JP2011181390A - Welding apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a welding apparatus which can accurately maintain both pressure and temperature distribution. <P>SOLUTION: The welding apparatus includes a pair of dies 10a, 10b welding at least part of an overlap part of a plurality of film-like members, and a pair of support units 20a, 20b supporting the pair of dies 10a, 10b respectively. The support units 20a, 20b include metallic heater blocks 21 including heaters 23 and mounted with the dies 10a, 10b respectively on one side, and support blocks 22 connected to the heater blocks 21 through a plurality of bar-like members 50. Each bar-like member 50 includes metal and constricted at an intermediate part 51. The plurality of bar-like members 50 are arranged at spaces from one another. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for welding a film-like member including a laminated metal layer and a resin layer.

  Patent Document 1 describes providing a laminated battery in which the pressure-resistant strength of an adhesive layer obtained by bonding the outer periphery of film-like members is uniform. A laminate type battery has a power generation element in a sealed space where two film-like members are bonded at the periphery thereof. In the film-like member, a resin layer is formed inside the metal layer, and the resin layer is bonded by welding at the peripheral portion. In this laminated battery, an adhesive outflow prevention member is disposed so as to contact the inner periphery of the adhesive layer over the circumferential direction of the film-like member, and the resin melted from the inner peripheral portion of the adhesive layer during welding is contained in the sealed space. To reduce spillage. Thus, it is disclosed that the resin amount in the inner peripheral portion and the central portion of the adhesive layer can be made uniform, and the pressure resistance strength in the inner peripheral portion and the central portion of the adhesive layer can be made uniform.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a thin battery manufacturing method, a thin battery, and a thin battery capable of reducing the size of the welded portion without increasing the thickness of the welded portion and providing a margin outside the sealing width. Providing an apparatus for manufacturing a battery is described. For this reason, a battery case is formed by covering a power generation element with a battery exterior material obtained by cutting a laminate film obtained by laminating a resin layer on a metal foil into a predetermined size, and welding the outer periphery of the battery exterior material. A method of manufacturing a thin battery formed by encapsulating a power generation element inside the battery, wherein the battery is welded by pressurizing and heating the inner side of a predetermined length from an end portion of the outer periphery of the battery exterior material. It describes that pressurization and cooling are performed on the outer side of the heating part on the outer periphery of the exterior material.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a battery in which a flange is formed in a welded part of an aluminum laminate film and a manufacturing apparatus for the battery. In the battery disclosed in Patent Document 3, the power generation element is sealed inside by laminating an aluminum laminate film having an inner surface made of a thermoplastic resin sealant layer on top and bottom and thermally welding a flat welded portion on the periphery. A battery case for stopping and storing is configured. A part of the welded portion where the aluminum laminate films are heat-welded with overlapping from above and below is formed with a flange portion in which these aluminum laminate films are finely bent in the vertical direction.

JP 2007-172952 A JP 2008-146922 A JP 2006-185713 A

  In recent years, batteries using a film-like member (laminated film) in which a metal layer (metal foil, metal thin film) and a resin layer are laminated are provided for battery cases. In the process of manufacturing this laminate type battery, two film-like members (laminate films) are overlapped so that the resin layers are inside, and the resin layers are heat-welded around the two sheets, so that two sheets are laminated. A film-like member is joined (adhered) to produce a battery case.

  There is a strict demand for heating accuracy (accuracy of heat input) for a welded portion when a laminated film is welded to manufacture a battery case. That is, if a part of the welded portion extending along the periphery of the battery case is insufficiently heated, the adhesion (bonding) of the laminate film becomes insufficient, causing the electrolyte to leak out. On the other hand, if even a part of the welded part is heated too much, the resin in the resin layer will be melted too much. As a result, the welded part will become thin or the metal will come into contact with each other, so that the bonding strength will not be obtained and the electrolyte will leak out. Or cause a short circuit. Furthermore, the resin melted too much may leak into and out of the battery case, so that the performance as the battery case may not be satisfied. Moreover, when adding a desired function to a welding part in addition to joining, high precision is requested | required also for the shape after welding.

