JP3231889U - Molding equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a molding apparatus for producing an elastomer product by feed-baking, which improves the positional accuracy of an unvulcanized portion when an intermediate material having an unvulcanized end portion is produced. A molding apparatus 100 heats and cools a molding material by a hot plate 20 in contact with the surface of a mold 10. The heat plate 20 includes heat transfer members arranged along the surface of the mold 10. The heat transfer member to which the refrigerant is supplied is urged toward the surface of the mold 10 by the urging mechanism 50. Therefore, even when the size of the heat transfer member to which the refrigerant is supplied becomes low and smaller than the heat transfer member to which the heat medium is supplied, the heat transfer member is reliably attached to the mold 10 by the urging force of the urging mechanism. Contact. [Selection diagram] Fig. 3

Description

The present invention relates to a molding apparatus that heats and cools a molding material filled in a mold to mold.

A manufacturing method called feed-baking is used as a method for manufacturing O-rings and long elastomer products by vulcanization molding in which a vulcanizing agent is added to a raw material polymer, kneaded, filled in a mold, and heated. .. In feed-baking molding, a step of molding an intermediate material having a vulcanized portion and an unvulcanized portion provided at the end of the vulcanized portion and heating by superimposing the ends of the intermediate materials on each other are not performed. A step of vulcanizing and joining the vulcanized portions is performed.

Patent Document 1 describes a molding apparatus for producing an intermediate material used for feed baking. The molding apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes a mold provided with an upper mold and a lower mold, a heating plate for an upper mold that heats and cools the upper mold from the back side (upper side), and a lower mold that heats the lower mold from the back side (lower side).・ Equipped with a lower mold heating plate for cooling. The upper and lower mold heaters have a heating zone that heats the longitudinal central portion of the molding material that is filled between the upper and lower molds and cools one end of the molding material. It is provided with a cooling zone and a heating / cooling zone for cooling the other end of the molding material.

In the molding apparatus of Patent Document 1, each of the heating zone, the cooling zone, and the heating / cooling zone of the upper mold heating plate and the lower mold heating plate is a rectangular metal member provided with a tube for passing a heat medium or a refrigerant. Consists of. There is a gap or heat insulating material between each zone. The metal member constituting the heating / cooling zone is divided into a plurality of sections, and each section is provided with a pipe for passing a heat medium or a refrigerant. Therefore, since it is possible to change to which section the heat medium and the refrigerant flow, it is possible to mold intermediate materials having different lengths of the vulcanized portions. Further, the molding apparatus of Patent Document 1 is provided with a closed space for accommodating a mold, and vulcanization molding is performed in a vacuum state by reducing the pressure in the closed space.

JP-A-2002-172628

In a structure in which a hot plate is brought into contact with a mold to heat and cool as in Patent Document 1, the metal member constituting the hot plate shrinks and expands depending on the temperature, so that a dimensional difference can be formed between the heating section and the cooling section. Therefore, there is a possibility that the cooling section cannot be brought into close contact with the mold. For example, when the heating section and the cooling section are not integrated but are composed of separate parts, a step is formed at the boundary between the heating section and the cooling section, so that a gap is formed between the cooling section and the mold. As a result, the mold could not be effectively cooled at the boundary between the heating section and the cooling section, and vulcanization partially proceeded to the part to be unvulcanized, and the unvulcanized part and the vulcanized part were separated. The transition area to be switched is expanded. Therefore, the position accuracy of the unvulcanized portion is lowered.

When the ends of intermediate materials are joined to each other to manufacture a long or ring-shaped elastomer product, if distortion or poor joining occurs at the joining site, the product becomes defective. In particular, in the case of manufacturing a seal member, a slight distortion or bending causes a malfunction. If there are variations in the positional accuracy of the unvulcanized portion of the intermediate material, bonding defects will occur due to bonding at the site where vulcanization has progressed, resulting in defective products.

Further, if the cooling efficiency in the cooling zone is low, the length of the transition region where the unvulcanized portion and the vulcanized portion are switched cannot be shortened, so that the effective length of the vulcanized portion cannot be increased. Therefore, when manufacturing a long or large elastomer product, the number of joinings cannot be reduced. Further, since the length of the transition region cannot be shortened, it is not possible to reduce the size and weight of the mold used in the process of joining the ends of the intermediate materials.

In view of these points, an object of the present invention is to improve the positional accuracy of the unvulcanized portion when producing an intermediate material having an unvulcanized end portion for use in feed-baking molding. is there.

In order to solve the above problems, the molding apparatus of the present invention includes a mold filled with a molding material and a heat plate in contact with the surface of the mold, and the heat plate is along the surface. The plurality of heat transfer members are provided with a plurality of heat transfer members and an urging mechanism for urging a part of the plurality of heat transfer members toward the surface, and the plurality of heat transfer members are supplied with a refrigerant. The cooling heat transfer member includes a cooling heat transfer member including a flow path to be provided, and a heating heat transfer member including a flow path to which a heat medium is supplied, and the cooling heat transfer member is directed toward the surface by the urging mechanism. It is characterized by being urged.

According to the present invention, among the plurality of heat transfer members constituting the heat plate in contact with the surface of the mold, the heat transfer member for cooling cooled by the refrigerant or the like is attached to the surface of the mold by the urging mechanism. Be forced. Therefore, even when the size of the cooling heat transfer member is smaller than that of the heating heat transfer member due to the temperature difference between the heating heat transfer member and the cooling heat transfer member, the heating heat transfer is performed by the urging force of the urging mechanism. The cooling heat transfer member adjacent to the member can be reliably brought into contact with the mold. Therefore, when a part of the mold is cooled by a cooling heat transfer member to form an unvulcanized part and the other part of the mold is heated by a heating heat transfer member to form a vulcanized part, The cooling efficiency of the unvulcanized portion can be increased to suppress the progress of vulcanization. Therefore, the transition region where the vulcanized portion and the unvulcanized portion are switched can be shortened, and the position accuracy of the unvulcanized portion can be improved.

