JP2022026582A - Molding system and molding method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an insert molding system for integrally molding a flexible substrate including an electronic component and a resin in a three-dimensional shape by a simple process.SOLUTION: A molding system 1, which is a molding system for integrally molding a flexible substrate in which a circuit and an electronic component are mounted on a plate having flexibility with a resin and forming a three-dimensional shape, has a suction device 12 that is a shaping device, and an injection molding device 10. The suction device 12 shapes a flexible substrate 14 along any one of a fixed mold 11F and a movable mold 11M in a state where the fixed mold 11F and the movable mold 11M of a mold 11 are opened. The injection molding device 10 holds the shaped flexible substrate 14, and fills a resin filling space 11C formed in the mold 11 with a thermoplastic resin by closing the fixed mold 11F and the movable mold 11M.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a molding system and a molding method.

Insert molding is known in which a circuit board on which electronic components are mounted and a resin are integrally molded. For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a pin protruding in a cavity holds an electronic substrate in a state where the mold is closed, and an injection molding apparatus primaryly injects resin into the cavity. Then, when the primary injected resin solidifies to some extent to hold the electronic substrate, the pin retracts, and then the injection molding apparatus secondarily injects the resin.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-058442

However, there has been no technique for insert molding a flexible substrate including electronic parts by shaping it into a three-dimensional shape with a mold for injection molding.
Other issues and novel features will become apparent from the description and accompanying drawings herein.

The molding system according to one embodiment is a molding system for integrally molding a flexible substrate in which circuits and electronic components are mounted on a flexible flat plate with a resin to form a three-dimensional shape, and is a molding system and a shaping device. , With an injection molding device.

The shaping device shapes the flexible substrate along either the fixed mold or the movable mold with the fixed mold and the movable mold of the mold open.

The injection molding apparatus holds the shaped flexible substrate and fills the resin filling space formed in the mold by closing the fixed mold and the movable mold with a thermoplastic resin.

The molding method according to one embodiment is a molding method for integrally molding a flexible substrate in which a circuit and an electronic component are mounted on a flexible flat plate with a resin to form a three-dimensional shape.
(A) A process of preparing a flexible substrate having a shape and a circuit arrangement corresponding to a three-dimensional shape, and
(B) A step of shaping and holding a flexible substrate into a three-dimensional shape along the mold while the mold having a fixed mold and a movable mold is open.
(C) A step of filling the resin filling space formed in the mold by closing the fixed mold and the movable mold and closing the fixed mold and the movable mold.
including.

According to the above embodiment, it is possible to provide an insert molding system and a molding method for integrally molding a flexible substrate including an electronic component and a resin into a three-dimensional shape by a simple process.

It is an overview diagram of the molding system which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the flexible substrate and the heating apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart of the molding method which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a molding process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a molding process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a molding process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a molding process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a molding process according to the first embodiment. 8 is an overview diagram of the molding system according to the second embodiment. Embodiment 2 FIG. 1 shows the molding process. 8 is FIG. 2 showing the molding process according to the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Moreover, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are indispensable as means for solving the problem. For the sake of clarity, the following description and drawings have been omitted and simplified as appropriate. In each drawing, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overview view of the molding system according to the first embodiment. The molding system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a molding system for manufacturing a molded product (or a product) by integrally molding a flexible substrate including an electronic component and a thermoplastic resin into a three-dimensional shape.

In the present embodiment, integral molding means integrally molding a flexible substrate and a resin by insert molding. Further, the insert molding in the present embodiment means that a flexible substrate is installed in a mold and then a resin is injected into the mold to manufacture a composite product in which the flexible substrate and the resin are integrated. Further, in the present embodiment, the "flexible substrate" refers to a flexible flat film on which a circuit and an electronic component are mounted. Further, in the following description, the "thermoplastic resin" may be simply referred to as a "resin".

The outline of the structure of the molding system 1 will be described below. The molding system 1 has an injection molding device 10, a mold 11, and a suction device 12 as main configurations.

The injection molding apparatus 10 fixes the fixed mold 11F among the molds 11 and holds the movable mold 11M so as to be able to move forward and backward. The injection molding apparatus 10 injects the plasticized resin into the mold 11 by using the screw 10A of the injection molding apparatus 10 in a state where the mold 11 is closed. When the injected resin solidifies, the injection molding apparatus 10 opens the mold 11 so that the solidified resin molded product can be taken out. In FIG. 1, a part of the injection molding apparatus 10 is shown in a cross section, and the screw 10A included in the injection molding apparatus 10 is shown in the cross section.

