JP6905868B2 - Pre-molding method of the object to be molded and pre-molding device for the object to be molded - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for preforming a sheet-shaped object to be molded into a three-dimensional shape, and an apparatus for preforming the object to be molded.

Since the object to be molded, for example, a decorative film, has a flat sheet shape, the object to be molded is heated when the object to be molded is attached to a part having a three-dimensional shape (attached object). It was softened and pasted so that it would not wrinkle. This work requires skillful skills.

On the other hand, in order to easily attach the object to be molded to the object to be molded, the object to be molded is heated, softened, and pressure-bonded to the mold to premold it into a three-dimensional shape in advance, and then the object to be molded. There is a method of pasting on the object to be pasted (see, for example, Reference 1).

Further, as a conventional technique for molding an object to be molded into a three-dimensional shape in advance, a method called vacuum forming is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Vacuum forming is to heat and soften the object to be molded, press it against a mold that imitates the shape of the product, and depressurize the air trapped between the object to be molded and the mold with a vacuum pump from the hole in the mold. This is a molding method capable of obtaining an object to be molded having a shape that conforms to the surface shape of the mold.

JP-A-2002-283445 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-278907

However, in the conventional technique, since a mold is required for each product shape, there are the following problems.

1) It takes cost and delivery time to design and manufacture the mold. In addition, maintenance costs are required for mold maintenance.

2) In order to decompress the air trapped between the object to be molded and the mold, a decompression device such as a vacuum pump or chamber is required, and the device itself has to be made slightly larger, and it is an expensive facility. It becomes.

The present invention provides a premolding method for a molded product and a molding apparatus for the molded product, which can obtain a molded product with equipment having a simple structure without designing and manufacturing a mold for premolding the molded product. The purpose is to provide.

The method for preforming the object to be molded according to claim 1 is a softening step of softening the sheet-shaped object to be molded, and the softened object to which the object to be molded is attached and a hole is formed as a mold. possess a forming step for pressing the object to be molded in the attached material, and a takeout step of taking out the object to be molded after the molding step, in the forming step, pressure side of the object to be molded in the object to be attached material A suction pad is arranged on the opposite side of the hole and at the position of the hole, and the pressure between the object to be molded and the object to be affixed is reduced through the hole by an ejector connected to the suction pad .

In this premolding method of the object to be molded, the sheet-shaped object to be molded is softened in the softening step. Then, in the molding step, the softened object to be molded is pressed against the object to be attached by using the object to be attached to which the object to be molded is attached as a mold. As a result, the object to be molded is formed into a shape that conforms to the surface shape of the object to be attached. Since the object to be attached is used as a mold, it is not necessary to separately design and manufacture a mold for preforming the object to be molded.

When there is a recess on the surface of the object to be molded on the side to which the object to be molded is pressed, or when a space remains between the recess and the object to be molded when the object to be molded comes into contact with the object to be molded. There is. In this premolding method of the object to be molded, the pressure between the object to be molded and the object to be molded is reduced through the holes provided in the object to be molded, so that the object to be molded facing the recess is deformed to the inside of the recess. do. As a result, even if there is a recess on the surface of the object to be attached, the object to be molded can be formed into a shape that conforms to the surface shape of the object to be attached.
A suction pad is arranged on the side opposite to the pressure contact side of the object to be molded and at the position of the hole in the object to be molded, and the ejector connected to the suction pad allows the object to be molded through the hole provided in the object to be molded. The pressure can be reduced between the material to be attached and the material to be attached. As described above, the decompression device having a simple structure can form the object to be molded into a shape that conforms to the surface shape of the object to be attached.

The invention of claim 2 is the premolding method of the object to be molded according to claim 1, in which the object to be molded is softened by heating the object to be molded with a heater in the softening step.

In this premolding method of the object to be molded, the object to be molded can be softened by heating the object to be molded with a heater in the softening step.

The preforming device for the object to be molded according to claim 3 is used as a holding device for holding the sheet-shaped object to be molded, a softening device for softening the object to be molded, and a mold for molding the object to be molded. Between the support member that supports the object to be attached, the moving device that moves the holding device and the support member in the directions of approaching and separating from each other, and the object to be molded and the object to be attached having holes formed therein. and have a, a pressure reducing device for reducing the pressure through the hole, the pressure reducing device, the adsorption pad disposed in a position opposite and the hole and pressure side of the object to be molded in the attached material, the suction It has an ejector connected to a pad .

