JP2025167919A - Sealing mold, resin sealing device, and resin sealing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a sealing mold, a resin sealing device, and a resin sealing method that can mold a product using a transfer molding method, in which a transparent lens part is laminated on top of a colored reflector part, and in which light does not leak sideways from the lens part.
[Solution] The resin sealing method of the present invention is a resin sealing method for resin sealing using a sealing mold 202 having an upper mold 204 and a lower mold 206, and includes a first molding process for molding a first molded portion with a first resin R1, a resin supply process for separating cavities 208A, 208B provided in the upper mold 204 or the lower mold 206 from the first molded portion and supplying a second resin R to the cavity 208B through a flow path 208C, and a separating process for moving a flow path separating member 228B relative to the first molded portion and separating the flow path 208C of the second resin R2.
[Selected Figure] Figure 11

Description

The present invention relates to a sealing mold, a resin sealing device, and a resin sealing method.

For example, a known example of a resin sealing device and method is one that uses transfer molding to seal a workpiece (molded product) with a substrate mounted with electronic components using sealing resin (sometimes simply referred to as "resin" in this application) to process it into a molded product.

A typical transfer molding method involves providing a pot that supplies a predetermined amount of encapsulating resin (specifically, thermosetting resin) to a pair of encapsulating regions (cavities) in an encapsulating mold comprised of an upper and lower mold. Workpieces are placed in positions corresponding to the cavities, clamped between the upper and lower molds, and molding (resin encapsulation) is performed by pouring the encapsulating resin from the pot into the cavity (see Patent Document 1: JP 2016-016624 A). Note that molding can also be performed by pouring the encapsulating resin into the cavity without placing a workpiece. Based on this, "resin encapsulation" in this application refers to molding performed by pouring the encapsulating resin into the cavity, regardless of whether a workpiece is present or not.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-016624

Transfer molding is sometimes used to mold products such as optical devices. For example, a product is known in which a reflector part is molded from a colored resin (e.g., white resin), and then a lens part is molded on top of that from a transparent resin.

The inventors used transfer molding to mold a colored reflector, then molded a transparent lens on top of it. When they prototyped and tested this product, they discovered that light leaked sideways from the lens, which reduced the product's performance.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a sealing mold, resin sealing device, and resin sealing method that are capable of molding a product using a transfer molding method in which a transparent lens portion is layered on top of a colored reflector portion, and in which light does not leak sideways from the lens portion.

The present invention solves the above problem by the solution described below as one embodiment.

The resin sealing method according to the present invention is a resin sealing method that uses a sealing mold having an upper mold and a lower mold, and includes: a first molding step of molding a first molded portion with a first resin; a resin supply step of separating a cavity provided in the upper mold or the lower mold from the first molded portion and supplying a second resin to the cavity through a flow path; and a separating step of moving a flow path separating member relative to the first molded portion to separate the flow path of the second resin.

More specifically, the first molding portion is a reflector portion molded using a colored resin material as the first resin, and the resin supplying process is a process of molding a lens portion on top of the reflector portion using a transparent resin material that does not contain filler as the second resin.

The separating step preferably includes a step of moving the flow path separating member so that the mold surface of the adjacent fixed block is flush with or protrudes from the mold surface of the flow path separating member. This allows the separating step to form a configuration in which the top surface of the first resin and the top surface of the adjacent second resin are at the same height.

It is also preferable that the resin supplying step be carried out after the first resin in the first molding section has semi-cured. This allows molding to be performed in a single mold closing step using a single type of sealing mold, without mixing two different types of sealing resin.

It is also preferable to use a resin material for the second resin that has a longer hardening time under the same temperature conditions as the first resin. This avoids the problem of the second resin hardening before it is pumped and filled.

The sealing mold according to the present invention is a sealing mold having a lower mold and an upper mold, which performs resin sealing, and includes a first cavity piece provided on one of the lower mold or the upper mold, and a second cavity piece provided on the other mold. The second cavity piece has a fixed piece that moves toward and away from the first cavity piece, and a movable piece that is provided on a part of the fixed piece and is configured to be able to move up and down relative to its surroundings. A cavity is provided in the upper mold or the lower mold, and the mold further includes a flow path that supplies a second resin to the cavity while the cavity is separated from a first molding part molded with a first resin, and the flow path for the second resin is disconnected by moving the movable piece relative to the first molding part.