  One embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for welding (thermal welding) a plurality of film-like members. Each film-like member includes a laminated metal layer (metal foil, metal thin film) and a resin layer. This apparatus has a pair of molds and a pair of support units. The pair of molds sandwich and heat a portion where a plurality of film-like members are overlapped, and weld at least a part of the overlapped portions, each extending in the first direction. The pair of support units support the pair of molds, respectively, and each extend in the first direction. Each support unit includes a heater block, and a support block connected to the heater block via a plurality of rod-shaped members. The heater block is made of metal and has a built-in heater, and a corresponding mold is attached to one side. Each of the plurality of rod-shaped members is made of metal and has a middle portion, and the plurality of rod-shaped members are arranged at intervals.

  In order to apply a necessary and sufficient amount of heat uniformly to the welded portion extending along the periphery of the battery case, the inventors of the present application have noted that two elements are important. That is, the mold that affects the shape of the welded portion is uniformly heated to the necessary and sufficient temperature, and the mold is uniformly adhered (crimped) to the film-like member in a predetermined state. It is to be done. For that purpose, the heater block that supports the mold and further heats the mold is required to be supported in a thermally insulated state with high positional accuracy with respect to the support block. However, so-called heat insulating materials such as resin, ceramic or glass, which are said to have excellent heat insulating properties, have a large coefficient of thermal expansion and are unstable in shape, or the heat insulating material itself is not strong enough to provide a heater block. There are many things that cannot be supported.

  According to this apparatus, the heater block and the support block are connected via a plurality of rod-like members made of metal and the middle of which is bundled, and the heater block is mechanically supported by the support block. The amount of heat released from the heater block to the support block by a plurality of bar-like members made of metal and bound in the middle is very small. For this reason, it becomes possible to support the heater block by a support block in a heat-insulating manner using only metal parts without using a so-called heat insulating material, and the position accuracy and temperature accuracy of the heater block (uniform temperature distribution). Property). Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy (position, shape, etc.) of the mold for welding (thermal welding) and the accuracy of temperature distribution (uniformity of temperature distribution).

  In this apparatus, the mold, the heater block, and the rod-shaped member can all be made of a metal having a small thermal expansion coefficient. For this reason, high accuracy is obtained as a device. For example, it is possible to further improve the accuracy by machining the tip of the mold with all of the above attached to the support block.

  Furthermore, the heater block is elongated in the first direction by attaching the heater block to the support block using a plurality of metal rod-shaped members that have high mechanical strength or that are easy to increase mechanical strength. Furthermore, it can be made large and have a large heat capacity. Therefore, a shape that extends along the circumference of the battery case or a large heater block that extends along one side of the circumference of the battery case can be adopted, and the temperature due to heat input and output can be increased by increasing the heat capacity of the heater block. Change can be reduced. Therefore, the temperature change of the metal mold | die at the time of welding can be made small, and the length which can be welded at once can be lengthened. For this reason, the accuracy of heat input to the welded portion can be further improved, and the time (takt time) required for the welding operation can be reduced.

  The plurality of rod-like members are preferably attached to the other side opposite to the one side to which the heater block mold is attached. By placing a rod-shaped member with a halfway on the opposite side (the other side opposite to one side of the heater block) from the mold that sandwiches the film-like member when welding the film-like member, Therefore, the force when sandwiching (pressing) the film-like member acts in the axial direction of the rod-like member. Therefore, it is difficult for stress to concentrate on the constricted portion of the rod-shaped member, and sufficient durability can be obtained even if a rod-shaped member constricted in the middle is used.

  In this apparatus, each of the plurality of rod-shaped members may be a member whose middle portion is constricted, more specifically, a member having a smaller cross-sectional area at the middle portion (halfway) than both ends. Preferably, each of the plurality of rod-shaped members is a rod-shaped member including a portion in which two cones are arranged so that the apexes face each other and are connected to each other. Such a rod-shaped member is sometimes called an hourglass shape and has low heat transferability. By using such a rod-shaped member, the heat insulation effect can be further enhanced.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the cross-sectional shape of the both ends vicinity of a some rod-shaped member is a polygon, respectively, More preferably, it is a hexagon. Since such a rod-like member can be used like a stud, a bolt, a nut, etc., assembly of a support unit becomes easy.

  Furthermore, the heater block preferably has a square cross-sectional shape and includes a hole into which the heater is inserted at the center. In this case, it is preferable that the plurality of rod-like members are respectively distributed and arranged on the surface opposite to the surface on which the mold is attached with respect to the hole. It is easy to keep the temperature distribution of the mold more uniform.

