JP2011098532A - Mold fixing device, thermoforming device, and mold fixing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily fix a mold for thermoforming to a base body. <P>SOLUTION: When fixing the mold 40 for thermoforming a resin molding material S1 to the base body 50, a mold side contact surface 41a contacting with the base body 50 when fixed to the base body 50 is provided on the mold 40, and a base side contact surface 50a contacting with the mold 40 when fixing the mold 40 is provided on the base body 50. The mold 40 is fixed to the base body 50 by applying a negative pressure to the base side contact surface 50a to firmly attach the mold side contact surface 41a to the base side contact surface 50a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for fixing a thermoforming mold to a base body.

The mold of the thermoforming apparatus is used by being fixed to the base body. As a method for fixing the mold, there are a method in which the mold is bolted to the base body using a bolt, and a method in which the edge of the mold is hooked by a die clamp provided in the base body.
In FIG. 8 and Paragraph 0023 of Patent Document 1, a screw hole is formed in the mold holding portion of the mold base member and the replacement female die, and a screw is screwed into the screw hole so that the screw is fixed to the mold holding portion. It is described that a replacement female mold is fixed.

JP 2007-144828 A

However, it takes a lot of work to bolt the mold to the base body.
In addition, when a die clamp is used for mold fixing, it is necessary to prepare a mold having a size corresponding to the clamp position.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to make it easier to fix a thermoforming mold to a base body.

To achieve the above object, the present invention is a mold fixing device for fixing a mold for thermoforming a resin molding material to a base body,
The mold has a mold-side contact surface that comes into contact with the base body when fixed to the base body,
The base body has a base-side contact surface that comes into contact with the mold when the mold is fixed;
The mold fixing device includes negative pressure supply means for applying a negative pressure to the base-side contact surface to bring the mold-side contact surface into close contact with the base-side contact surface, and the negative pressure is applied to the base-side contact surface. The mold is fixed to the base body in a state.

Further, the present invention is a thermoforming apparatus for thermoforming a resin molding material using a mold fixed to a base body,
The mold has a mold-side contact surface that comes into contact with the base body when fixed to the base body,
The base body has a base-side contact surface that comes into contact with the mold when the mold is fixed;
The thermoforming apparatus includes negative pressure supply means for applying a negative pressure to the base-side contact surface to bring the mold-side contact surface into close contact with the base-side contact surface, and the negative pressure is applied to the base-side contact surface. The mold is fixed to the base body in a state.

Furthermore, the present invention is a mold fixing method for fixing a mold for thermoforming a resin molding material to a base body,
A mold-side contact surface that comes into contact with the base body when fixed to the base body is provided in the mold,
A base-side contact surface that comes into contact with the mold when the mold is fixed is provided on the base body,
The mold is fixed to the base body by applying a negative pressure to the base side contact surface to bring the mold side contact surface into close contact with the base side contact surface.

  That is, when a negative pressure is applied to the base side contact surface by the negative pressure supply means, the mold side contact surface comes into close contact with the base side contact surface, and the thermoforming mold is fixed to the base body. Therefore, the mold can be easily fixed to the base body.

  Here, the negative pressure may be an air pressure (absolute pressure) lower than the atmospheric pressure, and may be not only a so-called vacuum pressure but also a so-called reduced air pressure.

According to the first, eighth, and ninth aspects of the present invention, there are provided a mold fixing device, a thermoforming device, and a mold fixing method capable of easily fixing a thermoforming mold to a base body. can do.
In the invention which concerns on Claim 2, the negative pressure source only for a mold fixing apparatus can be made unnecessary.
In the invention which concerns on Claim 3, the suitable structure which makes the negative pressure source only for a mold fixing apparatus unnecessary can be provided.
In the invention which concerns on Claim 4, the structure suitable for performing thermoforming using a type | mold fixing apparatus can be provided.
In the inventions according to claims 5 and 6, the degree of freedom of mold size can be improved.
In the invention which concerns on Claim 7, the position of the type | mold side contact surface with respect to a base side contact surface can be determined with a simple structure.
In the invention which concerns on Claim 10, the suitable structure which makes it easy to fix the type | mold for thermoforming to a base body can be provided.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a thermoforming device 1. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the main part of the thermoforming apparatus 1. FIG. It is a top view which shows the example of the type | mold 40 from the top. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the example of the type | mold 40 seeing from diagonally upward. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the example of the type | mold 40 seeing from diagonally downward. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a base body 50. FIG. (A) is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the main part of the base body 50 with the seal member 58 removed, (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the main part of the base body 50 to which the seal member 58 is attached, (c) 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a base body 50 with a mold 40 in close contact with each other. FIG. It is a figure which illustrates an air circuit. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of an electric circuit configuration of a thermoforming device 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing process performed by a control panel 80. It is a vertical sectional view which illustrates a state where a sheet was thermoformed. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a state where an upper mold 23 and a lower mold 40 are separated after thermoforming. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the principal part of the thermoforming apparatus which concerns on the modification using the 1st obstruction | occlusion means. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of the thermoforming apparatus which concerns on the modification using the 1st obstruction | occlusion means. It is a figure which shows the air circuit of the thermoforming apparatus which concerns on the modification using the 2nd obstruction | occlusion means. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the electrical circuit structure of the thermoforming apparatus which concerns on the modification using the 2nd obstruction | occlusion means. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing process performed by a control panel 80 according to a modification using a second closing means 68. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the principal part of the thermoforming apparatus which concerns on the modification using the positioning part. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the electric circuit structure of the thermoforming apparatus which concerns on the modification using the air pressure detection sensor 67. FIG. FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view showing a main part of a thermoforming apparatus according to a modification in which an air pipe is connected to the forming air passage 53. It is a vertical sectional view showing the important section of the thermoforming device concerning the modification which adsorbed clamp type 23 by negative pressure. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a main part of a thermoforming apparatus according to a modified example for fixing a mold 40 as an upper mold to a base body 50. It is a figure which shows the air circuit of the thermoforming apparatus which concerns on the modification using the negative pressure source 65 only for a mold fixing apparatus. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a main part of a thermoforming apparatus according to a modified example in which a mold 40 that is not separated into a mold plate and a mounting mold is fixed to a base body 50.