It is also preferable that a first cavity is formed in the first cavity piece, or in the first cavity piece and the second cavity piece, and a second cavity is formed in the second cavity piece, or in the second cavity piece and the first cavity piece, and that the first cavity and the second cavity are arranged so that they do not face each other, but are mutually connected via the space when the first cavity piece and the second cavity piece are separated by a predetermined distance to form a space. This makes it possible to mold a molded product in which the first resin and the second resin are connected.

Furthermore, the resin sealing device according to the present invention is required to be equipped with the above-mentioned sealing mold.

According to this invention, transfer molding can be used to mold a product that has a transparent lens section layered on top of a colored reflector section, and that does not allow light to leak sideways from the lens section.

1 is a plan view showing an example of a resin sealing apparatus including a sealing mold according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a side view showing an example of a press machine including a sealing mold according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an example of a sealing mold according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional view of the sealing mold shown in FIG. 3 . 1A to 1C are explanatory views showing an example of a resin sealing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. 5 . FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. 8 . FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. 9 . FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. 10 . FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. 11 . 10A to 10C are explanatory views showing another example of a resin sealing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. 14.

(Overall structure)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view (schematic diagram) showing an example of a resin sealing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of explanation, arrows may be used in the drawings to indicate front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions in the resin sealing apparatus 1, etc. Furthermore, in all drawings used to explain each embodiment, components having the same function are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations may be omitted.

The resin sealing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is an apparatus for molding (resin sealing) resin R using a sealing mold 202 including an upper mold 204 and a lower mold 206. Hereinafter, the resin sealing apparatus 1 will be described as an example of a transfer molding type resin sealing apparatus in which the upper mold 204 and the lower mold 206 are clamped together and resin R is poured into cavities 208 formed in the upper mold 204 and the lower mold 206 for molding. Note that in this embodiment, resin sealing is performed without placing a workpiece (without using it as a sealing target), but a configuration in which resin sealing is performed with a workpiece placed thereon (not shown) is also possible. Also, while a configuration in which cavities 208 are provided in both the lower mold 206 and the upper mold 204 is also possible, a configuration in which a cavity is provided in either one of them (not shown). Also, while a configuration in which resin sealing is performed without covering the cavity 208 with a release film is also possible, a configuration in which resin sealing is performed with the cavity 208 (all or part) covered with a release film (not shown).

First, as an example of resin R, a tablet-shaped (e.g., cylindrical) thermosetting resin (e.g., epoxy-based resin, etc.) is used. Note that resin R is not limited to the above state and may be in a shape other than a cylindrical shape, and may be a resin other than an epoxy-based thermosetting resin. In this embodiment, two types of resin (first resin R1, second resin R2) are used as resin R. Specifically, first resin R1 is a colored, opaque (e.g., white) thermosetting resin containing filler, and second resin R2 is a colorless, transparent thermosetting resin containing no filler. However, it is not limited to these.

Although not used in this embodiment, an example of the workpiece to be molded is typically a substrate with one or more electronic components mounted in a predetermined arrangement. Specific examples of substrates include resin substrates, ceramic substrates, metal substrates, carrier plates, lead frames, wafers, etc., formed into rectangular, circular, or other plate shapes, while examples of electronic components include semiconductor chips, MEMS chips, passive elements, heat sinks, conductive materials, spacers, etc. Methods for mounting electronic components on substrates include wire bonding mounting and flip-chip mounting.

Although not used in this embodiment, examples of release films generally include film materials with excellent heat resistance, ease of peeling, flexibility, and extensibility. Specific examples of suitable materials include PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), ETFE (polytetrafluoroethylene polymer), PET, FEP, fluorine-impregnated glass cloth, polypropylene, and polyvinylidine chloride.

