JP7443717B2 - Composite material molding method and composite material molding device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a composite material molding method and a composite material molding apparatus.

In recent years, composite materials in which a reinforcing base material is impregnated with resin have been used as automobile parts in order to reduce the weight of automobile bodies. As a method for molding composite materials, RTM (Resin Transfer Molding), which is suitable for mass production, is attracting attention.

In the RTM molding method, a reinforcing base material is first placed in a cavity in a mold, a resin is injected into the cavity, the reinforcing base material is impregnated with the resin, and the resin is cured to form a composite material. (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-76356

However, since the reinforcing base material before being impregnated with resin and hardened is relatively soft, it is difficult to position the reinforcing base material with respect to the mold when placing the reinforcing base material in the mold. Therefore, it takes a long time to arrange the reinforcing base material. Although high-precision robots can be used, they are disadvantageous in terms of cost.

Furthermore, impregnation of the resin injected into the cavity progresses sequentially from the surface (front surface) on the side where the resin is injected to the opposite surface (back surface) of both the front and back surfaces of the reinforcing base material. For this reason, the impregnation of the reinforcing base material with the resin is poor, and it takes a long time to impregnate the reinforcing base material with the resin, resulting in a decrease in productivity.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a composite material molding method and a composite material molding apparatus that can facilitate the positioning of a reinforcing base material with respect to a mold and improve the impregnation of resin into the reinforcing base material. purpose.

A method for molding a composite material according to the present invention that achieves the above object includes disposing a reinforcing base material in a cavity of a mold in which at least two molds are relatively openable and closable, and injecting a reinforcing base material into a resin injection port of the mold. A molding method in which a resin is injected into the cavity, the reinforcing base material is impregnated with the resin, and the reinforcing base material is cured to mold a composite material, the method comprising: first placing the reinforcing base material in the mold; An ejector pin capable of extruding a molded product from the mold is made to protrude from the molding surface of the mold, and the ejector pin is inserted into a through hole formed through the reinforcing base material in the thickness direction. The reinforcing base material is arranged and positioned, and the mold is closed to retract the ejector pin from the through hole of the reinforcing base material, and the resin injected into the cavity is formed on the molding surface . The reinforcing base material is impregnated with the resin from within the through hole by flowing into the through hole through a guide groove that guides the flow of the resin.

A molding apparatus for a composite material according to the present invention that achieves the above object includes a mold including at least two molds that are relatively openable and closable and that form a cavity in which a reinforcing base material is disposed; a resin injection port for injecting resin into the cavity; an ejector pin that protrudes into the cavity and is capable of extruding a molded product from the mold; an opening/closing operation of the mold; an operation of injecting the resin from the resin injection port; and a control unit that controls the operation of the ejector pin. The control unit includes a through hole formed through the reinforcing base material in the thickness direction by causing the ejector pin to protrude from the molding surface of the molding die when the reinforcing base material is placed in the molding die. The reinforcing base material can be placed and positioned such that the ejector pin is inserted through the reinforcing base material. The control unit further controls the resin injected into the cavity to be formed on the molding surface and to control the flow of the resin by closing the mold and retracting the ejector pin from the through hole of the reinforcing base material. It is possible to flow into the through hole through the guiding groove.

According to the composite material molding method and composite material molding apparatus according to the present invention, the ejector pin is projected from the molding surface of the mold when the reinforcing base material is placed in the mold, so that the ejector pin is inserted into the through hole of the reinforcing base material. The reinforcing base material can be placed and positioned so that the ejector pin can be inserted therethrough. This facilitates positioning of the reinforcing base material relative to the mold. Furthermore, since the ejector pin is retracted from the through hole of the reinforcing base material when injecting the resin into the cavity, the resin injected into the cavity can flow into the through hole and impregnate the reinforcing base material from within the through hole. . Thereby, the impregnating property of the resin into the reinforcing base material can be improved.

