JP5550482B2 - Press machine system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a press apparatus system including a heating press apparatus that heats and presses a workpiece in a vacuum chamber.

  As a method for manufacturing an electronic circuit board, there is a method of using a heating press device that presses a work piece formed by alternately superposing resin sheets such as prepreg sheets and copper foil between hot plates. Here, since the time required for performing the heat press is several times or more of the formation (structure) time of the workpiece by lamination, the heat press apparatus is similar to that described in Patent Document 1, A multi-stage press device in which a large number of hot plates are arranged in a vertical direction is used to press a large number of workpieces at a time, so that the workpiece can be efficiently formed without stopping the mechanism process.

JP 2002-316296 A

  If it is going to shape | mold a workpiece, without stopping the mechanism process which is an upstream process using the heating press apparatus of patent document 1, the number of the hot plates required for a heating press apparatus will increase, The amount of movement of the hot plate when performing is also large. As a result, problems such as occurrence of slip accidents and large variations in product thickness can occur. Further, in the above configuration, since the moving amount of the hot platen is large, in the case of the configuration in which the hot platen is heated by circulating the heated heat medium in the flow channel provided in the hot platen, the flow channel in the hot platen In addition, the length of the pipe connecting the external heating means and the heat medium circulation pump becomes large, and the loss of heat from the pipe also becomes large.

  Moreover, when manufacturing an electronic circuit board by performing a heat press, for the improvement of the adhesiveness of a resin sheet and copper foil, and the removal of the bubble in a resin sheet like the structure shown by patent document 1. It is common to press under vacuum. In order to perform a heat press under a vacuum, a heat press apparatus that performs a heat press needs to cover all of a large number of hot plates with a vacuum chamber. Since the vacuum chamber is large enough to cover a large number of hot plates, the vacuum pump for evacuating the vacuum chamber is also large.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. That is, the present invention provides a press apparatus system that can prevent the occurrence of a slip accident and suppress variations in the thickness of a molded product, and that can form a workpiece without stopping the mechanical process. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, a press apparatus system according to the present invention includes a plurality of heating press apparatuses that heat-press a workpiece to be sandwiched between hot plates, A loader for carrying out, a plurality of heating press devices and a control means for controlling the loader, and the plurality of heating plates are arranged between the upper heating plate, the lower heating plate, and the upper and lower heating plates. And a pair of upper and lower bowl-shaped containers in which the vacuum chamber is movable up and down. The pair of bowl-shaped containers are configured to close so as to sandwich the intermediate heating plate holding plate and seal the inside from the outside, and the control means can heat the workpiece with one of a plurality of heating press devices. While doing the press, other By controlling the heat press device and the loader, and performing loading and unloading of the workpiece relative to the other heating press.

  With such a configuration, a large number of workpieces can be pressed in a short time even if the number of heating plates of each heating press apparatus is small. That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of hot plates per heating press apparatus necessary for forming a workpiece without stopping the mechanism process, thereby preventing the occurrence of a slip accident. In addition, it is possible to suppress variations in the thickness of the molded product. Moreover, since the volume of the vacuum chamber per heating press apparatus becomes small, it is possible to reduce the size and output of the vacuum pump necessary for evacuation of the vacuum chamber. Furthermore, while the workpiece is being heated and pressed by one of a plurality of heating and pressing devices, the workpiece is carried in and out of the other heating and pressing device, so it is conveyed at once by a loader. The number of workpieces to be processed is small, and the loader can be downsized. In addition, the number of workpieces stored in a stacker that temporarily stores the workpiece before heating press may be small.

  Moreover, it is preferable to set it as the structure by which the some heat press apparatus is arranged in the up-down direction.

  With such a configuration, a large number of workpieces can be heated and pressed without increasing the ground contact area of the press device system.

Further, the number of the intermediate heating plates is one, and the plurality of heating press devices include a support frame having a pair of side walls, and the inner wall surfaces of the pair of side walls are respectively projected to engage with the intermediate heating plate holding plate. When the workpiece is carried in and out of the heating press device, the control means lowers the lower heating plate to the first height by the heating plate driving mechanism and performs the heating press. The heating press device is controlled to raise the lower hot platen to a second height higher than the first height by the hot platen drive mechanism, and when the lower hot platen is at the first height, the intermediate hot platen When the holding plate is caught by the protruding part, the intermediate heating plate rises from the lower heating plate, and when the lower heating plate is at the second height, the intermediate heating plate holding plate rises from the protruding part, and the intermediate heating plate is It is configured to be sandwiched between the heating plate and the lower heating plate There.

Moreover, it is good also as a structure which has the vacuum pump which removes air from several heat press apparatuses.

