JPWO2009016991A1 - Injection molding apparatus, molding method, molded product, and optical element - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to provide an injection molding apparatus that can prevent distortion or the like of a molded product at the time of molding, a resin is injected through a gate GA into a cavity CV formed by a fixed mold 61 and a movable mold 62. Is an injection molding apparatus 100 for molding an optical element by disposing the gate GA below the center of the cavity CV. Thereby, by disposing the gate GA below the molded product MP, the main filling direction of the resin becomes the gate GA upward direction, and the occurrence of distortion below the gate GA can be prevented. In addition, since the resin supplied from the gate GA is injected into the previously injected resin and the occurrence of air entrainment can be suppressed, the inhibition of curing by oxygen is reduced, and the resin can be cured in a short time.

Description

  The present invention relates to a molding technique of an optical element, and particularly relates to an injection molding apparatus and molding method for molding an optical element using an energy curable resin, a molded article obtained by these, and an optical element.

As an injection molding apparatus, there is one that clamps a fixed mold and a movable mold between a fixed plate and a movable plate (for example, see Patent Document 1). This injection molding apparatus includes a toggle mechanism for moving the movable plate forward and backward, and clamps both molds by fastening the fixed platen and the movable platen by the operation of the toggle mechanism. At this time, the cavity formed by both molds can discharge the internal air from, for example, the gap between the molds as the resin is injected.
JP-A-7-68610

  In the injection molding apparatus as described above, a gate is generally provided at the center of the molded product, and the flow of material during filling differs between the upper side and the lower side of the molded product. It was easy to generate internal distortion inside. In particular, distortion is likely to occur in the vertical line below the gate where the material is first filled and the vertical line above the gate where the material is finally filled. Further, until the material injected into the mold is filled up to the gate position, air is entrained when injected into the space. For this reason, there has been a problem that the curing of the material is hindered or cured unevenly.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the injection molding apparatus which can prevent distortion etc. of a molded article at the time of shaping | molding.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a molding method using the injection molding apparatus as described above.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a molded article and an optical element manufactured by using the injection molding apparatus and the molding method as described above.

  An injection molding apparatus according to the present invention includes a first mold and a second mold that have a mold opening and a mold closing as a lateral direction, and a cavity formed by the first and second molds. An injection molding apparatus for molding a molded article including an optical element by injecting a resin through a gate, wherein the gate is arranged below the center of the cavity.

  In the above injection molding apparatus, by disposing the gate below the molded product, the main filling direction of the resin is the gate upward direction, and the occurrence of distortion on the gate lower side can be prevented. Further, since the resin supplied from the gate is injected into the previously injected resin and the occurrence of air entrainment can be suppressed, the inhibition of curing by oxygen is reduced, and the resin can be cured in a short time. Thereby, since the molded product is uniformly cured, it is possible to mold the optical element with high accuracy and to improve the adhesion of the antireflection coating.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the cavity is disk-shaped. In this case, the resin can be supplied so as to spread thinly from the gate, and a molded product as an array of optical elements can be obtained.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a portion corresponding to the optical element is disposed in the cavity while avoiding the lower side of the gate. In this case, by avoiding the downward direction of the gate where deterioration is likely to occur locally, the molded product can be prevented from being distorted, and an optical element with high accuracy can be molded.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, the resin is an energy curable resin. In this case, examples of the energy curable resin include a thermosetting resin and an ultraviolet curable resin. Since the thermosetting resin is cured when heated, it can be cured by supplying a liquid thermosetting resin that is liquid at room temperature into a heated mold. On the other hand, since the ultraviolet curable resin is cured when irradiated with ultraviolet rays, it can be cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays from the outside after supplying a liquid ultraviolet curable resin that is liquid at room temperature into a transparent mold. .

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a pressure reducing device for reducing the pressure in the cavity is provided. In this case, it is possible to supply the resin and cure the resin under reduced pressure, and since the resin spreads in a certain direction, distortion on the upper side of the gate does not occur, and a molded product with less distortion can be formed.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, the molded article includes a plurality of optical elements. In this case, by preventing distortion of the entire molded product, the individual optical elements can be made highly accurate and the mutual arrangement can be made accurate.

  A molding method according to the present invention is a molding method for molding a molded product including an optical element by using an injection molding apparatus that laterally opens and closes a mold, the gate being provided below the center of the molded product A resin is injected from the mold to form a molded product.

