JP2019136986A - Manufacturing method of molded article, and heat-molding plate material - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing method of a molded article capable of improving productivity of the molded article, and to provide a heat-molding plate material thereof.SOLUTION: According to a part 91A of a plate-shaped body 91 made of a material containing vegetable fibers and a thermoplastic resin, there is provided a manufacturing method of a molded article 98, comprising an interlacing step of forming a high interlacing part 96 having a higher interlacing degree of the vegetable fibers than that of another part 91C in the plate-shaped body 91; a heating conveyance step of conveying the plate-shaped body 91 while heating at a temperature where the thermoplastic resin is molten, in a suspended state where the high interlacing part 96 out of the plate-shaped body 91 is held; and a molding step of molding the molded article 98 from the heated plate-shaped body 91.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The technology disclosed in the present specification relates to a method for manufacturing a molded body and a plate material for thermoforming.

  As a method for producing a molded body, a method of using a substrate molding apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is known. The base material forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a heating device capable of transporting a plate-like body in a suspended state inside a heating furnace. Patent Document 1 describes, as a method for producing a molded body, a method in which a plate-shaped body is conveyed while being heated in a suspended state, and a base material (molded body) is molded from the heated plate-shaped body. ing.

JP 2010-143001 A

  By the way, when transporting while heating the plate-like body in a suspended state, depending on the size and material of the plate-like body, the heated and softened plate-like body may be stretched and deformed by its own weight starting from the held portion. In some cases, the horizontal ends of the plate-like body may be deformed so as to curl. Such deformation of both end portions causes a conveyance failure such as the plate-like body interfering with the inner wall of the base material forming apparatus during transportation to stop the equipment, and becomes a factor of reducing the productivity of the base material forming apparatus. It was.

  The technology disclosed in the present specification has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and is a molded body that can suppress deformation at both ends in the horizontal direction of the plate-like body and improve the productivity of the molded body. It aims at providing the manufacturing method and the board | plate material for thermoforming.

  In order to solve the above problems, a method for producing a molded body disclosed in the specification of the present application is based on a part of a plate-like body made of a material containing vegetable fibers and a thermoplastic resin. In the entanglement step of forming a highly entangled portion having a high degree of entanglement of the vegetable fiber, and in a state where the highly entangled portion is held and suspended among the plate-like bodies, the thermoplastic resin is melted in the plate-like body A heating and conveying step of conveying while heating at a temperature to perform, and a forming step of forming a molded body from the heated plate-like body.

  In such a method for producing a molded body, in the entanglement process, by forming a high entanglement part in a part of the plate-like body, the high entanglement part having a relatively higher tensile strength than other parts is held, and the plate The shape can be suspended. For this reason, in the heating and conveying step, it is possible to suppress a situation where the plate-like body is stretched and deformed by its own weight with the held portion as a starting point, and the both ends of the plate-like body are curled. As a result, by deforming the both ends of the plate-like body so as to curl, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a conveyance failure in the heating and conveying step, and it is possible to improve the productivity of the molded body.

  In the above configuration, in the interlacing step, using a needle board having a first needle portion having a relatively low needle density and a second needle portion having a relatively high needle density, the plant fiber, In a fiber web composed of thermoplastic resin fibers made of the thermoplastic resin, the portion constituting the other portion of the plate-like body is entangled with a first needle portion and the part of the plate-like body is The constituent parts may be entangled with the second needle part. According to such a configuration, a highly entangled portion can be formed by appropriately setting the needle density of the needle board in the process of forming the conventional plate-like body. For this reason, in the manufacturing method of a molded object, the significant increase in a man-hour and the large-scale installation for performing an entanglement process are not required, and it is suitable.

  In the above configuration, in the interlacing step, a needle board having a first needle portion constituted by a needle having a relatively small number of barbs and a second needle portion constituted by a needle having a relatively large number of barbs is used. In the fiber web composed of the vegetable fiber and the thermoplastic resin fiber made of the thermoplastic resin, the portion constituting the other portion of the plate-like body is entangled with the first needle portion and the A portion constituting the part of the plate-like body may be entangled with the second needle portion. According to such a configuration, in the course of the process of forming the conventional plate-like body, the highly entangled portion can be formed by appropriately setting the number of barbs of each needle constituting the needle board. For this reason, in the manufacturing method of a molded object, the significant increase in a man-hour and the large-scale installation for performing an entanglement process are not required, and it is suitable.

  In the above configuration, the plate-like body has a non-containing region that does not contain a thermally expandable capsule in an outer edge portion, and a contained region that contains the thermally expandable capsule inside the outer edge portion, and In the entanglement step, the highly entangled portion may be formed across the non-containing region and a region adjacent to the non-containing region in the containing region. The non-contained area | region which does not contain a thermally expansible capsule in a plate-shaped object has a property which is easy to extend with respect to tension compared with a containing area | region. On the other hand, according to the above configuration, by forming the highly entangled portion in the non-containing region, it is possible to make the outer edge portion of the plate-like body difficult to stretch and deform. In addition, by forming such a highly entangled portion up to a region adjacent to the non-containing region in the containing region, a high entangled portion between the region containing the highly entangled portion and the containing region in the non-containing region. It is possible to avoid a situation in which a non-containing region in which no part is formed is formed. For this reason, in the heating and conveying process, the stress caused by the weight of the plate-like body is concentrated in the non-containing region where the highly entangled portion is not easily formed, and the plate-like body is stretched and deformed by its own weight in the region. Can be suppressed.