1 is a plan view showing an example of a composite material molded using a composite material molding apparatus and molding method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 1B-1B in FIG. 1A. FIG. 1B is a plan view showing a reinforcing base material used in molding the composite material of FIG. 1A. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2B-2B in FIG. 2A. 1 is a sectional view showing a composite material molding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which the reinforcing base material is placed in a mold by inserting an ejector pin into a through hole of the reinforcing base material. FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining the positional relationship between guide grooves provided in the mold and for guiding resin, and through holes and hole portions of the reinforcing base material. 1 is a flowchart showing a method for molding a composite material according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the reinforcing base material is placed in a mold by inserting an ejector pin into a through hole of the reinforcing base material. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the seal area is hermetically sealed. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the sealed area is sucked. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing injection of resin into a mold. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the mold is clamped after resin injection. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which suction of the sealed area is stopped. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the mold is opened. It is a figure which shows typically the demolding of the composite material which is a molded article. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing how the resin flowing into the through-hole of the reinforcing base material impregnates the reinforcing base material from within the through-hole in the embodiment of the present invention. In a comparative example in which the reinforcing base material is not provided with a through hole, it is a cross-sectional view schematically showing how the resin impregnates the reinforcing base material in order from the front surface to the back surface. It is a figure which shows the modified example which forms the hole part in which resin can flow in a reinforcement base material.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following explanation does not limit the technical scope or meaning of terms described in the claims. Further, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

(composite material)
Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B, composite material 10 is formed by impregnating reinforcing base material 11 with resin 12 and curing it. By combining the reinforcing base material 11 and the resin 12, the composite material 10 has higher strength and rigidity than a molded product made of the resin 12 alone.

The composite material 10 according to the present embodiment is applied to, for example, a pillar of an automobile part, and has a shape in which the legs 21 extend slightly from the left and right sides of the flat part 20. The reinforced base material 11 has a through hole 30 formed to penetrate the reinforced base material 11 in the thickness direction (plate thickness direction). The through holes 30 are formed by cutting the fibers of the reinforcing base material 11. The through hole 30 can be formed using various cutting mechanisms such as ultrasonic cutting, laser cutting, press cutting, and scissor cutting. After molding, the resin 12 flows into the through hole 30, hardens it, and closes it.

The resin 12 can be made of, for example, a thermosetting resin or thermoplastic resin such as an epoxy resin or a phenol resin.

The reinforcing base material 11 can be configured by laminating a plurality of textile sheets 11B (corresponding to a reinforcing base material element, see FIG. 8A) made of carbon fiber, glass fiber, organic fiber, etc., for example.

(molding equipment)
A molding apparatus 100 for a composite material 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

Referring to FIG. 3, the molding apparatus 100 includes a mold 200, a first seal member 310, a second seal member 320, an exhaust section 400, a resin injection section 500, an ejector section 700, and a controller. 600. The mold 200 forms a cavity 250 in which at least two molds (an upper mold 210 and a lower mold 220) are relatively openable and closable and in which the reinforcing base material 11 is disposed. The resin injection part 500 has a resin injection port 240 that is provided in the mold 200 and injects the resin 12 into the cavity 250. The ejector part 700 has an ejector pin 710 that protrudes from the molding surface 221S of the mold 200 and can extrude the molded product from the mold 200. The control unit 600 controls the opening/closing operation of the mold 200, the injection operation of the resin 12 from the resin injection port 240, and the operation of the ejector pin 710. The configuration of each part of the molding apparatus 100 will be described in detail below.

The mold 200 has a pair of upper mold 210 and lower mold 220 that can be approached and separated. Further, the upper mold 210 is provided with an exhaust port 230 that communicates with the exhaust section 400 and a resin injection port 240 that communicates with the resin injection section 500. The mold 200 forms a cavity 250 between an upper mold 210 and a lower mold 220 (see FIG. 7E).

In addition, in this specification, the "cavity 250" means a cavity (so-called product cavity) that has substantially the same shape as the composite material 10, which is a molded product, in a mold-clamped state. In addition, the side on which the upper mold 210 is placed with respect to the lower mold 220 (the upper side in FIG. 3) is referred to as the "upper side", and the side on which the lower mold 220 is placed with respect to the upper mold 210 (the upper side in FIG. 3) is referred to as the "upper side". ) is called the "lower side".

The upper mold 210 is a movable mold that can move toward and away from the lower mold 220. The upper mold 210 includes a recess 211 having a shape recessed toward the upper side, a first vertical wall portion 212 having a shape protruding toward the lower side so as to surround the recess 211, and a first vertical wall portion 212 having a shape concave toward the upper side. It has a base 213 formed continuously above the wall 212 and a lid 214 disposed above the base 213. The lid portion 214 of the upper mold 210 is connected to a drive device (not shown) including, for example, a hydraulic cylinder.

A first molding surface 211S forming a cavity 250 is formed in the recess 211.