  In the above molding method, the main filling direction of the resin is the upward direction of the gate by disposing the gate below the molded product, and the occurrence of distortion on the lower side of the gate can be prevented. In addition, since the resin supplied from the gate is injected into the previously injected resin, no air entrainment occurs, so that there is no inhibition of curing by oxygen, and the resin can be cured in a short time. Thereby, since it hardens | cures uniformly, a highly accurate optical element can be shape | molded and the adhesiveness of an antireflection coating can be improved.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the resin is an energy curable resin.

  The molded product according to the present invention is molded by the molding method described above. This molded product is an optical element array in which optical elements such as lenses are integrated.

  The optical element according to the present invention is manufactured by cutting the above-described molded product. That is, each optical element is obtained through the same molding process.

It is a front view which illustrates notionally the structure of an injection molding apparatus. (A) is a figure explaining the inner surface side of a stationary mold among molding dies, (B) is a figure explaining the inner surface side of a movable mold among molding dies, (C) is a figure explaining the periphery of a fixed mold and a movable mold. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement of a metal mold | die centering on the boundary of a fixed mold and a movable mold. (A) is a plan view of a molded product, (B) is a side view of the molded product, and (C) is a side view of an optical element cut out from the molded product. It is a figure explaining the modification of the periphery of a fixed mold and a movable mold shown in Drawing 2 (C). It is a figure explaining the modification of operation | movement of the metal mold | die shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Injection molding machine 11 Fixed platen 12 Movable platen 13 Clamping plate 15 Mold opening / closing / clamping device 20 Take-out device 51 Temperature control device 53 Decompression device 16 Injection device 16d Injection end 61 Fixed mold 62 Movable die 63a O-ring 63b Resin seal 100 Injection molding machine CV Cavity GA Gate V Valve MP Molded product

  An injection molding apparatus and a molding method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view conceptually illustrating the structure of the injection molding apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  The injection molding apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes an injection molding machine 10, a take-out device 20, a temperature adjustment device 51, and a decompression device 53. The injection molding machine 10 is a part that performs injection molding to produce a molded product MP, the take-out device 20 is a part that takes out the molded product MP from the injection molding machine 10, and the temperature adjustment device 51 is the injection molding machine 10. The pressure reducing device 53 is a portion that evacuates the inside of the mold of the injection molding machine 10. Here, in the injection molding apparatus 100, the mold opening and mold closing are in the horizontal direction.

  The injection molding machine 10 includes a fixed platen 11, a movable platen 12, a mold clamping plate 13, an opening / closing drive device 15, and an injection device 16. The injection molding machine 10 sandwiches a fixed mold 61, which is a first mold, and a movable mold 62, which is a second mold, between a fixed plate 11 and a movable plate 12, and both molds 61, Molding can be performed by clamping 62.

  The fixed platen 11 is fixed to the upper surface on the center side of the support frame 14 and supports the take-out device 20 on the upper part thereof. The inner side of the fixed platen 11 detachably supports the fixed mold 61 and faces the inner side of the movable platen 12. The fixed platen 11 is fixed to the mold clamping plate 13 via tie bars 64a and 64b, and can withstand the pressure of mold clamping (ie, lock-up) during molding.

  The upper tie bar 64a and the lower tie bar 64b are installed between the fixed platen 11 and the mold clamping platen 13, respectively. There are actually two upper tie bars 64a and two lower tie bars 64b, which are supported by the four corners of the fixed platen 11 and the mold clamping plate 13 and extend parallel to each other. In the four corners of the movable platen 12, through holes for penetrating the tie bars 64a and 64b are formed, and the movable platen 12 is slidable with respect to the tie bars 64a and 64b.

  The movable platen 12 is supported by a slide guide 15a, which will be described later, so that the movable platen 12 can move forward and backward. The inner side of the movable platen 12 detachably supports the movable mold 62 and faces the inner side of the fixed platen 11. Note that an ejector 81 is incorporated in the movable platen 12. The ejector 81 allows the molded product MP remaining in the movable mold 62 at the time of mold release to be pushed out of the movable mold 62 and transferred by the take-out device 20.

  The mold clamping machine 13 is fixed to the upper surface on the end side of the support frame 14. The position of the movable platen 12 can be adjusted in the direction in which the tie bars 64a and 64b extend, and the distance between the fixed platen 11 and the movable platen 12 can be adjusted. The mold clamping machine 13 supports the movable board 12 from the back via the power transmission part 15d of the opening / closing drive device 15 at the time of mold clamping.