  In order to solve the above problems, the thermoforming plate disclosed in the specification of the present application is made of a material containing vegetable fibers and a thermoplastic resin, and does not contain a thermally expandable capsule in the outer edge portion, And a containing region containing the thermally expandable capsule inside the outer edge portion, and a part of the plate-like body includes the non-containing region and the non-containing in the containing region. A high entangled part having a higher degree of entanglement of the vegetable fiber than the other part of the plate-like body is formed across the region and the adjacent region. The non-contained area | region which does not contain a thermally expansible capsule in a plate-shaped object has a property which is easy to extend with respect to tension compared with a containing area | region. On the other hand, according to the above configuration, by forming the highly entangled portion in the non-containing region, it is possible to make the outer edge portion of the plate-like body difficult to stretch and deform. In addition, by forming such a highly entangled portion up to a region adjacent to the non-containing region in the containing region, a high entangled portion between the region containing the highly entangled portion and the containing region in the non-containing region. It is possible to avoid a situation in which a non-containing region in which no part is formed is formed. For this reason, when the outer edge portion of the plate-like body is held and the plate-like body is suspended and heated, it is easy to extend as compared to the surroundings, and due to the weight of the plate-like body in the non-contained area where the highly entangled portion is not formed. It is possible to suppress a situation in which the generated stress is concentrated and the plate-like body is stretched and deformed by its own weight in the region.

  According to the technique disclosed in the present specification, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a molded body and a plate material for thermoforming that can improve the productivity of the molded body.

The perspective view which shows the base-material shaping | molding apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. Front view showing a plate-like body held in a suspended state Explanatory drawing explaining the 3rd process from the 1st process in a plate-shaped object formation process Explanatory drawing explaining the confounding process Side view showing the needle board The figure which shows the state before this shaping | molding die closes in this shaping | molding process (corresponding to the figure cut | disconnected by the VI-VI line of FIG. 2) The figure which shows the state after this shaping | molding die closed in this shaping | molding process (A) is a graph showing the relationship between each area | region in the up-down direction of the plate-shaped body in an Example, and the intensity | strength of a plate-shaped body, (b) is each area | region in the up-down direction of the plate-shaped body in a comparative example. And a graph showing the relationship between the strength of the plate-like body. The side view which shows the needle board which concerns on Embodiment 2. Explanatory drawing explaining the confounding process which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. Front view showing a plate-like body held in a suspended state in a conventional example

<Embodiment 1>
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, as a method for producing the base material 98 (molded body), a method for molding the base material 98 from the plate-like body 91 constituting the thermoforming plate material 90 will be exemplified.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the thermoforming plate material 90 is composed of a plate-like body 91 made of a material containing vegetable fibers and a thermoplastic resin, and an upper edge portion 91 </ b> A (part) of the plate-like body 91 is formed. The high entanglement part 96 where the entanglement degree of vegetable fiber is higher than the other part 91C of the plate-like body 91 is formed. In FIG. 2, the region R <b> 3 where the highly entangled portion 96 is formed is indicated by a one-dot chain line. In the present application, the degree of entanglement represents the degree of entanglement of filaments of long fiber yarns (vegetable fibers, thermoplastic resin fibers described later, etc.). The plate-like body 91 has a higher tensile strength during heating as the entanglement degree of the vegetable fiber is higher. The thermoforming plate 90 is used as a material for thermoforming the base material 98 as will be described later, and may be referred to as preboard or the like.

  The vegetable fiber contained in the plate-like body 91 is a plant-derived fiber material. Such a fiber material can be collected from, for example, cotton, hemp, sisal, jute, kenaf and the like. Of these, kenaf is particularly preferred. Kenaf is effective for global environmental conservation because it grows quickly and absorbs a lot of CO2. Also, it is possible to collect relatively long and strong fibers from kenaf bast.

  As a thermoplastic resin contained in the plate-like body 91, for example, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polylactic acid (PLA), or the like can be used. In this embodiment, what uses a polypropylene is illustrated as a thermoplastic resin.

  By heating the plate-like body 91, the thermoplastic resin contained in the plate-like body 91 can be melted. For example, when the thermoplastic resin contained in the plate-like body 91 is polypropylene, since the melting temperature of polypropylene is 160 ° C. to 170 ° C., the plate-like body 91 is heated to a temperature higher than this (eg, 210 ° C.). By doing so, the thermoplastic resin contained in the plate-like body 91 can be melted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the plate-like body 91 includes a non-containing region R1 that does not contain the thermally expandable capsule 92 at the outer edge portion, and a contained region R2 that contains the thermally expandable capsule 92 inside the outer edge portion. Have. In the present embodiment, the upper edge portion 91A of the plate-like body 91 located above is the non-containing region R1 in the suspended state of the plate-like body 91 in the heating and conveying step described later, and other than the upper edge portion 91A. The region is the inclusion region R2. The non-contained region R1 that does not contain the thermally expandable capsule 92 in the plate-like body 91 has a property that it is easily stretched with respect to tension as compared with the contained region R2.

