JP2021003747A - Material transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent temperature drop of a material in a transfer device in which a holding part for holding a material is formed by a needle gripper.SOLUTION: A material transfer device includes: a holding part (70) including a base part (79) and multiple needles (71, 72) provided in such a way so as to be movable forward or rearward relative to the base part; and heating means (81) which are provided at positions, in which the needles (71, 72) pass when moving forward or rearward, avoiding moving paths of the needles (71, 72).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to a material transfer device, and more particularly to a transfer device provided with a grip (needle gripper) having a plurality of needles for piercing the material.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-144287 (Patent Document 1) describes a kneading device for producing a kneaded product of a fiber and a thermoplastic resin, a cutting device for cutting the kneaded product to produce a cut kneaded product, and a cutting device. A conveyor (conveyor) that is located on the downstream side and transports the cut and kneaded material to a predetermined take-out position (reception position), and a transfer device that picks up the cut and kneaded material that has been conveyed to the take-out position by the conveyor and transfers it to the molding die. Disclosed is an apparatus for producing a fiber reinforced resin molded product, which comprises a molding apparatus for producing a fiber reinforced resin molded article by pressure molding the cut and kneaded product transferred by the transfer apparatus with a molding die.

In the manufacturing apparatus of Patent Document 1, not only the conveyor but also the transfer apparatus is provided with a heat insulating means for preventing the temperature of the kneaded product from dropping.

As a method of grasping the kneaded product in a plastic state and transferring it to a molding die, a method of scooping up the kneaded product as in the transfer device of Patent Document 1 or a method of piercing and holding a needle (needle-shaped object) in the kneaded product. Methods and the like are known (see International Publication No. 2017/104857 (Patent Document 2)).

JP-A-2018-144287 International Publication No. 2017/104857

Since the transfer device of Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a plurality of materials are picked up by a common pick-up unit, it is easy to mount a heating means (heat-retaining means) due to the structure of the device, but a grip portion of the transfer device. When is composed of a needle gripper, it is difficult to apply the technique of Patent Document 1 as it is. Therefore, in the transfer device in which the grip portion for gripping the material is configured by the needle gripper, the temperature of the material may decrease.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent a decrease in the temperature of a material in a transfer device in which a grip portion for gripping the material is composed of a needle gripper. That is.

A material transfer device according to an aspect of the present invention has a grip portion including a base portion and a plurality of needles provided so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the base portion, and a position where the needle passes when advancing and retreating. It is provided with a heating means provided so as to avoid the route.

Preferably, the heating means includes a plurality of heaters arranged on a plane through which the needle passes as it moves forward and backward.

The heater is preferably formed in a pipe shape.

More preferably, the plurality of needles are arranged in a plurality of rows, and at least one heater is provided between the adjacent rows.

The material transfer device may further include temperature control means for individually adjusting the temperatures of the plurality of heaters.

It is desirable that the heating means is provided near the tip of the needle at the initial position.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the temperature of the material.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the schematic structure of the manufacturing apparatus of the fiber reinforced resin molded article which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the movement path of the hand part of the transfer device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the position adjustment method of the receiving stand in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the arrangement pattern example of the plurality of kneaded matter which is placed on the molding die (mounting table) in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the hand part in embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the hand part in embodiment of this invention. (A) and (b) are a side view and a bottom view of the hand portion in the embodiment of the present invention, respectively. It is a front view which shows the structure of the needle gripper (grip part) in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the guide member in embodiment of this invention. In the embodiment of the present invention, it is a figure which shows typically the operation of the transfer device at the time of grasping a kneaded material by a hand part. In the embodiment of the present invention, it is a figure which shows typically the operation of the transfer device at the time of releasing a kneaded material by a hand part.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding parts in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

The transfer device according to the present embodiment is an device that grips a plurality of materials arranged at a predetermined receiving position and transfers them to a mounting table at a delivery position. In the present embodiment, a transfer device for transferring the kneaded material as a pre-molding material for the fiber-reinforced resin molded product will be described.

<Outline configuration of manufacturing equipment for fiber reinforced resin molded product>
With reference to FIG. 1, first, a schematic configuration of a fiber-reinforced resin molded product manufacturing apparatus 1 including the transfer apparatus 4 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the fiber-reinforced resin molded product manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a kneading apparatus 2, an intermediate product manufacturing apparatus 3, a transfer apparatus 4, and a molding apparatus 5.

The kneading device 2 manufactures a kneaded product of fibers and a thermoplastic resin, and discharges the kneaded product. The intermediate product manufacturing apparatus 3 cuts the kneaded product discharged from the kneading apparatus 2 to produce (manufacture) the cut kneaded product as an intermediate product. The intermediate product manufacturing apparatus 3 has a conveyor 140 that conveys the kneaded material before and after cutting. The transfer device 4 grips the cut and kneaded product produced in the intermediate product manufacturing device 3 and transfers it to the molding device 5. The molding device 5 molds the cut and kneaded product transferred by the transfer device 4 to produce a fiber-reinforced resin molded product. The conveyor 140 and the transfer device 4 constitute a transfer means for transporting the kneaded material from the kneading device 2 to the molding device 5.

(Kneading device)
The kneading device 2 is a device for producing a kneaded product as a molded product material in which fibers are mixed with a thermoplastic resin by the LFT-D method. That is, a thermoplastic resin and a bundle of a plurality of continuous fibers are introduced, the fibers are opened while being cut, and the resin and the fibers are kneaded to produce a kneaded product. The thermoplastic resin is not particularly limited, but is preferably a polyamide resin. The fiber is preferably carbon fiber, glass fiber or the like. When carbon fiber is used, a thermoplastic CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics) molded body is manufactured in the manufacturing apparatus 1.

