JP6871107B2 - Thermoforming equipment and thermoforming method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a thermoforming apparatus and a thermoforming method.

Generally, as an apparatus for adhering a sheet to the outer surface of a molding base material, for example, a vacuum press laminated molding apparatus for radiant heating in an upper and lower chamber as shown in Patent Document 1, and a thermoforming apparatus for heating a hot plate. , A structure in which the seat grip portion moves is known.

Patent Document 1 describes a base having a base material holding portion capable of holding a base material, a seat gripping portion provided in the lower frame and gripping the outer peripheral edge of the sheet without a gap over the entire circumference, and a frame bottom portion. A closed frame that protrudes from the base installation surface and surrounds the entire circumference of the base material holding part in a plan view, and a vacuum passage that communicates with the space inside the lower frame and penetrates at least the bottom of the frame inside the closed frame. The seat grip portion is provided with pores so as to be movable up and down between an ascending position in which the sheet is heated by the hot plate and a descending position in close contact with the upper end surface of the sealing frame, and is sealed with the base material holding portion. The structure in which the inner upper surface of the sealed frame between the frame and the inner upper surface of the sealed frame is provided at a position lower than the upper outer peripheral edge of the base material holding portion and the upper end surface of the sealed frame, and the vacuum vent is opened on the upper surface of the inner surface of the sealed frame is described. ing.

Japanese Patent No. 5957131

However, in the thermoforming apparatus of Patent Document 1 described above, it is necessary to confirm and adjust the timing of synchronizing the upper hot plate and the lower base material so as not to interfere with each other, which requires complicated control. There was room for improvement.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and by eliminating the interference between the upper heating plate and the lower base material, it is not necessary to confirm the synchronization of both, and the labor and time required for the confirmation work can be reduced. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermoforming apparatus and a thermoforming method capable of providing a thermoforming apparatus and a thermoforming method.

In order to achieve the above object, the thermoforming apparatus according to the present invention is a thermoforming apparatus for molding a softened sheet by heating a molding substrate or adhering the sheet to the molding substrate. A lower frame having a space for accommodating the molded base material by forming a closed space between the upper frame and the upper frame, a heat plate arranged in the upper frame, and the lower frame. a lower substrate holding from below the molding substrate provided, is disposed outside the upper frame, on which is provided relatively movably in the vertical direction with respect to the upper frame is fixed to the hot plate The upper support includes a support and a lower support that is arranged outside the lower frame , fixed to the lower base material, and provided so as to be relatively movable in the vertical direction with respect to the lower frame. Has an upper base for fixing the hot plate and an upper support portion provided on the lower surface of the upper base, and the lower support has a lower base for fixing the lower base material and the lower base. The sheet is sandwiched between the lower end of the frame peripheral edge portion of the upper frame and the upper end of the frame peripheral edge portion of the lower frame, and the upper support portion and the upper end portion are provided. In a state where the lower support portion is in contact with the lower base material in the vertical direction, the hot plate is separated from the molded base material held by the lower base material, and in the space between the hot plate and the lower base material. At least one of a pressurizing means for air pressure from the hot plate side and a depressurizing means for sucking from the lower base material is provided, and the hot plate is provided so as to be movable relative to the upper frame in the vertical direction. The lower base material is characterized in that it is provided so as to be relatively movable in the vertical direction with respect to the lower frame.

Further, in the thermoforming method according to the present invention, a sheet softened by heating the molding base material is molded by using the thermoforming apparatus described above, or the sheet is adhered to the molding base material. In the thermoforming method, the step of holding the molded base material with the lower base material in the lower frame and the lower end of the frame peripheral portion of the upper frame by bringing the upper frame and the lower frame into close contact with each other. A step of sandwiching the sheet by the upper end of the frame peripheral edge portion of the lower frame, and a step of heating the sheet by the hot plate in a state where the upper support portion and the lower support portion are in contact with each other in the vertical direction. When the sheet is softened, in the space between the thermoforming plate and the lower base material, the sheet is placed on the molded base material side by using at least one of the pressurizing means and the depressurizing means. It is characterized by having a process of moving toward.