In the present invention, the mold includes a lower mold and an upper mold, and the heat plate includes a first heat plate that contacts the lower mold from the side opposite to the upper mold, and the upper mold with the lower mold. A plurality of heat plates that are in contact with each other from the opposite side, and each of the first heat plate and the second heat plate includes the cooling heat transfer member and the heating heat transfer member and is arranged in a row. The cooling heat transfer member of the first heat plate and the cooling heat transfer of the second heat plate are provided with the heat transfer member and the urging mechanism for urging the cooling heat transfer member. It is preferable that the member faces the lower mold and the upper mold with the upper mold in between. In this way, the mold can be heated and cooled from both sides in the vertical direction, so that the heating and cooling efficiency is high. Further, since the cooling heat transfer member reliably contacts the mold from both sides in the vertical direction, the target portion can be reliably cooled. Therefore, the position accuracy of the unvulcanized portion can be improved.

In the present invention, the first support plate that supports the first heat plate from the side opposite to the lower mold, the second support plate that supports the second heat plate from the side opposite to the upper mold, and the first. The urging mechanism provided on the first heating plate has a pressing mechanism for pressing one of the support plate and the second support plate toward the other, and the urging mechanism is provided for the first support plate and the cooling. A first elastic body is provided between the heat transfer member, and the urging mechanism provided on the second heat plate is interposed between the second support plate and the cooling heat transfer member. It is preferable to have two elastic bodies. In this way, when the mold is fastened, the heat transfer member for heating is pressed against the mold by the pressing pressure of the pressing mechanism, so that the pressing mechanism is pressed against the vulcanized portion. On the other hand, since the elastic body is interposed between the support plate and the hot plate for the unvulcanized portion, the pressing force of the pressing mechanism does not act as it is and the pressing force is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vulcanization reaction of the unvulcanized portion from proceeding due to the pressing force of the pressing mechanism for mold clamping.

In the present invention, the urging mechanism includes a through hole that penetrates the cooling heat transfer member in the urging direction of the urging mechanism, and a stopper bolt that is passed through the through hole. A head house accommodated in a counterbore provided at the edge of the through hole, and a tip protruding from the through hole to the opposite side of the head and screwed to the first support plate or the second support plate. It is preferable to provide a unit. In this way, the cooling heat transfer member can be held in a state where it can be moved in the urging direction by the stopper bolt. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cooling heat transfer member from being displaced or falling off.

In the present invention, the first elastic body and the second elastic body are a spring that is arranged in a compressed state in a recess provided in the cooling heat transfer member, or the first elastic body and the first elastic body. As the two elastic bodies, a structure that is a thermosetting elastomer can be adopted.

In the present invention, it is preferable that an air layer or a heat insulating material is interposed between the cooling heat transfer member and the heating heat transfer member. In this way, the heat transfer from the heating heat transfer member to the cooling heat transfer member can be reduced. Therefore, the cooling efficiency of the unvulcanized portion can be increased.

According to the molding apparatus of the present invention, among the plurality of heat transfer members constituting the heat plate in contact with the surface of the mold, the cooling heat transfer member provided with the flow path to which the refrigerant is supplied is the mold by the urging mechanism. Is urged towards the surface of. Therefore, even when the size of the cooling heat transfer member is smaller than that of the heating heat transfer member due to the temperature difference between the heating heat transfer member and the cooling heat transfer member, the cooling heat transfer member is driven by the urging force of the urging mechanism. Can be reliably contacted with the mold. Therefore, when a part of the mold is cooled by a cooling heat transfer member to form an unvulcanized part and the other part of the mold is heated by a heating heat transfer member to form a vulcanized part, The cooling efficiency of the unvulcanized portion can be increased to suppress the progress of vulcanization. Therefore, the transition region where the vulcanized portion and the unvulcanized portion are switched can be shortened, and the position accuracy of the unvulcanized portion can be improved.

It is explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the elastomer product using the intermediate material. It is explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the elastomer product using the intermediate material different from FIG. It is a front view of the molding apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a side view of the molding apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing of the mold which molds the intermediate material of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of a vacuum chamber. It is explanatory drawing of the mold which molds the intermediate material of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the hot disk for the mold which molds the intermediate material of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the hot disk for the mold which molds the intermediate material of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the urging mechanism provided in the hot disk of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the urging mechanism of the modification 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the urging mechanism of the modification 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a molding apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Manufacturing method of elastomer products)
1 and 2 are explanatory views of a method of manufacturing an elastomer product by feed-baking molding. In feed-baking molding, the first step of molding an intermediate material made of vulcanized rubber or the like whose ends are unvulcanized and the ends of the intermediate materials are overlapped with each other and heated in a mold for vulcanization. The second step of joining is performed. The molding apparatus to which the present invention is applied is used in the first step.

The molding apparatus to which the present invention is applied manufactures an intermediate material for manufacturing an elastomer product used as, for example, an O-ring, a square ring, an instep packing, an instep packing, and the like. The cross-sectional thickness of the elastomer product is, for example, about 3 to 50 mm. The inner diameter of the elastomer product is about 0.5 to 30 m. As the molding material, sulfur vulcanized nitrile rubber (NBR), polyol vulcanized fluororubber (FKM), and the like can be used.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a method for manufacturing an elastomer product using the intermediate material 1. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a method for manufacturing an elastomer product using an intermediate material 6 different from that in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 2 (a), the intermediate material 1 and the intermediate material 6 have a vulcanized portion 2 having a predetermined length and an unvulcanized portion 2 formed at both ends of the vulcanized portion 2, respectively. The part 3 is provided. The intermediate material 1 shown in FIG. 1A is an arcuate member. The intermediate material 6 shown in FIG. 2A is a C-shaped arcuate member. The shape of the intermediate material molded by the molding apparatus to which the present invention is applied may be different from those in FIGS. 1 and 2, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, it may be linear.