  Moreover, it is preferable to have a switching valve which is controlled by the control means and switches which one of the vacuum chambers of the plurality of heating press apparatuses is to remove air.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to perform evacuation of the vacuum chambers of a plurality of heating press apparatuses with a single vacuum pump.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a slip accident, to suppress the variation in the thickness of the molded product, and to form the workpiece without stopping the mechanism process. A pressing device system is realized.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the entire press apparatus system of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the stacker 100 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 4A to 4D are cross-sectional views taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view of the loader 600 of the present embodiment. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. FIGS. 7A to 7D are cross-sectional views of the stacker or loader of the present embodiment, respectively. FIG. 8 is a front view of the heating press section of the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a front view of the cure press apparatus of the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the entire press apparatus system 1 of the present embodiment. The press apparatus system 1 according to this embodiment includes a stacker 100 in which a workpiece before molding is temporarily stored, a heating press unit 200 that heat-presses the workpiece, and a curing press of the workpiece that has been hot-pressed. A curing press device 300 for performing the cooling press, a cooling press device 400 for cooling the workpiece after the curing press is completed, an unstacker 500 for temporarily storing the workpiece after the cooling press is completed, a stacker 100, and heating. A loader 600 that transports a workpiece among the press unit 200, the curing press device 300, the cooling press device 400, and the unstacker 500 is provided. Further, upstream of the stacker 100, a mechanism unit (not shown) for creating a workpiece formed by alternately stacking a plurality of prepreg sheets and copper foils is disposed. The workpiece to be processed is carried into the stacker 100 via the fixed conveyor 712 and the movable conveyor 711. The workpieces stored in the unstacker 500 are carried out via the movable conveyor 721 and the fixed conveyor 722. The heating press unit 200, the curing press apparatus 300, the cooling press apparatus 400, the fixed conveyor 712 and the movable conveyor 711 on the stacker 100 side, and the fixed conveyor 722 and the movable conveyor 721 on the unstacker 500 side are controlled by the controller 800 of the press apparatus system 1. Be controlled.

  The stacker 100 will be described below. FIG. 2 is a front view of the stacker 100, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, two workpieces P can be placed on the stacker 100 in the vertical direction. Each workpiece P is placed on a metal plate M (hereinafter referred to as “metal plate M”). Each of the metal plates M is supported by four support arms 111 to 114 at the four corners. The support arms 111 and 112 extend from the right side to the left side in FIGS. 2 and 3 to support the metal plate M, and the support arms 113 and 114 extend from the left side to the right side in FIGS. Support. As shown in FIG. 3, the support arms 111 and 113 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction in FIGS. Similarly, the support arms 112 and 114 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the support arms 111 to 114 is provided in two sets in the vertical direction, and one set of the support arms 111 to 114 arranged in the horizontal direction has 1 A sheet of metal plate M is placed.

  The metal plate M on which the workpiece P is placed is carried into the stacker 100 from the upper side in FIG. A movable conveyor 711 is used to carry the workpiece P into the stacker 100. The movable conveyor 711 is movable in the vertical direction. The movable conveyor 711 is driven so that the plate placed thereon can be conveyed from the top to the bottom in FIG. These driving of the movable conveyor 711 is performed by a driving mechanism (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the dimension of the movable conveyor 711 in the left-right direction in FIG. 3 (hereinafter referred to as “width direction”) is the distance between the support arms 111 and 113 and the distance between the support arms 112 and 114 in the width direction. Narrower than that. Therefore, when there is no metal plate M in a portion between the support arms 111 to 114 of the movable conveyor 711, the movable conveyor 711 can freely move up and down without interfering with the support arms 111 to 114.

  A procedure for placing the metal plate M and the workpiece P on the support arms 111 to 114 of the stacker 100 will be described below. 4A to 4D are cross-sectional views taken along line BB in FIG. As shown in the figure, each of the support arms 111 and 113 has hooks 111h and 113h extending vertically upward. The support arms 112 and 114 also have hooks 112h and 114h having the same shape (see FIG. 3).

  FIG. 4A shows a state before the metal plate M is transferred into the stacker 100. As shown in FIG. 4A, the upper surface 711a of the movable conveyor 711 is higher than the horizontal plane TS1 defined by the upper ends of the hooks 111h to 114h of the upper support arms 111 to 114. Prior to the state of FIG. 4A, the movable conveyor 711 once moved to the same height as the fixed conveyor 712 (FIG. 1), and the set of workpieces P riding on the metal plate M from the fixed conveyor 712. Two sets are obtained.

  Next, the movable conveyor 711 is driven so that the upper surface 711a of the movable conveyor 711 moves forward (in the direction from the top to the bottom in FIG. 3), and the metal plate M on which the workpiece P is placed is supported by each support arm of the movable conveyor 711. It moves on the part (area | region 711b: FIG. 3) between 111-114. FIG. 4B shows this state. In this state, the bottom surface of the metal plate M is at a position higher than the horizontal plane TS1 defined by the upper ends of the hooks 111h to 114h of the upper support arms 111 to 114. Therefore, the metal plate M and the workpiece P are conveyed into the stacker 100 without interference between the metal plate M and the hooks 111h to 114h of the support arm.

  Next, the movable conveyor 711 descends to the position shown in FIG. As a result, the metal plate M is placed on the hooks 111h to 114h of the upper support arms 111 to 114.