The kneading device 2 includes, for example, a first kneading machine 10, a second kneading machine 20, and a fiber supply unit 30. The first kneader 10 kneads the thermoplastic resin and the fiber. The second kneader 20 kneads and melts the thermoplastic resin introduced into the first kneader 10 prior to kneading with the fibers in the first kneader 10. The fiber supply unit 30 supplies the fibers to the first kneader 10.

The first kneader 10 includes a kneading shaft 11, a cylinder 12, a drive unit 13a, a speed reducer 13b, a weir body 14, and a die 15.

The kneading shaft 11 has a screw 11a and a rotating shaft 11b. The first kneader 10 may be a single-screw kneader having one kneading shaft 11 or a multi-screw kneader including a plurality of (for example, two) kneading shafts 11. The screw 11a kneads the thermoplastic resin and the fiber by rotating. The screw 11a is incorporated in the rotating shaft 11b. The screw 11a is not particularly limited as long as it is arranged at the upstream end and the downstream end of the kneading shaft 11, and a paddle may be incorporated between them, and only the screw 11a is the rotating shaft. It may be incorporated over the entire length of 11b.

A cylinder 12 is provided so as to accommodate the kneading shaft 11 inside. The gap between the cylinder 12 and the kneading shaft 11 serves as a flow path through which the thermoplastic resin and / or the fiber passes. The cylinder 12 has a resin supply port 12a for introducing the thermoplastic resin supplied from the second kneader 20 into the first kneader 10, and a plurality of continuous fibers supplied from the fiber supply unit 30. 1 It has a fiber supply port 12b for introduction into the kneader 10. In the present embodiment, the continuous fibers introduced from the fiber supply unit 30 are directly sent into the first kneader 10.

A drive unit 13a is connected to one (upstream side) shaft end of the kneading shaft 11 via a speed reducer 13b. The speed reducer 13b reduces the rotation speed of the electric motor and applies a high torque equal to or higher than the torque generated by the electric motor to the kneading shaft 11. When the first kneader 10 is a multi-screw kneader, the speed reducer 13b rotates a plurality of kneading shafts 11 in synchronization with a predetermined rotation speed. A weir body 14 is connected to the shaft end side of the other side (downstream side) of the kneading shaft 11. Since the weir body 14 can also serve as a breaker plate and an intermediate bearing and is arranged so as to extend in a direction intersecting the flow path, back pressure is applied to the kneaded product of the thermoplastic resin and the fiber.

The weir body 14 has an opening that serves as a flow path for the kneaded material. The weir body 14 of the present embodiment has a plurality of arc-shaped openings along the respective rotation directions of the screws 11a of the plurality of kneading shafts 11. The openings are provided corresponding to each kneading shaft 11. A die 15 is provided on the side of the weir body 14 opposite to the screw 11a. The die 15 has a discharge port 15a for discharging the kneaded material. The kneaded product K1 is extruded from the discharge port 15a into the intermediate product manufacturing apparatus 3.

The second kneader 20 melts the thermoplastic resin introduced into the resin supply port 12a of the cylinder 12 of the first kneader 10 in advance, and has a kneading shaft 21 having a screw 21a, a cylinder 22, and a drive unit 23a. And the speed reducer 23b and the hopper 24. The second kneading machine 20 may be a single-screw kneader having one kneading shaft 21 or a multi-screw kneader including a plurality of kneading shafts 21. In the kneading shaft 21, only the screw 21a may be incorporated in the rotating shaft 21b, or a paddle may be incorporated in the intermediate portion instead of the screw. The cylinder 22 has a discharge port 22a that supplies the molten thermoplastic resin to the first kneader 10. The drive unit 23a and the speed reducer 23b rotate the kneading shaft 21 at a predetermined rotation speed. The hopper 24 receives the raw material 25 of the thermoplastic resin that is kneaded between the kneading shaft 21 and the cylinder 22.

The fiber supply unit 30 supplies the fiber raw material 32 introduced into the fiber supply port 12b of the cylinder 12 of the first kneader 10 described above. The fiber supply unit 30 includes a mounting unit 31 on which the fiber raw material 32 wound with a bundle of a plurality of continuous fibers is placed. The mounting portion 31 has first and second guide portions 31a and 31b for taking out the tip of the fiber bundle from the fiber raw material 32 and introducing it into the fiber supply port 12b of the cylinder 12 of the first kneader 10. There is.

(Intermediate product manufacturing equipment)
The intermediate product manufacturing apparatus 3 is arranged adjacent to the discharge port 15a of the kneading apparatus 2 that pushes the kneaded material forward. The intermediate product manufacturing apparatus 3 cuts the continuous kneaded product K1 extruded from the discharge port 15a of the kneading apparatus 2, so that the intermediate product manufacturing apparatus 3 cuts the discontinuous kneaded product K2 for charging into the molding die 50 of the molding apparatus 5. That is, an intermediate product is manufactured.

The intermediate product manufacturing apparatus 3 includes a cutting apparatus 110 and a plurality of conveyors 140. Each conveyor 140 is composed of a belt conveyor in which a ring-shaped belt member (rotating member) is rotated on a carriage (non-rotating member), and a kneaded material is placed and moved on the bogie (non-rotating member).

The cutting device 110 cuts the kneaded product K1 to produce the kneaded product K2. The cutting device 110 has a cutting blade 111 for cutting the kneaded material K1 and a cradle (not shown) for supporting the cutting blade 111 downward.

