JP2014069556A - Method for producing mold formed part, and mold formed part production apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a production apparatus for a mold formed part capable of eliminating defects such as cracks and burrs generated at the mold formed part when the mold formed part is released from a mold die, without complicating the structure of the mold die.SOLUTION: The mold formed part production apparatus comprises: a transfer curing device 1 used for a transfer curing step in which a pair of elastically deformable mold dies 3 capable of being separated from each other, having transfer faces 3a formed at the confronted faces and sandwiching a resin material 5 present between the transfer faces 3a to form a mold formed part 13 made of the resin material is set, the resin material 5 is interposed between the mutually confronted transfer faces 3a of the pair of mold dies 3, and the resin material is cured and transferred; and a releasing device 2 used for a releasing step in which edge parts 3b of the pair of mold dies 3, 3 are bent and deformed in mutually opposite directions, and thus, while producing a boundary releasing space 3c between the resin material 5 and the pair of mold dies 3, 3 toward an intermediate side, a fluid for releasing is fed.

Description

  The present invention relates to an improved molded product manufacturing method and a molded product manufacturing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a molded product such as a flat-plate microlens array configured by arranging a plurality of microlenses is known. This microlens array is used in, for example, a liquid crystal panel, and has an advantage that light utilization efficiency is improved and a display screen can be brightened by collecting light incident on each pixel by each microlens.

  In addition, in an electronic terminal such as a mobile phone, a small and thin imaging unit is mounted, and this type of imaging unit requires a simplified manufacturing process in order to reduce its cost. For example, a plurality of lenses on a surface The lens modules are mass-produced by forming the arrays simultaneously and cutting them to separate the plurality of lens arrays.

According to this method, hundreds to thousands of lens arrays can be manufactured at a time, so that the mass production effect is great and the cost can be reduced.
As a method of manufacturing this type of lens array, an upper mold die in which a plurality of transfer surfaces having a desired lens shape are formed in advance and a lower mold die are prepared, and a photocurable resin material between the transfer surfaces, or A plastic lens array is produced by a transfer surface between an upper mold die and a lower mold die by sandwiching a thermosetting resin material and applying pressure.

  In this type of lens array manufacturing method, it is possible to improve the production efficiency and reduce the cost by simultaneously processing as many lenses as possible, so that a plurality of lens arrays can be simultaneously molded with the largest possible size. It is desirable.

  In this case, as the transfer surface of the mold die increases, the contact area between the transfer surface of the mold die and the resin material increases accordingly, and thus the molded product made of the resin material is released from the mold die after the transfer. At that time, the mold release resistance increases correspondingly, and cracks and deformation occur in the molded product during the mold release.

  Therefore, when the lens array is released from the mold, an opening / closing member provided inside the mold is moved to form an opening communicating with the molded product, and fluid is transferred from the opening to the molded product. There is a technology that introduces and causes mold release to occur in a part of a molded product from an interface between the mold and the molded product (see Patent Document 1).

  According to this technology, the molded product can be released from the mold by supplying a fluid without applying an excessively large load to the molded product, and the molded product is deformed or cracked at the time of release. It is possible to prevent such damage.

However, merely supplying a fluid to the interface between the mold and the molded product is insufficient to reduce the load applied to the molded product at the time of mold release.
There is also a problem that it takes too much time to completely release the entire molded product from the mold transfer surface.

Further, in the configuration in which the opening / closing member is provided in the mold, the structure of the mold is complicated, the manufacturing cost is increased, and it is difficult to reduce the cost of the molded product.
Furthermore, since the opening / closing member, that is, the movable member is provided inside the mold, a clearance for sliding the movable member must be provided. As a result, when pressure is applied during transfer, the clearance is reduced. There is a problem that the resin material intrudes, burrs are generated, the appearance is deteriorated, and the opening and closing member becomes a resistance at the time of releasing, and the opening and closing member is clogged with resin and it becomes difficult to move the opening and closing member.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when the mold product is released from the mold, the mold product has a problem of cracks and burrs, and the mold structure is complicated. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a molded product that can be eliminated without any problems.

