JP2019188452A - Die for foamed metal molding, and method for producing foamed metal - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a mold for foamed metal molding capable of easily performing production in a short time and capable of molding a foamed metal into a desired shape.SOLUTION: A die for foamed metal molding comprises: a needle-like member; and a board fitted with the needle-like member in a height adjustable way, in which a molding face is formed using a group of tips of the needle-like member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a mold for forming a metal foam and a method for producing the metal foam.

  Foamed metal is lightweight because it contains many pores, and has excellent impact energy absorption and silencing properties. It is attracting attention as an ultralight and multifunctional material in various fields such as automobiles, railways, aerospace, and architecture. (For example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3)

As a method for producing a foam metal, conventionally, for example, after producing a precursor in which a foaming agent is mixed with a raw material metal, the precursor is heated in an electric furnace or the like, and is generated by decomposition of the foaming agent. The pores were formed by foaming with gas.
In the step of foaming the precursor, a mold is used for molding the foam metal (for example, see FIG. 1 (e) of Non-Patent Document 1).

  Also, for example, Patent Document 4 proposes a method for heating a precursor disposed in a mold by irradiating radiation from outside the mold as a method for producing a foam such as foam metal. Yes.

JP 2007-61865 A International Patent Publication No. 2010/029864 International Patent Publication No. 2010/106883 JP-T-2006-521467

Totsuo Utsunomiya, Tatsumi Tsukada, Yasuhiko Hanya, “Manufacture of Porous Aluminum Members Using Dies”, Transactions of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, A, 77, p.1017-1020, 2011

  Cost reduction is an issue for the practical use of foam metal, and simplification of the manufacturing process is required.

In conventional atmosphere heating using an electric furnace or the like, the mold is also heated, so that the energy used for heating the precursor is reduced, and the energy utilization efficiency is not good. .
In addition, it took time to raise the temperature to the foaming temperature.
And since the mold is opaque, the state of foaming inside the mold could not be observed. It was also difficult to observe the inside of the electric furnace.

On the other hand, when foaming is performed without using a mold, the shape is not controlled, and the foam metal is formed in a free shape. Therefore, in order to make the metal foam into a desired shape, it is necessary to perform processing for making the metal into a desired shape after foaming.
However, since the foam metal has pores, it may be deformed by a load applied during processing, and it has been difficult to process into a desired shape.

If the precursor is heated by irradiating with light, only the range irradiated with the light and its surroundings are heated, so that energy utilization efficiency is good and heating can be performed at a lower cost than atmospheric heating.
However, when a metal mold is used for molding the foam metal, the light cannot be transmitted into the metal mold, and thus the precursor cannot be irradiated with light.
In addition, when foaming is performed without using a mold or a mold, as described above, processing is required after foaming in order to obtain a desired shape, but since it has pores, it is easily deformed during processing. It becomes difficult to process into a desired shape.

  Furthermore, in the case of the above-mentioned Patent Document 4, since a solid transparent material such as ceramic or glass is used as a mold, a fine surface shape cannot be produced, and a foam metal having a desired shape is manufactured. Is difficult.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a mold for molding metal foam that can be easily manufactured in a short time and can mold the metal foam into a desired shape. Moreover, the manufacturing method of a foam metal which can manufacture the foam metal of a desired shape is provided.

  The mold for molding metal foam according to the present invention is a mold for molding metal foam, and includes a needle-like member and a base on which the needle-like member is attached so that the height can be adjusted. A molding surface is formed by using a group of tip portions.

  The method for producing a foam metal according to the present invention uses a mold in which a molding surface of a foam metal is formed by a group of tips of needle-like members attached to a base so that the height can be adjusted, and a foaming agent is mixed with the metal. The precursor is placed inside the mold, and then the precursor is heated, thereby foaming the precursor and producing a foam metal whose shape is controlled by the mold.

According to the above-described configuration of the metal mold for metal foam molding of the present invention, the molding surface is formed by using the group of the tip portions of the needle-like members. Can be molded.
In addition, since the molding surface is formed using a group of tip portions of needle-like members, the mold can be easily produced in a short time as compared with a conventional mold.

