JP7158925B2 - Forming mold disassembly and assembly equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for disassembling and assembling a mold for press molding.
Regarding.

A mold for press molding is provided with an upper mold and a lower mold that are inserted into a body mold. After being heated to a predetermined temperature or higher, the upper mold and the lower mold are brought close together to press the glass material, such as a glass lens. are known to form glass products of After pressing, the upper and lower dies are separated, the molded glass product is taken out, the next glass material to be processed is placed between the upper and lower dies, and press processing is performed again. Run.

Molds for molding optical elements that require a high degree of precision on both sides, such as glass lenses, are designed with extremely small clearances between the upper and lower molds relative to the body mold in order to ensure molding precision. ing. Therefore, when disassembling the upper and lower dies after molding is completed, and when assembling the upper and lower dies to the body mold for the next molding, the center axes must be precisely aligned with each other, and there will be no vibration. It should move axially without tilting. In order to disassemble and assemble the molding die using a disassembly and assembly device that mechanically holds and moves the upper and lower dies, an extremely high degree of operational accuracy is required and expensive equipment is required. become. Therefore, in many cases, the disassembly and assembly of molds for glass optical elements have been performed manually. Patent Literature 1 proposes a technique for easily and inexpensively mechanizing the disassembly and assembly of such molds.

Japanese Patent No. 2665018

In a molding machine that mass-produces glass optical elements, in order to improve manufacturing efficiency, multiple molds are held by a common holding member and conveyed, and each process such as heating, pressing, and cooling is performed on multiple molds. In contrast, a system that executes them collectively has been put into practical use. In this type of molding apparatus, in addition to the work of disassembling and assembling the upper mold and the lower mold described above, it is also necessary to perform the work of attaching and detaching each mold to and from the holding member, and there is a demand to improve the efficiency of these operations. rice field. In particular, there is a desire for a disassembly and assembly device that is mechanized rather than manual.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for disassembling and assembling a plurality of molding dies that is inexpensive and capable of efficiently and reliably disassembling and assembling a plurality of molding dies.

The present invention relates to a molding apparatus in which a plurality of molding dies are held by a molding die holder having a plurality of housing holes penetrating in the vertical direction, and a plurality of glass optical elements are collectively press-molded by the plurality of molding dies. It relates to a mold disassembly and assembly device. Each mold has a barrel mold, an upper mold and a lower mold. The body mold has a mold guide hole that penetrates in the vertical direction. The upper die is inserted into the die guide hole from above and is restricted from moving downward with respect to the barrel die at a predetermined insertion position. The lower mold has a shaft portion that is inserted into the mold guide hole from below, and a large-diameter portion that is larger in diameter than the shaft portion and smaller in diameter than the outer diameter of the body mold, and whose insertion into the mold guide hole is restricted. A glass optical element is press-molded by approaching the upper mold and the lower mold in the mold guide hole of the barrel mold. The forming die holder has a barrel restricting portion projecting annularly into each of the plurality of housing holes, and the barrel restricting portion prevents the downward movement of the barrel by contact with the lower end surface of the barrel. It regulates and permits the passage of the large-diameter portion of the lower die in the vertical direction. The disassembly/assembly device includes fixing means for fixing the mold holder, and a pressing means and a pedestal, each of which is vertically movable. The pressing means presses the plurality of barrels downward from above while the mold holder is fixed by the fixing means, and the lower end surface of each barrel is restricted from moving downward by the barrel restricting portion. to The pedestal supports the plurality of lower dies from below while the mold holder is fixed by the fixing means, and moves downward to disengage the plurality of lower dies from the corresponding mold guide holes and housing holes , By moving upward, the plurality of lower dies enter the corresponding die guide holes and housing holes from below .

In the apparatus for disassembling and assembling a forming die according to the present invention, in a state in which the forming die holder is held by the fixing means, the pressing means presses the plurality of body dies from above and the pedestal supporting the plurality of lower dies is pressed downward. The lower mold can be removed by moving. Also, the pedestal can be moved upward to reassemble the plurality of lower molds. The plurality of barrel molds and the upper mold are continuously held on the mold holder side by the barrel mold regulating portion provided in the accommodation hole even in a state in which the lower molds that are separated downward are no longer supported. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently and accurately disassemble and assemble each mold. Further, since the pressing means and the pedestal are simple and move up and down, a complicated and expensive device is not required.

The large-diameter portion of the lower die is thicker in the vertical direction than the barrel restricting portion. It is preferable that the large-diameter portions of the lower dies contact the lower end surfaces of the corresponding barrel dies, and that the lower end surfaces of the plurality of barrel dies are separated upward from the corresponding barrel restricting portion. As a result, during press molding, the relative positions of the body mold and the lower mold can be determined with high accuracy without interference from the mold holder.

It has a suction means for sucking the lower surfaces of the plurality of lower dies to the pedestal, and the suction means is used when the plurality of lower dies are detached downward from the corresponding die guide holes and housing holes by downward movement of the pedestal. It is preferable to hold a plurality of lower molds on the pedestal by suction. As a result, even when the clearance between the mold guide hole of the trunk mold and the shaft of the lower mold is extremely small and the sliding resistance tends to increase, the shaft of the lower mold does not separate from the mold guide hole. can be done with certainty.

The pressing means is supported by an urging means on an elevating part that can move vertically independently of the pedestal. At this time, the pressing means may be pressed and urged downward by the urging means. As a result, variations in the positions and movements of the plurality of barrels can be absorbed, and each barrel can be pressed with an appropriate load.