  In the thermally expandable capsule 92, a compound (hereinafter also referred to as “thermal expansion agent”) that expands by heating is encapsulated in a shell wall made of a thermoplastic resin, and the thermoplastic resin is softened by heat from the outside. The capsule expands by increasing the volume of the thermal expansion agent. As the thermally expandable capsule 92, a foamable capsule is used at the melting temperature of the thermoplastic resin. By including the thermally expandable capsule 92, the plate-like body 91 can form a base material 98 having a low basis weight and high rigidity. In each figure, the thermally expandable capsule 92 is schematically drawn in a round shape larger than the actual size.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the highly entangled portion 96 is formed on the upper edge portion 91 </ b> A of the plate-shaped body 91 described above, and is a portion (other portion) formed on the base material 98 positioned below the upper edge portion 91 </ b> A. 91C) is formed with a low entanglement portion 97 having a relatively low degree of entanglement. The upper edge portion 91 </ b> A of the plate-like body 91 has a configuration in which the entanglement degree of the vegetable fiber is higher than that of the other portion 91 </ b> C, so that it does not easily stretch and deform as compared with the other portion 91 </ b> C.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the highly entangled portion 96 is formed across the non-containing region R1 and the region adjacent to the non-containing region R1 in the containing region R2. The “region adjacent to the non-containing region R1 in the containing region R2” includes a boundary portion between the containing region R2 and the non-containing region R1, and “the high entangled portion 96 straddles the non-containing region R1 and the region. “To be formed” includes an aspect in which the formation region of the highly entangled portion 96 does not substantially overlap the inclusion region R2 and extends to the boundary portion with the inclusion region R2 in the non-inclusion region R1. In the present embodiment, the highly entangled portion 96 is formed so as to extend in a strip shape along the upper edge portion 91A of the plate-like body 91, and in a region that overlaps the substantially entire region of the non-containing region R1 and the upper end portion of the containing region R2. Is formed.

  The manufacturing method of the base material 98 is an entanglement step of forming a highly entangled portion 96 in which the entanglement degree of the vegetable fiber is higher in the upper edge portion 91A (part) of the plate-like body 91 than the other portion 91C of the plate-like body 91 A heating and conveying step of conveying and heating the plate-like body 91 at a temperature at which the thermoplastic resin melts in a state where the highly entangled portion 96 is held and suspended in the plate-like body 91, and the heated plate-like shape A molding step of molding the base material 98 from the body 91. In the present embodiment, as a molding process, a process including a preforming process and a main molding process, which will be described later, is illustrated.

  In the confounding step, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a needle board 84 having a first needle portion 84A having a relatively low needle density and a second needle portion 84B having a relatively high needle density. In the fiber web 93 composed of plant fibers and thermoplastic resin fibers made of thermoplastic resin, the first needle portion 84A interlaces the portion constituting the other portion 91C of the plate-like body 91. The portion constituting the upper edge portion 91A of the plate-like body 91 is entangled with the second needle portion 84B. Such an entanglement process can be performed in the process of the plate-shaped body formation process which forms the plate-shaped body 91. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the plate-like body forming step includes a first step (fiber web forming step) in which vegetable fibers and thermoplastic resin fibers are mixed to form the fiber web 93, and the fiber web 93. A second step (fiber mat forming step) in which the fibers are entangled to form a fiber mat 94, a third step (thermally expandable capsule impregnation step) in which the fiber mat 94 is impregnated with the thermally expandable capsule 92, and fibers. And a fourth step (a hot press step, not shown) in which the mat 94 is heated and pressed at a temperature at which the thermoplastic resin melts to form the plate-like body 91. In the present embodiment, a method of performing the entanglement step by using the needle punch device 83 in the second step will be exemplified.

  In the first step, an air ray method, a card method, or the like can be adopted as the fiber mixing method, and the card method will be described below. In the first step, first, vegetable fibers and thermoplastic resin fibers are mixed at a predetermined blending ratio and put into the fiber supply unit 81. And each fiber thrown into the fiber supply part 81 is continuously supplied from the fiber supply part 81 to the card machine 82, and the fiber web 93 is formed.

  In the second step, the fiber web 93 is entangled by the needle punch device 83 and then cut by the cutter 89 to form the fiber mat 94. The needle punch device 83 includes a needle board 84 in which a plurality of needles 85 each having a barb 86 are implanted (see FIG. 5). When the continuous sheet-like fiber web 93 passes, the needle punch device 83 drives the needle board 84 to reciprocate so as to pierce the fiber web 93 with a plurality of needles 85, thereby causing the fiber web 93 to extend along the longitudinal direction. Thus, the needle punch process is performed. 3 illustrates a needle punch device 83 in which one needle board 84 is disposed on the upper side of the fiber web 93. However, a plurality of needle boards 84 may be provided, and a plurality of needle boards may be provided. 84 may be arranged on both upper and lower sides of the fiber web 93.

  4 and 5, the needle board 84 is provided with second needle portions 84B on both sides in the width direction of the fiber web 93 to be needle punched, and between the second needle portions 84B. A first needle portion 84A is arranged. The first needle portion 84A and the second needle portion 84B are each implanted with the same needle 85, but the second needle portion 84B has a larger number of needles 85 disposed per unit area, and the density of the needles. It is considered as a high configuration. In the fiber web 93, the higher the density of the needles 85, the higher the entanglement degree of the plant fibers and the thermoplastic resin fibers, and thus the entanglement degree of the vegetable fibers in the plate-like body 91 can be increased. The

  In the second step, as shown in FIG. 4, by cutting the center in the width direction of the fiber web 93 subjected to needle punching, the upper edge portion 91 </ b> A of the two plate-like bodies 91 arranged in the width direction is cut. Highly entangled portions 96 are formed at corresponding positions. During punching with the needle board 84, the repulsive force applied to the needle board 84 from the fiber web 93 is stronger at the second needle portion 84B than at the first needle portion 84A. In the present embodiment, the second needle portion 84B is arranged symmetrically with the center in the width direction of the needle board 84 as a symmetry axis, and two fiber mats 94 (plate-like bodies 91) are taken in the width direction of the fiber web 93. Thus, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the repulsive force acting on the needle board 84 is biased. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a situation in which an excessive load is applied to the needle punch device 83 due to the provision of the second needle portion 84B, causing equipment damage or the like.

