WO2016171175A1

WO2016171175A1 - Thermoforming apparatus and thermoforming method

Info

Publication number: WO2016171175A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/062518
Authority: WO
Inventors: 一典寺本
Original assignee: 株式会社浅野研究所
Priority date: 2015-04-21
Filing date: 2016-04-20
Publication date: 2016-10-27
Also published as: TW201703978A; JP2016203466A; JP5791842B1; TWI709476B

Abstract

A thermoforming apparatus, which is for mold-shaping a sheet with respect to a base material or bonding said sheet to said base material, is provided with: a lower frame, which has a surrounding frame wall and a frame bottom in which a vacuum vent hole is formed and which forms a space for accommodating the base material; a heating plate, which has a heating surface and is configured so that the heating surface comes into close contact with the upper edge of the surrounding frame wall; a base with a base material-holding section capable of holding the base material; a sealing frame, which is provided so as to protrude from the base-setting surface of the frame bottom and, in planar view, surrounds the entire circumference of the base material-holding section; and a sheet-gripping section for gripping the peripheral edge of the sheet without gaps over the entire perimeter thereof, the section being provided inside the lower frame so as to be vertically movable between an elevated position in which the sheet is heated by the heating plate and a lowered position in which the sheet-gripping section is in close contact with the upper edge of the sealing frame. The thermoforming apparatus is configured so that when the sheet-gripping section is in close contact with the upper edge of the sealing frame: a sealed space surrounded by the sheet and the sealing frame is formed; the vacuum vent hole is in communication with the space inside the lower frame and passes through at least the frame bottom on the inside of the sealing frame and opens onto the upper surface within the sealing frame; and with the sealed space formed, a vacuum is drawn through the vacuum vent hole.

Description

Thermoforming apparatus and thermoforming method

The present invention relates to a thermoforming apparatus and a thermoforming method.
This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-086724 for which it applied to Japan on April 21, 2015, and uses the content here.

In general, as a device for adhering a skin sheet (hereinafter referred to as a sheet) to the outer surface of a molding substrate (hereinafter referred to as a substrate), a vacuum press lamination molding device that performs radiation heating in the upper and lower chambers, or thermoforming that performs hot plate heating. Devices and the like are known.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a coating apparatus including a chamber box that can be depressurized. The core material (base material) is supplied into the chamber box, the pressure is reduced, the skin material (sheet) heated and softened toward the core material is moved downward, the inside of the chamber box is pressurized, and the skin material is positioned below. The core material is pressed and covered. At the time of pressurization in the chamber box, the skin material that has been displaced downward is pressed against the core material at the lower position to cover it, so that the core material receives pressure at the lower position. Therefore, a pressure strength greater than that of a conventional molding apparatus or coating apparatus is not required.

Japanese Patent No. 3937231

However, in the coating apparatus of Patent Document 1, only the pressure is applied after the inside of the chamber box is evacuated and the skin material is coated on the core material. For this reason, there is a concern that the adhesion between the core material and the skin material at the entrainment portion may be reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a thermoforming apparatus and a thermoforming method for improving the adhesion between a base material and a sheet in a winding portion.