It is preferable that each of the plurality of barrel dies has a tapered surface at a portion of the lower end side of the mold guide hole, the inner diameter of which decreases as it moves upward away from the lower end surface. As a result, even if the clearance between the mold guide hole of the trunk mold and the shaft of the lower mold is extremely small in each molding die, the shaft of each lower mold after disassembly can be reinserted into the corresponding mold guide hole. Easier to insert.

According to the apparatus for disassembling and assembling molding dies according to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently and reliably disassemble and assemble a plurality of molding dies with an inexpensive structure.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the shaping|molding apparatus of this embodiment. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the mold unit; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing part of the mold unit; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the mold unit after completion of press molding is transported to an assembly/disassembly device; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the plunger is in contact with a plurality of barrel dies of the molding die unit in the disassembly/assembly device; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a plunger presses a plurality of barrel molds downward in the disassembly/assembly device; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the pedestal is moved downward by the disassembly/assembly device; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a disassembled state in which a plurality of lower dies are detached from the molding die unit by the disassembly/assembly device;

FIG. 1 shows the schematic structure of the entire molding apparatus to which the present invention is applied. A molding apparatus 10 of the present embodiment press-molds a glass preform 95 (see FIG. 8) to manufacture a glass lens 90 (see FIG. 8), which is an optical element made of glass. As shown in FIG. 1, the molding apparatus 10 includes a supply section 11, a heating section 12, a press section 13, a slow cooling section 14, an unloading section 15, and an assembly/disassembly device 16. Mold units 17 are sequentially transferred. while processing. From the supply section 11 to the removal section 15, the assembled mold unit 17 (see FIG. 4) is transferred by a series of transfer lines. The disassembly/assembly device 16 disassembles and assembles the mold unit 17 .

More specifically, the supply section 11 is a part that receives the mold units 17 assembled by the disassembly/assembly device 16 and supplies them onto the transfer line. The heating part 12 is a part that heats and softens the glass preform 95 to be molded. The press part 13 is a part where the softened glass preform 95 is press-molded by an upper mold 30 and a lower mold 40 (see FIG. 2 onward), which will be described later. The slow cooling section 14 is a section that cools the mold unit 17 including the glass lens 90 after molding. The take-out part 15 is a part for taking out the mold unit 17 after cooling from the transfer line. The disassembly/assembly device 16 partially disassembles the mold unit 17 to take out the molded glass lens 90, and sets the glass preform 95 to be molded next between the upper mold 30 and the lower mold 40 for molding. This is the part where the mold unit 17 is assembled. The transfer line from the supply unit 11 to the extraction unit 15 and the disassembly/assembly device 16 are installed in a chamber (not shown). Can be processed.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 8, the mold unit 17 includes a plurality of molds 18 each composed of a body mold 20, an upper mold 30 and a lower mold 40. It is held by the holder 50 . In this embodiment, one mold holder 50 holds seven molds 18 . That is, the mold unit 17 is composed of one mold holder 50 and seven molds 18 . 2 and 3 representatively show one mold 18, but the other molds 18 have the same structure.

One glass lens 90 is molded with one mold 18 . A reference axis X shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 coincides with the optical axis of the glass lens 90 molded by the molding die 18 . The upper mold 30 and the lower mold 40 are supported by the barrel mold 20 so that their respective central axes are aligned with the reference axis X, and the glass preform 95 is sandwiched between them and pressed to manufacture the glass lens 90. . The glass lens 90 is an aspherical lens, and has a concave surface 91 and a convex surface 92 as lens surfaces, as shown in FIG.

In the transfer line from the supply section 11 to the removal section 15 and the disassembly/assembly device 16 in the molding apparatus 10, the molding die unit 17 is installed such that the reference axis X of each molding die 18 is oriented in the vertical direction. In the following description, the direction along the reference axis X is defined as the vertical direction, and the direction perpendicular to the reference axis X is defined as the radial direction.

A body mold 20, an upper mold 30, and a lower mold 40, which constitute the mold 18, are made of a material with excellent heat resistance and durability so that they are less likely to be damaged or deteriorated during press working at high temperatures. Specifically, it is made of ceramic such as silicon carbide (SiC) or silicon nitride (Si ₃ N ₄ ), or metal such as cemented carbide. Similarly, the mold holder 50 is also made of a material having excellent heat resistance and durability.

The barrel mold 20 is a cylindrical body surrounding the reference axis X and has a cylindrical outer surface with a constant outer diameter size. A mold guide hole 21 is formed inside the barrel mold 20 . The die guide hole 21 vertically penetrates through the body die 20 and opens vertically. A part of the upper end side of the die guide hole 21 serves as an upper die support hole 22 with an enlarged inner diameter. An upper die restricting surface 23 extending in the radial direction of the body die 20 is formed at the lower end portion of the upper die support hole 22 . A lower end surface 24 extending in the radial direction of the trunk mold 20 is formed around the opening of the mold guide hole 21 at the lower end of the trunk mold 20 . The upper mold restricting surface 23 is an upward facing annular surface, and the lower end surface 24 is an downward facing annular surface. A part of the mold guide hole 21 on the lower end side is formed with a conical tapered surface 25 that decreases in inner diameter as it moves upward away from the lower end surface 24 . The mold guide hole 21 has a cylindrical inner surface with a constant inner diameter size except for the upper mold support hole 22 and the tapered surface 25 .