According to the thermoforming apparatus of the present invention, the upper frame and the lower frame are brought into close contact with each other, and the sheet is sandwiched between the lower end of the frame peripheral portion of the upper frame and the upper end of the frame peripheral portion of the lower frame, and then the upper support portion and the upper support portion. When the sheet is heated by the hot plate in a state where the lower support portion is in contact with the lower support portion in the vertical direction and the sheet is softened, the pressurizing means and the depressurization are performed in the space between the hot plate and the lower base material. By moving the sheet toward the molding base material side by using at least one of the means, the sheet can be molded or the sheet can be adhered to the molding base material.
Then, in the present invention, a constant clearance can always be maintained between the hot plate and the molded base material held by the lower base material in a state where the upper support portion and the lower support portion are in contact with each other in the vertical direction. .. Therefore, the hot plate and the molded base material held by the lower base material do not interfere with each other, and the clearance can be reduced to the thickness of the sheet, so that the accuracy of the printing position can be improved. ..

According to the thermoforming apparatus and the thermoforming method of the present invention, by eliminating the interference between the hot plate and the lower base material, it is not necessary to confirm the synchronization of both, and it is possible to reduce the labor and time required for the confirmation work. it can.

It is a vertical sectional view which shows the structure of the thermoforming apparatus by embodiment of this invention, and is the figure which shows the 1st process and 2nd process. FIG. 1 is a view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. 1, which is a plan view of the lower frame viewed from above. It is a vertical sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1 which showed the working process of the thermoforming method using a thermoforming apparatus, and is the figure which shows the 3rd process. It is a vertical cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1 which showed the working process of the thermoforming method using a thermoforming apparatus, and is the figure which shows the 4th process. It is a vertical cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1 which showed the working process of the thermoforming method using a thermoforming apparatus, and is the figure which shows the 4th process.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the thermoforming apparatus and the thermoforming method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the length, width, thickness ratio, etc. are not always the same as the actual ones and can be changed as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 1, the thermoforming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment employs a hot plate heating method, and the sheet S heated and softened by the hot plate 7 is arranged in the chamber 2A of the lower frame 20. It is an apparatus for coating the surface of the molded base material U. Note that FIG. 1 shows a state in which the sheet S is set in the thermoforming apparatus 1, and shows a state before the sheet S is heated and before the molding base material U is coated with the sheet S.

Here, examples of the thermoformed product include automobile parts and the like having front and back surfaces, and by adsorbing and covering the surface of the resin molded base material U with the sheet S softened by heating. It is a thermoformed molded product. The molded base material U of the present embodiment has a ridged tubular shape.
Further, the direction in which the upper frame 10 and the lower frame 20 are sealed and opened is referred to as a device axis, and the device axes coincide with each other in the vertical direction.

The thermoforming apparatus 1 is provided in the upper frame 10, the lower frame 20 having a space (chamber 2A) capable of accommodating the molding base material U, the hot plate 7 arranged in the upper frame 10, and the lower frame 20. The lower base material 8 is fixed to the hot plate, the upper bar 3 (upper support portion) is fixed to the hot plate and is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the upper frame 10, and the lower base material is fixed to the lower base material 8. It is provided with a lower bar 4 (lower support portion) provided so as to be relatively movable in the vertical direction with respect to 20.
Further, the thermoforming apparatus 1 has an upper table 5 for fixing the upper frame 10 and a lower table 6 for fixing the lower frame 20, and the upper table 5 is provided with an elevating means (not shown) with respect to the lower table 6. It is provided so that it can be moved up and down.

The upper table 5 is fixed to the upper end of the support column 51 by a fixing nut 52, and the upper frame 10 is fixed by a first fixing bolt 53 protruding downward from the lower surface 5a of the table. The support column 51 is supported on the lower table 6 so as to be vertically movable by a moving means (not shown). The support column 51 is located on the outside so as not to interfere with the upper frame 10, the lower frame 20, the upper bar 3, and the lower bar 4 in a plan view. A lower frame 20 is fixed to the lower table 6 by a second fixing bolt 61 on the upper surface 6a side of the table. Further, the lower table 6 incorporates an elevating device 44, which will be described later, in a central portion in a plan view.
Then, the upper table 5 to which the upper frame 10 is fixed has a position (sealed position) in which the upper frame 10 comes into contact with the lower frame 20 fixed to the lower table 6 and the insides of the upper and lower frames 10 and 20 are sealed. The upper frame 10 moves upward with respect to the lower frame 20 and is moved between the upper and lower frames 10 and 20 to open the inside (opening position).