Next, an overview of the resin sealing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the resin sealing apparatus 1 mainly comprises a supply unit 100A that supplies resin R, a press unit 100B that uses resin R to seal and process the molded product P, and a storage unit 100C that stores the molded product P after resin sealing.

The resin sealing apparatus 1 also includes a transport mechanism 100D that moves between each unit to transport the resin R and molded product P. As an example, the transport mechanism 100D includes an inloader 122 that transports the resin R into the press unit 100B, an outloader 124 that transports the molded product P from the press unit 100B, and a guide rail 126 shared by the inloader 122 and the outloader 124. The transport mechanism 100D is not limited to the above configuration, and may also be configured to use a known pickup or the like (not shown) as appropriate. Furthermore, instead of a configuration including a loader, a configuration including an articulated robot (not shown) may also be used.

Here, the inloader 122 receives resin R from the supply unit 100A and transports it to the press unit 100B. An example of the configuration of the inloader 122 is a resin holding section 122A that can hold multiple pieces of resin R (or just one piece) in the front-to-rear direction. The resin holding section 122A uses a known holding mechanism (for example, a clamping configuration with holding claws, a suction configuration with suction holes that communicate with a suction device, etc.) (not shown).

The inloader 122 according to this embodiment is configured to move left-right and front-rear to load resin R into the sealing mold 202 and store it in a predetermined position (a pot, described below) in the lower mold 206. However, this is not limited to this, and the configuration may include a separate loader that moves left-right to transport between units and a separate loader that moves front-rear to load resin into the sealing mold 202 (not shown).

The outloader 124 also receives the molded product P from the press unit 100B and transports it to the storage unit 100C. The outloader 124 is provided with a molded product holding section 124A capable of holding the molded product P. The molded product holding section 124A uses a known holding mechanism (for example, a clamping configuration with holding claws, a suction hole connected to a suction device for suction, etc.) (not shown).

The outloader 124 according to this embodiment is configured to move left and right and front and rear directions to transport the molded product P out of the sealing mold 202 and place it on the molded product table 114. However, this is not limited to this, and the configuration may include a separate loader that moves front and rear to transport the molded product P out of the sealing mold 202, and a separate loader that moves left and right to transport the molded product between units (not shown).

The overall configuration of the resin sealing device 1 can be changed by changing the configuration of the units. For example, while the configuration shown in Figure 1 is an example in which two press units 100B are arranged, it is also possible to arrange only one press unit 100B, or to arrange three or more press units. It is also possible to arrange other units in addition (neither of these is shown).

(Supply unit)
Next, the supply unit 100A provided in the resin sealing apparatus 1 will be described.

The supply unit 100A (or another unit) is equipped with a resin supply mechanism 140 that supplies resin R. As an example, the resin supply mechanism 140 is equipped with a supply section 142 that has a hopper, feeder, etc. and supplies tablet-shaped resin R, and a delivery section 144 that has a transport mechanism such as an elevator and holds multiple pieces of resin R supplied from the supply section 142 in a predetermined position. With this configuration, the multiple pieces of resin R held in the delivery section 144 are held by the inloader 122 and transported to the press unit 100B.

(Press unit)
Next, the press unit 100B provided in the resin sealing apparatus 1 will be described.

The press unit 100B is equipped with a press device 250 that performs resin sealing by opening and closing the sealing mold 202. Figure 2 is a side view (schematic) of the press device 250. Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view (schematic) of the sealing mold 202. Figure 4 is a front cross-sectional view (schematic) of the sealing mold 202.

The press device 250 includes a sealing mold 202 having a lower mold 206 and an upper mold 204 and disposed between a pair of platens 252, 254, multiple linking mechanisms 256 between which the pair of platens 252, 254 are spanned, a drive source (e.g., an electric motor) 258 for moving (raising and lowering) the platen 254, and a drive transmission mechanism (e.g., a ball screw or toggle link mechanism) 260. In this embodiment, the upper mold 204 is assembled to the fixed platen 252, and the lower mold 206 is assembled to the movable platen 254. However, this configuration is not limited to this, and the upper mold 204 may be assembled to the movable platen and the lower mold 206 may be assembled to the fixed platen, or both the upper mold 204 and the lower mold 206 may be assembled to the movable platen.

