KR102124857B1 - Thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing device capable of improving productivity, and to a method thereof. The thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing device according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed invention comprises: i) a lower die; ii) an upper die combined to the lower die to form a cavity in which a plurality of stacked dry fiber materials are disposed; and iii) a resin injection head installed on the upper die to inject a thermoplastic resin into the cavity.

Description

Thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus and method {THERMOPLASTIC PREPREG MANUFACTURING DEVICE AND METHOD}

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg impregnated with a thermoplastic resin in a fiber material laminated in multiple sheets.

In recent years, according to the trend of high strength and light weight of the vehicle body, as a vehicle body material, a steel sheet such as ultra-high tensile steel, a non-ferrous metal plate such as aluminum or magnesium, as well as carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP: CARBON FIBER REINFORCED PLASTICS) or fiber reinforced plastics (FRP: There have been frequent cases of applying plastic composite materials such as fiber reinforced plastic.

Since plastic composite materials have excellent strength, elastic modulus, light weight, and stability, they are in the spotlight as one of the major materials in the aviation field or automobile field. In the industry, the future use of plastic composite materials is further expanded, and the production volume also increases dramatically. Expect to be.

The plastic composite material is molded into a desired shape by using a prepreg impregnated with plastic resins into carbon fibers. Plastic resins have excellent hardness, but are easily broken due to weak tensile strength, and carbon fibers have high tensile strength but high bending resilience. Because there is no plastic composite material can be produced by combining these plastic resins and carbon fiber.

The prepreg is classified into a thermosetting prepreg and a thermoplastic prepreg according to the type of plastic resins. In the case of the thermosetting prepreg, since it is impossible to recycle after curing due to the characteristics of the resin, a thermoplastic prepreg is mainly used.

On the other hand, as a method of manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg in the prior art, for example, a method of impregnating a thermoplastic material into a fiber material by releasing a fiber material as a reinforcing material in a roll-to-roll manner and melting a thermoplastic film on both sides of the fiber material Can be.

In the prior art, the fiber material impregnated with the thermoplastic resin is cut to a predetermined size, the cut unit prepregs are stacked on a lamination mold, and the unit prepregs stacked to a desired thickness are sintered by ultrasonic welding, and the foldable A thermoplastic prepreg laminate is prepared by preheating and pressing the unit prepregs. The thus prepared thermoplastic prepreg laminate is molded into a product having a desired shape in a molding die while being preheated in a subsequent process.

However, in the prior art, since the thermoplastic prepreg laminate is manufactured through the lamination process, the welding process, the preheating process, and the pressing process of the unit prepregs, the overall number of processes, process time, and equipment investment cost may increase.

In addition, in the prior art, as a unit prepreg in which a thermoplastic film is impregnated into a fiber material by melting a thermoplastic film is manufactured, the impregnation property of the thermoplastic resin to the fiber material is relatively low compared to the direct impregnation of the thermoplastic resin, and finally molding The quality of the product can be reduced.

Furthermore, in the prior art, as a unit prepreg in which a thermoplastic resin is impregnated into a fiber material having a pattern in one direction in a roll-to-roll manner, the unit prepregs in which a thermoplastic resin is impregnated into fiber materials having different direction patterns are In order to manufacture the thermoplastic prepreg laminate, since another unit prepreg manufacturing process and equipment is required, the process time and investment cost may be excessively increased.

The items described in this background section are written to improve the understanding of the background of the invention, and may include matters other than the prior art already known to those skilled in the art.

Embodiments of the present invention is a thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus and method for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg laminate of NCF (Non Crimp Fabric) type having excellent impregnation properties of a thermoplastic resin and having different direction patterns in a single process Want to provide

Thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, ⅰ) the lower die, ii) the upper die to be combined with the lower die to form a cavity in which a plurality of stacked dry fiber materials are disposed, and iii) installed on the upper die. It may include a resin injection head for injecting a thermoplastic resin into the cavity.

In addition, the apparatus for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a vacuum composition head installed on the lower die to create a vacuum atmosphere in the cavity.

