JPH01119535A - Continuous glass press-molding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To contrive both shortening of time for heating and cooling a molding stock and uniformization of temp. distribution by constituting a die assembly of upper and lower dies, a sleeve and a supporting shaft and making it to a simple miniature in the title conveyor type device. CONSTITUTION:A glass stock 5 to be molded is placed on the end face 4 of a lower die 2 and this die 2 is inserted into a sleeve 6 from the lower part. A bolt 7 is perforated through the sleeve 6 and the die 2, fitted and fixed. The stock 5 is held between the upper and lower dies 1, 2 and also the dies 1, 2 and the stock 5 are supported with the sleeve 6 via the bolt 7. Further a supporting shaft 9 is perforated through the sleeve 6 and the die 1 and the shafts 9 of many die assemblies 10 are fitted to a chain conveyor 18 in a hanging state. This conveyor 18 is moved and the many die assemblies 10 are continuously transferred in order of a preheating chamber 15, a heating/pressurization chamber 16 and a cooling chamber 17 in a molding furnace 14.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a glass press molding device for molding glass press lenses such as aspherical lenses, and in particular to a glass press molding device that continuously heats and softens an aromatic molding material. This invention relates to a continuous glass press molding device for press molding.

(Prior art) -a. In a glass press molding device that molds a glass press lens from a glass molding material, the molding material is sandwiched between recesses formed in a pair of molds and heated. After softening, the mold is pressurized to obtain a lens in the desired shape.

Conventional glass press molding devices of this type include, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-210534 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 60-246.
Those described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 231 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-152229 are known. Said Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-21
In the glass press molding apparatuses described in JP-A No. 0534 and JP-A No. 60-246231, the molding method is a batch type, and the mold is composed of an upper mold, a lower mold, and a casing surrounding them. A mold assembly is provided, and a heater is provided for heating the assembly. In the former case, the heater is built into the casing, and in the latter case, the heater is provided on the outer periphery of the casing. Press molding is performed by heating and softening. On the other hand, JP-A-59-15
The device described in Publication No. 2229 is a conveyor-type continuous molding device, and is equipped with a tunnel-shaped molding furnace in which a heating chamber, a molding chamber, and a cooling chamber are sequentially connected. The glass forming material is sequentially moved through each chamber of the forming furnace, and press forming is performed continuously.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in such conventional glass press molding equipment, the structure of the mold assembly that holds the glass molding material is complex and large, so it is difficult to mold the molding material. There was a problem in that it took a long time to raise the temperature to the temperature required for press molding, and it also took a long time to cool the mold until the pressure was released, resulting in poor press molding productivity. In addition, the heat of the mold assembly is transferred to the outside through the members that support the mold assembly, and the assembly is partially cooled, making it impossible to obtain the uniform temperature distribution of the molding material required for molding. However, there was a problem in that the precision of the molded press lens decreased.

Furthermore, due to the complicated structure of the mold assembly, the precision of the mold decreases, making it difficult to mold high-precision lenses, and improving the precision of the mold increases the manufacturing cost of the mold. There was also a problem.

(Object of the Invention) Therefore, the present invention consists of a mold assembly consisting of an upper mold, a lower mold, a sleeve, and a support shaft, and a moving means is provided in the molding furnace to move the glass molding material together with the mold assembly. The structure of the mold assembly is simplified, and the temperature of the molding material can be increased and
The objective is to shorten the cooling time and even out the temperature distribution of the molding material during molding, thereby improving the productivity of press molding and the precision of press lenses, as well as reducing the manufacturing cost of molds.