  In this case, it is preferable that the plurality of rod-shaped members are arranged in a distributed manner so as to be positioned away from the hole and above and below or on the left and right sides of the hole. Since the large heater block has a large heat capacity, it is easy to make the temperature of the mold uniform. As described above, even when a large heater block is used, a plurality of rod-like members are arranged vertically and horizontally, and the heater block is supported vertically and horizontally so that the heater block is mechanically stable. Can be supported.

  At the end of the heater block, the temperature distribution may not be uniform. For this reason, it is preferable that the length along the 1st direction of a heater block is longer than the length along the 1st direction of a metal mold | die. By attaching the mold to the portion where the temperature distribution of the heater block is relatively uniform, the temperature distribution of the mold can be made uniform.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the junction part of a heater block and a some rod-shaped member is each recessed. Or it is preferable that the installation part of the some rod-shaped member with respect to a heater block is each provided in the position notched so that it might become depressed rather than the front end surface of a heater block. Even in a relatively narrow space, the volume of the heater block is secured to keep the heat capacity larger, and the rod-shaped member is placed (stored) in a state where the length of the rod-shaped member is secured and good heat insulation performance is maintained. can do.

  This apparatus preferably further includes a vacuum vessel containing a pair of molds and a pair of support units. By evacuating the surroundings, dissipation due to heat transfer due to convection can be suppressed, so that the temperature distribution can be made more uniform.

  In addition, in order to sandwich and heat a portion where a plurality of film-like members are overlapped with a pair of molds, this apparatus changes the distance between the pair of support units and It is desirable to further have a drive mechanism for sandwiching at least a part between the pair of molds.

The top view which shows the welding apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a part of welding apparatus of FIG. 1, Comprising: The figure which shows the state which a pair of metal mold | die before pinching | interposing a film-like member is separated. It is a figure which shows a part of welding apparatus of FIG. 1, Comprising: The figure which shows the state which has pinched | interposed the film-shaped member with a pair of metal mold | die. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the welding apparatus cut along line IV-IV in FIG. 2, and shows a state in which a pair of molds before the film-like member is sandwiched are separated. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the welding apparatus cut along the line VV in FIG. 3, showing a state in which the film-like member is sandwiched between a pair of molds. Sectional drawing which cut | disconnects and shows a welding apparatus along the VI-VI line of FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram (plan view) of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above. 2 and 3 are views of a part of the apparatus of FIG. 1 as viewed from above, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the pair of molds before the film-like member is sandwiched are separated from each other. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the film-like member is sandwiched between a pair of molds.

  The apparatus 1 shown in these drawings is an apparatus for manufacturing a laminate pack 90 by overlapping two film-like members (laminate film, film) 91a and 91b and partially welding them. Each of the laminate films 91a and 91b includes a laminated metal layer (metal foil, metal thin film) and a resin layer, and is overlapped in a vacuum-drawn state so that the resin layers are inside each other. At least a part of the overlapped portions of 91a and 91b is welded (thermally welded) by the apparatus 1, and the laminate pack 90 is manufactured. An example of the laminate pack 90 is a battery case (laminated battery case).

  A laminate type battery is manufactured by filling a battery case made of a laminate pack 90 with a power generation element including an electrolytic solution and electrodes, and then further sealing. This device 1 can be suitably used when welding a laminate pack 90 for battery case, and forms the outer shape of the pack (battery case) 90 before filling the power generation element, It is used to weld the opening of the laminate pack 90 after filling. Hereinafter, this apparatus 1 is called a welding apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the welding apparatus 1 includes a pair of molds 10a and 10b, a support unit 20a and 20b that support the pair of molds 10a and 10b, a pair of molds 10a and 10b, and a pair of molds. The vacuum vessel 30 includes the support units 20a and 20b, and the drive mechanism 40 that drives one support unit 20a of the pair of support units 20a and 20b in the direction Y of the other support unit 20b.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the pair of molds 10a and 10b are sandwiched and heated by sandwiching two laminate films 91a and 91b, and the laminate films 91a and 91b are welded together. The pair of molds 10a and 10b is made of a metal excellent in heat resistance and durability, for example, stainless steel. Each of the pair of molds 10a and 10b extends in a first direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1, hereinafter also referred to as a longitudinal direction) X. The pair of support units 20a and 20b also extend in the first direction X so as to support the pair of molds 10a and 10b, respectively.

