JPS62278021A - Manufacture of integrally expanded molded form - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an integrally expanded molded form by a method wherein skins are set on a first molding mold, thereafter, primary foam molding is effected, then, the skins are set into a second molding mold so that the split surfaces thereof coincide and secondary foam molding is effected, thereafter, one pair of expanded semi products are bonded integrally. CONSTITUTION:Skins 24, manufactured separately so as to be corresponding to the molding surfaces and the mating surfaces of a primary molding bottom force 48 and a middle mold 50, put on the bottom force 48, are set on these molds so as to cover the molding surfaces and the mating surfaces of these molds. Subsequently, primary foaming material 54 is filled and a primary molding top force 58 is mated to form an expanded layer 40 and obtain an expanded semi product 20. The other expanded semi product 22 is manufactured separately in the same manner. Next, a secondary molding bottom force 60 and a secondary molding top force 62 are mated so as to coincide the split surfaces 18 of respective expanded semi products 20, 22 and secondary foaming material 64 therein is expanded to bond the expanded semi products 20, 22 integrally by a foamed body 44.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] 3. Detailed Description of the Invention (Technical Field) The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an integrally foamed molded article, and is particularly suitable for manufacturing an automobile headrest. It is related to.

(Prior Art) One type of integral foam molded product is one whose outer surface is composed of a skin or a leather-like surface layer formed on the outer surface of a foamed body. Typical examples include automobile headrests, safety pads, and armrests.

By the way, in this way, the outer surface is the epidermis or leathery surface layer (
An integral foam molded product consisting of a skin (hereinafter simply referred to as a skin),
Particularly in automobile headrests, in recent years, the outer surface of the headrest has been constructed with skins of different colors and materials in order to improve the aesthetic appearance and sense of luxury. Conventionally, skins made of different materials are sewn or welded in advance into a bag shape, and the sewn or welded skins are filled with a foaming material and foamed. The process of sewing or welding the bag into a bag was essential. Therefore, conventionally, the manufacturing thereof has been troublesome. In addition, in the past, such skins were sewn or welded with the joints of each skin on the front side, so it was necessary to turn the joined bag-like skin inside out. It is necessary to leave a part unbonded, and therefore, it is inevitable that the foam leaking from the unbonded part will spoil the appearance of the molded product. There were some problems that needed to be repaired.

Furthermore, this problem of repairing unjoined parts is a problem even in cases where the outer skin is formed into a bag shape by rotational molding or blow molding, and in cases where a predetermined core body is inserted or buried inside, such as an automobile headrest. , was similarly inherent.

Therefore, the inventor of the present application first filed the patent application No. 59-25623.
In the specification of No. 8, a pair of molds each giving a divided body having a shape of dividing an integrally foamed molded product into two is used,
By vacuum-forming skins corresponding to the divided bodies, and then filling them with a predetermined foaming raw material and performing primary foam molding, a skin is provided on each surface corresponding to the outer surface of the integrally foamed molded product, and a skin is formed on the divided surfaces. A pair of foam semi-finished products (half-baked semi-finished products) with predetermined recesses on corresponding surfaces are manufactured, and then molds are matched so that the dividing surfaces of the pair of foam semi-finished products match. By filling the space (recess) formed between the pair of foam semi-finished products with foaming raw material and performing secondary foam molding, an integral foam molded product whose outer surface is composed of a skin is formed. We proposed a method for manufacturing foam molded products.

According to this method, the troublesome process of sewing or welding the skin into a bag shape can be omitted, and the problems of conventional methods, such as leakage of foam to the outside and spoiling the appearance of the molded product, can also be avoided. It is. In addition, even in products such as automobile headrests where the core is inserted or buried inside, the core can be inserted between the split surfaces of the foam semi-finished product, making it easy to insert the core without causing foam leakage. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the problem of repairing the unjoined portions caused by inserting the core.

(Problem) However, in the manufacturing method of integrally foamed molded products proposed in the above specification, the skin corresponding to each segment is manufactured by vacuum forming, so it can be used as the skin. There was a problem in that the materials that could be used were limited to materials that could be vacuum formed, and in particular, when a cloth material was used as the outer skin, it was impossible to use a material with poor extensibility. Furthermore, no consideration was given to constructing one or both of the semi-finished foam products from integral foam having a leather-like surface layer, and in this sense as well, the materials that could be used for the skin were limited.

(Solution Means) Here, the present invention was made against the background of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its feature is that an integrally foamed molded product having a skin or leather-like surface layer is manufactured. (a) Separately manufactured skins corresponding to the divided bodies are set in the first mold that gives each divided body in the shape of vertically dividing the molded product into two, and then the predetermined The outer surface of the integrally foamed molded product can be formed by filling a foaming raw material and performing primary foaming molding, or by directly filling one or both of these molds with a prescribed foaming raw material and performing primary foaming molding. producing a pair of foam semi-finished products, each of which has a surface formed by the skin or a leather-like surface layer formed by the foaming operation of the foaming raw material, and a predetermined recess is formed in the surface corresponding to the dividing surface; (b) placing the pair of foam semi-finished products obtained in the semi-finished product manufacturing process into a second mold for producing the integrally foamed molded product, so that their dividing surfaces match; After setting them in the same manner, the predetermined foaming raw material is filled into the space formed by the recesses of the foam semi-finished products being butted against each other in the cent operation, and the foam is formed by secondary foaming. The method includes a step of filling a space with a foam and simultaneously joining the pair of foamed semi-finished products to form the integrally foamed molded product.

(Operations/Effects) According to the method according to the present invention, the trouble of sewing or welding the skin into a bag shape is avoided, similar to the method of manufacturing an integrally foamed molded product proposed in the above specification (Japanese Patent Application No. 59-256238). In addition, the disadvantages of conventional methods, such as leakage of foam to the outside and spoiling the appearance of the molded product, can be avoided. In addition, even in items such as automobile headrests where the core is inserted and buried inside, the core can be easily buried without causing foam leakage, and the unbonded parts caused by inserting the core can be easily buried. Repair problems can also be avoided.

Moreover, according to the method of the present invention, the skin of each foam semi-finished product is manufactured by a method other than vacuum forming, such as blow molding, slush molding, injection molding, convex vacuum forming, sewing, etc. Therefore, it is now possible to use a skin made of a material that could not be used with the method proposed in the above specification, especially a cloth material with poor extensibility. In addition, according to the method of the present invention, since a separately manufactured skin is used when manufacturing a foam semi-finished product, there is an advantage that each skin can be manufactured separately from the manufacturing of each foam semi-finished product and even the integral foam molded product. There is.

Furthermore, according to the method of the present invention, one or both of the foam semi-finished products can be composed of an integral foam having a leather-like surface layer, so that the skin (including the leather-like surface layer) can be
This expanded the selection of materials that could be used as a material, and this also increased the degree of freedom in designing integrally foamed molded products.

In addition, in the method of the present invention, the manufacturing process of each foam semi-finished product in the semi-finished product manufacturing process and the semi-finished product joining process of joining these foam semi-finished products to form an integral foam molded product can be managed separately. In this sense as well, there is an advantage that manufacturing control of the integrally foamed molded product is easy.

In addition, with the method of the present invention, it is possible to select different foaming raw materials when manufacturing each foam semi-finished product (-secondary foaming molding), and it is possible to select foaming raw materials that are different from each other when manufacturing each foam semi-finished product (secondary foaming molding). It is possible to give different tactile sensations to foam semi-finished products. moreover,
The shape and thickness of the foam layer of each foam semi-finished product, the foam raw material used for secondary foam molding, etc. can be selected as appropriate depending on the purpose, and the feel can be adjusted as appropriate by combining them. be.

(Example) Hereinafter, in order to clarify the present invention more specifically,
The embodiment will be described in detail based on the drawings. In the following description, an example will be described in which the present invention is applied to the manufacture of a perforated headrest for an automobile, but the present invention is not limited to this (but may also be applied to a type of headrest without a perforated portion or It can also be applied to the production of other integral foam molded products such as safety pads and armrests.

First, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a headrest manufactured according to the method of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a partially cutaway view thereof. In those figures, 12 is a headrest main body, which is attached to a car seat (not shown) by a pair of stays 14, 14.

The headrest main body 12 is an integrally foamed molded product having a substantially rectangular frame shape with a cavity 16 in the center, and the molded product is vertically divided into two parts at a dividing surface 18 to form a pair of semi-finished foam products 20. .22 is integrally joined at the dividing surface 18. Each foam semi-finished product 20.22 is provided with a skin 24.26 on the side corresponding to the outer surface of the molded article, and edges 28.30 of the skin 24.26.
are respectively bent inward by a predetermined length along the dividing plane 18 to form corresponding openings 32 and 34 of the same size. Further, inside the skins 24 and 26, there are openings 32 and 34 of the skins 24 and 26, respectively.
A foam layer 40, 42 of a predetermined thickness is provided with a recess 36° 38 having an opening. Then, such foam semi-finished products 20, 22 are butted together with their divided surfaces 18 aligned, and the space formed by the butt of each recess 36, 38 is filled with the foam 44. The headrest main body 12 is constructed by joining them together.

Note that a core body 46 that is integrally formed with the stay 14 14 is buried inside the foam body 44 . Further, here, as the outer skin 24, a thermoplastic resin sheet laminated on the inside of a cloth material is used, and as the outer skin 26, the thermoplastic resin sheet is used as is.