The plurality of conveyors 140 include a first conveyor located on the upstream side of the cutting device 110 and a second conveyor located on the downstream side of the cutting device 110. The first conveyor receives the kneaded material discharged from the discharge port 15a of the kneading device 2 from below and sends it to the cutting device 110. The second conveyor sends the cut kneaded product K2 cut by the cutting device 110 to the transfer device 4 side.

As schematically shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate product manufacturing apparatus 3 provides a heating mechanism 9 in order to maintain the pre-molded kneaded product K1 and the cut kneaded product K2 in a plastic state (prevent curing). It is desirable to have it. In this embodiment, at least the conveyor 140 is equipped with the heating mechanism 9. The heating mechanism 9 may include a heating means (for example, an infrared heater) for heating the cut kneaded product K2 in a non-contact state, or may include a heating means for heating the cut kneaded product K2 in a non-contact state. Good.

(Transfer device)
The transfer device 4 is located on the downstream side of the intermediate product manufacturing device 3, grips the cut kneaded product K2 as an intermediate product manufactured by the intermediate product manufacturing device 3, and transfers it to the molding die 50 of the molding device 5. Specifically, the transfer device 4 grips and delivers the cut kneaded product K2 sent by the conveyor 140 of the intermediate product manufacturing device 3 on a mounting table (hereinafter referred to as “receiving table”) 150 located at the receiving position. It is placed (inserted) on the molding die 50 located at the position.

The transfer device 4 is a so-called robot hand, and includes a hand portion 41 that grips the cut and kneaded product K2 and an arm portion 42 that moves the hand portion 41. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the arm portion 42 moves the hand portion 41 in an arc shape around the fulcrum 46 in a plan view (viewed from above). A receiving stand 150 and a molding die 50 arranged on the downstream side of the conveyor 140 are located on this arc. That is, the receiving table 150 and the molding die 50 are located on the moving path of the hand portion 41.

In a plan view, the arm portion 42 moves the hand portion 41 from the receiving position overlapping the receiving table 150 to the delivering position overlapping the molding die 50, and then moves the hand portion 41 to the receiving position again. The hand portion 41 is connected to a shaft portion 43 provided at the tip of the arm portion 42. The locus drawn by the hand portion 41 is not limited to an arc or a circle.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer device 4 includes a control unit 90 that controls a hand unit 41 and an arm unit 42. The control unit 90 drives and controls the arm unit 42 to move the hand unit 41 (for example, in an arc shape), and also drives and controls the hand unit 41 to cause the hand unit 41 to grip and release the cut kneaded product K2. To do.

(Molding equipment)
The molding apparatus 5 is located on the downstream side of the transfer apparatus 4, and press-molds the cut and kneaded product K2 to produce a fiber-reinforced resin molded product as a final product. The molding apparatus 5 includes a molding die 50 having a lower die 52 on which the cutting kneaded product K2 is placed and an upper die 51 arranged facing the lower die 52. The upper mold 51 is supported by the plate 53, and the lower mold 52 is supported by the holder 54.

In the molding apparatus 5, the cutting kneaded product K2 is arranged in the cavity which is the cavity portion of the upper mold 51 and the lower mold 52, and the cutting kneaded product K2 is pressure-molded by closing the upper mold 51 and the lower mold 52. To do. The molding apparatus 5 manufactures a final product by pressure molding a plurality of cut and kneaded products K2. That is, a plurality of cutting kneaded products K2 are placed on the molding die 50 (lower die 52). Therefore, the transfer device 4 grips a plurality of (for example, two) cut kneaded products K2 at a time by the hand portion 41, and transfers the gripped plurality of cut kneaded products K2 to the molding die 50.

<Overview of transfer device and kneaded material transfer method>
The hand portion 41 of the transfer device 4 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of needle grippers for gripping each of the plurality of cut kneaded products K2 on the receiving table 150. The needle gripper is a grip portion having a plurality of needles. Needle grippers are provided according to the number of cut kneaded products K2 to be transferred.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the receiving stand 150 is provided so as to be movable at least in a direction orthogonal (intersecting) with the conveying direction of the conveyor 140 (hereinafter, referred to as an orthogonal direction). .. In the drawings, the transport direction is indicated by arrow A1 and the orthogonal direction is indicated by arrow A2.

The position adjustment of the receiving table 150 will be described with reference to FIG. With reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, when the first cutting kneaded product K2 conveyed to the conveyor 140 is placed on the receiving table 150, the receiving table 150 moves along the orthogonal direction. Be moved. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3C, the second cut kneaded product K2 is placed on the receiving table 150 so as not to overlap with the first cut kneaded product K2. The two cut kneaded products K2 are arranged on the receiving table 150 at intervals from each other.

The receiving stand 150 is moved in the orthogonal direction by a driving means such as a hydraulic cylinder. The receiving stand 150 may be provided so as to be movable on the guide rail. Further, in order to smoothly place the cut kneaded product K2 on the receiving table 150 from the conveyor 140, the receiving table 150 may be adjustable in position along the transport direction.

The hand portion 41 of the transfer device 4 according to the present embodiment grips the two cutting kneaded products K2 placed on the receiving table 150 with the two needle grippers in the same arrangement pattern, and forms a molding die. Transfer to 50. Then, when the cutting kneaded product K2 is placed on the molding die 50, the needle grippers are operated one by one to place (insert) the cutting kneaded product K2 on the molding die 50 in an arrangement pattern according to the shape of the final product.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the hand portion 41 of the transfer device 4 not only mounts the two cut kneaded products K2 in the same arrangement pattern as at the time of receiving, but also mounts the two cut kneaded products K2 from FIG. 4 (b). As shown in (d), the two cut kneaded products K2 can be placed in a different arrangement pattern from that at the time of receiving. FIG. 4B shows an arrangement pattern in which two cut kneaded products K2 are arranged without gaps. FIG. 4C shows an arrangement pattern in which two cut kneaded products K2 are arranged in a direction different from that at the time of receipt with a gap between them. FIG. 4D shows an arrangement pattern in which two cut kneaded products K2 are stacked one above the other.