  Next, the movable conveyor 711 is driven so that the upper surface 711 a of the movable conveyor 711 moves forward, and the metal plate M on which the other workpiece P is placed is located between the support arms 111 to 114 of the movable conveyor 711 ( Region 711b: Moves up in FIG. FIG. 4D shows this state. In this state, the bottom surface of the metal plate M is higher than the horizontal plane TS2 defined by the upper ends of the hooks 111h to 114h of the lower support arms 111 to 114, and the upper end of the metal plate M is the uppermost support arm 111. It is in the position lower than level surface BS1 defined by the lower end of -114. Furthermore, the width dimension of the workpiece P is shorter than the width dimension of the gap between the support arms 111 and 113 and the width dimension of the gap between the support arms 111 and 113, and the workpiece P Is at a position lower than the horizontal plane TS1 defined by the upper ends of the hooks 111h to 114h of the uppermost support arms 111 to 114 (that is, the position of the bottom surface of the upper metal plate M). Therefore, the lower metal plate M and the workpiece P are conveyed into the stacker 100 without interfering with the hooks 111h to 114h of the upper support arms 111 to 114 and the upper metal plate M.

  As described above, the movable conveyor 711 is driven according to the procedure of FIGS. 4A to 4D, so that the workpieces are respectively processed on the upper support arms 111 to 114 and the lower support arms 111 to 114. A metal plate M on which the object P is placed is arranged.

  The unstacker 500 and the movable conveyor 721 and fixed conveyor 722 on the unstacker 500 side have the same structure as the stacker 100 and the movable conveyor 711 and fixed conveyor 712 on the stacker 100 side, respectively. When the workpiece P and the metal plate M are transported from the unstacker 500 to the fixed conveyor 722, an operation reverse to that of the stacker 100 (ie, an operation for changing the state of FIG. 4D to the state of FIG. 4A). )I do.

  Next, the configuration of the loader 600 will be described. FIG. 5 is a side view of the loader 600. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. The loader 600 includes a first moving mechanism 640 for loading or unloading the workpiece P between the stacker 100, the heating press unit 200, the curing press device 300, the cooling press device 400, and the unstacker 500, and the stacker 100. A second moving mechanism 630 for moving from the front of the unstacker 500 to the front of the unstacker 500, and a third moving mechanism 670 for changing the position of the workpiece P held by the loader 600 in the height direction. . 6, the loader 600 supports the metal plate M by supporting both ends of the metal plate M in the width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1, up and down direction in FIG. 6) by a pair of arms 610 and 620. M and the workpiece P thereon are held.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first moving mechanism 640 includes a pair of ball screws 641 and 642 passed in the transport direction and the horizontal direction, and nuts 643 and 644 that engage with the ball screws 641 and 642, respectively. And a first motor 645 that rotationally drives each of the ball screws 641 and 642. Arm guides 611 and 621 are suspended from the nuts 643 and 644, respectively. In addition, loader arms 610 and 620 are attached to the arm guides 611 and 621, respectively. Therefore, when the ball screw 641 is rotationally driven by the first motor 645, the arm guides 611 and 621 and the loader arms 610 and 620 together with the nuts 643 and 644 are connected to the stacker 100, the heating press unit 200, the cure press device 300, and the cooling press device. 400 and the unstacker 500 move in the direction of moving back and forth (left and right direction in FIG. 5). The ball screws 641 and 642 are suspended from the ceiling plate 650 of the loader 600, and the first motor 645 is fixed to the upper surface of the ceiling plate 650. The torque of the rotating shaft of the first motor 645 was passed to a driving pulley 646 attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 645 and driven pulleys 641a and 642a provided at the ends (right side in the figure) of the ball screws 641 and 642. It is transmitted to the ball screws 641 and 642 via the endless belt 647.

  As described above, the loader arms 610 and 620 are inserted into the stacker 100, the heating press unit 200, the curing press device 300, the cooling press device 400, and the unstacker 500 by the first moving mechanism 640, and the workpiece P The metal plate M can be moved between a position where it can be delivered and received and a position sufficiently away from the stacker 100, the heating press unit 200, the curing press device 300, the cooling press device 400, and the unstacker 500. In the present embodiment, the first moving mechanism 640 moves the loader arms 610 and 620 by a ball screw mechanism, but instead of the ball screw mechanism, a cylinder mechanism (hydraulic or pneumatic drive), rack- A pinion mechanism or the like may be used.

  Next, the second moving mechanism 630 will be described. The loader arms 610 and 620 and the arm guides 611 and 621 are moved together with the ceiling plate 650 by the second moving mechanism 630 while being suspended from the ceiling plate 650 as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the second moving mechanism 630 includes a pair of linear rails 631 that are passed in parallel to the arrangement direction of the stacker 100, the heating press unit 200, the curing press device 300, the cooling press device 400, and the unstacker 500. 632. The linear rails 631 and 632 are fixed to the device frame 2 of the press device system 1. The direct bearings that engage with the linear rails 631 and 632 are fixed on the ceiling plate 650. For this reason, the ceiling board 650 and the loader arms 610 and 620 are movable along the linear rails 631 and 632.