(Structure of the Invention) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes an upper mold and a lower mold that sandwich a glass molding material between mutually opposing end surfaces, and an upper mold and a lower mold that are fitted, A sleeve that passes through the support member together with the lower mold to support the upper mold and the lower mold via the support member, and a sleeve that penetrates the sleeve and the upper mold to allow the upper mold, the lower mold, and the sleeve to rotate freely. A support shaft that supports the mold assembly, and a large number of mold assemblies that support the mold assemblies through the support shaft, a preheating chamber that preheats the glass molding material, and a preheating chamber that heats the glass molding material. , a heating and pressurizing chamber for press-molding the glass molding material by pressing the upper mold and lower mold of the mold assembly close to each other, and a cooling chamber for cooling the press-formed glass molding material. and a preheating chamber, heating,
The device is characterized by being provided with a transfer means that continuously transfers the pressure chamber and the cooling chamber in that order.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically explained based on examples.

1 to 4 are diagrams showing one embodiment of the present invention.

First, the configuration will be explained.

In FIG. 1.2, 1 and 2 are an upper mold and a lower mold, respectively, for press molding, and the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2 each have one end surface 3 and 4 facing each other. The end surface 3 of the upper mold 1 and the end surface 4 of the lower mold 2 are respectively formed into concave and convex shapes consisting of an aspherical surface or a spherical surface, and a glass molding material 5 is interposed between these end surfaces 3 and 40. The upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2 sandwich a glass molding material 5. 6 is a cylindrical sleeve in which the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2 are fitted, and a bolt 7 is provided at the lower part of the sleeve 6 passing through the sleeve 6 and the lower mold 2, and the bolt 7 is a nut. 8 to the sleeve 6. The sleeve 6 supports the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2 via bolts 7, and the bolts 7 support the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2.
It has a function as a support member that supports the sleeve 6.

An elongated support shaft 9 is provided at the upper part of the sleeve 6 and passes through the sleeve 6 and the upper mold 1.
can rotatably support the upper mold 1, the lower mold 2, and the sleeve 6. The above-described upper mold 1, lower mold 2, sleeve 6, and support shaft 9 constitute a mold assembly 10, and a large number of mold assemblies IO are provided so that the glass molding material 5 can be continuously press-molded. It is being Note that 11 and 12 are recesses formed in the other end surfaces of the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2, respectively, into a 90° conical shape by, for example, countersunk processing. A ball 3 made of cemented carbide, ceramics, or the like is mounted. Further, when removing the glass molding material 5 from the mold assembly 10, it is easily done by removing the nut 8, removing the bolt 7 from the sleeve 6 and the lower mold 2, and pulling out the lower mold 2 downward from the sleeve 6. be able to.

In Fig. 3.4, 14 is a long tunnel-shaped forming furnace, and the forming furnace 14 has a preheating chamber 15, a heating and pressurizing chamber 16, and a cooling chamber, which are successively connected from the right side in Fig. 4. 17
It consists of On the other hand, reference numeral 18 denotes a chain conveyor as a transfer means that continuously transfers a large number of mold assemblies 10 through the support shaft 9 through the molding furnace 14 to a preheating chamber 15, a heating and pressurizing chamber 16, and a cooling chamber 17. It is. As shown in FIG.
Each chain 19, 20 is formed into an endless chain by connecting a large number of chain links 21. The chains 19 and 20 are connected to the chain conveyor 18.
Driven by the drive source shown in the figure via a drive sprocket wheel 22 provided on the head (left side in Figure 3),
The supported mold assembly 10 is transferred. Note that 23 is a driven sprocket wheel provided at the head of the chain conveyor 18, which cooperates with a pair of driven sprocket wheels 24.25 provided at the tail of the chain conveyor 18 to extend the chain 19.20. It has a guiding function, and includes the above-mentioned chain 19, 20, driving sprocket wheel 22, and driven sprocket wheel 2.
3.24.25 constitutes the chain conveyor 18. Although not shown, on the chain 19.20,
Each of the lower horizontal parts is provided with a guide rail, and the horizontal parts of the chains 19, 20 are supported by the guide rails so as not to bend. Each chain link 21 located at equal intervals on the circumference of the chain 19, 20 has actuators 21a projecting inward from the chain conveyor 18.
are respectively provided, and hook portions 9a (see FIG. 2) formed by bending downward at both ends of the support shaft 9 of the mold assembly 10 engage with the attachment 21a,
A large number of mold assemblies 10 are supported via support shafts 9 at equal intervals around the circumference of the chain 9.20. As described above, the support shaft 9 passes through the upper part of the sleeve 6, and the sleeve 6 and the upper mold 1 are rotatably supported by the support shaft 9, so the mold assembly 10 is assembled into the upper mold. The balls 13 placed on the mold 1 are placed on top, and the concave portions 12 of the lower mold 2 are placed on the bottom, and are supported and transferred to a chain conveyor 18 in a suspended state. Note that FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the lengths of the forming furnace 14 and the chain conveyor 18 reduced, and in reality the forming furnace 14 and the chain conveyor 1 are
-1 of 8 is longer than the length shown in Figure 3, so
Inside the molding furnace 14, a greater number of mold assemblies 10 than the mold assemblies 10 shown in FIG. 3 are suspended at equal intervals by a chain conveyor 18.