A thermoforming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a thermoforming apparatus that molds a sheet with respect to a base material, or adheres the sheet to the base material. A frame bottom having pores formed therein, a lower frame forming a space for accommodating the base material, a heating surface, and the heating surface being in close contact with the upper edge of the frame peripheral wall portion A configured heat plate, a base having a base material holding part capable of holding the base material, and provided to protrude from the base installation surface of the frame bottom part, and the entire circumference of the base material holding part in plan view And is provided in the lower frame so as to be vertically movable between a sealing frame that surrounds the sheet, a rising position where the sheet is heated by the hot plate, and a lowering position that is in close contact with the upper end of the sealing frame. A sheet gripping part that grips the outer peripheral edge without gaps over the entire circumference, and the sheet gripping part is A sealed space surrounded by the sheet and the sealed frame is formed when in close contact with the upper end of the frame, and the vacuum vent communicates with the space in the lower frame, and at least the bottom of the frame inside the sealed frame Is opened to the upper surface in the sealed frame, and is sucked through the vacuum vent in a state where the sealed space is formed.
According to the thermoforming device according to the first aspect, the sheet is sucked from the vacuum vent and the sheet gripping portion is lowered from the raised position toward the base material in the airtight space, so that the sheet is made of the base material. Bonded to the surface. When the sheet gripping portion reaches the lowered position, a side surface of the base, an upper surface inside the sealing frame, a side surface inside the sealing frame, and a sealed space surrounded by the sheet are formed. When the inside of the sealed space is sucked through the vacuum vent, the degree of vacuum in the sealed space is further increased. Therefore, the sheet is adsorbed on the adsorption surface that continuously spreads from the lower end of the substrate through the boundary between the substrate and the substrate holding part of the base to the upper surface in the sealed frame and the inner side surface of the sealed frame. . By this adsorption, air and impurities do not enter between the substrate and the sheet, and the sheet adheres to the substrate until reaching the boundary and the bottom surface (back surface) side of the substrate. Therefore, there is no possibility that the adhesion between the skin material and the core material at the entrainment portion is lowered until the sheet is separated at a predetermined position or until the base material is pulled out from the base to become a molded product. As a result, the intrusion of bubbles and impurities between the substrate and the sheet is prevented, and the bubbles and impurities are sufficiently removed.

In the first aspect, a sealing member may be provided on an upper end of the sealing frame.
According to the thermoforming apparatus according to the first aspect, since the sealing member is provided, the sealing frame has a buffering function for the sheet gripping portion moved to the lowered position, and the sheet gripping portion and the sealing frame are the sealing member. The airtightness of the sealed space increases.

Said 1st aspect WHEREIN: The said sealing frame inner upper surface is formed between the said base material holding part and the said sealing frame, and is in a position lower than the outer periphery upper edge part of the said base material holding part, and the upper end of the said sealing frame. It may be provided.

According to the thermoforming apparatus according to the first aspect, when the inside of the sealed space is sucked through the vacuum vent, the sheet descends toward the upper edge of the outer periphery of the substrate holding portion while covering the surface of the substrate. While maintaining the directivity, the base material holding part comes into contact with the upper surface inside the sealing frame from the upper edge of the outer periphery. As a result, the sheet is wound without any gap to the position where the sheet is in contact with the upper peripheral edge of the base material holding portion of the base material, that is, the bottom edge (back surface) side outer edge of the base material. As a result, the adhesiveness between the sheet and the substrate at the entrained portion is further increased.

Said 1st aspect WHEREIN: Even if the said base extends to the outer peripheral side of the said base material holding part, the said sealing frame inner upper surface comprises the upper surface of the recessed part formed in the outer peripheral side of the said base material holding part. Good.
According to the thermoforming apparatus according to the first aspect, the upper surface of the recess forms the upper surface in the sealed frame. Accordingly, the sealed space is a space surrounded by the side surface of the base, the upper surface of the recess, the inner side surface of the sealing frame, and the sheet. Since the upper surface of the recess is higher than the upper surface of the frame bottom, the sealed space can be reduced compared to the case where the upper surface of the sealed frame is the upper surface of the frame bottom. Therefore, the time required for increasing the degree of vacuum in the sealed space is shortened.

The thermoforming method according to the second aspect of the present invention has a frame bottom part in which a frame peripheral wall part and a vacuum vent are formed, and can hold a base frame that forms a space for accommodating the base material, and the base material. The sheet is heated by a base having a base material holding part, a sealing frame provided so as to protrude from the base mounting surface of the frame bottom part and enclosing the entire circumference of the base material holding part in a plan view, and a hot plate A sheet gripper that is provided in the lower frame so as to be vertically movable between a raised position and a lowered position that is in close contact with the upper end of the sealing frame, and grips the outer peripheral edge of the sheet over the entire circumference without gaps; A thermoforming method using a thermoforming apparatus comprising: the base material is held by the base material holding part; the base material is accommodated inside the hermetic frame; The outer peripheral edge is gripped over the entire circumference without any gap, and the hot plate is held at the upper edge of the frame peripheral wall The sheet gripper is moved to the raised position, the sheet is heated by the hot plate, vacuumed by the vacuum vent to decompress the space in the lower frame, and the sheet gripper is The sheet is moved to the lowered position, and the sealed space surrounded by the sheet and the sealed frame formed when the sheet gripping part is brought into close contact with the upper end of the sealed frame is further sucked through the vacuum vent.
According to the thermoforming method according to the second aspect, in the step of sucking the sealed space formed when the sheet gripping portion is in close contact with the upper end of the frame peripheral wall portion with the vacuum vent, the degree of vacuum in the sealed space is increased. Further, the sheet is adsorbed on the aforementioned adsorption surface. Thereby, the adhesiveness of the sheet | seat in a roll-in part and a base material becomes high. Further, the entry of air and impurities between the base material and the sheet is prevented until the molded product is completed.

