JP6496140B2 - Foam molding equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a foam molding apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a foam molding apparatus that foams a foamed resin material injected into a mold and molds a foam molded body (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). Here, the gas generated during foaming and the gas such as residual air in the mold may cause defective products such as lacking and voids in the foamed molded product, so the gas in the mold must be exhausted to the outside. There is.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a cylindrical vent hole mounting member that is attached to a vent hole provided in an upper mold of a split mold and has openings at the lower and upper ends so that air can flow inside and outside the mold. The structure provided with this is disclosed.

  In Patent Document 2, a cylindrical body that is provided in an upper mold and communicates the inside of the mold with the outside of the mold is fitted so as to close the communication path of the cylindrical body so as to form a gap in a part of the fitting surface. Discloses a configuration provided with an exhaust pipe having a relief pin having a notch formed on the outer peripheral surface.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-105037 JP 2014-46468 A

  However, in the invention of Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the resin burr that has entered and cured in the vent hole at the time of foam molding may remain in the vent hole as it is after the foam molded article is removed. Here, if the foam molding operation is continued with the resin burr remaining in the vent hole, the gas in the mold cannot be exhausted, resulting in a product defect. Therefore, it is necessary to check and remove whether the resin burr is clogged every time the foamed molded product is removed, and there is a problem that the cleaning time of the mold and the burden of cleaning work on the operator increase.

  On the other hand, in the invention of Patent Document 2, the relief pin is protruded to the inside of the mold after the foam molding is completed, thereby making it easy for the operator to remove the burr of the foam that has entered the cylinder and adhered to the relief pin. However, ultimately, since it is necessary for the operator to manually remove the burr of the foam from the relief pin, as in Patent Document 1, the cleaning time of the mold and the cleaning work burden on the operator increase. There is a problem of end.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its purpose is to prevent the resin burrs from remaining in the exhaust tube after demolding the foam molded article, and to reduce the molding time and the operator's time. An object of the present invention is to provide a foam molding apparatus that can reduce the burden of cleaning work.

  The present invention is directed to a foam molding apparatus that foams a foamed resin raw material injected into a mold having a lower mold and an upper mold to mold a foam molded article, and has taken the following solutions.

That is, the first invention is an exhaust cylinder that is provided in the upper mold and exhausts the gas in the mold to the outside.
An air pipe connected to the exhaust pipe;
An air supply source connected to the air pipe to supply pressurized air into the exhaust tube;
An on-off valve connected to the air pipe for opening and closing a pipe line between the air supply source and the exhaust pipe;
By opening the on-off valve and supplying pressurized air to the exhaust pipe at a predetermined timing between the curing of the foamed resin material and the molding die cleaning process after demolding the foamed molded article , And a controller that presses the resin burr that has entered the exhaust cylinder with pressurized air toward the inside of the mold .

  In the first invention, pressurized air is supplied to the exhaust tube at a predetermined timing between the curing of the foamed resin raw material and the molding die cleaning step after the foam molding is removed. Thereby, the resin burr | cured which hardened | cured in the exhaust pipe and adhered to the inner peripheral surface of an exhaust pipe becomes easy to peel from an exhaust pipe by being pressed with pressurized air. As a result, it is possible to suppress the resin burrs from remaining in the exhaust tube after the foamed molded product is removed, and to reduce the cleaning time for the mold and the burden of the operator on the cleaning work.

According to a second invention, in the first invention,
The control unit controls the opening / closing valve to open before the mold of the foamed molded body is opened.

  In the second aspect of the invention, pressurized air is supplied to the exhaust tube before the foam molded body is opened. Thereby, since the resin burr is easily peeled from the exhaust tube, the resin burr can be taken out together with the foam molded product when the foam molded product is removed.

According to a third invention, in the first or second invention,
The said control part is controlled to open the said on-off valve after demolding of the said foaming molding.

  In 3rd invention, pressurized air is supplied to an exhaust pipe after mold removal of a foaming molding. Thereby, even when the resin burr remains in the exhaust pipe, the resin burr can be blown off by the pressurized air, and the clogging of the exhaust pipe can be eliminated.