(1) Description of thermoforming device:
The thermoforming apparatus 1 of this embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a sheet conveying apparatus 10, a preheating apparatus 18, and a forming unit 20. The sheet conveying apparatus 10 includes a sheet supply unit 12 and a clamp conveying unit 14, and conveys a continuous sheet (resin molding material) S1 that can be thermoformed in a predetermined conveyance direction D1 passing through a predetermined molding position L1. The sheet supply means 12 sends out the sheet S1 wound in a roll shape in the conveying direction D1 in a continuous state. The clamp conveyance means 14 intermittently moves the sheet S1 in the conveyance direction D1 by clamping (gripping) the edge in the width direction D2 of the thermoformed sheet S1 in the conveyance direction D1 under the control of the control panel 80. Transport it. The preheating device 18 preheats and softens the sheet S1 conveyed to the forming position L1 by radiation heating or the like. When the softened sheet S1 is conveyed to the forming position L1 and stopped, the forming unit 20 thermoforms the sheet S1.

The thermoforming apparatus 1 described above is provided with a mold fixing apparatus 2 shown in FIG. The mold fixing device 2 fixes a mold 40 for thermoforming the resin molding material S1 to the base body 50.
In FIG. 2, the direction from left to right is the predetermined conveyance direction D1, the left side is the upstream side of the sheet S1, and the right side is the downstream side of the sheet S1.

The basic part of the mold fixing device 2 includes a mold 40, a base body 50, and a negative pressure supply means 60.
The mold 40 is a mold according to the present invention, and has a mold side contact surface 41a as shown in FIGS. The mold side contact surface 41 a comes into contact with the base body 50 when the mold 40 is fixed to the base body 50. The base body 50 has a base side contact surface 50a as shown in FIGS. The base-side contact surface 50 a comes into contact with the mold 40 when the mold 40 is fixed to the base body 50. In the base side contact surface 50a shown in FIG. 6, the contact position of the mold side contact surface 41a is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The negative pressure supply means 60 applies a negative pressure to the base side contact surface 50a that is in contact with the mold side contact surface 41a to bring the mold side contact surface 41a into close contact with the base side contact surface 50a. Thereby, the mold 40 is fixed to the base body 50 in a state where a negative pressure is applied to the base-side contact surface 50a. Therefore, the mold 40 can be easily fixed to the base body 50.

The resin molding material constituting the sheet S1 may be a material that can be thermoformed, and may be a sheet made of only a resin such as a thermoplastic resin, or a sheet made of a material in which an additive such as a filler is added to the resin. A single-layer sheet or a laminated sheet laminated with different materials may be used. As the material of the sheet S1, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, ABS resin, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, or the like can be used. In the case of differential pressure molding, the sheet S1 may be in the form of a sheet or film, and can have various thicknesses such as about 1 to 2 mm, about 0.25 to 1 mm, etc., and is 0.25 mm. A film of a degree or less may be used. The mold fixing device 2 is suitable for fixing a small mold for differential pressure forming a sheet having such a thickness. In the case of press molding, the resin molding material may be a lump or the like.
Thermoforming of the resin molding material includes differential pressure molding and press molding. The differential pressure forming includes vacuum forming, pressure forming and vacuum / pressure forming. The mold fixing device 2 is preferably provided in a differential pressure molding device having a relatively low pressure applied to the mold during thermoforming.

The mold side contact surface 41a and the base side contact surface 50a of the present embodiment are flat surfaces. Of course, as long as adsorption is possible, the mold-side contact surface and the base-side contact surface may be curved surfaces, bent surfaces, or the like.
In this embodiment, the negative pressure applied to the base side contact surface 50a is an air pressure (air pressure) close to a vacuum pressure. Of course, so-called reduced air pressure may be used as long as the air pressure (absolute pressure) is lower than atmospheric pressure (about 0.1 MPa).

The molding means 20 of the present embodiment includes the tables 21 and 26, the clamp base body 22, the clamp mold 23, the table driving device 29, and the negative pressure supply means 30 for the thermoforming device, together with the molding die 40 and the base body 50. Have.
As shown in FIG. 2, the upper table 21 is movable in the vertical direction above the sheet S1. The lower table 26 is movable in the vertical direction below the sheet S1.

The clamp base body 22 has a mounted surface 22 b attached to the lower surface of the upper table 21 with a bolt or the like, and is fixed to the upper table 21. The clamp base body 22 has a clamp base side contact surface 22a on the lower side that comes into contact with the clamp mold 23 when the clamp mold 23 is fixed. Further, the clamp base body 22 is formed with a molding air passage 22c for supplying air (air) to the upper side of the sheet S1.
The clamp mold 23 is a mold (upper mold) for thermoforming the resin molding material S1, and includes a clamp mold plate 24 and a clamp mounting mold 25. The clamp type plate 24 has a clamp type side contact surface 24 a attached to the clamp base side contact surface 22 a of the clamp base body with a bolt or the like, and is fixed to the clamp base body 22. The clamp mold plate 24 has a mounting surface 24b of the clamp mounting mold 25 on the lower side. Further, a molding air passage 24c connected to the molding air passage 22c of the clamp base body is formed in the clamp mold plate 24 inside. The clamp mounting die 25 has a mounted surface 25b attached to the mounting surface 24b of the clamp mold plate with a bolt or the like, and is fixed to the clamp mold plate 24. The clamp mounting die 25 may be divided and provided for each cavity (for each thermoformed product that is thermoformed at the same time).

  The table driving device 29 reciprocates the tables 21 and 26 in the vertical direction under the control of the control panel 80. The table drive device 29 of the present embodiment lowers the upper table 21 during thermoforming and raises the lower table 26 to bring the molds 23 and 40 close to each other, and raises the upper table 21 and lowers the lower table 26 during mold release. Thus, the molds 23 and 40 are separated. Of course, the table driving device may drive only the upper table 21 up and down, or may drive only the lower table 26 up and down. As the table driving device 29, a link mechanism, a crank mechanism, a mechanism using a cylinder, or the like can be used.