<Structure of hand part>
A specific configuration example of the hand portion 41 of the transfer device 4 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the hand portion 41. FIG. 6 is a front view of the hand portion 41. FIG. 7A is a side view of the hand portion 41, which is a view seen from the direction of VIIa in FIG. FIG. 7B is a bottom view of the hand portion 41, which is a view seen from the VIIb direction of FIG. Here, the material transferred by the transfer device 4 is referred to as "kneaded product K". Further, in the following description, the lateral direction (indicated by the arrow A3 in the figure) when the hand portion 41 is viewed from the front is referred to as "left-right direction", and the depth direction when the hand portion 41 is viewed from the front (in the figure). , Shown by arrow A4) is referred to as "front-back direction".

The hand portion 41 is attached to two (plural) needle grippers 70a, 70b, a frame portion 62 connected to a shaft portion 43 provided at the tip of the arm portion 42, and a needle gripper 70a, It includes a plurality of drive devices 64a and 64b that operate each of the 70b independently.

The needle grippers 70a and 70b are arranged in the left-right direction and are arranged apart from each other. The frame portion 62 has a length in the left-right direction, and the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the frame portion 62 is connected to the tip of the arm portion 42 via the shaft portion 43.

The needle gripper 70a located on the relatively left side is driven by the drive device 64a, and the needle gripper 70b located on the relatively right side is driven by the drive device 64b. The drive devices 64a and 64b are attached to the frame portion 62 via the bracket 63. The bracket 63 is provided so as to project forward from the frame portion 62.

In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the drive devices 64a and 64b, these are collectively referred to as the drive device 64. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the needle grippers 70a and 70b, these are collectively referred to as the needle grippers 70.

(About the drive unit)
Each drive device 64 includes a fixing member 65 fixed to the frame portion 62 via a bracket 63, and a movable member 66 provided so as to be movable back and forth with respect to the fixing member 65. The movable member 66 reciprocates in the vertical direction (vertical direction) based on a command from the control unit 90.

The drive device 64 is composed of, for example, an air cylinder. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7A, the fixing member 65 tightens a cylindrical cylinder tube 641 extending in the vertical direction, a head cover 642 and a rod cover 643 covering both ends thereof, and these covers 642 and 643. Includes 4 tie rods 645. The movable member 66 includes a piston 644 fitted inside the cylinder tube 641 and a piston rod 646 attached to the piston 644. The head cover 642 and the rod cover 643 are provided with ports for supplying and discharging air inside the cylinder tube 641, and the reciprocating motion of the piston 644 is performed by alternately supplying air to the front and rear of the piston 644.

A needle gripper 70 is fixed to the lower end of the movable member 66. Specifically, a cylindrical nut 649 connected to the base portion 79 of the needle gripper 70 is fixed to a bolt shaft 647 integrally provided at the lower end of the piston rod 646 together with a nut 648 attached to the movable member 66. There is. As a result, the entire needle gripper 70 moves up and down as the movable member 66 (piston rod 646) reciprocates.

The needle gripper 70 can be gripped by the needles 71 and 72 when the movable member 66 is most advanced, that is, when the piston rod 646 is most pulled out. The position of the needle gripper 70 when the movable member 66 is most retracted is referred to as a "evacuation position", and the position of the needle gripper 70 when the movable member 66 is most advanced is referred to as a "working position". In FIG. 7A, the needle gripper 70 at the retracted position is shown by a solid line, and the needle gripper 70 (70b) at the working position is shown by an imaginary line.

(About needle gripper)
The configuration of the needle gripper 70 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the configuration of the needle gripper 70. The needle gripper 70 is in the second direction (direction indicated by arrow A6 in the figure) intersecting the first direction with the needle 71 of the first group extending along the first direction (direction indicated by arrow A5 in the figure). It has a second group of needles 72 extending along the line, and the kneaded product K is sandwiched between the first group of needles 71 and the second group of needles 72.

The needle 71 extends diagonally downward to the right, and the needle 72 extends diagonally downward to the left. The inclination angles of the needles 71 and 72 with respect to the vertical direction are the same, and are defined in the range of, for example, 40 to 50 degrees. The needles 71 and 72 are needle-shaped members with sharp tips and have heat resistance.

The needle 71 of the first group is held by the holding member 73, and the needle 72 of the second group is held by the holding member 74. The holding members 73 and 74 are composed of plate-shaped members orthogonal to the needles 71 and 72, and are arranged obliquely so as to face each other. That is, the holding member 73 is arranged orthogonally to the first direction, and the holding member 74 is arranged orthogonally to the second direction. The rear end of the needle 71 is attached to the holding member 73, and the rear end of the needle 72 is attached to the holding member 74.

The needles 71 and 72 are arranged in a plurality of rows (for example, three rows) when viewed from the front in each group. That is, the needles 71 and 72 are arranged in a matrix or a staggered pattern in each group. The holding members 73 and 74 are long in the front-rear direction of the needle gripper 70, and in each group, the number of needles 71 and 72 in the front-rear direction is larger than the number of needles 71 and 72 in the left-right direction (three).

In the present embodiment, the tip heights of all the needles 71 and 72 are the same. Therefore, the needles 71 and 72 in the left-right central row of the needle gripper 70 are formed longer than the needles 71 and 72 in the outer row.

The needle gripper 70 is attached to a movable member 66 of the drive device 64 and includes a needle driving means 75 for simultaneously advancing and retreating the needle 71 of the first group and the needle 72 of the second group. The needle driving means 75 is provided one-to-one with the driving device 64. The needle gripper 70 is configured to be symmetrical with respect to the needle driving means 75. The holding member 73 is relatively located on the left side, and the holding member 74 is relatively located on the right side.

The needle driving means 75 is driven and controlled when the needle gripper 70 is located at the working position. That is, the needles 71 and 72 are moved forward and backward only when the needle gripper 70 is located at the working position. The position where the needles 71 and 72 are most retracted is called the "initial position". Further, since the kneaded product K is gripped at the position where the needles 71 and 72 are most advanced, the position where the needles 71 and 72 are most advanced is referred to as a "grasping position".

In FIG. 8, the line of the tip height of the needles 71 and 72 at the initial position is shown by the imaginary line L1, and the line of the tip height of the needles 71 and 72 at the gripping position is shown by the imaginary line L2. ing. At the initial position, the needles 71 and 72 overlap the least, and at the gripping position, the needles 71 and 72 overlap the most. The two do not have to overlap in the initial position.

In this way, the transfer device 4 performs the operation (lowering or raising) of the needle gripper 70 by the driving device 64 and the raising and lowering of the needles 71 and 72 by the needle driving means 75 in two stages.

The needle driving means 75 advances and retreats the needles 71 and 72 with respect to the base portion 79 described above. The needle driving means 75 typically has a cylinder portion 751 that is directly or indirectly fixed to the base portion 79 and a piston 752 that reciprocates within the cylinder portion 751. The piston 752 functions as an advancing / retreating member. In the present embodiment, a plurality (two) of pistons 752 are provided in order to stabilize the reciprocating motion, but the number of pistons 752 may be one.

The piston 752 reciprocates based on a command from the control unit 90, and the needles 71 and 72 are moved back and forth by the reciprocating motion. The piston 752 reciprocates along the vertical direction in the same manner as the movable member 66 of the drive device 64. As described above, the advancing / retreating direction of the piston 752 is different from the advancing / retreating direction (first direction, second direction) of the needles 71 and 72 itself, and is the same direction as the advancing / retreating direction of the movable member 66 of the drive device 64.

Therefore, the piston 752 and the holding members 73, 74 that hold the needles 71, 72 are connected via the guide member 76. That is, the needle gripper 70 is a guide member for guiding the advance / retreat of the needle 71 of the first group along the first direction and the advance / retreat of the needle 72 of the second group along the second direction with the reciprocating motion of the piston 752. It further contains 76.

(About guide members)
The guide member 76 is fixed to a guide plate 761 connected to the lower end of the piston 752 and extending in the left-right direction, a pair of guide holes 762 provided in the guide plate 761, and holding members 73 and 74, and a pair of guide holes 762. Has an engaging pin 77 that engages with.

The guide plate 761 is arranged along the vertical direction, and the guide hole 762 penetrates the guide plate 761 in the plate thickness direction. The guide hole 762 is short in the vertical direction and long in the horizontal direction. The engaging pin 77 is fixed to the upper end portion (that is, the end portion closer to the center in the left-right direction) of the holding members 73, 74 arranged obliquely.

9 (a) and 9 (b) show an example of mounting the engaging pin 77. 9A is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line IXa-IXa of FIG. 8, and is a top view of the holding member 74. 9 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IXb-IXb of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the engaging pin 77 is fixed to, for example, the upper surface of the holding member 74 via the bracket 771. The engaging pin 77 is attached to the bracket 771 so as to project forward (or rearward) at a position protruding toward the center from the holding member 74. The method of attaching the engaging pin 77 is not particularly limited, and the engaging pin 77 may be provided so as to be movable in the guide hole 762 in the left-right direction.

With reference to FIG. 8 again, a pair of fixed shafts 78 extending through the holding members 73 and 74 are connected and fixed to both ends 791 and 792 in the left-right direction of the base portion 79. The holding members 73 and 74 are provided with through holes for inserting the fixed shaft 78. The fixed shaft 78 on the left side penetrates the holding member 73 straight in the plate thickness direction and extends along the first direction. The fixed shaft 78 on the right side penetrates the holding member 74 straight in the plate thickness direction and extends along the second direction.

Since each needle gripper 70 is provided with the guide member 76 as described above, even if the direction of the reciprocating motion of the piston 752 is different from the advancing / retreating direction of the needles 71 and 72, the needles 71 and 72 can be smoothly advanced and retreated. Can be done. This will be specifically described.

In the initial state (when the piston 752 is most retracted), the pair of engaging pins 77 are located at both ends (outer ends) in the left-right direction of the pair of guide holes 762. In FIG. 8, the state at this time is partially shown by an imaginary line. In the initial state, the engaging pin 77 of the holding member 73 and the engaging pin 77 of the holding member 74 are located at the farthest positions. The positions of the needles 71 and 72 at this time are the initial positions.

When the needles 71 and 72 are displaced from the initial position to the gripping position, the needle driving means 75 is driven by the control unit 90, and the piston 752 is pulled out vertically downward from the cylinder unit 751. The guide plate 761 descends in conjunction with the descending of the piston 752. Then, the engaging pins 77 of the holding members 73 and 74 that are engaged with the guide holes 762 of the guide plate 761 move toward the central portion in the left-right direction along the longitudinal direction of the guide holes 762. That is, the engaging pin 77 of the holding member 73 and the engaging pin 77 of the holding member 74 move in the direction of approaching each other. As a result, the needles 71 and 72 move (displace) diagonally downward along the longitudinal direction of the fixed shaft 78 together with the holding members 73 and 74.