  The opening / closing drive device 15 includes a slide guide 15a, a power transmission unit 15d, and an actuator 15e. The slide guide 15a is provided on the support frame 14 and directly below the movable platen 12, and supports the movable platen 12 and enables smooth reciprocation of the movable platen 12 with respect to the fixed platen 11 in the advancing and retreating direction. . The power transmission unit 15d is configured by a toggle link or the like, and expands and contracts by receiving a driving force from the actuator 15e. As a result, the movable platen 12 can be moved close to or away from the mold clamping plate 13, and as a result, the movable platen 12 and the fixed platen 11 can be clamped so as to be close to each other.

  With the above opening / closing drive device 15, the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62 sandwiched between the fixed platen 11 and the movable platen 12 can be closed, or the movable platen 12 and the fixed platen 11 can be mutually closed. The fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62 that are separated and sandwiched between them can be opened. Furthermore, when closing the mold, the movable platen 12 can be pressed against the fixed platen 11 side by driving the actuator 15e with extremely large pressure, and the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62 can be clamped with sufficient force. it can.

  The injection device 16 includes a cylinder 16a, a raw material storage unit 16b, a screw drive unit 16c, and the like, and can discharge liquid resin from the injection end 16d in a temperature-controlled state. The injection device 16 can detachably connect the injection end 16d of the cylinder 16a to a gate (described later) of the fixed platen 11, and the fixed die 61 and the movable die 62 are connected via the fixed platen 11. Molten resin can be supplied at a desired timing into a cavity CV (see FIG. 2) formed in a clamped state.

  The take-out device 20 includes a hand 21 that can hold the molded product MP and a three-dimensional drive device 22 that moves the hand 21 three-dimensionally. The take-out device 20 has a role of holding the molded product MP remaining in the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62 and carrying them out to the outside when the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62 are separated and opened. . In the case where the molded product MP is an optical element, a sprue portion that is an unnecessary portion formed accompanying the molding is held by the hand 21 so as not to damage the molded product body having the optical surface.

  The temperature adjustment device 51 adjusts the temperature of the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62. Specifically, the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62 are heated to a necessary temperature by supplying a temperature adjusting medium to the fluid circulation path provided in the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62, and The transparent resin injected into the cavity CV formed between the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62 is cured.

  The decompression device 53 includes a vacuum pump 53a that enables evacuation in the cavity CV formed by the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62, and a valve V that opens and closes an exhaust path from the vacuum pump 53a. The vacuum pump 53a is connected to a later-described evacuation hole 52 (see FIG. 2) provided in the fixed mold 61 via the valve V, and air in the cavity CV can be extracted from the hole 52. it can.

  Hereinafter, a molding die according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 2A is a diagram for explaining the inner surface side of the movable mold 62 in the molding die, and FIG. 2B is an inner surface of the fixed mold 61 in the molding die. FIG. 2C is a front cross-sectional view for explaining the periphery of the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62. In FIG. 2C, the pattern of the molded product is omitted.

  A cavity CV is formed between the molds 61 and 62 by aligning and clamping the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62, and in this cavity CV, a thermosetting resin which is an energy curable resin, an ultraviolet ray is formed. After filling with the curable resin or the like, a molded product can be formed by heat treatment, ultraviolet treatment, cooling treatment, or the like. Here, examples of the thermosetting resin include silicone resin, allyl ester, acrylic resin, epoxy resin, polyimide, and urethane resin. Examples of the ultraviolet curable resin include silicone resin, acrylic resin, epoxy resin, polyimide, and urethane resin.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the fixed mold 61 has a cylindrical outer shape, and on the inner mold surface 61s, a large number of element transfer portions 61a arranged two-dimensionally, and these element transfers And a support transfer portion 61b that connects the portions 61a. Each element transfer portion 61a is a portion corresponding to an optical element such as a lens constituting the molded product MP, has a circular outer periphery, a circular optical transfer surface 61d on the center side, and an annular peripheral edge on the peripheral side. A transfer surface 61e.

  Further, the fixed mold 61 further includes a vacuum hole 52. A sprue 61g for injecting resin is formed below the fixed mold 61. The tip of the sprue 61g on the cavity CV side is a gate GA serving as an entrance for resin injection. The gate GA is provided at a position corresponding to the lower side from the center of the molded product MP.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the movable mold 62 has a cylindrical outer shape, and on the inner mold surface 62s, a large number of element transfer portions 62a arranged two-dimensionally, and these element transfers And a support transfer part 62b for connecting the parts 62a. Each element transfer portion 62a is to be disposed opposite to the element transfer portion 61a of the fixed mold 61, has a circular outer periphery, a circular optical transfer surface 62d on the center side, and an annular shape on the peripheral side. Peripheral transfer surface 62e.