According to the method for producing a foam metal of the present invention described above, the shape of the foam metal is controlled by the mold for molding using the mold in which the molding surface of the foam metal is formed by the group of the tip portions of the needle-like members. Thus, a foam metal having a desired shape can be produced.
In addition, when the precursor is heated by irradiating light to the precursor, the loss of heat due to the mold is less than that in the case where a conventional mold is used, and the precursor can be efficiently heated. . Thereby, it can heat at a cost lower than atmospheric heating, and can produce a foam metal at a comparatively low cost.

1A and 1B are schematic sectional views showing a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows arrangement | positioning of the front-end | tip part of a needle-shaped member. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the modification of the type | mold for foam metal shaping | molding. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the modification of the type | mold for foam metal shaping | molding. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the modification of the type | mold for foam metal shaping | molding. A, B It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing explaining the shaping in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram explaining the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

  First, prior to description of specific embodiments of the present invention, an outline of the present invention will be described.

  The mold for molding metal foam according to the present invention is a mold for molding metal foam, and includes a needle-like member and a base on which the needle-like member is attached so that the height can be adjusted. The molding surface is formed using a group of tip portions.

  The method for producing a foam metal according to the present invention uses a mold in which a molding surface of a foam metal is formed by a group of tips of needle-like members attached to a base so that the height can be adjusted, and a foaming agent is mixed with the metal. The precursor is placed inside the mold, and then the precursor is irradiated with light and heated, thereby foaming the precursor and producing a foam metal whose shape is controlled by the mold.

In the present invention, it is desirable to use a member made of a material having a melting point higher than that of the starting metal so that the needle-shaped member constituting the mold does not deform even when it comes into contact with the foamed metal. .
When aluminum, aluminum alloy, or the like is used as the raw material for the foam metal, copper, steel, or the like can be used as the material for the needle-like member.

The needle-like member constituting the molding die has a columnar part and a tip part.
More preferably, the tip portion has a cross-sectional area wider than the cross-sectional area of the columnar portion.
The tip is preferably formed of the same material as that of the columnar part, such as a nail or a metal pin, but is different from the columnar part (for example, different metals, non-metals) It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the metal is attached to the columnar part.

Of the needle-like member, only the tip may be used for molding.
Further, not only the tip portion of the needle-like member but also a columnar portion may be used for molding.

The needle-like member constituting the mold for molding is attached to the base so that the height can be adjusted.
As the base, a flat base or a base having a curved surface shape such as a semicircular cross section or a hemisphere can be used.
A material that transmits light may be used for the base, and in that case, the precursor can be irradiated with light through the base.
A method for attaching the needle-like member to the base is not particularly limited. Then, the height of each needle-like member is adjusted and attached to the base so that the height of the tip of the needle-like member corresponds to the surface shape of the foamed member to be manufactured.

  The mold may be produced for each foaming or may be used repeatedly by a plurality of foaming.

  As a form of use of the mold, it is preferable that a mold having a shape matching a foam metal having a desired shape is used like a conventional mold.

In addition, the form which comprises a type | mold only by the front-end | tip part of a needle-like member, the form which comprises a part of type | molds with the material (transparent material) which light permeate | transmits, and the other part is comprised by the front-end | tip part of a needle-like member Either of these is possible.
In the latter case, it is possible to irradiate the precursor from between the needle-shaped members, but if the precursor is irradiated with light from the part of the mold that transmits light, the light will be emitted. Since it is not obstruct | occluded by a needle-shaped member, the utilization efficiency of light can further be improved.

As a transparent material used for a part of the mold, glass, sapphire, quartz glass, crystal, or the like can be used.
Since this transparent material comes into contact with the foamed metal, it needs to have heat resistance so as not to be decomposed or deformed even in contact with the foamed metal. Therefore, the range of usable transparent materials varies depending on the melting point of the raw material metal.
Since aluminum, magnesium, zinc, and alloys thereof have a relatively low melting point, a wide range of transparent materials such as the glass, sapphire, quartz glass, and quartz described above can be used.

  For example, a precursor can be mounted on a heat-resistant flat plate and the flat plate can be used as a lower mold. In this case, the flat plate may not be a material that transmits light as long as light can be irradiated from a portion of a mold other than the flat plate.

  In the present invention, since a mold in which a foam metal molding surface is formed by a group of tip portions of needle-like members is used, the state of foaming can be observed from the gaps of the needle-like members of the mold. It is.