And, the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, i) a lower die forming a first molding part on an upper surface and forming a first sealing part on an edge side of the first molding part, and ii) a lower surface Forming a second molded part, forming a second sealing part on the edge side of the second molded part, and forming a cavity in which a plurality of dry fiber materials stacked in a plurality of sheets are formed inside the first and second molded parts by being combined with the lower die. And an upper die, i) fixedly installed in the first molding part in the entire inner edge of the first sealing part, and fixedly installed in the second molding part in the inner edge part of the second sealing part, and the fiber. A fixed crimping block for crimping the edge portion of the material, and iii) a movable crimp that is movably installed in the upper die in the vertical direction and selectively compresses the edge portion of the fiber material in the rest of the inner edge of the second sealing portion. A block and iv) may be installed on the upper die and may include a resin injection head that injects a thermoplastic resin into the cavity.

In addition, the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed on the upper die corresponding to the movable crimp block, and the movable internal pressure of the fixed crimp block and the movable crimp block is set. It may further include a piezo element that is applied through the compression block to generate electrical energy.

In addition, the apparatus for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed to be connected to the movable crimp block on the upper die, and receives electric energy from the piezo element to move the movable crimp block in the vertical direction. It may further include an actuator for generating an operating force for.

Further, in the apparatus for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention, the upper die may form a mounting groove corresponding to the rest of the inner edge of the second sealing portion.

In addition, in the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the piezo element may be installed on the upper inner surface of the mounting groove.

In addition, in the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the actuator may be installed in the mounting groove.

In addition, in the apparatus for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention, the actuator includes a housing installed in the mounting groove, a solenoid part electrically connected to the piezo element, and installed inside the housing, It may be connected to the movable crimping block, a plunger portion that is movably installed in the vertical direction inside the solenoid portion, and a spring connected to the upper end of the plunger portion and supporting the piezo element through a pressure plate.

In addition, in the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the plunger portion overcomes the elastic force of the spring by the electromagnetic force acting on the solenoid portion, is moved in the upward direction, the elastic restoring force of the spring Can be moved in the downward direction.

In addition, in the apparatus for manufacturing the thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention, the spring may be provided as a compression coil spring having an elastic modulus greater than the set internal pressure and smaller than the electromagnetic force of the solenoid portion.

In addition, the apparatus for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a vacuum composition head installed on the lower die to create a vacuum atmosphere in the cavity.

In addition, the apparatus for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a heating member installed on the lower die and the upper die, and applying heat energy to the first and second molding parts.

In addition, the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed on the lower die and the upper die, and may further include a heat insulating member to block the heat energy emitted from the first and second forming parts have.

And, the method of manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention is to manufacture a thermoplastic prepreg laminate using the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus as described above, (a) having a different direction pattern and stacking in multiple sheets Providing a dried fiber material, (b) disposing the fiber material in a first forming portion of the lower die, (c) combining the upper die with the lower die, and forming the second upper die And pressing the fiber material through a cavity between the part and the first molding part, and (d) injecting a thermoplastic resin into the cavity through a resin injection head and impregnating the fiber material with a thermoplastic resin. can do.

In addition, in the method for manufacturing the thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention, in the process (a), at least one mesh member may be interposed between the fiber materials.

In addition, in the method for manufacturing the thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention, in the step (c), the edge portion of the fiber material is fixed through a fixed pressing block and a movable pressing block in the first and second molding parts. Can be compressed.

In addition, in the method for manufacturing the thermoplastic prepreg according to the embodiment of the present invention, in the process (d), a vacuum atmosphere may be injected into the cavity through the vacuum composition head, and the thermoplastic resin may be injected into the cavity.

In addition, in the method of manufacturing the thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention, in step (d), the set pressure applied to the inner region of the fixed crimp block and the movable crimp block is converted into a piezo element through the movable crimp block. The electric energy generated in the piezo element can be applied to the solenoid portion of the actuator.

In addition, in the method of manufacturing the thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention, the actuator moves the plunger portion upward in the electromagnetic direction generated by the solenoid portion, and forms a gap set between the movable crimp block and the fiber material can do.