The fourth invention is directed to a foam molding apparatus for foaming a foamed resin material injected into a molding die having a lower mold and an upper mold to mold a foam molded article,
An exhaust tube provided in the upper mold and exhausting the gas in the mold to the outside;
An air pipe connected to the exhaust pipe;
An air supply source connected to the air pipe to supply pressurized air into the exhaust tube;
An on-off valve connected to the air pipe for opening and closing a pipe line between the air supply source and the exhaust pipe;
A control unit that opens the on-off valve and supplies pressurized air to the exhaust pipe at a predetermined timing after the foamed resin material is cured until the molding die cleaning step after demolding the foam molded article;
A branch pipe branched from the air pipe;
And a release agent supply unit that supplies the release agent to the pressurized air that is connected to the branch pipe and flows through the air pipe.

  In the fourth aspect of the invention, since the release agent is included in the pressurized air supplied to the exhaust pipe, it is separated from the inner peripheral surface of the exhaust pipe by the pressurized air containing the release agent flowing into the exhaust pipe. Because the mold is attached, the resin burr that has flowed into the exhaust tube and solidified in the next molding step is easy to peel off from the exhaust tube, and it becomes an integral part of the foamed molded product during demolding. Resin burr can be removed.

  According to the present invention, the resin burr that hardens in the exhaust pipe and adheres to the inner peripheral surface of the exhaust pipe is easily peeled off from the exhaust pipe by being pressed by the pressurized air. As a result, it is possible to suppress the resin burrs from remaining in the exhaust tube after the foamed molded product is removed, and to reduce the cleaning time for the mold and the burden of the operator on the cleaning work.

It is a schematic block diagram of the foam molding apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 when an upper mold is opened and a foamed resin material is injected into the lower mold. FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 when pressurized air is supplied to the exhaust pipe before opening the foam molded body. FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. It is a schematic block diagram of the foam molding apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment 2.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1
As shown in FIG. 1, the foam molding apparatus 10 includes a mold 20 in which a cavity 23 corresponding to the shape of the foam molded body 15 is formed. The molding die 20 includes a lower die 21 that is a fixed die, and an upper die 22 that is a movable die that is hinged to the lower die 21 (not shown) and rotates up and down. In the present embodiment, a cushion pad of a vehicle seat is assumed as the foamed molded body 15, but is not particularly limited to this form.

  The upper mold 22 is provided with a cylindrical exhaust cylinder 25 that exhausts the gas in the mold 20 to the outside. Specifically, gas such as gas generated when the foamed resin material 11 injected into the mold 20 is foamed and air remaining in the mold 20 are exhausted from the exhaust cylinder 25.

  One end of an air pipe 30 is connected to the exhaust cylinder 25. An air compressor 31 as an air supply source is connected to the other end of the air pipe 30. The air compressor 31 supplies pressurized air into the exhaust cylinder 25 via the air pipe 30. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the configuration using the air compressor 31 dedicated to the apparatus is described, but the configuration using so-called factory air as an air supply source that uses pressurized air for other purposes is also described. There may be.

  The air pipe 30 is connected to an open / close valve 32 on the upstream side and a check valve 33 on the downstream side thereof. The on-off valve 32 opens and closes a pipe line between the air compressor 31 and the exhaust cylinder 25. The check valve 33 is disposed between the on-off valve 32 and the exhaust cylinder 25 and at a position near the exhaust cylinder 25. The check valve 33 blocks the flow of gas from the exhaust cylinder 25 toward the air compressor 31 while allowing the flow of pressurized air from the air compressor 31 toward the exhaust cylinder 25.

  The opening / closing operation of the opening / closing valve 32 is controlled based on a control signal output from the control unit 35. The control unit 35 opens the on-off valve 32 and supplies pressurized air to the exhaust cylinder 25 at a predetermined timing between the curing of the foamed resin material 11 and the molding die cleaning process after the foam molding 15 is removed. Control to do. A specific timing for supplying the pressurized air will be described later.

  Hereinafter, the molding process of the foam molded body 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper mold 22 is closed after injecting the foamed resin material 11 into the lower mold 21 with the upper mold 22 being opened with respect to the lower mold 21 (injecting step). At this time, the on-off valve 32 is closed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the foamed resin raw material 11 is foamed by heating the molding die 20 in a state where the upper die 22 is closed (foaming step). At this time, the gas generated when the foamed resin material 11 foams and the gas such as the air in the mold 20 (in the cavity 23) are discharged from the exhaust cylinder 25 outside the cavity 23 and from the exhaust cylinder 25 to the check valve 33. It is exhausted to the air pipe 30.