  In this example, the molds 10 a and 10 b extend in a straight line in the direction X, form a linear weld portion 95 on the laminate films 91 a and 91 b, and one side of the four sides around the rectangular laminate pack 90. Form. Therefore, the lengths of the molds 10a and 10b are equal to the length of the linear welded portion 95 of the laminate pack 90, and are, for example, several centimeters to several tens of centimeters. The molds 10a and 10b are not limited to a linearly long shape, but may be an L-shaped or U-shaped shape that simultaneously welds two or three of the four sides of the laminate pack 90. . In the following, the support units 20a and 20b will be described as an example of a shape that linearly extends in accordance with the shape of the molds 10a and 10b. The shape extended in the type | mold or the U shape may be sufficient.

  Each of the pair of support units 20 a and 20 b includes a heater block 21 and a support block 22. The heater block 21 is made of metal such as stainless steel and has a heater 23 built therein. More specifically, the heater block 21 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped metal block whose length L2 along the first direction X is longer than the length L1 along the first direction X of the molds 10a and 10b. A hole 21a into which the heater 23 is inserted is formed along the first direction X at substantially the center of the cross section.

  A cartridge heater having substantially the same length as the heater block 21 is mounted in the hole 21a of the heater block 21 as the heater 23, and maintenance is possible by removing the heater 23 from the heater block 21. The heater 23 employs a balance heat type (balance heater) in which the center in the longitudinal direction has a low heat generation amount at both ends (a high heat generation amount at both ends with respect to the center). Therefore, by storing the heater 23 in the heater block 21 along the first direction X, the heater block 21 can be moved in the first direction X by a simple device (without complicated control). It can heat so that the temperature distribution along it may become uniform.

  The molds 10a and 10b are attached so as to be in close contact with a surface (inner surface) 21b on one side (inner side) of the heater block 21 of the corresponding support units 20a and 20b by a stud 21s or the like. . Since the molds 10a and 10b and the heater block 21 are the same type of metal, there is little possibility of occurrence of a gap due to thermal expansion, and the thermal conductivity between the heater block 21 and the molds 10a and 10b is good. is there. Furthermore, the heater block 21 has a volume (weight) about twice that of the molds 10a and 10b, and has a large heat capacity. Therefore, the heater block 21 is heated by the heater 23 so that the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction X becomes substantially uniform, and the molds 10a and 10b maintain the temperature so that the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction X becomes almost uniform. Is done. Even in the scene where heat is consumed for welding, the molds 10a and 10b have sufficient heat capacity in combination with the heater block 21, so that temperature fluctuations are suppressed, and the accuracy of heat input during welding is suppressed. Can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the end of the heater block 21 radiates heat from the end face, the temperature distribution may not be uniform. Therefore, in this apparatus 1, by attaching the molds 10a and 10b to the middle part of the heater block 21, that is, the part having a relatively uniform temperature distribution, the temperature distribution of the molds 10a and 10b is made more uniform. can do. Further, one or a plurality of resistance temperature detectors 81 are inserted at positions close to the tips of the respective molds 10a and 10b, the output of the heater 23 is controlled, and the temperatures of the molds 10a and 10b are more stably maintained. I can do it. For this reason, in this apparatus 1, the temperature along the longitudinal direction X of the molds 10a and 10b can be maintained to be uniform within a range of about ± 1 to 3 ° C.

  The support block 22 that supports the heater block 21 is a metal block having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape made of metal such as stainless steel (a metal block having a square cross-sectional shape). The heater block 21 has a surface 21c on the other side (outside) opposite to the inner surface 21b to which the mold 10a or 10b is attached, connected to the support block 22 via a plurality of metal rod-like members 50. ing. Therefore, the molds 10a and 10b for determining the shape after welding of the welded portion 95 of the laminate pack 90 are respectively made of a metal support block via the metal heater block 21 and the plurality of metal rod-like members 50. 22 is supported. For this reason, in this welding apparatus 1, it is easy to adjust the positions of the molds 10a and 10b, and it is easy to ensure high accuracy.

  The plurality of rod-shaped members 50 have a screw portion 55 at one end and a nut portion 56 at the other end. The heater block is formed by the rod-shaped member 50 and a bolt or stud 57 inserted into the nut portion 56 at the other end. 21 and the support block 22 can be mechanically connected. The structure of the both ends of the rod-shaped member 50 is not limited to this, For example, both ends may be a screw part and both ends may be a nut part.