  The molded product according to the present invention is characterized by forming a molded product made of a resin material that is relatively separable and has a transfer surface formed between opposing surfaces and sandwiching a resin material existing between the transfer surfaces. A pair of elastically deformable mold dies, a transfer curing step of curing and transferring the resin material on the transfer surfaces of the pair of mold dies facing each other, and the pair of molds A mold release step of supplying a fluid for mold release while generating an interface mold release space between the resin material and the pair of mold molds toward the inside by bending and deforming the ends of the mold molds in opposite directions to each other It is characterized by including these.

  According to the present invention, the ends of the molded product are bent in opposite directions at the time of mold release, and the mold release is performed while creating an interface mold release space between the resin material and the pair of mold molds toward the inside. Therefore, the mold release proceeds smoothly from the end of the mold toward the inside, and the mold release resistance is reduced.

As a result, it is possible to prevent cracks and deformations from occurring in the molded product without complicating the structure of the mold.
Further, since the resistance at the time of mold release is reduced, the time required for mold release can be shortened, and as a result, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a transfer curing device used in a transfer curing step of the method for manufacturing a microlens array according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a release device used in a release step of the microlens array manufacturing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a thermosetting resin material is applied to the mold shown in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the thermosetting resin material shown in FIG. 3 is pressed and a molded product is formed by a transfer curing device. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state immediately before a molded body including the molded product shown in FIG. 4 is removed from the transfer curing apparatus. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the molded body shown in FIG. 5 is set in the mold release device shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the upper frame of the release device shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the claw portion of the claw member shown in FIG. 6 is inserted into the gap at the end of the mold. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the claw portions shown in FIG. 8 are moved in opposite directions and the pair of end portions of the mold are bent in opposite directions. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a release state between the mold and the microlens array. 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams of the microlens array according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view thereof, and FIG. 11B is a plan view thereof. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a structure in which the transfer curing device and the release device used in the method for manufacturing a microlens array according to the second embodiment of the present invention are integrated. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a thermosetting resin material is applied to the mold shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a microlens array is formed by pressurizing the thermosetting resin material shown in FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the outer peripheral portion corresponding to the backup plate of the gantry shown in FIG. 14 is retracted from the mold. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the claw portion is inserted into the gap between the pair of mold dies. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the ends of the pair of mold dies are bent in opposite directions by the claw portions. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the microlens array and the mold are released.

Below, the Example of the manufacturing apparatus used for the manufacturing method of the molded product which concerns on this invention, and its manufacturing method is described.
Example 1

  FIG. 1 to FIG. 11 are explanatory views schematically showing the configuration of a manufacturing apparatus of Example 1 used in a method for manufacturing a microlens array as a molded article according to the present invention. FIG. Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the transfer hardening apparatus used at the transfer hardening process of the manufacturing method of the microlens array which concerns, FIG. 2: shows the general process of the mold release apparatus used at the mold release process of the manufacturing method of the microlens array which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing shown.

Here, a thermosetting resin material is used as the resin material used for manufacturing the microlens array.
The steps of the manufacturing method according to the present invention include a step of preparing an elastically deformable mold, a transfer curing step of transferring and curing a thermosetting resin material, and a mold release step of bending and deforming end portions of a pair of mold dies. Including.

Hereinafter, the details of this manufacturing method will be described with reference to the transfer curing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and the release apparatus shown in FIG.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a transfer curing apparatus, and in FIG. 2, reference numeral 2 is a mold release apparatus.

  The transfer curing device 1 has a pair of die plates 1a and 1b that constitute a part of the press device. In this embodiment, the die plate 1a and the die plate 1b are provided so as to be separated and accessible in the vertical direction.

  Here, the die plate 1b is fixed, the die plate 1a is attached to the pressure rod 1c, and is moved in a direction in which the die plate 1b is relatively separated from or approaches the die plate 1b. The pressure rod 1c is driven by, for example, a direct motor (not shown).

The die plate 1a is controlled by the direct motor so as to stop at a predetermined vertical position, whereby the pressure applied to the thermosetting resin material can be adjusted. In this embodiment, the die plate 1a is movable with respect to the die plate 1b. However, the die plate 1a is fixed and the die plate 1b is movable, and both the die plate 1a and the die plate 1b are movable. It is good also as a structure made to do.
In this embodiment, the die plate 1a and the die plate 1b can be relatively separated from each other in the vertical direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  The die plates 1a and 1b are provided with backup plates 1d and 1e having rigidity in order to prevent elastic deformation of the mold 3. The backup plates 1d and 1e are appropriately provided with a suction pad (not shown) connected to a vacuum suction means (not shown) and vacuum-sucking the mold 3 and a cartridge heater 1f as a heating member. .