  When the foamed resin material 11 being foamed reaches the molding surface of the upper mold 22, a part of the foamed resin material 11 enters the exhaust tube 25 together with the gas exhausted into the exhaust tube 25, and a resin burr 16 is formed. Is done.

  The resin burr 16 is compressed in these flow paths when the gas in the mold 20 (in the cavity 23) is exhausted to the exhaust pipe 25 and the air pipe 30 from the exhaust pipe 25 to the check valve 33. It swells and penetrates to the position of the flow path height (length) where the compression pressure of the gas and the foaming pressure of the foamed resin material 11 are balanced.

  The control unit 35 outputs a control signal for opening the on-off valve 32 after the foamed resin material 11 is cured and before the foam molded body 15 is opened. As a result, the on-off valve 32 is opened, and pressurized air from the air compressor 31 is supplied (circulated) through the air pipe 30 toward the exhaust pipe 25. The pressurized air supply time is preferably 3 to 4 seconds.

  Here, the time from when the foamed resin raw material 11 is injected into the mold 20 until it is cured is predetermined by the material of the foamed resin raw material 11. Therefore, the determination as to whether or not the foamed resin material 11 has been cured may be made by counting the elapsed time since the injection of the foamed resin material 11 with a timer or the like.

  In this way, by supplying pressurized air into the exhaust cylinder 25 after the foamed resin material 11 is cured and before the step of removing the foamed molded body 15, that is, before the mold 20 is opened, the exhaust cylinder The resin burr 16 adhering to the inner peripheral surface of the exhaust gas 25 is pressed by the pressurized air and the compressed air enters between the outer peripheral surface of the resin burr 16 and the inner peripheral surface of the exhaust tube 25, thereby It becomes easy to peel from the cylinder 25. As a result, the resin burr 16 can be removed together with the foam molded body 15 without being broken and separated from the foam molded body 15 and remaining in the exhaust tube 25 when the foam molded body 15 is removed. It is possible to reduce the cleaning time and the cleaning work burden on the operator in the mold cleaning process after removing the body 15.

  In addition, since the pressurized air is supplied to the exhaust cylinder 25 in the mold closed state (FIG. 3) before the mold 20 is opened, the pressurized air is disposed in the exhaust cylinder 25 on the outer peripheral surface of the resin burr 16 and the exhaust cylinder. It flows between the inner peripheral surface of 25 and the molding surface of the mold 20 and the surface of the foam molding 15. The inflowing pressurized air helps the surface of the foam molded body 15 to peel from the molding surface of the mold 20 because the mold 20 is closed and is not released to the atmosphere. As a result, when the foam molded body 15 is removed from the mold, the surface of the foam molded body 15 is easily peeled off from the molding surface of the molding die 20. The adhesion of the resin burr 16 can be further reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the upper mold 22 is opened, the foamed molded product 15 is lifted together with the upper mold 22 while being attached to the upper mold 22 (demolding step). In this step, the on-off valve 32 is closed, and the flow of pressurized air from the air compressor 31 toward the exhaust cylinder 25 is blocked.

  After demolding the foam molding 15, a molding die cleaning process for cleaning the lower mold 21 and the upper mold 22 is performed in preparation for the next foam molding. In the molding die cleaning step, for example, after the resin burrs remaining in the molding die 20 are blown off by air blow or the like, a work of applying a release agent to the molding surfaces of the lower die 21 and the upper die 22 is performed. Thereafter, the molding process shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 is repeated.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 35 supplies pressurized air before mold opening after the foamed resin material 11 is cured, but in addition to this, molding of the foam molded body 15 after demolding is performed. Also during the mold cleaning process, a control signal for opening the on-off valve 32 may be output to supply pressurized air to the exhaust pipe 25. Thus, even when the resin burr 16 is broken and separated from the foamed molded product 15 and remains in the exhaust tube 25 when the foamed molded product 15 is removed, the resin burr 16 is moved to the cavity 23 side (air piping) by pressurized air. 30 on the opposite side to 30), and the clogging of the exhaust pipe 25 can be eliminated.

  The pressurized air is supplied to the exhaust tube 25 only after the mold 20 is opened and before the foam molded body 15 is removed, or only during the molding mold cleaning process after the foam molded body 15 is removed. May be. In short, the pressurized air is supplied to the exhaust cylinder 25 once or a plurality of times at a predetermined timing after the foamed resin raw material 11 is cured and after the molding mold is removed after the foam molded body 15 is removed. You can do it.