A first groove 213A is formed on the outer surface 213S of the base 213. The first seal member 310 is inserted into the first groove 213A.

A second groove portion 212A is formed on the outer surface 212S of the first vertical wall portion 212. A second seal member 320 is inserted into the second groove 212A.

The lower mold 220 is a fixed mold. The lower mold 220 has a convex portion 221 formed with a second molding surface 221S that cooperates with the first molding surface 211S of the concave portion 211 to form a cavity 250 between the convex portion 221 and the convex portion 221. It has a second vertical wall part 222 arranged so as to surround the first vertical wall part 212.

The second vertical wall portion 222 faces the outer surface 212S of the first vertical wall portion 212 when the upper mold 210 is relatively close to the lower mold 220 as shown in FIG. It has a formed inner surface 222S.

The first seal member 310 and the second seal member 320 are arranged in the mold clamping direction (up and down in FIG. They are arranged on an outer surface 212S of the first vertical wall portion 212 and an outer surface 213S of the base 213, respectively, which are surfaces along the vertical direction. In this way, the mold 200 has a vertically sliding structure in which the first seal member 310 and the second seal member 320 are arranged at different positions in the mold clamping direction. Therefore, by moving the upper die 210 relatively closer to the lower die 220, the sealing functions of the first seal member 310 and the second seal member 320 can be exerted at different timings.

From the mold open state shown in FIG. 7A to the state in which the upper mold 210 is brought relatively close to the lower mold 220 as shown in FIG. 7B and before the mold is clamped, the first sealing member 310 is a seal hermetically sealed between the first molding surface 211S, the second molding surface 221S, the outer surface 212S of the first vertical wall section 212, and the inner surface 222S of the second vertical wall section 222. A region 270 is formed. Here, the seal area 270 is an area including the cavity 250 and an outer peripheral area 260, which will be described later. As shown in FIGS. 7B, 7C, and 7D, the cavity 250 and the outer peripheral region 260 communicate with each other before the mold is clamped.

From the states shown in FIGS. 7B, 7C, and 7D, the upper mold 210 is further moved relatively closer to the lower mold 220 and the mold 200 is clamped as shown in FIG. 7E, and then the second mold 200 is clamped. The seal member 320 forms a liquid-tightly sealed cavity 250 between the first molding surface 211S and the second molding surface 221S. Further, when the mold 200 is clamped, an outer peripheral region 260 located at the outer periphery of the cavity 250 is formed between the first seal member 310 and the second seal member 320. In other words, the second seal member 320 liquid-tightly seals between the cavity 250 and the outer peripheral region 260. Further, when the mold 200 is clamped, the volume of the outer peripheral region 260 is configured to be larger than the volume of the resin 12 injected into the cavity 250.

In this specification, "the state in which the mold 200 is clamped" refers to the state in which the upper mold 200 is closed until the shape of the cavity 250 of the mold 200 becomes approximately the same as the shape of the composite material 10 finally produced. 210 is relatively close to the lower mold 220.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7E, when the mold 200 is clamped, the upper mold 210 and the lower mold 220 have a first contact surface 210S and a second contact surface 220S that contact each other. have When the mold 200 is clamped, the distance D1 between the first contact surface 210S and the second contact surface 220S is 0 (zero) mm. In this state, the size of the cavity 250 is approximately the same as that of the composite material 10 before the resin 12 is cured, and there is almost no gap between the first molding surface 211S of the upper mold 210 and the composite material 10. There is no condition.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 7B, 7C, and 7D, before the mold 200 is clamped, there is a gap between the first molding surface 211S of the upper mold 210 and the reinforcing base material 11. A gap G is formed. In this state, the distance D1 between the first abutting surface 210S and the second abutting surface 220S varies depending on the shape of the mold 200, but can be, for example, about 33 mm.

Referring to FIG. 3, exhaust port 230 is arranged above outer peripheral region 260.

The resin injection port 240 is arranged approximately at the center of the cavity 250. That is, the resin injection port 240 is located at a relatively distant position from the outer peripheral region 260.

The material constituting the first seal member 310 and the second seal member 320 is not particularly limited as long as it can be sealed air-tightly or liquid-tightly, and may be, for example, an elastic material such as rubber.

The exhaust section 400 is constituted by a known vacuum pump. The exhaust section 400 is configured to communicate with an exhaust port 230 formed in the upper die 210 and sucks gas from the outer circumferential region 260 via the exhaust port 230. The exhaust section 400 has a pressure gauge 410 and a valve 420 between it and the exhaust port 230. The pressure gauge 410 measures the suction pressure by the exhaust section 400. Based on the value of the suction pressure, the degree of vacuum within the seal area 270 can be adjusted. Valve 420 opens and closes the air flow path. Thereby, the suction operation by the exhaust section 400 can be switched ON/OFF.

The resin injection part 500 is configured to communicate with a resin injection port 240 formed in the upper mold 210, and injects the resin 12 into the cavity 250 through the resin injection port 240. The resin injection section 500 can be configured by a known pump mechanism.

The ejector section 700 is provided in the lower mold 220 in this embodiment. The ejector part 700 can accommodate an ejector pin 710 that protrudes from a second molding surface 221S of the lower mold 220 (corresponding to the molding surface of the mold) and can extrude a molded product from the mold 200, and can accommodate the ejector pin 710. It has a housing section 720 and a drive section 730 that drives the ejector pin 710 forward and backward with respect to the cavity 250. The drive unit 730 includes, for example, a hydraulic cylinder. The ejector pin 710 is driven by the drive unit 730 and can be placed in a state accommodated in the housing part 720 (see FIG. 3) and a state protruded from the second molding surface 221S (see FIGS. 7A and 7H). Configured to be switchable.

The ejector pin 710 of this embodiment functions as a locate pin that positions the reinforcing base material 11 with respect to the mold 200 when the reinforcing base material 11 is placed in the mold 200. As shown in FIG. 7A, the ejector pin 710 protrudes from the second molding surface 221S when the reinforcing base material 11 is placed on the lower mold 220. By arranging the reinforcing base material 11 so that the ejector pin 710 is inserted into the through hole 30 of the reinforcing base material 11, the reinforcing base material 11 is positioned with respect to the mold 200. Although the reinforced base material 11 is relatively soft before being impregnated with the resin 12 and hardened, the positioning of the reinforced base material 11 with respect to the mold 200 is facilitated by having the ejector pin 710 function as a locating pin. Therefore, the time required to place the reinforcing base material 11 in the mold 200 can be shortened, and productivity can be improved. Further, there is no need to use a high-precision robot to place the reinforcing base material 11 in the mold 200, which is advantageous in terms of cost.

The number of ejector pins 710 can be appropriately selected in consideration of the shape and size of the composite material 10, the demolding force required to extrude the molded product from the mold 200, and the like. It is not necessary to provide the locate pin function to all of the plurality of ejector pins 710. It is sufficient that some of the ejector pins 710 among the plurality of ejector pins 710 have the function of a locate pin. From the viewpoint of properly positioning the reinforcing base material 11 with respect to the mold 200, the number and position of the ejector pins 710 that provide the function of locating pins can be selected.

As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the mold 200 has six ejector pins 710, and all six ejector pins 710 are given the function of a locate pin. Ejector pins 710 can be approximately equally spaced. The reinforced base material 11 has six through holes 30, corresponding to the number of ejector pins 710 that function as locating pins.

In addition to the through hole 30 into which the ejector pin 710 is inserted, the reinforcing base material 11 further includes a hole 40 that extends in the thickness direction of the reinforcing base material 11 and into which the resin 12 injected into the cavity 250 can flow. I can do it. The number of through holes 30 and holes 40 to be formed, the shape and size of the holes, and the positions at which they are formed can be selected in consideration of the fluidity of the resin 12 and the impregnability of the reinforcing base material 11.

In this embodiment, the reinforcing base material 11 has five holes 40 in addition to the six through holes 30 into which the ejector pins 710 are inserted. Each of the holes 40 has the same inner diameter as the through hole 30, and is formed by cutting the fibers of the reinforcing base material 11 similarly to the through hole 30. The six through holes 30 and the five hole portions 40 can be arranged in a row at approximately equal intervals.

Note that when the fibers of the reinforcing base material 11 are cut to form the through holes 30 and the holes 40, the strength of the areas around the through holes 30 and the holes 40 is lower than that of other parts of the reinforcing base material 11. descend. Therefore, the number of holes to be formed and the inner diameter dimension of the holes are selected so that the decrease in mechanical strength is within an allowable range. The inner diameter of the hole is preferably small, for example, on the order of several millimeters. In addition, the number of laminated fabric sheets 11B forming the reinforcing base material 11 is determined in such a way that the strength required for the composite material 10, which is a molded product, can be obtained, taking into consideration the decrease in strength around the through holes 30 and hole portions 40. It can be adjusted in advance.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, the first molding surface 211S of the upper die 210 is formed with a guide groove 215 for guiding the flow of the resin 12. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the upper mold 210 viewed from above, and the guide grooves 215 are shown by broken lines. The guide groove 215 is formed at a position facing the through hole 30 and the hole portion 40 of the reinforcing base material 11. Therefore, the resin 12 injected into the cavity 250 easily flows toward the through hole 30 and the hole 40 of the reinforcing base material 11 through the guide groove 215.