  The thermoforming device negative pressure supply means 30 supplies a negative pressure for molding the resin molding material S1. Here, the molding of the negative pressure supply means for the thermoforming apparatus includes pre-molding of the resin molding material in addition to thermoforming of the resin molding material.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the thermoforming device negative pressure supply means 30 of the present embodiment includes a vacuum pump 64 and a vacuum tank (negative pressure source) 65 that are common to the negative pressure supply means 60 of the mold fixing device. It has air flow paths 31a to 31d, valves 32a and 32c, and electromagnetic valves 33a and 33c, and supplies a negative pressure for bringing the sheet S1 into close contact with the forming surface (material contact surface) 43a of the forming die 40. FIG. 8 shows an example of an air circuit of a vacuum forming machine. However, if an air flow path for supplying compressed air to the molding air passage 22c of the clamp base body is provided, the air circuit of the vacuum / pressure forming machine can be configured. it can. In the example of FIG. 8, the branch portion 30a from the vacuum tank 65 and the molding negative pressure supply valve 32a are connected by an air flow path 31a, and the valve 32a and the base body 50 are connected by an air flow path 31b. The mold air supply part and the release air supply valve 32c are connected by an air flow path 31c, and the valve 32c and the molding negative pressure supply valve 32a are connected by an air flow path 31d. When the molding negative pressure supply solenoid valve 33a is turned on, the molding negative pressure supply valve 32a circulates the air passages 31a and 31b and supplies the negative pressure to the base body 50. The molding negative pressure supply solenoid valve 33a When turned off, the air flow paths 31a and 31b are blocked and the air flow paths 31b and 31d are circulated. When the release air supply solenoid valve 33c is turned on, the release air supply valve 32c allows the release air to be supplied through the air flow paths 31c and 31d, and the release air supply solenoid valve 33c is turned off. Then, the air flow paths 31c and 31d are shut off.

  As described above, when the molding negative pressure supply valve 32a is opened and the release air supply solenoid valve 33c is closed, the negative pressure from the vacuum tank 65 is supplied from the branch portion 30a to the air flow path 31a and the molding negative pressure supply. It acts on each shaping | molding surface 43a through the valve | bulb 32a, the air flow path 31b, the closed space SP1 of a base body, and the shaping | molding air path 53,42,44.

  The molding die 40 of the present embodiment is a mold (lower mold) for thermoforming the resin molding material S1, and has a molding surface 43a on the upper side in contact with the resin molding material S1, and this molding surface 43a is The mold side contact surface 41a is provided on the opposite side. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the molding die 40 includes a die plate 41 and an attachment die 43. On the attachment surface 41b shown in FIG. 4, the attachment position of the attachment mold 43 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The mold plate 41 is formed in a flat plate shape having a mold side contact surface 41 a on the lower side, and is placed on the base side contact surface 50 a of the base body and fixed to the base body 50. The mold plate 41 has the mounting surface 41b of the mounting mold 43 on the upper side. Further, a molding air passage 42 connected to the molding air passage 53 of the base body 50 is formed inside the mold plate 41. The mounting die 43 has a molding surface 43 a, and a mounting surface 43 b is attached to a mounting surface 41 b on the mold plate 41 opposite to the mold-side contact surface 41 a with a bolt or the like, and is fixed to the mold plate 41. The mounting die 43 may be divided and provided for each cavity (for each thermoformed product that is thermoformed at the same time). The mounting die 43 has a molding air passage 44 formed therein for connecting the molding air passage 42 of the mold plate and the molding surface 43a. Although FIGS. 2 and 5 show the molding air passage 44 in a simplified manner, more molding air passages 44 are usually arranged.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 7, the base body 50 of the present embodiment has a mounted surface 50 b attached to the upper surface of the lower table 26 with a bolt or the like and fixed to the lower table 26. The base body 50 has a base-side contact surface 50a on the upper side that comes into contact with the mold 40 when the mold 40 is fixed. Furthermore, the base body 50 has a recess 51, an air passage 52, a molding air passage 53, a coolant passage 54, and a seal member 58, and has a box shape that forms a closed space SP1.

  A plurality of recesses 51 are formed on the base-side contact surface 50a. Each recess 51 is recessed in a cylindrical shape from the base-side contact surface 50a. A plurality of air passages 52 are formed inside the upper surface portion of the base body 50. Each air passage 52 is connected to each concave portion 51 to form a suction hole 52a. The molding air passage 53 is an air passage for sucking air from the lower side of the sheet S1, and is formed inside the upper surface portion of the base body 50. The molding air passage 53 is formed between the closed space SP1 and the molding plate air passage 42. I'm connected. The coolant passage 54 is formed inside the upper surface portion of the base body 50 so that the coolant from the cooling pump 78 circulates. As the cooling liquid, cooling water, cooled oil, or the like can be used. A plurality of seal members 58 are provided on the base-side contact surface 50a. Each seal member 58 is inserted into each recess 51. The seal member 58 only needs to be able to make a suction hole 52a, enter the recess 51, and make the mold-side contact surface 41a come into close contact when negative pressure is applied to the base-side contact surface 50a. However, an O-ring or the like may be used. The lip packing is a molded packing having a lip, and includes cup packing, flange packing, V packing, U packing, and the like. From the viewpoint of ensuring the close contact, it is preferable that the seal member 58 has a thickness (length in the vertical direction) slightly greater than the depth of the recess 51.

  A material such as metal can be used for the main parts of the tables 21 and 26, the base bodies 22 and 50, and the molds 23 and 40.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the negative pressure supply means 60 of the present embodiment causes the negative pressure supplied from the negative pressure supply means 30 for the thermoforming apparatus to act on the base side contact surface 50a, thereby causing the base side contact surface 50a to The mold side contact surface 41a is brought into close contact. Thereby, the negative pressure source only for a mold fixing apparatus can be made unnecessary.

The negative pressure supply means 60 is connected to the air flow paths 61 and 62 from the thermoforming apparatus negative pressure supply means 30 to the base side contact surface 50a to the base side contact surface 50a side. A check valve 63 is provided in a direction to prevent the inflow of air. The check valve is a valve that allows a fluid flow only in one direction and blocks the flow in the opposite direction, and is also called a check valve.
When negative pressure is supplied for thermoforming, the negative air pressure in the thermoforming air flow path 31a may increase. The check valve 63 of the present embodiment allows the air from the air flow path 31a to the suction air flow paths 61b, 61c, 62 of the mold 40 even when the negative air pressure in the thermoforming air flow path 31a increases. Prevent inflow. Accordingly, an increase in negative pressure acting on the base side contact surface 50a is suppressed. Thus, the combination of the negative pressure supply means 30 for the thermoforming device and the check valve 63 is a suitable configuration that eliminates the need for a negative pressure source dedicated to the mold fixing device.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 8, the negative pressure supply unit 60 of the present embodiment includes an air flow along with a vacuum pump 64 and a vacuum tank (negative pressure source) 65 common to the negative pressure supply unit 30 for thermoforming apparatus. Path 61, 62, check valve 63, pressure switch 66 (part of thermoforming stop means), mold suction electromagnetic valve 61h, mold suction release electromagnetic valve 61i, and connected to the air passage 52 of the base body. Thus, a negative pressure is supplied to the air passage 52. 2 and 8, a check valve 63 is provided in the middle of the common flow path 61, the branch portion 30a from the vacuum tank 65 and the check valve 63 are connected by an air flow path 61a, and the check valve 63 is provided. And the mold adsorption electromagnetic valve 61h are connected by an air flow path 61b. The mold adsorption electromagnetic valve 61h and a manifold (branch part) 62a are connected by an air flow path 61c. The manifold 62a and each air passage 52 of the base body are connected. Are connected by an individual flow path 62. In the pressure switch 66, the air pressure Pb (absolute pressure) corresponding to the negative pressure acting on the base side contact surface 50a is lowered or raised above the set pressure Pt (Pt is an absolute pressure greater than 0 and smaller than the atmospheric pressure Pat). Then, the on / off state is switched, and a detection signal corresponding to the state is output to the control panel 80. Here, the air pressure Pb, the set pressure Pt, and the atmospheric pressure Pat are expressed in units of MPa. The set pressure Pt can be set to about 0.01 to 0.05 MPa, for example.

  From the above, the negative pressure (for example, so-called vacuum pressure) from the vacuum tank 65 is supplied from the branch portion 30a to the air flow path 61a, the check valve 63, the air flow path 61b, the mold adsorption electromagnetic valve 61h, the air flow path 61c, and the manifold. It acts on the base side contact surface 50a from each suction hole 52a through 62a, the individual flow path 62, and each air passage 52 of the base body. The negative pressure applied to the base side contact surface 50a may be a negative pressure that adsorbs the mold side contact surface 41a, and is an absolute pressure, for example, 0.05 MPa or less, 0.04 MPa or less, 0.03 MPa or less, 0. The pressure is set to 02 MPa or less and 0.01 MPa or less.

  FIG. 7 shows a state in which the seal member 58 is inserted into the recess 51 and the mold 40 is fixed to the base body 50. The seal member 58 uses a ring-shaped packing that is slightly thicker than the depth of the recess 51. First, as shown in FIG. 7A, the seal member 58 is inserted into the empty recess 51. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the seal member 58 protrudes slightly above the base-side contact surface 50a in a state where the suction hole 52a is opened. 7C, when the mold 40 is placed on the base side contact surface 50a and negative pressure is supplied to the suction hole 52a by the negative pressure supply means 60, the mold side contact is made to the base side contact surface 50a. The surface 41 a comes into close contact with the base body 50 and the mold 40 is fixed.

  FIG. 9 shows an electric circuit configuration of the thermoforming apparatus 1 centering on the control panel 80. The control panel 80 is electrically connected to the sheet conveying device 10, the table driving device 29, various electromagnetic valves 33a to 33c, a pressure switch 66, electromagnetic valves 61h and 61i (not shown), and the like. When supplying compressed air to the clamp-type forming air passage 24c, the operation of the forming compressed air supply electromagnetic valve 33b is controlled. However, when the thermoforming device 1 is simply used as a vacuum forming machine, the forming compressed air supply electromagnetic valve is controlled. 33b may be omitted. The control panel 80 includes a central control circuit 81 that controls the operation of the entire control panel, a sheet conveyance control unit 82a that controls the operation of the sheet conveying apparatus 10, a table drive control unit 82b that controls the operations of the tables 21 and 26, and an electromagnetic Control units 82c to 82e for controlling the operation of the valves 33a to 33c, an I / O circuit (input / output circuit) 82f for inputting a signal from the pressure switch 66, and a control unit for controlling the operations of the electromagnetic valves 61h and 61i (not shown). , An alarm output unit 83, an information output unit 84, an operation unit 85, and the like.

The central control circuit 81 is a circuit in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 81a, semiconductor memories 81b and 81c, a timer circuit 81d, a nonvolatile memory 81e, and the like are connected to an internal bus. The CPU 81a controls each part of the thermoforming apparatus 1 using a RAM (Random Access Memory) 81c as a work area based on a control program recorded in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 81b or a nonvolatile memory 81e.
The alarm output unit 83 outputs an alarm to the outside. To output an alarm to the outside, to output a predetermined alarm sound such as a buzzer sound, to turn on lighting such as a light bulb, to print a predetermined alarm content on printing paper, a combination of these, Etc. are included. The information output unit 84 is configured by, for example, a display, a sound output device, or a printer, and outputs various types of information indicating operation contents of the thermoforming apparatus 1 that have received operation input from the user by display or the like. The operation unit 85 is composed of, for example, a plurality of buttons, and receives an operation input from the user.

  The control panel 80 of the present embodiment constitutes thermoforming stop means 88 together with the pressure switch 66, and when the air pressure Pb corresponding to the negative pressure acting on the base side contact surface 50a is larger than the set pressure Pt, thermoforming. It is set as the state which stopped the thermoforming of the apparatus 1. FIG.

