JP6050868B1 - Thermoforming equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus is provided that can be easily supported and fixed by sandwiching a plastic sheet material between fixed cassettes and can be easily inserted into a thermoforming apparatus in a fixed state. A fixed cassette 1 is formed in which a plastic sheet material P to be in close contact with the prototype B to sandwich the prototype B is sandwiched between a first frame 2 and a second frame 3 that can be swingably opened and closed by a hinge 4. . The plastic sheet material P is fixedly supported by positioning pins 5 and positioning recesses 6 provided on the opposing surfaces of the first frame body 2 and the second frame body 3. Further, the casing 11, the heating source 13, the vacuum suction source 18, the base plate 21, and the fixed cassette 1 are detachably supported, and the cassette fixing frame is moved up and down between the heating source 13 and the vacuum suction source 18. The thermoforming apparatus 10 provided with 31 is formed. The cassette fixing frame 31 is provided with an elevating operation mechanism 51 having a work handle 52 that is operated by swinging to stop and release at a predetermined position in the up and down position with a pressure stop pad 55 by a resilient action. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention, for example, when producing molds made of plastic sheets used for molding various types of confectionery, packaging molds made of plastic sheets for holding and storing various packages, etc. The present invention relates to a thermoforming apparatus that can be held and facilitates set support to a thermoforming apparatus, and a plastic sheet mold can be easily manufactured.

  Conventionally, when a chocolate confectionery having a predetermined shape is molded by pouring a chocolate material into a mold material, for example, the prototype mold material may be formed of a plastic sheet material having a predetermined thickness, for example. Recently, a 3D printer is covered with a plastic sheet material, which is a three-dimensional object to be prototype-molded using a mold material based on various three-dimensional objects manufactured as samples, models, etc. Similarly, the prototype mold material may be formed of a plastic sheet material having a predetermined thickness by a vacuum forming method.

  In order to form such a mold member made of a plastic sheet material, for example, a plastic sheet thermoforming apparatus and thermoforming method disclosed in Patent Document 1 have been proposed. This thermoforming apparatus and method includes a press having a hot plate for heating a plastic sheet, and a molding box having a sheet holding portion and movable with respect to the press, and is moved in the molding box moved downward of the press. It is assumed that a prototype mold material made of a plastic sheet can be manufactured by exhausting from the lower side of the fitted mold and bringing the heated plastic sheet into close contact with the mold.

  In addition, a vacuum forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 has been proposed. In this vacuum forming apparatus, a work source is mounted on a suction plate provided at the lower part, with a heat source at the upper part of the apparatus body and a vacuum suction source at the lower part. When the piece is covered with a heated plastic sheet, the plastic sheet is fixed in a molding cassette having an upper frame material and a lower frame material that are swingably opened and closed in the vertical direction. It is supposed to be set in the apparatus main body by being sandwiched between guide rails standing at four corners of the apparatus main body.

JP-A-10-278907 US Pat. No. 5,015,167

  According to the thermoforming apparatus and method of Patent Document 1, it is not only necessary to position and set the mold in the molding box and to attach a plastic sheet to the mounting frame disposed in the opening of the molding box. Since it is equipped with a moving mechanism, a hot plate raising / lowering operation mechanism in a press, etc., even if it is suitable for production of a sample prototype mold material, the apparatus itself has to be slightly enlarged and is expensive.

  Further, according to the molding apparatus of Patent Document 2, the plastic sheet material is sandwiched in an openable and closable molding cassette taken out from the apparatus main body, and is inclined between the guide rails standing at the four corners provided in the apparatus main body. In addition to being troublesome, the charging operation itself can be tilted when the shaping cassette is lowered, so skillful operation is necessary and accurate to cover the workpiece exactly. Molding is difficult.

  In addition, even if the use of a recent 3D printer makes it easier to manufacture a relatively small sample-like three-dimensional object, the manufacture of a prototype mold material based on this is the apparatus and method described in Patent Document 1. According to, the production of the prototype material itself is troublesome. For these reasons, there is a demand for a simple thermoforming apparatus that makes it easy to produce sample prototype molds and the like, and that can easily set and set the plastic sheet itself.

  Therefore, the present invention has been created in view of the above-described conventional circumstances. For example, when a plastic sheet material as a prototype mold material is set in a thermoforming apparatus, the plastic sheet material is sandwiched between fixed cassettes. It can be easily supported and fixed, and it can be set easily and easily just by inserting it into the cassette fixing frame in the thermoforming device with the fixed state, and the handle of the cassette fixing frame can be operated by operating the handle provided on this cassette fixing frame. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermoforming apparatus that can be easily handled by being able to be moved up and down and stopped easily at a given position, and that the thermoforming apparatus itself can be miniaturized to the extent that it can be placed on a table, for example.