Referring to FIG. 3, control section 600 controls the operations of mold 200, exhaust section 400, resin injection section 500, and ejector section 700. Specifically, the control unit 600 includes a storage unit 610 composed of ROM and RAM, a calculation unit 620 mainly composed of a CPU, and an input/output unit 630 that transmits and receives various data and control commands. have The input/output section 630 is electrically connected to the mold 200, the exhaust section 400, the resin injection section 500, and the ejector section 700.

(Molding method)
Next, a method for molding the composite material 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

The method for molding the composite material 10 according to the present embodiment is a so-called CRTM (Compression Resin Transfer Molding) molding method. In the CRTM molding method, when the resin 12 is injected into the cavity 250, the mold 200 is not clamped and a gap G is left between the mold 200 and the reinforcing base material 11. is injected into a portion of cavity 250. Thereafter, the mold 200 is clamped, thereby filling the cavity 250 with the resin 12. This reduces the flow resistance of the resin 12 within the cavity 250, so that disturbances in the orientation of the reinforcing base material 11 can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the method for molding the composite material 10 is summarized as follows: the reinforcing base material 11 is placed in a mold 200 (step S1), and the seal area 270 is hermetically sealed (step S2). Then, the operation to exhaust the gas in the sealing area 270 is started (step S3), and when the inside of the sealing area 270 reaches a predetermined degree of vacuum (threshold value) (step S4), the gas inside the molding die 200 is exhausted. Inject resin 12 (step S5). Furthermore, the mold 200 is clamped to liquid-tightly seal the cavity 250 (step S6). Thereafter, the resin 12 is cured (step S7), the operation of exhausting the gas is stopped (step S8), and the composite material 10 is removed from the mold 200 (step S9). Note that in each step, the operations of the mold 200, the exhaust section 400, the resin injection section 500, and the ejector section 700 are controlled by the control section 600.

Each step of the method for molding the composite material 10 will be described in detail below.

In step S1, as shown in FIG. 7A, the reinforcing base material 11 is placed in the lower mold 220 of the mold 200. At this time, the ejector pin 710 protrudes from the second molding surface 221S of the lower mold 220. Therefore, the reinforcing base material 11 can be arranged and positioned such that the ejector pin 710 is inserted into the through hole 30 of the reinforcing base material 11. This facilitates positioning of the reinforcing base material 11 with respect to the mold 200.

In step S2, as shown in FIG. 7B, the upper mold 210 is brought relatively close to the lower mold 220, and the sealing area 270 is hermetically sealed by the first sealing member 310. At this time, the mold 200 is in a state before mold clamping, and the distance D1 between the first contact surface 210S and the second contact surface 220S is approximately 33 mm. In this state, a gap G is formed between the first molding surface 211S of the upper mold 210 and the reinforcing base material 11.

Further, in step S2, the ejector pin 710 is retracted from the through hole 30 of the reinforcing base material 11. The upper end surface of the ejector pin 710 is substantially flush with the second molding surface 221S of the lower mold 220.

In step S3, as shown in FIG. 7C, the valve 420 of the exhaust section 400 is opened, gas is sucked from the outer circumferential region 260 (see the arrow in FIG. 7C), and the gas in the seal region 270 is exhausted. Start.

When the sealing area 270 reaches a predetermined degree of vacuum (step 4), the resin 12 is injected into a portion of the cavity 250 of the mold 200 (step 5), as shown in FIG. 7D.

Since the resin 12 is injected into a part of the cavity 250, the resin 12 in the cavity 250 can be prevented from leaking to the outer region 260 while the cavity 250 and the outer region 260 are in communication. This can prevent the resin 12 from flowing into the exhaust port 230.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the resin injection port 240 is arranged in the upper mold 210, the resin 12 flows through the gap G. Therefore, the flow resistance of the resin 12 can be reduced, and the disordered orientation of the reinforcing base material 11 can be suppressed. Moreover, since the gap G is formed, the injected resin 12 does not spread throughout the cavity 250 but accumulates near the resin injection port 240. Therefore, leakage of the resin 12 to the outer peripheral region 260 can be suppressed.