(2) Operation of thermoforming device and action and effect of mold fixing device:
The control panel 80 of the present embodiment performs a process for manufacturing the thermoformed product F1 according to the flowchart shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the thermoforming apparatus 1 and the operation and effect of the mold fixing apparatus 2 will be described.
The manufacturing process shown in FIG. 10 starts when the thermoforming apparatus 1 is turned on. When the thermoforming mold 40 is placed on the base side contact surface 50a and the power is turned on, the sheet conveying device 10 and the table driving device 29 are stopped, the electromagnetic valves 33a to 33c are turned off, and the valves 32a and 32c are turned on. In the closed state, the vacuum pump 64 operates. Then, the air pressure in the vacuum tank 65 approaches the vacuum pressure, and the air flow path 61a, the check valve 63, the air flow path 61b, the mold adsorption electromagnetic valve 61h, the air flow path 61c, the manifold 62a, and the individual from the branch part 30a. A negative pressure acts on the base-side contact surface 50a from each suction hole 52a through the flow path 62 and each air passage 52. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7C, the mold side contact surface 41 a comes into close contact with the base side contact surface 50 a, and the thermoforming mold 40 is fixed to the base body 50.

Immediately after the power is turned on, there is a possibility that the negative pressure on the base-side contact surface 50a may not be sufficient, so the control panel 80 first stops the thermoforming of the thermoforming device 1 (step S102, hereinafter “ “Step” is omitted). For example, the sheet conveyance device 10 and the table driving device 29 are stopped by the control units 82a and 82b, the electromagnetic valves 33a to 33c are turned off by the control units 82c to 82e, and the mold adsorption electromagnetic valve is not illustrated by the control unit (not shown). 61h is turned on (distribution state), and the mold adsorption release electromagnetic valve 61i is turned off (blocked state).
In S104, it is determined whether or not the air pressure Pb corresponding to the negative pressure acting on the base side contact surface 50a is larger than the set pressure Pt. A detection signal indicating whether or not the air pressure Pb is larger than the set pressure Pt is input to the I / O circuit 82f of the control panel. Therefore, when a detection signal indicating that Pb is greater than Pt is input, it is determined that the condition is satisfied, and when a detection signal indicating that Pb is not greater than Pt is input, it is determined that the condition is not satisfied. That's fine. Here, the determination of whether or not Pb is larger than the set pressure Pt includes both the determination of whether or not Pb> Pt and the determination of whether or not Pb ≧ Pt.

When the condition is satisfied, the thermoforming of the thermoforming apparatus 1 is stopped (S106), an alarm is output from the alarm output unit 83 (S108), and the process returns to S104. In S106, for example, the sheet conveying device 10 and the table driving device 29 are stopped by the control units 82a and 82b, and the electromagnetic valves 33a to 33c are turned off by the control units 82c to 82e.
As described above, when the negative pressure on the base-side contact surface 50a is not sufficient, the thermoforming is stopped, which is suitable for thermoforming using the mold fixing device 2.
The manufacturing process also serves as an interlock at the start of the thermoforming operation.

On the other hand, when the condition is satisfied in S104, the thermoforming operation for one shot using the mold 40 fixed to the base body 50 by the negative pressure is caused to occur in the respective parts 10, 29, 33a to 33c (S110).
First, the table drive control unit 82b stops the table 21, 26 in the state where the tables 21 and 26 are vertically separated from each other, and the sheet conveyance control unit 82a drives the sheet conveyance device 10 to convey the softened sheet S1 for one shot. To stop. This state is shown in FIG.

Next, the table driving device 29 is driven to bring the tables 21 and 26 close to each other, and the sheet S1 is clamped by the clamp type clamping surface (material contact surface) 25a, and the molding negative pressure supply control unit 82c is used to supply the molding negative pressure. The solenoid valve 33a is turned on and the molding negative pressure supply valve 32a is opened to apply a negative pressure to the molding surface 43a. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the softening sheet S1 at the forming position L1 is in close contact with the forming surface 43a and vacuum-formed. In the case of vacuum / pressure forming, the forming / compressed air supply control unit 82d turns on the forming / compressed air supply electromagnetic valve 33b to open a forming / compressed air supply valve (not shown) and supply the compressed air from the clamp mold 23.
Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the table driving device 29 is driven to separate the tables 21 and 26 up and down, and the molding negative pressure supply solenoid valve 33a and, if necessary, the molding pressure air supply solenoid valve 33b are turned off. Then, the molding negative pressure supply valve 32a and, if necessary, the molding pressure air supply valve are closed, the release air supply controller 82e turns on the release air supply electromagnetic valve 33c, and opens the release air supply valve 32c. A thermoformed product F1 is formed on the sheet S1 at the forming position L1.

During the above thermoforming operation, the mold 40 is adsorbed and fixed to the base body 50 by a negative pressure.
Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the manufacturing is to be ended (S112). If the manufacturing is continued, the process returns to S104, and if the manufacturing is to be ended, the manufacturing process is ended. When the above-described operation is repeated, the thermoformed product F1 is continuously formed on the continuous sheet S1.

When the mold adsorption electromagnetic valve 61h is turned off (blocked state) and the mold adsorption release electromagnetic valve 61i is turned on (distribution state) on the control panel 80 at the end of manufacturing, the atmosphere is introduced from the air flow path 61b and the base side The negative pressure on the contact surface 50a is released. Accordingly, the mold 40 can be easily removed from the base body 50.
As described above, the mold fixing device 2 can easily fix the thermoforming mold 40 to the base body 50.

In addition, if the edge part of a type | mold is hooked with the die clamp provided in the base body, the center part of a type | mold may not stick to a base body. Even when the mold is bolted to the base body, since the edge of the mold is bolted, the central portion of the mold may not be in close contact with the base body. When a cooling base provided with a cooling means is used for the base body, the mold may not be cooled smoothly unless the central portion of the mold is in close contact with the base body. On the other hand, according to the present mold fixing device 2, the mold 40 comes into close contact with the base body 50 including the central portion, so that when the cooling base is used, the mold is cooled smoothly and the cooling efficiency is improved. In addition, the temperature unevenness of the mold is reduced. Thus, according to the mold fixing device 2, the heat exchange efficiency between the mold 40 and the base body 50 can be improved, and the temperature unevenness of the mold can be reduced.
Further, when the edge of the die is hooked by the die clamp provided on the base body, it is necessary to match the edge of the die with the distance between the die clamps. Even when the mold is bolted to the base body, it is necessary to align the edge of the mold with the position of the bolt insertion hole provided in the base body. On the other hand, according to this type | mold fixing device 2, if the type | mold 40 covers the site | part which a negative pressure acts in the base side contact surface 50a, it can change a magnitude | size freely. Thus, according to this type | mold fixing device 2, the freedom degree of the magnitude | size of the type | mold 40 can be improved.

