die 14.
The method of supporting above is illustrated. Coil spring 221
Is interposed between the intermediate mold 14 and the lower mold 16, and a support pin 222 that connects the outer peripheral portions of the two at a plurality of positions is provided so as to pass therethrough. And by the spring force,
The intermediate die 14 is always biased upward and held at a constant interval. The support pin 222 is fixed to the lower mold 16 and is erected, and a stopper 223 such as a stop ring is provided at an upper end portion through which the intermediate mold 14 is inserted to lock the upper surface of the intermediate mold 14. This coil spring 2
21 and the stopper 223 of the support pin 222,
The intermediate die 14 is held horizontally with the lower die 16 at a predetermined interval. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The operation for clamping the mold is as follows. When the lower shaft 2 rises, the intermediate mold 14 first rises at the same time, and by fitting the upper mold guide pin 301 and the hole 303,
The intermediate mold 14 is positioned with respect to the upper mold 12, and the glass material 3 in the intermediate mold upper surface molding portion 141 first contacts the upper mold molding portion 121. By further raising the lower shaft 2, the lower die 16 rises against the spring force of the coil spring 221, and the lower die guide pin 302 and the hole 304 (not shown, but similar to FIG. 3). By fitting, the intermediate mold 14 is positioned with respect to the lower mold 16, and the glass material 3 in the lower mold molding portion 161 contacts the inner surface of the intermediate mold lower surface molding portion 142. After this state, the glass material 3 is press-formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

However, in this embodiment, the pressure applied to the glass material on the upper surface of the intermediate mold during the mold clamping is the coil spring 22.
The compression force of 1 is higher than that of the glass material on the lower mold. Therefore, when the molding speed and the molding time of the glass element are controlled to be constant both up and down, the spring force of the coil spring 221 should be set as small as possible. desirable.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a mold opening state in the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a mold clamping state similarly. In this embodiment, the same spring means 22 as in the third embodiment is used to support the intermediate mold 14 on the upper mold 12. The operation is the same as that of the second embodiment, except that the operation at the time of mold clamping is the same as that of the second embodiment.

The spring means for supporting the intermediate mold 14 is
In addition to the above coil spring, a fluid spring such as a pneumatic spring or a hydraulic spring can be used.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a mold open state in the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a view showing a mold clamp state similarly. In this embodiment, the intermediate mold 14 is fixed at a predetermined position. The intermediate mold 14 is horizontally supported by the support member 241. The support member 241 may be a cylindrical frame support base. As a result of the fixed support of the intermediate mold 14, the upper mold 12 and the lower mold 16 are moved up and down by the upper shaft 1 and the lower shaft 2, respectively. That is, both the upper shaft 1 and the lower shaft 2 are movable shafts (elevating shafts). However, in this case, since the intermediate die 14 is fixed, it is necessary to synchronously control the ascent and descent so that the upper die 12 and the lower die 16 simultaneously contact the intermediate die 14 when the die is clamped. Otherwise, an unreasonable force acts on the mounting and fixing portion of the intermediate mold 14 and there is a high risk of damage. Therefore, the upper mold 12 and the lower mold 16 are interposed via the glass material 4.
It is necessary to control the vertical movements of the upper die 12 and the lower die 16 in synchronism with each other until the press molding is completed after the start of contact with the intermediate die 14.

Normally, the upper space between the upper mold 12 and the middle mold 14 (or the stroke of the upper shaft 1) H1 and the lower space between the middle mold 14 and the lower mold 16 (or the stroke of the lower shaft 2) H1.
2 and the same, and the lowering speed of the upper shaft 1 and the lower shaft 2
The mold is clamped by controlling the rising speed of the same.

Next, another method of supporting the intermediate mold 14 will be described.

(1) Supporting Method Using Guide Frame As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, a guide frame 261 is provided.
Has a configuration in which the upper ring member 262 and the lower ring member 263 are connected by a plurality of guide rods 264. The upper ring member 262 is at the upper end portion of the upper die 12, and the lower ring member 263 is at the lower end portion of the intermediate die 14. Set in, guide rod 2
64 is inserted into through holes 124 and 146 provided in the outer peripheral portions of the upper mold 12 and the lower mold 14, and the intermediate mold 14 is supported by the upper mold 12 so as to be vertically slidable via the guide frame 261. Is.

The positioning means 30 by the guide pin and the fitting hole described in the first embodiment need only be provided in the lower mold 16 and the intermediate mold 14 in this example. That is, according to the configuration of the guide frame 261, the positioning of the intermediate mold 14 with respect to the upper mold 12 is performed simultaneously with the support of the intermediate mold 14 by the guide rod 264, and the positioning is maintained even when the mold is clamped. The intermediate mold 14 is to be guided upward. Therefore, the guide frame 261 is configured to serve both as a guide for positioning the intermediate mold 14.

(2) Method for supporting a plurality of intermediate dies If the guide frame is further developed, the upper and lower two intermediate dies 14 can be supported by the upper die 12, as shown in FIG. The guide frame 265 uses long and short guide rods 266 and 267 and a longer guide rod 266.
Is connected to the lowermost lower ring member 268, and the shorter guide rod 267 is connected to the second lower ring member 269. By this, the intermediate mold 14 can be supported over the upper and lower two stages. . Also in this example, similarly to the above (1), the guide frame 265 has a structure which serves as both positioning and guide for the upper and lower intermediate molds 14. It should be noted that by providing the suspension link 201 shown in the first embodiment with the elongated holes 204 at the upper and lower portions, it is possible to support the intermediate mold 14 in the upper and lower two stages.