The intermediate material 1 shown in FIG. 1A is formed by filling a mold 10 (see FIG. 5), which will be described later, with a molding material obtained by adding a vulcanizing agent to a raw material such as raw rubber and kneading the mixture, and heating and cooling the mixture. Will be done. The intermediate material 6 shown in FIG. 2A is formed by filling a mold 10A (see FIG. 7), which will be described later, with a molding material, and heating and cooling the intermediate material 6. In the molding apparatus to which the present invention is applied, the vulcanized portion 2 is molded by molding while heating the central portion of the molding material filled in the mold 10 or the mold 10A in the longitudinal direction, and the end portion of the molding material is formed. The unvulcanized portion 3 is molded by molding while cooling. As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 2 (a), the intermediate material 1 and the intermediate material 6 are respectively subjected to the unvulcanized portion 3 before the second step of joining the unvulcanized portions 3 to each other. It is cut diagonally.

As shown in FIGS. 1 (b) and 1 (c), elastomer products 4A and 4B can be produced from the intermediate material 1. As shown in FIG. 2B, the elastomer product 7 can be produced from the intermediate material 6. The elastomer products 4A, 4B, and 7 include a joint portion 5 in which diagonally cut unvulcanized portions 3 are overlapped and joined. The ring-shaped elastomer product 4A shown in FIG. 1B is manufactured by joining both ends of one intermediate material 1. Further, the large elastomer product 4B shown in FIG. 1C is manufactured by joining the ends of two intermediate materials 1 to each other. By increasing the number of intermediate materials 1 to be joined, a larger elastomer product can be manufactured. Further, by joining a plurality of C-shaped intermediate materials 6, the elastomer product 7 having the shape shown in FIG. 2B can be manufactured.

(Molding equipment)
FIG. 3 is a front view of the molding apparatus 100 to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 4 is a side view of the molding apparatus 100 to which the present invention is applied. The molding apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 includes a mold 10 and a heating plate 20 for heating and cooling the mold 10. The mold 10 includes a lower mold 11 and an upper mold 12 facing each other in the vertical direction. The mold 10 is heated and cooled from the upper side and the lower side by two heating plates 20 having the same configuration. One of the two heat plates 20 is a first heat plate 29A that contacts the lower mold 11 from below, and the other of the two heat plates 20 is a second heat plate 29B that contacts the upper mold 12 from above (see FIG. 6). ). The structure of the hot plate 20 will be described later.

Further, the molding apparatus 100 has a first support plate 31 that supports the lower mold 11 from below via the first heat plate 29A, and a second support that supports the upper mold 12 from above via the second heat plate 29B. A plate 32 and a hydraulic cylinder 33 as a pressing mechanism for pressing the first support plate 31 toward the second support plate 32 are provided. When the hydraulic cylinder 33 is driven, the lower mold 11 and the first hot plate 29A move in the vertical direction while being mounted on the first support plate 31. The mold 10 has a rectangular planar shape in which the dimension in the device width direction is longer than the dimension in the depth direction. As described above, since the mold 10 has a horizontally long shape, the molding apparatus 100 includes a plurality of hydraulic cylinders 33 arranged in the device width direction. 1st hot plate 29
A heat insulating plate 9 is interposed between A and the first support plate 31 and between the second heating plate 29B and the second support plate 32.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a mold 10 for molding the intermediate material 1 of FIG. FIG. 5A is a bottom view of the upper mold 12 viewed from below, and FIG. 5B is a plan view of the lower mold 11 viewed from above. 5 (c) and 5 (d) are cross-sectional views of the mold 10, and are cross-sectional views cut at positions AA of FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b). FIG. 5 (c) shows a state in which the upper mold 12 is separated from the lower mold 11, and FIG. 5 (d) shows a state in which the lower mold 11 and the upper mold 12 are in contact with each other up and down.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the lower mold 11 includes an arc-shaped mold groove 11a extending in the longitudinal direction of the mold 10. The mold grooves 11a are arranged at regular intervals in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the mold 10. As shown in FIG. 5A, the upper mold 12 includes a plurality of mold grooves 12a arranged at regular intervals. When the lower mold 11 and the upper mold 12 are brought into contact with each other vertically, as shown in FIG. 5D, the mold groove 11a and the mold groove 12a form a filling space C having a circular cross section. In the lower mold 11, a bite-cutting groove 13 is formed at a position adjacent to each mold groove 11a. The cutting groove 13 accommodates the molding material overflowing from the filling space C.

The lower mold 11 includes positioning holes 11b provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The upper die 12 includes positioning pins 12b facing each positioning hole 11b. When closing the mold 10, the positioning pin 12b is fitted into the positioning hole 11b to align the lower mold 11 and the upper mold 12. The positions and numbers of the positioning holes 11b and the positioning pins 12b are not limited to the positions shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, and can be changed as appropriate.