Next, a detailed procedure for manufacturing the above-mentioned headrest will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8. As is clear from these figures, FIGS. 3 to 5 show the manufacturing procedure of the foam semi-finished product (here, the foam semi-finished product 20), and FIGS. 6 to 8 show the manufacturing procedure of the foam semi-finished product (here, the foam semi-finished product 20). Those foam semi-finished products 20.2
The steps for joining the parts 2 and 2 together to form a headrest are shown. Therefore, in the following, we will first refer to Figures 3 to 3.
The procedure for manufacturing each foam semi-finished product 20.22 according to FIG. 5 will be explained, and then the procedure for joining these foam semi-finished products 20.22 to form a headrest according to FIGS. 6 to 8 will be explained. However, these steps do not necessarily have to be carried out as a series of steps, and are usually carried out independently of each other. In addition, since the manufacturing process for each of the foam semi-finished products 20 and 22 is the same except for the molds used and materials such as the skin, the details will only be given here regarding the manufacturing of one of the foam semi-finished products 20. A detailed description of the manufacturing procedure for the other foam semi-finished product 22 will be omitted.

That is, when manufacturing the foam semi-finished product 20, first, as shown in FIG.
For the primary molding lower mold 48 that gives The fabricated skin 24 is set. In addition,
The middle mold 50 is for defining the edge 28 of the skin 24, is made of a plate material of a predetermined thickness, and has a structure having a cavity 52 corresponding to the opening 32 of the skin 24. Further, the skin 24 may be formed by, for example, blow molding, slush molding, injection molding, convex vacuum molding, etc.
It is manufactured by sewing or the like, and as is clear from the figure, at this stage, the swelling and softness is somewhat different from that of the skin 24 that constitutes the outer surface of the foam semi-finished product 20.

Next, the inside of the skin 24 set in this way is filled with a predetermined primary foaming material 54 through the opening 32, and then, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, a protrusion 56 protruding inside the epidermis 24
The primary molding upper mold 58 equipped with the above molds is matched to close the void 52 of the middle mold 50, that is, the opening 32 of the skin 240.

In this state, the primary foaming raw material 54 is foamed (-secondary foaming molding), and the foam layer 40 of the predetermined thickness is formed on the inside of the skin 24.
to form. After forming the foam layer 40, as shown in FIG.
By cutting and removing along the lines 2, the foam semi-finished product 20 as described above is obtained. In addition, as is clear from FIG.
The protrusion 56 protrudes in an annular shape, and the recess 36 is formed by the protrusion 56 . Further, as described above, the other foam semi-finished product 22 is also manufactured separately according to the same procedure using the corresponding primary molding lower mold 48 mold and primary molding J-mold. However, the primary foaming raw material used in producing the foam semi-finished product 22 does not necessarily have to be the same as the primary foaming raw material 54 used in producing the foam semi-finished product 20.

On the other hand, in order to integrally join the foam semi-finished products 20 and 22 manufactured according to such a procedure to form a headrest,
As shown in FIG. 6, a mold similar to or common to one of the primary molding lower molds used in the secondary foam molding is used as a secondary molding lower mold 60, and a mold similar to or common to the other primary molding mold is used. A common mold is used as the upper mold 62 for secondary molding. Here, a mold similar to the primary molding lower mold 48 used for manufacturing the foam semi-finished product 20 is used as the secondary molding lower mold 60, and the primary molding mold used for manufacturing the foam semi-finished product 22 is used as the secondary molding lower mold 60. A mold similar to the mold is used as the upper mold 62 for secondary molding.

That is, in order to join the foam semi-finished products 20 and 22, as shown in FIG. While setting the body semi-finished products 20 and 22, the core body 46, which is integrally formed with the stays 14 and 14, is set. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, a predetermined secondary foaming raw material 64 is filled into the recess 36 of the foam semi-finished product 20 set in the lower secondary mold 60, and as shown in FIG. As shown, the secondary molding lower mold 60 and the secondary molding upper mold 62 are matched so that the dividing surfaces 18 of each foam semi-finished product 20 and 22 match, and the secondary foaming raw material 64 is foamed. (secondary foam molding). As a result, each foam semi-finished product 20.22
The annular space formed by the recesses 36 and 3B is filled with the foam 44, and the foam 44 filled in this space joins the foam semi-finished products 20 and 22 together. As a result, the headrest main body 12 and, ultimately, the headrest are formed. The secondary foaming raw material 64 may be the same as one or both of the secondary foaming raw materials, or may be different from them.

Further, the core body 46 can also be set after the secondary foaming raw material 64 is filled.