In the second aspect described above, the space between the sheet and the hot plate may be pressurized when the sealed space is sucked through the vacuum vent.
According to the thermoforming method according to the second aspect, the sheet is pressed against the surface of the base material from the hot plate side with pressurization, and the adhesion between the sheet and the base material is further enhanced.

According to the thermoforming apparatus and thermoforming method according to each of the above aspects of the present invention, the adhesion between the sheet and the substrate at the entrained portion can be improved. As a result, the quality of the molded product can be improved.

In the thermoforming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, it is sectional drawing which shows the state before dropping a sheet | seat. In the thermoforming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, it is a top view which shows the state before dropping a sheet | seat. In the thermoforming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, it is sectional drawing which shows the state which made the hot plate contact | abut the sheet | seat. In the thermoforming apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention, it is sectional drawing which shows a state immediately after lowering | hanging a sheet | seat holding | gripping part to a lowered position. In the thermoforming apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention, it is sectional drawing which shows the state which attracted | sucked the inside of sealed space, after lowering | hanging a sheet | seat holding part to a lowered position.

Hereinafter, a thermoforming apparatus and a thermoforming method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the length, width, thickness ratio, and the like are not necessarily the same as the actual ones, and can be changed as appropriate.

(Thermoforming equipment)
1 and 2 are a cross-sectional view and a plan view of the thermoforming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, showing a state before the sheet is lowered.
As shown in FIG. 1, the thermoforming apparatus 1 includes a lower frame 2, a hot plate 4, a base 6, a sheet gripping portion 8, and a sealing frame 10.

The lower frame 2 is a casing of the thermoforming device 1 and includes a frame bottom portion 12 and a frame peripheral wall portion 14.
The frame bottom portion 12 is fixed at a predetermined position in consideration of the intended use of the thermoforming device 1. Further, a fixing tool or the like for installation at a predetermined position may be provided, and an adhesive portion or the like for bonding to the predetermined position may be provided.
The lower frame 2 has a space S2 surrounded by the frame bottom 12 and the frame peripheral wall 14.

The frame peripheral wall portion 14 is erected on one plate surface 12 a of the frame bottom portion 12 at a position close to the outer periphery of the frame bottom portion 12. A seal member 39 is provided on the upper end surface 14 a of the frame peripheral wall portion 14. The seal member 39 is a member for bringing the bottom surface of the heat plate 4 into close contact with the frame peripheral wall portion 14 when the heat plate 4 described below comes into contact with the upper end surface 14 a of the frame peripheral wall portion 14. Examples of the material of the sealing member 38 include synthetic rubber such as styrene / butadiene rubber, but are not particularly limited.

The hot plate 4 is formed in a flat plate shape having a smooth heating surface 4p and larger than the lower frame 2 in plan view. And the hot platen 4 is provided so that raising / lowering is possible in the direction which approaches / separates with respect to the lower frame 2 arrange | positioned below by the raising / lowering apparatus not shown. The heating surface 4p of the hot plate 4 is disposed in close contact with the upper end surface 14a of the frame peripheral wall portion 14 of the lower frame 2 in a state where the movement is completed downward.

A plurality of heaters 31,..., 31 are provided on the upper surface 4 a of the hot plate 4 at predetermined intervals. The hot plate 4 is formed with a plurality of vent holes 33,..., 33 that open to the heating surface 4p at predetermined intervals. Each vent 33 is connected to a vacuum tank (not shown) provided with a vacuum pump for vacuum suction on the heating surface 4p side, and a pressurized tank (not shown) for storing compressed air by a compressor.

The thermoforming apparatus 1 is an apparatus that molds a sheet H softened by being heated by the hot plate 4 with respect to the base material B accommodated in the space S2 or adheres it to the surface R of the base material B. It is.
The base material B is a main body formed of a thermoplastic resin such as a polypropylene resin or a polyethylene resin of a molded product. The shape of the base material B is not particularly limited, but the height dimension of the base material B is smaller than the height dimension of the frame peripheral wall portion 14.

The sheet H is a known multilayer sheet having, for example, a printing layer, a protective film provided on the surface of the printing layer, or a carrier film, and an adhesive layer provided on the back surface of the printing layer. The material of the film or layer is heated by contacting the heating surface 4p of the hot plate 4, has flexibility and adhesiveness, and can be coated on the surface R of the base material B when cooled. If it is, it will not be restrict | limited in particular.

The base 6 is a member for holding the base material B in the space S 2, and is provided in contact with a predetermined position on the plate surface 12 a of the frame bottom 12. That is, the plate surface 12 a of the frame bottom 12 is the base installation surface 20. As shown in FIG. 2, a base material holding portion 16 capable of holding the base material B is provided in the approximate center of the base 6 in plan view. The base material B is installed in the base material holding part 16. The planar view shape of the substrate holding part 16 is the same as the planar view shape of the bottom surface of the substrate B. In addition, when viewed in plan, the base material holding part 16 is formed slightly smaller than the bottom surface of the base material B. Thereby, when the sheet | seat H is coat | covered on the surface R of the base material B, the sheet | seat H can be easily wound in the bottom face (back surface) of the base material B.

In the present embodiment, the base 6 extends to the outer peripheral side of the base material holding part 16, and the height dimension from the plate surface 12 a of the frame bottom 12 of the extending part of the base 6 is smaller than the base material holding part 16. . Further, an outer peripheral wall portion 18 that is a portion extending from the base material holding portion 16 is provided so as to stand up with respect to the plate surface 12 a of the frame bottom portion 12. With such a configuration, the concave portion 21 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the substrate holding portion 16.

The sheet gripping part 8 is composed of a frame upper part 8A and a frame lower part 8B. The frame upper portion 8A and the frame lower portion 8B are formed in accordance with the shape of the sheet H so that the outer peripheral edge of the sheet H can be arranged at the approximate center in the width direction of these frames in plan view. That is, the frame upper part 8A and the frame lower part 8B are formed so that the outer peripheral edge of the sheet H is positioned between the outer peripheral edge and the inner peripheral edge of the frame upper part 8A and the frame lower part 8B. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the outer peripheral edge of the sheet H that is stretched without slack is sandwiched between the frame upper part 8A and the frame lower part 8B without any gaps.

The sheet gripping portion 8 is supported by a sheet gripping portion lifting mechanism (hereinafter referred to as “lifting mechanism”) 22 so as to be able to descend from the ascending position P 1 where the sheet H is heated by the hot plate 4. The elevating mechanism 22 includes a support base 24, a shaft portion 25, a moving portion 26, and a support portion 27. The support base 24 is provided on the plate surface 12a of the frame bottom portion 12 in the space S2 so as to contact the side surface 6c of the base 6 and surround the base 6 in a plan view. The shaft portion 25 is erected on the upper surface of the support base 24 along the ascending / descending direction of the seat H. Further, the shaft portion 25 penetrates the moving portion 26. The moving part 26 is an annular member that can be moved up and down along the axial direction of the shaft part 25 by a drive part (not shown). The support portion 27 is provided so as to protrude from the moving portion 26 into the space S 2 along the direction parallel to the plate surface 12 a of the frame bottom portion 12. The protruding end portion of the support portion 27 overlaps with the end portion of the support base 24 that contacts the base 6 in plan view.
A frame lower portion 8B of the sheet gripping portion 8 is continuously provided on the upper surface of the support portion 27.

The sealing frame 10 is provided so as to protrude from the plate surface 12a (that is, the base installation surface 20) of the frame bottom portion 12. In the present embodiment, the hermetic frame 10 is provided at the end of the elevating mechanism 22 that contacts the base 6 of the support 24 so as to protrude from the upper surface of the support 24. Therefore, the upper end surface 10 a of the sealing frame 10 overlaps the protruding end portion of the support portion 27 in plan view. The height dimension of the sealing frame 10 from the plate surface 12a of the frame bottom portion 12 is equivalent to the height dimension of the outer peripheral wall portion 18 of the base 6 from the plate surface 12a. And the height dimension of the outer peripheral wall part 18 and the sealing frame 10 from the board surface 12a of the frame bottom part 12 is larger than the height dimension of the upper surface of the base material holding | maintenance part 16 of the base 6 from the board surface 12a.
However, it is important that the height dimension of the side surface 16c of the substrate holding part 16 is secured to some extent. Therefore, the height dimension of the outer peripheral wall part 18 and the sealing frame 10 from the plate surface 12a of the frame bottom part 12 may be smaller than the height dimension of the upper surface of the base material holding part 16 of the base 6 from the same surface. , May be equivalent. And the sealing frame inner upper surface 40a between the base material holding part 16 and the sealing frame 10 is the outer periphery upper edge part (equivalent to the boundary x shown in FIG.4 and FIG.5) of the base material holding part 16 and the said sealing frame. It is provided at a position lower than the upper end.

In the configuration as described above, when the support portion 27 that supports the sheet gripping portion 8 is lowered along the axial direction of the shaft portion 25 via the moving portion 26, it is locked by the upper end surface 10 a of the sealing frame 10. . In other words, the sheet gripping portion 8 is provided so as to be vertically movable between an ascending position P1 where the sheet H is heated by the hot plate 4 and a descending position P2 closely contacting the upper end surface (upper end) 10a of the sealing frame 10. Yes.

A sealing member 38 is provided on the upper end surface 10 a of the sealing frame 10. The seal member 38 is a member for bringing the bottom surface of the support portion 27 lowered to the upper end surface 10a of the sealing frame 10 by the lifting mechanism 22 into close contact with the sealing frame 10, and is made of an appropriate material in consideration of the material of the support portion 27 and the like. It is formed with. Examples of the material of the sealing member 38 include synthetic rubber such as styrene / butadiene rubber, but are not particularly limited.

In the thermoforming apparatus 1, a vacuum vent hole 36 that communicates with the space S 2 in the lower frame 2 and penetrates at least the frame bottom portion 12 inside the sealed frame 10 is formed. A vacuum pump (not shown) or the like is connected to the end portion of the vacuum vent 36 opposite to the end portion opened to the space S2.
At least one vacuum vent 36 may be formed, but the number of vacuum vents 36 is not particularly limited.

Examples of the material of the components of the thermoforming apparatus 1 other than the

seal members

38 and 39 include stainless steel (SUS), but are not particularly limited.

(Thermoforming method)
Next, a thermoforming method using the thermoforming apparatus 1 will be described. The thermoforming method according to the present embodiment is a method of molding a sheet H softened by heating with respect to the base material B, or bonding the base material B to the base material B.
Specifically, the thermoforming method of the present embodiment includes at least first to fifth steps described below.

[First step]
In this step, the base material B is held on the base material holding part 16 of the base 6, and the base material B is accommodated inside the sealed frame 10.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the hot plate 4 is separated upward from the frame peripheral wall portion 14. Further, the sheet gripping portion 8 before gripping the sheet H is disposed below the raised position P1. Such a state is set as an initial state.
Subsequently, the base material B is installed in the base material holding part 16. At this time, in order to hold the base material B more stably, the base material B may be sucked from the upper surface of the base material holding part 16.

[Second step]
In this step, the sheet gripper 8 grips the outer peripheral edge of the sheet H over the entire circumference without any gap.
That is, the outer peripheral edge of the sheet H is disposed in the width direction of the frame of the frame lower portion 8B in plan view. That is, the sheet H is disposed on the frame lower portion 8B so that the outer peripheral edge of the sheet H is located between the outer peripheral edge and the inner peripheral edge of the frame of the frame lower portion 8B. Then, the frame upper part 8A is arranged from the upper surface of the sheet H in accordance with the position of the frame lower part 8B, and the sheet H is sandwiched between the frame upper part 8A and the frame lower part 8B. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 1, the sheet H is sandwiched between the frame upper part 8A and the frame lower part 8B in a state where the sheet H is stretched without slack.

[Third process]
In this step, the heat plate 4 is brought into close contact with the upper end surface (frame upper edge) 14a of the frame peripheral wall portion 14, the sheet gripping portion 8 is moved to the raised position P1, and the sheet H is heated by the heat plate 4.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the thermoforming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, and shows a state in which the hot plate 4 is brought into contact with the sheet H.
Specifically, the hot plate 4 is moved downward from the position shown in FIG. 1 (that is, in the direction of the arrow D2 shown in FIG. 3), and the outer peripheral portion of the heating surface 4p is placed on the frame peripheral wall portion 14 as shown in FIG. It is made to contact | abut to the end surface 14a. Under the present circumstances, the upper surface of the sheet | seat H is arrange | positioned in the state which contacted substantially along the heating surface 4p of the hot platen 4. FIG. At this stage, the space S 2 is sealed by the frame bottom 12 and the frame peripheral wall 14 of the lower frame 2 and the heat plate 4.
Subsequently, the pressure between the hot plate 4 and the sheet H is reduced, and the sheet H is adsorbed on the heating surface 4p to be heated. Specifically, the heating plate 4 is heated by the heater 31, the vacuum tank (not shown) is opened, and the sheet H is sucked in the direction of moving toward the heating surface 4 p of the heating plate 4 through the vent hole 33. To do. Thereby, the sheet H is adsorbed on the heating surface 4p of the hot plate 4, and the adsorbed sheet H is heated.
In this step, it is preferable to start the vacuum suction so that the vacuum tank connected to the vacuum vent 36 is operated and the space S2 has a predetermined degree of vacuum.

[Fourth stroke]
In this step, the space S2 in the lower frame 2 is decompressed by suction through the vacuum vent 36, and the sheet gripping portion 8 is moved to the lowered position P2.
Specifically, first, a vacuum tank connected to the vacuum vent 36 is operated, and vacuum suction is performed through the vacuum vent 36 in a direction in which the sheet H moves downward. Thereby, the air in the space S2 below the sheet H is sucked in the direction of the arrow D1 shown in FIG. 1, and the space S2 is decompressed to be in a high vacuum state.
In this state, the moving unit 26 of the elevating mechanism 22 is moved downward by a driving unit (not shown), and the sheet gripping unit 8 is moved from the raised position P1 to the lowered position P2 at an appropriate speed. In the space S2 in a high vacuum state, the sheet H exhibits flexibility and adhesiveness due to heating from the hot plate 4, and therefore the sheet H moves from the upper surface toward the lower surface as the sheet gripping portion 8 is lowered. The surface R of the base material B is coated.

[Fifth step]
In this step, when the sheet gripping portion 8 comes into close contact with the upper end surface 10 a of the sealing frame 10, the sealed space W surrounded by the sheet H and the sealing frame 10 is further sucked by the vacuum vent 36.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the thermoforming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, showing a state immediately after the sheet gripping portion 8 is lowered to the lowered position P2.
When the sheet gripping portion 8 reaches the lowered position P2, as shown in FIG. 4, the side surface 16c of the base material holding portion 16 of the base 6, the upper surface 40a inside the sealing frame, the side surface 18d inside the outer peripheral wall portion 18, and the sheet A sealed space W surrounded by the bottom surface of H is formed. In other words, the sealed space W is formed to be surrounded by the inner wall surface of the recess 21 and the bottom surface of the sheet H.

Subsequently, the inside of the sealed space W is sucked by the vacuum vent 36 to further increase the degree of vacuum in the sealed space W.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the thermoforming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, showing a state in which the sealed space W is sucked after the sheet gripping portion 8 is lowered to the lowered position P2.
When the inside of the sealed space W is sucked by the vacuum vent 36, the sheet H is sucked downward and sucked to the suction surface 42 as shown in FIG. The suction surface 42 passes from the lower end of the base material B through the boundary x between the base material B and the base material holding portion 16 of the base 6 to the upper surface 40 a in the sealed frame and the inner side surface 18 d of the outer peripheral wall portion 18. It is formed to expand continuously.

In this step, the sealed space S2 between the sheet H and the heating surface 4p of the hot plate 4 may be pressurized.
As a result, the sheet H adheres more strongly to the suction surface 42.

After performing the above-described first to fifth steps, the sheet H is cut at the boundary x with a cutting device (not shown).
Subsequently, the hot plate 4 is moved upward and further moved in the lateral direction. And the base material B which coat | covered and adhere | attached the sheet | seat H, ie, a molded article, is removed from the base material holding | maintenance part 16 of the base 6, and is taken out from the inside of space S2.
Through the above operations, a molded product is completed, and a series of thermoforming operations are completed.

(Operational effect of thermoforming apparatus 1 and thermoforming method)
As described above, according to the thermoforming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the sheet gripping portion 8 reaches the lowered position P2 in the airtight space S2 by vacuum suction from the vacuum vent 36, the sealed space W is formed. It is formed. When the inside of the sealed space W is sucked through the vacuum vent 36, the degree of vacuum in the sealed space W is further increased, and the sheet H is sucked by the suction surface 42. By adsorbing the sheet H to the adsorbing surface 42, the adhesion between the base material B and the sheet H at the entrained portion can be increased. Therefore, without removing air and impurities between the base material B and the sheet H, the effect of removing bubbles and impurities in the molded product can be enhanced.

Further, according to the thermoforming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the sealing frame 10 can be provided with a buffer function for the sheet gripping portion 8 moved to the lowered position P2 by the seal member 38, and the sheet gripping portion 8 The airtightness of the sealed space W can be enhanced by bringing the sealed frame 10 into close contact.

Further, according to the thermoforming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the sealed frame inner upper surface 40 a is provided at a position lower than the outer peripheral upper edge of the base material holding unit 16 and the upper end surface 10 a of the sealed frame 10. Therefore, the sheet H can be covered and rolled up to the boundary x and the outer edge of the bottom surface (back surface) of the base material B.
Thereby, peeling of the sheet | seat H after shaping | molding can be prevented, and the removal effect of the bubble and impurity in a molded article can further be improved.

Furthermore, in the thermoforming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the base 6 extends to the outer peripheral side of the base material holding portion 16, and the concave portion 21 is formed on the outer periphery of the base material holding portion 16. Further, the outer peripheral wall portion 18 of the recess 21 is provided inside the sealing frame 10. Therefore, because the bottom surface of the recess 21 is higher than the plate surface 12a of the frame bottom portion 12, and because the inner side surface 18d of the outer peripheral wall portion 18 is positioned on the inner side than the inner side surface of the sealing frame 10, The time required for reducing the sealed space W and increasing the degree of vacuum in the sealed space W can be shortened.

Further, according to the thermoforming method according to the present embodiment, in the fifth step, the degree of vacuum in the sealed space W is further increased and the sheet H is adsorbed on the adsorption surface 42. Thereby, the adhesiveness of the base material B and the sheet | seat H is improved, and the penetration | invasion of the air and impurities between the base material B and the sheet | seat H can be prevented reliably until a molded article is completed.

Moreover, according to the thermoforming method which concerns on this embodiment, in the 5th process, by pressurizing sealed space S2 between the sheet | seat H and the heating surface 4p of the hot platen 4, it is the base material B and the sheet | seat H. The adhesion can be further increased.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

For example, the sealing member 38 may be provided on the upper end surface of the outer peripheral wall portion 18 of the base 6, and the outer peripheral wall portion 18 may also serve as the sealing frame 10.
Further, the base 6 may not be extended to the outer peripheral side of the base material holding part 16, and the base 6 may be constituted by the base material holding part 16. In that case, the sealing frame 10 is provided on the plate surface 12 a of the frame bottom portion 12 so as to be separated from the base material holding portion 16. Furthermore, the upper surface 40a of the sealing frame is formed by the side surface 16c of the base material holding portion 16, the plate surface 12a of the frame bottom portion 12 interposed between the base material holding portion 16 and the sealing frame 10, and the inner side surface of the sealing frame 10. Composed.