The molding apparatus 100 includes a vacuum chamber 40 that houses the mold 10. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the vacuum chamber 40. FIG. 6A shows a state in which the vacuum chamber 40 is opened, and FIG. 6B shows a state in which the mold 10 is housed in the closed vacuum chamber 40. The left half of FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) is a front view of the vacuum chamber 40 and the mold 10 as viewed from the front side of the apparatus, and the right half of FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) is a vacuum. The cross-sectional structure of the chamber 40 and the mold 10 is shown. The vacuum chamber 40 is composed of a lower frame 41 in which the lower mold 11 is fitted inside, a vacuum frame 42 that abuts on the lower frame 41 from above, and a lid frame 43 that is slidably fitted inside the vacuum frame 42. Will be done.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the lid frame 43 is fixed to the outer peripheral edge of the second support plate 32. The lid frame 43 surrounds the outer peripheral side of the second heating plate 29B fixed to the second support plate 32 via the heat insulating plate 9. As shown in FIG. 6B, the vacuum chamber 40 is sealed by pressing the vacuum frame 42 downward by the hydraulic cylinder 44 and bringing the lower end of the vacuum frame 42 into close contact with the lower frame 41. In this state, the inside of the vacuum chamber 40 is depressurized using a vacuum pump or the like (not shown) to create a vacuum space around the mold 10.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the molding apparatus 100 includes a pair of frames 34 arranged on both sides of the mold 10 and the hydraulic cylinder 33 in the width direction, and a pair of frames 34 supported by the pair of frames 34 in the width direction of the mold 10. A pair of guide rails 35 arranged on both sides of the mold 10 and a drawer cylinder 36 arranged below the mold 10 are provided. As shown in FIG. 4, the pair of guide rails 35 extend to the front side of the device of the frame 34. When the drawer cylinder 36 is extended to the front side of the device, the mold 10 and the lower frame 41 slide along the guide rail 35, and the mold 10 is pulled out to the front side of the device (see FIG. 4).

When the intermediate material 1 is molded by the molding apparatus 100, the upper mold 12 is opened upward with the drawer cylinder 36 being driven to pull out the mold 10 to the front of the frame 34, and the molding material is placed inside the mold 10. Insert and close the upper mold 12. The opening and closing operation of the upper die 12 is performed by the eject cylinder 37 supported by the guide rail 35. After that, the drawer cylinder 36 is driven to return the mold 10 to the upper side of the hydraulic cylinder 33, and the vacuum chamber 40 is sealed and the pressure is reduced. Then, while driving the hydraulic cylinder 33 and pressing the mold 10 in the vacuum chamber 40, the heat medium and the refrigerant are supplied to the hot plate 20 to perform vulcanization molding. After molding, the mold 10 is pulled out to the front side of the apparatus again to open, and the molded product is taken out.

(Another example of mold)
FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a mold 10A for molding the intermediate material 6 of FIG. The planar shape of the mold 10A is a donut shape (annular). The mold 10A includes an annular lower mold 14 and an upper mold 15 facing each other in the vertical direction. FIG. 7A is a bottom view of the upper mold 15 viewed from below, and FIG. 7B is a plan view of the lower mold 14 viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 7B, the lower mold 14 includes an annular mold groove 14a. As shown in FIG. 7A, the upper mold 15 includes an annular mold groove 15a facing the mold groove 14a. When the lower mold 14 and the upper mold 15 are brought into contact with each other vertically, the filling space C having a circular cross section is formed by the mold groove 14a and the mold groove 15a. The lower mold 14 includes a cutting groove 16 formed on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the mold groove 14a. Further, similarly to the above-mentioned mold 10, one of the lower mold 14 and the upper mold 15 is provided with a positioning hole (not shown), and the other is provided with a positioning pin (not shown).

The molding apparatus 100 to which the present invention is applied can be changed to a configuration in which vulcanization molding is performed using the mold 10A of FIG. 7 instead of the mold 10 of FIG. In this case, the hot plate 20 and the vacuum chamber 40 are changed to the shapes corresponding to the mold 10A. For example, the hot plate 20 is changed to a hot plate 20A (see FIG. 9) having a shape corresponding to the mold 10A. Further, in the vacuum chamber 40, the vacuum frame surrounding the outer peripheral side of the heat plate 20A in contact with the lower mold 14 from below and the vacuum frame surrounding the outer peripheral side of the heat plate 20A in contact with the upper mold 15 from above are brought into close contact with each other. A vacuum space is formed around the mold 10A. Further, the other configurations are appropriately changed to the shapes corresponding to the mold 10A and the hot plate 20A. For example, only one hydraulic cylinder 33 pressurizes the mold 10A.

(Hot plate)
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a heating plate 20 for a mold 10 for molding the intermediate material 1 of FIG. 8 (a) is a plan view of the hot plate 20 and FIG. 8 (b) is a front view of the hot plate 20. The first heat plate 29A in contact with the mold 10 from below and the second heat plate 29B in contact with the mold 10 from above are both composed of the heat plates 20 shown in FIG. The hot plate 20 includes a heating unit 21, a cooling unit 22, and a heating / cooling unit 23. These are arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction of the mold 10 in the order of the cooling unit 22, the heating unit 21, and the heating / cooling unit 23.

Each of the cooling unit 22, the heating unit 21, and the heating / cooling unit 23 is a heat transfer member made of metal or the like, and includes a flow path 24 through which a heat medium or a refrigerant flows. Each flow path 24 is connected to a heat medium / refrigerant supply source (not shown). The cooling unit 22 is composed of one heat transfer member 22a (cooling heat transfer member) provided with one U-shaped flow path 24, and is arranged at one end of the mold 10 in the longitudinal direction. .. The cooling unit 22 forms the unvulcanized portion 3 at one end of the intermediate material 1.

The heating portion 21 is composed of one heat transfer member 21a (heat transfer member for heating) provided with a plurality of U-shaped flow paths 24, and is arranged in an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the mold 10. The heat transfer member 21a constituting the heating unit 21 has a longer dimension in the device width direction than the heat transfer member 22a constituting the cooling unit 22. The flow paths 24 provided in the heating unit 21 are arranged at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the mold 10. The heating unit 21 molds a part or all of the vulcanized portion 2 in the intermediate material 1.