The distance between the lower frame 20 and the upper frame 10 when the upper and lower frames are opened is such that the molded base material U can be taken in and out of the chamber 2A in the lower frame 20, and the sheet S is placed between the two frames 10 and 20. It is a size that can be arranged. For example, although not shown in the present embodiment, when the lower frame 20 has a configuration in which the lower table 6 can be slid laterally with respect to the upper frame 10 in the upper view, the upper frame 10 is seen in the upper view. The lower frame can be arranged at a position deviated from the position, and the molded base material U can be taken in and out of the chamber 2A of the lower frame 20 at that position. Therefore, the distance between the lower frame 20 and the upper frame 10 when the upper and lower frames 10 and 20 are opened may be such that the sheet S can be arranged between the upper frames 10 and 20.

The upper bar 3 is provided as a part of the upper support 30 that can move in the vertical direction with respect to the upper table 5 and the upper frame 10. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper support 30 has a rectangular flat plate-shaped upper base 31 having a larger outer shape than the upper frame 10 in a plan view, and each of the four corner portions of the lower surface 31a of the upper base 31. It has the upper bar 3 provided in the above. The lower end surface 3a of the upper bar 3 is a plane orthogonal to the device axis.

A through hole 32 through which the first bolt 53 is slidably inserted is formed in the central portion of the upper base 31. Further, a spring member 33 for urging the upper support 30 downward is provided between the upper base 31 and the upper table 5. That is, the upper end of the spring member 33 is supported by the lower surface 5a of the table of the upper table 5, and the lower end of the spring member 33 supports the upper surface 31b of the upper base 31.
Further, a hot plate 7 arranged inside the upper frame 10 is fixed to the lower surface 41b of the upper base 31 via the first connecting rod 71.

The lower bar 4 is provided as a part of a lower support 40 that can move in the vertical direction with respect to the lower table 6 and the lower frame 20. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower support 40 has a rectangular flat plate-shaped lower base 41 having a larger outer shape than the lower frame 20 in a plan view, and the upper surface 41a of the lower base 41 at each of the four corners thereof. The lower bar 4 provided in the above. The upper end surface 4a of the lower bar 4 is a plane orthogonal to the device axis.
The lower bar 4 is provided at a position coaxial with the upper bar 3 when viewed from above. That is, the upper bar 3 and the lower bar 4 are separated from each other in close proximity to each other, and the lower end surfaces 3a and the upper end surfaces 4a can come into contact with each other in the vertical direction.

An elevating device 44 for elevating and driving the lower support 40 is provided in the central portion of the lower surface 41b of the lower base 41. The elevating device 44 has a cylinder 44A provided on the lower table 6 and a rod 44B extending upward from the cylinder 44A, and the upper end of the rod 44B is fixed to the lower base 41.
Further, a lower base material 8 arranged inside the lower frame 20 is fixed to the upper surface 41a of the lower base 41 via a second connecting rod 81.

The upper frame 10 is a housing of the thermoforming apparatus 1, and includes a frame top wall portion 11 and a frame peripheral wall portion 12. The frame top wall portion 11 is formed with an insertion hole 11a through which the first connecting rod 71 is slidably inserted in an airtight state. A hot plate 7 is arranged in the space inside the frame of the upper frame 10. The height of the frame peripheral wall portion 12 (internal height of the upper frame 10) is set to be larger than the plate thickness of the hot plate 7. That is, the hot plate 7 can move in the vertical direction within the height range of the frame peripheral wall portion 12.

The hot plate 7 has a flat plate shape having a smooth heating surface 7a, and is formed in the same shape as the lower base material 8 in the lower frame 20 described later in a plan view. Since the hot plate 7 is fixed to the upper support 30, the hot plate 7 is provided so as to be movable up and down together with the upper support 30, and moves in a direction of approaching and separating from the lower base material 8 arranged below. .. At the lowermost position of the hot plate 7, the heating surface 7a is located slightly above the lower end 12a of the frame peripheral wall portion 12 of the upper frame 10. That is, when the sheet S is set between the upper frame 10 and the lower frame 20, the sheet S does not come into contact with the heating surface 7a.