Next, the lower mold 206 of the sealing mold 202 will be described in detail. The lower mold 206 comprises a lower mold base 212, a lower mold chase block 216, a lower mold clamp block 220, etc., which are assembled together. As an example, the lower mold chase block 216 is fixed onto the lower mold base 212, which is fixed onto the movable platen 254. In addition, in this embodiment, a cavity piece (first cavity piece) 226 is provided in an arrangement surrounded by the lower mold clamp block 220. However, this configuration is not limited to these, and multiple components may be integrated into one configuration as appropriate.

The lower mold 206 also has a plurality of cylindrical pots at predetermined positions that contain resin (for example, tablet-shaped resin) R. In this embodiment, first pots 231 that contain the first resin R1 and second pots 232 that contain the second resin R2 are arranged alternately in a row. However, this configuration is not limiting.

Specifically, the first pot 231 is formed as a through-hole that connects to the lower chase block 216 and the lower clamp block 220, and has a first plunger 241 disposed therein that is pushed by a known transfer drive mechanism (not shown). With this configuration, when the first plunger 241 is pushed, the first resin R1 in the first pot 231 is supplied into the cavity 208, which will be described later. Similarly, the second pot 232 is formed as a through-hole that connects to the lower chase block 216 and the lower clamp block 220, and has a second plunger 242 disposed therein that is pushed by a known transfer drive mechanism (not shown). With this configuration, when the second plunger 242 is pushed, the second resin R2 in the second pot 232 is supplied into the cavity 208, which will be described later.

The lower mold base 212 is also provided with a lower mold heater (not shown). This allows heat to be conducted to the surroundings of the first pot 231, second pot 232, first runner 271, and cavity 208 via the lower mold chase block 216, etc., and the resin R inside can be heated to a predetermined temperature (approximately 180°C in this embodiment) efficiently in a short period of time. As an example, a known electric wire heater, sheathed heater, etc. can be used as the lower mold heater.

Next, the upper mold 204 of the sealing mold 202 will be described in detail. The upper mold 204 comprises an upper mold base 210, an upper mold chase block 214, an upper mold clamp block 218, etc., which are assembled together. As an example, the upper mold chase block 214 is fixed to the underside of the upper mold base 210, and the upper mold base 210 is fixed to the underside of the fixed platen 252. In addition, in this embodiment, a cavity piece (second cavity piece) 228 is provided in an arrangement surrounded by the upper mold clamp block 218. However, this configuration is not limited to these, and multiple components may be integrated into one configuration as appropriate.

The second cavity piece 228 in this embodiment is configured to include a fixed piece 228A that moves toward and away from the first cavity piece 226, and a movable piece 228B that is positioned in a portion (a specified area) of the fixed piece 228A and is configured to be able to move up and down relative to its surroundings (i.e., adjacent fixed pieces 228A).

The upper mold base 210 is also provided with an upper mold heater (not shown). This allows heat to be conducted to the surroundings of the second cull 262, second runner 272, and cavity 208 via the upper mold chase block 214, etc., and the resin R inside can be heated to a predetermined temperature (approximately 180°C in this embodiment) efficiently in a short period of time. As an example, a well-known electric wire heater, sheathed heater, etc. can be used as the upper mold heater.

Here, we will explain in detail the cavity 208, which is the sealing area into which resin R is poured.

First, cavity 208 (first cavity 208A), which serves as a sealed area into which resin R (first resin R1 in this embodiment) flows, is provided on the upper surface of the first cavity piece 226 of the lower mold 206 and the lower surface of the second cavity piece 228 of the upper mold 204 in a configuration that allows them to communicate with each other. Also, a runner (described below) is provided that communicates with cavity 208 (first cavity 208A) and serves as a flow path for resin R (first resin R1). In this embodiment, movable piece 228B of second cavity piece 228 is disposed in a position corresponding to (facing) first cavity 208A (here, an area provided on the upper surface of the first cavity piece 226 of the lower mold 206).