<< Embodiment 2 >>
Hereinafter, the same portions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and only differences will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, one end of the branch pipe 40 is connected between the on-off valve 32 and the check valve 33 in the air pipe 30. The other end of the branch pipe 40 is connected to a release agent tank 41 in which a release agent such as a wax solvent is stored. An open / close valve 42 is connected to the branch pipe 40.

  The opening / closing operation of the opening / closing valve 42 is controlled based on a control signal output from the control unit 35. By opening the on-off valve 42, the release agent is supplied from the release agent tank 41 toward the air pipe 30. Thus, the release agent tank 41 and the on-off valve 42 constitute a release agent supply unit that supplies the release agent to the pressurized air.

  The release agent supplied to the air piping 30 is scattered by pressurized air flowing through the air piping 30 and sucked in a mist form. Thereby, since the pressurized air containing the release agent can be supplied to the exhaust tube 25, the release agent adheres to the inner peripheral surface of the exhaust tube 25, and in the next molding step The resin burr 16 cured in the exhaust cylinder 25 is easily peeled off from the exhaust cylinder 25 by the release agent, and can be easily taken out integrally with the foamed molded body 15 at the time of demolding.

<< Other Embodiments >>
About the said embodiment, it is good also as following structures.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the open / close valve 32 and the check valve 33 are connected to the air pipe 30 has been described. However, when the open / close valve 32 can be disposed in the vicinity of the exhaust cylinder 25 in terms of layout, Only the on-off valve 32 may be connected to the air pipe 30 without providing the stop valve 33. However, if a check valve 33 is connected between the on-off valve 32 and the exhaust cylinder 25, the resin burr can be blocked from flowing toward the on-off valve 32 to prevent the on-off valve 32 from being clogged. This is preferable because it is possible.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which only one exhaust cylinder 25 is provided on the upper mold 22 is described. However, the size of the upper mold 22 is set so that the gas in the mold 20 can be exhausted reliably. Accordingly, a plurality of exhaust pipes 25 may be provided at intervals.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the resin burrs from remaining in the exhaust tube after demolding the foam molded article, and to reduce the mold cleaning time and the operator's cleaning work burden. Therefore, it is extremely useful and has high industrial applicability.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Foam molding apparatus 11 Foamed resin raw material 15 Foam molded body 20 Mold 21 Lower mold 22 Upper mold 25 Exhaust pipe 30 Air piping 31 Air compressor (air supply source)
32 On-off valve 35 Control unit 40 Branch pipe 41 Release agent tank (release agent supply unit)
42 On-off valve (release agent supply part)

Claims (4)

A foam molding apparatus for foaming a foamed resin material injected into a molding die having a lower mold and an upper mold to mold a foam molded article,
An exhaust tube provided in the upper mold and exhausting the gas in the mold to the outside;
An air pipe connected to the exhaust pipe;
An air supply source connected to the air pipe to supply pressurized air into the exhaust tube;
An on-off valve connected to the air pipe for opening and closing a pipe line between the air supply source and the exhaust pipe;
By opening the on-off valve and supplying pressurized air to the exhaust pipe at a predetermined timing between the curing of the foamed resin material and the molding die cleaning process after demolding the foamed molded article , A foam molding apparatus, comprising: a control unit configured to press the resin burr that has entered the exhaust cylinder with pressurized air toward the mold. In claim 1,
The said control part controls so that the said on-off valve may be opened before the mold opening of the said foam molded object, The foam molding apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In claim 1 or 2,
The said control part controls so that the said on-off valve may be opened after demolding of the said foaming molding, The foaming molding apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. A foam molding apparatus for foaming a foamed resin material injected into a molding die having a lower mold and an upper mold to mold a foam molded article,
An exhaust tube provided in the upper mold and exhausting the gas in the mold to the outside;
An air pipe connected to the exhaust pipe;
An air supply source connected to the air pipe to supply pressurized air into the exhaust tube;
An on-off valve connected to the air pipe for opening and closing a pipe line between the air supply source and the exhaust pipe;
A control unit that opens the on-off valve and supplies pressurized air to the exhaust pipe at a predetermined timing after the foamed resin material is cured until the molding die cleaning step after demolding the foam molded article;
A branch pipe branched from the air pipe;
A foam molding apparatus comprising: a release agent supply unit that supplies a release agent to pressurized air that is connected to the branch pipe and flows through the air pipe.

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