The upper die 30 has a vertically extending shaft portion 31 , a brim-shaped large diameter portion 32 positioned above the shaft portion 31 , and a projecting portion 33 projecting upward from the large diameter portion 32 . The shaft portion 31 has a cylindrical shape centered on the reference axis X, and a molding surface 34 is formed at the tip facing downward. The large-diameter portion 32 is positioned coaxially with the shaft portion 31 and has a cylindrical shape with a larger diameter than the shaft portion 31 . The projecting portion 33 is coaxial with the shaft portion 31 and the large-diameter portion 32 and has a cylindrical shape with the same diameter as the shaft portion 31 . The molding surface 34 is a convex surface having a shape corresponding to the concave surface 91 of the glass lens 90 . A boundary portion between the shaft portion 31 and the large-diameter portion 32 is formed with an annular downward restricting surface 35 extending in the radial direction of the upper die 30 .

The shaft portion 31 of the upper mold 30 is inserted into the mold guide hole 21 of the body mold 20 from above, and is guided vertically slidably in this inserted state. The outer diameter of the shaft portion 31 corresponds to the inner diameter of the mold guide hole 21 (the portion excluding the upper mold support hole 22 and the tapered surface 25 ), and the outer diameter of the large diameter portion 32 corresponds to the inner diameter of the upper mold support hole 22 . The radial clearance between the shaft portion 31 and the die guide hole 21 is extremely small (for example, several μm), and the body die 20 precisely determines the radial position and angle (parallelism with the reference axis X) of the upper die 30 . be done. The upper die 30 can be inserted into the barrel die 20 to a position where the restricting surface 35 contacts the upper die restricting surface 23, and movement of the upper die 30 below this position is restricted (see FIG. 4). to Figure 8). In this state, the projecting portion 33 projects upward from the trunk mold 20 .

The lower die 40 has a vertically extending shaft portion 41 and a brim-shaped large diameter portion 42 positioned below the shaft portion 41 . The shaft portion 41 has a cylindrical shape centered on the reference axis X, and a molding surface 43 (see FIG. 2) is formed on the tip side facing upward. The large-diameter portion 42 is positioned coaxially with the shaft portion 41 and has a cylindrical shape with a larger diameter than the shaft portion 41 and a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the trunk mold 20 . The molding surface 43 is a concave surface having a shape corresponding to the convex surface 92 of the glass lens 90, and a cylindrical portion 44 protruding upward is formed on the peripheral edge of the molding surface 43 (see FIG. 2). 3 to 8, illustration of the molding surface 43 and the cylindrical portion 44 is omitted. A boundary portion between the shaft portion 41 and the large-diameter portion 42 is formed with an annular upward restricting surface 45 extending in the radial direction of the lower die 40 .

The shaft portion 41 of the lower mold 40 is inserted into the mold guide hole 21 of the body mold 20 from below, and is guided vertically slidably in this inserted state. The outer diameter of the shaft portion 41 corresponds to the inner diameter of the die guide hole 21 (the portion excluding the upper die support hole 22 and the tapered surface 25). The radial clearance between the shaft portion 41 and the die guide hole 21 is extremely small (for example, several μm), and the body die 20 precisely determines the radial position and angle (parallelism with the reference axis X) of the lower die 40 . be done. The lower die 40 can be inserted into the body die 20 to a position where the restricting surface 45 contacts the lower end surface 24, and movement of the lower die 40 above this position is restricted (see FIGS. 4 to 4). 6). In this state, the large diameter portion 42 protrudes downward from the barrel mold 20 . The outer diameter of the large-diameter portion 42 is smaller than the outer diameter of the trunk mold 20 by a predetermined amount. There is an annular region that does not abut.

By inserting the shaft portion 31 into the mold guide hole 21 from above and inserting the shaft portion 41 into the mold guide hole 21 from below, the upper mold 30 and the lower mold 40 are combined with the trunk mold 20. A mold 18 is constructed by With the shaft portions 31 and 41 inserted into the mold guide hole 21, the molding surfaces 34 and 43 face each other in the vertical direction.

The molding die holder 50 has seven housing holes 51 penetrating in the vertical direction in its cylindrical body, and one molding die 18 can be inserted and held in each housing hole 51 . All seven receiving holes 51 have the same shape and size. At the lower end side of the receiving hole 51, a barrel-shaped restricting portion 52 is formed to protrude inward in an annular shape and have a reduced opening diameter. The receiving hole 51 has a cylindrical inner surface with a constant inner diameter size, except for the portion where the body shape restricting portion 52 is formed. A barrel facing surface 53 extending in the radial direction of the mold holder 50 is formed as an upper surface of the barrel restricting portion 52 . The barrel-facing surface 53 is an annular surface facing upward.

The trunk mold 20 of each mold 18 is slidably inserted vertically from above into the receiving hole 51 of the mold holder 50 . The radial clearance between the accommodation hole 51 and the barrel 20 is larger than the radial clearance of the upper mold 30 (shaft portion 31) and the lower mold 40 (shaft portion 41) with respect to the barrel 20 (mold guide hole 21). Large (for example, several tens of μm). The barrel die 20 alone can be inserted into the receiving hole 51 to a position where the lower end surface 24 (the peripheral area on the outer diameter side where the restricting surface 45 of the lower die 40 does not abut) abuts against the barrel facing surface 53. Movement of the trunk mold 20 below this position is restricted (see FIGS. 6 to 8). The upper end of the barrel mold 20 slightly protrudes upward from the receiving hole 51 while the lower end surface 24 is in contact with the barrel mold facing surface 53 .