The procedure for pre-molding the object to be molded using this pre-molding device for the object to be molded will be described below.

First, the sheet-shaped object to be molded is held by a holding device. Further, the object to be attached, which is used as a mold for molding the object to be molded, is supported by a support member.

Next, the object to be molded is softened by a softening device. Subsequently, the moving device moves the holding device and the support member in directions close to each other, and press-contacts the object to be molded with the object to be attached. As a result, the object to be molded is formed into a shape that conforms to the surface shape of the object to be attached. Then, the preformed object to be molded can be separated from the object to be affixed by moving the holding device and the support member in a direction away from each other by the moving device. Since the object to be attached is used as a mold, it is not necessary to separately design and manufacture a mold for preforming the object to be molded.

When there is a recess on the surface of the object to be molded on the side to which the object to be molded is pressed, or when a space remains between the recess and the object to be molded when the object to be molded comes into contact with the object to be molded. There is. In this premolding device for the object to be molded, the pressure reducing device decompresses the space between the object to be molded and the object to be molded through the holes provided in the object to be attached, so that the object to be molded facing the recess is formed. It deforms to the inside of the recess. As a result, even if there are recesses on the surface of the object to be attached, the object to be molded can be formed into a shape that conforms to the surface shape of the object to be attached.

In this preforming apparatus for the object to be molded, the suction pad is arranged on the side opposite to the pressure contact side of the object to be molded and at the position of the hole in the object to be molded, and the ejector connected to the suction pad is used to attach the object to the object to be molded. The pressure between the object to be molded and the object to be affixed can be reduced through the provided holes. As described above, the decompression device having a simple structure can form the object to be molded into a shape that conforms to the surface shape of the object to be affixed.

According to the invention of claim 4, in the preforming apparatus for the object to be molded according to claim 3, the softening apparatus is a heater.

In this premolding apparatus for the object to be molded, the object to be molded can be softened by heating the object to be molded with a heater.

As described above, according to the preforming method of the object to be molded and the preforming apparatus of the object to be molded of the present invention, a mold for preforming the object to be molded is not designed and manufactured, and a simple configuration is performed. Molds can be obtained with the equipment of.

(A) is a side view schematically showing the structure and softening process of the preforming apparatus according to the present embodiment. (B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a skin material to be preformed. (A) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an example in which a space is formed between a skin material and a base material at the time of molding, a hole is provided in the base material, and a suction pad is arranged. (B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an example in which a space is not formed between the skin material and the base material during molding. (A) is a side view schematically showing the first half part of a molding process. (B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a space is formed between the skin material and the base material. (A) is a side view schematically showing the latter half of the molding process. (B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which the skin material is deformed inside the recesses of the base material due to decompression. It is a side view which shows typically the process of taking out a preformed skin material and sticking it on a base material to obtain an exterior product.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Structure of preforming equipment)
In FIG. 1A, the preforming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is used for manufacturing an automobile exterior, as an example, and is supported by a holding device 12, a heater 14 as an example of a softening device, and a support. It has a member 16, a moving device 18, and a decompression device 20.

The holding device 12 is, for example, a clamp that holds the sheet-shaped skin material 22 as an example of the object to be molded. The holding device 12 is configured so that the outer edge portion of the skin material 22 can be sandwiched from above and below.

The heater 14 is an example of a softening device that heats and softens the skin material 22. The heater 14 is, for example, a panel heater that heats the skin material 22 by radiant heat, and is arranged above the skin material 22 held by the holding device 12. The heater 14 may be a hot air generator.

The skin material 22 is a skin material to be attached to the base material 24 as an example of the object to be attached. As shown in FIG. 1 (B), the skin material 22 includes a sheet-like base material layer 22A made of a thermoplastic resin such as vinyl chloride resin (PVC) as an example. The base material layer 22A is not particularly limited as long as it is a thermoplastic resin that can be softened by heating. The thermoplastic resin is not limited to vinyl chloride resin, and known thermoplastic resins such as TPO resin and ABS resin can be used. A primer layer 22B, an adhesive layer 22C, and a backer layer 22E are provided on the side of the base material layer 22A that comes into contact with the base material 24. Further, on the side of the base material layer 22A opposite to the base material 24 side, a skin layer 22D serving as a design surface is provided. Although the skin material 22 is a laminated body, it may be a single layer or may have a foamed layer.

Examples of the synthetic resin used for the skin layer 22D include polyurethane, vinyl chloride resin, acrylic resin, polyester and the like, but there are no particular restrictions as long as they can be stretched. The adhesive that can be used to form the adhesive layer 22C is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include an adhesive containing polyurethane, a vinyl chloride resin, and an acrylic resin.

In FIGS. 2A and 3B, when the recess 24A is formed in the base material 24 and a space S remains between the skin material 22 and the recess 24A during preforming of the skin material 22. Is formed with a hole 24B in the recess 24A. As shown in FIG. 2B, when the base material 24 does not have a recess, the hole may not be formed, and the decompression device 20 described later may not be provided.

In FIG. 1A, the support member 16 is a member that supports the base material 24 used as a mold for molding the skin material 22. The support member 16 has, for example, a table 26 and a support base 28 provided on the table 26. Although the support base 28 shown in the figure supports the central portion of the base material 24, it may have a shape that supports a wider range of the base material 24.

The moving device 18 is a driving device that moves the holding device 12 and the support member 16 in the directions of approaching and separating from each other (in the direction of arrow U and the direction of arrow D). The moving device 18 moves only the holding device 12, for example, but may move only the supporting member 16, and also moves both the holding device 12 and the supporting member 16 in opposite directions. It may be a thing.

The decompression device 20 decompresses between the skin material 22 and the base material 24 through the holes 24B provided in the base material 24. When a space S (FIG. 3 (B)) remains between the skin material 22 and the base material 24 and a gas such as air is confined, the decompression device 20 sucks the gas in the space S, and the space S is sucked. It is possible to depressurize the space S (Fig. 4). Specifically, the decompression device 20 has a suction pad 30 arranged on the side opposite to the pressure contact side of the skin material 22 on the base material 24 and at the position of the hole 24B, and an ejector 32 connected to the suction pad 30. ing.

The suction pad 30 has flexibility and is configured to be able to be sucked by vacuum pressure in the region including the hole 24B of the base material 24. The suction pad 30 and the vacuum port 32C of the ejector 32 are connected by a pipe 34. The ejector 32 creates a negative pressure in the vacuum port 32C due to the Venturi effect when the compressed air supplied from the air supply port 32A is discharged from the exhaust port 32B. A pipe 36 for supplying compressed air is connected to the air supply port 32A. A silencer 38 is attached to the exhaust port 32B.

(Preliminary molding method of the object to be molded)
The method for preforming the object to be molded according to the present embodiment is based on the softening step S1 for softening the sheet-shaped skin material 22 and the softened skin material 22 using the base material 24 to which the skin material 22 is attached as a mold. It has a molding step S2 for pressure welding to the material 24.
In the molding step S2, the pressure may be reduced between the skin material 22 and the base material 24 through the holes 24B provided in the base material 24.
In the softening step S1, the skin material 22 may be heated with a heater to soften it.

(Action)
The preforming apparatus 10 for the object to be molded according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described below. In FIG. 1, in the preforming device 10 of the object to be molded according to the present embodiment, the sheet-shaped skin material 22 is held by the holding device 12. Further, the base material 24 used as a mold for molding the skin material 22 is supported by the support member 16.

Next, the skin material 22 is softened by the heater 14 (softening step S1). Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3A, the moving device 18 moves the holding device 12 and the support member 16 in a direction close to each other, and presses the skin material 22 against the base material 24 (molding step S2). First half of). In the present embodiment, the holding device 12 is moved downward (in the direction of arrow D) where the support member 16 is located.