The mold 11 is composed of a fixed mold 11F and a movable mold 11M. In a state where the fixed mold 11F and the movable mold 11M are closed, the mold 11 forms a resin filling space inside. A flexible substrate, which will be described later, is installed in the resin filling space, and the thermoplastic resin injected from the injection molding apparatus 10 is filled.

The suction device 12 is one of the embodiments of the shaping device that shapes the flexible substrate along the mold 11. The shaping device in the present embodiment is a device that shapes a flexible substrate into a three-dimensional shape.

The suction device 12 has a vacuum pump and sucks air from the hole of the movable type 11M through the pipe 12A connected to the hole provided in the movable type 11M. As a result, the suction device 12 sucks air through the holes provided in the surface of the mold 11 exposed to the resin filling space. Then, the suction device 12 shapes the flexible substrate 14 by sucking the flexible substrate installed on the movable 11M.

The heating device 13 conveys the flexible substrate and installs it in the mold 11 to heat the installed flexible substrate. The heating device 13 plays a role of softening the flexible substrate and promoting the shaping when the suction device 12 shapes the flexible substrate.

The heating device 13 will be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flexible substrate and a heating device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the heating device 13 and the flexible substrate 14.

The heating device 13 has a main body portion 131, a region heater 132, and a suction portion 133 as main configurations. The main body 131 is a housing that supports each configuration of the heating device 13. The main body 131 supports the region heater 132 and the suction portion 133. Further, the main body 131 is fixed to the tip of the arm 130. The arm 130 has an arbitrary driving unit (not shown), moves the heating device 13 to a desired position, and fixes the heating device 13 at the desired position.

The region heater 132 is, for example, a heater including a halogen heater, and partially softens the flexible substrate 14 by applying heat to a predetermined region of the flexible substrate 14 to raise the temperature. The region heater 132 applies heat to, for example, a preset region in the flexible substrate 14, which is relatively greatly deformed during shaping. The region heater 132 may be composed of a heating element such as a nichrome wire or carbon fiber that generates heat when an electric current is passed, instead of the halogen heater. Further, the region heater 132 may have a laser, for example, and may be configured to heat the flexible substrate by irradiating the flexible substrate with the laser.

The suction unit 133 sucks and holds the flexible substrate 14. The suction unit 133 is composed of, for example, a rod-shaped member having a hole for sucking air at the tip, and sucks air when the flexible substrate 14 comes into contact with the tip to suck and hold the flexible substrate 14.

The flexible substrate 14 uses a flexible flat plate-shaped base film 141 as a base material, and a wiring portion 142 and an electronic component 143 are mounted on one main surface of the base film 141. The base film 141 is made of a resin plate material such as polycarbonate, polyimide, or polyester.

The material used for the wiring portion 142 in the present embodiment has conductivity and has a property of being able to follow the deformation of the base film. The wiring portion 142 is made of, for example, a material containing a binder for giving flexibility to the conductive silver paste. Further, the electronic component 143 is an arbitrary electronic component such as a resistor, an LED, a capacitor, and an integrated circuit. The electronic component 143 is mounted on the wiring portion 142 by, for example, a conductive adhesive.

The flexible substrate 14 shown in the figure has a first region A11 and a second region A12. The first region A11 is a region deformed to less than a preset threshold value at the time of shaping. On the other hand, the second region A12 is a region that is deformed to a threshold value or more set in advance at the time of shaping. Therefore, the first region A11 is a region in which the electronic component 143 can be mounted in the region of the flexible substrate 14. The second region A12 is a region of the flexible substrate 14 where a quality problem may occur when the electronic component 143 is mounted. The above-mentioned "deformation" includes any one of elongation, compression, bending and twisting.

The first region A11 and the second region A12 are regions that are exclusively defined. The first region A11 and the second region A12 may be set according to the mechanical or thermal load applied to the flexible substrate 14 when manufacturing a molded product. Such a setting is realized by the user performing analysis. At this time, the user can use various methods such as computer simulation and finite element method analysis.