The heating / cooling unit 23 is composed of a plurality of heat transfer members having the same shape as the cooling unit 22. Hereinafter, in the present specification, the n heat transfer members constituting the heating / cooling unit 23 are referred to as the first member 23 (1), the second member 23 (2), the third member 23 (3) ... n. Let it be member 23 (n). The first member 23 (1) is arranged at a position adjacent to the heating unit 21. The first member 23 (1), the second member 23 (2), the third member 23 (3) ... The nth member 23 (n) is the other end portion of the mold 10 in the longitudinal direction in this order. (That is, the end portion opposite to the end portion on which the cooling portion 22 is arranged) is arranged in a row.

In the heat plate 20, a gap 25 is provided between adjacent heat transfer members. In this embodiment, a heat insulating material (not shown) can be arranged in each gap 25. More specifically, a gap 25 is provided between the heat transfer member 21a constituting the heating unit 21 and the heat transfer member 22a constituting the cooling unit 22. Further, a gap 25 is provided between the first member 23 (1) arranged at the end of the heating / cooling unit 23 and the heat transfer member 21a. The n heat transfer members constituting the heating / cooling unit 23 are provided with a gap 25 between adjacent heat transfer members. The heat insulating material may not be arranged in the gap 25, and an air layer may be interposed between adjacent heat transfer members.

A heat medium or a refrigerant is supplied to the flow paths 24 of the plurality of heat transfer members constituting the heating / cooling unit 23 according to the length of the vulcanized portion 2 in the intermediate material 1. That is, the plurality of heat transfer members constituting the heating / cooling unit 23 can be used in both aspects of a cooling heat transfer member to which a refrigerant is supplied and a heat transfer member for heat rejection to which a heat medium is supplied. It is possible. As a result, the heating / cooling unit 23 can form a part of the vulcanized portion 2 and the unvulcanized portion 3 of the intermediate material 1, and at that time, the vulcanized portion 2 having a different length can be formed. Alternatively, only the unvulcanized portion 3 can be molded.

FIG. 8 (c) is a front view of the intermediate material 1, and FIG. 8 (d) is a diagram showing a mode of use of the heating plate 20 when manufacturing the intermediate material 1 of FIG. 8 (c). In the usage mode shown in FIG. 8D, the heating / cooling unit 23 supplies a heat medium to the first member 23 (1) to form a part of the vulcanized portion 2, and the first member 23 (2). The unvulcanized portion 3 is formed by supplying a refrigerant to the third member 23 (3) ... The nth member 23 (n) is unused. As a result, the intermediate material 1 having the length shown in FIG. 8C is formed.

8 (e) is a front view of the intermediate material 1 having a length different from that of FIG. 8 (c), and FIG. 8 (f) is a hot plate for manufacturing the intermediate material 1 of FIG. 8 (e). It is a figure which shows the specification aspect of 20. In the usage mode shown in FIG. 8 (f), the heating / cooling unit 23 supplies a heat medium to the range from the first member 23 (1) to the n-3 member 23 (n-3) to provide a vulcanized portion. Part 2 is molded, and a refrigerant is supplied to the n-3 member 23 (n-2) to form the unvulcanized portion 3, and the n-1 member 23 (n-1) and the nth member 23 are formed. (N) is unused. As a result, the intermediate material 1 having the length shown in FIG. 8 (e) is formed.

The first heat plate 29A that contacts the mold 10 from below and the second heat plate 29B that contacts the mold 10 from above are used in the same embodiment. Therefore, the first heat plate 29A and the second heat plate 29B are used in such a manner that the cooling heat transfer members to which the refrigerant is supplied face each other vertically with the mold 10 interposed therebetween. Further, the heat transfer member for heat rejection to which the heat medium is supplied is used in such a manner that the heat transfer member faces up and down with the mold 10 interposed therebetween. Therefore, the mold 10 is heated and cooled from both sides in the vertical direction.

(Another example of a hot plate)
FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a heating plate 20A for a mold 10A for molding the intermediate material 6 of FIG. 9 (a) is a plan view of the hot plate 20A, and FIG. 9 (b) is a front view of the hot plate 20A. A heating plate 20A having the same configuration is in contact with the mold 10A from the upper side and the lower side, respectively. The heat plate 20A in contact from the lower side is referred to as a first heat plate, and the heat plate 20A in contact from the upper side is referred to as a second heat plate. As shown in FIG. 9, the heating plate 20A includes a heating unit 26 and a cooling unit 27. The heating unit 26 and the cooling unit 27 are heat transfer members made of metal or the like, and a flow path 2 through which a heat medium or a refrigerant flows inside.
It has 4.

More specifically, the cooling unit 27 includes one heat transfer member 27a (cooling heat transfer member) provided with one U-shaped flow path 24. Further, the heating unit 26 is composed of one heat transfer member 26a (heat transfer member for heating) provided with a plurality of U-shaped flow paths 24. A gap 25 is provided between the heat transfer member 26a and the heat transfer member 27a, and a heat insulating material (not shown) is arranged in the gap 25. The heat insulating material may not be arranged in the gap 25 and may be used as an air layer.

FIG. 9C is a plan view showing the arrangement of the annular filling space C provided in the mold 10A, the heating unit 26, and the cooling unit 27. The heat transfer member 26a constituting the heating unit 26 has a longer dimension in the device width direction than the heat transfer member 27a constituting the cooling unit 27. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9C, the heating portion 26 overlaps with the filling space C in a C-shaped range larger than a semicircle. On the other hand, the cooling unit 22A overlaps the filling space C at both ends of the C-shaped range that overlaps with the heating unit 26. Therefore, the C-shaped vulcanized portion 2 as shown in FIG. 2A is formed by supplying a heat medium to the heating portion 26 and molding while heating. Then, the unvulcanized portion 3 is molded at both ends of the vulcanized portion 2 by supplying the refrigerant to the cooling portion 27 and molding while cooling.