When there is a recess 24A on the surface of the base material 24 on the side where the skin material 22 is pressed against, a space S remains between the recess 24A and the skin material 22 when the skin material 22 comes into contact with the base material 24. May be. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the suction pad 30 is arranged as the decompression device 20 on the side of the base material 24 opposite to the pressure contact side of the skin material 22 and at the position of the hole 24B. And the ejector 32 is connected to the suction pad 30. By operating the ejector 32, the pressure between the skin material 22 and the base material 24 can be reduced through the holes 24B provided in the base material 24.

Specifically, when compressed air is supplied to the ejector 32 in the direction of arrow A through the pipe 36, the compressed air flowing in from the air supply port 32A reaches the exhaust port 32B and exits from the silencer 38 in the direction of arrow B. At this time, a negative pressure is generated in the vacuum port 32C due to the Venturi effect. When this negative pressure acts on the suction pad 30 through the pipe 34 in the direction of arrow C, the gas in the space S can be sucked and the space S can be depressurized. As a result, the skin material 22 facing the recess 24A of the base material 24 is deformed inward of the recess 24A (the latter half of the molding step S2). The sound of the compressed air discharged from the exhaust port 32B is reduced by the silencer 38.

As described above, in the present embodiment, even if the surface of the base material 24 has the recess 24A, the skin material 22 is provided by the decompression device 20 having a simple structure without using a large-scale device such as a vacuum pump or a vacuum chamber. It can be formed into a shape that conforms to the surface shape of the base material 24 (FIG. 4 (B)).

Then, the preformed skin material 22 can be separated from the base material 24 by moving the holding device 12 and the support member 16 in a direction away from each other by the moving device 18 and stopping the decompression device 20. .. Since the base material 24 is used as a mold, it is not necessary to separately design and manufacture a mold for preforming the skin material 22.

As shown in FIG. 5, by taking out the skin material 22, peeling off the backer layer 22E, and attaching it to the base material 40 to be attached, for example, an automobile exterior article 42 can be obtained.

[Other Embodiments]
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be variously modified and implemented within a range not deviating from the gist thereof. Is.

Although the heater 14 has been mentioned as an example of the softening device, the softening device is not limited to this, and may be a steam supply machine (not shown) that supplies steam from the boiler to the skin material 22. .. Further, the heater 14 and the steam feeder may be used in combination.

Further, although the skin material 22 held by the holding device 12 is heated by the heater 14 to be softened, in some cases, the skin material 22 previously heated and softened may be held by the holding device 12. ..

The decompression device 20 is assumed to have a suction pad 30 and an ejector 32, but the decompression device 20 is not limited to this, and other means may be used as long as it has a simple structure as compared with a vacuum pump or a vacuum chamber. You may.

10 Pre-molding device for the object to be molded 12 Holding device 14 Heater (softening device)
16 Support member 18 Moving device 20 Decompression device 22 Skin material (object to be molded)
24 Base material (attached material)
24A Recess 24B Hole 30 Suction pad 32 Ejector S1 Softening process S2 Molding process

Claims (4)

A softening process that softens a sheet-shaped object to be molded,
A molding step in which the material to be molded is attached and holes are formed is used as a mold, and the softened material to be molded is pressed against the material to be molded.
After the molding step, a take-out step of taking out the object to be molded and a step of taking out the object to be molded
Have a,
In the molding step, a suction pad is arranged on the side of the object to be molded opposite to the pressure contact side of the object to be molded and at the position of the hole, and the object to be molded and the object to be molded are attached by an ejector connected to the suction pad. A method for preforming an object to be molded, in which the pressure is reduced between the object and the object through the holes. The method for premolding an object to be molded according to claim 1, wherein in the softening step, the object to be molded is heated by a heater to be softened. A holding device that holds a sheet-shaped object to be molded,
A softening device that softens the object to be molded,
A support member that supports the object to be attached, which is used as a mold for molding the object to be molded, and
A moving device that moves the holding device and the supporting member in directions that approach and separate from each other.
A decompression device that reduces the pressure between the object to be molded and the object to be attached with holes formed through the holes.
Have a,
The decompression device is a spare of the object to be molded, which has a suction pad arranged on the side opposite to the pressure contact side of the object to be molded and at the position of the hole in the object to be attached, and an ejector connected to the suction pad. Molding equipment. The preforming device for an object to be molded according to claim 3 , wherein the softening device is a heater.

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