  Note that when the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62 are closed and clamped to form the cavity CV, a portion corresponding to the optical element is formed by the element transfer portions 61a and 62a.

  The movable mold 62 further includes an O-ring 63a that is a first sealing member outside the mold surface 62s. The O-ring 63 a is annular and is fitted into a circumferential groove 64 a provided in the movable mold 62. Here, the O-ring 63a is made of a material that can maintain airtightness in the cavity CV and does not generate gas. For example, a fluororesin is used.

  The movable mold 62 further includes a resin seal 63b as a second sealing member between the mold surface 62s and the O-ring 63a. The resin seal 63 b is annular and is fitted in a circumferential groove 64 b provided in the movable mold 62. Here, the resin seal 63b is made of a material having characteristics such as not being attacked by the energy curable resin to be sealed. For example, silicone resin, fluororesin, polyimide, polyamideimide, 66 nylon, perfluoroelastomer and the like are used.

  The movable mold 62 is provided with a plurality of ejector pins 82 at positions corresponding to the resin seal 63b. These ejector pins 82 are connected to an ejector 81 shown in FIG. The ejector pin 82 penetrates in the vertical direction with respect to the annular surface RS on the outer side of the mold surface 62s of the movable mold 62 and can advance and retreat.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the mold, focusing on a part near the boundary between the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62. 3A shows the state of the first mold clamping position, FIG. 3B shows the state of the second mold clamping position, and FIG. 3C shows the third mold clamping position. Show.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the first mold clamping is performed by the injection molding machine 10 of FIG. 1, and the contact portion between the O-ring 63a and the fixed mold 61 is in close contact. That is, in the state of the first mold clamping position, the inside of the cavity CV is kept airtight. In this state, the injection end 16 d of the injection device 16 of FIG. 1 is brought into airtight contact with the resin injection hole 61 h of the fixed mold 61 to open the valve V. The vacuum of the cavity CV in which the air in the cavity CV is discharged from the hole 52 is performed by the vacuum pump 53a. During decompression, the distance a between the mating surface of the fixed mold 61 and the mating surface of the movable mold 62 is, for example, 0.8 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (B), after vacuuming, the second mold clamping is performed by the injection molding machine 10, and the contact portion between the resin seal 63b and the annular surface RS of the fixed mold 61 is in close contact. It becomes. That is, the cavity CV is sealed in the second mold clamping position. Then, for example, a thermosetting resin that is an energy curable resin is injected from the injection device 16 into the cavity CV. During injection, the distance b between the mating surface of the fixed mold 61 and the mating surface of the movable mold 62 is, for example, 0.1 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, after the thermosetting resin is filled in the cavity CV, the third mold clamping is performed by the injection molding machine 10 before the curing of the thermosetting resin is completed. The mating surface of the fixed mold 61 and the mating surface of the movable mold 62 are in close contact with each other. That is, compression molding is performed in the state of the third mold clamping position.

  After the curing of the thermosetting resin is completed, the mold is opened, the sprue portion and the like are held by the hand 21, and the resin seal 63 b is pushed out by the ejector pin 82, whereby the molded product MP is taken out from the movable mold 62.

  FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a molded product MP formed by the injection molding apparatus 100 of FIG. 1, that is, an optical element array. 4A is a plan view of the optical element array 71, FIG. 4B is a side view of the optical element array 71, and FIG. 4C is an optical element cut out from the optical element array 71. It is a side view of a single item.

  The optical element array 71 shown in FIGS. 4 (A) and 4 (B) has a disk-like outer shape, and a large number of optical element 71a portions arranged two-dimensionally, and between these element portions 71a. And a support 71b to be connected. Here, the optical element 71a portion corresponds to the element transfer portions 61a and 62a provided in the molds 61 and 62 in FIGS. 2B and 2A, and the support 71b is provided in the molds 61 and 62. This corresponds to the support transfer portions 61b and 62b. The former optical element 71a portion is formed between the optical element body 71d formed between the optical transfer surfaces 61d and 62d of the molds 61 and 62 and the peripheral transfer surfaces 61e and 62e of the molds 61 and 62. Flange portion 71e.