The barrel restricting portion 52 of the mold holder 50 has an inner diameter that does not allow the passage of the barrel 20 downward and allows the passage of the large diameter portion 42 of the lower mold 40 in the vertical direction. That is, the outer diameter of the trunk mold 20 is larger than the inner diameter of the trunk mold restricting portion 52 , and the outer diameter of the large diameter portion 42 is smaller than the inner diameter of the trunk mold restricting portion 52 . A radial clearance between the body mold restricting portion 52 and the large diameter portion 42 is larger than a clearance between the mold guide hole 21 and the shaft portion 41 (for example, several tens of μm). Therefore, the lower die 40 is not interfered by contact between the outer surface of the large-diameter portion 42 and the inner surface of the body die regulating portion 52 in a state where the shaft portion 41 is inserted into the die guide hole 21 , and the lower die 40 is moved by the body die 20 . Radial positioning is possible.

The large-diameter portion 42 has a greater thickness in the vertical direction than the trunk shape restricting portion 52 . Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, when the position of the lower surface of the lower mold 40 (large diameter portion 42) matches (is flush with) the position of the lower surface of the molding die holder 50 (body restricting portion 52), The restricting surface 45 is located above the barrel-facing surface 53 .

When the molding die holder 50 is viewed from the top as shown in FIG. 1, the seven receiving holes 51 and the adjacent receiving holes 51 are arranged at regular intervals. That is, the seven accommodation holes 51 are arranged so that their central axes (reference axis X in the mold 18) are positioned at the respective vertices and centers of the regular hexagon when viewed from above.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8 , the disassembly/assembly device 16 includes a pedestal 60 , a plunger (pressing means) 70 positioned above the pedestal 60 , and a fixing mechanism (fixing means) 80 . The pedestal 60 can be moved up and down by an elevating mechanism 65 . The plunger 70 is suspended and supported via a plurality of compression springs (biasing means) 76 from an upper elevating section (elevating section) 74 that can be moved up and down by an elevating mechanism 75 . The elevating mechanism 65 and the elevating mechanism 75 are composed of well-known pistons, cylinders, actuators, etc., and detailed illustration and description thereof are omitted. The fixing mechanism 80 holds the mold holder 50 from the side and supports it in a fixed manner.

The pedestal 60 has a mounting surface 61 on which all the lower molds 40 constituting the mold unit 17 can be simultaneously mounted. A plurality of suction recesses 62 are formed on the mounting surface 61 in a positional relationship corresponding to each lower mold 40 . 4 to 8 show three suction recesses 62 located on the same cross section, seven suction recesses 62 are provided corresponding to the seven lower molds 40 of each mold unit 17. FIG. The mounting surface 61 has a planar shape extending in the horizontal direction, except for the portions where the respective suction recesses 62 are formed.

The size of the opening of each suction recess 62 is smaller than the lower surface of the large diameter portion 42 of the lower mold 40, and when the lower mold 40 is placed at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 61, each suction recess 62 is positioned downward. Covered by mold 40 . A suction passage 63 is individually connected to each suction recess 62 . Each suction passage 63 is individually connected to a suction source 64 comprising a vacuum pump. Seven suction passages 63 and seven suction sources 64 are provided corresponding to the seven suction recesses 62 . When each suction source 64 is driven, a suction force can be applied to each suction concave portion 62 via each suction passage 63 . That is, the suction recesses 62 , the suction passages 63 , and the suction sources 64 constitute suction means for suctioning and holding the lower surfaces of the plurality of lower molds 40 on the mounting surface 61 of the pedestal 60 .

The plunger 70 has pressing portions 71 in a number and arrangement corresponding to all the drums 20 constituting the mold unit 17 . 4 to 8 show three pressing portions 71 located on the same cross section, seven pressing portions 71 are provided corresponding to the seven body molds 20 of each molding die unit 17 . Each pressing portion 71 has, at its lower end, a downward annular contact surface 72 capable of coming into contact with the upper end surface of the trunk mold 20 . A concave portion 73 that opens downward is formed inside surrounded by the contact surface 72 .

The contact surface 72 has a larger radial width than the upper end surface of the trunk mold 20 . Therefore, in a state of contact with the upper end surface of the trunk mold 20 (FIGS. 5 to 8), a portion of the inner diameter side of the contact surface 72 is located on the inner diameter side of the inner surface of the upper mold support hole 22 and A portion of the contact surface 72 on the outer diameter side is positioned further on the outer diameter side than the outer surface of the trunk mold 20 . The protrusion 33 of the upper die 30 can enter the recess 73 (see FIGS. 5 to 8). A large clearance is ensured between the recess 73 and the protrusion 33 in the radial direction and the vertical direction, and the protrusion 33 enters the recess 73 without coming into contact with the inner surface thereof.

A plurality of guide shafts 77 project upward from the plunger 70 . Each guide shaft 77 is inserted into a guide hole formed in the upper elevating section 74 so as to be vertically slidable. As the guide shaft 77 is guided by the guide hole, the plunger 70 is supported so as to move linearly in the vertical direction. Each guide shaft 77 is inserted through a compression spring 76 . Each compression spring 76 has an upper end connected to the upper elevating portion 74 and a lower end connected to the plunger 70 . When the elevating mechanism 75 moves the upper elevating section 74 up and down, the plunger 70 suspended via a plurality of compression springs 76 moves up and down while being linearly guided by the guide shaft 77 .