The arrangement of the needle-shaped members is not particularly limited as long as the foam metal can be molded by a mold in which a foam metal molding surface is formed by a group of tip portions.
For example, needle-like members can be densely arranged in one direction, and needle-like members can be sparsely arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction. In this case, it is possible to irradiate the precursor inside the mold from a direction parallel to the direction in which the needle-like members are densely arranged.

Regarding the needle-like member, the thickness of the columnar portion of the needle-like member, the interval between the needle-like members, the size of the tip end portion of the needle-like member, and the interval between the tip end portions are selected within an appropriate range.
In the case of irradiating light from the gap between the needle-shaped members, the light transmittance increases and the energy utilization efficiency increases as the columnar portion is thinner and the interval between the needle-shaped members is wider.
Further, the needle-shaped member is not deformed by foaming of the foam metal, and in order to control the shape of the foam metal, the strength of the columnar portion of the needle-shaped member is required to some extent.
Further, since the foam metal has a surface tension in a soft state during foaming, the foam metal can be prevented from protruding if the distance between the tips of the needle-like members is not more than a certain degree. When the space | interval of a front-end | tip part is too wide, the foaming metal which foamed will protrude from between front-end | tip parts. Therefore, the distance between the tip portions is set within an appropriate range depending on the allowable protrusion amount in accordance with the state of the surface tension of the metal during foaming of the raw material.

In the production method of the present invention, a metal element or an alloy can be used as the metal that forms the precursor and forms the foam metal.
For example, aluminum, an aluminum alloy, a magnesium alloy, zinc, a zinc alloy, copper, a copper alloy, iron, an iron alloy, etc. are mentioned.

In the production method of the present invention, the foaming agent constituting the precursor and mixed with the metal is conventionally used for foaming of foamed metal, or variously proposed for foaming of foamed metal. The blowing agent can be used. Examples thereof include TiH ₂ (titanium hydride) and zirconium hydride.
However, it is desirable to select a foaming agent whose foaming temperature is in an appropriate range so as to match the melting point of the raw material metal.

If the foaming agent is mixed with the metal in the manufacturing method of this invention, the preparation methods of a precursor will not be specifically limited.
For example, various production methods such as a method of mixing and solidifying a metal powder and a foaming agent powder, a method of mixing a foaming agent powder on a metal plate with a friction stir tool described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 Can be applied to make a precursor.

In the production method of the present invention, the number and arrangement of the precursors arranged in the mold are not particularly limited. Only one precursor or a plurality of precursors may be arranged.
When the foam metal to be manufactured has a relatively complicated surface shape (such as a recess), the foam metal of the surface shape can be more reliably aligned with the mold by arranging a plurality of precursors at appropriate positions. Can be manufactured.

In the production method of the present invention, as a light source for irradiating the precursor, for example, a halogen lamp or an infrared lamp can be used.
And conditions, such as the output of a light source, the wavelength range of the light of a light source, and irradiation time, are selected so that a precursor can be heated and sufficient energy for producing a foam metal can be given to a precursor.

In addition, after shaping | molding with the type | mold for shaping | molding of this invention, it is also possible to give a shape to a part immediately by pressing using another type | mold for shaping | molding. For example, after a precursor is placed on a mold, heated and foamed, the foamed metal may be shaped by pressing it with another mold from above the foamed metal.
As a result, even if the foam metal to be manufactured has a shape that is difficult to produce only with the tip or columnar portion of the needle-like member, the portion of the portion is pressed by a press using another molding die. It becomes possible to give a shape.
Note that a mold having a molding surface formed by using a group of tip portions of needle-like members can also be used as a molding die for pressing.

The position of the tip of each acicular member constituting the mold can be determined from the size and shape of the foam metal to be manufactured and the arrangement (positional coordinates) of the acicular member.
When the size / shape of the foam metal to be manufactured is known in advance, the position of the tip of the needle-like member is determined using the size / shape (for example, design data).
Also, using an article corresponding to the shape of the foam metal to be manufactured, the article is molded, and data relating to the size and shape of the surface of the article is obtained, and based on the obtained data relating to the dimension and shape of the article. Thus, the height (positional coordinate) from the base of the tip of each needle-like member of the mold for molding can be determined. Then, a mold for molding in which a molding surface of the foam metal is formed is produced from the determined group of tip portions, and the foam metal can be produced using the produced mold for molding.