  A rack 635 extending along the linear rails 631 and 632 is suspended from the apparatus frame 2. A second motor 636 is fixed on the ceiling plate 650. A pinion 637 that engages with the rack 635 is attached to the rotation shaft of the second motor 636. Therefore, the ceiling plate 650 and the loader arms 610 and 620 can be moved along the linear rails 631 and 632 by driving the second motor 636.

  In the present embodiment, the second moving mechanism 630 moves the loader arms 610 and 620 by the rack-pinion mechanism, but instead of the rack-pinion mechanism, a cylinder mechanism (hydraulic or pneumatic driving), A ball screw mechanism or the like may be used.

  Next, the third moving mechanism 670 will be described. The third moving mechanism 670 includes third motors 671 and 672 attached to the arm guides 611 and 621, and a linear motion conversion mechanism (not shown) provided inside the arm guide 611. The linear motion conversion mechanism is a mechanism (such as a rack-pinion mechanism or a ball screw mechanism) that converts the rotational motion of the output shafts of the third motors 671 and 672 into a linear motion in the vertical direction. The linear motion conversion mechanisms provided with the arm guides 611 and 621 are connected to loader arms 610 and 620, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to move the loader arms 610 and 620 in the vertical direction by driving the third motors 671 and 672.

  In this embodiment, the third moving mechanism 670 moves the loader arms 610 and 620 in the vertical direction by a combination of the third motors 671 and 672 that are rotary motors and the linear motion conversion mechanism. Instead of this, the loader arms 610 and 620 may be moved in the vertical direction using a cylinder mechanism or the like.

  As described above, the loader 600 can translate the loader arms 610 and 620 supporting the metal plate M in the three axial directions.

  A procedure for taking out the workpiece P from the stacker 100 by the loader 600 will be described. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the stacker 100 taken along a plane (corresponding to the line BB in FIG. 3) perpendicular to the advancing / retreating direction of the loader arms 610 and 620. 7B and 7C are cross-sectional views in which the stacker 100 and the loader 600 are cut along a plane perpendicular to the advancing and retreating direction of the loader arms 610 and 620 (corresponding to the line BB in FIG. 3). FIG. 7D is a cross-sectional view of the loader 600 taken along a plane (corresponding to the line DD in FIG. 6) perpendicular to the advancing / retreating direction of the loader arms 610 and 620.

  FIG. 7A shows a state before the loader arms 610 and 620 are inserted into the stacker 100. In this state, the loader 600 has moved to the front of the stacker 100.

  Next, the loader arms 610 and 620 are advanced toward the stacker 100. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7B, the loader arms 610 and 620 are respectively inserted into the gaps between the bottom surfaces of both ends in the width direction (left and right ends in the figure) of the metal plate M and the support arms 111 to 114. Is done. In the present embodiment, both ends in the width direction of the metal plate M are bent in a crank shape so that the height direction dimension of the gap between the bottom surface at both ends in the width direction of the metal plate M and the support arms 111 to 114 is increased. The loader arms 610 and 620 are easily inserted.

  The loader arms 610 and 620 are then raised. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7C, the metal plate M is scooped up by the loader arms 610 and 620 and separated from the support arms 111 to 114.

  Next, the loader arms 610 and 620 are retracted in the direction away from the stacker 100. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7 (d), the metal plate M is retracted together with the loader arms 610 and 620 while being supported by the loader arms 610 and 620 and pulled out from the stacker 100.

  As described above, the unstacker 500 has the same structure as the stacker 100. When the workpiece P and the metal plate M are accommodated in the unstacker 500, an operation reverse to that when the workpiece P is taken out from the stacker 100 (that is, from the state of FIG. 7D to the state of FIG. 7A). Operation).

  The workpiece P taken out from the stacker 100 is transported to the heating press unit 200 by the loader 600, where it is pressed and molded while being heated. The configuration of the heating press unit 200 will be described below.

  FIG. 8 is a front view of the heating press unit 200. As shown in FIG. 8, the heating press unit 200 has a configuration in which a first heating press apparatus 200A, a second heating press apparatus 200B, and a third heating press apparatus 200C are arranged in the vertical direction. The first heat press apparatus 200A, the second heat press apparatus 200B, and the third heat press apparatus 200C all have the same structure. Hereinafter, the third heat press apparatus 200C will be described, but the same applies to the first heat press apparatus 200A and the second heat press apparatus 200B.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the third heating press apparatus 200C, an upper heating plate 211, an intermediate heating plate 212, and a lower heating plate 213 are arranged in the vertical direction between the upper block 201a and the lower block 201b. It has a configuration. Further, the workpiece P placed on the metal plate M is arranged on the intermediate heating platen 212 and the lower heating platen 213, respectively.

  The upper heating plate 211 is fixed to the upper block 201a through the upper rod 202. The lower block 201b incorporates a hydraulic cylinder mechanism 203. The hydraulic cylinder mechanism 203 is a device that moves the cylinder 203a up and down relative to the lower block 201a. A lower heating plate 213 is fixed to the cylinder 203a, and the lower heating plate 213 can be moved up and down by driving the hydraulic cylinder mechanism 203.

  The intermediate heating platen 212 is formed integrally with an intermediate heating plate support frame 212a which is a plate-like member extending in the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 8, in the state where the heating press is not performed (the state where the intervals of the respective heating plates are sufficiently open), the intermediate heating plate support frame 212a is provided on the side block 201c of the apparatus frame. The intermediate heat platen 212 is placed on the intermediate heat platen protrusion 201d, so that the intermediate heat platen 212 is kept floating from the lower heat platen 213.

  When the hydraulic cylinder mechanism 203 is driven to raise the lower heat platen 213 from the state of the third heat press apparatus 200C in FIG. 8, the upper surface of the workpiece P on the lower heat platen 213 becomes the lower surface of the intermediate heat platen 212. Abut. When the lower heating platen 213 is further raised, the intermediate heating platen 212 is lifted from the intermediate heating plate support protrusion 201d. When the lower heating platen 213 is further raised, the upper surface of the workpiece P on the intermediate heating platen 212 comes into contact with the lower surface of the upper heating platen 211. That is, as in the state of the first heating press apparatus 200A and the second heating press apparatus 200B in FIG. 8, each of the two workpieces P is placed between the upper heating platen 211 and the intermediate heating platen 212 and between the intermediate heating plates. The state is sandwiched between 212 and the lower heating platen 213. From this state, by further driving the hydraulic cylinder mechanism 203, the workpiece P is pressurized between the hot plates.

  As shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 8, the heat transfer oil is passed through each of the hot plates 211 to 213. The heat medium oil is circulated in the hot plates 211 to 213 by a pump 231. A temperature adjusting means 232 for adjusting the temperature of the heat medium oil is provided in the middle of the circulation path of the heat medium oil, and the heat medium oil heated to a desired temperature is circulated including the inside of the hot platen. By circulating through the system path (broken line portion in FIG. 8), the temperature of the hot plates 211 to 213 can be set to a desired temperature.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the upper heat platen 211, the intermediate heat platen 212 and the lower heat platen 213, and the outer side of the workpiece P arranged between the heat plates are arranged so as to face each other. A vacuum chamber 220 having a bowl-shaped upper container 221 and a lower container 222 is disposed. Each of the upper container 221 and the lower container 222 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction by a drive mechanism (not shown). The upper container 221 is retracted to the upper side, the lower container 222 is retracted to the lower side, and the upper container 221 and the lower container 222 are moved downward. The state of the third heating press device 200C in FIG. 8 that enables loading and unloading (described later) of the workpiece P from between the containers 222 by the loader 600, the upper container 221 on the lower side, and the lower container 222 on the upper side. The first heating in FIG. 8 is accommodated in which the upper heating plate 211, the intermediate heating plate 212, the lower heating plate 213, and the workpiece P disposed between the heating plates are accommodated. It is possible to switch between the state of the press device 200A and the second heating press device 200B.

  An opening 221a for passing the upper rod 202 is formed on the upper surface of the upper container 221. Similarly, an opening 222a for passing the cylinder 203a is formed on the lower surface of the lower container 222. Further, an upper bellows 223a is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the upper rod 202. The upper end of the upper bellows 223a is joined to the lower surface of the upper block 201a without a gap, and the lower end is joined to the peripheral edge of the opening 221a of the upper container 221 without a gap. Similarly, a lower bellows 223b is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 203a. The upper end of the lower bellows 223b is joined to the peripheral edge of the opening 222a of the lower container 222 without a gap, and the lower end is joined to the upper surface of the lower block 201b without a gap. As described above, the gap between the opening 221a of the upper container 221 and the upper rod 202 and the gap between the opening 222a of the lower container 222 and the cylinder 203a are closed without any gap by the bellows 223a and 223b, respectively. It has become. Therefore, in the state where the upper container 221 and the lower container 222 are integrated as in the state of the first heating press apparatus 200A and the second heating press apparatus 200B in FIG. 8, the inside of the vacuum chamber 220 is sealed from the outside air. Will be.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the intermediate heating platen support frame 212 a is in a state of being sandwiched between the upper container 221 and the lower container 222. When the intermediate heating plate support frame 212a does not protrude from the upper container 221 and the lower container 222 and is completely accommodated in the vacuum chamber 220, the lower edge of the upper container 221 and the upper edge of the lower container 222 are brought into contact with each other. The upper container 221 and the lower container 222 need to be accurately positioned. In this embodiment, the intermediate heating platen support frame 212a having a relatively large area, the upper container 221 and the Since each of the lower containers 222 may be brought into close contact with each other, accurate positioning is not necessary when the upper container 221 and the lower container 222 are moved.