The fixing mechanism 80 includes a clamp portion (the portion shown in FIGS. 4 to 8) that clamps the outer periphery of the mold holder 50, and a pressing portion (not shown) that applies a force to press the clamp portion against the mold holder 50. It has With the mold holder 50 held between them, the clamping portion can fix the direction of the mold unit 17 with high accuracy so that the reference axis X of each mold 18 is oriented in the up-down direction (vertical direction). can.

The molding apparatus 10 includes a control circuit (not shown) that supervises overall control. The control circuit controls the operations of the suction source 64 and the elevating mechanisms 65 and 75 in the disassembling/assembling device 16 in addition to controlling the operation of each unit from the supply unit 11 to the take-out unit 15 . Each operation in the disassembly/assembly device 16 described below is executed under the control of the control circuit.

An outline of processing in the molding apparatus 10 described above will be described. On the transfer line from the supply section 11 to the removal section 15 , each mold 18 of the mold unit 17 has the shaft portion 31 of the upper mold 30 and the shaft portion 41 of the lower mold 40 aligned with the mold guide holes 21 of the barrel mold 20 . I am inserting it inside. More specifically, the molding die unit 17 is placed so that the lower surfaces of the plurality of lower dies 40 and the lower surface of the molding die holder 50 are substantially flush with each other. 50 has the positional relationship shown in FIGS. That is, the regulation surface 45 of the lower mold 40 is located above the barrel facing surface 53 of the mold holder 50 due to the vertical thickness difference between the large diameter portion 42 and the barrel regulation portion 52 . Accordingly, the lower end surface 24 of the trunk mold 20 abuts against the restricting surface 45 and is spaced upward from the trunk mold facing surface 53 .

When the mold unit 17 is transported to the supply section 11, the glass preform 95 (see FIG. 8) is sandwiched between the molding surface 34 of the upper mold 30 and the molding surface 43 of the lower mold 40 in each mold 18. I'm in. The upper die 30 protrudes upward from the position shown in FIGS. The heating unit 12 heats the glass preform 95 to a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature of the glass preform 95 to soften the glass preform 95 .

Subsequently, in the press section 13, the upper mold 30 of each mold 18 is pressed downward using a piston or the like (not shown). At this time, the protruding portion 33 protruding upward from the body mold 20 or the large diameter portion 32 positioned around the protruding portion 33 is pressed. When the shaft portion 31 of the pressed upper mold 30 moves downward, the molding surface 34 approaches the molding surface 43 of the lower mold 40 and presses the glass preform 95 to mold the glass lens 90 . At this time, the restricting surface 45 of the lower mold 40 abuts against the lower end surface 24 of the barrel mold 20, and the lower end surface 24 of the barrel mold 20 is separated from the barrel facing surface 53 of the mold holder 50 (FIGS. 4 and 5). 5), the mold holder 50 is not involved in managing the vertical position of each mold 18. As shown in FIG. As a result, each of the plurality of molding dies 18 can be individually press-worked with high precision without interference from other molding dies 18 and molding die holders 50 . The upper die 30 is pushed to a position where the restricting surface 35 abuts against the upper die restricting surface 23, and each mold 18 is brought into the state shown in FIGS.

After being pressed, the mold unit 17 is cooled in the slow cooling section 14 , and the mold unit 17 is removed from the transfer line in the removal section 15 and transferred to the disassembly/assembly apparatus 16 . The disassembly and assembly of the mold 18 in the disassembly/assembly device 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8. FIG.

The mold unit 17 transported to the disassembly/assembly device 16 is placed between the pedestal 60 and the plunger 70 as shown in FIG. The mold unit 17 is mounted on the mounting surface 61 of the pedestal 60 . A fixing mechanism 80 holds the mold holder 50 from the side and fixes the position of the mold holder 50 .

The mold unit 17 is positioned so that the plurality of lower molds 40 block the plurality of suction recesses 62 on the mounting surface 61 . In the state shown in FIG. 4, the lower surface of the lower mold 40 supported on the mounting surface 61 and the lower surface of the mold holder 50 are substantially flush with each other, similar to the process in the press section 13 described above. It's becoming Due to the vertical thickness difference between the large-diameter portion 42 and the barrel restricting portion 52, the barrel 20 of each molding die 18 is brought into contact with the restricting surface 45 at the lower end surface 24 thereof, and the lower end surface 24 is brought into contact with the restricting surface 45. It is spaced upward from the facing surface 53 . As a result, each mold 18 is in a state in which the body mold 20 and the upper mold 30 protrude upward from the mold holder 50 by a predetermined amount. The plunger 70 is in a retracted position away from the molding die unit 17 , and the plurality of pressing portions 71 are positioned to vertically face the plurality of molding dies 18 . In particular, the contact surface 72 of each pressing portion 71 faces the upper end surface of each trunk mold 20 .

As shown in FIG. 4, when the mold unit 17 is completely installed, the elevating mechanism 75 is driven to lower the upper elevating section 74 . As the upper elevating section 74 descends, the plunger 70 suspended by the compression spring 76 descends and approaches the molding die unit 17, and the contact surfaces 72 of the respective pressing sections 71 move toward the body dies that are opposed to each other. 20 (see FIG. 5). Since the guide shaft 77 of the plunger 70 is linearly guided by the guide hole of the upper elevating portion 74 , each contact surface 72 is reliably aligned with the upper end surface of each cylinder 20 without causing positional deviation with respect to the mold unit 17 . abut.