  In the third step, the thermally expandable capsule 92 is sprayed on the fiber mat 94, the fiber mat 94 sprayed with the thermally expandable capsule 92 is vibrated, and the thermally expandable capsule 92 is placed in the gap between the fibers of the fiber mat 94. Fill. At this time, when the third step is performed under the same conditions in the high entangled portion 96 and the low entangled portion 97 of the fiber mat 94, the thermally expandable capsules are selected according to the entanglement degree of the vegetable fiber and the thermoplastic resin fiber. There is a concern that the degree of filling 92 is different and the dispersion state of the thermally expandable capsule 92 is different. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the highly entangled portion 96 is formed only on the upper edge portion 91 </ b> A that is not formed on the base material 98 in the plate-like body 91, thereby dispersing the thermally expandable capsule 92 in the highly entangled portion 96. Even when the state is different from the low entangled portion 97, the quality of the base material 98 is not affected. For this reason, by optimizing the dispersion state of the thermally expandable capsule 92 in the low entanglement part 97, the quality of the base material 98 similar to the case where the high entanglement part 96 is not formed can be maintained.

  In the fourth step, the method of forming the plate-like body 91 is not particularly limited, and various methods such as a double belt press method and a hot plate press method can be used. Hereinafter, the method using the double belt press method will be described. In a 4th process, the fiber mat 94 is heat-pressed between a pair of belt conveyors using a double belt press, and the plate-shaped body 91 is formed. The heating temperature in the fourth step is set to be equal to or higher than the melting temperature of the thermoplastic resin. Then, when the fiber mat 94 is cooled while passing between the pair of belt conveyors and the thermoplastic resin is solidified, a plate-like body 91 in which vegetable fibers are bound by the thermoplastic resin is obtained. Thus, the entanglement process and the plate-like body forming process are completed.

  The heating and conveying process and the molding process are performed using the substrate molding apparatus 100. The base material forming apparatus 100 is an apparatus that conveys a plate-like body 91 made of a material containing vegetable fibers and a thermoplastic resin while being heated in a suspended state, and forms it into a predetermined shape.

  The substrate molding apparatus 100 includes a preforming mold 10 for preforming a plate-like body 91 and a main mold 20 for main-molding the preformed plate-like body 91. In the present embodiment, the plate-like body 91 can be pressed stepwise (in two stages) by multiple times (twice) of pressing, instead of forming the plate-like body 91 by one press. It has become. When the shape of the base material 98 is not a complicated shape such as a deep drawing shape, the base material 98 may be formed only by one press, that is, the main forming step.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the preforming die 10 has a pair of molds 12 and 14. Among these, one metal mold | die 12 has the shape where the center part protruded, and the other metal mold | die 14 has the shape where the center part was dented. The pair of molds 12 and 14 are arranged on the left and right so that the mold surfaces face each other. The pair of molds 12 and 14 constituting the preforming mold 10 can press the plate-like body 91 in a state of being suspended in the vertical direction from the front and back surfaces.

  The main mold 20 has a pair of molds 22 and 24 as shown in FIG. Among these, one metal mold | die 22 has the shape where the center part protruded, and the other metal mold | die 24 has the shape where the center part was dented (refer FIG. 6). The pair of molds 22 and 24 are arranged on the left and right so that the mold surfaces face each other. The pair of molds 22 and 24 constituting the main mold 20 can press the plate-like body 91 in a state of being suspended in the vertical direction from the front and back surfaces.

  As the main mold 20 for main molding of the plate-like body 91, a cold press mold is used. Here, “cold press” means press molding performed without actively heating the mold surface of the main mold 20, but the mold surface of the main mold 20 is deformed by processing heat or frictional heat. The case where it is heated to some extent is also included. By pressing the heated plate-like body 91 with the main mold 20 (cold press die), the thermoplastic resin contained in the plate-like body 91 is cooled and solidified. Thereby, the base material 98 shape | molded by the predetermined shape can be obtained (refer FIG. 7).

  The base material 98 thus obtained is lightweight and high in strength, and thus can be used as a base material for vehicle interior materials. For example, it can be used for base materials such as door trims, instrument panels, seat back boards, partition boards, console boxes, pillar garnishes, quarter trims and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the base material forming apparatus 100 includes a hanger 30 (holding device) that holds the plate-like body 91 in a suspended state. The substrate molding apparatus 100 includes a plurality of hangers 30 and is configured to be able to transfer the plurality of hangers 30 by a transport device 50 described later. The base material forming apparatus 100 can realize high productivity by forming the plate-like bodies 91 respectively suspended from the plurality of hangers 30 one after another.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the hanger 30 includes a shaft 37 disposed along the upper edge portion 91 </ b> A of the plate-like body 91 and a holding portion 31 attached to the shaft 37. The holding part 31 is comprised by the some clamp, for example, and each clamp is comprised so that the upper edge part 91A of the plate-shaped body 91 may be clamped in the front-back direction. The hanger 30 can suspend the plate-like body 91 in the base material forming apparatus 100 by holding the upper edge portion 91 </ b> A of the plate-like body 91 with the holding portion 31.

  FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a base material forming apparatus 100 for forming the base material 98. As shown in FIG. 1, the base material forming apparatus 100 includes a heating device 40 that heats the plate-like body 91. The heating device 40 can transport the plate-like body 91 inside the heating furnace 42 and the hot-air circulating heating furnace 42 that can uniformly heat the plate-like body 91 by passing the plate-like body 91 therethrough. A transport device 50 is provided. The internal temperature of the heating furnace 42 is set to 210 ° C., for example, and the plate-like body 91 can be heated to melt the thermoplastic resin contained in the plate-like body 91.

  The conveying apparatus 50 is comprised by the two chain conveyors 52a and 52b which are arrange | positioned in parallel and the operation | movement is synchronized. Both end portions of the shaft 37 constituting the hanger 30 described above are respectively placed on the two chain conveyors 52a and 52b. Thereby, the conveyance apparatus 50 can convey in the state which suspended the plate-shaped body 91 in the inside of the heating furnace 42. FIG.

  Inside the heating furnace 42, a preforming die 10 for preforming the plate-like body 91 is installed. The conveying device 50 and the preforming die 10 are installed at an offset position inside the heating furnace 42. Here, the “offset position” means “a position where the central axes are separated from each other”, and specifically, the central axis of the conveying device 50 and the central axis of the preforming mold 10 are separated in the horizontal direction. It means the position.

  A main mold 20 is installed below the preforming mold 10. The preforming mold 10 and the main mold 20 are arranged at an offset position. The “offset position” here means “a position where the central axes are separated from each other”. Specifically, the central axis of the preforming mold 10 and the central axis of the main mold 20 are in the vertical direction. It means a distant position.

  In addition, the heating furnace 42 is formed in a substantially L shape in a plan view, and can accommodate both the transport device 50 and the preforming die 10 disposed at the offset position. The main mold 20 is installed below the preforming mold 10 and outside the heating furnace 42.

  The substrate forming apparatus 100 includes a horizontal transfer mechanism 60 that can transfer the plate-like body 91 in the horizontal direction and a vertical transfer mechanism 70 that can transfer the plate-like body 91 in the vertical direction.

  The horizontal transfer mechanism 60 includes a slide rail 62 made of a long metal member installed horizontally, and a cylinder 64 that can push out the hanger 30 placed on the slide rail 62 in the horizontal direction. . The hanger 30 transported by the transport device 50 slides down the slope 66 installed on the front side of the transport device 50 and then is placed on the slide rail 62 installed on the front side of the slope 66. The hanger 30 placed on the slide rail 62 is pushed out by the cylinder 64 in the horizontal direction. Accordingly, the horizontal transfer mechanism 60 can transfer the plate-like body 91 held by the hanger 30 in the horizontal direction.

  The vertical transfer mechanism 70 includes two substantially L-shaped support arms 72 arranged in parallel, and a rack and pinion mechanism 74 that can drive the two support arms 72 in the vertical direction. The two support arms 72 can support both ends of the shaft 37 constituting the hanger 30 from below. Thereby, the up-down direction transfer mechanism 70 can transfer the plate-like body 91 held by the hanger 30 in the up-down direction.

  In the heating and conveying step, the upper edge portion 91A of the plate-like body 91 is held by the hanger 30 and the plate-like body 91 is suspended. At this time, the highly entangled portion 96 of the plate-like body 91 is clamped in the front and back direction by the holding portion 31 of the hanger 30. Next, using the heating device 40, the plate-like body 91 is conveyed to the preforming die 10 while being heated at a temperature at which the thermoplastic resin melts. Specifically, the plate-like body 91 held by the hanger 30 is heated inside the heating furnace 42 while being conveyed by the conveying device 50. Then, the heated plate-like body 91 is transferred from the transfer device 50 to the preforming die 10 by the horizontal transfer mechanism 60.

  In the molding process, the plate-like body 91 heated and conveyed to the preforming mold 10 is pressed by a pair of molds 12 and 14 constituting the preforming mold 10 (preliminary molding process). Thereafter, the preformed plate-like body 91 is conveyed from the preforming mold 10 to the main mold 20 by the vertical transfer mechanism 70 and then pressed by the pair of molds 22 and 24 constituting the main mold 20. (This molding process). Thereby, it is possible to shape | mold the plate-shaped body 91 in the shape corresponding to the type | mold surface of this shaping | molding die 20, and the base material 98 shape | molded by the predetermined shape can be obtained.