In FIG. 3.4, reference numerals 26 and 27 are heaters provided along the four inner walls in the preheating chamber 15, heating and pressurizing chamber 16, and cooling chamber 17 of the forming furnace 14, respectively.
6.27 is controlled according to the optimum temperature pattern required in each of the above rooms. Then, the glass molding material 5 of the mold assembly 10 transferred by the chain conveyor 18 is transferred to the preheating chamber 1.
It is preheated in the chamber 5 and heated to a predetermined temperature in the heating and pressurizing chamber 16 to soften it. At the same time, the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2 of the mold assembly 10 are brought close to each other by a pair of pressurizing mechanisms 28 and 29 provided oppositely at the upper and lower parts of the heating and pressurizing chamber 16, respectively. Pressed, upper mold 1
The glass molding material 5 held between the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2 is molded according to the shapes of the end surface 3 of the upper mold 1 and the end surface 4 of the lower mold 2. Next, the molded glass molding material 5 with the pressurizing mechanisms 28 and 29 spaced apart from each other is transferred together with the mold assembly 10 into the cooling chamber 17 by the chain conveyor 18 to be cooled, and further transferred to the outside of the forming furnace 14. be done. In the above operation, the mold assembly 10 is moved to the chain conveyor 1 at equal intervals.
8, so it can be executed continuously. Note that a recess 30 having the same shape as the recess 11 of the upper mold 1 is formed on the distal end surface 28 a of the pressure mechanism 28 facing the mold assembly 10 . A recess 31 having the same shape as the recess 12 of the lower mold 2 is formed on the opposing tip surface 29a, and a ball 32 similar to the ball 13 placed in the recess 11 of the upper mold 1 is placed in the recess 31. It is placed. When the pressing mechanisms 28 and 29 press the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2 in close proximity to each other,
The ball 13 is fitted into the recess 30, and the ball 32 is further fitted into the recess 12, so that the line of action of the pressing force of the pressing mechanisms 28 and 29 is correctly aligned with the center axis of the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2. It looks like this. In addition, since the mold assembly 10 is transported in a suspended state inside the molding furnace 14 by the chain conveyor 18, it is prevented from coming into contact with the surrounding wall members 33 and the heaters 26 and 27 as constituent members of the molding furnace 14. do not have.

The mold assembly 10 cooled in the cooling chamber 17 and transferred to the outside of the molding furnace 14 is supported in a suspended state on the chain conveyor 18 with the lower mold 2 facing down, so the bolts 7 and nuts 8 are disassembled. As a result, the lower mold 2 can be easily removed from the sleeve 6, and the glass molding material 5 held and molded between the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2 can be easily taken out from the mold assembly 10. be able to. Then, the unmolded glass forming material 5 is mounted on the mold assembly 10 by the reverse operation of the above-described removal, and is again transferred into the forming furnace 14 by the chain conveyor 18. That is, the glass forming material 5 can be continuously formed by the chain conveyor 18.