A plurality of heaters (not shown) are provided on the upper surface side of the hot plate 7. Further, the hot plate 7 is formed with a plurality of ventilation holes (not shown) that open to the heating surface 7a at predetermined intervals. Each of these ventilation holes is connected to a vacuum tank (not shown) provided with a vacuum pump that evacuates the heating surface 7a side, and a pressurized tank (not shown) that stores compressed air by a compressor.

The lower frame 20 is a housing of the thermoforming apparatus 1, and includes a frame bottom portion 21 and a frame peripheral wall portion 22. The bottom portion 21 of the frame is formed with an insertion hole 21a through which the second connecting rod 81 is slidably inserted in an airtight state. The lower base material 8 is arranged in the chamber 2A of the lower frame 20. The height of the frame peripheral wall portion 22 (internal height of the lower frame 20) is set to be larger than the plate thickness of the lower base material 8. That is, the lower base material 8 can move in the vertical direction within the range of the height h2 of the frame peripheral wall portion 22.

The lower base material 8 holds the molded base material U from below and is fixed to the upper end of the second connecting rod 81, and the second connecting rod 81 slides in an airtight state with respect to the frame bottom 21 of the lower frame 20. It is inserted freely. The lower base material 8 is provided so that the outer peripheral edge 8a is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 22b of the frame peripheral wall portion 22 of the lower frame 20 and can be moved in the vertical direction with respect to the frame peripheral wall portion 22 by the drive of the elevating device 44. There is.
Since the lower base material 8 is fixed to the lower support 40, it can move up and down together with the lower support 40, and moves in a direction of approaching and separating from the hot plate 7 arranged above. At the lowermost position of the lower base material 8, the held molded base material U is located slightly below the upper end 22a of the frame peripheral wall portion 22 of the lower frame 20. That is, when the sheet S is set between the upper frame 10 and the lower frame 20, the sheet S does not come into contact with the molding base material U.
Further, notches 8b are formed on the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface of the lower base material 8 at intervals in the circumferential direction.

The frame peripheral wall portion 22 of the lower frame 20 is provided with a stopper 82 that engages with the cutout portion 8b of the lower base material 8 and can protrude toward the center of the lower frame 20. The stopper 82 is fixed to the tip of the cylinder 83, and is moved back and forth within the lower frame 20 by driving the cylinder 83. When the stopper 82 is in contact with the frame peripheral wall portion 22 side, it engages with the notch portion 8b and the downward movement of the lower base material 8 is restricted. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the stopper 82 is projected so as to be separated from the frame peripheral wall portion 22 at an appropriate timing when the lower base material 8 is pushed upward, and the lower surface 8c side of the lower base material 8 is formed. By locating it in, the lower base material 8 is restricted from descending.

The frame peripheral wall portion 12 of the upper frame 10 and the frame peripheral wall portion 22 of the lower frame 20 have the same outer shape in a plan view, and the lower end 12a of each frame peripheral wall portion 12 and the upper end 22a of the frame peripheral wall portion 22 are airtight. The insides of the upper frame 10 and the lower frame 20 are sealed when they are in close contact with each other. Then, at the time of molding, the sheet S is stretched between the upper frame 10 and the lower frame 20 without slack, and is sandwiched without a gap over the entire circumference.

As the molding base material U, for example, a thermoplastic resin such as a polypropylene resin or a polyethylene resin of a molded product can be adopted, or a material such as a thermosetting resin, iron, or stone to which an adhesive layer can be applied can be adopted. It is possible and is not limited to these materials.
The shape of the molded base material U is not particularly limited, but the height dimension of the molded base material U is set to be smaller than the height dimension above the lower base material 8 in the lower frame 20.

The sheet S is a known multilayer sheet having, for example, a printing layer and a protective film or a carrier film provided on the front surface side of the printing layer, and an adhesive layer provided on the back surface side of the printing layer. The material of the film or layer is heated by abutting on the heating surface 7a of the hot plate 7, has flexibility and adhesiveness, and can be coated on the surface of the molded base material U when cooled. If so, there is no particular limitation.

In the thermoforming apparatus 1, a vacuum vent (not shown) is formed so as to communicate with the chamber 2A in the lower frame 20 and to penetrate the lower frame 20. A vacuum pump or the like (not shown) is connected to the vacuum vent. The number of vacuum vents is not particularly limited, but at least one may be formed.