The wiring portion 142 is configured such that the shape and thickness of the pattern of the wiring portion 142 correspond to each of the above-mentioned regions. That is, the wiring pattern mounted on the second region A12 can withstand a large deformation as compared with the wiring pattern mounted on the first region A11. As described above, by setting the first region A11 and the second region A12, the molding method according to the present embodiment suppresses a decrease in reliability of the molded product in which the flexible substrate 14 and the resin are integrally molded. can.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a method performed when the molding system 1 manufactures a molded product will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the molding method according to the first embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is a method executed by a user who uses the molding system 1 to manufacture a desired molded product using, for example, the molding system 1. At the time of starting the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the three-dimensional shape of the molded product has been determined.

First, the user prepares a flexible substrate having a shape and a circuit arrangement corresponding to the three-dimensional shape (step S11). More specifically, the user determines the planar shape of the flexible substrate from the three-dimensional shape of the molded product, and also determines the circuit pattern and the arrangement of the electronic components in the determined planar shape. At this time, the user divides the flexible substrate into the above-mentioned first region A11 and the second region A12. Then, the user prepares a flexible board according to the determined circuit pattern and arrangement of electronic components.

Next, the user shapes and holds the flexible substrate 14 in a three-dimensional shape along the mold 11 in a state where the mold 11 of the molding system 1 is open (step S12). For example, the user conveys the flexible substrate 14 adsorbed to the suction unit 133 of the heating device 13 and installs the flexible substrate 14 on the movable mold 11M of the mold 11. Then, the user operates the region heater 132 of the heating device 13 to soften the flexible substrate 14. Further, the user operates the suction device 12 to shape the flexible substrate 14. The area heater 132 of the heating device 13 may start its operation before it is installed in the mold 11. This allows the molding system 1 to heat the flexible substrate 14 before it is placed in the mold 11. Therefore, when a relatively long heating time is required, the user may operate the region heater 132 to soften the flexible substrate 14 before it is installed in the mold 11.

Next, the user operates the molding system 1, closes the mold 11, and fills the mold 11 with the resin (step S13). The injection molding device 10 fills the mold with the resin and cools the filled resin, so that the injection molding device 10 integrally molds the flexible substrate and the resin. This allows the user to produce the desired molded product. The flowchart of the molding method according to the first embodiment has been described above. In the above process, the shaping of the flexible substrate 14 may be performed after the mold 11 is closed. In this case, for example, the mold 11 may shape the flexible substrate 14 in the process of closing the mold 11. Further, the process of shaping the flexible substrate 14 may be performed in two stages of primary shaping and secondary shaping. In this case, for example, when the mold 11 is closed, the molding system 1 performs the primary shaping on the flexible substrate 14, and after the mold 11 is closed, the suction device 12 secondly performs the shaping. Perform the next shaping. The process of shaping the flexible substrate 14 may be performed in parallel while closing the mold 11.

Next, the above-mentioned molding method will be described more specifically. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a molding process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 shows the molding system 1 and the flexible substrate 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the molding system 1 shown in FIG. 4, in the injection molding apparatus 10, a hopper for accommodating the resin pellets and a screw 10A for plasticizing the resin pellets and injecting the resin into the mold are schematically shown, and other parts are omitted. ing. The cross section of the mold 11 is schematically shown. The suction device 12, the heating device 13, and the flexible substrate 14 are also schematically shown for easy understanding.

Here, the mold 11 will be described. The mold 11 shown in FIG. 4 is in an open state, that is, a state in which the fixed mold 11F and the movable mold 11M are separated from each other. Of the molds 11, the fixed mold 11F is connected to the injection port for injecting the resin of the injection molding apparatus 10 and receives the resin from the injection port. Further, the fixed type 11F has an uneven portion 111. The uneven portion 111 is a cavity that forms the shape of the molded product, and when the mold 11 is closed, a resin filling space is formed between the concave and convex portions 111 and the concave portion of the movable mold 11M.

The movable mold 11M has a recess, and when the mold 11 is closed, a resin filling space is formed between the movable mold 11M and the uneven portion 111 of the fixed mold 11F. The recess of the movable 11M includes a contact portion 112 and a shaping portion 113. The contact portion 112 is a portion processed on a flat surface, and is a portion with which the flexible substrate 14 before being shaped comes into contact.