(Agitation mechanism)
The heat plate 20 for the mold 10 and the heat plate 20A for the mold 10A include an urging mechanism 50 that urges the cooling heat transfer member toward the mold to bring it into close contact with the surface of the mold. Hereinafter, the specific configuration of the urging mechanism 50 will be described by taking the heating plate 20A for the mold 10A as an example.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of the urging mechanism 50 provided on the heating plate 20A of FIG. 9, and shows a cross-sectional configuration cut at the position BB of FIG. 9A. The example shown in FIG. 10 is an example of a heating plate 20A (that is, a first heating plate) that is in contact with the lower mold 14 (lower mold) from the lower side. As shown in FIG. 10, the heat plate 20A is supported from below by the first support plate 31 via the heat insulating plate 9. The heating portion 26 of the heating plate 20A is fixed to the first support plate 31 via the heat insulating plate 9. On the other hand, in the cooling portion 27 of the hot plate 20A, the heat transfer member 27a is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the heat insulating plate 9 and the first support plate 31. FIG. 10A shows a state in which the heat transfer member 27a protrudes above the heat transfer member 26a (that is, on the mold 10A side) due to the urging force of the urging mechanism 50. FIG. 10B shows a state in which the heat transfer member 27a is pushed down against the urging force of the urging mechanism 50.

As shown in FIG. 10, the urging mechanism 50 is provided with a through hole 51 that penetrates the heat transfer member 27a in the vertical direction, a stopper bolt 52 that is passed through the through hole 51, and a bottom surface of the heat transfer member 27a. A spring 54 is provided in the recess 53 so as to be arranged in a compressed state. The stopper bolt 52 is slidably supported in the vertical direction by a flanged bush 55 press-fitted into the through hole 51. The flange portion of the flanged bush 55 and the head portion 52a of the stopper bolt 52 are housed in a counterbore portion 51a provided at the edge of the opening on the upper end side of the through hole 51. The tip portion 52b of the stopper bolt 52 penetrates the heat insulating plate 9 and is screwed to the first support plate 31. Therefore, the heat transfer member 27a is connected to the first support plate 31 in a state where it can be moved in the vertical direction by the stopper bolt 52.

When the step of molding the intermediate material 6 is performed, the heat transfer member 27a becomes low in temperature and contracts due to the flow of the refrigerant through the cooling unit 27. Therefore, the vertical height of the heat transfer member 27a is smaller than the vertical height of the heat transfer member 26a, but the heat transfer member 27a is moved upward (that is, on the mold 10A side) by the spring 54 of the urging mechanism 50. The upper end surface 27b of the heat transfer member 27a is flush with the upper end surface 26b of the heat transfer member 26a, and the upper end surface 27b is surely brought into close contact with the mold 10A.

Although not shown, in the heating plate 20 for the mold 10, the cooling unit 22 is provided with the same mechanism as the urging mechanism 50 shown in FIG. Therefore, the heat transfer member 22a of the cooling unit 22 is surely brought into close contact with the surface of the mold 10. Further, the heating / cooling unit 23 is provided with an urging mechanism 50 for each of a plurality of heat transfer members (first member 23 (1) ... nth member 23 (n)). Therefore, when the refrigerant flows through one of the heat transfer members (first member 23 (1) ... nth member 23 (n)), the heat transfer member is surely adhered to the surface of the mold 10. To do.

(Main action and effect of this form)
As described above, the molding apparatus 100 of the present embodiment has a mold 10 filled with a molding material and a heating plate 20 in contact with the surface of the mold 10. The heat plate 20 includes a plurality of heat transfer members (heat transfer members 21a, 22a, 23 (1) ... 23 (n)) arranged along the surface of the mold 10 and a plurality of heat transfer members. A urging mechanism 50 for urging a part of the above (heat transfer members 22a, 23 (1) ... 23 (n)) toward the surface is provided. Of the plurality of heat transfer members, one of the heat transfer member 22a and the heat transfer member (first member 23 (1) ... nth member 23 (n)) is a flow path to which the refrigerant is supplied. It is used as a cooling heat transfer member including 24. The cooling heat transfer member is urged toward the surface of the mold 10 by the urging mechanism 50.

According to the present invention, the two heat transfer members to which the refrigerant is supplied and used as the heat transfer members for cooling are placed on the surface of the mold 10 by the urging mechanism 50 at positions adjacent to the heat transfer members for heating. Be urged towards. Therefore, even when the size of the cooling heat transfer member is smaller than that of the heating heat transfer member due to the temperature difference between the heating heat transfer member to which the heat medium is supplied and the cooling heat transfer member, the urging mechanism 50 is attached. By the force, the cooling heat transfer member adjacent to the heating heat transfer member can be surely brought into contact with the mold 10. As a result, a part of the mold 10 is cooled by the cooling heat transfer member to form the unvulcanized portion 3, and the other part of the mold 10 is heated by the heating heat transfer member to heat the vulcanized portion 2. When the intermediate material 1 is manufactured by molding, the cooling efficiency of the unvulcanized portion 3 can be increased and the progress of vulcanization can be suppressed. Therefore, the transition region where the vulcanized portion 2 and the unvulcanized portion 3 are switched can be shortened, and the position accuracy of the unvulcanized portion 3 can be improved.