  Then, the effect | action of this embodiment is demonstrated. If the plate-like body 91 in which the highly entangled portion 96 of the conventional example shown in FIG. 11 is not formed, the vicinity of the portion of the plate-like body 91 held by the holding portion 31 (enclosed by the dotted line in FIG. 11). In the region R), stress caused by its own weight is concentrated. If the plate-like body 91 is softened by heating in the process of being transported in the heating furnace 42, local elongation deformation occurs in the stress concentration region R in the vicinity immediately below the holding portion 31, and such local elongation occurs. As a result, there is a case where the both ends 91B are deformed to curl. When the both ends 91B of the plate-like body 91 are deformed so as to curl, for example, when the plate-like body 91 is transferred by the horizontal transfer mechanism 60 or the vertical transfer mechanism 70, the deformed portion of the plate-like body 91 is formed on the inner wall of the transfer path. For example, it has been necessary to temporarily stop the base material forming apparatus 100 to remove the catch, which causes a situation in which the productivity of the base material forming apparatus 100 is reduced. In FIG. 11, the outer shape of the plate-like body 91 that is not stretched and deformed before being heated is indicated by a one-dot chain line, and the outer shape of the plate-like body 91 after being stretched and deformed is indicated by a solid line.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the highly entangled portion 96 is formed in the plate-like body 91 and the tensile strength of the stress concentration region R is increased, so that the local elongation deformation near the portion directly below the holding portion 31 of the plate-like body 91 is achieved. Can be suppressed. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the force that acts to curl both end portions 91B of the plate-like body 91, which is caused by local elongation deformation in the vicinity of directly below the holding portion 31. Specifically, when the plate-like body 91 (conventional example) in which the highly entangled portion 96 is not formed is heated and conveyed by the heating device 40, the plate-like body 91 is not yet put into the base material forming apparatus 100. Elongation deformation with an elongation of 15 to 25% was confirmed based on the vertical dimension. Along with such elongation deformation, the plate-like body 91 was deformed to curl at both end portions 91B. On the other hand, when the plate-like body 91 (Example) on which the highly entangled portion 96 was formed was heated and conveyed under the same conditions, the plate-like body 91 was not deformed by elongation (elongation rate: 0%). . Further, no curling deformation was observed at both end portions 91B.

  The highly entangled portion 96 is formed in the upper edge portion 91 </ b> A of the plate-like body 91, that is, in a region that does not become the base material 98. For this reason, the highly entangled portion 96 does not remain on the base material 98, and there is no possibility of affecting the quality of the base material 98 by locally increasing the tensile strength of the plate-like body 91 by the high entangled portion 96. Further, in the main forming step of the plate-like body 91, when the outer peripheral edge of the plate-like body 91 is cut off when the molds 22 and 24 are closed, a step for removing the highly entangled portion 96 from the base material 98 is performed. There is no need to provide it separately. Specifically, in the main forming step, first, as shown in FIG. 6, the molds 22 and 24 are held in a state where the plate-like body 91 (drawn schematically in FIG. 6 in a flat shape) is held by the hanger 30. Place between. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the molds 22 and 24 are closed to form the plate-like body 91, and the outer peripheral edge of the plate-like body 91 is cut by the shear blade 22A. Then, together with the outer peripheral edge of the plate-like body 91, the highly entangled portion 96 can be separated from the base material 98.

  Here, the relationship between each area | region in the up-down direction of the plate-shaped body 91 and the intensity | strength of the plate-shaped body 91 is shown in the graph of FIG. FIG. 8A is a graph relating to the plate-like body 91 (example) according to the present embodiment in which the highly entangled portion 96 is formed, and FIG. 8B is a region where the highly entangled portion 96 is formed. It is a graph regarding the plate-shaped body (comparative example) in which the non-containing area | region R1 in which the highly entangled part 96 is not formed is formed between R3 and the containing area | region R2. The horizontal axis represents the position of the plate-like body 91 in the vertical direction, the left side corresponds to the lower side of the plate-like body 91, and the right side corresponds to the upper side of the plate-like body 91. Below the horizontal axis, the position of the non-containing region R1, the containing region R2, and the region R3 where the highly entangled portion 96 is formed is shown. The vertical axis represents the strength of the plate-like body 91. In FIGS. 8A and 8B, the force acting on each region due to the weight of the plate-like body 91 in the suspended state of the plate-like body 91 is indicated by a dotted line. The force acting due to the weight of the plate-like body 91 becomes larger as it goes upward of the plate-like body 91. When this force exceeds the strength of the plate-like body 91 shown by the solid line, the plate-like shape is formed at that portion. It is considered that the body 91 stretches and deforms. Here, in a region where the highly entangled portion 96 is not formed, the strength of the non-containing region R1 not containing the thermally expandable capsule 92 is S1, and the strength of the containing region R2 containing the thermally expandable capsule 92 is S2 (S2 > S1), the difference value of the strength between the high entanglement part 96 and the low entanglement part 97 is S3. In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, the highly entangled portion 96 is formed in the plate-like body 91 across the non-containing region R1 and the region adjacent to the non-containing region R1 in the containing region R2. Accordingly, the strength of the plate-like body 91 exceeds the force acting by its own weight over the entire area of the plate-like body 91, and the deformation of the plate-like body 91 is suitably suppressed. On the other hand, in the comparative example, as shown in FIG. 8B, in the region where the highly entangled portion 96 is formed, the effect of reinforcing the plate-like body 91 is seen, but the highly entangled portion 96 is not formed. In the region R1, it is considered that the force acting due to the weight of the plate-like body 91 exceeds the strength of the plate-like body 91, and the plate-like body 91 is deformed and stretched at that portion.

  Then, the effect of this embodiment is demonstrated. According to the present embodiment, in the entanglement process, by forming the high entanglement portion 96 on the upper edge portion 91A of the plate-like body 91, the high entanglement portion 96 having a relatively higher tensile strength than the other portion 91C is held. Thus, the plate-like body 91 can be suspended. For this reason, in the heating and conveying step, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the plate-like body 91 is deformed so as to be stretched and deformed by its own weight starting from the held portion, and the both end portions 91B of the plate-like body 91 are curled. As a result, by deforming the both end portions 91 </ b> B of the plate-like body 91 so as to curl, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a conveyance defect in the heating and conveying step, and the productivity of the base material 98 can be improved.