In addition, in the method of manufacturing the thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention, in the process (d), heat energy is applied to the first and second forming parts of the lower die and the upper die through the heating member, and the Thermal energy emitted from the first and second molding parts may be blocked through the heat insulating member.

In embodiments of the present invention, since a non-impregnated thermoplastic prepreg laminate of NCF (NCF) type can be manufactured as a single process, the number of processes and the time required to manufacture the thermoplastic prepreg laminate can be reduced and productivity can be improved. In addition, it can reduce equipment investment cost and manufacturing cost.

In addition, effects obtained or predicted due to embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed directly or implicitly in the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention. That is, various effects predicted according to embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed within a detailed description to be described later.

Since these drawings are for reference to explain exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the technical spirit of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the accompanying drawings.
1 is a view schematically showing a thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 (a) and (b) are views showing a thermoplastic prepreg laminate manufactured by a thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a plan view showing a lower die applied to the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a bottom configuration diagram showing an upper die applied to a thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing a coupling structure of a piezo element, an actuator, and a movable crimping block applied to a thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 to 8 are views for explaining the operation of the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and a method for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg using the same.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily practice. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

In order to clearly describe the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar elements throughout the specification.

Since the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of description, the present invention is not necessarily limited to what is shown in the drawings, and the thickness is enlarged to clearly express various parts and regions.

In addition, in the following detailed description, the names of components are divided into first, second, and the like to distinguish them in the same relationship, and are not necessarily limited to the order in the following description.

Throughout the specification, when a part “includes” a certain component, this means that other components may be further included rather than excluding other components unless specifically stated to the contrary.

In addition, terms such as ".. part", "".. means", and the like described in the specification mean a unit of comprehensive configuration that performs at least one function or operation.

1 is a view schematically showing a thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus 100 for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention may be applied to a process for manufacturing a body assembly part such as a body panel.

Furthermore, the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, a thermoplastic prepreg laminate for molding a composite material molded body as a vehicle body part for weight reduction of the vehicle body (101) can be applied to the manufacturing process.

However, the composite material molded body molded from the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 as described above is not limited to being applied to a panel for a body, and may be applied to various body structures such as a body member and a frame.

In addition, the protection scope of the present invention should not be understood as being limited to manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 for molding a composite material molded body as a body part assembled on a vehicle body, and applied to structures of various types and uses The technical idea of the present invention can be applied as long as the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 for molding a composite molded body as a plate material component is manufactured.

In the above, the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 may include fiber reinforced plastic (FRP), carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), and glass fiber reinforced plastic ( GFRP: Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic.

The thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 may be molded into a composite material molded body having a set shape through preheating and press molding as a post process. The composite material molded body has excellent strength and elastic modulus, excellent repetition fatigue, and excellent dimensional stability because of its small thermal expansion coefficient, and excellent electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance, and vibration damping performance.

Here, the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 has a matrix pattern of a thermoplastic resin on a dry fiber-reinforced fabric (hereinafter referred to as "fiber material (1)" for convenience) which has a different direction pattern and is stacked in multiple sheets. It is an NCF (Non Crimp Fabric) prepreg as an intermediate substrate of a composite molded body impregnated with.

For example, the fiber material 1 may include carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, polyethylene fiber, and metal fiber. .

Furthermore, the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 has a structure in which a mesh member 103 as a reinforcing wire is interposed between the fiber materials 1 for reinforcing the flowability and rigidity of the thermoplastic resin.

Hereinafter, the components for the apparatus 100 will be described based on the vertical direction, and the upper part is defined as upper, upper, upper and upper parts, and the lower part is defined as lower, lower, lower and lower parts. I will do it.

Furthermore, the "end (one end, the other end, one end, the other end, etc.)" in the following may be defined as either end, and a certain part (end one end, the other end end, one end part) including the end , Other end, etc.).

The thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention has excellent impregnation properties of a thermoplastic resin, and can produce a non-crimped fabric (NCF) type thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 in a single process. Structure.