In step S5, the exhaust section 400 maintains the operation of exhausting the gas within the seal area 270. Since the exhaust port 230 is disposed above the outer peripheral region 260, the resin 12 injected into the cavity 250 can be prevented from flowing into the exhaust port 230.

In step S6, as shown in FIG. 7E, the mold 200 is clamped and the second seal member 320 liquid-tightly seals the space between the cavity 250 and the outer peripheral region 260.

By clamping the mold 200, the gap G between the first molding surface 211S of the upper die 210 and the reinforcing base material 11 is compressed, and the resin 12 accumulated in the gap G is pressed. The reinforcing base material 11 is impregnated. At the same time, since the periphery of the cavity 250 is liquid-tightly sealed, leakage of the resin 12 from the cavity 250 to the outer peripheral region 260 can be more reliably prevented.

Referring to FIG. 8B, in a comparative example in which the reinforcing base material 11 is not provided with the through holes 30, etc., the resin 12 injected into the cavity 250 is applied to the side where the resin 12 is injected of both the front and back surfaces of the reinforcing base material 11. Impregnation only progresses sequentially from the surface (upper surface in the figure) to the opposite surface (lower back surface in the figure). Therefore, there is a problem that the impregnating property of the resin 12 into the reinforcing base material 11 is poor, and it takes a long time to impregnate the reinforcing base material 11 with the resin 12, resulting in a decrease in productivity.

Referring to FIG. 8A, in order to solve such a problem, in the present embodiment, the resin 12 injected into the cavity 250 penetrates the reinforcing base material 11, as shown by the arrow 15 extending in the left-right direction. It flows into the hole 30 and the hole 40 and impregnates the reinforcing base material 11 from the inside of the through hole 30 and the hole 40. Thereby, the impregnating property of the resin 12 into the reinforcing base material 11 can be improved. Therefore, the time required for impregnation with the resin 12 can be shortened, and productivity can be improved.

Furthermore, since the mold 200 has a concave portion 211 in the upper mold 210 and a convex portion 221 that forms a cavity 250 between the concave portion 211 and the lower mold 220, the resin 12 is It can be spread over the entire reinforcing base material 11 to facilitate impregnation.

Further, the exhaust port 230 is arranged above the outer peripheral region 260. Further, when the mold 200 is clamped, the volume of the outer peripheral region 260 is configured to be larger than the volume of the resin 12 injected into the cavity 250. Therefore, even if the resin 12 leaks into the outer peripheral region 260 after the mold 200 is clamped, the resin 12 can be prevented from flowing into the exhaust port 230.

In step S7, the resin 12 is cured while the mold 200 remains closed. When the resin 12 is a thermosetting resin, the resin 12 can be hardened by heating the mold 200 using a heating device such as a heater, for example.

In step S8, as shown in FIG. 7F, the valve 420 of the exhaust section 400 is closed to stop the operation of sucking (exhausting) gas from the outer peripheral region 260. That is, during steps 3 to 7, the exhaust section 400 maintains the operation of exhausting gas. In step 6, before liquid-tightly sealing between the cavity 250 and the outer circumferential region 260, gas is sucked from the outer circumferential region 260 while the cavity 250 and the outer circumferential region 260 are in communication with each other, and the inside of the cavity 250 is Exhausting gas. Therefore, the gas contained in the resin 12 injected into the cavity 250 can be exhausted from the reduced pressure outer peripheral region 260 to the exhaust port 230. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the generation of voids in the composite material 10, which is a molded product, and improve mechanical strength and appearance quality.

In step S9, first, as shown in FIG. 7G, the upper mold 210 is moved away from the lower mold 220 to open the mold 200. Next, as shown in FIG. 7H, the ejector pin 710 is made to protrude from the second molding surface 221S of the lower mold 220, and the composite material 10, which is the molded product, is demolded. When the mold 200 is opened to take out the molded product, the ejector pin 710 contacts the hardened resin 12 in the through hole 30 and pushes out the molded product.

Note that in this embodiment, the composite material 10 has a relatively simple shape, but the shape is not limited to this. For example, when the composite material 10 is manufactured as a frame part such as a pillar or a front side member used in an automobile body, or an outer panel part such as a roof or a hood, the composite material 10 has a more complicated shape corresponding to those parts.