In order to solve the above-described problems, in the present invention, a description will be given with reference numerals used in the embodiments for carrying out the invention to be described later. The heated source 13, the vacuum suction source 18 disposed in the lower part of the casing 11, and the air vent hole 22 are opened and provided on the vacuum suction source 18. A pedestal 21 and a fixed cassette 1 on which a plastic sheet material P is detachably fixed and supported are detachably supported and moved up and down between the heating source 13 and the vacuum suction source 18 inside the casing 11. The cassette fixing frame 31 includes a cassette support portion 32 for inserting and positioning the fixed cassette 1 and is provided along the upper and lower sides of the device frame body 11. Ascending via the guide lifting means 41 They become freely at any height position along the guide elevating means 41, and the pillar frame 16 resiliently to圧止provided in the vessel frame 11 is stopped, also the lifting to release the圧止 A lifting operation mechanism 51 having a work handle 52 to be operated is provided.
The fixed cassette 1 can be configured by providing a positioning pin 5 that fits in a fixed mounting hole P1 formed in the plastic sheet material P and a positioning recess 6 that fits in the positioning pin 5.
The cassette support portion 32 in the cassette fixing frame 31 can be formed by forming a cross-sectional groove shape in which the left and right frame portions of the fixed cassette 1 are slidably fitted from the front of the cassette fixing frame 31.
The cassette fixing frame 31 can be provided with a rear positioning portion 33 for positioning the fixed cassette 1 to be slid.
The guide raising / lowering means 41 is configured by providing a guide pole 42, which is disposed on the front and rear, left and right corners of the casing 11, and a guide portion 43 slidably fitted to the guide pole 42 on the cassette fixing frame 31. be able to.
The lifting / lowering operation mechanism 51 presses against a work handle 52 connected to a handle connecting arm 53 pivotally supported on the cassette fixing frame 31 and a column frame 16 provided in a pedestal shape at the corner of the container frame 11. The stopper pad 55 provided on the handle connecting arm 53 to be stopped, the work handle 52, and the handle connecting arm 53 are rocked so that the pressure pad 55 is elastically pressed against the column frame 16 and the cassette fixing frame 31 is stopped. And a bullet body 56 arranged on the cassette fixing frame 31 so as to be stopped.
The work handle 52 is provided on a handle connecting arm 53 swingably provided on the left and right of the front portion of the cassette fixing frame 31, and the handle connecting arm 53 is provided in a leg shape at the corner of the container frame 11. A pressure stop pad 55 is provided for preventing the vertical movement of the cassette fixing frame 31 by the work handle 52 by being pressed against the column frame 16, and the work handle 52 and the handle connecting arm 53 are swung to install the pressure stop pad 55. The elastic body 55 is interposed on the side of the cassette fixing frame 31 so as to stop the cassette fixing frame 31 by elastically pressing the column frame 16 provided in the form of standing legs at the front, rear, left and right corners of the frame body 11. It can comprise by comprising.
The elastic body 56 can be configured as a coil spring that is urged in an expanding tendency between the handle connecting arm 53 and the cassette support portion 32 of the cassette fixing frame 31.