When the upper raising/lowering part 74 is further lowered, the compression spring 76 is compressed between the upper raising/lowering part 74 and the plunger 70, and the compressed compression spring 76 tries to restore, thereby generating a biasing force that presses the plunger 70 downward. Since the guide shaft 77 is passed through the center of each compression spring 76, buckling does not occur when each compression spring 76 is compressed. Due to the biasing force from the compression spring 76, each pressing portion 71 of the plunger 70 pushes each barrel mold 20 downward. Then, each mold 18 is moved downward with respect to the mold holder 50 fixed by the fixing mechanism 80 . More specifically, the body mold 20 moves downward inside the accommodation hole 51 of the mold holder 50 . The barrel mold 20 can move downward with respect to the mold holder 50 to a regulating position (FIG. 6) where the lower end surface 24 abuts against the barrel facing surface 53. regulated by section 52 .

Since the plunger 70 presses each trunk mold 20 by using the biasing force of the compression spring 76, the plurality of trunk molds 20 can be reliably operated with an appropriate load while absorbing variation in position and movement. . If the plunger 70 and the upper elevating section 74 were directly connected by a rigid body and moved integrally, the plunger 70 would not have such a variation absorbing function, and an excessive load would act on the specific molding die 18 . There is a risk that it will be lost.

In each mold 18, the upper mold 30 also moves downward along with the body mold 20. As shown in FIG. A portion of the inner diameter side of the contact surface 72 of the plunger 70 is located above the large diameter portion 32 (partially blocks the opening of the upper die support hole 22). Therefore, even if the upper die 30 does not descend together with the body die 20 by its own weight, the upward separation of the upper die 30 from the body die 20 is restricted by the contact surface 72 of the plunger 70 .

When each trunk die 20 moves downward in each housing hole 51 , the lower end surface 24 presses the regulation surface 45 , and each lower die 40 also moves downward relative to the molding die holder 50 . The pedestals 60 are also pushed downward through the respective lower molds 40, and the mounting surface 61 is slightly separated from the lower surface of the mold holder 50 (see FIG. 6).

Until the lower end surface 24 of each barrel mold 20 abuts against the barrel facing surface 53, each forming mold 18 and pedestal 60 move downward due to the pressing force (biasing force) from the plunger 70 side. When the lower end surface 24 comes into contact with the barrel facing surface 53 , each barrel 20 can no longer move downward with respect to the mold holder 50 . Further downward movement of each upper die 30 with respect to the mold holder 50 is restricted by the abutment of the restricting surface 35 against the upper die restricting surface 23 of the body mold 20 .

Subsequently, the lifting mechanism 65 is driven to move the pedestal 60 downward. At this time, the suction source 64 is driven to suction-hold each lower mold 40 on the pedestal 60 . Unlike the barrel mold 20 and the upper mold 30, the lower mold 40 has the large-diameter portion 42 that can pass vertically through the inside of the barrel mold restricting portion 52, and is not subject to downward movement restrictions by the mold holder 50. Shape. Therefore, when the pedestal 60 moves downward, each lower mold 40 mounted on the mounting surface 61 follows the pedestal 60 and moves downward with respect to the mold holder 50 and the body mold 20 (FIG. 7). reference). The glass lens 90 moves downward together with each lower mold 40 . FIG. 7 shows a state slightly before the shaft portion 41 of each lower die 40 is downwardly separated from the die guide hole 21 of the corresponding body die 20 . At this time, the large-diameter portion 42 moves downward within the barrel mold restricting portion 52 to separate the restricting surface 45 from the lower end surface 24 of the barrel mold 20 .

Since the clearance between the shaft portion 41 of each lower mold 40 and the mold guide hole 21 of each trunk mold 20 is extremely small, depending on the magnitude of the sliding resistance, each lower mold 40 may move against the trunk mold 20 by its own weight alone. may be difficult to move downwards . By driving each suction source 64 to apply a suction force from each suction recess 62 to each lower mold 40, each lower mold 40 can be reliably moved downward along with the base 60 even when the sliding resistance is large. It can be separated from the die guide hole 21 by moving.

When lowering the pedestal 60, for some reason, the lower die 40 did not move downward along with the pedestal 60, or the lower die 40 was largely displaced in the radial direction on the mounting surface 61. In this case, the lower die 40 does not completely block the corresponding suction recess 62 , and outside air flows into the suction recess 62 . Then, the pressure in the suction recess 62 and the suction passage 63 rises (approaches the outside air pressure) compared to the suction state in which the suction recess 62 is completely closed by the lower die 40 . Therefore, it is possible to confirm whether or not each lower mold 40 is properly moving downward along with the pedestal 60 based on the pressure change in the suction path. A plurality of suction paths from the suction recess 62 to the suction source 64 are provided with pressure sensors capable of detecting such pressure changes. If a pressure rise equal to or greater than a predetermined value is detected in any of the suction paths, it is assumed that an error has occurred in the drawing operation of each lower mold 40 from each trunk mold 20 and molding mold holder 50, and the pedestal 60 can be stopped or an alarm can be issued. In particular, since the suction means from the suction recess 62 to the suction source 64 is configured to individually suck a plurality of lower dies 40, an error in the pull-out operation of a specific lower die 40 can be reliably detected.