Similarly, of the plurality of heat transfer members (heat transfer members 26a, 27a) constituting the heat plate 20A in contact with the mold 10A, the cooling heat transfer member (heat transfer member 27a) to which the refrigerant is supplied is urged. The mechanism 50 urges the mold 10 toward the surface. Therefore, when the intermediate material 6 including the unvulcanized portion 3 and the vulcanized portion 2 is manufactured, the cooling efficiency of the unvulcanized portion 3 can be increased and the progress of vulcanization can be suppressed. Therefore, the transition region where the vulcanized portion 2 and the unvulcanized portion 3 are switched can be shortened, and the position accuracy of the unvulcanized portion 3 can be improved.

If the position accuracy of the unvulcanized portion 3 of the intermediate material used for feed baking is improved, the unvulcanized portions will be joined to each other to produce an elastomer product, and the unvulcanized parts will be joined at the portion where vulcanization has progressed. Distortion and bending can be avoided, and poor joining can be avoided. Further, since the length accuracy of the vulcanized portion 2 and the length accuracy of the joint portion 5 are improved, the dimensional accuracy of the final product, the elastomer product, is improved. Therefore, the occurrence of defective products can be reduced.

Further, if the length of the transition region where the unvulcanized portion 3 and the vulcanized portion 2 are switched can be shortened, the effective length of the vulcanized portion 2 can be increased, so that a long or large elastomer product is manufactured. Sometimes the number of joints can be reduced. Further, if the length of the transition region can be shortened, the length of the joint portion 5 in which the unvulcanized portions are joined can be shortened. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the mold and the hot plate used in the process of joining the intermediate materials. If the mold can be made smaller and lighter, the workability of the process of joining intermediate materials will be improved. For example, the work of opening and closing the mold becomes easy. Further, since the pressing mechanism can be miniaturized, the cost of the device can be reduced.

In this embodiment, as the heat plate 20 in contact with the mold 10, the first heat plate 29A in contact with the lower mold 11 from the lower side (opposite to the upper mold 12) and the upper side of the upper mold 12 (the lower mold 11 is). A second hot plate 29B that comes into contact with the other side) is used, and the cooling portion 22 of the first hot plate 29A and the cooling portion 22 of the second hot plate 29B face each other vertically with the mold 10 interposed therebetween. In this way, the cooling heat transfer member and the heating heat transfer member are surely in contact with the mold 10 from both sides in the vertical direction. Therefore, the heating / cooling efficiency is high. In particular, since the cooling heat transfer member reliably contacts the mold 10 from both sides in the vertical direction, the target portion can be reliably cooled. Therefore, the position accuracy of the unvulcanized portion 3 can be improved. Further, since the heating plate 20A in contact with the mold 10A has the same configuration, the same effect can be obtained.

In this embodiment, the first support plate 31 that supports the first hot plate 29A from the side opposite to the lower mold 11 and the second support plate 32 that supports the second hot plate 29B from the side opposite to the upper mold 12 It has a hydraulic cylinder 33 (pressing mechanism) that presses one of the first support plate 31 and the second support plate 32 toward the other. In the urging mechanism 50 provided on the first heat plate 29A, a spring 54 (first elastic body) is interposed between the first support plate 31 and the heat transfer member 22a (cooling heat transfer member), and the second In the urging mechanism 50 provided on the heat plate 29B, a spring 54 (second elastic body) is interposed between the second support plate 32 and the heat transfer member 22a (cooling heat transfer member). Therefore, when the mold 10 is compacted, the heat transfer member 21a of the heating unit 21 is pressed against the mold 10 by the pressing force of the hydraulic cylinder 33, so that the vulcanized portion 2 is pressurized by the pressing force of the hydraulic cylinder 33. To. On the other hand, for the unvulcanized portion 3, a spring that is an elastic body both between the first support plate 31 and the heat transfer member 22a and between the second support plate 32 and the heat transfer member 22a. Since the 54 is interposed, the pressing force of the hydraulic cylinder 33 does not act on the mold 10 as it is, and the heat transfer member 22a is only in contact with the surface of the mold 10. Therefore, since the pressure applied to the unvulcanized portion 3 is reduced, it is possible to prevent the vulcanization reaction of the unvulcanized portion 3 from proceeding due to the pressing force of the hydraulic cylinder 33 for mold clamping. Since the heating plate 20A in contact with the mold 10A has the same configuration, the same effect can be obtained.

In the present embodiment, the urging mechanism 50 includes a through hole 51 that penetrates the cooling heat transfer member in the urging direction of the urging mechanism 50, and a stopper bolt 52 that is passed through the through hole 51. The stopper bolt 52 has a head 52a housed in a counterbore portion 51a provided on the edge of the through hole 51, and projects from the through hole 51 to the opposite side of the head 52a to support the first support plate 31 or the second support. A tip portion 52b screwed to the plate 32 is provided. With such a configuration, the urging mechanism 50 can hold the cooling heat transfer member in a state where it can be moved in the urging direction by the stopper bolt 52. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cooling heat transfer member from being displaced or falling off.

In the heat plate 20 and the heat plate 20A of the present embodiment, the heat insulating material (not shown) provided in the gap 25 between the cooling heat transfer member and the heating heat transfer member and arranged in the gap 25 is the cooling heat. It intervenes between the transfer member and the heat transfer member for heating. Therefore, the heat transfer from the heating heat transfer member to the cooling heat transfer member can be reduced. Therefore, the cooling efficiency of the unvulcanized portion can be increased. The air layer may be interposed in the gap 25 without arranging the heat insulating material, and the air layer can reduce the heat transfer from the heating heat transfer member to the cooling heat transfer member.

The molding apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes a vacuum chamber 40 for accommodating the mold 10, and manufactures a molded product in a vacuum atmosphere. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the formation of air bubbles in the molded product, and it is possible to improve the molding quality.

