KR101086522B1 - Mold press machine and manufacturing method for mold press formed product - Google Patents

Abstract

The mold press apparatus according to the present invention comprises a carrier 71a, 71b for conveying a plurality of processing portions, a fixed support 60 provided in each processing portion, and a forming block 50 including a molding mold containing a molding material. And a conveying device (70) for controlling the operation of the carrier, the apparatus for producing a molded press molded article by performing press molding on a molding material. The carriers 71a and 71b separate the plurality of forming blocks 50 supported by the fixed support 60 from the fixed support 60 at the same time, and transfer them to the next processing unit to the fixed support 60 of the processing unit. The forming block 50 is disposed.

Description

MOLD PRESS MACHINE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR MOLD PRESS FORMED PRODUCT}

1 is a plan view showing an example of a mold press apparatus to which the present invention is applied;

2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state immediately before performing a press process in a press stage in the mold press apparatus according to the present invention;

3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a molding block is being transferred in a press stage in the mold press apparatus according to the present invention;

4 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the transfer apparatus assembled to the mold press apparatus according to the present invention;

5 is an explanatory diagram of a position shift prevention mechanism incorporated in the mold press apparatus according to the present invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mold press apparatus for press-molding molded materials such as glass, to manufacture molded articles such as optical elements, and a manufacturing method for manufacturing optical elements using the apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a transfer technology of a forming block in an apparatus for continuously performing press molding by sequentially transferring a forming block on which a molding material is placed to a plurality of processing units.

As a mold press apparatus for press-molding molding materials such as glass and manufacturing molded articles such as optical elements, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H7-29779) proposes the following apparatus for producing a glass molded article. It is. In the above production apparatus, processing chambers such as a heating chamber, a press chamber, and a cooling chamber are arranged in the circumferential direction, and molding molds containing a molding material are sequentially transferred to the interior of these processing chambers. In the above manufacturing apparatus, each processing chamber is surrounded by a case in a furnace body, and when the molding mold is transferred, the rotary table is intermittently rotated around the central rotary shaft. Here, the sample stand on which the shaping | molding mold was put is comprised on the rotation table, and since a shaping | molding mold is sequentially transferred to each process chamber according to the rotation drive of a rotation table, press molding can be performed continuously.

On the other hand, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Publication H8-13687) proposes the following glass lens forming apparatus. In the above molding apparatus, processing blocks such as a heating block, a deformation block, and a cooling block are arranged in a row on a mount provided in a chamber. Each processing block is composed of an upper block and a lower block. From the outside of the chamber to the inside, the forming block containing the molding mold loaded with the molding material is sequentially pushed into the push rod. In the chamber, the forming block is slid to the next processing block by a comb-shaped pole. The molding mold is composed of an upper mold, a lower mold, and a mold body.

In addition, Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H6-183753) proposes the following optical element manufacturing apparatus. In the above manufacturing apparatus, a heating part, a molding part, and a cooling part are arranged in a series of route routes, in which a plurality of molding molds are sequentially transferred, and an optical element is manufactured from a molding material loaded on the molding mold. do. In the above production apparatus, the molding material and the molding mold are simultaneously transferred in a heating section, and the molding material is transferred into the molding mold before the press pressure is applied, and the pallet on which the molding mold is placed is extruded. ) It is transferred to each process by a cylinder or a drawing cylinder.

According to the manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, by preparing a plurality of molding molds containing a molding material (for example, glass preform), sequentially introduced into the manufacturing apparatus, and sequentially transported in the manufacturing apparatus, The process of heating, pressing, and cooling is performed, and a molded article (such as a glass optical element such as a lens) is continuously and efficiently obtained. By the way, in the said manufacturing apparatus, since the press operation | movement is performed through the rotary table which is a conveying means, when the shaping | molding mold put on the rotary table is conveyed by rotation, there exists a possibility that the rotary table itself may be wheeled by a press load. For this reason, the countermeasure which raises a support rod and supports a part of rotary table at the time when a shaping | molding mold and a sample stand is stopped is needed. Moreover, with the number of press processes, when the number of process chambers (press chambers) increases, the diameter of a turntable will become large. Therefore, there exists a problem that the manufacturing apparatus of patent document 1 becomes large.