(3) Modification:
Various modifications of the present invention are conceivable.
The mold plate described above can be formed into a curved plate shape, a bent plate shape, or the like if the base side contact surface of the base body is matched with the mold side contact surface.
The mold described above includes a mold provided with components other than the mold plate and the mounting mold, such as a heater and a temperature sensor.
The above-described check valve composed of at least the mold plate 41 and the mounting mold 43 may be a check valve capable of releasing air backflow prevention such as a pilot operated check valve. In this case, the mold can be removed from the base body while the vacuum pump is operating.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a closing member (first closing means) 70 for closing a part of the recess 51 may be provided in the mold fixing device 2. The mold fixing device according to the present modification includes a plurality of recesses 51, an air passage 52 connected to each of the recesses 51, and a seal member 58 inserted into each of the recesses 51. The negative pressure supply means 60 is connected to the air passage 52 and supplies negative pressure to the air passage 52.
The closing member 70 is formed in a flat plate shape having the closing member-side contact surface 70 a on the lower side, and closes the recess 51 b that is not blocked by the mold-side contact surface 41 a of the mold 40 among the plurality of recesses 51. In the base side contact surface 50a shown in FIG. 13, the contact position including the recess 51a of the mold side contact surface 41a is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the contact including the recess 51b of the closing member side contact surfaces 70a and 70a is included. The position is indicated by a two-dot chain line. As shown in FIG. 13, the closing member 70 is placed on the base-side contact surface 50 a at a position different from the mold 40 and fixed to the base body 50. Since the pressure is not applied to the closing member 70 as much as the mold 40 at the time of thermoforming, a material such as a resin material or an elastomer can be used in addition to a metal such as an iron plate.

The resin molding material can be thermoformed using the mold 40 having the mold side contact surface 41a smaller than the base side contact surface 50a by closing the recess 51b that is not closed by the mold side contact surface 41a with the closing member 70. it can. Therefore, in this modification, the degree of freedom of the size of the mold 40 can be improved.
In addition, the closing member can be formed into a curved plate shape, a bent plate shape, or the like if the base side contact surface of the base body is matched with the closing member side contact surface, similarly to the mold plate.
Moreover, you may use the plug etc. which plug each recessed part 51b as a 1st obstruction | occlusion means instead of the said obstruction | occlusion member.

As shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, an individual closing valve (second closing means) 68 for closing each individual passage 62 connected to each air passage 52 (see FIG. 2) of the base body 50 is fixed with a mold. You may provide in the apparatus 2. FIG. The mold fixing device of this modification also includes a plurality of recesses 51, an air passage 52 connected to each of the recesses 51, and a seal member 58 inserted into each of the recesses 51. The negative pressure supply means 60 includes an individual flow path 62 connected to each of the air passages 52, and a vacuum tank (negative pressure source) 65 that supplies a negative pressure to each of the individual flow paths 62. It is assumed that a plurality of individual closing valves 68 are provided.
As shown in FIG. 15, each individual closing valve 68 is provided in the middle of each individual flow path. The individual closing valves 68 of this modification are electromagnetic valves and are connected to the I / O circuit 86 shown in FIG. The individual closing valve 68 closes the individual flow path 62 connected to the air passage 52 connected to the recessed portion 51 that is not closed by the mold side contact surface 41a among the plurality of recessed portions 51.

FIG. 17 shows a valve switching process for closing a part of the individual flow paths 62 using the individual closing valve 68. This process starts immediately after the manufacturing process shown in FIG. 10 is started.
First, the control panel 80 displays a screen corresponding to the base-side contact surface 50a on the information output unit 84 (S202). In S204, an operation input of a range used for suction of the mold-side contact surface 41a is received from the operation unit 85 on the screen, and information representing the received range is stored in the RAM (81c) of the central control circuit 81. In S206, the switching target valves are sequentially set from among the plurality of individual closing valves 68. For example, when there are N valves (N is an integer of 2 or more), each valve is made to correspond to an integer of 1 to N, and a variable representing an integer of 1 to N is prepared in the RAM. To N in order. In S208, it is determined whether or not the individual closing valve 68 to be switched is a valve that opens and closes the individual flow path 62 connected to the recess 51 in the range received in S204 via the air passage 52. When the condition is satisfied, the switching target individual closing valve 68 is energized to open the valve 68 (S210). When the condition is not satisfied, the switching target individual closing valve 68 is not energized and the valve 68 is closed (S212). ). In S214, it is determined whether or not all the individual closing valves 68 have been set. If there are any unset valves, S202 to S214 are repeated. If all the valves have been set, the valve switching process is terminated. .

The individual channel 62 connected to the air passage 52 connected to the recess 51 that is not blocked by the mold side contact surface 41a is closed by the individual closing valve 68, so that the mold side contact surface 41a smaller than the base side contact surface 50a is formed. The resin molding material can be thermoformed using the mold 40 having the same. Therefore, also in this modification, the degree of freedom of the size of the mold 40 can be improved.
Further, instead of the individual closing valve, a valve that can be manually switched between opening and closing of the individual flow path 62 may be used as the second closing means.