In the thermoforming apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above, the plastic sheet material P is heated by the proximity to the upper heating source 13 by the vertical movement of the cassette fixing frame 31 in the thermoforming apparatus 10. The plastic sheet material P is brought into close contact with the test object B by applying the softness due to the above-described process, applying to the test object B placed on the lower base plate 21 and the suction operation of the vacuum suction source 18, Make it.
The cassette support portion 32 of the cassette fixing frame 31 of the thermoforming apparatus 10 is loaded and supported by, for example, sliding the fixed cassette 1 with the plastic sheet material P sandwiched between them. 41 is smoothly moved up and down. Further, by setting a stop position arranged outside the container frame 11 and a work handle 52 for operating up and down, the cassette fixing frame 31 and the fixed cassette 1 can be placed at a predetermined arbitrary height position inside the container frame 11. And the vertical movement are made smooth so that the proximity to the heating source 13 and the setting of the test object B on the base plate 21 can be easily performed.
The plastic sheet material P applied to the prototype B is firmly supported in the fixed cassette 1 by fitting the plastic sheet material P to the fixed mounting hole P1 by the positioning pin 5 and the positioning recess 6 of the fixed cassette 1. The plastic sheet material P is not pulled out or dropped from the fixed cassette 1 even when it is applied to the prototype B and stretched even by the suction action by the vacuum suction source 18.
Since the cassette fixing frame 31 is slidably fitted to the guide pole 42 in the guide lifting means 41 by the guide 43, the operation handle 52 is lifted and lowered by, for example, fingers, and the cassette fixing frame 31 can be moved up and down. Make it smooth.
The raising / lowering operation mechanism 51 elastically presses the pressing pad 55 of the handle connecting arm 53 to the column frame 16 that is placed on the corner of the device frame body 11 by the elastic action of the elastic body 56, The vertical movement of the cassette fixing frame 31 by the work handle 52 is prevented, and the height position of the cassette fixing frame 31 inside the container frame 11 is freely changed and adjusted to stop. Further, the swinging operation of the work handle 52 against the elastic action of the elastic body 56 releases the pressure-stopping action by the pressure-proof pad 55, thereby moving the height of the cassette fixing frame 31 up and down. In addition, it is lifted and lowered freely, and the raising operation to the position of the heating source 13 and the lowering operation on the prototype B on the base plate 21 are performed safely and reliably.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, for example, when the plastic sheet material P as a prototype mold material is set in the thermoforming apparatus 10, it is positioned and fixed by the fixing cassette 1 itself sandwiching the plastic sheet material P. The cassette fixed frame 31 in which the fixed cassette 1 is loaded and supported in the frame 11 can be stopped and moved up and down at any height by operating the work handle 52. In addition, for example, by using the thermoforming apparatus 10 that can be miniaturized to the extent that it can be placed on a table, handling is easy, and a prototype mold or the like can be easily manufactured.

  That is, the thermoforming apparatus 10 according to the present invention includes a heating source 13, a vacuum suction source 18, and a base plate 21 on which the prototype B is placed. A cassette fixing frame 31 which supports the fixed cassette 1 on which the plastic sheet material P is fixedly supported and is detachably supported, and is moved up and down between the heating source 13 and the vacuum suction source 18 inside the frame 11. The cassette fixing frame 31 has a cassette support portion 32 for positioning and supporting the fixed cassette 1, and can be moved up and down via guide lifting means 41 provided along the upper and lower sides of the frame body 11. This is because it is provided with an elevating operation mechanism 51 having a work handle 52 for operating at an arbitrary height position along the elevating and operating elevating. As a result, the plastic sheet material P is securely supported and fixed, the set in the thermoforming apparatus 10, the positioning stop / lifting operation of the cassette fixing frame 31, the heating / softening of the plastic sheet material P, the prototype B It is possible to easily and easily perform close contact and the like.

  Since the cassette fixing frame 31 has a cassette support portion 32 on which the fixed cassette 1 is supported, the plastic sheet material P can be easily positioned in the thermoforming apparatus 10 by, for example, sliding support in the cassette fixing frame 31 of the fixed cassette 1. Can be set. Further, the plastic sheet material P supported and fixed by the fixed cassette 1 is heated close to the heating source 13, softened, and suctioned below the plastic sheet material P by the vacuum suction source 18 after covering the prototype B on the base plate 21. Smooth mold making in action.

  Since the fixed cassette 1 is provided with positioning pins 5 and positioning recesses 6 that fit into the fixed mounting holes P1 of the plastic sheet material P, the plastic cassette is applied to the prototype B after being softened. Even if a vacuum suction action or a forced stretching action is applied, the plastic sheet material P is not dropped or removed from the fixed cassette 1. Therefore, it is possible to form an accurate concave shape along the outer shape of the prototype B on the plastic sheet material P.

  Further, the cassette fixing frame 31 can be raised and lowered via guide lifting / lowering means 41 provided along the upper and lower sides of the container frame 11, and can be stopped at an arbitrary height position along the guide lifting / lowering means 41. Since the raising / lowering operation mechanism 51 having the operation handle 52 for operating the raising / lowering is provided, the cassette fixing frame 31 can be smoothly moved in the vertical direction inside the device frame 11 by the guide raising / lowering means 41. In addition, by operating the work handle 52 of the lifting / lowering operation mechanism 51, the vertical position of the cassette fixing frame 31 can be adjusted corresponding to the height of the prototype B by stopping at the vertical position within the body frame 11. Can be adjusted. Furthermore, the cassette fixing frame 31 is moved up and down by the work handle 52 so as to be brought close to the heating source 13 of the plastic sheet material P, and the ascending / descending work to descend so as to be applied to the prototype B on the base plate 21 is quickly performed. It can be carried out.