As explained above, according to the method for molding the composite material 10 and the molding apparatus 100 for the composite material 10 according to the present embodiment, when placing the reinforcing base material 11 in the mold 200, the molded product is removed from the mold 200. The ejector pin 710 that can be extruded is made to protrude from the molding surface 221S of the mold 200, and the ejector pin 710 is inserted into the through hole 30 formed in the thickness direction of the reinforcing base material 11. Place and position. Then, the mold 200 is closed, the ejector pin 710 is evacuated from the through hole 30 of the reinforcing base material 11, the resin 12 injected into the cavity 250 is allowed to flow into the through hole 30, and the resin 12 is introduced into the reinforcing base material from inside the through hole 30. The material 11 is impregnated.

According to the method for molding the composite material 10 and the molding apparatus 100 for the composite material 10 configured in this way, the ejector pin 710 is made to protrude from the molding surface 221S of the mold 200 when the reinforcing base material 11 is placed in the mold 200. Therefore, the reinforcing base material 11 can be arranged and positioned such that the ejector pin 710 is inserted into the through hole 30 of the reinforcing base material 11. This facilitates positioning of the reinforcing base material 11 with respect to the mold 200. Furthermore, in order to retract the ejector pin 710 from the through hole 30 of the reinforcing base material 11 when injecting the resin 12 into the cavity 250, the resin 12 injected into the cavity 250 is caused to flow into the through hole 30 and penetrate the resin 12. The reinforcing base material 11 can be impregnated from within the hole 30. Thereby, the impregnating property of the resin 12 into the reinforcing base material 11 can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to suppress molding defects (such as plate thickness variations, poor impregnation, resin cracks, etc.) caused by positional misalignment when placing the reinforcing base material 11 in the mold 200, and by improving the impregnating properties of the resin 12, the molded product can be machined. Strength can be ensured.

Furthermore, when injecting the resin 12 into the cavity 250, a gap G is formed that communicates the resin injection port 240 and the through hole 30. The presence of the gap G in this manner can suppress the arrangement of the reinforcing base material 11 from being disturbed due to the flow resistance of the resin 12. Furthermore, even if the resin injection port 240 does not face the through hole 30, the resin 12 injected from the resin injection port 240 quickly reaches the through hole 30 and flows into the reinforcing base material 11. 12 impregnation can be promoted.

Further, the reinforcing base material 11 is formed by laminating a plurality of reinforcing base material elements 11B. This makes it easy to position the reinforcing base material 11 with respect to the mold 200 even when molding the composite material 10 to which the reinforcing base material 11 is applied, in which a plurality of reinforcing base material elements 11B are laminated to provide a thick portion. Therefore, the impregnation of the resin 12 into the reinforcing base material 11 can be improved.

Further, the through holes 30 are formed by cutting the fibers of the reinforcing base material 11. This makes it easier for the resin 12 to flow into the through hole 30 and promotes impregnation of the resin 12 into the reinforcing base material 11.

In addition to the through hole 30 into which the ejector pin 710 is inserted, the reinforcing base material 11 also has a hole 40 that extends in the thickness direction of the reinforcing base material 11 and into which the resin 12 injected into the cavity 250 can flow. have As a result, the resin 12 injected into the cavity 250 can flow not only into the through hole 30 but also into the hole 40, and the reinforcing base material 11 can be impregnated with the resin 12 from the inside of the through hole 30 and the hole 40, and the reinforcing base material Impregnation of the resin 12 into the resin 11 can be further promoted.

Further, after injecting the resin 12 into a part of the cavity 250, at least two molds (the upper mold 210 and the lower mold 220) in the closed mold 200 are moved relatively closer to each other, and the molding is performed until the resin 12 is cured. The mold 200 is clamped. By clamping the mold 200, the injected resin 12 can be pressed and impregnated into the reinforcing base material 11, and impregnation of the resin 12 into the reinforcing base material 11 can be further promoted.

Furthermore, when the mold 200 is opened to take out the molded product, the ejector pin 710 comes into contact with the hardened resin 12 in the through hole 30 and pushes out the molded product. Since the through hole 30 is closed with the resin 12, the ejector pin 710 can perform its original function without any hindrance.

Although the method for molding the composite material 10 and the molding apparatus 100 for the composite material 10 have been described above through the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to only the configuration described in the embodiments, and is based on the description of the claims. It is possible to change it as appropriate.