As described above, when the needle gripper 70 includes the guide member 76, the displacements of the needle 71 of the first group and the needle 72 of the second group can be reliably synchronized by driving one needle driving means 75. Therefore, the gripping operation of the kneaded product K can be appropriately performed. When the needles 71 and 72 are returned from the working position to the initial position, each part of the guide member 76 operates in the opposite direction to the above.

(About heating means)
As shown in FIGS. 6, 7 (b), and 8, it is desirable that each needle gripper 70 is provided with a heating means 81 for heating the needles 71 and 72. As a result, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the kneaded product K from dropping during the transfer of the kneaded product K by the transfer device 4. That is, it is possible to prevent the kneaded product K from hardening.

The heating means 81 is composed of a plurality of heaters 82 provided at the bottom of each needle gripper 70. The heater 82 is typically an infrared heater formed in the shape of a pipe.

The plurality of heaters 82 extend parallel to each other along the front-rear direction of the needle gripper 70. Both ends of the heater 82 are held by a pair of heater holding members 83, 84 indirectly or directly connected to the base portion 79. One heater holding member 83 holds one end (front end) of the heater 82, and the other heater holding member 84 holds the other end (rear end) of the heater 82. The heater holding members 83, 84 are formed in a plate shape, for example, and are arranged so as to face each other in the front-rear direction. As an example, the heater 82 is made of a member whose shape can be changed by heating, and is formed by curing the heater 82 with both ends bent.

Since the heater holding members 83 and 84 are connected to the base portion 79, the heater holding members 83 and 84 and the heater 82 of the needles 71 and 72 are similar to the cylinder portion 751 (fixing member) of the needle driving means 75. Does not follow the forward / backward movement. The heater 82 is provided at a position where the needles 71 and 72 pass when advancing and retreating, avoiding the advancing and retreating paths of the needles 71 and 72. That is, it is provided at a position within the range through which the needles 71 and 72 pass in the vertical direction and does not interfere with the needles 71 and 72.

With reference to FIG. 8, at least one heater 82 is provided between the needles 71 (72) adjacent to each other in the left-right direction in each group. Since the needles 71 and 72 are arranged in a plurality of rows in each group, at least one (for example, two) heaters 82 are arranged between each row (between adjacent rows). As a result, all the needles 71 and 72 can be heated evenly.

As shown in the figure, the heater 82 arranged between the needle 71 located on the innermost side (closer to the center in the left-right direction) in the first group and the needle 71 located next to the needle 71 is the innermost side in the second group. It may also serve as a heater arranged between the needle 72 located (closer to the center in the left-right direction) and the needle 72 located next to the needle 72.

In this embodiment, all the heaters 82 are arranged at the same height. That is, all the heaters 82 are arranged on the (same) plane through which the needles 71 and 72 pass when advancing and retreating. The heights of the heaters 82 do not have to be the same. The height at which the heater 82 is arranged is typically below the height of the rear ends of the needles 71 and 72 located at the gripping position (shown by the imaginary line L3 in FIG. 8) and at the gripping position. It is above the height of the upper surface of the kneaded product K (shown by the imaginary line L4 in FIG. 8) gripped by the needles 71 and 72 located.

Specifically, it is desirable that the heater 82 is provided near the tips of the needles 71 and 72 at the initial position. In the present embodiment, the needles 71 and 72 are provided slightly above the height of the tips (indicated by the imaginary line L1 in FIG. 8) at the initial position. As described above, it is desirable that the heater 82 is located within the height range of the tips of the needles 71 and 72 at the initial position.

As a result, the tips of the needles 71 and 72 are heated from both sides by the heater 82 when the needle gripper 70 does not grip the kneaded product K (that is, the needles 71 and 72 are located at the initial positions). be able to. Therefore, when gripping the kneaded product K, it is possible to suppress or prevent the temperature of the kneaded product K from dropping (the kneaded product K cools) due to the needles 71 and 72 sticking into the kneaded product K. it can.

Further, since at least one heater 82 extending linearly is provided between adjacent needles in the left-right direction as described above, the kneaded product K is held from above while the kneaded product K is being gripped. Can be heated. Therefore, it is possible to suppress or prevent the temperature of the kneaded product K from dropping during the transfer of the kneaded product K. As a result, molding defects due to curing of the kneaded product K can be prevented.

The transfer device 4 may further include temperature adjusting means (not shown) for individually adjusting the temperatures of the plurality of heaters 82 in order to suppress the temperature unevenness of the kneaded product K. Since the surface of the kneaded product K tends to harden, when the carbon fibers react with air (oxygen) to generate heat inside the kneaded product K having a large number of bubbles, the hardened surface becomes a heat insulating material and the kneaded product K becomes a heat insulating material. The inside of is hotter than the outer circumference. Therefore, for example, by keeping the needles 71 and 72 that pierce the central portion of the kneaded product K lower than the temperature of the needles 71 and 72 that pierce the end portion of the kneaded product K, the temperature unevenness of the kneaded product K is suppressed. It is possible.

In this case, the temperature adjusting means applies, for example, the temperature of the heater 82 that heats the needles 71 and 72 that pierce the central portion of the kneaded product K in the left-right direction, and the needles 71 and 72 that pierce the end portions of the kneaded product K in the left-right direction. It is set lower than the temperature of the heater 82 to be heated. Alternatively, the heaters 82 are arranged in a grid pattern to heat the needles 71 and 72 that pierce the central portion of the kneaded product K in the front-rear direction, and the temperature of the heater 82 that pierces the end portions of the kneaded product K in the front-rear direction is set to the needles 71 and 72. It may be set lower than the temperature of the heater 82 that heats.