In the molding apparatus described in Patent Literature 2, the forming block is transported while the forming block is guided by a guide rail on the lower block in the processing block arranged at the same pitch on the mount. In this case, a press load is applied to the forming mold in the forming block. In this configuration, since the forming block slides on the guide rails, vibration caused by friction deteriorates the surface shape of the molded article having a low viscosity immediately after molding. In addition, when the molding block is slid and moved in a state in which the molding material is included before molding, the position of the molding material may be inclined depending on the shape of the lower mold and the shape of the molding material. If the molded material is pressed in position, there is a fear that thickness deviation occurs in the molded body. Moreover, when conveying, undesirable temperature fluctuation may arise by the change of the contact area of a shaping | molding mold and a heating / cooling block.

In the manufacturing apparatus of patent document 3, the shaping | molding mold is placed in the some pallet arranged on the rail, the said pallet is conveyed sequentially by an extrusion cylinder or an extraction cylinder, and the press part presses the shaping | molding mold on a pallet. At this time, the same problem as the molding apparatus of patent document 2 arises by friction vibration of a pallet. In addition, since extrusion is performed sequentially while contacting adjacent pallets, there is a problem that precise temperature control of each molding mold cannot be performed.

Here, optical elements used for image pickup devices such as digital cameras, optical pickups, and small size image pickup devices for mobile phone terminals have very high optical requirements. In particular, when molding such an optical element by a precision mold press, it is necessary to exclude the surface shape defect due to the thickness deviation of the molding material in the molding mold, the surface accuracy defect due to the load unevenness, and so on. Temperature control and vibration countermeasures in each step of molding need to be performed precisely.

In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to improve the molding accuracy by preventing vibration of the molding mold occurring during the transfer of the molding mold, and by making it possible to accurately perform temperature management in each processing section. The present invention provides a mold press apparatus, and a method for producing a molded press molded article.

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, a molding press apparatus for press molding the molded material by carrying out a process for molding while transferring a molding block containing a molding mold containing a molding material, A plurality of processing units arranged in a straight line along the conveying direction, a fixing support provided on each of the processing units to detachably support the forming block, and a plurality of forming blocks supported by the fixing support from the fixing support at the same time. At the same time, the transfer to the next processing unit, characterized in that it comprises a carrier for controlling the operation of the carrier including a carrier (carrier) for placing the forming block on the fixed support of the processing unit.

Here, "process for shaping | molding" includes heat processing, press processing, and cooling processing.

In the present invention, a plurality of forming blocks comprising a molding mold containing a molding material are simultaneously spaced apart from a fixed support by a carrier and transferred to a next processing unit, and a molding block is arranged on the fixed support of the next processing unit to form the molding block. Since it is comprised so that the process for this may be performed, the vibration of the shaping | molding block during conveyance can be suppressed to the minimum. Therefore, since the position of the molded material does not shift in the molding block, when the molded material is press-molded, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of surface shape defects due to thickness deviation, surface accuracy defects due to load unevenness, and the like. The optical element can be produced stably. In addition, since the forming block is always processed on a predetermined fixed support object, it is possible to perform stable press molding with a simple configuration without installing a mechanism for supporting the conveying means by raising the supporting rod as in the prior art.

Further, in the present invention, the transfer apparatus repeats a movement in which the carrier moves up, forward, down, and retract one cycle, whereby a plurality of forming blocks are simultaneously moved from below by the carrier. Ascending to the plurality of forming blocks are linearly conveyed by one step along the conveying direction.

Here, the "carrier up, forward, down, retreat" operation is different from the case of independently moving up, forward, down, and retreat, for example, when moving forward while descending, or retracting while descending. It includes, and also includes a case where the movement trajectory of the carrier is an ellipse, manor or round.

It is preferable that the movement of a carrier having one cycle of ascending, advancing, falling, and retracting is an intermittent operation at a constant time period having a predetermined stop time after performing a series of these operations.

In the present invention, this configuration can minimize the vibration of the forming block during conveyance, and at the same time, the forming block only comes into contact with the carrier during conveyance, so that mutual contact is carried out at any place in the apparatus. The area becomes constant, and the forming block receives an equal temperature change even when transporting any place in the apparatus, so that the temperature management in each processing unit can be performed accurately. Therefore, the molding precision of a press-formed product can be improved. In addition, since the processing unit only needs to secure a space that enables the operation of the carrier, unnecessary space can be reduced, and the device can be miniaturized.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the forming block includes a molding mold and a sample table on which the molding mold is placed, and the carrier contacts the bottom surface of the sample table to convey the molding block. In this configuration, the carrier is in contact with the bottom surface of the sample table to transfer the forming block. Therefore, since the carrier does not directly contact the molding mold, mutual temperature interference can be avoided. Therefore, the temperature management in each processing part can be performed correctly, and accordingly, compactness of an apparatus and stabilization of the precision of an optical element can be aimed at.