Note that the above-mentioned transfer means is not limited to the chain conveyor 18 shown in this embodiment, but instead of a chain, wire ropes, steel belts, etc. may be used, or the chain may be arranged in a single row. There is no problem even if it is driven by In short, any material that can mold the glass molding material 5 by transporting the mold assembly 10 in a suspended state through the molding furnace 14 may be used.

Next, in FIG. 1.2 illustrating the operation, a glass molding material 5 is placed on the end surface 4 of the lower mold 2, and the lower mold 2 is inserted into the sleeve 6 from below. A bolt 7 is installed passing through the sleeve 6 and the lower mold 2, and the bolt 7 is fixed to the sleeve 6 by a nut 8.

Then, the glass molding material 5 is held between the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2, and the upper mold 1, the glass molding material 5, and the lower mold 2 are supported by the sleeve 6 via the bolts 7. . In addition, a support shaft 9 is attached to the sleeve 6 and the upper mold 1.
passes through the upper mold 1, and a ball 13 is placed in the recess 11 of the upper mold 1. To support a large number of mold assemblies 10 assembled by such a procedure, the shaft 9 is hooked to the attachments 21a of the chain links 21 at equidistant positions of the chains 19 and 20 of the chain conveyor 18 in FIG. 3.4. The mold assembly 1 is engaged through the portion 9a.
0 is mounted in a suspended state on a chain conveyor 18 via a support shaft 9 outside the forming furnace 1°4.

When the drive sprocket wheel 22 is driven by a drive source (not shown), a large number of mold assemblies 10 supported by the chain conveyor 18 move inside the molding furnace 14 into the preheating chamber 15, heating,
It is continuously transferred to the pressurizing chamber 16 and the cooling chamber 17 in this order. Then, in the preheating chamber 15, the glass molding material 5 is preheated together with the mold assembly lO by the heaters 26 and 27 in the preheating chamber 15, and is transferred to the heating and pressurizing chamber 16, where it is further heated and heated in the pressurizing chamber 16. The glass molding material 5 is preheated by the heaters 26 and 27 until it reaches a predetermined temperature. When a predetermined temperature is reached in the heating and pressurizing chamber 16 and the glass molding material 5 is softened, the pressurizing mechanisms 28 and 29 approach each other and press the upper mold 1 and the upper mold 1 of the mold assembly 10 via the balls 13 and 32. The lower mold 2 is pressed correctly, and the glass molding material 5 is molded according to the shapes of the end surface 3 of the upper mold 1 and the end surface 4 of the lower mold 2. Next, the glass molding material 5 molded with the pressurizing mechanisms 28 and 29 separated is transferred together with the mold assembly 10 to the cooling chamber 17 by the chain conveyor 18, and the heater 26 of the cooling chamber 17 is controlled in a predetermined temperature pattern. ．．
27 for slow cooling in the cooling chamber 17. Further, the bolts 7 and nuts 8 are removed from the mold assembly 10 that has been transferred to the outside of the molding furnace 14 by the chain conveyor 18.
The lower mold 2 is pulled out from the sleeve 6, and the glass molded material 5 formed as a press lens is taken out. Then, the glass molding material 5 is mounted on the mold assembly IO again according to the above-described assembly procedure, and is transferred to the molding furnace 14 by the chain conveyor 18, where the glass molding material 5 is continuously molded. At this time, as described above, the mold assembly 10 is configured with the upper mold 1, the lower mold 2, and the sleeve 6 as the main components, and has an extremely simple structure. The heating and cooling times can be significantly reduced. In addition, since the glass forming material 5 is continuously formed by the chain conveyor 18, it is possible to shorten the heating and cooling times and improve the productivity of press forming. Furthermore, the mold assembly 10 is supported in a suspended state on the chain conveyor 18 via the support shaft 9, and is transported without contacting the wall member 33 of the molding furnace 1°4 or the heaters 26,27. Therefore, the heat of the mold assembly 10 heated to an appropriate temperature by the heaters 26 and 27 is not transferred to the outside, and a uniform temperature distribution of the glass molding material 5 required for molding is ensured. This improves the precision of the press lenses that are molded.