In the present embodiment, since the needles 71 and 72 are aligned and arranged, an example in which the heater 82 is arranged linearly has been described, but when the needles 71 and 72 are not aligned, the heater 82 has been described. , The heater 82 may be arranged in a curved line. Further, the extending direction of the plurality of heaters 82 may be the left-right direction of the needle gripper 70.

Further, although it has been described that the heating means 81 is composed of the pipe-shaped heater 82, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be composed of a plate-shaped heater provided with a plurality of holes through which the needles 71 and 72 pass.

(About the stopper)
As shown in FIGS. 6, 7 (b), and 8, it is also desirable that each needle gripper 70 is provided with a stopper 85 for smoothly releasing the kneaded product K in the gripped state. The stopper 85 extends linearly along the left-right direction of the needle gripper 70. A plurality of stoppers 85 are provided and extend in parallel with each other. Therefore, when the needle gripper 70 is viewed from the bottom surface, the plurality of stoppers 85 and the plurality of heaters 82 are arranged in a grid pattern.

Both ends of the stopper 85 are held by a pair of stopper holding members 86, 87 indirectly or directly connected to the base portion 79. Therefore, the stopper holding members 86, 87 and the stopper 85 do not follow the advancing / retreating operation of the needles 71, 72, similarly to the cylinder portion 751 (fixing member) of the needle driving means 75. The stopper 85 is also provided at a position within the range through which the needles 71 and 72 pass in the vertical direction and does not interfere with the needles 71 and 72.

The stopper 85 is arranged above the height of the upper surface of the kneaded product K (indicated by the imaginary line L4 in FIG. 8) in a state where the needles 71 and 72 located at the gripping position pierce the kneaded product K. Further, the needles 71 and 72 located at the initial positions are arranged slightly below the line at the tip position (indicated by the imaginary line L1 in FIG. 8).

As a result, when the needles 71 and 72 are returned from the gripping position to the initial position, the upper surface of the kneaded material K hits the stopper 85, so that the kneaded material K can be smoothly discharged from the needles 71 and 72. It is also possible to prevent the kneaded product K from coming into contact with the heater 82.

<Operation of transfer device>
The operation of the transfer device 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. 10 (a) to 10 (d) are diagrams schematically showing the operation of the transfer device 4 when the kneaded product K is gripped by the hand portion 41. 11 (a) to 11 (c) are diagrams schematically showing the operation of the transfer device 4 when the kneaded product K is released by the hand portion 41. By being controlled by the control unit 90, the transfer device 4 grips the kneaded product K on the receiving table 150, transfers the kneaded product K from the receiving table 150 to the molding die 50, and kneads the kneaded product K on the molding die 50. The release of K is repeated in this order.

First, the control unit 90 controls the arm unit 42 to move the hand unit 41 from the standby position to the receiving stand 150 (receiving position) along the moving path as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10A, when the hand portion 41 reaches the receiving position, the movable member 66 of the drive devices 64a and 64b is most retracted (located at the upper end), and the needle gripper 70a, Both 70b are located in the retracted position. When the needle grippers 70a and 70b are located in the retracted position, the piston 752 of the needle driving means 75 is most retracted (located at the upper end), and the needles 71 and 72 are located in the initial position.

When the needle grippers 70a and 70b are respectively positioned above the two kneaded materials K placed on the receiving table 150, the control unit 90 is as shown in FIG. 10 (b). , The movable member 66 of the drive devices 64a and 64b is advanced (lowered). That is, the piston rod 646 is controlled to be pulled out downward from the cylinder tube 641. As a result, the needle grippers 70a and 70b are displaced (descended) from the initial position to the working position.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 10C, the control unit 90 simultaneously controls the needle driving means 75 of the needle grippers 70a and 70b displaced to the working position, and moves the piston 752 downward from the cylinder unit 751. Pull out. Then, in each of the needle grippers 70a and 70b, the needles 71 and 72 move diagonally downward while being guided by the guide member 76. Specifically, a pair of engaging pins 77 fixed to the holding members 73 and 74 move from the outside to the inside (from both ends in the left-right direction toward the center side) in the guide hole 762 of the guide plate 761. By doing so, the holding members 73 and 74 are pushed downward while approaching each other.

As a result, in each of the needle grippers 70a and 70b, the needles 71 and 72 are displaced from the initial position to the gripping position, so that the two kneaded products K on the receiving table 150 are replaced with the needles 71 and 72 of the needle grippers 70a and 70b. Is pierced at the same time by. That is, the two kneaded products K are gripped at the same time. When the needles 71 and 72 are located at the gripping position, the engaging pin 77 is in contact with the inner wall surface of the guide hole 762.

When the two kneaded products K on the receiving table 150 are gripped by the needle grippers 70a and 70b, the control unit 90 controls to retract (raise) the movable member 66 of the driving devices 64a and 64b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10 (d), the needle grippers 70a and 70b are returned (ascended) from the working position to the retracted position while holding the kneaded material K. In this way, two kneaded products K are simultaneously lifted from the receiving table 150.

After that, the control unit 90 controls the arm unit 42 to move the hand unit 41 from the receiving base 150 to the molding die 50 along the movement path as shown in FIG. As a result, the two kneaded products K are transferred from the receiving table 150 to the molding die 50. During the transfer of the kneaded product K, the needles 71 and 72 remain in the gripping position.