  The mold dies 3 and 3 are composed of a pair of elastically deformable thin plate members facing each other. Transfer surfaces 3a for forming a large number of microlenses are formed on the opposing surfaces of the mold dies 3 and 3, respectively. The sizes of the molds 3 and 3 are substantially the same as the sizes of the backup plates 1d and 1e.

  In this embodiment, mold molds 3 and 3 were prepared by processing a surface having an inverted shape corresponding to a desired microlens by photolithography on the surface of a silicon substrate having a thickness of 0.6 mm.

Note that the mold dies 3 and 3 are not based on the processing method described above, and for example, a thin metal plate having a transfer surface formed thereon may be used.
In such mold dies 3 and 3, a transfer surface is formed by machining on the surface side of a thick metal plate, and then the back side of the metal plate is cut to a thickness capable of elastic deformation. Can be made.

  The molds 3 and 3 are sucked and held on the backup plates 1d and 1e by vacuum suction. A thermosetting resin material 5 is applied between the pair of molds 3 and 3 by using a dispenser device 4 shown in FIG.

  The mold release device 2 includes mountable bases 8 and 8 that hold a pair of molds 3 and 3. The mounts 8 and 8 are respectively fixed to plates 10 and 10 that are integral with the movable rod 9. The pedestal 5 is appropriately provided with a cartridge heater 8a as a heating member for heating the cured thermosetting resin material 5.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 10, the size of the gantry 8 is such that the end portions 3b of the pair of mold dies 3, 3 protrude outward from the end edge portions 8b, 8b of the gantry 8. It is formed smaller than the sizes of 3 and 3. The edge portions 8b and 8b have a smooth curved shape so that the distortion is not concentrated as much as possible on the edge portions 8b and 8b when the end portions 3b and 3b of the mold dies 3 and 3 are bent and deformed. The gantry 8 and 8 are provided with suction pads (not shown) as in the transfer curing device.

  The plates 10 and 10 are provided with claw members 11 and 11 for bending deformation so that the bases 8 and 8 are interposed therebetween. The claw members 11, 11 are a pair of movable rods 11 a movable in the vertical direction (direction approaching / separating from each other) and the left-right direction (direction perpendicular to the direction approaching / separating from each other or in the horizontal direction), and the molds 3, 3 A claw portion 11b that enters the gap 3c (see FIGS. 6 to 9) between the end portions 3b and 3b of the first end portion 3b and bends and deforms the end portions 3b and 3b in opposite directions.

  The release device 2 is provided with a known fluid supply device, and generates an interface release space between the pair of molds 3 and 3 and the thermosetting resin material 5 from the gap 3c between the end portions 3b and 3b. It plays the role of supplying a release fluid that advances the release.

  FIG. 2 shows a supply nozzle 12 that supplies fluid to a pair of end portions 3b and 3b that are bent and deformed. The supply nozzle 12 is configured to be able to separate and approach the end portions 3b and 3b of the mold dies 3 and 3 from the horizontal direction.

Next, a method of manufacturing a lens array using the transfer curing device 1 and the release device 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, the elastically deformable molds 3 and 3 for forming the microlens array are held and fixed to the back plates 1d and 1e by vacuum suction.

  Next, the thermosetting resin material 5 is applied to the mold 3 by the dispenser device 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the thermosetting resin material 5 for the mold 3 may be applied in a concentrated manner to a predetermined amount of the thermosetting resin material 5. Depending on the pattern and the fluidity of the thermosetting resin material 5, it may be dispersed and applied as appropriate.

  Next, the die plate 1a is lowered toward the die plate 1b, the mold dies 3 and 3 are brought close to each other, the thermosetting resin material 5 is sandwiched between the mold dies 3 and 3, and the thermosetting resin material 5 is added. The pressure is spread while pressing, and the recess of the transfer surface 3a is filled with the thermosetting resin material 5, so that the shape of the transfer surface 3a can be transferred to the thermosetting resin material 5.

  The amount of the thermosetting resin material 5 applied to the mold 3 is such that the gap 3c between the ends 3b and 3b of the pair of molds 3 and 3 is cured after the thermosetting resin material 5 is cured, as shown in FIG. It is said that is formed.