In the headrest manufactured by the above-described procedure, as described above, the outer surface of the headrest main body 12 is composed of the skins 24 and 26 that are manufactured as separate members. By using different materials for the outer skin 26 (here, a cloth material is used for the outer skin 24 and a thermoplastic sheet is used for the outer skin 26), the appearance of the outer skin 26 can be varied considerably. Compared to a skin made of the same material, such as a thermoplastic resin sheet, the appearance and luxury can be improved. Moreover, according to the method according to this embodiment, although the outer surface is composed of the skins 24 and 26 made of different materials, the skins are not sewn into a bag shape as in the conventional method. There is no need for troublesome processes such as welding or welding, and therefore a headrest with such an outer surface can be manufactured easily and at low cost. Furthermore, if the method of this embodiment is followed, the problems of the conventional method, such as the leakage of foam from the unjoined parts of the bag-shaped skin and the deterioration of the appearance of the molded product, can be avoided, and a headrest with an excellent appearance can be obtained. Therefore, the insertion and embedding operations of the core body 46 can be easily performed without causing such problems.

Furthermore, according to the method of this embodiment, the skins 24 and 26 can be made by methods other than vacuum forming, such as blow molding, slush molding, injection molding, convex vacuum forming, sewing, etc. Compared to the manufacturing method proposed by the inventor in the above specification (Japanese Patent Application No. 59-256238), there is greater selectivity in the materials that can be used as the skin 24 and 26, as well as in the appearance and feel of the headrest 10. This results in a significant expansion, which is extremely advantageous in terms of headrest design.

Further, according to the method of this embodiment, the manufacturing process of each skin 24 and 26, the manufacturing process of each foam semi-finished product 20 and 22, and the joining process of joining these foam semi-finished products 20 and 22 together to form a headrest. Since each can be managed independently, headrest manufacturing management becomes easier.

In addition, in this example, the edge 28.30 of the epidermis 24.26
is extended for a predetermined length toward the dividing surface 1B side of each foam semi-finished product 20, 22, but the edges of the skins 24 and 26 do not necessarily need to extend toward the dividing surface 8 side; 4
It is also possible to configure it so that 0.42 is in direct contact with it. However, for aesthetic reasons or to maintain the peel strength of these skins 24 and 26 above a certain level, as in this embodiment, the edges 26 and 28 of each skin 24 and 26 are extended a predetermined length toward the dividing surface 18 side. It is desirable to let them come out.

Further, in this embodiment, the epidermis 24 and 26 are made of different materials, but the epidermis 24 and 26 are made of different materials.
．． 26 may be the same material. Even in such a case, it is possible to enjoy the effect of simplifying the manufacturing process of the headrest.

Furthermore, in this example, although the skins 24.26 of the foam semi-finished products 20.22 were each made of a material different from the foam layer 4.0.42, one of the foam semi-finished products 20.22 Alternatively, both may be made of integral foam, and their outer surfaces may be made of a leather-like surface layer formed at the same time as the foam layer 40, 42 is formed. By constructing one or both of the foam semi-finished products 20.22 from such an integral foam, it is possible to further simplify the manufacturing process of the foam semi-finished products 20.22 and, by extension, the headrest.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these specific examples, and various changes, modifications, and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit thereof. It goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in a manner in which the following steps are taken.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a headrest manufactured by the manufacturing method according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway view thereof. Figures 3, 4, and 5. FIG. 6, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8 are explanatory views for explaining the manufacturing process of the headrest shown in FIG. 1, respectively. 12: Headrest body 14 Nisty 18: Dividing surface 20.22: Foam semi-finished product

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim] A method for manufacturing an integrally foamed molded product having a skin or a leather-like surface layer, the method comprising: a first mold that provides two divided bodies each having a shape in which the molded product is vertically divided into two; Then, after setting separately manufactured skins corresponding to the divided bodies, filling the specified foaming raw material and performing primary foam molding, or by applying the specified foaming to one or both of the molds. By directly filling the raw material and performing primary foam molding, the surface corresponding to the outer surface of the integrally foamed molded product is composed of the skin or a leather-like surface layer formed by the foaming operation of the foaming raw material, and the surface is divided. a semi-finished product manufacturing step of manufacturing a pair of foam semi-finished products each having a predetermined recess formed in a surface corresponding to the surface; After setting the foam semi-finished products in a second mold to produce a foam molded product so that their dividing surfaces match, the recesses of the foam semi-finished products are butted against each other in the setting operation, thereby forming a foam product. By filling the space with a predetermined foaming raw material and performing secondary foam molding, the space is filled with the foam to be generated, and at the same time, the pair of foamed semi-finished products are integrally joined to form the integral foamed product. A method for manufacturing an integrally foamed molded product, comprising a step of joining a molded product and a semi-finished product.