In the thermoforming apparatus 1 configured as described above, the sheet S softened by being heated by the heat plate 7 is molded or molded on the molding base material U housed in the chamber 2A, or the molding base material U is formed. The sheet S can be adhered to the surface of the U.

Next, a thermoforming method using the thermoforming apparatus 1 will be described. The thermoforming method of the present embodiment is a method for molding a sheet S softened by heating with respect to a molding base material U, or for adhering the sheet S to the molding base material U. Specifically, the thermoforming method of this embodiment has at least the steps described below.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 to 5, the thermoforming method of the present embodiment includes a first step of holding the molding base material U by the lower base material 8 in the lower frame 20, and the upper frame 10 and the lower side. The second step of bringing the frame 20 into close contact and sandwiching the sheet S between the lower end 12a of the frame peripheral portion 12 of the upper frame 10 and the upper end 22a of the frame peripheral portion 22 of the lower frame 20, and the upper bar 3 and the lower bar 4 The pressurizing means in the third step of heating the sheet S by the hot plate 7 in a state where the sheets S are in contact with each other in the vertical direction and in the space between the hot plate 7 and the lower base material 8 when the sheet S is softened. And a fourth step of moving the sheet S toward the molding base material U side by using at least one of the depressurizing means.

(First step)
In the first step, as shown in FIG. 1, the molding base material U is held by the lower base material 8, and the molding base material U is housed inside the lower frame 20.
Specifically, first, the upper table 5 is separated upward from the lower table 6 together with the support column 51 by a driving means (not shown), and the upper support 30 and the upper frame 10 mounted on the lower side of the upper table 5 are moved upward. Move to. As a result, the space between the lower frame 20 and the upper frame 10 is opened. Then, after the molded base material U is held by the lower base material 8 of the lower frame 20, the sheet S is arranged on the upper end 22a of the frame peripheral wall portion 22 of the lower frame 20. As the arrangement operation of the sheet S, for example, one capable of laterally moving the sheet S between the lower frame 20 and the upper frame 10 by using a sheet feeding device (not shown) can be adopted. At this time, the lower support 40 and the lower frame 20 are mounted on the lower table 6, and the rod 44B of the elevating device 44 is in the most contracted position.

(Second step)
In the second step, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper frame 10 and the lower frame 20 are brought into close contact with each other, and the sheet is formed by the lower end 12a of the frame peripheral portion 12 of the upper frame 10 and the upper end 22a of the frame peripheral portion 22 of the lower frame 20. Hold S.
Specifically, the upper table 5 is lowered to the original predetermined position (initial position), and the sheet S is formed between the lower end 12a of the frame peripheral wall portion 12 in the upper frame 10 and the upper end 22a of the frame peripheral wall portion 22 in the lower frame 20. The upper frame 10 and the lower frame 20 are hermetically sealed while being sandwiched and brought into close contact with each other in an airtight state. Then, the sheet S is sandwiched between the upper frame 10 and the lower frame 20 in a stretched state without slack. At this initial position, the upper support 30 and the hot plate 7 fixed to the upper base 31 of the upper support 30 are in a state of being urged downward by the spring member 33. That is, the upper base 31 is in contact with the upper frame 10 from above. At this time, the lower end surface 3a of the upper bar 3 and the upper end surface 4a of the lower bar 4 are separated from each other.

(Third step)
In the third step, as shown in FIG. 3, the sheet S is heated by the hot plate 7 in a state where the upper bar 3 and the lower bar 4 are in contact with each other in the vertical direction.
Specifically, the elevating device 44 is driven to extend the rod 44B, the lower support 40 is moved upward, and the upper end surface 4a of the lower bar 4 is brought into contact with the lower end surface 3a of the upper bar 3. Further, the lower base material 8 attached to the lower base 41 of the lower support 40 via the second connecting rod 81 also rises in the lower frame 20. At this time, the molding base material U is located close to the lower side of the sheet S.