The shaping portion 113 is a concave portion formed on the flat surface of the contact portion 112. The shaping portion 113 is provided with a plurality of suction holes 11H. The plurality of suction holes 11H are connected to the suction device 12 after merging in the movable type 11M. Therefore, when the suction device 12 operates, the plurality of suction holes 11H suck air from the outside of the suction holes 11H. The suction hole 11H may be a tubular one as shown in the figure, or may be a porous one.

In the above configuration, the user moves the heating device 13 with the flexible substrate 14 adsorbed to the molding system 1 shown in FIG. Then, the user installs the heating device 13 so that the base film 141 of the flexible substrate 14 and the contact portion 112 of the movable type 11M are brought into contact with each other.

The next step will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a second diagram showing a molding process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the heating device 13 brings the flexible substrate 14 into contact with the movable type 11M and further heat-treats the flexible substrate 14.

In FIG. 5, the suction unit 133 of the heating device 13 is in a state of sucking the flexible substrate 14. Further, the heating device 13 having the suction portion 133 maintains a state in which the flexible substrate 14 is in contact with the contact portion 112 of the movable type 11M. At this time, the space existing between the shaping portion 113 and the flexible substrate 14 is in a state of being closed by the flexible substrate 14.

In FIG. 5, the heating device 13 operates the region heater 132 to heat the second region A12 of the flexible substrate 14 that is in contact with the contact portion 112 of the movable 11M. In the flexible substrate 14, the temperature of the second region A12 heated by the region heater 132 rises. Therefore, the temperature of the second region A12 heated by the region heater 132 is higher than the temperature of the first region A11. That is, the second region A12 is softer than the first region A11. Therefore, the second region A12 is more likely to be deformed than the first region A11.

FIG. 6 is a third diagram showing a molding process according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 6, the suction device 12 operates after the flexible substrate 14 is heated, and sucks the air existing between the shaping portion 113 and the flexible substrate 14. As a result, the softened flexible substrate 14 mainly deforms the second region A12. As a result, the flexible substrate 14 is deformed along the shaping portion 113.

When the flexible substrate 14 is formed, the heating device 13 stops the operation of the region heater 132, and further releases the holding of the flexible substrate 14 by the suction unit 133. After that, the heating device 13 is evacuated from the mold 11. At this time, the flexible substrate 14 is sucked into the movable type 11M by the suction device 12. Therefore, the movable type 11M can hold the flexible substrate 14.

FIG. 7 is a fourth diagram showing a molding process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the injection molding device 10 closes the mold 11 and injects resin into the resin filling space 11C formed in the closed mold 11 after the heating device 13 has evacuated. That is, the mold 11 forms the resin filling space 11C in a state where the fixed mold 11F and the movable mold 11M are closed. The injection molding apparatus 10 injects the plasticized resin into the resin filling space 11C of the mold 11. After the resin is filled, it is cooled and solidified to form a molded product. At this time, the suction device 12 stops operating after the flexible substrate 14 is held by the injected resin.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a molding process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the injection molding apparatus 10 opens the mold 11 after the resin injected into the resin filling space is cooled and solidified.

As shown in FIG. 8, by opening the mold 11, the molded product 15 can be taken out from the mold 11. In the molded product 15, the shaped flexible substrate 14 and the resin are integrally molded. When the user takes out the molded product 15, a new flexible substrate 14 can be installed between the fixed type 11F and the movable type 11M, as shown in FIG. 4 again.

Although the first embodiment has been described above, the molding system 1 according to the first embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration. In the molding system 1, for example, the means for transporting the flexible substrate 14 and the heating device 13 may be separate bodies. The flexible substrate 14 in the first embodiment is attached with a reinforcing plate or added with a reinforcing agent in order to suppress deformation of the first region A11 or to protect the electronic component 143 or the wiring portion 142. You may. Further, the molding system 1 may further have a fixing device for fixing the flexible substrate 14 to the mold 11. In this case, for example, the fixing device is provided on the movable type 11M, and the transferred flexible substrate 14 is sandwiched between the fixed type 11F and the flexible substrate 14. Further, in this case, the fixing device may be retreated from the resin filling space after the flexible substrate 14 is formed.

According to the first embodiment described above, it is possible to provide an insert molding system and a molding method for integrally molding a flexible substrate including an electronic component and a resin into a three-dimensional shape by a simple process.

Further, the molding system 1 may be a system having a die slide injection method. The die slide injection method has a slide mechanism that slides the movable 11M in a direction orthogonal to the advancing / retreating direction of the screw 10A. The movable 11M installed so as to be slidable has a first stage and a second stage. The first stage and the second stage each include a shaping unit 113.

In such a system, in the molding system 1, the first stage and the second stage alternately contact the fixed mold 11F to form a resin filling space, and the resin is received in the formed resin filling space. On the other hand, the shaping portion 113 possessed by the side not in contact with the fixed mold 11F of the first stage and the second stage receives the heating device 13 and the flexible substrate 14, and shapes the flexible substrate 14.

With such a configuration, the molding system 1 can execute the shaping of the flexible substrate 14 and the integral molding in parallel. Therefore, the molding system 1 can provide an insert molding system and a molding method for efficiently integrally molding a flexible substrate including an electronic component and a resin into a three-dimensional shape.

It can be said that the die slide injection method has a primary molding and a secondary molding as a molding step. When the molding system 1 has a die slide injection method, for example, in the molding step, the flexible substrate 14 is shaped in the primary molding, and the resin is integrally molded on the shaped flexible substrate 14 in the secondary molding. May be good.

The molding system 1 may have a vertical molding machine having a rotary table instead of the above-mentioned die slide injection method. Also in this case, the molding system 1 can adopt a step of shaping the flexible substrate 14 in the primary molding and integrally molding the resin in the secondary molding. In this case, the two movable molds 11M installed on the rotary table alternately move (rotate or reciprocate) between the primary molding side and the secondary molding side.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, the second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that it further has a compressed air forming apparatus as a shaping means. Further, in the second embodiment, the aspect of the flexible substrate 14 and the means for transporting the flexible substrate 14 are different from those of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an overview view of the molding system 2 according to the second embodiment. The molding system 2 shown in FIG. 9 has a compressed air molding device 16 and a heating device 23 in place of the heating device 13.

The compressed air forming apparatus 16 is an apparatus for pneumatically forming the flexible substrate 14. The compressed air forming apparatus 16 shapes the flexible substrate 14 by pressing air against the flexible substrate 14 installed in the mold 11. The compressed air forming apparatus 16 includes a pump for pumping air, a partition wall for closing the gap between the flexible substrate 14 and the pneumatic forming apparatus 16 in order to apply pressure due to the sent air to the flexible substrate 14. Have.

The heating device 23 is different from the heating device 13 in the first embodiment in that it does not have the suction portion 133. That is, the heating device 23 does not convey the flexible substrate 14. The heating device 23 heats the flexible substrate 14 conveyed and installed by means different from those of the first embodiment.

Next, the details of the molding system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. 10 is a first diagram showing the molding process according to the second embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the flexible substrate 14 is installed on the mold 11 in the open state, and the heating device 13 is further heating the flexible substrate 24. The flexible substrate 24 shown in FIG. 10 has a base film 241, a wiring portion 142, and an electronic component 143.

The base film 241 is longer than the vertical width of the mold 11. The base film 241 is held above and below the mold 11 by holding means (not shown). For example, the base film 241 is formed in a roll shape, and the roll-shaped film unwound from above the mold 11 is held by being wound by a winding means below the mold 11. You may. At this time, the wiring portion 142 and the electronic component 143 constituting the flexible substrate 24 are continuously mounted on the film unwound from above the mold 11, and are conveyed to the mold 11 after being mounted. You may.

The heating device 23 heats the second region A12 by the region heater 132 in the same manner as the heating device 13 described with reference to FIG. When the flexible substrate 24 is heated, the heating device 23 saves the flexible substrate 24 from the mold 11.

Next, the compressed air forming apparatus 16 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a second diagram showing the molding process according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 shows a compressed air forming device 16 that comes into contact with the flexible substrate 24 after the heating device 23 has retracted. Similar to the mold 11, the compressed air forming apparatus 16 shown in FIG. 11 is schematically shown in cross section.

The compressed air forming device 16 is an embodiment of a shaping device for shaping the flexible substrate 24. The compressed air forming apparatus 16 has a frame portion 16F and a pumping hole 16H. The frame portion 16F abuts on the flexible substrate 24 to close a desired region of the flexible substrate 24. The pressure feed hole 16H is a hole for feeding the air pumped from the pressure feed pump into the closed space.

FIG. 11 shows a state in which the flexible substrate 24 is shaped by the suction device 12 and the compressed air forming device 16. After being heated by the heating device 23, the suction device 12 sucks air, and at the same time, the compressed air forming device 16 pumps air, so that the flexible substrate 24 is shaped along the movable type 11M. After the flexible substrate 24 is shaped, the compressed air forming apparatus 16 is retracted from the mold 11. After that, the injection molding apparatus 10 closes the mold 11 and injects the resin.

In the flexible substrate 24 of the present embodiment, the base film 241 is longer than the vertical width of the mold 11. Therefore, the molding system 2 according to the present embodiment may have a step of shaping the flexible substrate 24 in the step shown in FIG. 11 and then cutting the base film 241 to a desired size. Further, the molding system 2 may have a step of performing molding with the base film 241 extending vertically and cutting the base film 241 after molding.

The second embodiment has been described above. The molding system 2 according to the second embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration. For example, the molding system 2 has, as one embodiment of the shaping device, a shaping mold for shaping into a three-dimensional shape in place of the compressed air forming device 16 or in addition to the compressed air forming device 16. May be good. In this case, for the shaping mold, for example, the flexible substrate 24 is pressed against the movable mold 11M. For example, the shaping mold may have elasticity containing silicone as a main component. By using the shaping mold, the molding system 2 can reliably shape the flexible substrate 24.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit.

1 Molding system 10 Injection molding device 10A Screw 11 Mold 11C Resin filling space 11F Fixed type 11H Suction hole 11M Movable type 12 Suction device 13 Heating device 14 Flexible substrate 15 Molded product 16 Pressure air molding device 16F Frame part 16H Pressure feed hole 23 Heating device 24 Flexible board 112 Contact part 113 Abutment part 113 Arm 131 Main body part 132 Area heater 133 Adsorption part 141 Base film 142 Wiring part 143 Electronic parts 241 Base film A11 1st area A12 2nd area

Claims (9)

A molding system for forming a three-dimensional shape by integrally molding a flexible substrate in which circuits and electronic components are mounted on a flexible flat plate with a resin.
A shaping device that shapes the flexible substrate along either the fixed mold or the movable mold while the fixed mold and the movable mold of the mold are open.
A molding system including an injection molding apparatus that holds the shaped flexible substrate and fills the resin filling space formed in the mold with a thermoplastic resin by closing the fixed mold and the movable mold. .. The molding system according to claim 1, further comprising a heating device that heats the flexible substrate installed in the mold when shaping the shape. In the heating device, the second region is such that the preset first region of the flexible substrate has a temperature lower than the preset threshold value, and the second region different from the first region has a temperature equal to or higher than the threshold value. The molding system according to claim 2, further comprising a region heater for heating. The molding system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the shaping device includes a suction device that sucks and shapes the flexible substrate. The molding system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shaping device includes a compressed air molding device for shaping by pumping air to the flexible substrate. A slide mechanism for sliding the movable mold having the first stage and the second stage in a direction orthogonal to the advancing / retreating direction of the screw of the injection molding apparatus is further provided.
The shaping device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is arranged so as to shape the flexible substrate in the second stage when the injection molding device fills the resin in the first stage. The molding system described. It is a molding method for forming a three-dimensional shape by integrally molding a flexible substrate in which a circuit and an electronic component are mounted on a flexible flat plate with a resin.
(A) A step of preparing the flexible substrate having a shape and a circuit arrangement corresponding to the three-dimensional shape, and
(B) A step of shaping and holding the flexible substrate in the three-dimensional shape along the mold while the mold having the fixed mold and the movable mold is open.
(C) A step of filling the resin filling space formed in the mold by closing the fixed mold and the movable mold and closing the fixed mold and the movable mold.
A molding method comprising. In the step (a), in the circuit arrangement, among the regions of the flexible substrate deformed in the steps (b) and the step (c), a region deformed to be less than a preset threshold value is set as a first region. The molding method according to claim 7, further comprising setting a region equal to or greater than the threshold value as a second region and arranging the electronic component in the first region. In the step (b), among the regions of the flexible substrate deformed in the step (b), a region deformed to be less than a preset threshold value is set as a first region, and a region having a threshold value or more is a second region. The molding method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the second region is set as a region and the second region is heated so that the temperature of the second region is higher than that of the first region.

Images