In the present invention, the plurality of processing units are arranged in a second line having a plurality of processing units arranged in a first line having heating means for heating the forming block to a predetermined temperature and cooling means for cooling the forming block. It is characterized by having a plurality of processing units. In such a configuration, the first line to be subjected to the heat treatment and the second line to be subjected to the cooling treatment can be divided and configured, and the mutual thermal effects of the two lines can be suppressed. In addition, the first line and the second line are arranged substantially parallel to each other and connected to each end by a relay line, so that a smooth transfer operation can be performed.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the carrier raises the forming block in contact with a position deviating from the center axis of the forming mold in the bottom surface of the forming block. That is, since the center axis of the molding mold is a position to be subjected to a load at the time of press molding, this configuration allows the molding block to be transported without interfering with the site where the molding load is subjected to the molding load.

In the present invention, it is preferable that position shift preventing means is provided between the carrier and the forming block to prevent the position of the forming block from shifting on the carrier. As such a position shift prevention means, the structure using at least one of the magnetic attraction force and the frictional force which act between the said carrier and the said forming block is preferable. With this configuration, as the number of presses is repeated from the start of the drive, when the carrier and the forming block are thermally deformed, there is a possibility that they will not function if they are mechanically engaged, but there is an advantage that they will continue to function if they are magnetic attraction or frictional force.

In this invention, the said conveying apparatus is comprised so that a forward movement may be performed after the said carrier carries out an ascending operation, and in at least one of the said raising operation | movement and the said forward movement, the speed | rate of at least one of an operation start and just before an operation end is carried out. A is preferably set later than the speed in the intermediate period of the start to the end of the operation. In this configuration, the molding block can be transported without applying a large acceleration to the molding block, so that vibrations of the molding block and the molding material can be minimized. Therefore, the surface precision of a molded article can be improved.

Since the mold press-molded product press-molded to the said molding material using the mold press apparatus which concerns on this invention does not generate | occur | produce vibration during the conveyance of a molding mold, the precision of a dimension and a shape is high. Moreover, since the temperature management in each processing part can be performed correctly, the precision of a dimension and a shape is high also in that point.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Overall configuration)

1 is a plan view showing an example of a mold press apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, the mold press apparatus 1 is external to the main-body part 2 and the main-body part 2 in which the some process part, such as the press stage 14a, 14b, 14c, was comprised in the apparatus housing 9, and was shown. It consists of the metal mold | die disassembly assembly part 3 adjoining substantially. The inside of the apparatus housing 9 is in an atmosphere of a non-oxidizing gas. Here, the die disassembly and assembly portion 3 is an area for disassembling / assembling the molding mold and supplying the molding material to the molding mold.

The main body 2 has three quick heat stages 12a, 12b, and 12c, a crack stage 13, and three press stages 14a, 14b, and 14c in the lower side of the drawing. First line 10 arranged linearly in this order, two quench stages 21a, 21b, discharge stage 22, preheating stage 23, and supply stage 24 in the upper side of the drawing. Has a second line 20 arranged linearly in this order. The main body 2 further includes a feed mechanism 24 having a ball screw to feed the stage 24 of the second line 20 and the in stage 11 of the first line 10. 31, the ball screw is connected to the first relay line 30 relayed by the 31, the out stage 15 of the first line 20, and the quench stages 21a and 21b of the second line 20. It has the 2nd relay line 40 relayed by the feed mechanism 41 provided.

Here, the heating part 8 is provided in the 1st line 10 to which the heat processing including a quenching process and a cracking process, and a press process are performed so that the shaping | molding block 50 may be pinched from both sides. The heating unit 8 heats the forming block 50 to a predetermined temperature suitable for press molding.

On the other hand, a cooling unit (not shown) for cooling the forming block 50 is provided in the second line 20 in which the cooling treatment, the discharge treatment of the forming block, and the supply processing are performed.

In addition, between each stage, it is partitioned by the shutter (not shown) etc. in order to suppress the temperature influence of an adjacent chamber.

In the mold press apparatus 1 comprised in this way, each line rotates to the right in the figure, and operates. The molding block 50, which will be described later, is first supplied from the mold disassembly and assembly section 3 to the supply stage 24, and then passes through the side stage 11, and then the three rapid heating stages of the first line 10 ( 12a, 12b, 12c, the crack stage 13, and three press stages 14a, 14b, 14c are transferred in this order, and heat treatment, crack treatment, and press treatment are performed during this time. In addition, the forming block 50 subjected to the press treatment is transferred to the quench stages 21a and 21b of the second line 20 via the out side stage 15, whereby the cooling unit is brought to a predetermined temperature or less. After cooling, it is transferred from the discharge stage 22 to the mold disassembly and assembly portion 3.

(Configuration of Processing Unit)

With reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the structure of the process part (or process chamber) of the mold press apparatus 1 which concerns on this invention is demonstrated. 2 shows a state in which a forming block 50 made up of a molding mold 51 containing a molding material and a sample stage 55 stops at press stages 14a, 14b and 14c and is subjected to press processing. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the molding material is transferred to the next stage after the molding material is pressed by the molding mold 51 in the press stages 14a, 14b and 14c. 2 and 3, illustration of the second line 20 is omitted.

In addition, in FIG.2 and FIG.3, the stationary support 60 is arrange | positioned in the press stage 14a (14b, 14c) upright. On the upper surface of the fixed support 60, a molding block 50 made of a molding mold 51 and a sample table 55 on which the molding mold 51 is placed is held. The molding mold 51 consists of a lower mold, an upper mold and a mold body. The sample stage 55 includes, for example, a rectangular base portion and a shaft portion standing upright at the center of the base portion, and supports the molding mold 51 at the upper end portion of the shaft portion. Here, the positioning projection 63 is formed on the upper surface of the fixed support 60, while the positioning hole 58 is formed on the lower surface of the forming block 50 (lower surface of the sample table 55). By positioning the positioning projection 63 of the fixed support 60 into the positioning hole 58 of the forming block 50, the forming block 50 is supported on the upper surface of the fixed support 60. Between the lower mold and the upper mold of the molding mold 51, molding materials such as glass preforms are held. The molding material is press-molded by pressing down the press head 140 to press the upper mold. The shaping | molding mold 51 is hold | maintained at the height position with the best thermal efficiency in the press chamber containing the heater 8 for heating. In addition, the inner surface of the press stages 14a, 14b and 14c reflects the heat energy generated from the heater 8 to reflect the heat energy efficiently to the molding mold 51. ] (Not shown) is arranged. In addition, the press chamber has a structure in which the internal volume is as small as possible in order to reduce the heat capacity thereof.

Here, the fixed support 60 is disposed not only in the press stages 14a, 14b, 14c but also in all the processing units, and the forming block 50 is placed on the upper surface of the fixed support 60 in any processing unit. In the 1st line 10, since each stage is comprised by the same pitch, the fixed support 60 is also arrange | positioned at the same pitch. Moreover, also in the 2nd line 20, since each stage is comprised by the same pitch, the fixed support 60 is also arrange | positioned at the same pitch. Although the same pitch of each stage in the 1st line 10 and the same pitch of each stage in the 2nd line 20 may be the same, it is set to a different pitch in this form. An area for retracting the forming block 50 from each processing unit may be provided between each stage. In any case, the stop position of the forming block 50 is set to the same pitch.

(Method of manufacturing optical element)

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the method of manufacturing optical elements, such as a lens, in the mold press apparatus 1 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated. Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular in the molding material used by the mold press apparatus 1, Glass materials, such as a glass preform, can be used as a molding material. Such a molded material is dropped on the support mold in a molten state or flowed down, thereby forming a spherical shape, a biconvex shape in which both sides are convex, or a shape having a plane and a convex surface, or the like. It can be preformed (hot forming). In particular, it is preferable that both surfaces are convex curved shape.

(a) Glass material supply ~ assembly process of molding mold

In the mold press-molding apparatus 1 of this embodiment, in the mold disassembly and assembly part 3, the glass material preformed in spherical shape or convex curved shape in the state which the upper and lower molds spaced apart is supplied as follows. . That is, the lower mold is removed from the cylindrical mold body, and the glass material conveyed by the transfer arm with the suction pad [pad] is supplied on the exposed surface of the lower mold. The glass material is released on the forming surface of the lower mold by releasing the adsorption of the glass material at a position within a predetermined range with respect to the forming surface of the lower mold placed on the lift table when the suction pad reaches the predetermined position. Is placed. The transfer arm is evacuated immediately. After the glass material is supplied to the lower mold, the lower mold is assembled to the lower part of the mold body by inserting the upper mold into the upper part. The radial clearance of the mold body, the upper mold and the lower mold is about 5 μm or less.

(b) heating process

The molding mold 51 in which the glass material is accommodated is mounted on the sample stage 55 in the supply stage 24, and is formed as the forming blocks 50 by the rapid heat stages 12a, 12b, 12c and the crack stage 13. Are transported sequentially. Meanwhile, in the, and as to elevate the molding block 50 temperature, the molding material and a suitable temperature (e.g., 10 ⁶ to 10 ⁹ poises viscosity (粘度) equivalent of [poises]), the forming die 51 to press-forming. The heating method is not particularly limited, such as a heater by resistance heating and a high frequency induction coil.

(c) Press process

After transferring the molding mold 51 which has become warm to the press stages 14a, 14b and 14c, a predetermined pressure (30 to 200 kg /) is applied by the press head 140 from above the molding mold 51. Cm 2) for a predetermined time (several seconds to several minutes). The thickness of the molded article is defined when the lower surface of the press head 140 abuts on the upper surface of the mold body. Then, the press head 140 is raised to release the pressure, and the molding mold 51 is transferred to the cooling unit. In addition, the press process can be performed at each step using the press stage 14a, 14b, 14c shown suitably. For example, the press stage 14a is pressurized until the molding material reaches a predetermined thickness, and then the press stage 14b has a lower temperature than the press stage 14a (eg, glass viscosity, 10 ⁹ to 10 ¹³ poise viscosity equivalent). Pressurized under In addition, in the temperature range equivalent to the press stage 14b, you may perform the 3rd stage press in the press stage 14c controlled to lower temperature than the press stage 14a.

(d) cooling process

In the quench stages 21a and 21b, quenching by the gas for cooling is performed in the quenching chamber. At this time, the glass (molded material) shrinks, but since the upper mold follows the glass shrinkage due to its own weight, good shape accuracy is obtained. In order to allow the upper mold to descend following the glass shrinkage, the upper mold has a flange at the top thereof, and a step portion (concave) at the top of the mold body for accommodating the flange portion. Have Then, the depth of the upper stepped portion of the mold body is set to be larger than the thickness of the upper flange portion of the upper mold, so that the upper surface of the upper mold becomes flush with the upper surface of the mold body (by the press head 140 shown in FIG. 2). From the maximum pressurization), the upper mold can be lowered by its own weight.

(e) disassembly of the mold

The molding mold 51 is transferred from the main body portion 2 to the mold disassembly and assembly portion 3 via the discharge stage 22, where the molding mold 51 is disassembled and the molded article is taken out. Further, the sample stage 55 on which the molding mold 51 has been placed is transferred to the right side of the drawing along the second line 20 and preheated by the preheating stage 23 to the supply stage 24. Transferred.

(f) Extraction of optical element (molded product)

The transfer arm is inserted between the upper and lower molds spaced apart, and the molded article is sucked out by the suction pad at the tip. After that, a new cycle is repeated.

In addition, when an unexpected trouble occurs (e.g. exceeding a set processing time) in a series of processing steps (heating, molding, cooling, etc.), even if the power supply to the heating heater is stopped, Since the heating is maintained, the glass material inside the molding mold 51 positioned in the heating portion softens and fuses to the molding surface of the mold, which may adversely affect the molding surface. For this reason, when a process trouble has occurred, the shaping | molding block 50 may be programmed so that it may retract and stop to the intermediate position (position with a shutter) of each process part.

(Configuration of Transfer Device)

The transfer apparatus 70 described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 is assembled in the first line 10 of the mold press apparatus 1 configured as described above. In addition, although the transfer apparatus is also assembled in the 2nd line 20, since the basic structure of the transfer apparatus in the 2nd line 20 is the same as that of the transfer apparatus 70 in the 1st line 10, 1st Only the conveying apparatus 70 of the line 10 is demonstrated.

2 and 3, the transfer device 70 penetrates inside the cylinders 91a and 91b fixed to the device housing 9 on both sides of the fixed support 60 so as to be movable. A pair of lifting shafts 72a and 72b, a plate 73 horizontally held on the upper surfaces of the lifting shafts 72a and 72b, and a guide rail fixed in parallel on the plate 73 73a, 73b). The conveying apparatus 70 further includes a pair of sliders 75a and 75b which can simultaneously slide on the guide rails 73a and 73b, and two fixed to the upper surfaces of the sliders 75a and 75b, respectively. Two linear carriers 71a and 71b. The two carriers 71a and 71b are arranged in parallel to both sides of the fixed support 60 with a space between the bottom surface of the sample table 55 and extend linearly in the conveying direction of the forming block 50.

Therefore, in conveying the forming block 50, when the carriers 71a and 71b raise the forming block 50 as shown in FIG. 3, the carriers 71a and 71b are bottom surfaces of the forming block 50. As shown in FIG. The forming block 50 is raised in contact with the position deviating from the central axis of the forming mold. The position which deviates from the center axis line of a shaping | molding mold is a position which deviates from the position where the shaping | molding mold 51 is mounted in a present Example.

In addition, the transfer device 70 is a lift drive device 70a for the carriers 71a and 71b, and includes a motor device 76 and a cam member connected to an output shaft of the motor device 76. 74 and a roller 96 that slides the cam surface of the cam member 74. The roller 96 is attached to the lower surface of the connecting member 77 connecting the lower ends of the lifting shafts 72a and 72b. Therefore, when the cam member 74 advances (moves to the left side of the drawing) by the motor device 76, the lifting shafts 72a and 72b, the plate 73 and the sliders 75a and 75b are lifted up. 71a and 71b rise simultaneously.

In FIG. 3, the lifting shafts 72a and 72b are in the state raised as much as possible. On the other hand, when the cam member 74 retreats by the motor apparatus 76, since the lifting shafts 72a and 72b, the plate 73, and the sliders 75a and 75b will fall, the two carriers 71a and 71b will be lowered. Descends at the same time. Here, the cam surface of the cam member 74 has a gentle inclination of the surface near the start point and the end point near the intermediate inclined surface. For this reason, the speeds immediately after the start and immediately before the stop, in which the carriers 71a and 71b rise and fall, are mechanically controlled so as to be slower than the speed in the middle. The lift amount of the carriers 71a and 71b may be a value such that the positioning holes 58 of the sample table 55 deviate from the positioning protrusions 63 of the fixed support 60.

In addition, the feeder 70 is a horizontal drive device 70b for the carriers 71a and 71b, and a plate connected to the motor device 78 via a feed mechanism such as a ball screw to the output shaft of the motor device 78 ( 79). In the longitudinally long slits formed on the plate 79, shaft portions projecting from the two sliders 75a and 75b are fitted. Therefore, when the sliders 75a and 75b are elevated by the lifting drive device 70a, the shaft portion moves up and down inside the slit. In addition, when the output shaft of the motor device 78 rotates in the forward direction (the direction toward the left in FIG. 1), this operation is transmitted to the sliders 75a and 75b through the plate 79 and the shaft portion, so that the sliders 75a, 75b) and the carriers 71a and 71b can be advanced in the raised position. In addition, when the output shaft of the motor device 78 rotates in the retraction direction (direction toward the right side of FIG. 1), this operation is transmitted to the sliders 75a and 75b through the plate 79 and the shaft portion, so that the sliders 75a, 75b) and the carriers 71a and 71b can be retracted at the lowered position.

(Moving motion)

Next, the operation of the transfer device 70 will be described based on FIGS. 4A to 4E. 4 (a) to 4 (e) show the positional relationship between the forming block 50, the fixed support 60, and the carriers 71a and 71b immediately after the processing (for example, the press process) in the processing unit is completed. It is explanatory drawing looking typically from the side. 4 (a) to 4 (e), in order to know the positional relationship between the plurality of forming blocks 50 and the plurality of fixed supports 60, the plurality of forming blocks 50 include (1), The code | symbols of (2) and (3) were attached | subjected, and the code | symbol of (A), (B), (C) was attached to the fixed support 60.

First, at the time point when the processing shown in Fig. 4A is completed, the carriers 71a and 71b are slightly lower than the lower surface of the forming block 50. In this state, when the lift drive device 70a of the transfer device 70 is operated, and as shown in Fig. 4B, when the two carriers 71a and 71b are raised, the carriers 71a and 71b are raised. The plurality of forming blocks 50 are simultaneously lifted from below to be spaced apart from the fixed support (60). At this time, as described above, the moving speed at the start of the ascent and the end of the ascent is controlled by the cam surface of the cam member 74 (Fig. 2) so as to be later than the intermediate speed thereof. In addition, in FIG.4 (a)-FIG.4 (e), the amount of rise of the carriers 71a and 71b was exaggerated more than necessary in order to avoid the drawing becoming crowded.