To this end, the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention basically, a lower die 10, an upper die 20, a fixed crimping block 30, a movable crimping block 40, a vacuum composition It includes a head 50, a resin injection head 60, a piezo element 70, an actuator 80, and this will be described for each configuration as follows.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the lower die 10 forms a first molding portion 11 having a molding surface corresponding to the lower shape of the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 on the upper surface. The first molding part 11 is provided with a molding groove having a shape corresponding to a desired lower shape of the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101, and corresponds to a design shape, thickness, and area of the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101. It is formed on the upper surface of the lower steel.

The lower die 10 forms a first sealing portion 13 on the outer edge side of the first forming portion 11 on the upper surface. For example, the first sealing portion 13 is provided with a sealing protrusion protruding upwardly along an edge of the first molding portion 11 with the first molding portion 11 inside.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the upper die 20 is configured to be able to reciprocate in the vertical direction through the driving unit 20a from the upper side of the lower die 10. For example, the driving unit 20a may include a driving cylinder having an operating rod that moves forward and backward in the vertical direction by pneumatic or hydraulic pressure.

The upper die 20 forms a second molding part 21 having a molding surface corresponding to the upper shape of the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 on the lower surface. The second molding part 21 is provided with a molding groove having a shape corresponding to a desired upper shape of the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101, and corresponds to a design shape, thickness, and area of the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101. It is formed on the lower surface of the upper steel.

The upper die 20 forms a second sealing portion 23 on the outer edge side of the second forming portion 21 on the lower surface. For example, the second sealing portion 23 has a second molding portion 21 on the lower surface of the upper die 20, and a concave downward sealing along the edge of the second molding portion 21. It is provided as a groove.

The lower die 10 and the upper die 20 as described above are combined with each other by the lowering of the upper die 20, and the dry fiber material 1 already mentioned above is the first and second forming parts The cavities 25 disposed inside the 11 and 21 are formed. When the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 are combined, the cavity 25 may be sealed by the first and second sealing parts 13 and 23 in the form of irregularities that are coupled to each other.

The lower die 10 and the upper die 20 include various accessory elements such as brackets, bars, rod plates, housings, cases, blocks, bulkheads, ribs, rails, and collars for mounting various components to be described below. It can contain.

However, since the above-mentioned various accessory elements are for installing the respective components to be described below on the lower die 10 and the upper die 20, the above-described accessory elements except for exceptional cases in the embodiment of the present invention These are collectively referred to as the lower die 10 and the upper die 20.

3 is a plan view showing a lower die applied to a thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows an upper die applied to a thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention It is a bottom view.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 together with FIG. 1, in the embodiment of the present invention, the fixed crimp block 30 is a fiber material disposed in a cavity 25 between the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 ( It is for compressing the edge portion of 1) and to prevent warping of the fiber material 1 due to press pressure of the lower die 10 and the upper die 20.

The fixed crimping block 30 is installed on the first and second forming parts 11 and 21 of the lower die 10 and the upper die 20, respectively. The fixed crimping block 30 is fixedly installed in the entire inner edge of the first sealing portion 13 in the first forming portion 11 of the lower die 10. For example, the fixed crimp block 30 in the first forming part 11 has a set width and is provided in a square frame shape with an open inside.

In addition, the fixed crimp block 30 is fixedly installed in a portion of the inner edge of the second sealing portion 23 in the second forming portion 21 of the upper die 20. That is, the fixed crimp block 30 in the second forming part 21 is provided in a form in which some sections are deleted in a rectangular frame shape with an open inside.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the movable crimping block 40 has a remaining section of the inner edge of the second sealing portion 23 of the upper die 20, that is, a portion of the fixed crimping block 30 in the upper die 20 To selectively compress the edge portion of the fiber material 1 in the deleted section.

The movable crimping block 40 is installed to be movable in the vertical direction on the upper die 20. The movable crimp block 40 is provided in the form of a square block corresponding to a section in which some sections of the fixed crimp block 30 are deleted. The vertical movement structure of the movable crimp block 40 will be described in more detail later.