Further, the configuration of the lifting mechanism 22 is not limited to the configuration described above. That is, the elevating mechanism 22 includes a moving part 26 and a support part 27, and the moving part 26 may be connected to the frame peripheral wall part 14 so that it can be moved up and down along the frame peripheral wall part 14. It may be said.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thermoforming apparatus 2 Lower frame 4 Hot plate 4p Heating surface 6 Base 8 Sheet holding part 10 Sealing frame 10a Upper end surface (upper end)
12 Frame bottom part 14 Frame peripheral wall part 16 Base material holding part 20 Base mounting surface 21 Recess 36 Vacuum vent 38 Seal member 40a Sealing frame upper surface B Base material H Sheet P1 Lifting position P2 Lowering position

Claims

A thermoforming apparatus that molds a sheet with respect to a substrate, or adheres the sheet to the substrate,
A lower frame that has a frame bottom portion in which a frame peripheral wall portion and a vacuum vent are formed, and forms a space for accommodating the base material;
A heating plate having a heating surface and configured to bring the heating surface into intimate contact with the upper edge of the frame peripheral wall portion;
A base having a substrate holding part capable of holding the substrate;
A sealed frame that is provided so as to protrude from the base installation surface of the bottom of the frame and surrounds the entire circumference of the base material holding part in plan view;
It is provided in the lower frame so as to be vertically movable between a rising position where the sheet is heated by the hot plate and a lowering position closely contacting the upper end of the sealing frame, and the outer peripheral edge of the sheet extends over the entire circumference. A sheet gripper that grips without gaps;
With
When the sheet gripping portion is in close contact with the upper end of the sealing frame, a sealed space surrounded by the sheet and the sealing frame is formed,
The vacuum vent communicates with the space in the lower frame, passes through at least the bottom of the frame inside the sealed frame and opens to the upper surface in the sealed frame, and the vacuum space is formed in a state where the sealed space is formed. A thermoforming device configured to be sucked through a vent.
The thermoforming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a sealing member is provided at an upper end of the sealing frame.
The inner surface of the sealing frame is formed between the base material holding part and the sealing frame, and is provided at a position lower than an upper peripheral edge of the base material holding part and an upper end of the sealing frame. The thermoforming apparatus according to 1 or 2.
The said base is extended to the outer peripheral side of the said base material holding part, The said upper surface in the sealing frame comprises the upper surface of the recessed part formed in the outer peripheral side of the said base material holding part. The thermoforming apparatus as described in any one.
A frame having a frame bottom portion in which a frame peripheral wall portion and a vacuum vent are formed, forming a space for accommodating a base material, a base having a base material holding portion capable of holding the base material, and the frame bottom portion The sealing frame is provided so as to protrude from the base installation surface and surrounds the entire circumference of the base material holding portion in a plan view, the rising position where the sheet is heated by a hot plate, and the upper end of the sealing frame A thermoforming method using a thermoforming apparatus, comprising: a sheet gripping portion provided in the lower frame so as to be movable up and down with respect to a lowered position and gripping the outer peripheral edge of the sheet over the entire circumference without gaps. And
Holding the base material in the base material holding part, housing the base material inside the sealing frame,
In the sheet gripping section, grip the outer peripheral edge of the sheet over the entire circumference without any gaps,
The heating plate is brought into close contact with the upper edge of the frame peripheral wall portion, the sheet gripping portion is moved to the raised position, and the sheet is heated by the heating plate,
While vacuuming the vacuum vent to depressurize the space in the lower frame, the sheet gripper is moved to the lowered position,
A thermoforming method in which the sheet formed when the sheet gripping part is brought into close contact with the upper end of the sealed frame and a sealed space surrounded by the sealed frame are further sucked through the vacuum vent.
When sucking the sealed space through the vacuum vent,
The thermoforming method according to claim 5, wherein a space between the sheet and the hot plate is pressurized.