(Modification example 1)
FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing the urging mechanism 50A of the first modification. The urging mechanism 50 shown in FIG. 10 has a configuration in which a spring 54 is used as the elastic body, but the elastic body is not limited to the spring. The urging mechanism 50A shown in FIG. 11 includes an elastic body 54A made of a thermosetting elastomer. The elastic body 54A is a plate-shaped member sandwiched between the lower end surface of the heat transfer member 27a and the heat insulating plate 9. FIG. 11A shows a state in which the heat transfer member 27a protrudes toward the mold due to the urging force of the urging mechanism 50A. FIG. 11B shows a state in which the heat transfer member 27a is pushed down against the urging force of the urging mechanism 50A by being brought into close contact with the mold. With such an urging mechanism 50A, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above-described embodiment.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing the urging mechanism 50B of the modified example 2. The urging mechanism 50 shown in FIG. 10 has a configuration in which a plurality of springs 54 are used as the elastic bodies, but the number and arrangement of the elastic bodies are not limited to the form shown in FIG. The urging mechanism 50B shown in FIG. 12 includes one spring 54B arranged coaxially with the stopper bolt 52. The spring 54B is arranged in the recess 53B provided at the lower end of the through hole 51, and the stopper bolt 52 is passed through the center of the spring 54B. FIG. 12A shows a state in which the heat transfer member 27a protrudes toward the mold due to the urging force of the urging mechanism 50B. FIG. 12B shows a state in which the heat transfer member 27a is pushed down against the urging force of the urging mechanism 50B by being brought into close contact with the mold. With such a configuration, the same action and effect as the above-mentioned form can be obtained.

1 ... Intermediate material, 2 ... Sulfurized part, 3 ... Unrefined part, 4A, 4B ... Elastomer product, 5 ... Joint, 6 ... Intermediate material, 7 ... Elastomer product, 9 ... Insulation plate, 10, 10A ... Mold, 11 ... Lower mold, 11a ... Mold groove, 11b ... Positioning hole, 12 ... Upper mold, 12a ... Mold groove, 12b ... Positioning pin, 13 ... Cutting groove, 14 ... Lower mold, 14a ... Mold groove, 15 ... Upper mold, 15a ... Die groove, 16 ... Eating groove, 20, 20A ... Heat plate, 21 ... Heating part, 21a ... Heat transfer member, 22, 22A ... Cooling part, 22a ... Heat transfer member, 23 ... Heating / cooling Part, 23 (1) ... 1st member, 23 (2) ... 2nd member, 23 (3) ... 3rd member, 23 (n) ... nth member, 24 ... Flow path, 25 ... Gap, 26 ... Heating Part, 26a ... heat transfer member, 26b ... upper end surface, 27 ... cooling part, 27a ... heat transfer member, 27b ... upper end surface, 29A ... first hot plate, 29B ... second hot plate, 31 ... first support plate, 32 ... 2nd support plate, 33 ... hydraulic cylinder, 34 ... frame, 35 ... guide rail, 36 ... drawer cylinder, 37 ... eject cylinder, 40 ... vacuum chamber, 41 ... lower frame, 42 ... vacuum frame, 43 ... lid Frame, 44 ... hydraulic cylinder, 50, 50A, 50B ... urging mechanism, 51 ... through hole, 51a ... counterbore, 52 ... stopper bolt, 52a ... head, 52b ... tip, 53, 53B ... recess, 54 , 54B ... Spring, 54A ... Elastic body, 55 ... Bush with flange, 100 ... Molding device, C ... Filling space

Claims (7)

A mold filled with molding material and
It has a heating plate that is in contact with the surface of the mold, and has
The hot plate is
A plurality of heat transfer members arranged along the surface,
It is provided with an urging mechanism that urges a part of the plurality of heat transfer members toward the surface.
The plurality of heat transfer members include a cooling heat transfer member having a flow path to which a refrigerant is supplied, and a heating heat transfer member having a flow path to which a heat medium is supplied.
The molding apparatus, wherein the cooling heat transfer member is urged toward the surface by the urging mechanism. The mold comprises a lower mold and an upper mold.
The heat plate includes a first heat plate that contacts the lower mold from the side opposite to the upper mold, and a second heat plate that contacts the upper mold from the side opposite to the lower mold.
Each of the first hot plate and the second hot plate
A plurality of the heat transfer members including the cooling heat transfer member and the heating heat transfer member and arranged in a row, and the urging mechanism for urging the cooling heat transfer member are provided.
The first aspect of claim 1 is characterized in that the cooling heat transfer member of the first hot plate and the cooling heat transfer member of the second hot plate face each other with the lower mold and the upper mold interposed therebetween. The molding apparatus described. A first support plate that supports the first hot plate from the side opposite to the lower mold, and
A second support plate that supports the second hot plate from the side opposite to the upper mold, and
It has a pressing mechanism that presses one of the first support plate and the second support plate toward the other.
The urging mechanism provided on the first heat plate includes a first elastic body interposed between the first support plate and the cooling heat transfer member.
The second elastic body provided in the second heating plate includes a second elastic body interposed between the second support plate and the cooling heat transfer member, according to claim 2. Molding equipment. The urging mechanism includes a through hole that penetrates the cooling heat transfer member in the urging direction of the urging mechanism, and a stopper bolt that is passed through the through hole.
The stopper bolt has a head house accommodated in a counterbore portion provided at the edge of the through hole, and the first support plate or the second support plate projecting from the through hole to the side opposite to the head. The molding apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a tip portion screwed to. The molding apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first elastic body and the second elastic body are springs arranged in a compressed state in a recess provided in the cooling heat transfer member. The molding apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first elastic body and the second elastic body are thermosetting elastomers. The molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an air layer or a heat insulating material is interposed between the cooling heat transfer member and the heating heat transfer member.

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