  Further, in the guide lifting / lowering means 41, the cassette fixing frame 41 is slidably fitted to the guide poles 42 arranged on the front and rear, left and right corners of the container body 11 by the guide portion 43. The cassette fixing frame 31 can be smoothly moved up and down by lifting and lowering the provided work handle 52 with fingers. Therefore, the operation of raising the plastic sheet material P supported by the cassette fixing frame 31 to the position of the heating source 13 and the lowering operation for covering the test object B on the base plate 21 are stable and stable. Make work possible.

  Moreover, the vertical movement operation of the cassette fixing frame 31 is performed by arranging the work handle 52 connected to the handle connecting arm 53 provided on the cassette fixing frame 31 on the outside of the device frame 11. With the work handle 52, the cassette fixed frame 31 and the fixed cassette 1 can be moved up and down from the outside of the container body 11. In addition, since the plastic sheet material P can be handled outside the device frame 11 by removing the fixed cassette 1 from the cassette fixing frame 31 of the device frame 11, the high temperature by the heating source 13 inside the device frame 11 is high. The work can be safely performed manually without being affected by the atmosphere and the vacuum atmosphere by the vacuum suction source 18.

  The lifting / lowering operation mechanism 51 is pressed against a work handle 52 connected to a handle connecting arm 53 pivotally supported on the cassette fixing frame 31 and a column frame 16 provided in a pedestal shape at the corner of the device frame 11. Thus, the pressure stop pad 55 provided on the handle connection arm 53, the work handle 52, and the handle connection arm 53 are swung so that the pressure stop pad 55 is elastically pressed against the column frame 16 and the cassette fixing frame 31 is stopped. A bullet body 56 arranged on the cassette fixing frame 31 is provided. Therefore, the cassette fixing frame 31 can be moved up and down in a state where the pressure-restrained state is released by the swinging operation against the projecting body 56 with respect to the work handle 52, and when the swinging operation is released, the projectile body is released. With the elastic action of 56, the pressure pad 55 is pressed against the column frame 16 of the device frame body 11, and the cassette fixing frame 31 can be positioned at an arbitrary height position inside the device frame body 11. As a result, heat softening of the plastic sheet material P by stopping the plastic sheet material P at the rising position close to the heating source 13 and modeling by the vacuum suction source 18 when covering the test object B on the base plate 21 are performed. Quick operations such as suction can be performed.

  In addition, the code | symbol attached | subjected in each means of the means for solving said subject and the effect of invention was attached | subjected in order to make easy reference with the part which shows each structure part described in drawing. The present invention is not limited to these descriptions, structures, shapes, and the like indicated by reference numerals and the like in the drawings.

It is a general | schematic perspective view in one embodiment of this invention. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view at the time of shaping | molding similarly. It is a principal part cross-sectional view of the state which similarly loaded and set the fixed cassette to the cassette fixing frame. It is principal part sectional drawing explaining operation by the raising / lowering operation means similarly, The (A) shows the time of a vertically movable state, (B) shows each at the time of a pressure stop stop state.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 shown in the drawings is a so-called thermoforming apparatus 10 according to the invention, for example, a so-called miniaturized device that can be placed on a desk. This is a fixed cassette of a detachable cassette type structure that is detachably positioned and set on a molding portion in the tabletop thermoforming apparatus 10. The fixed cassette 1 fits, for example, a plastic sheet material P having a predetermined thickness, for example, a size of about A4 size, which is a prototype mold material, into a fixed mounting hole P1 that is formed in the periphery of the plastic sheet material P. It is fixedly supported and clamped by being sandwiched together with the positioning pin 5 and the positioning recess 6 fitted to the positioning pin 5. In consideration of heat resistance when heated when incorporated in the thermoforming apparatus 10, robustness when pressing against the prototype B, ease of handling, etc., for example, a metal material such as an aluminum material Is formed.

  Specifically, for example, a first frame body 2 having a rectangular frame shape with a first clamping surface sandwiching the periphery of a plastic sheet material P such as vinyl chloride resin formed on the inner periphery, and a second clamping surface are also provided. It consists of a second frame 3 that is formed on the inner peripheral edge and has a rectangular frame shape on the same plane, and a hinge 4 that pivotally connects these first frame 2 and second frame 3 so that they can swing open and close. Then, when the plastic sheet material P is sandwiched between the first frame body 2 and the second frame body 3, the positioning pin 5 that is fitted and positioned in the fixed mounting hole P 1, and the positioning recess 6 that fits and matches the positioning pin 5 Are provided corresponding to the positions of the fixed mounting holes P1 on the opposing surfaces of the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface, respectively.