  Moreover, as FIG. 8 shows, the vacuum pump 241 is connected to the internal space of the vacuum chamber 220 of 1st-3rd hot press apparatus 200A-200C via air piping (dotted chain line in FIG. 8). . By driving the vacuum pump 241 while the inside of the vacuum chamber 220 is sealed from the outside air, the inside of the vacuum chamber 220 can be evacuated. In addition, stop valves 242A to 242C are arranged in the middle of the air piping connecting the first to third heating press apparatuses 200A to 200C and the vacuum pump 241 respectively. By selectively closing the stop valves 242A to 242C, it is possible to evacuate only the vacuum chamber 220 in which evacuation is to be performed or keep the vacuum chamber 220 in which the evacuation has been completed in a vacuum.

  In the present embodiment, the workpiece P is pressurized after the vacuum chamber 220 is evacuated to 200 Pa or less. With such a configuration, degassing from the voids in the work piece is promoted, and the fluidity of the resin material of the work piece P can be improved. With a low press pressure of about 0.49 MPa, The workpiece P can be formed. Thereby, the rigidity of the frame of the heating press apparatuses 200A to 200C can be made lower than that of a conventional pressing apparatus that requires a high pressing pressure, and the heating press apparatuses 200A to 200C can be downsized.

  Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, three heating press devices that can simultaneously heat and press two sets of workpieces P under vacuum are used. Such a configuration includes, for example, only one heating press device having a six-stage configuration (that is, having five intermediate heating plates 212) capable of heating and pressing six sets of workpieces P at a time under vacuum. Compared with, since the number of steps per one heating press device is small, the occurrence of a slip accident can be prevented and the variation in the thickness of the molded product can be suppressed. Moreover, since the volume of the vacuum chamber 220 per heating press apparatus becomes small, the vacuum pump 241 required for evacuation of the vacuum chamber 220 can use a small and low output pump.

  In the present embodiment, the hot press apparatuses 200A to 200C operate in tandem. Specifically, the controller 800 (FIG. 1) controls the loader 600 so that the heating press devices 200A to 200C shift the timing of performing the heating press to the heating press devices 200A to 200C of the workpiece P, respectively. Is being carried in and out. For example, after loading the workpiece P into the first heating press apparatus 200A and causing the first heating press apparatus 200A to perform the heating press, the loader 600 precedes the workpiece P before the first heating press apparatus 200A. The workpiece P is taken out from the second heating press apparatus 200B that has been loaded and heated, and then loaded into the curing press apparatus 300, which is the next process. Then, a new workpiece P (before the heating press) is stacked from the stacker 100. Is taken out and carried into the second heating press apparatus 200B in which the workpiece P is not hot-pressed. Since the time required for the movement of the workpiece P is sufficiently shorter than the time required for the heating press of the workpiece P, the heating press is performed by two sets of the three sets of heating press apparatuses 200A to 200C. In the meantime, it is possible to carry in and carry out the workpiece P with respect to the remaining set of heating press devices. For this reason, the number of workpieces P that can be moved at once by the loader 600 may be two, and the loader 600 can be downsized.

  Moreover, in the mechanism process which forms the workpiece P by superimposing the prepreg sheet and the copper foil, which is an upstream process of the press device 1 of the present embodiment, the time required for forming one workpiece P is By preparing three sets of heating press devices that can heat-press two sets of workpieces P at a time because it is a little over one-sixth the time required for heating presses by the heating press devices 200A to 200C. It is possible to form the workpiece without stopping the mechanism process. Further, in such a configuration, the workpiece P stored in the stacker 100 is heated immediately after the heating press in any one of the three sets of heating press devices 200A to 200C is finished. Therefore, the number of workpieces that can be stored in the stacker 100 is the same as the number of workpieces P that can be heated by each heating press device at one time (that is, two sets). It becomes possible to reduce to. Thus, according to this embodiment, the stacker 100 can be reduced in size.

  As described above, the loader 600 can move the loader arms 610 and 620 in the vertical direction and the direction in which the loader arms 610 and 620 are advanced and retracted with respect to the respective heating press apparatuses 200A to 200C. The workpiece P can be unloaded from the hot press apparatuses 200A to 200C in the same procedure as the time. Similarly, the workpiece P can be carried into the heating press apparatuses 200A to 200C in the same procedure as when the workpiece P is carried into the unstacker 500.