  Each of the plurality of rod-shaped members 50 is a metal member having high heat resistance and durability (corrosion resistance) such as stainless steel, and has a shape in which a middle portion (intermediate portion) 51 in the axial direction is constricted. is doing. In the present example, the plurality of rod-shaped members 50 have a shape in which a portion (intermediate portion) 51 in the middle of the axial direction is formed by arranging two cones so that their vertices face each other and connecting them. A portion 53 in the vicinity of both ends in the direction is a regular hexagonal column (a cross-sectional shape is a regular hexagon), and the whole is a so-called hourglass-shaped rod-shaped member.

  This hourglass-shaped rod-shaped member 50 is said to have heat insulation although it is a metal member because the intermediate portion 51 is constricted and the axial heat flow is clogged (choke) at the intermediate portion 51. In particular, the shape in which the intermediate portion 51 is conically confined suppresses the heat flow in the axial direction, has a low amount of heat transfer in the axial direction, and has high heat insulation. Therefore, the heater block 21 and the support block 22 can be thermally insulated by connecting the heater block 21 and the support block 22 with the rod-shaped member 50. For example, in this rod-shaped member 50, the diameter of the most constricted portion of the intermediate portion 51 is about 3 mm, and the diameter of the portion 53 near both ends is about 12 mm. In the rod-like member 50, the diameter or width of the intermediate portion 51 is desirably about 1/10 to 1/2 of the diameter or width of both ends, and more preferably about 1/6 to 1/3. . As the diameter or width of the intermediate portion 51 is smaller than the diameter or width of both ends, the heat insulation effect is greater, but it is difficult to ensure the mechanical strength of the intermediate portion 51.

  The hourglass-shaped rod-shaped member 50 has a certain degree of strength against the force along the axial direction because the intermediate portion 51 is constricted, but the strength against the force in other directions such as torsion is It tends to decline. For this reason, this rod-like member 50 has a shape in which the portion 53 in the vicinity of both ends is easily manipulated by a jig such as a hexagonal column, and the screw portion 55 and / or the nut portion 56 at both ends are respectively connected to the portions 53 in the vicinity thereof. It can be operated. Therefore, the heater block 21 and the support block 22 can be assembled by the plurality of rod-shaped members 50 without applying a large load to the intermediate portion 51. The shape of the portion 53 in the vicinity of both ends of the rod-shaped member 50 is not limited to a hexagonal column, and may be any shape that can be easily grasped by a suitable tool. In particular, the portion 53 in the vicinity of both ends preferably has a polygonal cross section.

  Further, the plurality of rod-like members 50 are attached to the surface 21c of the heater block 21 opposite to the surface 21b to which the die 10a or 10b is attached with the heater hole 21a interposed therebetween, and the die 10a and 10b. Thus, when the laminate films 91 a and 91 b are pressed, pressure acts in the axial direction of the rod-shaped member 50. Therefore, even if it is the rod-shaped member 50 in which the intermediate portion 51 is confined and the cross-sectional area is small, the pressure can be reliably and easily transmitted from the support block 22 to the heater block 21 as long as the laminate films 91a and 91b are welded. . Further, by arranging the plurality of rod-shaped members 50 in the longitudinal direction X of the heater block 21, the load of the individual rod-shaped members 50 can be dispersed and the press pressure at the time of welding can be dispersed to the heater block 21. It can transmit, and can suppress distortion and bending of heater block 21 and metallic molds 10a and 10b.

  The plurality of rod-like members 50 are spaced from each other in a state of being distributed on the surface 21c of the heater block 21 opposite to the surface 21b to which the mold 10a or 10b is attached with the heater hole 21a interposed therebetween. Are arranged. More specifically, the plurality of rod-like members 50 are intermittently spaced in the longitudinal direction X of the surface 21c of the heater block 21, and at appropriate intervals from each other at positions separated upward and downward from the hole 21a. It is arranged with a gap.

  Moreover, in this welding apparatus 1, the surface 21c on which the plurality of rod-like members 50 of the heater block 21 are installed is notched so as to be recessed from the surface 21c, thereby forming a recessed portion 21d, and the recessed portion 21d. The rod-shaped member 50 is installed in the. In this example, the portions (installation portions) 21d where the plurality of rod-shaped members 50 of the heater block 21 are installed are each cut into a substantially L-shaped cross section in which at least one surface is open. Each of the rod-shaped members 50 is provided in (inner side) the cut portion 21d that is recessed in a substantially L shape. If the recess 21d has at least one surface open, the portion 53 near both ends of the rod-like member 50 can be easily operated with a tool such as a wrench.