As shown in FIG. 18, a positioning portion 56 that positions the edge portion of the mold plate 41 may be provided in the base body 50. The mold 40 according to the present modification is composed of at least a mold plate 41 and an attachment mold 43.
The positioning part 56 extends from the base side contact surface 50a to the upper side (on the mold plate 41 side) and positions the edge of the mold plate 41. The positioning portion 56 of the present modification is provided at a position that is three sides of the four sides of the base-side contact surface 50a. In this way, since the mold 40 can be inserted on the base side contact surface 50a from the front portion without the positioning portion 56 and positioned on three sides, the mold 40 can be easily positioned with a simple structure. It can arrange | position to the setting position of 50a with a sufficient precision. Of course, from the viewpoint of easily disposing the mold 40 on the base side contact surface 50a, the positioning portion 56 may be provided only on two sides or one side of the base side contact surface 50a, or from the viewpoint of improving the positional accuracy of the mold 40. The positioning portions 56 may be provided on the four sides of the base side contact surface 50a.

  Note that the positioning portion may have a protruding shape or the like as long as it protrudes from the base-side contact surface toward the mold plate. Further, when a plurality of protruding index pins (positioning portions) are erected on the base-side contact surface 50a, holes (for example, through holes) into which the index pins are inserted may be formed in the mold plate 41. When each index pin is inserted into each hole, the edge of the mold plate 41 is positioned on the base-side contact surface 50a.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the air pressure detection sensor 67 may be connected to the common flow path 61c as a part of the thermoforming stop means 88 instead of the pressure switch 66 (see FIG. 8). The control panel 80 of this modification can also perform the manufacturing process according to the flowchart shown in FIG. Here, the control panel 80 stores the set pressure Pt (absolute pressure) in the ROM 81b or the nonvolatile memory 81e in advance, and responds to the negative pressure acting on the base-side contact surface 50a from the air pressure detection sensor 67 in S104. The present air pressure Pb (absolute pressure) is read, and it is determined whether or not the air pressure Pb is larger than the set pressure Pt. Thereby, when the negative pressure to the base side contact surface 50a is not enough, it will be in the state which stopped thermoforming, It is suitable for performing thermoforming using a type | mold fixing apparatus.

  As in the thermoforming apparatus shown in FIG. 20, the air pipe (air flow path 31 b) may be directly connected to the molding air passage 53 of the base body 50. Then, the base body 50 does not need to have a box structure.

  You may make it fix the clamp type | mold 23 to the base body 50 like the thermoforming apparatus shown in FIG. In this modification, the clamp mold 23 is a lower mold and the mold 40 is an upper mold. The clamp mold 23 is a mold having a clamp surface (material contact surface) 25a that comes into contact with the resin molding material S1, and is a mold for thermoforming the resin molding material S1, and thus the present invention is applied. That is, when negative pressure is applied to the base side contact surface 50a by the negative pressure supply means 60, the clamp mold side contact surface 24a comes into close contact with the base side contact surface 50a, and the thermoforming clamp mold 23 is fixed to the base body 50. Is done. Therefore, the clamp mold 23 can be easily fixed to the base body 50.

As in the thermoforming apparatus shown in FIG. 22, the upper mold 40 may be fixed to the base body 50. Also in this modification, the forming die 40 is an upper die and the clamp die 23 is a lower die. The base body 50 is attached to the upper table 21, and the mold-side contact surface 41a facing upward is in close contact with the base-side contact surface 50a facing downward.
The base body 50 of this modification is a latching portion that wraps from the edge of the base side contact surface 50a to the lower surface of the mold plate 41 opposite to the mold side contact surface 41a and latches the edge of the mold plate 41. 57 is formed. Accordingly, the mold 40 can be fixed to the base body 50 by bringing the mold-side contact surface 41a into close contact with the negative pressure regardless of the orientation of the base-side contact surface 50a.

  From the above, the positional relationship between the mold and the clamp mold can be set freely. Further, the sheet conveying direction and the table moving direction can be freely set. For example, when the sheet is conveyed in the vertical direction, the forming die and the clamp die may be arranged at the same height and reciprocated in the horizontal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the mold 40 may be fixed to the base body 50 using a negative pressure source dedicated to the mold fixing device 2. The negative pressure supply means 30 for the thermoforming apparatus of this modification has a dedicated vacuum pump 34 and a vacuum tank (negative pressure source) 35, and can supply the negative pressure from the vacuum tank 35 to the molding surface 43a. ing. On the other hand, the negative pressure supply means 60 of the mold fixing device has a dedicated vacuum pump 64 and a vacuum tank (negative pressure source) 65, reduces the check valve, and the vacuum tank 65 and the manifold 62a have a common flow path 61. Connected with. Since the air circuit for thermoforming and the air circuit for mold fixing are separated from each other, the degree of freedom in designing the air circuit is improved such that a check valve is not required. Although the air circuit for thermoforming shown in FIG. 23 is an air circuit for vacuum forming, the air forming for pressure forming having the die fixing device 2 by combining the air circuit for forming air with no vacuum path and the air circuit for fixing the die. The apparatus can be easily configured. Of course, even a press molding apparatus can be easily configured. Of course, this mold fixing device is preferably provided in a pressure forming apparatus, a vacuum forming apparatus, or a vacuum / pressure forming apparatus that has a relatively low pressure applied to the mold during thermoforming.

  As in the thermoforming apparatus shown in FIG. 24, the mold 40 that is a single member that is not separated into the mold plate and the mounting mold may be fixed to the base body 50. Also in this case, when a negative pressure is applied to the base side contact surface 50 a by the negative pressure supply means 60, the mold side contact surface 41 a comes into close contact with the base side contact surface 50 a, and the thermoforming die 40 is fixed to the base body 50. Is done. Therefore, the mold 40 can be easily fixed to the base body 50. Of course, as shown in FIG. 24, the clamp mold 23 may also be a single member that is not separated into the mold plate and the mounting mold.

That is, the above-described basic actions and effects can be obtained even with an apparatus or method that does not have the constituent requirements according to the dependent claims but includes only the constituent requirements according to the independent claims.
As described above, according to the present invention, there are provided a mold fixing device, a thermoforming device, and a mold fixing method capable of easily fixing a thermoforming mold to a base body according to various aspects. Can do.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and the configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments and modifications are mutually replaced or the combination is changed, the known technology, and the above-described configurations. Configurations in which the respective configurations disclosed in the embodiment and the modified examples are mutually replaced or combinations are changed are also included.