Next, as shown in Figs. 4 (c) and 4 (d), the horizontal drive device 70b of the transfer device 70 is operated so that the carriers 71a and 71b are formed by the plurality of forming blocks 50. Transfer to the adjacent fixed support 60 above. At this time, it is controlled by the motor device 78 (FIG. 2) of the horizontal drive device 70b so that the moving speed immediately after the start of conveyance and just before the conveyance stop becomes slower than the intermediate speed thereof. When this advance is made, as explained in Fig. 2, the sliders 75a and 75b move along the guide rails 73a and 73b.

Next, in the state shown in FIG. 4 (d), the lift driving device 70 a of the transfer device 70 is operated so that the two carriers 71 a and 71 b are lowered, and the plurality of forming blocks 50 are moved. Put on the fixed support (60) at the same time. Even when the plurality of forming blocks 50 are placed on the fixed support 60, the cam surface of the cam member 74 (FIG. 2) is controlled so that the movement speed at the start of lowering and just before the end of lowering becomes slower than the intermediate speed thereof. do. Then, the carriers 71a and 71b are lowered to a position slightly lower than the position shown in Fig. 4E (position shown by the dashed-dotted line).

Next, the horizontal drive device 70b of the feeder 70 is operated, and the carriers 71a and 71b retreat to the position shown in Fig. 4A and return to the origin position.

By sequentially repeating the above-described ascending, advancing, descending and retracting operations, the plurality of forming blocks are sequentially transferred by one step.

(Main Effects of the Example)

As explained above, in the conveying apparatus 70 in the mold press apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the carrier 71a is repeated by repeating the movement which raises, advances, falls, and retracts one cycle. , 71b) simultaneously raise the plurality of forming blocks 50, and then linearly intermittently move by one step along the conveying direction. For this reason, the vibration of the shaping | molding block 50 during conveyance can be suppressed to the minimum. Therefore, since the position of the molding material is not shifted on the molding block 50 (in the molding mold 51), it is possible to prevent occurrence of surface shape defects due to thickness variations of the molding material, surface accuracy defects due to uneven load, and the like. It is possible to produce a highly accurate optical element stably.

In addition, since the forming block 50 only comes into contact with the carriers 71a and 71b during the transfer, the contact area of the forming block 50 is constant even when transferred from any place. Therefore, since the forming block 50 receives only the same temperature change even when transported from any place, it is possible to accurately perform temperature management in each processing unit. Therefore, the molding precision can be improved. In addition, since the processing unit needs to secure a space for enabling the operations of the carriers 71a and 71b, unnecessary space can be reduced, and the device can be miniaturized.

In addition, the forming block 50 includes a sample stand 55 and a molding mold 51, and the carriers 71a and 71b contact the bottom surface of the sample stand 55 to transfer the forming block 50. Since the carriers 71a and 71b do not directly contact the molding mold 51, mutual interference of temperature can be avoided. Therefore, the temperature management in each processing part can be performed correctly, and therefore the compactness of an apparatus and the stabilization of the precision of an optical element can be aimed at.

In addition, since the carriers 71a and 71b raise the forming block 50 in contact with a position deviating from the center axis line among the bottom surfaces of the forming block 50, the forming block 50 receives the molding load. It is possible to transfer the forming block 50 without interfering with the site.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the transfer device 70 is configured to perform the forward operation after the carriers 71a and 71b perform the ascending operation, and operate in any of the ascending operation, the forward operation, and the descending operation. The speed at the start and just before the end of the operation is set later than the speed in the intermediate period from the start to the end of each operation. For this reason, the vibration of the shaping | molding block 50 and a shaping | molding material can be suppressed to the minimum.

[Other Embodiments]

Another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Between the carriers 71a and 71b and the forming block 50, a position shift prevention mechanism for preventing the position of the forming block 50 from shifting on the carriers 71a and 71b is preferably assembled. As such a misalignment prevention mechanism, magnetic attraction force can be used, for example. For example, as shown in Fig. 5 (a), at the site of holding the forming block 50 in the carriers 71a and 71b, a recess 71c into which the forming block 50 is loosely fitted is formed. The permanent magnet 71d is disposed in the recess 71c. In the forming block 50, the sample stage 55 is made of magnetic material such as stainless steel. With this configuration, the forming block 50 is securely mounted and held on the carriers 71a and 71b so that the position does not shift during transportation.