When the hand portion 41 reaches the molding die 50 (delivery position), the control section 90 places the kneaded product K gripped by one needle gripper 70a on the molding die 50, and then grips the kneaded product K on the other needle gripper 70b. The kneaded product K is placed on the molding die 50.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11A, the control unit 90 drives and controls the drive device 64a with the needle gripper 70a located above the molding die 50, and only the needle gripper 70a Is lowered from the retracted position to the working position. The horizontal position of the needle gripper 70a at this time is predetermined according to the shape of the final product. As a result, the kneaded product K gripped by the needle gripper 70a is placed in a predetermined region of the molding die 50.

After that, contrary to the operation shown in FIG. 10 (c), the control unit 90 controls the needle driving means 75 of the needle gripper 70a located at the working position to pull the piston 752 upward. Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, the needles 71 and 72 of the needle gripper 70a move diagonally upward while being guided by the guide member 76. Specifically, a pair of engaging pins 77 fixed to the holding members 73 and 74 move from the inside to the outside (from the center in the left-right direction to both ends) in the guide hole 762 of the guide plate 761. As a result, the holding members 73 and 74 are pulled upward while moving away from each other.

As a result, the needles 71 and 72 of the needle gripper 70a are displaced from the gripping position to the initial position, and are therefore pulled out from the kneaded product K placed on the molding die 50. In this way, the needle gripper 70a releases (inserts) the first kneaded product K into the molding die 50.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11C, the control unit 90 drives and controls the drive device 64a to return the needle gripper 70a from the working position to the retracted position, and drives and controls the other drive device 64b. , The needle gripper 70b is lowered from the retracted position to the working position. The horizontal position of the needle gripper 70b at this time is also predetermined according to the shape of the final product. Therefore, the control unit 90 adjusts the horizontal position of the entire hand unit 41 so that the horizontal position of the needle gripper 70b is a predetermined position.

When the kneaded product K gripped by the needle gripper 70b is placed in a predetermined area of the molding die 50, the control unit 90 moves the needle gripper 70b located at the working position in the same manner as the operation shown in FIG. 11B. The needle driving means 75 of the above is controlled to pull the piston 752 upward. As a result, the needles 71 and 72 of the needle gripper 70b move diagonally upward while being guided by the guide member 76, so that the needles 71 and 72 of the needle gripper 70b are displaced from the gripping position to the initial position. In this way, the needle gripper 70b releases (inserts) the second kneaded product K into the molding die 50.

In addition, in FIG. 11C, as an example, a state in which two kneaded products K are arranged without a gap is shown according to the arrangement pattern shown in FIG. 4B.

As described above, the transfer device 4 according to the present embodiment includes drive devices 64a and 64b that independently displace the two needle grippers 70a and 70b from the retracted position to the working position, and the drive device 64a. , 64b operate the needle grippers 70a and 70b at different timings at the delivery position. Therefore, the two kneaded products K held by the needle grippers 70a and 70b can be arranged on the molding die 50 in an arrangement pattern having a high degree of freedom. That is, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom in arranging the plurality of pre-molded materials. Therefore, it is possible to form a final product having a complicated shape in the molding apparatus 5.

Further, since the two needle grippers 70a and 70b can be raised and lowered independently, it is possible to prevent interference with the components of the molding apparatus 5.

Further, in the present embodiment, the drive devices 64a and 64b operate the needle grippers 70a and 70b at the same timing at the receiving position. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently grip the plurality of kneaded products K. That is, the time required from receiving the kneaded product K to delivering it can be shortened. The drive devices 64a and 64b may also operate the needle grippers 70a and 70b at different timings at the receiving position. In this case, it is possible to eliminate the need for adjusting the position of the receiving stand 150.

(Modification example)
In the present embodiment, a configuration in which a plurality of needle grippers 70 can be individually moved up and down by a plurality of drive devices 64 has been described. The position of may be adjustable. Alternatively, the needle gripper 70 may be able to rotate in the horizontal direction.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which two pairs of needle grippers 70 and drive devices 64 are provided has been described, but three or more pairs may be provided.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the transfer device 4 transfers the gripped kneaded product K to the molding die 50 has been described, but the transfer destination of the gripped kneaded product K is not limited to the molding die 50. That is, the mounting table located at the material delivery position is not limited to the molding die 50.

Further, in the present embodiment, the material transferred by the transfer device 4 has been described as a kneaded product, but the material to be transferred is not limited to the kneaded product as long as it can be pierced and gripped by the needles 71 and 72. That is, the configuration and operation of the transfer device 4 can be applied to other than the fiber reinforced resin molded product manufacturing device 1.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

1 Manufacturing equipment for fiber reinforced plastic molded products, 4 Transfer equipment, 41 Hand part, 42 Arm part, 50 Molding mold, 62 Frame part, 63 Bracket, 64, 64a, 64b Drive device, 65 Fixing member, 66 Movable member, 70 , 70a, 70b Needle gripper, 71,72 Needle, 73,74 Holding member, 75 Needle driving means, 76 Guide member, 77 Engagement pin, 78 Fixed shaft, 79 Base, 81 Heating means, 82 Heater, 85 Stopper , 90 control unit, 150 receiving stand.

Claims (6)

A grip portion including a base portion and a plurality of needles provided so as to be able to move forward and backward with respect to the base portion, and a grip portion.
A material transfer device comprising a heating means provided at a position where the needle passes when advancing and retreating, while avoiding the advancing and retreating path of the needle. The material transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the heating means includes a plurality of heaters arranged on a plane through which the needle passes when advancing and retreating. The material transfer device according to claim 2, wherein the heater is formed in a pipe shape. The plurality of needles are arranged in a plurality of rows.
The material transfer device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the heater is provided at least one between adjacent rows. The material transfer device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising a temperature adjusting means for individually adjusting the temperatures of the plurality of heaters. The material transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heating means is provided near the tip of the needle at the initial position.

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