When the pedestal 60 moves further downward from the position shown in FIG. 7, each lower mold 40 is completely separated downward from the body mold 20 and the mold holder 50 as shown in FIG. As a result, the molded glass lens 90 placed on each lower mold 40 is exposed, and the glass lens 90 is taken out and carried out. Thus, one cycle of processing in the molding apparatus 10 is completed.

When molding is performed after taking out the glass lens 90, a glass preform 95 to be molded next is placed on each lower mold 40 (see FIG. 8). Then, the pedestal 60 is moved upward by the elevating mechanism 65 . Further, the elevating mechanism 75 is driven to move (raise) the plunger 70 to the retracted position shown in FIG.

As the pedestal 60 rises, each lower mold 40 enters the trunk mold 20 and the mold holder 50 . At this time, even if the radial position of the shaft portion 41 with respect to the mold guide hole 21 is not completely aligned, the tip of the shaft portion 41 contacts the tapered surface 25, and the tapered surface 25 serves as a guide surface to guide the shaft portion 41. can be reliably guided into the mold guide hole 21. In other words, the tapered surface 25 can align the lower die 40 with respect to the body die 20 . As described above, although the radial clearance between the shaft portion 41 and the die guide hole 21 is extremely small, this structure allows the lower dies 40 to be smoothly assembled.

The pedestal 60 is raised to a position where the bottom surface of each lower mold 40 is flush with the bottom surface of the mold holder 50 . In this state, the shaft portion 41 of each lower mold 40 enters the mold guide hole 21, and the regulating surface 45 comes into contact with the lower end surface 24 of the barrel mold 20, completing the assembly of each mold 18. As shown in FIG. The body mold 20, the lower mold 40, and the mold holder 50 have the positional relationship shown in FIGS. By sandwiching the glass preform 95 between the upper die 30 and the lower die 40, the upper die 30 is pushed upward from the position shown in FIGS. Face 35 is lifted upwards. The amount by which the upper die 30 is pushed up becomes the amount of downward movement of the upper die 30 during press molding in the press section 13 described above.

In this way, the molding die unit 17 in the disassembly/assembly device 16 is brought into a completed assembly state. The mold unit 17 in the completely assembled state is conveyed to the supply section 11, and molding is performed through the series of steps described above.

As described above, the disassembly/assembly apparatus 16 can mechanically disassemble and assemble a plurality of molds 18 without manual work, and is excellent in work efficiency. With the mold holder 50 fixed by the fixing mechanism 80, disassembly and assembly are performed only by vertical movement of the pedestal 60 and the plunger 70. Therefore, the mechanical structure is simple and inexpensive. In particular, since each lower mold 40 moves downward under its own weight as the pedestal 60 descends, the molds 18 are disassembled. No complicated mechanism is required.

In addition, by assisting the withdrawal of each lower mold 40 by the suction to the mounting surface 61 of the pedestal 60, even the mold 18 for molding a glass lens with a minimal clearance between the body mold 20 and the lower mold 40 can be reliably used. can be decomposed into The holding of each lower mold 40 by suction can be realized with a low-cost and simple structure, and contributes to improving the stability of each lower mold 40 .

As for the configuration of the molding die unit 17 , a barrel restriction portion 52 is provided in each housing hole 51 of the molding die holder 50 . The trunk mold regulating portion 52 allows the lower mold 40 of the molds 18 to pass through in the vertical direction, and regulates the downward passage of the trunk mold 20 . The trunk mold regulating portion 52 allows the trunk molds 20 and the upper molds 30 to remain on the molding mold holder 50 side, and the lower molds 40 to be separated downward as the pedestal 60 descends. realizable. For example, as different from the present embodiment, when disassembling each mold 18, a plurality of barrel molds 20 removed from the mold holder 50 are individually held. In addition, it takes time and effort to remove each trunk mold 20 from the mold holder 50 . On the other hand, as in the present embodiment, the mold holder 50 is provided with the mold regulating portion 52 for regulating the movement of each mold 20 in advance, and the mold holder 50 is held by one fixing mechanism 80. In this case, the structure can be simplified, and the time and effort is not required. When the mold holder 50 is manufactured, the body mold regulating portion 52 itself is formed by molding with a mold structure that is divided in the direction of the reference axis X, or by cutting to partially change the inner diameter of the pilot hole provided in the mold holder 50. , is a shape that can be obtained at low cost.

As described above, the molding die disassembly/assembly apparatus of the present embodiment can efficiently and reliably disassemble and assemble a plurality of molding dies with an inexpensive configuration. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the gist of the invention.

For example, although the mold unit 17 of the above embodiment includes seven molds 18, the number of molds included in one mold unit is not limited to seven and can be arbitrarily selected.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the seven molds 18 are arranged on the mold holder 50 at even intervals. This configuration makes it difficult for uneven loads to occur among a plurality of molding dies during press working or disassembly and assembly of the molding dies, and is excellent in weight balance and the like. However, it is also possible to choose a configuration in which the molds are arranged at uneven intervals.

Although the molding die holder 50 of the above embodiment has a cylindrical shape, it is also possible to employ a molding die holder having a shape other than a cylindrical shape.

The lower mold that constitutes the molding die must satisfy the conditions that it must be restricted from being inserted into the mold guide hole of the trunk mold and must have a large-diameter portion that can pass through the inside of the trunk mold restricting portion of the molding mold holder. For example, the shape and the like can be arbitrarily selected. For example, in the above embodiment, the regulation surface 45 of the large diameter portion 42 of the lower mold 40 is in contact with the lower end surface 24 of the trunk mold 20 . In contrast to this, a lower die support hole with an enlarged inner diameter (a hole shaped like an inverted upper die support hole 22) is provided on the lower end side of the die guide hole 21 of the trunk die 20. It is also possible to configure so that the regulation surface 45 of the large-diameter portion 42 abuts against the bottom surface of the support hole (a surface shaped like an upside down upper die regulation surface 23).

Regarding the upper mold that constitutes the molding die, the movement below a predetermined position with respect to the barrel mold is restricted, and the upper part of the barrel mold is prevented from being prevented from being pressed by the pressing means (plunger 70) from above. The shape and the like can be arbitrarily selected as long as the condition that at least part of the end face is exposed is satisfied. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the upper die support hole 22 and the upper die restricting surface 23 are formed in the die guide hole 21 as portions for restricting the downward movement of the upper die 30 with respect to the trunk die 20 . In contrast to this, the mold guide hole 21 having a constant inner diameter continues to the upper end of the barrel mold 20 without providing the upper mold support hole 22, and a part of the upper end surface of the barrel mold 20 on the inner diameter side It is also possible to construct such that the restricting surface 35 of the large diameter portion 32 abuts against the area to restrict the downward movement. In this case, since the large-diameter portion 32 is always exposed above the body mold 20 , appropriate modifications such as enlarging the inner diameter of the recess 73 of the plunger 70 are made so as not to interfere with the large-diameter portion 32 .

Although the molding apparatus 10 of the above embodiment manufactures the glass lens 90, it is also possible to apply the present invention to a molding apparatus that manufactures glass optical elements (such as prisms) other than lenses.

10: Molding device 16: Disassembly/assembly device 17: Mold unit 18: Mold 20: Body mold 21: Mold guide hole 24: Lower end surface 25: Tapered surface 30: Upper mold 31: Shaft portion 32: Large diameter portion 34: Molding surface 35 : Regulating surface 40 : Lower mold 41 : Shaft portion 42 : Large diameter portion 43 : Molding surface 45 : Regulating surface 50 : Mold holder 51 : Accommodating hole 52 : Barrel regulation portion 53 : Barrel facing surface 60 : Pedestal 61: Placement surface 62: Suction concave portion (suction means)
63: suction passage (suction means)
64: suction source (suction means)
65: lifting mechanism 70: plunger (pressing means)
71 : Pressing portion 72 : Contact surface 73 : Concave portion 74 : Upper elevating portion (elevating portion)
75: lifting mechanism 76: compression spring (biasing means)
80: fixing mechanism (fixing means)
90: glass lens (glass optical element)
95: glass preform

Claims (5)

a barrel mold having a mold guide hole penetrating in the vertical direction;
an upper die which is inserted into the die guide hole from above and whose downward movement with respect to the barrel die is restricted at a predetermined insertion position;
A lower mold having a shaft portion inserted into the mold guide hole from below, and a large diameter portion larger in diameter than the shaft portion and smaller in diameter than the outer diameter of the body mold and restricted in insertion into the mold guide hole. When,
The plurality of molds are inserted into a plurality of vertically penetrating receiving holes provided in a mold holder, and the upper mold and the lower mold are brought close to each other by the respective molds. A molding apparatus for press-molding a glass optical element in the mold guide hole by disassembling and assembling a plurality of the molding dies,
Each of the plurality of housing holes protrudes annularly, and the lower end surface of the barrel mold abuts to restrict the downward movement of the barrel mold, and to move the large-diameter portion of the lower mold in the vertical direction. a body type regulation section that allows passage;
fixing means for fixing the mold holder;
It is movable in the vertical direction, and presses the plurality of barrels downward from above in a state in which the mold holder is fixed by the fixing means, and the lower end surfaces of the respective barrels are pressed by the barrel restricting portion. a pressing means for making the downward movement of the is restricted;
It is movable in the vertical direction, supports the plurality of lower molds from below in a state in which the mold holder is fixed by the fixing means, and moves downward to move the plurality of lower molds to the corresponding mold guide holes. and a pedestal that disengages downward from the housing hole and moves upward to allow the plurality of lower molds to enter the corresponding die guide hole and the housing hole from below ;
A molding die disassembly and assembly device comprising: The large-diameter portion has a larger thickness in the vertical direction than the trunk-type restricting portion,
When performing the press molding, the lower surface of the plurality of lower molds and the lower surface of the mold holder are supported substantially flush with each other. 2. The apparatus for disassembling and assembling a forming die according to claim 1, wherein said lower end surface of said barrel mold is separated upward from said barrel mold restricting portion. having suction means for sucking the lower surface of the plurality of lower molds to the pedestal;
When the plurality of lower dies are detached downward from the corresponding die guide holes and the accommodation holes by moving the pedestal downward, the plurality of lower dies are sucked and held on the pedestal using the suction means. 3. The apparatus for disassembling and assembling a mold according to claim 1 or 2. The pressing means is supported via biasing means on an elevating section that can move vertically independently of the pedestal. 4. The apparatus for disassembling and assembling a forming die according to claim 1, wherein said pressing means is pressed downward by said pressing means when said pressing means comes into contact with said body die. 5. The molding according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each of the plurality of barrel dies has a tapered surface at a portion of the lower end side of the mold guide hole, the inner diameter of which decreases as it moves upward away from the lower end surface. Mold disassembly and assembly equipment.

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