  Moreover, in the confounding process of this embodiment, using the needle board 84 which has the 1st needle part 84A with a relatively low needle density, and the 2nd needle part 84B with a relatively high needle density, plant nature is used. In the fiber web 93 composed of fibers and thermoplastic resin fibers made of a thermoplastic resin, the portion constituting the other portion 91C of the plate-like body 91 is entangled by the first needle portion 84A and the plate-like body 91 The portion constituting the upper edge portion 91A is entangled with the second needle portion 84B. According to such a configuration, the highly entangled portion 96 can be formed by appropriately setting the needle density of the needle board 84 in the process of forming the conventional plate-like body 91. For this reason, in the manufacturing method of the base material 98, a significant increase in the number of steps and a large-scale facility for performing the entanglement process are not required, which is preferable. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, compared with Embodiment 3 to be described later, in the third step, the thermally expandable capsules 92 are sprayed together on the two fiber mats 94 arranged in the width direction of the fiber web 93. It is easy to do and is preferable.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, by forming the highly entangled portion 96 in the non-containing region R1, the upper edge portion 91A of the plate-like body 91 can be made difficult to stretch and deform. In addition, by forming such highly entangled portion 96 up to a region adjacent to the non-containing region R1 in the containing region R2, the region in which the highly entangled portion 96 is formed in the non-containing region R1, and the containing region R2 A situation in which the non-containing region R1 in which the highly entangled portion 96 is not formed can be suppressed. For this reason, when the upper edge portion 91A of the plate-like body 91 is held and the plate-like body 91 is suspended and heated (heating and transporting process), the highly entangled portion 96 that is easier to extend than the surroundings is not formed. It is possible to suppress a situation in which stress generated by the weight of the plate-like body 91 is concentrated in the non-containing region R1, and the plate-like body 91 is stretched and deformed by its own weight in the region.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The manufacturing method of the base material 98 of this embodiment is the same as that of the said Embodiment 1 except the confounding process being different. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  In the entanglement process, a needle board 184 having a first needle part 184A composed of needles 185A having a relatively small number of barbs and a second needle part 184B composed of needles 185B having a relatively large number of barbs is used. In the fiber web 93 composed of vegetable fibers and thermoplastic resin fibers made of thermoplastic resin, the portion constituting the other portion 91C of the plate-like body 91 is entangled with the first needle portion 184A and the plate The portion constituting the upper edge portion 91A of the cylindrical body 91 is entangled with the second needle portion 184B. Such an entanglement process can be performed using the needle punch apparatus 83 provided with the needle board 184. FIG. In addition, each process of a 1st process, a 2nd process, a 3rd process, and a 4th process is the same as that of the said Embodiment 1, The description is abbreviate | omitted.

  On the needle board 184, in the width direction of the fiber web 93 to be needle punched, the second needle portions 184B are disposed on both sides in the width direction, and the first needle portions 184A are disposed between the second needle portions 184B. The first needle portion 184A and the second needle portion 184B are provided with needles 185A and 185B at the same needle density, respectively. However, the needle 185B constituting the second needle portion 184B has a first needle portion 184A. More barbs 86 are provided than the needles 185A constituting the. As the fiber web 93 has more barbs of the needles 185A and 185B, the entanglement degree of the vegetable fiber and the thermoplastic resin fiber becomes higher, and as a result, the entanglement degree of the vegetable fiber in the plate-like body 91 can be increased. Is done.

  According to this embodiment, in the course of the process of forming the conventional plate-like body 91, the highly entangled portion 96 can be formed by appropriately setting the number of barbs of the needles 185A and 185B constituting the needle board 184. it can. For this reason, in the manufacturing method of the base material 98, a significant increase in the number of steps and a large-scale facility for performing the entanglement process are not required, which is preferable.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The manufacturing method of the base material 98 of this embodiment is the same as that of the said Embodiment 1 except the confounding process being different. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  The entanglement process of this embodiment can be performed using the needle punch apparatus 83 provided with the needle board 284. FIG. In addition, each process of a 1st process, a 2nd process, a 3rd process, and a 4th process is the same as that of the said Embodiment 1, The description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the needle board 284, in the width direction of the fiber web 93 to be subjected to needle punching, the second needle portion 284B is disposed at the center in the width direction, and the first needle portions 284A are disposed on both sides of the second needle portion 284B. . The first needle portion 284A and the second needle portion 284B have the same needle 85 implanted therein, but the second needle portion 284B has a larger number of needles 85 arranged per unit area, and the density of the needles. It is considered as a high configuration.