  In this manner, the recessed portion 21d is provided in the heater block 21, a plurality of rod-like members 50 are attached to the recessed portion 21d, and the heater block 21 and the support block 22 are connected to each other, so that a large space can be used. The heater block 21 having a heat capacity can be disposed, and the rod-shaped member 50 having a high heat insulating effect can be disposed between the heater block 21 and the support block 22.

  4 and 5 show a state in which the rod-like member 50 is attached to the recessed portion 21d of the heater block 21 using sectional views. FIG. 6 shows a structure of a portion of the heater block 21 that is not recessed using a cross-sectional view. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, by storing a part of the rod-shaped member 50 in the recessed portion 21 d of the heater block 21, the length of the rod-shaped member 50 can be secured, and the longer the rod-shaped member 50 is better. Insulation performance can be demonstrated.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the portion of the heater block 21 to which the rod-like member 50 is not attached has a substantially rectangular cross section, and the heater block 21 having a large volume and a large heat capacity can be disposed in a narrow space. In this welding apparatus 1, the interval between the recessed portions 21d is substantially constant (equal), but the interval between the adjacent recessed portions 21d and the adjacent rod-shaped members 50 is not necessarily constant.

  The drive mechanism 40 is provided on one side of the vacuum container 30 (upper side in FIG. 1). The drive mechanism 40 reciprocates one support unit 20a of the pair of support units 20a and 20b in the direction Y of the other support unit 20b. The drive mechanism 40 includes a plurality of actuators 41 (two are shown in FIG. 1) provided outside the vacuum vessel 30 and a connecting member 42 arranged inside the vacuum vessel 30.

  In this welding apparatus 1, the support block 22 of one support unit (the upper support unit in FIG. 1 and the right support unit in FIG. 4) 20 a is connected to a connection member 42 of the drive mechanism 40. The support block 22 of the other support unit (the lower support unit in FIG. 1 and the left support unit in FIG. 4) 20 b is fixed to a part of the vacuum vessel 30 or the vacuum vessel 30. However, the heater block 21 is attached to the support block 22 via a heat-insulating rod-like member 50, and the heat of the heater block 21 is difficult to escape to the vacuum vessel 30 or the drive mechanism 40 via the support block 22. Yes.

  On the other hand, when the heater block 21 is heated, a slight amount of heat flows to the vacuum vessel 30 and the like through the rod-like member 50 to heat the vacuum vessel 30. At this time, if the temperature of the vacuum vessel 30 rises abruptly, the alignment of the welding apparatus 1 may be out of order or the sealing performance of the vacuum vessel 30 may be impaired. Therefore, one or a plurality of resistance thermometers 82 are arranged at appropriate positions in each support block 22 so that the presence or absence of an excessive temperature rise can be detected.

  According to the welding apparatus 1 as described above, one mold (the upper mold in FIG. 1 and the right mold in FIG. 4) 10a is moved in the Y direction by the drive mechanism 40 together with the one support unit 20a. The mold 10a can be pressed against the other mold 10b with a predetermined force. For this reason, two laminated films 91a and 91b can be welded by sandwiching and heating between a pair of molds 10a and 10b in a state in which the portions to be welded of two laminated films 91a and 91b are overlapped. The pack 90 can be manufactured. The drive mechanism 40 may drive one mold 10a or may drive both molds 10a and 10b.

  Further, according to the welding apparatus 1, the heater block 21 and the support block 22 are mechanically connected via the plurality of metal rod-shaped members 50 that are provided with a heat insulating performance by constricting the intermediate portion 51. For this reason, heat transfer from the heater block 21 to the support block 22 can be suppressed (insulated). In particular, the rod-shaped member 50 called an hourglass shape can better suppress heat transfer from the heater block 21 to the support block 22.

  By insulating the heater block 21 from the support block 22, the temperature of the heater block 21 can be easily controlled by the built-in heater 23, and even in the case where the heater block 21 is long in the first direction X, the longitudinal direction X It is easy to maintain a uniform temperature distribution. Since the molds 10a and 10b are attached in close contact with the heater block 21, respectively, the temperature in the longitudinal direction X of the molds 10a and 10b can be kept constant. Further, since the heater block 21 has a large heat capacity, the laminate films 91a and 91b are sandwiched and welded at the tips (first direction, typically, the tip extending in the longitudinal direction) 11 of the molds 10a and 10b. In addition, it is easy to reliably apply a necessary and sufficient amount of heat to the laminate films 91a and 91b.