Articles to be molded are made of foam metal that has already been manufactured and other materials (dense metal material, molded resin, manufactured by 3D printer) when multiple foam metals of the same size and shape are manufactured. Model, etc.
Further, for example, when a prosthetic hand or a prosthetic leg is made of foam metal, the other hand (finger, palm, arm) or foot (leg, leg) of the user can be taken.

  A conventionally known method can be adopted as a method of taking the article. There are two types of molding methods: a method using a molding material such as a plaster mold and a method using a jig such as a molding gauge. Since the method using the latter jig can be molded in a short time, it is suitable for the method for producing a metal foam according to the present invention.

  For example, as a mold-making method using a jig, a general commercially available flat plate-shaped mold-taking gauge is used, and a plurality of mold-taking gauges are arranged at regular intervals. It is possible to take a mold.

Also, for example, as a method of mold using a jig, a method of three-dimensional mold using a mold jig having a configuration in which needle-like members similar to a flat plate mold gauge are arranged vertically and horizontally Is also possible.
When this three-dimensional mold taking method is adopted, if the needle-shaped member of the mold-taking jig and the needle-shaped member of the mold for molding metal foam are arranged in exactly the same way, the mold can be cured. The position coordinates acquired by molding with the tool can be applied to the position coordinates of the tip of the needle-shaped member of the molding die as it is. However, since the position coordinates of the tip of the needle-shaped member of the molding die can be obtained from the surface shape of the article obtained based on the measurement of the mold-taking jig, the needle-like shape of the mold-taking jig These members and the needle-shaped member of the metal mold for molding metal need not be arranged in exactly the same way. Therefore, it is desirable to appropriately select the size, number, arrangement, etc. of the needle-shaped members for the mold-taking jig and the mold for molding. For example, needle-shaped members are densely arranged in a mold taking jig to perform mold drawing more precisely, and in a mold for molding, the needle-like members have a sparse and dense distribution, and light can be emitted from gaps between the members. It can be arranged.

In addition, by applying the mold making method described above, molds are made on the ordering side, data obtained by mold making is used to produce molds for molding on the manufacturing side, and foam metal using the molds Can be manufactured.
That is, a first computer is provided on the ordering side, and a second computer is provided on the manufacturing side. Then, on the ordering side, the article is molded and data relating to the size and shape of the surface of the article is acquired. Further, the data itself relating to the acquired size and shape of the surface of the article or the data of the shape of the surface of the article calculated based on the data is transmitted from the first computer to the second computer. Further, on the manufacturing side, based on the data received by the second computer, the height from the base of the tip portion of each needle-like member of the molding die is adjusted to produce the molding die. . And a metal foam is produced using the produced mold for molding.

By producing the foam metal in this manner, a foam metal having a size and shape corresponding to the article molded on the order side can be produced on the production side. And it becomes possible to produce a foam metal by order-made.
Moreover, a foam metal having a desired size and shape can be produced in a relatively short time.

Next, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In addition, this invention can take arbitrary structures within the range prescribed | regulated to the claim, and is not limited to the structure of the following embodiment or an Example.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention is shown in the schematic cross-sectional views of FIGS. 1A and 1B.
This embodiment is a case where a molding die is used in which needle-like members are extended up and down.

As shown in FIG. 1A, a large number of needle-like members 1 are attached to a flat base 3, and a total of two upper and lower flat bases 3 are provided to form a molding die. Has been.
The needle-like members 1 provided on the respective bases 3 extend upward and downward.
The needle-shaped member 1 includes a thin columnar portion and a tip portion 2 formed thicker than the columnar portion.
A group for molding is constituted by a group of tip portions 2 of each needle-like member 1.

One precursor 11 is disposed inside the mold for molding.
In FIG. 1A, only one precursor 11 is arranged inside the mold, but two or more precursors 11 may be arranged.

  The precursor 11 has a configuration in which a foaming agent is mixed with a metal. As the metal and the foaming agent, various materials described above can be used.