As shown in Fig. 5B, the permanent magnet 71d may be provided on the forming block 50 (base 55-1 of the sample table 55). In consideration of the case where the carriers 71a and 71b are thermally expanded, the recesses 71c of the carriers 71a and 71b are preferably formed slightly larger than the raised surface of the forming block 50.

If it is a position shift prevention mechanism using such a magnetic force, unlike the mechanical position shift prevention mechanism, the shaping | molding block 50 can be easily raised from the fixed support by the carriers 71a and 71b. In addition, when the carriers 71a and 71b or the forming block 50 are thermally deformed as the number of presses is repeated from the start of the drive, there is a possibility that the mechanical fitting will not function. However, if the magnetic attraction force, the position shift prevention function will continue. It has the advantage of exerting.

In the example shown in Fig. 5A, the sample stage 55 is in contact with the permanent magnet 71d. In contrast, the recess 71c is made small so that the position of the forming block 50 on the carriers 71a and 71b is displaced by the magnetic attraction force while the sample stage 55 and the permanent magnet 71d are in a non-contact state. You may employ | adopt the structure which prevents that.

Moreover, as a position shift prevention mechanism which prevents the position of the shaping | molding block 50 from shifting on the carriers 71a and 71b, the bottom face of the shaping | molding block 50 and the shaping | blocking block 50 in the carriers 71a and 71b are used. The frictional resistance may be increased by subjecting at least one of the portions to be retained to such as roughening. Further, the position shift prevention using the frictional force may be combined with the position shift prevention mechanism caused by the magnetic attraction force.

In the above embodiment, the carriers 71a and 71b independently perform the operations of raising, advancing, lowering and retracting. However, for example, the carriers 71a and 71b may move forward ascend or move backward. In addition, although the movement trace of the carriers 71a and 71b was rectangular, it is not limited to this, For example, it may be an ellipse, a manor, or a circle.

In the present invention, since the carrier repeatedly raises and feeds the plurality of forming blocks at the same time by repeating the operations of raising, moving forward, lowering and retracting, it is possible to minimize vibration of the forming blocks during transfer. For this reason, since the position of the molding material does not shift on the molding block, it is possible to prevent occurrence of surface shape defects due to thickness variations of the molding material, surface accuracy defects due to load unevenness, and high shape accuracy and surface precision. A molded article such as an element can be stably produced. In addition, since the forming blocks are only in contact with the carrier during the transfer, the contact area of each other is constant even during the transfer of any position. Therefore, since the forming block only receives the same temperature change when it is transported at any position, it is possible to accurately perform temperature management at each processing unit. Therefore, the molding precision can be improved.

Claims (8)

A mold press device for press molding of a molded material by carrying out a process for molding while transferring a molding block including a molding mold containing a molded material, A plurality of processing units arranged linearly along the conveying direction of the forming block; A fixed support provided on each of the processing units to detachably support the forming block; A plurality of forming blocks supported by the fixed support are simultaneously spaced apart from the fixed support, and transferred to a next processing unit, and a carrier for placing the forming blocks on the fixed support of the next processing unit to perform the operation of the carrier. Mold press apparatus comprising a transfer device for controlling. The method of claim 1, The conveying apparatus is configured to raise the plurality of forming blocks simultaneously from below by the carrier by repeating the movement such that the carrier is raised, moved forward, lowered and retracted by one cycle, and linearly conveyed by one step along the conveying direction. Mold press apparatus, characterized in that. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The molding block includes a molding mold and a sample table on which the molding mold is placed, The carrier is in contact with the bottom surface of the sample stage, the mold press apparatus, characterized in that for conveying the forming block. The method according to claim 1 or 2, As the plurality of processing units, a plurality of processing units arranged in a first line having heating means for heating the forming block to a predetermined temperature, and a plurality of processing units arranged in a second line having cooling means for cooling the forming block. Mold press apparatus characterized by having. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And said carrier raises said forming block in contact with a position deviating from the central axis of said forming mold in the bottom surface of said forming block. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Between the carrier and the forming block, there is provided a position shift preventing means for preventing the position of the forming block on the carrier, And the position shift preventing means uses at least one of magnetic attraction force and friction force acting between the carrier and the forming block. 3. The method of claim 2, In the transfer device, in at least one of the ascending operation, the advancing operation, and the descending operation, at least one of the speed at the start of the operation and immediately before the end of the operation is slower than the speed at the intermediate period between the start of the operation and the end. A mold press apparatus, which is set. A method for producing a molded press molded article, which is press-molded on the molded material using the mold press apparatus according to claim 1.

Images