  Further, the fixed cassette 1 is configured to be swingable and openable by connecting the first frame body 2 and the second frame body 3 with hinges 4 at either side edge as shown in the figure. The fixed cassette 1 itself can be easily handled by a dynamic open / close connection configuration. Furthermore, a handle or knob 7 can be attached to the first frame body 2 positioned on the lower side, for example, so as to facilitate the insertion and removal of the slide from the cassette fixing frame 31 in the thermoforming apparatus 10. is there. The first clamping surface and the second clamping surface may be opposed to each other so as to sandwich the peripheral edge of the plastic sheet material P. If necessary, the peripheral portion of the plastic sheet material P is inserted and positioned. A part can also be formed.

  Next, the thermoforming apparatus 10 according to the present invention will be described. The thermoforming apparatus 10 uses, for example, the fixed cassette 1 configured as described above, and a predetermined amount of plastic sheet material P sandwiched between them is used. A hollow mold portion along the prototype B is formed. That is, for example, it is produced as a handicraft, for example, as a product to be shaped by so-called pouring of a fluid material to be solidified into a mold material, or produced by a 3D printer or the like The plastic sheet material P that has been heated and softened is applied to the prototype B by vacuum forming so as to follow the prototype B, and the plastic sheet P itself is manufactured as a prototype mold material. Configured as follows.

  The thermoforming apparatus 10 includes, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped container frame 11 having a volume that is small enough to be placed on a desk, and a heating source 13 disposed on the upper part of the container frame 11. The vacuum suction source 18 disposed in the lower part of the housing 11 and the base plate 21 on which the test object B is placed are provided on the vacuum suction source 18 with the air vent hole 22 opened. And a cassette fixing frame 31 that detachably supports the fixed cassette 1 on which the plastic sheet material P is detachably fixed and is moved up and down between the heating source 13 and the vacuum suction source 18 in the container frame 11. And an elevating operation mechanism 51 for allowing the cassette fixing frame 31 to be moved up and down by the guide elevating means 41, stopping at an arbitrary height position, and operating the elevating operation.

  The container frame 11 corresponds to the size of the plastic sheet material P so that the plastic sheet material P of about A4 size, for example, is slid from the front and set in a substantially horizontal state on the plane. , It will be a little larger than this. Moreover, as shown in the figure, the substantially rectangular parallelepiped upper frame portion 12 provided with the heating source 13 and the substantially rectangular parallelepiped lower frame portion 17 provided with the vacuum suction source 18 are The four corners are connected and fixed by, for example, a columnar frame 16 having an angular shape in cross section, which is arranged in a vertical manner along the vertical direction. And, the height B is sufficient to load and mount the prototype B between the upper frame portion 12 where the heating source 13 is arranged and the lower frame portion 17 where the vacuum suction source 18 is arranged. It is provided with a space.

  The heating source 13 is of an electric heater, and is sufficient to adhere to the plastic sheet material P that is positioned directly below the heating source 13 so as to conform to the outer shape of the prototype B when tracing the prototype B. Heating is performed so as to provide flexibility, and the heating temperature is controlled by a heat sensor so that the heating temperature can be set and adjusted to 200 ° C., for example. This set temperature is controlled by, for example, a heater switch 15 provided on the front surface of the lower frame portion 17 so as to be displayed by, for example, a digital display thermometer 14 disposed on the front surface of the lower frame portion 17 of the container frame 11. It is like that. The heating source 13 can also be disposed in a heating chamber formed by bulging the upper ceiling of the upper frame 12 upward in a mountain shape and providing a heat reflecting material or the like on the inner upper surface. Heating efficiency can also be improved.

  The vacuum suction source 18 is, for example, a vacuum pump motor built in the lower portion of the lower frame portion 17 and forcibly exhausts the air in the frame body 11 on the base plate 21 through the air vent hole 22. It is configured to be turned on and off by an exhaust switch 19 of the type or disposed on the front surface of the casing 11.

  The platform 21 is fixed to the upper surface of the lower frame portion 17 at a position where the interior of the instrument frame 11 is vertically divided at a substantially central height position in the instrument frame 11, and the prototype B Is placed and set. The air below the plastic sheet P covered on the test object B set on the base plate 21 by the suction action of the vacuum suction source 18 through the air vent hole 22 opened in the base plate 21 itself. By forcibly exhausting, the plastic sheet material P is brought into close contact with the prototype B (see FIG. 2).

  Further, the base plate 21 is formed in a stepped shape so as to have a predetermined height from the peripheral portion as shown in the figure, and the prototype 21 is placed and set on the main body portion of the base plate 21 formed high by the stepped portion. A plastic sheet material P is placed on the object B, and the first frame of the fixed cassette 1 pushed down so that the plastic sheet material P is brought into close contact with the main body portion of the base plate 21 by the suction operation by the vacuum suction source 18. The body 2 and the second frame 3 are positioned around the main body portion of the base plate 21 (see FIG. 2). That is, the peripheral size of the main body portion of the base plate 21 is not larger than the inner shape size of the first frame body 2 and the second frame body 3 of the fixed cassette 1.

  In addition, the air vent hole 22 is opened in the whole board surface of the base plate 21, and the base plate 21 is formed by a punching board, for example, and the many small holes can be used as the air vent hole 22.

  The cassette fixing frame 31 is moved up and down along the vertical direction of the device frame 1 by the guide lifting means 41 provided on the device frame 11. The cassette fixing frame 31 itself includes a left and right cassette support portion 32 that is supported by sliding the left and right frame portions of the fixed cassette 1 between the cassette support portion 32 and a rear portion of the cassette support portion 32. And a rear positioning portion 36 that is connected and formed, and the right and left cassette support portions 32 are moved up and down by a work handle 52 positioned on the left and right outer sides of the casing 11 to move the cassette fixing frame 31 up and down. 51 is provided.

  The cassette support portion 32 in the cassette fixing frame 31 is formed in a cross-sectional groove shape in which the left and right frame portions of the fixed cassette 1 are slidably fitted from the front of the cassette fixing frame 31. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a lower plate member 33 having a U-shaped frame shape or a flat rectangular frame shape on a flat surface whose front surface is open, and a flat surface whose front surface is open like the lower plate material 33. The upper plate member 34 having a U-shaped frame shape or a rectangular frame shape in a plane is integrated with the spacer 35 corresponding to the height interval of the fixed cassette 1 in the vertical direction. The rear positioning portion 36 is, for example, an appropriate number of pin-shaped members having a predetermined diameter interposed between the lower plate member 33 and the upper plate member 34 at the rear portion of the cassette fixing frame 31 itself. The fixed cassette 1 can be positioned with respect to the cassette fixing frame 31 by abutting the rear edge of the fixed cassette 1 in abutment.

  As shown in the figure, the guide raising / lowering means 41 includes guide poles 42 arranged on the left and right corners between the upper frame portion 12 and the lower frame portion 17 of the container frame 11, and a cassette fixing frame 31. It comprises a guide hole that is formed to be slidably fitted to the guide pole 42 at the front, rear, left, and right corners and the like, and a guide portion 43 by a guide cylinder. By doing so, the guide hole 43 fitted to the guide pole 42 and the guide portion 43 by the guide tube body guide the cassette fixing frame 31 itself along the guide pole 42 in the vertical direction smoothly without tilting. I am doing so.

  Further, the lifting / lowering operation mechanism 51 causes the cassette fixing frame 31 to be temporarily stopped at an arbitrary vertical position within the frame body 11 or to be freely movable up and down by the operator himself. It can be done manually.

  The lifting / lowering operation mechanism 51 is arranged to project outwardly from the frame 11 by forming a pair on the left and right sides of the front of the cassette fixing frame 31 so that the cassette fixing frame 31 can be smoothly moved up and down. A handle 52 is provided. That is, a work handle 52 connected to a handle connecting arm 53 pivotally supported on the cassette fixing frame 31; a pressure pad 55 provided on the handle connecting arm 53 so as to be pressed against the column frame 16; and a work handle. 52. A resilient body 56 disposed on the cassette fixing frame 31 so as to swing the handle connecting arm 53 to resiliently press the pressure pad 55 to the column frame 16 and stop the cassette fixing frame 31. Be prepared.

  One half of the handle connecting arm 53 protrudes from the left and right outwards of the container frame 11, and the other half has an L-shape on a plane located inward of the column frame 16. The bent portion is pivotally supported by the swing shaft 54 at the front position of the cassette support portion 32 of the cassette fixing frame 31. A work handle 52 directed to the front of the device frame 11 is fixed to one half projecting outward from the device frame 11, and the outside of the other half facing the column frame 16. In addition, a pressing pad 55 is provided to stop the raising and lowering of the cassette fixing frame 31 by pressing the inner side surface of the column frame 16.

  As shown in the figure, the bullet 56 is formed between the inside of the other half of the handle connecting arm 53 and the cassette fixing frame 31, that is, the cassette support portion 32 of the cassette fixing frame 31, specifically, the spacer 35. Coil springs that are urged to expand in the middle, and by this elastic action, the pressure pad 55 of the handle connecting arm 53 is always pressed against the column frame 16, and the cassette fixing frame 31 is moved up and down. Stopped. Further, in this state, the handle connecting arm 53 and the work handle 52 are also elastically biased outward on the left and right sides of the frame body 11, and the inside of the work handle 52 is swung to the hook. The cassette fixing frame 31 can be moved up and down freely by releasing the pressing force of the pressing pad 55 against the column frame 16.

  In this way, as shown in FIG. 4, the work handles 52 are arranged in a pair at the left and right side positions of the front portion of the container frame 11, and swing in the left-right direction by the elastic action of the elastic body 56. The pressure pad 55 is released from the column frame 16 by swinging inwardly against each other against the elastic action of the elastic body 56 (see FIG. 4A). Then, the cassette fixing frame 31 can be arbitrarily moved up and down by lifting and lowering the work handle 52. On the other hand, when the swinging action of the inner handle against the work handle 52 is released, the pressure pad 55 is pressed against the column frame 16 by the spring action of the elastic body 56, and the work handle 52 is held at the pressure stop position. Further, the cassette fixing frame 31 is stopped and the stop position is maintained (see FIG. 4B).

  It should be noted that the pressing of the pressing pad 55 against the column frame 16 and the elastic action by the elastic body 56 can be modified so as to be released by the swinging operation of the work handle 52 to the outside.

  Next, an example of manufacturing a prototype mold material in the thermoforming apparatus 10 using the fixed cassette 1 will be described. First, in order to produce as a prototype mold material in advance, a predetermined prototype B to be shaped is prepared in advance, and this prototype B is, for example, various types of handmade products such as model products. A chocolate confectionery shaped article that has been shaped, a sample product produced by a 3D printer, and the like, and these prototypes B are placed and set on the base plate 21 of the thermoforming apparatus 10.

  On the other hand, a plastic sheet material P having a predetermined thickness is fixedly supported on the fixed cassette 1 and fixed to the positioning pins 5 and the positioning recesses 6 between the first frame body 2 and the second frame body 3 that have been rock-released. The plastic sheet material P is sandwiched by fitting into the mounting hole P1, and the plastic sheet material P is fixed in the fixed cassette 1.

  Next, the fixed cassette 1 sandwiched and fixed with the plastic sheet material P is inserted and set in the thermoforming apparatus 10, and the fixed cassette 1 is placed on the cassette fixing frame 31 that can move up and down within the frame 11. The slide is positioned and supported. At this time, the left and right work handles 52 of the lifting / lowering operation mechanism 51 are swing-operated to change and adjust the stop position of the pressure pad 55 against the column frame 16 to fix the cassette above the prototype B. The frame 31 is positioned. After loading and supporting, the cassette fixing frame 31 is lifted through the guide raising / lowering means 41 by the work handle 52 that has been operated to release the stop position, and fixed to the cassette fixing frame 31 by energizing the heating source 13. The plastic sheet material P supported via the cassette 1 is heated and softened.

  The plastic sheet material P that has been sufficiently softened is pressed onto the prototype B by moving the cassette fixing frame 31 downward by operating the work handle 52, and the vacuum suction source 18 is activated. By the operation of the vacuum suction source 18, the air existing between the base plate 21 and the plastic sheet material P is exhausted from below the base plate 21 through the air vent hole 22, and the plastic sheet material P is formed on the outer shape of the prototype B together with this. It adheres to the upper surface of the base plate 21 at the same time. At this time, when the fixed cassette 1 is lowered together with the cassette fixing frame 31 in accordance with the suction of the plastic sheet material P by the suction operation of the vacuum suction source 18, the cassette fixing frame 31 is further moved manually by the operator's own operation handle 52. It may be pushed down. Then, the cassette fixing frame 31 is again lifted by the work handle 52 so that the plastic sheet material P is left for a predetermined time in the close contact state, and the plastic sheet material P is separated from the prototype B after the plastic sheet material P is cured.

  After lifting, the prototype B is taken out from the base plate 21, while the fixed cassette 1 is taken out from the cassette fixed frame 31, and the first frame 2 and the second frame 3 are swung open. The plastic sheet material P is removed. The removed plastic sheet material P is formed with a recess along the outer shape of the prototype B, and is used as a prototype mold material for producing a prototype, for example.