Furthermore, since the structure of the mold assembly 10 is simplified, the angle of the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2 is improved by 41 degrees, and a high-precision press lens can be obtained. Manufacturing costs can be reduced.

As described above, in this embodiment, the mold assembly 10 is composed of the upper mold 1, the lower mold 2, the sleeve 6, and the support shaft 9, and the chain conveyor 18 is provided in the molding furnace 14 to convey the glass molding material. 5 together with the mold assembly 10 via the support shaft 9, and moves continuously within the forming furnace 14 without contacting the wall member 33 and heaters 26, 27 of the forming furnace 14 to form the glass forming material 5. is being molded. Therefore, the structure of the mold assembly 10 can be simplified, and the time for heating and cooling the glass molding material 5 can be shortened, and the temperature distribution of the glass molding material 5 during molding can be made uniform. . As a result, the productivity of press molding can be improved, the precision of the press lens can be improved, and the manufacturing cost of the mold can be reduced. Moreover, since the mold assembly 10 is always supported by the chain conveyor 18 in a suspended state by the support shaft 9, the pressurizing mechanism 28 Pressed by .29. Therefore, the movement of the upper die 1 and the lower die 2 within the sleeve 6 during pressure pressing is reduced, and the chance of damage to the upper die 1 and the lower die 2 is reduced. Durability can be improved. Furthermore, since the lower mold 2 can be easily removed from the sleeve 6, the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2 can be easily cleaned.

(Effects) According to the present invention, the mold assembly is composed of an upper mold, a lower mold, a sleeve, and a support shaft, and a moving means is provided in the molding furnace to move the glass molding material together with the mold assembly through the support shaft. Since the molding process is carried out by supporting the molding material and continuously moving it inside the molding furnace without contacting other parts, it simplifies the structure of the mold assembly and reduces the temperature rise of the molding material.
The cooling time can be shortened, and the temperature distribution of the molding material during molding can be made more uniform. therefore,
It is possible to improve the productivity of press molding and the precision of press lenses, and to reduce the manufacturing cost of molds.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the continuous glass press molding apparatus according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a front view of the mold assembly, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the forming furnace and the chain conveyor, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line N-IV in FIG. 3. 1... Upper mold, 2... Lower mold, 3.4... End surface, 5... Glass molding material, 6... - Sleeve, 7... Bolt (support member), 9... Support shaft, 10... Mold assembly, 14... Molding furnace, 15. ... Preheating chamber, 16 ... Heating and pressurizing chamber, 17 ... Cooling room, 18 ... Chain conveyor (transfer means), first
Figure 1o Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] An upper mold and a lower mold sandwiching a glass molding material between mutually opposing end surfaces, and the upper mold and the lower mold are fitted,
A sleeve that passes through the support member together with the lower mold to support the upper mold and the lower mold via the support member, and a sleeve that penetrates the sleeve and the upper mold to allow the upper mold, the lower mold, and the sleeve to rotate freely. A support shaft that supports the mold assembly, and a large number of mold assemblies that support the mold assemblies through the support shaft, a preheating chamber that preheats the glass molding material, and a preheating chamber that heats the glass molding material. , a heating and pressurizing chamber for press-molding the glass molding material by pressing the upper mold and lower mold of the mold assembly close to each other, and a cooling chamber for cooling the press-formed glass molding material. A transfer means for continuously transferring the inside of a forming furnace in which the A continuous glass press molding device characterized by: