JPH04314524A - Laminating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a device performing laminate processing whose quality is stable. CONSTITUTION:In a laminating device 1 where the first airtight chamber 1 and second airtight chamber 12 are partitioned with a synthetic resin sheet 8, a laminated body 5 is arranged in the foregoing first airtight chamber 1 and the foregoing synthetic resin sheet 8 heated and softened by a heating device 14 is air-pressure-laminated to the foregoing laminated body 5 by controlling pressure of both the foregoing airtight chambers, it is constituted so that a temperature detecting device 13 measuring a temperature of the foregoing synthetic resin sheet 8 is provided and heat to be generated by the foregoing heating device 14 is controlled based on a surface temperature of the synthetic resin sheet 8 detected by the temperature detecting device 13.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a laminating apparatus, and more particularly to an improvement in a laminating apparatus that pneumatically laminates heat-softened synthetic resin sheets onto objects to be laminated using a pressure difference between two airtight chambers.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a decorative member made of synthetic resin and printed with a woodgrain pattern or the like is used for the dashboard of an automobile. In order to manufacture such a decorative member, a synthetic resin sheet (picture sheet) on which a wood grain pattern is printed in advance is placed between the first airtight chamber and the second airtight chamber, and the synthetic resin sheet is molded into a predetermined shape in the first airtight chamber. The base material (laminated body) is placed. Under such circumstances, the first airtight chamber is evacuated to create a vacuum state, creating a pressure difference between the first and second airtight chambers, and the synthetic resin sheet softened under pressure by heating means is used as a base material. A synthetic resin sheet is pressed onto the entire surface of the base material while being brought into contact with the base material, thereby forming a film on the synthetic resin sheet.

[0003] During this manufacturing, it is necessary to ensure that air is not trapped between the synthetic resin sheet and the base material, that the heated and softened synthetic resin sheet does not deform instantly when a pressure difference is applied, and that processing conditions are adjusted from atmospheric pressure to It is necessary to meet the following conditions, such as reaching a sufficient degree of vacuum in a short time. Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-45768 is known as a manufacturing method that satisfies the above conditions.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] When mass-producing the above-mentioned decorative members, it is important to have the reproducibility of processing conditions such that the same product can be manufactured by applying the same processing conditions to the same material.
Stability in the quality of the finished product is essential. Conventionally, for example, synthetic resin sheet materials (vinyl chloride, PET
etc.)・Thickness of synthetic resin sheet (200μm, 400μm
etc.), each time the material, volume, dimensions, etc. of the objects to be laminated were changed, it was necessary to repeatedly warm up the laminating equipment and select and set the optimal processing conditions, resulting in wasted work time.

[0005] In such processing conditions, the processing temperature of the synthetic resin sheet is particularly important.
No. 8 does not consider temperature control. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a laminating apparatus that can produce decorative members of stable quality by controlling the heating temperature of a synthetic resin sheet and that does not require warm-up time.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention partitions a first airtight chamber and a second airtight chamber with a synthetic resin sheet, arranges a laminated body in the first airtight chamber,
The synthetic resin sheet heated and softened by heating means,
A laminating apparatus that performs pressure air lamination on the object to be laminated by controlling the pressure in both airtight chambers, the laminating apparatus is provided with a temperature detection means for measuring the temperature of the synthetic resin sheet, and the temperature of the synthetic resin sheet detected by the temperature detection means is The heat generated by the heating means is controlled based on the temperature.

[0007]

[Operation] According to the present invention, the temperature detection means detects, for example, the surface temperature of the synthetic resin sheet that is actually heated, and the temperature of the heating means is controlled based on the detection result.
Ensure that the surface temperature of the synthetic resin sheet meets the optimum conditions for processing.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be explained below based on the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows an elevational sectional view of an embodiment of the laminating apparatus L of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the first
The upper part of the lower chamber 1, which is an airtight chamber, is open, and the insertion opening 2 is formed in the bottom surface. A shaft 3, which is moved up and down in the direction of symbol A by a drive device (not shown), is inserted into the insertion opening 2 so as to be airtight against the inner wall of the insertion opening 2. A mounting table 4 is fixed to the upper end of the shaft 3 on which a base material 5, which is a laminated object, is placed. Through hole 4a to pass through
is drilled. Fixing protrusions 6a and 6b are formed in the upper opening of the lower chamber 1 to fix the synthetic resin sheet 8 in an airtight manner by fixing members 7a and 7b. A pipe 9 is disposed on the right side wall of the lower chamber 1, and the pipe 9 is configured to bring the lower chamber 1 into a vacuum state via a valve 11 by a vacuum device (not shown). In the vacuum device, when the large tank is kept in a vacuum state and the valve 11 is opened, the upper chamber 12 or the lower chamber 1 can be brought into a vacuum state at once. Further, a compressed air device is arranged upstream of the valve 11, and a vacuum state or a compressed air state can be selected by operating a valve (not shown).

The upper chamber 12, which is the second hermetic chamber, is moved up and down as indicated by the symbol B by a drive device (not shown). A synthetic resin sheet 8 is placed on the ceiling of the upper chamber 12.
Heaters 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d are attached to heat the. Known far-infrared heaters may be used as these heaters. A sensor section 13a of a radiation thermometer 13 is arranged at the center of the ceiling to detect the surface temperature of the heated synthetic resin sheet 8 as radiant heat. Upper chamber 1
The lower end surface of the lower chamber 2 is brought into close contact with the upper surface of the fixing projections 6a, 6b of the lower chamber 1 to maintain an airtight state. A pipe 15 is disposed on the right side wall of the upper chamber 12, and the pipe 15 is configured to bring the upper chamber 12 into a vacuum state or a compressed air state via a valve 16 by means of a vacuum device and a compressed air device (not shown).

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the control system of the above embodiment, and FIG. 3 shows a time chart of the relationship between the operation of the airtight chamber and the control of the seat temperature in the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the CPU 21, which is a control unit, includes a radiation thermometer 13, and a ROM 2 that stores a control program for the device and a program related to control between the synthetic resin sheet temperature and the heater temperature shown in FIG.
2, a RAM 23 that temporarily stores processing data, an input section 24 that inputs data such as the material and thickness of the synthetic resin sheet and the material and dimensions of the base material, and the first to fourth heaters 14.
a to 14d are connected.

Next, the operation of the laminating apparatus L will be explained based on FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4(A) to 4(E). First, as shown in FIG. 4(A), the upper chamber 12 is pulled upward by a drive device (not shown) and stopped at a predetermined position. While it is stopped, a worker places the base material (laminated body) 5 on the mounting table 4, and holds and fixes the synthetic resin sheet 8 on the top surface of the fixing protrusions 6a and 6b in an airtight state. do.

After holding and fixing the synthetic resin sheet 8, as shown in FIG.
As shown in A), the heater 14 is heated, and when the temperature of the heater 14 rises to a certain extent (approximately 20 seconds), the temperature shown in FIG.
), the upper chamber 12 is pulled down, and at the same time as the mold is clamped, the vacuum device is operated to bring the first airtight chamber 1 and the second airtight chamber 12 into a vacuum state, so that [upper chamber pressure>lower chamber pressure] Atmospheric pressure], the heated and softened synthetic resin sheet 8 will dent downward due to the air pressure difference. At this time, the mounting table 4 is being gradually driven upward. In addition, by adjusting the air pressure, the heated and softened synthetic resin sheet 8 is prevented from instantaneously coming into close contact with the entire surface of the base material 5.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4(C), the center portion of the synthetic resin sheet 8 comes into contact with the surface of the base material 5, and lamination is started. Furthermore, when the mounting table 4 rises, as shown in FIG.
As shown in D), the contact area of the synthetic resin sheet 8 gradually expands toward the periphery of the base material 5. Next, Figure 4 (
As shown in E), the mounting table 4 rises and the fixing protrusions 6a,
The lower surface of the chamber 6b is brought into an airtight state, and when the airtight state is established, compressed air having a pressure of [compressed air pressure≧atmospheric pressure] is fed into the upper chamber 12. Then, due to the pressure difference between the compressed air and the vacuum, the synthetic resin sheet 8 comes into contact with the entire surface of the base material 5, and lamination is completed. When this compressed air is sent, the mounting table 4 is provided with a vacuum suction device (not shown) unique to the mounting table.
If the synthetic resin sheet 8 is strongly suctioned, the synthetic resin sheet 8 and the base material 5 will come into close contact with each other more completely, and air bubbles can be prevented from entering.