Next, a cavity 208 (second cavity 208B) that serves as a sealing area into which resin R (second resin R2 in this embodiment) flows is provided on the underside of the second cavity piece 228. This second cavity 208B is positioned so as not to face the first cavity 208A. In addition, a runner (described below) that communicates with the cavity 208 (second cavity 208B) and serves as a flow path for resin R is provided. Note that in this embodiment, the space created by separating the first cavity piece 226 and the second cavity piece 228 by a predetermined distance also serves as a sealing area (third cavity 208C) into which resin R (second resin R2) flows; this will be explained in detail in the "Resin Sealing Operation" section below.

Next, we will explain in detail about the runners that serve as flow paths for the resin R.

First, a first cull 261 is formed on the underside of the upper mold 204 as a flow path for the first resin R1 extruded from the first pot 231 by the first plunger 241. Furthermore, a first runner 271 that connects the first cull 261 to the cavity 208 (first cavity 208A) is formed on the upper surface of the lower mold 206 and is arranged so as to be covered by the underside of the upper mold 204 when the molds are closed (i.e., so as to form a space that forms a flow path).

Next, a second cull 262 is formed on the underside of the upper mold 204 as a flow path for the second resin R2 extruded from the second pot 232 by the second plunger 242. Furthermore, a second runner 272 that connects the second cull 262 to the cavity 208 (second cavity 208B, third cavity 208C) is formed on the underside of the upper mold 204 and is arranged so as to be covered by the upper surface of the lower mold 206 when the molds are closed (i.e., so as to form a space that forms a flow path).

The above configuration makes it possible to perform molding using two different types of sealing resin (thermosetting resin) R1 and R2 in a single mold closing process (details of the molding operation will be described later).

Note that the configuration of the sealing mold 202 described above is merely one example, and other configurations may be used. For example, a configuration in which the cavity 208 is provided in only one of the lower mold 206 or the upper mold 204 may be used. A configuration in which the workpiece is to be sealed with resin may also be used. Furthermore, a configuration in which an intermediate mold is used between the lower mold 206 and the upper mold 204 may also be used (neither is shown).

(storage unit)
Next, the storage unit 100C provided in the resin sealing apparatus 1 will be described.

As an example, the storage unit 100C includes a molded product table (also referred to as a molded product loading pallet) 114 on which the molded product P is placed, a degating mechanism 116 that removes unwanted resin from the molded product P, and a molded product stocker 112 used to store the molded product P from which the unwanted resin has been removed. The molded product stocker 112 uses a known stack magazine, slit magazine, or the like, and is capable of storing multiple molded products P at once. With this configuration, molded products P (including unwanted resin) transported from the press unit 100B using an outloader 124 or the like are placed on the molded product table 114. Next, the molded products P are transferred to the degating mechanism 116 using a known pickup or the like (not shown), where the unwanted resin is removed, and then stored in the molded product stocker 112 using a known pusher or the like (not shown). The molded product table 114 itself, with the molded product P still loaded, may move forward and backward to the degating mechanism 116.

(Resin sealing operation)
Next, the operation of resin sealing using the resin sealing apparatus 1 equipped with the sealing mold 202 according to this embodiment (i.e., the resin sealing method according to this embodiment) will be described. As an example, a configuration will be given in which resin sealing is performed using two types of resin R (first resin R1, second resin R2) without placing a workpiece, to obtain a molded product P. However, this configuration is not limiting. Here, FIGS. 5 to 12 are explanatory diagrams of each process. Note that FIG. 5 is a view from the same direction as FIG. 3, and FIGS. 6 to 12 are views from the same direction as FIG. 4.

As a preparation process, a heating process (upper mold heating process) is carried out in which the upper mold 204 is heated to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 100°C to 200°C) using an upper mold heater. Also, a heating process (lower mold heating process) is carried out in which the lower mold 206 is heated to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 100°C to 200°C) using a lower mold heater. A process of setting a release film on one or both mold surfaces may also be included.

Next, a process is carried out in which tablets of resin R are transported one by one from the supply section 142 using a known feeder, elevator, etc. (not shown), and multiple tablets of resin R (for example, four tablets of the first resin R1 in a row and four tablets of the second resin R2 in a row next to them) are held in a predetermined position in the transfer section 144.

Next, the inloader 122 is moved to a position directly above the delivery section 144. At this position, the delivery section 144 is raised (or the inloader 122 is lowered), and the resin holding section 122A is used to hold the resin R (first resin R1, second resin R2).

Next, the resin R (first resin R1, second resin R2) is transported by the inloader 122 into the sealing mold 202 of the press unit 100B, where multiple (four in this embodiment) first resins R1 are placed one by one in the corresponding first pots 231, and multiple (four in this embodiment) second resins R2 are placed one by one in the corresponding second pots 232 (see Figure 5). Note that during transport, a process of preheating the resin R (preheating process) may be performed using a heater (not shown) provided in the inloader 122.

Next, the sealing mold 202 is closed and the molded product P is formed by resin sealing (mold closing process).

The mold closing process will now be described in detail. Figure 6 shows the state before the mold closing process is performed. From this state, the drive source 258 and drive transmission mechanism 260 are driven to move the movable platen 254 upward. This causes the lower mold 206 to move toward the upper mold 204 (i.e., upward). As the lower mold 206 continues to move upward, the lower mold 206 and upper mold 204 come into contact (see Figure 7).

At this time, the second cavity piece 228 is in a state where the lower surface of the movable piece 228B is positioned higher than the lower surface of the fixed piece 228A, creating a space below the lower surface of the movable piece 228B. This space constitutes part (the upper part) of the first cavity 208A. In this state, the transfer drive mechanism is operated to push the first plunger 241 toward the upper mold 204, causing the molten first resin R1 to pass from the first pot 231 through the first cull 261 and the first runner 271, and then pressure-feed it into the cavity 208 (first cavity 208A) (first filling process) (see Figure 8). For example, the portion of the first resin R1 pressure-feeded into the first cavity 208A becomes the first molded portion (note that in this application, the process of molding the first molded portion using the first resin R1 may be referred to as the "first molding process").

After the first resin R1 filled in the first cavity 208A is semi-cured (i.e., cured before reaching full curing), the first cavity piece 226 is lowered a predetermined distance (several μm to several mm). In this manner, the first cavity piece 226 and the second cavity piece 228 are separated by a predetermined distance (specifically, enough to form a gap between the semi-cured first resin R1 and the second cavity piece 228) to form a space (a space forming process) (see FIG. 9 ). This space forms a cavity 208 (third cavity 208C) that communicates with both the first cavity 208A and the second cavity 208B. However, depending on the shape of the molded product P, the space forming process may not be performed (i.e., the third cavity 208C may not be provided) (not shown). As described above, there may be a case where either the first cavity 208A or the second cavity 208B is not provided (not shown).
In the above embodiment, after the first resin R1 is semi-cured, the first cavity piece 226 is lowered a predetermined distance (several μm to several mm) to form the space, but the space may also be formed by moving the second cavity piece 228. That is, the space may be formed by separating the cavity 208 (first cavity 208A or second cavity 208B) from the first molding part.

In the above state, the transfer drive mechanism is operated to push the second plunger 242 toward the upper mold 204, and the molten second resin R2 is forced from the second pot 232 through the second cull 262 and the second runner 272, and then pressure-fed into the second cavity 208B and the third cavity 208C (second filling process) (see Figure 10). (Note that in this application, the process of supplying (and molding) the second resin R2 through the flow path (space) is sometimes referred to as the "resin supply process").

Before the second resin R2 filled in the second cavity 208B and the third cavity 208C is semi-cured, the movable piece 228B is moved (lowered) until it abuts the first resin R1 (semi-cured state) filled in the first cavity 208A. In this way, the flow path (space) is separated; in other words, the second resin R2 filled in the second cavity 208B and the third cavity 208C is separated (i.e., a "separation portion d" is formed where the second resin R2 is not layered on the first resin R1). The movable piece 228B is an example of a flow path separating member.

More specifically, the movement (lowering) of the movable piece 228B is a relative movement, and in this embodiment, it is performed in combination with the movement (raising) of the lower mold 206 (first cavity piece 226). As an example, the movable piece 228B is moved (lowered) to a position where the lower surface of the movable piece 228B and the lower surface of the fixed piece 228A are at the same height (i.e., flush). Next, the lower mold 206 (first cavity piece 226) is moved (raised) to a position where the lower surface of the movable piece 228B abuts against the upper surface of the first resin R1. In this way, the first resin R1 and the second resin R2 are filled in a predetermined shape (particularly, a shape where the upper surface of the first resin R1 and the upper surface of the adjacent second resin R2 are at the same height (flush)) (see FIG. 11 ).
As described above, the second resin R2 is separated by the relative movement of the movable piece 228B in the separating process, but since the second resin R2 can be separated by the relative movement of the movable piece 228B with respect to its surroundings, the second resin R2 can be separated by the movable piece 228B by moving one or more of the movable piece 228B, the first cavity piece 226, and the second cavity piece 228. In other words, the second resin R2 can be separated by the movement of the movable piece 228B (flow path separating member) with respect to the first molding part.

In this state, by applying heat and pressure for a predetermined time, the resin R (first resin R1, second resin R2) is thermally cured (mainly cured), and resin sealing is performed to form a molded product P. In this embodiment, resin sealing is finally performed in a state in which the first cavity 208A and the second cavity 208B are in communication with each other via the third cavity 208C, so that a molded product P is formed in which the first resin R1 and the second resin R2 are continuous (connected).
In the above embodiment, the first filling step is carried out to form the first molded portion, and then the second filling step and the cutting step are carried out. However, in another example, the first molded portion may be formed in a separate step. For example, a member having a first molded portion may be transported to this device, and the second filling step and the cutting step may be carried out on the first molded portion.
As another example, the dividing step may be performed using a second cavity piece 228 without a movable piece 228B, as shown in FIG. 13. In this case, the second filling step is performed after the first molding portion has been molded in a separate step (see FIG. 14). Then, the second cavity piece 228 is moved relatively to the first resin R1 (in a semi-cured state) to divide the flow path (space), i.e., divide the second resin R2 filled in the second cavity 208B and the third cavity 208C (see FIG. 15). In this case, the second cavity piece 228 is an example of a flow path dividing member.

In particular, this embodiment can form a dividing portion d, and can create a configuration in which the top surface of the first resin R1 and the top surface of the adjacent second resin R2 are at the same height at this dividing portion d. In other words, by configuring the first resin R1 region as a reflector portion and the second resin R2 region as a lens portion, it is possible to mold a product in which light does not leak sideways from the second resin R2 region, i.e., the lens portion. Incidentally, the final product is in a state in which the molded product P is cut into individual pieces at the first resin R1 region (position of dividing portion d) of the molded product P.

In this way, by adopting the transfer molding method and using a single mold closing process using a single type of sealing mold 202, it is possible to mold a product in which two different types of resin (thermosetting resin) R1 and R2 are connected (for example, an optical device product having the reflector portion and lens portion described above). This not only solves the aforementioned issues, but also reduces equipment costs and shortens process time.

While the types of first resin R1 and second resin R2 are not limited, it is preferable to use a resin material for second resin R2 that has slower thermal curing properties than first resin R1 (i.e., a longer curing time under the same temperature conditions). This allows the second resin R2 to be pumped and filled after the first resin R1, avoiding the problem of the resin curing during waiting. Therefore, a single mold closing process using a single type of sealing mold 202 can be used to achieve molding (resin sealing) without mixing of the two different sealing resins R1 and R2. Furthermore, it is preferable to use a resin material that does not contain filler for second resin R2. This avoids the problem of thin burrs caused by the second resin R2 remaining on the top surface of the first resin R1 at the separation portion d.

After the above mold closing process, the mold opening process for the sealing mold 202 is carried out (see Figure 12).

Next, the outloader 124 removes the molded product P (including unwanted resin portions such as the cull portion, runner portion, and gate portion) from the sealing mold 202 and places it on the molded product table 114 (a known pickup mechanism or the like may also be used). Next, the degating mechanism 116 removes unwanted resin portions such as the cull portion, runner portion, and gate portion from the molded product P (the degating process). Next, a known pusher or the like (not shown) is used to transport the molded products P (with unwanted resin portions removed) one by one into the molded product stocker 112. Note that a post-cure process for the molded products P may be performed prior to these processes.

The above are the main operations for resin sealing performed using the resin sealing device 1. However, the above process order is only an example, and the order of the steps can be changed or performed in parallel as long as no problems occur. For example, in this embodiment, two press units 100B are provided, and by performing the above operations in parallel, molded products can be efficiently formed.

As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to use the transfer molding method to mold a product that has a transparent lens section layered on top of a colored reflector section, and that does not allow light to leak sideways from the lens section.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the second resin R2 is separated by relatively moving the movable piece 228B to a position where the lower surface of the movable piece 228B abuts against the upper surface of the first resin R1 during the separating process. However, as shown in FIG. 13, the fixed piece 228A and the movable piece 228B may be integrated. In this case, the second cavity piece 228 is an example of a flow path separating member, and as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the second resin R2 is separated by relatively moving the second cavity piece 228 to a position where the lower surface of the second cavity piece 228 abuts against the upper surface of the first resin R1 during the separating process.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Specifically, while an example has been described in which the first resin region is a reflector portion and the second resin region is a lens portion, the present invention can also be applied to other configurations. Furthermore, while an example of resin sealing that does not use a workpiece has been described, the present invention can also be applied to resin sealing that uses a workpiece.

1 Resin sealing apparatus 100A Supply unit 100B Press unit 100C Storage unit 100D Transport mechanism 202 Sealing mold 204 Upper mold 206 Lower mold 250 Pressing device R1 First resin R2 Second resin

Claims (8)

A resin sealing method for performing resin sealing using a sealing mold having an upper mold and a lower mold,
a first molding step of molding a first molded portion using a first resin;
a resin supplying step of separating a cavity provided in the upper mold or the lower mold from the first molding unit and supplying a second resin to the cavity through a flow path;
a dividing step of moving a flow path dividing member relative to the first molding portion to divide the flow path of the second resin. the first molded portion is a reflector portion molded using a colored resin material as the first resin,
2. The resin sealing method according to claim 1, wherein the resin supplying step is a step of molding a lens portion on the reflector portion using a transparent resin material that does not contain a filler as the second resin. 2. The resin sealing method according to claim 1, wherein the dividing step includes a step of moving the flow path dividing member so that the mold surface of the adjacent fixed piece is flush with or protrudes from the mold surface of the flow path dividing member. 2. The resin sealing method according to claim 1, wherein the resin supplying step is performed after the first resin in the first molding portion is semi-cured. 5. The resin sealing method according to claim 1, wherein the second resin is made of a resin material that takes a longer time to harden than the first resin under the same temperature conditions. A molding die having a lower mold and an upper mold for resin molding,
a first cavity piece provided in one of the lower mold and the upper mold, and a second cavity piece provided in the other mold,
the second cavity piece has a fixed piece that moves toward and away from the first cavity piece, and a movable piece that is provided on a part of the fixed piece and is configured to be movable up and down relatively to the surroundings,
a cavity is provided in the upper mold or the lower mold,
a flow path for supplying the second resin to the cavity in a state in which the cavity is spaced apart from the first molded portion molded from the first resin;
The sealing mold is configured such that the flow path of the second resin is cut off by moving the movable piece relative to the first molding portion. a first cavity is formed in the first cavity piece, or in the first cavity piece and the second cavity piece;
a second cavity is formed in the second cavity piece, or in the second cavity piece and the first cavity piece;
7. The sealing mold according to claim 6, wherein the first cavity and the second cavity are arranged so as not to face each other and so as to communicate with each other via a space when the first cavity piece and the second cavity piece are spaced apart by a predetermined distance to form a space. A resin sealing device equipped with the sealing mold according to claim 6 or 7.