  Next, the configuration of the cure press apparatus 300 will be described. FIG. 9 is a front view of the curing press apparatus 300. The curing press device 300 heats the workpiece P with the hot platen while holding the shape of the workpiece P by sandwiching the workpiece P between the hot plates, and the resin contained in the workpiece P This is a device that performs a curing press that completely reacts the material. Compared to the heating press, which is an upstream process, the cure press requires time to complete the processing because it is necessary to completely heat the workpiece P. For this reason, the number of workpieces P that can be pressed at once by the curing press apparatus 300 is several times the number of workpieces P that can be pressed by the heating press unit 200 (six sets). In this embodiment, There are 24 stages.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the curing press apparatus 300 includes an upper heating plate 311, a plurality of intermediate heating plates 312 and a lower heating plate 313 arranged in the vertical direction. Can be arranged one by one. That is, the cure press apparatus 300 can accommodate the number of intermediate hot plates 312 + one set of workpieces P at maximum. Although omitted in FIG. 9, the workpiece P is carried into the curing press apparatus 300 in a state of being placed on the metal plate M as in the case of the heating press unit 200. A table surface plate 332 is disposed under the lower heating platen 313. A motor 342 is attached to the lower surface of the table surface plate 332. A ball screw 344 extending downward is coaxially fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor 342, and the ball screw 344 can be rotated by the motor 342. A nut 346 is attached to the lower end of the ball screw 344. The nut 346 is fixed to the device frame 302 of the cure press device 300. Therefore, the table surface plate 332 can be moved up and down by driving the motor 342. When the workpiece P is pressed by the cure press apparatus 300, the table surface plate 332 is raised. When the table heating plate 332 and the lower heating plate 313 fixed to the table table 332 rise, the plurality of intermediate heating plates 312 and the upper heating plate 311 are sequentially lifted by the lower heating plate 313, and the workpieces are processed between the heating plates. The object P is sandwiched.

  Here, in the present embodiment, since the curing press does not require a large pressing pressure, a sufficient pressing pressure necessary for the curing pressing can be obtained only by the weight of the upper heating platen 211. Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, the cure press apparatus 300 is a multistage press apparatus having several tens of stages, but the cure press apparatus 300 is different from the heating press apparatuses 200A to 200C, Since the workpiece P, which has already been subjected to a certain degree of molding by the heating press unit 200 and has a stable shape, is further pressed, there is no variation in the thickness of the molded product even in a multi-stage press. Further, as described above, the curing press does not require a large pressing pressure, so that a slip accident does not occur.

  Further, the upper heating plate 311, the plurality of intermediate heating plates 312 and the lower heating plate 313 are heated by heaters (not shown) provided in the respective heating plates. Therefore, the workpiece P disposed between the hot plates of the cure press apparatus 300 is heated by being pressed between the hot plates.

  Next, a configuration for disposing the workpiece P between the hot plates of the cure press apparatus 300 and further taking out the workpiece P from between the hot plates will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the two sets of workpieces P conveyed by the loader 600 are moved onto two desired continuous hot plates among the plurality of intermediate hot plates 312 and the lower hot platen 313. It can be done. For this purpose, three consecutive hot plates are moved to a height at which the loader 600 can carry in or out the workpiece P on the lower two of the three hot plates. Can be done. For this reason, the height of two continuous desired hot plates (two continuous hot platens 311 and intermediate hot plates 312) can be fixed at a predetermined height.

  A mechanism for fixing the heights of the upper heating plate 311 and the intermediate heating plate 312 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, two stages of hot plate holding members 370 each having a cylinder 372 and a rod 374 protruding inward in the width direction from the cylinder 372 are provided on both sides of the hot plate in the width direction (left and right direction in the figure). Is provided. Further, two pairs of holes H are formed on both side surfaces in the width direction of the upper heating plate 311 and the intermediate heating plate 312 (that is, four holes H are formed in one heating plate) and are continuous. Since it is necessary to fix the two heating plates at intervals, four heating plate holding members 370 are provided in total, and eight heating plate holding members 370 are provided.

  The cylinder 372 of the hot platen holding member 370 is fixed to the frame 302 by a fixing column 376. The rod 374 is configured to protrude inward in the width direction from the cylinder 372. The rod 374 is located between a fixed position (the state shown in FIG. 9) that protrudes from the cylinder 372 to the extent that it is inserted into the hole H of the hot platen and a retreat position that is retracted outward in the width direction so as not to be inserted into the hole H of the hot platen. It is possible to advance and retreat. The rod 374 is driven to move between a fixed position and a retracted position by a driving means (not shown) of the hot platen holding member 370. The driving means drives the rod 374 using hydraulic pressure, pneumatic pressure, or solenoid.

  As described above, since the cylinder 372 of the hot plate holding member is fixed so as not to move, the height of the hot plate is aligned with the rod 374 of the upper hot plate holding member 370 by driving the table surface plate 332. Then, when the rod 374 is driven from the retracted position to the fixed position, the rod 374 is inserted into the hole H of the hot platen. As a result, the hot platen into which the rod 374 is inserted, the other hot platen on the hot platen, and the workpiece P are supported by the hot platen holding member 370. When the table surface plate 332 is lowered from this state, the heat plate underneath is separated from the heat plate in which the rod 374 is inserted, and a space is formed between both heat plates. Next, the heating plate below the heating plate held by the heating plate holding member 370 at the upper stage is aligned with the height of the rod 374 of the heating plate holding member 370 at the lower stage, and then the rod 374 is fixed from the retracted position. When driven to position, the hot platen is fixed. Then, when the table surface plate 332 is further lowered, as shown in FIG. 9, the two heat plates fixed to the heat plate holding member 370 and the lower heat plate are arranged at intervals. In this state, the loader 600 can carry in or carry out two sets of workpieces P.