  If necessary, another plastic sheet material P can be set again in the fixed cassette 1 and repeated in the same manner to produce various mold materials corresponding to the prototype B. The handling of the plastic sheet material P itself is a case. It is safe because it is performed outside the body 11.

  In any case, the thermoforming apparatus 10 itself comprising such a container frame 11, the heating source 13, the vacuum suction source 18, the base plate 21, the cassette fixing frame 31, the guide lifting / lowering means 41, the lifting / lowering operation mechanism 51, and the like. Is not limited to the configuration according to the illustrated example, and the fixed cassette 1 in a state where the plastic sheet material P is fixedly supported is moved up and down while being supported by the cassette fixing frame 31 and heated close to the heating source 13.・ As long as the operation such as softening and the application of the plastic sheet material P to the prototype B on the base plate 21 can be performed manually, a specific configuration example is limited to the above description and illustrated examples. It is not a thing.

B ... Prototype P ... Plastic sheet material P1 ... Fixed mounting hole 1 ... Fixed cassette 2 ... First frame 3 ... Second frame 4 ... Hinge 5 ... Positioning pin 6 ... Positioning recess 7 ... Knob 10 ... Thermoforming device DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Container frame 12 ... Upper frame part 13 ... Heating source 14 ... Thermometer 15 ... Heater switch 16 ... Column frame 17 ... Lower frame part 18 ... Vacuum suction source 19 ... Exhaust switch 21 ... Base board 22 ... Air vent hole 31 ... Cassette fixing frame 32 ... cassette support part 33 ... lower plate material 34 ... upper plate material 35 ... spacer 36 ... rear positioning part 41 ... guide lifting means 42 ... guide pole 43 ... guide part 51 ... lifting operation mechanism 52 ... work handle 53 ... handle connection Arm 54 ... Oscillating shaft 55 ... Pressure pad 56 ... Bullet

Claims (8)

A container frame, a heating source disposed on the upper part of the container frame, a vacuum suction source disposed on the lower part of the container frame, and an air vent hole are provided on the vacuum suction source. In addition, the base plate on which the prototype is placed and the fixed cassette on which the plastic sheet material is detachably fixed and supported are detachably supported, and between the heating source and the vacuum suction source inside the casing. The cassette fixing frame has a cassette support portion for positioning and supporting the fixed cassette, and the guide ascending / descending provided along the upper and lower sides of the frame body. It can be moved up and down through the means, and at a desired height position along the guide raising and lowering means, it is resiliently pressed and stopped on the column frame provided on the container frame, and the pressure is released. It is provided with an elevating operation mechanism having a work handle for operating elevating. Heat molding apparatus to be.   The thermoforming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing cassette is provided with a positioning pin that fits into a fixing mounting hole formed in the plastic sheet material, and a positioning recess that fits into the positioning pin.   3. The heat according to claim 1, wherein the cassette support portion in the cassette fixing frame is formed in a cross-sectional groove shape in which left and right frame portions of the fixed cassette are slidably fitted from the front of the cassette fixing frame. Molding device.   The thermoforming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cassette fixing frame is provided with a rear positioning portion for positioning a fixed cassette to be slid.   5. The guide lifting / lowering means comprises a cassette fixing frame provided with guide poles arranged in a standing manner at the front, rear, left and right corners of the container frame, and a guide portion slidably fitted to the guide poles. The thermoforming apparatus described in 1.   The lifting operation mechanism includes a work handle connected to a handle connecting arm pivotally supported on the cassette fixing frame and a handle connecting arm so as to be pressed against a column frame provided in a standing shape at a corner of the frame body. The elastic pad placed on the cassette fixing frame so as to stop the cassette fixing frame by rocking the pressure pad provided on the work frame and the handle connecting arm. A thermoforming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a body.   The work handle is provided on a handle connecting arm that is swingably provided at the front left and right of the cassette fixing frame. The handle connecting arm is pressed against a column frame provided in a stand shape at the corner of the container frame. By providing a pressure pad to prevent the cassette fixing frame from moving up and down by the work handle, the work handle and handle connecting arm are swung to place the pressure pad at the front, back, left and right corners of the frame. The thermoforming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an elastic body is interposed on a side portion of the cassette fixing frame so as to stop the cassette fixing frame by elastically pressing the provided column frame. .   The thermoforming device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the elastic body is a coil spring that is urged in an expanding tendency between a handle connecting arm and a cassette support portion of a cassette fixing frame.

Images