Here, the example of arrangement | positioning of the front-end | tip part 2 of the needle-shaped member 1 is shown in the top view of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a large number of tip portions 2 are arranged in the horizontal direction (x-axis direction) and the vertical direction (y-axis direction). The distal end portions 2 are sparsely arranged in the horizontal direction (x-axis direction) and densely arranged in the vertical direction (y-axis direction).
In this way, by disposing the tip portion 2 sparsely and densely depending on the direction, the surface shape of the foam metal is set by the densely arranged in the vertical direction, and the needle-like member 1 of the sparsely arranged in the lateral direction is set. Light L can be irradiated in the vertical direction (y-axis direction) from the gaps between the columnar portions.
In this case, the distance in the horizontal direction (x-axis direction) between the tip portions 2 is set so that the amount of the metal foam formed between the tip portions 2 falls within an allowable range.
Even when the needle-like members 1 are densely arranged and light does not reach the precursor 11 directly, if the needle-like member 1 is made of a material having thermal conductivity such as metal, the base 3 is formed. Heated by light irradiation, the heat is transmitted to the needle-like member 1, and the precursor 11 can be heated by heat radiation from the needle-like member 1. Needless to say, such a mold may be heated in an electric furnace as in the prior art.

In the configuration of the present embodiment, the precursor 11 can be irradiated with light from the gaps in the needle-like member 1 like the light L shown in the plan view of FIG. For example, the precursor 11 can be irradiated with light from a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1A.
In particular, when the flat substrate 3 is configured to transmit light, the precursor 11 can be irradiated with light from the upper or lower direction through the flat substrate 3. is there.

As shown in FIG. 1A, a mold for molding is prepared, and the precursor 11 is arranged inside the mold. Thereafter, the precursor 11 is irradiated with light, and the precursor 11 is heated and foamed. . The foamed precursor 11 expands to become a foam metal.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 1B, the metal foam 12 having a dimension and shape corresponding to the mold is manufactured along the inside of the mold constituted by the group of the tip portions 2 of the needle-like member 1.

  1 and 2, the needle-like members 1 are arranged at equal intervals in one direction, but the intervals between the needle-like members 1 may not be equal. The interval may be changed according to the shape of the metal foam 12. For example, by changing the configuration of FIGS. 1A and 1B to a configuration in which the needle-like members 1 are more densely arranged than the other portions with respect to the portion with the large inclination of the foam metal 12 to be manufactured, the inclination is reduced. Large portions can be formed with higher accuracy.

  Further, in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the mold for molding is constituted only by the tip 2 of the needle-shaped member 1, but the columnar portion of the needle-shaped member 1 is used as a part of the mold for molding. May be. For example, it is possible to form the vertical surface (surface parallel to the up-down direction) of the foam metal 12 using the columnar portion of the needle-like member 1.

(Modification)
The modification with respect to the 1st Embodiment of this invention is each shown in the schematic sectional drawing of FIGS.
These modifications are configurations in which the number and shape of the bases on which the needle-like member 1 is attached are changed.

The modification shown in FIG. 3 has a configuration in which the base is provided not only on the top and bottom but also on the side.
As shown in FIG. 3, a flat base 3 for attaching the needle-like member 1 is provided on the side (right and left) in addition to the upper and lower sides, and a total of four flat bases 3 are provided. It is arranged to form a mold for molding. The needle-like member 1 extends in a direction perpendicular to the surface of each flat base 3.

  In the first embodiment, the entire surface of the foam metal 12 is formed by the tip 2 of the needle-like member 1 attached to the two flat bases 3. In the case of the present modification, the surface of the foam metal 12 is formed with the tip 2 of the needle-like member 1 attached to the upper and lower bases 3 and the tip of the needle-like member 1 attached to the left and right bases 3. 2 and share.

  In the configuration of this modification, the precursor 11 can be irradiated with light from a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. In particular, when the flat substrate 3 is configured to transmit light, the precursor 11 can be irradiated with light through the flat substrate 3 from at least one of the upper, lower, left, and right directions.

  In addition, when the flat board | substrate 3 is the structure which permeate | transmits light, the flat board | substrate 3 and the needle-shaped member 1 are arrange | positioned also in the near side and back side of FIG. Can also be arranged.

The modification shown in FIG. 4 has a configuration in which the base is provided not only in the vertical and horizontal directions but also in an oblique direction.
As shown in FIG. 4, a flat base 3 to which the needle-like member 1 is attached is also provided in an oblique direction (upper right, lower right, upper left, lower left) in addition to the upper, lower, left and right sides, for a total of eight flat shapes. The base 3 is arranged to form a mold for molding. The needle-like member 1 extends in a direction perpendicular to the surface of each flat base 3.
In the case of this modification, the surface of the foam metal 12 is shared by the tip 2 of the needle-like member 1 attached to the eight bases 3.