  This facilitates entry into the end portions 3b and 3b of the tip 11b 'of the claw portion 11b of the claw member 11 used in the mold release step. Next, the thermosetting resin material 5 is cured by applying pressure and heating by energizing the cartridge heater 1f and heating the thermosetting resin material 5 to a curing temperature or higher.

By applying this applied pressure, the shape of the transfer surface 3a can be reliably transferred to the thermosetting resin material 5.
Next, after releasing the vacuum suction by the backup plate 1 d to the pair of mold dies 3, the die plate 1 a is moved upward as shown in FIG. 5, and the microlens array 13 is formed as a molded product on the pair of molds 3 and 3. The sandwiched molded body 14 is removed from the transfer curing device 1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the molded body 14 is set on the gantry 8 on the lower side of the release device 2.
Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper plate 10 is lowered toward the molded body 14, and the upper frame 8 is moved closer to the molded body 14. In addition, both the gantry 8 is previously heated by the cartridge heater 8a and is kept at a predetermined temperature.

At that time, even if the upper mold 3 of the molded body 14 and the upper frame 8 are in contact with each other, the upper frame 8 is brought close to the mold 3 so that the applied pressure is not applied to the molds 3 and 3. Is desirable.
This is because if the pressure is applied to the pair of molds 3 and 3, the cured thermosetting resin material 5 is distorted and the optical characteristics of the microlens array 13 as an optical component are deteriorated.

  Next, the movable rod 11a of the upper claw member 11 is lowered, while the movable rod 11a of the lower claw member 11 is raised, so that each claw portion 11b has a gap between the end portions 3b, 3b of the pair of molds 3, 3. After facing 3c, as shown in FIG. 8, the movable rods 11a and 11a are moved in the horizontal direction, and the tips 11b 'of the respective claw portions 11b are inserted into the gaps 3c.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9, the upper movable rod 11a is raised and the lower movable rod 11a is lowered, so that the end portions 3b and 3b of the pair of molds 3 and 3 are bent and deformed in opposite directions. As a result, an interface separation space 3c ′ between the microlens array 13 and the pair of molds 3 and 3 is generated toward the inside.
It should be noted that the amount of deformation of the mold dies 3 and 3 is set within the elastic deformation return possible range of the material used for the mold dies 3 and 3.

  Next, the supply nozzle 12 is faced to the interface release space 3c ′ from between the pair of claw portions 11b, 11b opposed to each other in the vertical direction, and the fluid having a temperature approximately equal to the heating temperature in the interface release spaces 3c ′, 3c ′. To discharge. By supplying the fluid, the fluid enters the interface between the microlens array 13 as the molded product and the molds 3 and 3, and as a result, the mold release resistance is reduced, and the molds 3 and 3 and the microlens array are reduced. The release from 13 proceeds smoothly.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10, the molds 3 and 3 are held by the suction pads (not shown) of the mounts 8 and 8 to raise the upper plate 10, while lowering the lower plate 10.
Since a fluid is present at the interface between the microlens array 13 and the mold dies 3 and 3, there is no adhesion resistance, and the molds 3 and 3 are returned to a flat state before deformation by this operation.

  The microlens array 13 is taken out of the mold release device by a robot arm or the like (not shown), and as a result, as shown in FIGS. A microlens array 13 is produced.

According to this embodiment, as described above, the gaps 3c and 3c are formed in the end portions 3b and 3b of the molds 3 and 3, and the fluid is supplied while the end portions 3b and 3b are bent and deformed in directions opposite to each other. Since the molds 3 and 3 and the microlens array 13 are released from the mold, the mold can be easily released without making the molds have a complicated structure. It is possible to prevent cracks and distortions from occurring in the molded product.
Furthermore, since the mold parts 3 and 3 do not require a sliding part structure, it goes without saying that there is no cause for burrs in the molded product.

  The size of the molds 3 and 3 is larger than the end edges 8b and 8b of the bases 8 and 8, the deformation regions of the ends 3b and 3b exist outside the region where the microlens 13a is formed, and Since the formation region of the microlens 13a exists on the inner side of the end edges 8b and 8b of the gantry 8 and 8, stress is generated in the microlens 13a at the time of releasing, and its shape changes. Can also be prevented.