  In the second step, by cutting the center in the width direction of the fiber web 93 subjected to the needle punching process, the highly entangled portions are respectively located at positions corresponding to the upper edge portions 91A of the two plate-like bodies 91 arranged in the width direction. 96 is formed. When punching by the needle board 284, the repulsive force applied to the needle board 284 from the fiber web 93 is stronger in the second needle part 284B than in the first needle part 284A. In the present embodiment, the second needle portion 284B is arranged symmetrically with the center in the width direction of the needle board 284 as the symmetry axis, and two fiber mats 94 (plate-like bodies 91) are taken in the width direction of the fiber web 93. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the repulsive force acting on the needle board 284 is biased. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a situation in which an excessive load is applied to the needle punch device 83 due to the provision of the second needle portion 284B, resulting in equipment breakage or the like.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) In the above embodiment, an example in which the transport device is configured by two chain conveyors has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the conveying device may be configured by two belt conveyors that can convey the plate-like body by placing both end portions of the shaft.
(2) In the said embodiment, although the example which heats a plate-shaped object with a hot-air circulation type heating furnace was shown, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the plate-like body may be heated by a heating furnace in which hot air supplied into the furnace is exhausted without being circulated.
(3) In the above embodiment, an example in which the main mold is installed below the pre-mold is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the main mold may be installed in parallel to the side of the preforming mold.
(4) In addition to the above embodiment, the entanglement process can be changed as appropriate. For example, the highly entangled portion is not limited to the configuration formed on the upper edge portion of the plate-like body, and may be locally formed only on the portion held by the hanger (holding device). Moreover, the entanglement method of the high entanglement part is not limited to the above embodiment. Further, the second needle portion is arranged at the center portion in the width direction disclosed in the third embodiment, and in the needle board, the second needle portion is configured by a needle having a larger number of barbs than the first needle portion as in the second embodiment. Good. In addition, the configuration of the needle board can be changed as appropriate. For example, you may comprise a 2nd needle part with the needle whose length dimension is longer than a 1st needle part.
(5) In addition to the above embodiment, the heating and conveying step can be changed as appropriate. For example, the mode of holding the plate-like body by the holding device is not limited to that of the above-described embodiment. For example, the plate-like body is held by a holding device having a hook that penetrates the highly entangled portion of the plate-like body. May be.
(6) In addition to the above embodiment, the molding step can be changed as appropriate, and can be changed to various methods for thermoforming a substrate from a plate-like body.
(7) Besides the above embodiment, the plate-like body and the thermoforming plate material can be manufactured by various manufacturing methods using materials of various materials. For example, the plate-like body may not contain a thermally expandable capsule. Moreover, the plate-like body may further contain various materials in addition to the vegetable fiber and the thermoplastic resin.
(8) In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle interior material and the manufacturing method thereof are exemplified as the base material and the manufacturing method thereof. However, the base material can be widely used in the construction related field as well as the automobile related field. . Particularly suitable for interior materials, exterior materials and structural materials for automobiles, railway vehicles, ships and airplanes, etc. Especially as automotive products, suitable for automotive interior materials, automotive instrument panels, automotive exterior materials, etc. It is. Specifically, seat back board, door base material, package tray, pillar garnish, switch base, quarter panel, armrest core material, automotive door trim, seat structure material, seat back board, ceiling material, console box, automotive use Dashboards, various instrument panels, deck trims, bumpers, spoilers and cowlings. Furthermore, it is also suitable for interior materials, exterior materials and structural materials such as buildings and furniture. Specifically, door cover materials, door structure materials, cover materials for various furniture (desks, chairs, shelves, bags, etc.), structural materials, and the like can be given. In addition, it is also suitable as a package, a container (such as a tray), a protective member, and a partition member.

  84, 184, 284 ... needle board, 84A, 284A ... first needle part (first needle part having relatively low needle density), 84B, 284B ... second needle part (first needle part having relatively high needle density) 2 needle part), 90 ... plate for thermoforming, 91 ... plate-like body, 91A ... upper edge part (part), 91C ... other part, 92 ... thermally expandable capsule, 93 ... fiber web, 96 ... highly entangled Part, 98 ... base material (molded body), 184A ... first needle part (first needle part composed of needles with relatively few barbs), 184B ... second needle part (with relatively large barbs) 185A ... needle (needle with a relatively small number of barbs) 185B ... needle (needle with a relatively large number of barbs), R1 ... non-containing region, R2 ... containing region

Claims (5)

In a part of a plate-like body made of a material containing vegetable fiber and a thermoplastic resin, an entanglement step of forming a highly entangled portion having a higher degree of entanglement of the vegetable fiber than the other part of the plate-like body;
A heating and conveying step of conveying the plate-like body while heating the plate-like body at a temperature at which the thermoplastic resin melts in a state where the highly entangled portion is held and suspended among the plate-like bodies,
A forming step of forming a formed body from the heated plate-like body.   In the entanglement step, using a needle board having a first needle part having a relatively low needle density and a second needle part having a relatively high needle density, the vegetable fiber and the thermoplastic resin are used. In a fiber web composed of thermoplastic resin fibers comprising: a portion constituting the other portion of the plate-like body is entangled with a first needle portion and a portion constituting the part of the plate-like body is formed. The manufacturing method of the molded object of Claim 1 entangled by the said 2nd needle part.   In the entanglement step, the plant is obtained by using a needle board having a first needle part constituted by a needle having a relatively small number of barbs and a second needle part constituted by a needle having a relatively large number of barbs. In a fiber web composed of a conductive fiber and a thermoplastic resin fiber made of the thermoplastic resin, a portion constituting the other portion of the plate-like body is entangled with a first needle portion and the plate-like body is The method for producing a molded body according to claim 1, wherein a part constituting the part is entangled by the second needle part. The plate-like body has a non-containing region that does not contain a thermally expandable capsule at the outer edge portion, and a contained region that contains the thermally expandable capsule inside the outer edge portion,
4. The molding according to claim 1, wherein, in the entanglement step, the highly entangled portion is formed across the non-containing region and a region adjacent to the non-containing region in the containing region. Body manufacturing method. A plate-like material comprising a material containing vegetable fiber and a thermoplastic resin, and having a non-containing region that does not contain a thermally expandable capsule at the outer edge, and a contained region that contains the thermally expandable capsule inside the outer edge. Composed of bodies,
In a part of the plate-like body, the entanglement degree of the vegetable fiber from the other part of the plate-like body spans the non-containing region and the region adjacent to the non-containing region in the containing region. A thermoforming plate with a high entanglement.

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