1 ... thermoforming device, 2 ... mold fixing device,
20 ... molding means, 21, 26 ... table,
22 ... Base body, 22a ... Base side contact surface, 22b ... Mounted surface, 22c ... Molding air passage,
23 ... Clamp type,
24 ... Clamp type plate,
24a ... clamping mold side contact surface, 24b ... mounting surface, 24c ... molding air passage,
25 ... Clamp mounting type, 25a ... Clamp surface (material contact surface), 25b ... Mounted surface,
30 ... Negative pressure supply means for thermoforming apparatus, 30a ... Branching part, 31a-31d ... Air flow path,
32a ... Molding negative pressure supply valve, 32c ... Release air supply valve,
33a ... Solenoid valve for supplying negative molding pressure, 33c ... Solenoid valve for supplying release air,
34 ... vacuum pump, 35 ... vacuum tank (negative pressure source),
40. Mold,
41 ... Mold plate, 41a ... Mold side contact surface, 41b ... Mounting surface, 42 ... Molding air passage,
43 ... Mounting type,
43a ... Molding surface (material contact surface), 43b ... Mounted surface, 44 ... Molding air passage,
50 ... Base body, 50a ... Base side contact surface, 50b ... Mounted surface,
51, 51a, 51b ... concave portion, 52 ... air passage, 52a ... suction hole,
53 ... molding air passage, 54 ... cooling fluid passage, 56 ... positioning portion, 57 ... latching portion,
58 ... Sealing member,
60 ... Negative pressure supply means,
61, 61a, 61b, 61c ... common flow path,
61h: solenoid valve for mold suction, 61i: solenoid valve for mold suction release,
62 ... Individual flow path, 62a ... Manifold (branch part),
63 ... Check valve, 64 ... Vacuum pump, 65 ... Vacuum tank (negative pressure source),
66 ... Pressure switch (part of thermoforming stop means),
67 ... Air pressure detection sensor (part of thermoforming stop means),
68. Individual closing valve (second closing means) that is an individual solenoid valve;
70 ... Closing member (first closing means), 70a ... Closing member side contact surface,
80 ... control panel (part of thermoforming stop means),
88 ... thermoforming stop means,
D1 ... conveyance direction, D2 ... sheet width direction,
F1 ... thermoformed product, L1 ... molding position, S1 ... sheet (resin molding material), SP1 ... closed space.

Claims (10)

A mold fixing device for fixing a mold for thermoforming a resin molding material to a base body,
The mold has a mold-side contact surface that comes into contact with the base body when fixed to the base body,
The base body has a base-side contact surface that comes into contact with the mold when the mold is fixed;
The mold fixing device includes negative pressure supply means for applying a negative pressure to the base-side contact surface to bring the mold-side contact surface into close contact with the base-side contact surface, and the negative pressure is applied to the base-side contact surface. The mold fixing device, wherein the mold is fixed to the base body in a state.   The negative pressure supply means applies a negative pressure supplied from a negative pressure supply means for a thermoforming apparatus that supplies a negative pressure for molding the resin molding material to the base-side contact surface. Item 2. The mold fixing device according to Item 1.   The negative pressure supply means flows air from the thermoforming device negative pressure supply means to the base side contact surface side into an air flow path from the thermoforming device negative pressure supply means to the base side contact surface. The mold fixing device according to claim 2, wherein a check valve is provided in a direction for preventing the mold.   When the air pressure Pb (absolute pressure) corresponding to the negative pressure acting on the base side contact surface is larger than a set pressure Pt (Pt is an absolute pressure larger than 0 and smaller than atmospheric pressure), the resin molding material is used. The mold fixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising thermoforming stop means for stopping thermoforming of the thermoforming device for thermoforming. The base body has a plurality of recesses recessed from the base-side contact surface, an air passage connected to each of the recesses, and a seal member inserted into each of the recesses,
The negative pressure supply means is connected to the air passage and supplies a negative pressure to the air passage.
5. The mold according to claim 1, wherein the mold fixing device further includes a closing unit that closes a recess that is not blocked by the mold-side contact surface among the plurality of recesses. Fixing device. The base body has a plurality of recesses recessed from the base-side contact surface, an air passage connected to each of the recesses, and a seal member inserted into each of the recesses,
The negative pressure supply means includes an individual flow path connected to each of the air passages, a negative pressure source for supplying a negative pressure to each of the individual flow paths, and the mold side contact surface among the plurality of recesses. 6. The mold fixing device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second closing unit that closes the individual flow path connected to the air passage that is connected to the concave portion that is not closed. . The mold has a mold plate having the mold-side contact surface, a material contact surface that contacts the resin molding material, and an attachment mold attached to an attachment surface opposite to the mold-side contact surface of the mold plate And at least
The said base body has a positioning part which goes out to the said mold plate side from the said base side contact surface, and positions the edge part of this mold plate, It is any one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned. Mold fixing device. A thermoforming apparatus for thermoforming a resin molding material using a mold fixed to a base body,
The mold has a mold-side contact surface that comes into contact with the base body when fixed to the base body,
The base body has a base-side contact surface that comes into contact with the mold when the mold is fixed;
The thermoforming apparatus includes negative pressure supply means for applying a negative pressure to the base-side contact surface to bring the mold-side contact surface into close contact with the base-side contact surface, and the negative pressure is applied to the base-side contact surface. The mold is fixed to the base body in a state. A mold fixing method for fixing a mold for thermoforming a resin molding material to a base body,
A mold-side contact surface that comes into contact with the base body when fixed to the base body is provided in the mold,
A base-side contact surface that comes into contact with the mold when the mold is fixed is provided on the base body,
A mold fixing method comprising fixing the mold to the base body by applying a negative pressure to the base side contact surface to bring the mold side contact surface into close contact with the base side contact surface. The base body has the base-side contact surface formed on the upper side,
The mold according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the mold has a mold-side contact surface formed on a lower side, and is placed on the base-side contact surface and fixed to the base body. The mold fixing apparatus according to claim 1, the thermoforming apparatus according to claim 8, or the mold fixing method according to claim 9.

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