  In the configuration of this modification, the precursor 11 can be irradiated with light from a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. In particular, when the flat substrate 3 is configured to transmit light, the precursor 11 can be irradiated with light through the flat substrate 3 from at least one of the upper, lower, left, and right directions. .

The example shown in FIG. 5 has a configuration in which the base is provided in the vertical direction with the base having a semicircular cross section.
As shown in FIG. 5, a needle-like member 1 is attached perpendicularly to the base 4 using a base 4 having a semicircular cross section as a base to which the needle-like member 1 is attached. Are formed so as to extend radially.
The base 4 having a semicircular cross section is configured to be cylindrical when two sheets are joined.

  In the configuration of this modification, the precursor 11 can be irradiated with light from a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. In particular, when the base 4 having a semicircular cross section is configured to transmit light, the precursor 11 can be irradiated with light through the base 4 having a semicircular cross section.

  When a material that transmits light is used for the base, two hemispherical bases are provided instead of the semicircular base 4 in FIG. 5, and each hemispherical base has a needle-like shape. A configuration in which the member 1 is attached is also possible.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in the schematic cross-sectional views of FIGS. 6A and 6B.
In the present embodiment, a part of a mold for molding is made of a material that transmits light (transparent material).

As shown in FIG. 6A, two flat bases 3 to which the needle-like member 1 is attached are provided on the upper and lower sides, and a transparent plate 5 made of a material that transmits light (transparent material) is provided on the left side. .
The group of tip portions 2 of the needle-like member 1 attached to the two flat bases 3 and the surface of the transparent plate 5 constitute a molding die.

  In FIG. 6A, two precursors 11 are arranged inside the mold. In addition, the number of the precursors 11 arrange | positioned inside a type | mold is not limited to 2 pieces of FIG. 6A.

In the configuration of the present embodiment, the precursor 11 can be irradiated with light from the gap between the needle-like members 1, for example, from the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 6A.
In this embodiment, since the transparent plate 5 is provided on the left side, the precursor 11 can be irradiated with light from the left side through the transparent plate 5.

A mold for molding is prepared, and the precursor 11 is arranged inside the mold as shown in FIG. 6A. After that, the precursor 11 is irradiated with light, and the precursor 11 is heated and foamed. . The foamed precursor 11 expands to become a foam metal.
Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6B, along the inside of the mold constituted by the group of tip portions 2 of the needle-like member 1 and the transparent plate 5, a foam metal 12 having a dimension and shape corresponding to the mold is manufactured. .

In the present embodiment, the transparent plate 5 is used as the transparent material constituting the mold for molding. However, the transparent material is not limited to a flat plate shape like the transparent plate 5, and other shapes are used. It is also possible to use a transparent material. For example, a transparent material having a curved surface can be used, and such a transparent material can impart a curved surface shape to the foam metal.
Moreover, you may comprise a needle-shaped member and a base | substrate with a transparent material.

(Third embodiment)
Subsequently, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the present embodiment, the article is molded using an article corresponding to the shape of the foam metal to be manufactured.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7, the mold 21 is molded by pressing two mold-making jigs 22 and 23 against the article 21 corresponding to the shape of the foam metal to be manufactured.
The mold-taking jigs 22 and 23 are composed of a large number of members that are brought into contact with the article 21 to perform mold-making. In FIG. 7, the members of the mold-taking jigs 22 and 23 are represented as rods for visualization, but thin needle-like members may be used.

  In order to perform the mold taking more precisely, it is preferable that the members of the jigs 22 and 23 for mold taking are arranged as densely as possible.

Whether the mold-taking jigs 22 and 23 have a flat plate shape or a three-dimensional shape, it is possible to perform the mold drawing.
However, when the jigs 22 and 23 are formed in a flat plate shape, the molds are taken by changing the positions, or the plurality of jigs 22 and 23 are arranged in parallel and the molds are taken.

By performing the molding of the article 21, data on the surface shape of the article 21 is obtained.
Based on the surface shape data of the article 21, the height (positional coordinates) from the base of the tip of the needle-like member constituting the mold for molding can be determined. That is, the position coordinates of the tip of each needle-like member can be obtained from the surface shape data of the article 21 and the position of the needle-like member.
Then, a mold for molding is produced by the determined group of tip portions of the needle-shaped member, and the foam metal is manufactured by irradiating and heating the precursor disposed inside the mold for molding. be able to.
In addition, if the jigs 22 and 23 for molding are composed of a thin needle-like member and a base made of the same material as the mold for molding, the needle-like member is brought into contact with the article 21 and then fixed to the base. This may be used as a mold for molding.