  Furthermore, in this welding apparatus 1, the molds 10a and 10b, the two heater blocks 21, and the plurality of rod-like members 50 can be made of a metal having a small thermal expansion coefficient, for example, a heat-resistant metal such as stainless steel. The molds 10a and 10b can be supported without sandwiching a so-called heat insulating material such as resin, ceramic, or fiber. Therefore, problems such as thermal expansion, assembly accuracy, and durability when using a so-called heat insulating material such as resin, ceramic, and fiber can be solved or suppressed. For this reason, as the welding apparatus 1, it is possible to increase the accuracy of the position and shape of sandwiching or molding the laminate films 91a and 91b by the molds 10a and 10b. For example, in this welding apparatus 1, with the heater block 21 and the mold 10a or 10b attached to the support block 22, the tip 11 of the mold 10a or 10b is machined to form the laminate films 91a and 91b. It is also possible to increase the accuracy when pressing.

  Therefore, according to this welding apparatus 1, when the laminate films 91a and 91b are welded (thermally welded) along the longitudinal direction X, the temperature distribution of the molds 10a and 10b can be kept uniform. The molds 10a and 10b can be pressed against the laminate films 91a and 91b with high accuracy. For this reason, when welding the periphery of the laminate pack 90, the molds 10a and 10b give the heat quantity necessary for welding to the predetermined portions (welded portions) 95 of the laminate films 91a and 91b without excess or deficiency. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the bonding force of the welded portion 95 from being insufficient or the resin from flowing into and out of the welded portion 95, and it is possible to manufacture a laminate pack 90 with high durability and high quality.

  The rod-shaped member 50 of this example has a shape in which the intermediate portion 51 has two cones arranged so that the vertices face each other and connects them, but the intermediate portion 51 has two polygonal pyramids that have vertices at the vertices. It is good also as the shape which arrange | positioned so that it might face and connected these. Furthermore, the intermediate portion 51 of the rod-like member 50 may have another shape that is narrowed in the middle, such as a shape that is narrowed in steps.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Welding apparatus, 10a, 10b Mold 20a, 20b Support unit, 21 Heater block, 22 Support block 23 Heater, 30 Vacuum container, 40 Drive mechanism 50 Bar-shaped member, 91a, 91b Film-shaped member

Claims (10)

An apparatus for welding a plurality of film-like members including laminated metal layers and resin layers,
A pair of molds for sandwiching and heating a portion where the plurality of film-like members are overlapped, and welding at least a part of the overlapped portions, each of which extends in a first direction When,
A pair of support units each supporting the pair of molds, each having a pair of support units extending in the first direction;
Each support unit of the pair of support units is
A metal heater block with a built-in heater, the heater block to which the mold is attached on one side;
Including a heater block and a support block connected via a plurality of rod-shaped members, wherein each of the plurality of rod-shaped members is made of metal and is bound in the middle, and the plurality of rod-shaped members are spaced apart from each other The device is arranged with a gap. In claim 1,
The plurality of rod-shaped members are attached to the other side of the heater block opposite to the one side where the mold is attached.   3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of rod-shaped members is a rod-shaped member including a portion in which two cones are arranged so that apexes face each other and connected to each other.   4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of rod-shaped members has a polygonal cross-sectional shape in the vicinity of both ends thereof. 5. The heater block according to claim 1, wherein the heater block has a quadrangular cross-sectional shape and includes a hole into which the heater is inserted in the center.
The plurality of rod-shaped members are each arranged in a distributed manner on a surface opposite to a surface on which the mold is attached to the hole.   6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a length of the heater block along the first direction is longer than a length of the mold along the first direction.   The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein joint portions between the heater block and the plurality of rod-shaped members are recessed.   7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of rod-shaped member installation portions with respect to the heater block is provided at a position that is notched so as to be recessed from a front end surface of the heater block.   9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a vacuum vessel that houses the pair of molds and the pair of support units.   10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drive mechanism that varies a distance between the pair of support units and sandwiches at least a part of the overlapped portion between the pair of molds. 10.

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