For example, although the reinforcing base material 11 is shown having not only the through holes 30 but also the holes 40, the holes 40 are not essential. A reinforced base material 11 having only a through hole 30 into which the ejector pin 710 is inserted can be used.

Further, although the holes 40 formed by cutting the fibers of the reinforcing base material 11 are shown, the present invention is not limited to this case. The hole 40 may be configured to extend in the thickness direction of the reinforcing base material 11 and allow the resin 12 injected into the cavity 250 to flow therein. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, using an insertion member 121 having a conical tip, insert the insertion member 121 from the conical tip between the fibers 11A of the reinforcing base material 11 to reduce the interval between the fibers 11A. The hole 40 can be formed by gradually widening it. Thereby, the holes 40 can be formed without cutting the fibers 11A of the reinforcing base material 11, so that a decrease in the mechanical strength of the composite material 10 can be suppressed.

10 Composite materials,
11 Reinforced base material,
11A fiber,
11B textile sheet (reinforced base material element),
12 resin,
30 through hole,
40 Hole part,
100 molding device,
200 mold,
210 upper mold,
211 recess,
211S first molding surface,
215 guide groove,
220 lower mold,
221 Convex part,
221S second molding surface (molding surface of mold),
230 exhaust port,
240 resin injection port,
250 cavity,
260 outer peripheral area,
270 seal area,
310 first seal member,
320 second seal member,
400 exhaust part,
500 resin injection part,
600 control unit,
610 storage unit,
620 arithmetic unit,
630 input/output section,
700 Ejector part,
710 ejector pin,
720 Accommodation Department,
730 drive unit,
G gap.

Claims (8)

A reinforcing base material is placed in a cavity of a mold in which at least two molds are relatively openable and closable, a resin is injected into the cavity from a resin injection port of the mold, and the resin is poured into the reinforcing base material. A molding method for molding a composite material by impregnating and curing,
When the reinforcing base material is placed in the mold, an ejector pin capable of extruding the molded product from the mold is formed to protrude from the molding surface of the mold and penetrate through the reinforcing base material in the thickness direction. arranging and positioning the reinforcing base material so that the ejector pin is inserted into the through hole;
The mold is closed and the ejector pin is retracted from the through hole of the reinforcing base material, and the resin injected into the cavity is passed through the through hole through a guide groove formed on the molding surface that guides the flow of the resin. A method for molding a composite material, wherein the reinforcing base material is impregnated with the resin from within the through hole. The method for molding a composite material according to claim 1, wherein when injecting the resin into the cavity, a gap is formed that communicates the resin injection port and the through hole. The method for molding a composite material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reinforcing base material is formed by laminating a plurality of reinforcing base material elements. The method for molding a composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the through holes are formed by cutting fibers of the reinforcing base material. In addition to the through hole through which the ejector pin is inserted, the reinforcing base material further includes a hole extending in the thickness direction of the reinforcing base material and into which the resin injected into the cavity can flow; The composite according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the resin injected into the cavity is caused to flow into the hole through the guide groove, and the reinforcing base material is impregnated with the resin from within the hole. How to form the material. After injecting the resin into a part of the cavity, at least two molds in the closed mold are brought closer to each other, and the mold is clamped until the resin is cured. 5. The method for molding a composite material according to any one of items 5 to 5. According to any one of claims 1 to 6, when the mold is opened and the molded product is taken out, the ejector pin contacts a portion of the resin cured in the through hole and pushes out the molded product. Method of forming the described composite material. A molding die in which at least two molds are provided so as to be relatively openable and closable and forming a cavity in which a reinforcing base material is disposed;
a resin injection port provided in the mold and for injecting resin into the cavity;
an ejector pin that protrudes into the cavity and is capable of extruding the molded product from the mold;
a control unit that controls opening and closing operations of the mold, injection operations of the resin from the resin injection port, and operations of the ejector pin;
The control unit includes a through hole formed through the reinforcing base material in the thickness direction by causing the ejector pin to protrude from the molding surface of the molding die when the reinforcing base material is placed in the molding die. The reinforcing base material can be arranged and positioned so that the ejector pin is inserted into the reinforcing base material,
The control unit further closes the mold and retracts the ejector pin from the through hole of the reinforcing base material, thereby causing the resin injected into the cavity to form on the molding surface and suppressing the flow of the resin. A molding device for a composite material, which allows the flow to flow into the through hole through a guiding groove.