Referring to FIG. 1, in an embodiment of the present invention, the vacuum composition head 50 is a cavity between the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 when the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 are combined. (25) to create a vacuum atmosphere.

The vacuum composition head 50 is installed on the lower die 10, and is connected to the first forming part 11 of the lower die 10 through a plurality of vacuum composition passages 51. The vacuum composition head 50 is connected to a vacuum pump not shown in the drawing.

The vacuum composition head 50 creates a vacuum atmosphere in the cavity 25 between the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 while sucking air through the vacuum composition passage 51 by the operation of a vacuum pump. Can be.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the resin injection head 60 is in a state in which a vacuum atmosphere is formed in the cavity 25 between the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 by the vacuum composition head 50 It is for injecting the thermoplastic resin into the cavity 25 in which the material 1 is disposed.

The resin injection head 60 is installed on the upper die 20, and is connected to the second molding part 21 of the upper die 20 through a plurality of resin injection passages 61. The resin injection head 60 is connected to a thermoplastic resin supply unit not shown in the drawing.

The resin injection head 60 may inject the thermoplastic resin supplied from the thermoplastic resin supply unit into the cavity 25 between the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 through the resin injection passage 61.

5 is a view showing a coupling structure of a piezo element, an actuator, and a movable crimping block applied to a thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, prior to explaining the configuration of the piezo element 70 and the actuator 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the upper die 20 is the remaining edge of the inner edge of the second sealing portion 23 At, the mounting groove 29 corresponding to the movable crimping block 40 is formed.

The mounting groove 29 is for mounting the piezo element 70 and the actuator 80, which will be further described below, and is provided as a groove recessed in the upward direction from the lower surface of the second forming portion 21.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the piezo element 70 is installed on the upper die 20 corresponding to the movable crimp block 40, and is installed on the upper inner surface of the mounting groove 29 described above as a pad. .

The piezo element 70 is a piezoelectric element made of a piezoelectric crystal, and generates electric energy (current) when a predetermined pressure is applied to the piezoelectric crystal. For example, the piezo element 70 is made of piezoelectric ceramic or lead zirconate titanate (PZT) in which crystal or barium titanate is sintered. Since the piezo element 70 is a well-known technique in the art, it is herein used. The detailed description of the composition and composition will be omitted.

As described above, the piezo element 70 is fixed in the process of injecting a thermoplastic resin into the cavity 25 between the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 in which the fiber material 1 is disposed, the fixed crimp block 30 And a set internal pressure acting on the inner region of the movable crimping block 40 is applied through the movable crimping block 40 to generate electrical energy.

Here, the set internal pressure is greater than or equal to a threshold value in the inner regions of the fixed crimping block 30 and the movable crimping block 40 when the thermoplastic resin is injected (not limited to any specific value since it varies according to the capacity of the mold) It can be defined as the working pressure.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the actuator 80 is applied with electric energy from the piezo element 70 to generate an operating force for moving the movable crimp block 40 in the vertical direction.

The actuator 80 is installed in the upper die 20 to be substantially connected to the movable crimping block 40, and is installed in the mounting groove 29 as mentioned above. The actuator includes a housing 81, a solenoid portion 83, a plunger portion 85, and a spring 87.

The housing 81 is an actuator housing with open top and bottom ends, and is installed in the mounting groove 29 of the upper die 20. The solenoid portion 83 is installed inside the housing 81 and may generate electromagnetic force by receiving a set power. The solenoid portion 83 is electrically connected to the piezo element 70.

The plunger portion 85 is installed to be movable in the vertical direction inside the solenoid portion 83. The plunger portion 85 is an axis that responds to the electromagnetic force of the solenoid portion 83 and is connected to the movable crimping block 40. The movable crimping block 40 is connected to the lower end of the plunger portion 85.

In addition, the spring 87 is connected to the upper end of the plunger portion 85 and supports the piezo element 70 through the pressure plate 89. The spring 87 is provided with a compression coil spring having an elastic modulus greater than the set internal pressure as mentioned above and smaller than the electromagnetic force of the solenoid portion 83.

Here, the plunger portion 85 is a fixed crimp block 30 and the set pressure applied to the inner region of the movable crimp block 40 through the movable crimp block 40, the spring 87 and the pressing plate 89 It can be applied to the piezo element 70. The piezo element 70 receives the set pressure to generate electric energy, and applies the electric energy to the solenoid portion 83.

Further, the plunger portion 85, by applying the electric energy (current in a predetermined direction) generated in the piezo element 70 to the solenoid portion 83, by the electromagnetic force acting on the solenoid portion 83 Overcoming the elastic force of the spring 87, it can be moved in the upward direction together with the movable crimping block 40. In addition, when the electric energy applied to the solenoid portion 83 is blocked, the plunger portion 85 may be moved downward by the elastic restoring force of the spring 87.

Since the configuration of the actuator 80 as described above is a basic configuration of a solenoid type actuator of a known technique well known in the art, detailed descriptions of the configuration and the coupling structure of the configuration will be omitted herein.

On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 1, when injecting a thermoplastic resin into the cavity 25 between the lower die 10 and the upper die 20, the lower die 10 and the upper die ( 20) further includes a heating member 91 for applying thermal energy to the first and second forming parts 11 and 21.

The heating member 91 is installed along the first and second forming parts 11 and 21 on the lower die 10 and the upper die 20, for example, may include a heater rod and a heating cartridge. .

In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 of the first and second forming parts 11 and 21 further include an insulating member 93 for blocking heat energy emitted from the Doing.

The heat insulating member 93 is provided in a plate type made of a heat insulating material, and is fixedly installed on the first and second molding parts 11 and 21 of the lower die 10 and the upper die 20.

Hereinafter, the operation of the apparatus for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg according to an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above and the method for manufacturing the thermoplastic prepreg using the same will be described in detail with reference to the drawings and the accompanying drawings.

6 to 8 are views for explaining the operation of the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and a method for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg using the same.

Referring to FIG. 6, first, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a dry fiber material 1 having a different direction pattern having a set size and stacked in multiple sheets is provided. At this time, in the embodiment of the present invention, the mesh member 103 as a reinforcing wire is interposed between the fiber materials 1.

Here, the fiber material 1 may include at least one of carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, polyethylene fiber, and metal fiber. Can be.

Then, in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the upper die 20 is moved upward from the lower die 10 through the driving unit 20a, and the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 are released, The fiber material 1 is disposed in the first forming portion 11 of the lower die 10. In this case, the edge portion of the fiber material 1 in the first forming part 11 is located on the fixed crimp block 30.

In the above state, in the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper die 20 is lowered toward the lower die 10 through the driving unit 20a. Accordingly, the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 are combined with each other by the lowering of the upper die 20, and the fiber material in the cavity 25 between the first and second molding parts 11 and 21 ( Press 1). At this time, in the second forming portion 21, the fixed crimp block 30 and the movable crimp block 40 form the same plane and support the edge portion of the fiber material 1.

Here, when the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 are combined, the cavity 25 is sealed by the first and second sealing portions 13 and 23 in the form of irregularities that are coupled to each other. And, in the embodiment of the present invention, the fiber through the fixed crimp block 30, the fixed crimp block 30 and the movable crimp block 40 in the second molded part 21 in the first molded part 11 The edge portion of the material 1 is pressed.

Subsequently, in the embodiment of the present invention, as the drive of the vacuum pump, the cavity 25 between the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 while sucking air through the vacuum composition passage 51 by the vacuum composition head 50 ) To create a vacuum atmosphere.

Next, in the embodiment of the present invention, as the operation of the thermoplastic resin supply unit, by the resin injection head 60 through the resin injection passage 61 to the cavity 25 between the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 The thermoplastic resin is injected, and the fiber material 1 is impregnated with the thermoplastic material at a set pressure. At this time, in the embodiment of the present invention, the impregnation and fluidity of the thermoplastic resin with respect to the fiber material 1 can be further improved by the mesh member 103 interposed between the fiber materials 1.

In this process, in the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 8, the piezoelectric element is applied to the inner pressure of the fixed crimp block 30 and the movable crimp block 40 through the movable crimp block 40. (70).

That is, in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the set pressure applied to the inner regions of the fixed crimp block 30 and the movable crimp block 40 is set to the movable crimp block 40, the plunger portion 85 of the actuator 80, and the spring. It can be applied to the piezo element 70 through the (87) and the pressure plate (89).

Then, the piezo element 70 receives the pressure set through the pressure plate 89 to generate electrical energy, and applies the electrical energy to the solenoid portion 83 of the actuator 80.

In an embodiment of the present invention, as the electric energy generated from the piezo element 70 is applied to the solenoid portion 83, the plunger portion 85 is movable by the electromagnetic force generated from the solenoid portion 83, the movable pressing block ( 40) is moved by the stroke set in the upward direction, and overcomes the elastic force of the spring 87 and moves upward.

Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, a gap G set between the movable crimp block 40 and the fiber material 1 is formed, and the fixed crimp block 30 and movable crimp block ( 40) the inner pressure acting on the inner region can be adjusted.

Thus, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the thermoplastic resin is injected, by controlling the internal pressure through the movable crimping block 40, the impregnation performance of the thermoplastic resin with respect to the fiber material 1 is secured while maintaining the fluidity of the thermoplastic resin in the mold. It can be improved further.

On the other hand, as the pressure applied to the piezo element 70 is reduced as the internal pressure of the mold is adjusted as described above, when the electric energy applied to the solenoid portion 83 is blocked, the plunger portion 85 is elastic of the spring 87 It moves in the downward direction together with the movable crimping block 40 by the restoring force, and returns to the original position.

On the other hand, when injecting the thermoplastic resin as described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the first and second forming parts 11 and 21 of the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 through the heating member 91 Heat energy is applied. In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, the heat energy emitted from the first and second forming parts 11 and 21 of the lower die 10 and the upper die 20 is blocked through the heat insulating member 93.

On the other hand, after the process as described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the upper die 20 is moved upward from the lower die 10 through the driving unit 20a, and the lower die 10 and the upper The die 20 is released.

In this state, when the thermoplastic resin-impregnated fiber material 1 is removed and cooled, in the embodiment of the present invention, the production of the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 as shown in FIG. 2 is completed.

Finally, in the embodiment of the present invention, as a post-process, when the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 is preheated through a heater and molded through a molding die, a composite material molded body as a vehicle body part having a set shape can be manufactured. Can be.

According to the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus 100 and method according to an embodiment of the present invention as described so far, unlike the prior art, as a single process, NCF (Non Crimp Fabric) type thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 Can be produced.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to shorten the number of processes and the time required to manufacture the thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101, improve productivity, and reduce equipment investment cost and manufacturing cost.

Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, since the impregnation property of the thermoplastic resin with respect to the fiber material 1 is improved, and the rigidity reinforced thermoplastic prepreg laminate 101 can be manufactured through the mesh member 101, The quality of the composite molded body to be molded can be further improved.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described through the above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is possible to carry out various modifications within the scope of the claims and detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. Naturally, it is within the scope of the invention.

1: fiber material 10: lower die
11: 1st molding part 13: 1st sealing part
20: upper die 20a: drive
21: second forming portion 23: second sealing portion
25: cavity 29: mounting groove
30: fixed crimp block 40: movable crimp block
50: vacuum composition head 51: vacuum composition passage
60: resin injection head 61: resin injection passage
70: piezo element 80: actuator
81: housing 83: solenoid
85: plunger portion 87: spring
89: pressure plate 91: heating member
93: heat insulating member 100: thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus
101: thermoplastic prepreg laminate 103: mesh member
G: Gap

Claims (20)

delete delete A lower die forming a first forming part on an upper surface and forming a first sealing part on an edge side of the first forming part;
A second molding portion is formed on the lower surface, a second sealing portion is formed on the edge side of the second molding portion, and a dry fiber material laminated with a plurality of sheets is combined with the lower die to be disposed inside the first and second molding portions. An upper die forming a cavity;
The first molding part is fixedly installed in all sections of the inner edge of the first sealing part, and fixedly installed in a part of the inner edge part of the second sealing part in the second molding part, and crimped the edge portion of the fiber material Fixed crimping block;
A movable crimping block which is movably installed in the upper die in the vertical direction and selectively compresses the edge portion of the fiber material in the remaining section of the inner edge of the second sealing portion; And
A resin injection head installed on the upper die to inject a thermoplastic resin into the cavity;
Thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus comprising a. According to claim 3,
A piezo element installed on the upper die corresponding to the movable crimp block, and applied with a set internal pressure applied to the inner region of the fixed crimp block and the movable crimp block through the movable crimp block to generate electrical energy.
Thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus further comprising. According to claim 4,
An actuator that is installed to be connected to the movable crimp block on the upper die and receives an electric energy from the piezo element to generate an operating force for moving the movable crimp block in the vertical direction.
Thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus further comprising. The method of claim 5,
The upper die,
Thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus forming a mounting groove corresponding to the rest of the inner edge of the second sealing portion. The method of claim 6,
The piezo element is installed on the upper inner surface of the mounting groove,
The actuator is a thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus installed in the mounting groove. The method of claim 6,
The actuator,
A housing installed in the mounting groove,
A solenoid part electrically connected to the piezo element and installed inside the housing;
A plunger part which is connected to the movable crimping block and is installed to be movable in the vertical direction inside the solenoid part;
A spring connected to the upper end of the plunger and supporting the piezo element through a pressure plate
Thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus comprising a. The method of claim 8,
The plunger portion,
The elastic force of the spring is overcome by the electromagnetic force acting on the solenoid portion, and is moved upward.
Thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus is moved in the downward direction by the elastic restoring force of the spring. The method of claim 8,
The spring,
A thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus provided with a compression coil spring having an elastic modulus greater than the set internal pressure and smaller than the electromagnetic force of the solenoid portion. According to claim 3,
A vacuum composition head installed on the lower die to create a vacuum atmosphere in the cavity
Thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus further comprising. According to claim 3,
A heating member installed on the lower die and the upper die, and applying thermal energy to the first and second molding parts
Thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus further comprising. The method of claim 12,
It is installed on the lower die and the upper die, an insulating member to block the heat energy emitted from the first and second molding parts
Thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus further comprising. A method for manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg laminate using the thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing apparatus of claim 3 to 13,
(a) a process of providing a dry fiber material having a different direction pattern and stacked in multiple sheets;
(b) disposing the fiber material in the first forming portion of the lower die;
(c) forming an upper die into the lower die, and pressing the fiber material through a cavity between the second forming part of the upper die and the first forming part; And
(d) injecting a thermoplastic resin into the cavity through a resin injection head and impregnating the fiber material with a thermoplastic resin;
Thermoplastic prepreg manufacturing method comprising a. The method of claim 14,
In the step (a),
A method of manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg in which at least one mesh member is interposed between the fiber materials. The method of claim 14,
In the step (c),
A method of manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg for squeezing the edge portion of the fiber material through a fixed crimp block and a movable crimp block in the first and second molded parts. The method of claim 16,
In the process (d),
A method of manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg in which a thermoplastic resin is injected into the cavity in a state where a vacuum atmosphere is created in the cavity through a vacuum composition head. The method of claim 16,
In the process (d),
A method of manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg that applies a set internal pressure acting on an inner region of the fixed crimp block and the movable crimp block to a piezo element through the movable crimp block, and applies electric energy generated by the piezo element to the solenoid portion of the actuator. . The method of claim 18,
The actuator,
A method of manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg that moves a plunger portion upward with electromagnetic force generated by the solenoid portion, and forms a gap set between the movable crimping block and a fiber material. The method of claim 14,
In the process (d),
A method of manufacturing a thermoplastic prepreg that applies thermal energy to first and second molded parts of the lower die and upper die through a heating member and blocks heat energy emitted from the first and second molded parts through an insulating member. .

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