  In the optical element shown in FIG. 4C, that is, a lens, the upper surface of the optical element body 71d is a first optical surface 71j, and the lower surface of the optical element body 71d is a second optical surface 71k. In this case, a lens is formed by both optical surfaces 71j and 71k. Note that a triangular pyramid-shaped sprue portion 71 g is formed near the end of the optical element array 71.

  In the injection molding apparatus 100 described above, during injection, the resin is filled in the cavity CV mainly in the upward direction from the gate GA, that is, the gate GA at the tip of the sprue portion 61g. It is possible to prevent distortion from occurring under the GA. In addition, during injection, the resin supplied from the gate GA is injected into the resin already accumulated in the cavity CV, and no air entrainment occurs, so there is no inhibition of curing by oxygen and curing can be done in a short time. It becomes. Thereby, since the molded product MP is uniformly cured, it is possible to mold the optical element with high accuracy, and it is possible to improve the adhesion of the antireflection coat to the optical element array 71 which is the molded product.

  Further, by performing vacuum forming as described above, the resin spreads in a certain direction in the cavity CV, so that distortion on the upper side of the gate GA does not occur, and a molded product MP with less distortion can be formed. Further, by avoiding the downward direction of the gate GA, where local degradation is likely to occur, by providing the element transfer portions 61a and 62a, the optical element array 71 is prevented from being distorted, and a highly accurate optical element 71a is provided. Can be molded. As described above, the individual optical elements 71a can be made highly accurate by preventing the distortion of the entire optical element array 71, that is, the molded product MP.

  FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a modification of the molds 61 and 62 shown in FIG. The evacuation hole 52 is provided on the upper side of the fixed mold 61. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the hole 52 from being clogged if a resin leak occurs.

  Further, the operation of the mold described in FIG. 3 may be modified as follows.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the operation of the mold, focusing on a part near the boundary between the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62. 6A shows the state of the first mold clamping position, and FIG. 6B shows the state of the second mold clamping position.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the first mold clamping is performed by the injection molding machine 10, and the contact portion between the O-ring 63a and the fixed mold 61 is in close contact. That is, in the state of the first mold clamping position, the inside of the cavity CV is kept airtight. In this state, the injection end 16 d is brought into contact with the fixed mold 61 to open the valve V, and the air in the cavity CV is drawn from the hole 52 by the vacuum pump 71. The distance a between the fixed mold 61 and the movable mold 62 is, for example, 0.8 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 6 (B), after evacuation, the second mold clamping is performed by the injection molding machine 10, and the contact portion between the resin seal 63b and the fixed mold 61 is brought into close contact with the fixed mold. The mold 61 and the movable mold 62 are in close contact with each other. That is, the cavity CV is sealed in the second mold clamping position. Then, for example, a thermosetting resin, which is an energy curable resin, is supplied into the cavity CV.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, the resin is cured by heating the molds 61 and 62 using a thermosetting resin as an energy curable resin. However, when an ultraviolet curable resin or the like is used, ultraviolet rays are irradiated during molding. Alternatively, the treatment may be performed in accordance with the properties of the resin and cured. Specifically, when injection molding is performed using an ultraviolet curable resin, the movable mold 62 is made transparent so that ultraviolet rays are irradiated into the cavity CV.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, you may use the method of filling resin, releasing the air in cavity CV, without performing vacuuming in the case of injection molding.

Claims (10)

A first mold and a second mold having a lateral direction of mold opening and mold closing are provided, and a resin is injected into a cavity formed by the first and second molds through a gate. An injection molding apparatus for molding a molded product including an optical element by:
An injection molding apparatus, wherein the gate is disposed below the center of the cavity.   The injection molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cavity has a disk shape.   The injection molding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a portion corresponding to the optical element is disposed in the cavity so as to avoid a lower side of the gate.   The injection molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the resin is an energy curable resin.   The injection molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a decompression device that decompresses the inside of the cavity.   The injection molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the molded article includes a plurality of optical elements. A molding method for molding a molded article including an optical element by using an injection molding apparatus having a mold opening and a mold closing lateral direction,
A molding method characterized in that a molded product is molded by injecting resin from a gate provided below the center of the molded product.   The molding method according to claim 7, wherein the resin is an energy curable resin.   A molded article formed by the molding method according to any one of claims 7 and 8.   An optical element produced by cutting the molded product according to claim 9.