Next, when compressed air is sent into the lower chamber 1, the compressed air pushes the synthetic resin sheet 8 upward through the through hole 4a, and the synthetic resin sheet 8 that is in close contact with the mounting table 4 is peeled off, causing a series of Laminate molding is completed (mold release blow)
. In such a laminating process, the radiation thermometer 13
detects the surface temperature (sheet temperature) of the heated and softened synthetic resin sheet 8, and this detection signal (sheet temperature signal) is sent to the CPU 21. The CPU 21 performs on/off control of the heaters 14a to 14d according to the relationship between the seat temperature and the heater temperature stored in the ROM 22 in response to the detection signal. Therefore, the surface temperature of the synthetic resin sheet 8 is
The optimum processing temperature is always maintained.

That is, in the state shown in FIG.
As shown below, the temperature of the synthetic resin sheet 8 increases as it is heated by the heater. After approximately 20 seconds have passed from the start of heating, the surface temperature of the synthetic resin sheet 8 is detected by the radiation thermometer 13, and based on this detection result, the temperature of the heater is adjusted so as to always converge to the set temperature (optimum processing temperature). Control. This temperature control state continues for about 50 seconds. After 50 seconds have elapsed, the heating is stopped, and when the airtight chamber reaches room temperature, a release blow is performed.

[0016] In this embodiment, the case where one radiation thermometer is provided has been explained, but if multiple radiation thermometers are provided, the surface temperature of the synthetic resin sheet can be detected at multiple locations. Finely control on/off of multiple heaters,
It is also possible to control the two-dimensional distribution of the surface temperature of the synthetic resin sheet into an optimal pattern. In this way, for example, an uneven synthetic resin sheet can be beautifully applied to an uneven base material.

[0017] Furthermore, the temperature control of the heater is simply an on/off operation.
In addition to off-control, the heater output may be continuously controlled by adjusting the alternating current using a thyristor. Furthermore, in the present invention, the synthetic resin sheet is configured as a transfer sheet, that is, a releasable base sheet/transfer pattern layer, and is laminated with the transfer pattern layer side facing the object to be laminated. Transfer decoration can also be performed by releasing only the moldable base sheet and leaving only the pattern layer on the laminated body.

[0018]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, the temperature of the heated and softened synthetic resin sheet is monitored and detected, and the heater is controlled to the optimum heating conditions, so that products of stable quality can be produced. It can be manufactured and synthetic resin sheets and base materials of various materials and sizes can be applied without warming up the laminating equipment.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an elevational sectional view of a laminating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control system of the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the surface temperature of a synthetic resin and a set temperature.

FIGS. 4A to 4E are operation process diagrams of the laminating apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1...Lower chamber (first airtight chamber) 4...Placement stand 5...Base material (laminated body) 6a, 6b...fixing protrusion 8...Synthetic resin sheet 12...Upper chamber (second airtight chamber) 13... Radiation thermometer (temperature detection means) 14a-14d...Heater 21...CPU 22...ROM

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A first airtight chamber and a second airtight chamber are partitioned by a synthetic resin sheet, a laminated body is placed in the first airtight chamber, and the synthetic resin sheet heated and softened by a heating means is placed between the two airtight chambers. A laminating apparatus for pneumatically laminating the objects to be laminated by controlling the pressure in an airtight chamber, comprising a temperature detection means for measuring the temperature of the synthetic resin sheet,
A laminating apparatus characterized in that the heat emitted by the heating means is controlled based on the temperature of the synthetic resin sheet detected by the temperature detection means.