Subsequently, the sheet S is heated by the hot plate 7. At the time of this heating, as the first heating step, the pressure is reduced by suction from the hot plate 7 on the upper side of the sheet S to create a vacuum state, and the lower side of the sheet S is set to a slightly compressed air state. Further, as the second heating step, the upper side of the sheet S is depressurized by suction from the hot plate 7 to create a vacuum state, and the lower side of the sheet S is also decompressed to a vacuum state. That is, the direction in which the hot plate 7 is heated by the heater, the vacuum tank (not shown) is opened, and the sheet S is moved to the heating surface 7a side of the hot plate 7 through a ventilation hole (not shown) provided in the hot plate 7. Vacuum suction to. As a result, the sheet S is adsorbed on the heating surface 7a of the hot plate 7, and the adsorbed sheet S is heated.
In this step, it is preferable to operate the vacuum tank connected to the ventilation hole and start vacuum suction so that the inside of the upper frame 10 has a predetermined degree of vacuum.

(4th step)
In the fourth step, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the sheet S softens, at least the pressurizing means and the depressurizing means are used in the first space P1 between the hot plate 7 and the lower base material 8. The sheet S is moved toward the molding base material U side by using one of the means.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, when the rod 44B is further extended by driving the elevating device 44, the upper bar 3 and the lower bar 4 are in contact with each other, so that the upper bar 3 is raised by the lower bar 4. Let me. That is, the upper base 31 moves upward against the urging of the spring member 33. Then, inside the upper frame 10 and the lower frame 20, the hot plate 7 and the lower base material 8 rise while maintaining the same clearance.

Subsequently, the first space P1 on the upper side (hot plate 7 side) of the sheet S is in a high vacuum state, and the sheet S exhibits flexibility and adhesiveness by heating by the hot plate 7, so that the first space P1 is present. By exhausting the air in one space P1 and opening it to the atmosphere, the sheet S moves downward and is coated on the surface of the molded base material U. At this time, the ascending position of the lower base material 8 is a position above the stopper 82.

After that, as shown in FIG. 5, the stopper 82 provided on the lower frame 20 is driven by the cylinder 83 so as to be projected so as to be located in the second space P2 on the lower side of the lower base material 8. As a result, the lower base material 8 is in a state in which the downward movement of the lower base material 8 is restricted by the stopper 82. That is, in the present embodiment, when the space between the hot plate 7 and the lower base material 8 is compressed from the hot plate 7 by using a pressurizing means, the lower base material 8 and the frame bottom portion 21 of the lower frame 20 By interposing the stopper 82 between the hot plates 82, the lower base material 8 can be restricted from moving toward the frame bottom 21 side of the lower frame 20, and the distance between the hot plate 7 and the lower base material 8 is kept constant. be able to.

Next, by setting the space between the sheet S and the hot plate 7 to be compressed, the sheet S can be brought into close contact with the molding base material U.
Through the above steps, the molded product of the molding base material U is completed, and a series of thermoforming operations are completed.

As described above, according to the thermoforming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the upper frame 10 and the lower frame 20 are brought into close contact with each other, and the lower end 12a of the frame peripheral portion 12 of the upper frame 10 and the frame peripheral portion 22 of the lower frame 20 are brought into close contact with each other. After sandwiching the sheet S with the upper end 22a of the sheet S, the sheet S is heated by the hot plate 7 in a state where the upper bar 3 and the lower bar 4 are in contact with each other in the vertical direction, and when the sheet S softens. In the space between the hot plate 7 and the lower base material 8, the sheet S is moved toward the molding base material U side by using at least one of the pressurizing means and the depressurizing means, whereby the sheet S is moved. The mold can be shaped or the sheet S can be adhered to the molding base material U.

Then, in the present embodiment, a constant clearance is always maintained between the hot plate 7 and the molded base material U held by the lower base material 8 in a state where the upper bar 3 and the lower bar 4 are in contact with each other in the vertical direction. Can be kept. Therefore, the hot plate 7 and the molded base material U held by the lower base material 8 do not interfere with each other, and the clearance can be reduced to the thickness of the sheet S, so that the accuracy of the printing position is improved. Can be made to.

As described above, according to the thermoforming apparatus and the thermoforming method of the present embodiment, by eliminating the interference between the hot plate 7 and the lower base material 8, it is not necessary to confirm the synchronization of both, and the time and effort involved in the confirmation work is reduced. It is possible to reduce the time.

Although the embodiments of the thermoforming apparatus and the thermoforming method according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the present embodiment, the upper bar 3 is adopted as the upper support portion and the lower bar 4 is adopted as the lower support portion, but the column shape is spaced in the circumferential direction in this way. The frame shape may be continuous in the circumferential direction without being limited to. In short, the hot plate 7 may be configured to be separated from the molded base material U held by the lower base material 8 in a state where the upper support portion and the lower support portion are in contact with each other in the vertical direction. It is.

Further, although the upper support 30 is configured to be urged by the spring member 33 with respect to the upper table 5 as an example, the upper support 30 is not limited to the spring member 33, and is urged by the hydraulic pressure of, for example, a cylinder or the like. It does not matter if the configuration is such that.

In this embodiment, the thermoforming method of coating and adhering the sheet S to the molding base material U is targeted, but not only in the case of such laminating molding, but also the carrier film of the uppermost layer of the sheet is formed by transfer trimless. It also includes a case where only the decorative layer (corresponding to the sheet of the present invention) is peeled off and transferred to the molded base material.
Further, the present embodiment targets a thermoforming method in which the sheet S softened by the hot plate 7 is coated on the molding base material U, but the present invention is not limited to the sheet coating. For example, it is also possible to mold a thermoformed product for mold shaping in which the sheet S softened by heating of the hot plate 7 is shaped using the lower base material 8 as a mold. Also in the case of this mold shaping, the thermoforming method can be carried out by the same method as the above-described embodiment.

Further, the shapes, dimensions, arrangements, quantities, etc. of the upper table 5, the lower table 6, the upper support 30, the lower support 40, the upper frame 10, the lower frame 20, the hot plate 7, and the lower base material 8 are appropriately configured. , Can be set.
For example, in the present embodiment, the lower frame 20 is provided with the stopper 82, but the stopper 82 can be omitted.

In addition, it is possible to replace the components in the above-described embodiment with well-known components as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 Thermoforming device 3 Upper bar (upper support)
3a Lower end surface 4 Lower bar (lower support part)
4a Upper end surface 5 Upper table 6 Lower table 7 Hot plate 7a Heating surface 8 Lower base material 10 Upper frame 12 Frame peripheral wall part 12a Lower end 20 Lower frame 22 Frame peripheral wall part 22a Upper end 30 Upper support 33 Spring member 40 Lower support 82 Stopper S sheet U molded base material

Claims (2)

A thermoforming apparatus for molding a sheet softened by heating a molding base material or adhering the sheet to the molding base material.
With the upper frame
A lower frame that forms a closed space with the upper frame and has a space that can accommodate the molded base material,
The hot plate arranged in the upper frame and
A lower base material provided in the lower frame and holding the molded base material from below,
An upper support that is arranged outside the upper frame, is fixed to the hot plate, and is provided so as to be relatively movable in the vertical direction with respect to the upper frame.
A lower support arranged outside the lower frame , fixed to the lower base material, and provided so as to be relatively movable in the vertical direction with respect to the lower frame.
With
The upper support has an upper base for fixing the hot plate and an upper support portion provided on the lower surface of the upper base.
The lower support has a lower base for fixing the lower base material and a lower support portion provided on the upper surface of the lower base.
The sheet is sandwiched between the lower end of the frame peripheral portion of the upper frame and the upper end of the frame peripheral portion of the lower frame.
In a state where the upper support portion and the lower support portion are in contact with each other in the vertical direction, the hot plate is separated from the molding base material held by the lower base material.
In the space between the hot plate and the lower base material, at least one of a pressurizing means for compressing air from the hot plate side and a depressurizing means for sucking from the lower base material is provided .
The hot plate is provided so as to be movable relative to the upper frame in the vertical direction.
The thermoforming apparatus , wherein the lower base material is provided so as to be relatively movable in the vertical direction with respect to the lower frame. A thermoforming method in which a sheet softened by heating the molding base material is molded by using the thermoforming apparatus according to claim 1, or the sheet is adhered to the molding base material. ,
A step of holding the molded base material with the lower base material in the lower frame, and
A step of bringing the upper frame into close contact with the lower frame and sandwiching the sheet between the lower end of the frame peripheral portion of the upper frame and the upper end of the frame peripheral portion of the lower frame.
A step of heating the sheet with the hot plate in a state where the upper support portion and the lower support portion are in contact with each other in the vertical direction.
When the sheet softens, in the space between the hot plate and the lower substrate, the sheet is directed toward the molded substrate side by using at least one of the pressurizing means and the depressurizing means. And the process of moving
A thermoforming method characterized by having.

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