(Fourth embodiment)
Subsequently, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the present embodiment, data obtained by taking a mold on an article on the ordering side is transmitted to the manufacturing side, a mold is manufactured on the manufacturing side, and foam metal is manufactured using the mold.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 8, computers 111 and 121 are provided on the ordering side 110 and the manufacturing side 120, respectively.
Data is transmitted and received between these computers 111 and 121.

The ordering side 110 is provided with a first computer 111.
On the manufacturing side 120, a second computer 121 and a manufacturing apparatus 122 are provided. The manufacturing apparatus 122 manufactures a foam metal.

Between the first computer 111 and the second computer 121, data transmission and data reception can be performed.
Various configurations such as a wired connection, a wireless connection, and a connection through a network such as the Internet are conceivable.

Although not shown, the ordering side 110 molds an article corresponding to the shape of the foam metal to be manufactured in response to a user order. Data relating to the size and shape of the surface of the article is obtained by performing the molding.
Then, the first computer 111 transmits data relating to the size and shape of the surface of the article itself, or data on the shape of the article calculated based on the data, as indicated by an arrow T in FIG.

On the manufacturing side 120, the second computer 121 receives the data transmitted from the first computer 111 as indicated by an arrow R in FIG.
Based on the data received by the second computer 121, the height from the base of the tip portion of each needle-shaped member of the molding die is adjusted to produce a molding die.
And the metal foam is manufactured in the manufacturing apparatus 122 using the produced mold for molding.

In this way, it is possible to manufacture a foam metal having a dimension and shape corresponding to the article molded on the ordering side. And it becomes possible to produce a foam metal by order-made.
Moreover, a foam metal having a desired size and shape can be produced in a relatively short time.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Needle-shaped member, 2 front-end | tip part, 3 flat plate base, 4 cross-sectional semicircle base, 5 transparent plate, 11 precursor, 12 foam metal, 21 articles | items, 22, 23 the jig for mold taking, 110 Ordering side, 111 first computer, 120 manufacturing side, 121 second computer, 122 manufacturing equipment, T transmission, R reception

Claims (7)

A mold for molding foam metal,
A needle-shaped member;
The needle-shaped member consists of a base attached to be adjustable in height,
A mold for forming a metal foam, wherein a molding surface is formed using a group of tip portions of the needle-like member. A method for producing a foam metal, comprising:
Using a mold in which the molding surface of the metal foam is formed by a group of tip portions of needle-like members attached to the base so that the height can be adjusted,
A precursor in which a foaming agent is mixed with a metal is placed inside the mold,
Thereafter, the precursor is heated to foam the precursor, and a foam metal whose shape is controlled by the mold is produced.   The manufacturing method of the metal foam of Claim 2 which uses the column-shaped part of the said needle-shaped member of the said type | mold for shaping | molding.   The said metal mold | die is a manufacturing method of the foam metal of Claim 2 comprised by the material which at least one part permeate | transmits light.   3. The method for producing a foam metal according to claim 2, wherein after the precursor is foamed, it is further pressed by another molding die. Using an article having a shape corresponding to the shape of the foam metal to be manufactured, mold the article to obtain data on the size and shape of the surface of the article,
Based on the acquired data regarding the size and shape of the surface of the article, the height from the base of the tip of the needle-shaped member of the mold for molding is determined,
With the determined group of tip portions, a mold for molding on which the molding surface is formed is produced,
The method for producing a foam metal according to claim 2, wherein a foam metal is produced using the produced mold for molding. A first computer is provided on the ordering side,
The manufacturing side is provided with a second computer,
On the ordering side, mold the article to obtain data on the size and shape of the surface of the article,
The acquired data itself regarding the size and shape of the surface of the article, or the data of the shape of the surface of the article calculated based on the data is transmitted from the first computer to the second computer,
The foaming according to claim 6, wherein the manufacturing side adjusts the height of the tip portion of the needle-shaped member of the molding die from the base based on data received by the second computer. Metal manufacturing method.

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