  With the above-described mechanism, the cure press apparatus 300 can make an interval between any three consecutive heating plates. Even in this state, the press of the workpiece P is maintained between the hot plates that are not spaced apart.

  As described above, the curing press requires more time than the heating press, but in the present embodiment, the number of workpieces P that can be simultaneously pressed by the curing press apparatus 300 can be simultaneously processed by the heating press unit 200. By making the number of the workpieces P (six pairs) several times, the workpiece P that has been subjected to the heating press can be immediately cured and pressed without stopping the upstream process of the heating press unit 200 or the like. ing.

  It should be noted that loading and unloading of the workpiece P with respect to the curing press apparatus 300 is similar to the case of loading and unloading the workpiece P with respect to the heating press apparatuses 20A0 to 200C (see FIGS. 5 and 6). ) Is done by moving.

  The loader 600 carries the workpiece P carried out from the cure press apparatus 300 into the cooling press apparatus 400. The cooling press device 400 is a cooling press that cools the workpiece P to room temperature by lowering the temperature of the cooling plate with the workpiece P sandwiched between the cooling plates so that the workpiece P does not warp. It is a device to perform. The cooling press device 400 has the same structure as the cure press device 300, and uses a cooling plate kept at a low temperature instead of the hot plates 311 to 313. In addition, as a means for cooling the cooling plate, one that circulates the heat medium oil kept at a low temperature by a cooler provided outside the apparatus in the heating medium path including the inside of the cooling plate, or the like is used.

  Then, the workpiece P subjected to the cooling press is sequentially carried out by the loader 600 and carried into the unstacker 500.

  The above is the configuration of the press apparatus system 1 of the present embodiment. In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure of the said embodiment, The structure which changed the one part is also contained in this invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the heating press unit 200 includes a plurality of heating press devices 200A to 200C arranged in the vertical direction, but a configuration in which the plurality of heating press devices are arranged in the horizontal direction is also used. It is included in the present invention. However, it can be said that the configuration in which the plurality of heating press devices 200 </ b> A to 200 </ b> C are arranged in the vertical direction in the present embodiment is more preferable because the installation space of the entire press device system 1 can be reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Press apparatus system 100 Stacker 200 Heating press part 200A-C Heating press apparatus 201d Protrusion part 202 for intermediate | middle heating platen Upper rod 203 Hydraulic cylinder mechanism 203a Cylinder 211 Upper heating board 212 Intermediate heating board 212a Intermediate heating board support frame 213 Lower heat Panel 220 Vacuum chamber 221 Upper vessel 222 Lower vessel 223a Upper bellows 223b Lower bellows 300 Cure press device 400 Cooling press device 500 Unstacker 600 Loader 800 Controller M Metal plate P Workpiece

Claims (4)

A plurality of heating plates arranged vertically,
A hot platen drive mechanism that changes the interval between the plurality of hot plates and enables a workpiece to be pressed between adjacent hot plates;
Heating means capable of heating the heating plate ;
A vacuum chamber covering the heating plate ;
A plurality of heating press devices for heating and pressing a work piece between the heating plates in the vacuum chamber;
A loader for loading and unloading a workpiece with respect to the plurality of heating press devices;
Control means for controlling the plurality of heating press devices and the loader;
Have
The plurality of heating plates include an upper heating plate, a lower heating plate, and at least one intermediate heating plate disposed between the upper and lower heating plates,
One of the intermediate heating plates is provided with an intermediate heating plate holding plate extending in the horizontal direction from the periphery,
The vacuum chamber has a pair of upper and lower bowl-shaped containers movable up and down, and the pair of bowl-shaped containers are configured to be closed so as to sandwich the intermediate heating plate holding plate and to seal the inside from the outside,
Wherein, while performing heat press of the workpiece in one of a plurality of heat press device, and controls the other of the heated press device and the loader, with respect to the other heating press device A press apparatus system for carrying in and out workpieces.   The press apparatus system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of heat press apparatuses are arranged in the vertical direction. The number of the intermediate heating plate is 1,
The plurality of heating press devices include a support frame having a pair of side walls,
Projections that engage with the intermediate heating plate holding plate are formed on the inner wall surfaces of the pair of side walls,
The control means lowers the lower hot platen to a first height by the hot platen drive mechanism when carrying in and out the workpiece from the hot press device, and when performing hot press, Controlling the heating press device to raise the lower heating plate to a second height higher than the first height by a plate driving mechanism;
When the lower heating plate is at the first height, the intermediate heating plate holding plate is hooked on the protrusion, and the intermediate heating plate floats from the lower heating plate,
When the lower hot platen is at the second height, the intermediate hot plate holding plate floats from the protruding portion, and the intermediate hot plate is sandwiched between the upper hot plate and the lower hot platen. The press device system according to claim 1 , wherein the press device system is configured as described above. A vacuum pump for removing air from the vacuum chambers of the plurality of hot press devices;
A switching valve that is controlled by the control means and that switches which air is removed from the vacuum chambers of the plurality of heating press devices ;
The press apparatus system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising:

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