  Further, since the end edges 8b, 8b of the gantry 8, 8 have a smooth curved shape (R shape), when the molds 3, 3 are bent and deformed, the end edge 8b of the gantry 8, 8 is deformed. , 8b can be prevented from being damaged due to stress concentration on the part where the mold dies 3, 3 contact.

  Further, a heating member such as a cartridge heater 8a is provided on the gantry 8, 8, and the stress due to the difference in shrinkage between the mold dies 3, 3 and the thermosetting resin material due to the temperature drop of the microlens array 13 during mold release. The generation of cracks can be prevented, and the microlens array 13 can be prevented from cracking before being released.

  In the first embodiment, the transfer curing device and the release device are provided separately, and the transfer curing step and the release step are performed separately, but a plurality of pairs of mold dies 3 and 3 are prepared. And productivity can be improved by performing a transfer hardening process and a mold release process simultaneously in parallel.

In the first embodiment, the molds 3 and 3 are held and fixed to the backup plates 1d and 1e by suction pads in the transfer curing process. However, the fixing and holding by the backup plates 1d and 1e is not limited to this. .
However, according to the vacuum suction, the molds 3 and 3 and the backup plates 1d and 1e can be easily attached and detached.

(Example 2)
12 to 14 are explanatory views schematically showing the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus of Example 2 used in the method for manufacturing a microlens array as a molded product according to the present invention.
In the second embodiment, the transfer curing device and the release device are integrally formed.

  In the second embodiment, the plate 10 is provided with backup plates 1d and 1e and mounts 8 and 8. Here, movable rods 8 ′ and 8 ′ are provided on the outer peripheries of the bases 8 and 8, and the outer peripheries of the bases 8 and 8 are movable up and down independently of the central part of the bases 8 and 8. Yes. This outer peripheral portion is also used as the backup plates 1d and 1e.

  Here, suction pads (not shown) are provided at the outer peripheral portion and the central portion of the gantry 8, 8, and a cartridge heater 8 a is provided at the central portion of the gantry 8, 8. The edge portions 8b and 8b at the center of the gantry 8 and 8 have a smooth curved shape as in the first embodiment. The plates 10 and 10 are provided with claw members 11 as in the first embodiment.

  In the transfer curing process, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the central portion and the outer peripheral portion of the bases 8 and 8 are flush with each other, and the molds 3 and 3 are connected to the central portion and the outer peripheral portion of the bases 8 and 8. It is held and fixed by a vacuum suction pad (not shown).

Next, a predetermined amount of the thermosetting resin material 5 is applied to the lower frame 8 by the dispenser device 4 shown in FIG.
Thereafter, the upper plate 10 is lowered and stopped at a predetermined lowered position as shown in FIG. 14, and the lower plate 10 is raised and stopped at a predetermined position. Is added to the thermosetting resin material 5.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, the thermosetting resin material 5 is spread by the mold 3, and at the same time, the shape of the transfer surface 3 a of the mold 3, 3 is transferred to the thermosetting resin material 5.
Next, the mold dies 3 and 3 are heated by the cartridge heater 8a disposed in the center of the gantry 8, and the thermosetting resin material 5 is heated to the curing temperature or higher to cure the thermosetting resin material 5. .

At that time, since a predetermined pressure is applied as a load to the thermosetting resin material 5, accurate and reliable transfer can be realized.
Next, the vacuum suction holding of the outer peripheral portions (backup plates 1d and 1e) of the gantry 8 with respect to the molds 3 and 3 is released, and the outer peripheral portions (backup plates 1d and 1e) of the gantry 8 are molded as shown in FIG. 3 and 3 are moved in opposite directions to be separated from each other.

The molds 3 and 3 and the molded body 14 made of the thermosetting resin material are held and fixed by the central portions of the mounts 8 and 8.
Next, as in the first embodiment, the movable rod 11a of the upper claw member 11 is lowered, while the movable rod 11a of the lower claw member 11 is raised, and each claw portion 11b is moved to the pair of molds 3, 3 As shown in FIG. 16, the movable rods 11a and 11a are moved in the horizontal direction and the tips 11b 'of the claw portions 11b are inserted into the gaps 3c. To do.

  Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, the upper movable rod 11a is raised and the lower movable rod 11a is lowered, whereby the ends 3b, 3b of the pair of molds 3, 3 Are deformed in a direction opposite to each other to generate an interface separation space 3c ′ between the microlens array 13 and the pair of molds 3 and 3 toward the inside.

Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the molds 3 and 3 and the microlens array 13 are smoothly released through the same steps as in the first embodiment.
According to the second embodiment, since the transfer curing device and the release device can be integrated, the device can be made compact and the installation space of the device can be reduced.

  Moreover, in these Examples, although the case where the thermosetting resin material 5 was used as a resin material was demonstrated, this invention is not restricted to this, Even when using an ultraviolet curable resin material, The present invention can be applied.

  When forming a molded product using an ultraviolet curable resin material, at least one of the mold dies 3 and 3 is formed of an ultraviolet transmissive member, and ultraviolet rays are transmitted through the ultraviolet transmissive member. It is desirable to cure by irradiation.

  As the ultraviolet transmissive member, for example, a glass material can be used. When the ultraviolet curable resin material is used, there is almost no need to consider thermal expansion, and transfer by the transfer surfaces 3a and 3a is possible without applying a large pressure to the ultraviolet curable resin material. A material such as a transparent plastic or silicone resin that can transmit through the molds 3 and 3 can also be used.

  In the above embodiment, the molding of the microlens array 13 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the microlens array 13, and the present invention is not limited to a flat molded product, for example, a flat microstructure pattern. It can also be applied to transfer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Transfer curing apparatus 2 ... Mold release apparatus 1a, 1b ... Die plate 1d, 1e ... Backup plate 1f, 8a ... Cartridge heater 3, 3 ... Mold 3a ... Transfer surface 5 ... Thermosetting resin material (resin material)
8 ... frame 11 ... claw member 13 ... micro lens array (molded product)

JP 2011-062878 A

Claims (10)

A pair of elastically deformable mold dies that are relatively separable and have a transfer surface formed on opposite surfaces and that form a molded product made of a resin material sandwiching a resin material existing between the transfer surfaces is prepared. Process,
A transfer curing step of transferring the resin material by curing the resin material with the resin material interposed between the pair of mold dies facing each other;
By releasing and deforming the end portions of the pair of mold dies in opposite directions to each other, a separation fluid for supplying a release fluid is generated while creating an interface separation space between the resin material and the pair of mold dies toward the inside. Mold process,
The manufacturing method of the molded article characterized by including this.   The resin material is cured in the transfer curing step so that a gap is present in advance after the resin material is cured between the opposing ends of the pair of mold dies. A method for producing a molded article according to 1.   The method for producing a molded product according to claim 2, wherein in the mold release step, the interface mold release is advanced while heating the resin material.   4. The molded product according to claim 1, wherein the molded product is manufactured by using different apparatuses for the transfer curing apparatus used in the transfer curing process and the apparatus used in the release process. 5. The manufacturing method of the molded product of description.   The method for producing a molded product according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the molded product is a flat plastic lens array.   A pair of elastically deformable mold dies that are relatively separable and have a transfer surface formed on opposite surfaces and that form a molded product made of a resin material with a resin material sandwiched between the transfer surfaces set. A transfer curing device used in a transfer curing process in which the resin material is interposed between the transfer surfaces of the pair of mold dies opposed to each other and transferred, and ends of the pair of mold dies are connected to each other. A mold release device for use in a mold release process for supplying a fluid for mold release while generating an interface mold release space between the resin material and the pair of mold dies toward the inside by bending and deforming in the opposite direction; Molded product manufacturing equipment.   7. The molded product manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the transfer curing device includes a backup plate that prevents elastic deformation of the pair of mold dies and vacuum-sucks the pair of mold dies. .   The mold release device has a gantry on which the mold is placed, and the size of the gantry is larger than the size of the mold in order to bend and deform in the opposite direction from the ends of the pair of mold dies. The apparatus for manufacturing a molded product according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus is small.   The gantry is also used as the backup plate, and the outer periphery of the gantry is retracted in a direction away from the mold so as to form a space that allows the end of the mold to bend and deform. The molded article manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8.   The mold release device has a claw portion that enters from the end portions of the pair of mold dies into a gap existing in the pair of end portions and bends and deforms the pair of end portions in directions opposite to each other. The molded article apparatus according to claim 9.