Next, another mold structure is shown. As shown in FIG. 14, the mold 11 includes a mold portion 111 having a molding portion.
And a mold part 112 for fixing the mold part, and the mold part 111 is configured to be removable. In the intermediate mold 14, the ring nut 113 clamps and fixes the mold part 111 to the mold part 112. The ring nut 113 is provided with an insertion hole or groove for a tightening tool (not shown). The upper mold 12 and the lower mold 16 are respectively the mold part 1
11 is sandwiched between the die plates 100 and 102 and the frame portion 112, and is fixed by tightening with bolts.

By making the mold part 111 detachable in this way, it is possible to easily replace only the mold part 111 when wear or the like occurs. Also,
The mold part 111 is divided into molding parts, and the mold part 112 is divided.
It can also be configured to be removable.

Next, the molding parts 141 and 142 of the intermediate mold 14 are formed.
Will be described. These molding parts 141 and 142 are
In principle, the upper mold forming part 121 and the lower mold forming part 161 are paired with each other. When the glass element to be molded has, for example, a convex lens, it has almost the same shape. However, in the case of a plano-convex lens, the upper mold molding portion 121 and the intermediate mold lower surface molding portion 142 are flat surfaces, Alternatively, it is formed as a punch table having a flat surface. In the present invention, when the molding parts 141, 142 have the same shape on the upper and lower surfaces, the same type of glass element can be molded on the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate mold 14. Further, when the different shapes are used, at least two kinds of glass elements can be molded at the same time. In the case of a different shape, it is necessary to consider the shape and number of forming parts so that the pressing pressures at the top and bottom are equalized.
Further, the arrangement of the molding portions is symmetrical with respect to the center, as in the case of the same shape.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention, the upper mold,
Since it has an intermediate mold in addition to the lower mold, the number of products per molding machine can be increased without adding a molding machine, which contributes to mass production of glass elements and cost reduction. it can. It is also possible to simultaneously mold two or more types of glass elements.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a glass element molding die according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a mold open state. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a mold clamping state of the mold of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an intermediate die of the die shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a glass element molding die according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, showing a die open state.

5 is a view showing a mold clamped state of the mold of FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a glass element molding die according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a mold open state.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a mold clamping state of the mold of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a glass element molding die according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a mold open state.

9 is a view showing a mold clamped state of the mold of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a view showing another method of supporting the intermediate mold, showing the mold open state.

11 is a view showing a mold clamped state of the mold of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of an intermediate die of the die shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a method of supporting a plurality of intermediate dies.

FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of a glass element molding die according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a view showing a mold opening state of a conventional glass element molding die.

16 is a view showing a mold clamped state of the mold of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Upper axis 2 Lower shaft 3 glass material 4 glass elements 10,11 mold 100,102 die plate 111 Mold part 112 Formwork part 113 ring nut 12 Upper mold 121 Upper mold part 14 Intermediate type 141 Intermediate Mold Top Molding 142 Middle type bottom surface molding 16 Lower mold 161 Lower mold part 20 Link means 201 hanging link 202, 203 pin 204 slot 22 Spring means 221 coil spring 222 support pin 223 stopper 241 Support member 261 guide frame 262 Upper ring member 263 Lower ring member 264 guide rod 265 guide frame 266, 267 Guide rod 268,269 Lower ring member 30 Positioning means 301, 302 Guide pin 303, 304 holes

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Mitsutoyo Tanaka             Seiko, 3-3-3 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture             -In Epson Corporation

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. A glass element molding die comprising an upper die, a lower die, and an intermediate die arranged between the two dies, wherein a molding portion is provided on each of the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate die. Type. 2. The mold for molding a glass element according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate mold is supported by the upper mold. 3. The mold for glass element molding according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate mold is supported by the lower mold. 4. The mold for molding a glass element according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate mold is fixed at a predetermined position, and the upper mold and the lower mold are respectively attached to an elevating shaft. 5. The mold for molding a glass element according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate mold has a positioning means for the upper mold and the lower mold. 6. The glass element molding according to claim 2, wherein the intermediate mold is supported by the upper mold or the lower mold via a linking means. Mold. 7. The mold for molding a glass element according to claim 6, wherein the link means is a suspending link that connects a connecting portion with the intermediate mold through an elongated hole. 8. The mold for molding a glass element according to claim 6, wherein the linking means is an expandable link. 9. The glass element molding according to claim 2, wherein the intermediate mold is supported by the upper mold or the lower mold via a spring means. Mold. 10. The mold for molding a glass element according to claim 5, wherein the positioning means includes a plurality of guide pins and a hole into which the guide pins are fitted. 11. The intermediate die is supported by the upper die via a guide frame.
Alternatively, the glass element molding die according to item 5. 12. The guide frame includes a plurality of guide rods that pass through the upper die and the intermediate die, and a ring member that is attached to the guide rods and supports the intermediate die. The mold for molding a glass element according to claim 11. 13. The intermediate mold is supported by the upper mold in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction.
The glass element molding die according to any one of 5, 6, 7, 11 and 12. 14. The intermediate mold parts have substantially the same shape and number on the upper and lower surfaces, and are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center. The mold for molding a glass element according to 1. 15. The molding part of the intermediate mold has different shapes on the upper and lower surfaces, and is symmetrically arranged with respect to the center. Mold for molding glass elements. 16. The mold for molding a glass element according to claim 1, wherein the upper mold, the intermediate mold, and the lower mold have substantially the same thickness. 17. The upper mold, the intermediate mold, and the lower mold are each divided into a mold part and a mold part, and the mold part is configured to be detachable from the mold part. The mold for molding a glass element according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that. 18. The mold for molding a glass element according to claim 17, wherein the mold part is detachable in units of the molding part. 19. A glass element molding apparatus comprising the glass element molding die according to any one of claims 1 to 18.