Hot molding apparatus

Abstract

To provide a hot molding apparatus equipped with a conveying device that enables space-saving mold replacement.SOLUTION: In a hot molding apparatus 100, which is equipped with a hot molding part 150 that hot-molds a resin sheet S using a receiving jig 50 that holds a substrate B, and a jig transport part 200 that transports the receiving jig 50 from an input position to the hot molding part 150, the receiving jig 50 includes a first jig 50a and a second jig 50b, and the jig transport part 200 is composed of two tiers of upper transport rollers 220 and lower transport rollers 230 that transport the receiving jig 50 in a straight line, stacked together, and is equipped with a jig lifting table 210 that is arranged adjacent to the jig transport part 200 and moves the receiving jig 50 up and down, and the hot molding part 150, the jig transport part 200, and the jig lifting table 210 are arranged side by side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for changing molds in a thermoforming device, and more particularly to a technique for performing molding using one mold while molding using the other mold. [Background technology]

[0002] When manufacturing thermoformed products, there are two methods: continuous molding using roll sheets, and batch molding using rectangular sheets.When using batch processing, there are issues with reducing the time required for mold changes, etc.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for a method of heat-molding a thermoplastic resin sheet. A single plate made of a thermoplastic resin sheet is set in a frame-shaped receiving mold that supports the outside of the molded portion, and the receiving mold is sequentially moved to a predetermined position. The process involves a heating step in which the molded portion is sandwiched between a pair of heaters to soften it, a molding step in which the molded portion is molded into a predetermined shape, and an unloading step in which the molded product is removed from the receiving mold. The movement of the receiving mold is configured to be rotational, enabling reliable alignment and molding. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 62-170321 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, adopting a configuration using an index table as shown in Patent Document 1 poses problems such as the need for a large installation space for the device. When using an index table to move between the heating process, molding process, and unloading process as needed, it is necessary to place the devices that perform the processes on all four sides of the axis of the index table in order to move the processes by rotation. This requires a large installation space for the molding device. Depending on the factory layout, it may not be possible to secure such space, so a different method of space saving has been sought.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a thermoforming apparatus equipped with a conveying device that allows for space-saving mold replacement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a thermoforming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention has the following features.

[0008] (1) A thermoforming apparatus including a thermoforming unit that performs thermoforming of a resin sheet using a jig that holds a mold or a substrate, and a jig transport unit that transports the jig from an input position to the thermoforming unit, The jig includes a first jig and a second jig, The jig transport unit is configured by stacking a first transport unit and a second transport unit that transport the jig in a straight line in two stages, a jig lifting mechanism disposed adjacent to the jig transport section for lifting and moving the jig; the thermoforming unit, the jig transport unit, and the jig lifting mechanism are arranged side by side; It is characterized by:

[0009] The aspect described in (1) above makes it possible to provide a compact thermoforming device that can shorten takt time. This is because the jig conveying section used for mold exchange uses a two-story first conveying section and a second conveying section. This makes it possible to prepare a mold or substrate for the second jig while molding is being performed in the thermoforming section using the first jig. For example, while molding is being performed using the first jig, a mold or substrate is prepared for the second jig and moved by the first conveying section. Next, after molding is completed, the first jig with the molded product loaded on it can be moved by the second conveying section. In other words, different routes (separate first and second conveying sections) can be used for the outbound and return journeys, and the two-story structure allows the jig conveying section to be configured in a space-saving manner.

[0010] In addition, since the jig is configured to move the first and second transport sections using a jig lifting mechanism, it is possible to smoothly switch between the first and second jig. By adopting this configuration, it is possible to reduce the installation space of the device compared to a configuration using an index table such as that shown in Patent Document 1.

[0011] (2) In the thermoforming device according to (1), The thermoforming section is provided with an upper container that opens downward for performing compressed air / vacuum forming, and a lower container that opens upward, a holding function for holding the jig in the upper container or the lower container; is preferred.

[0012] According to the aspect described in (2) above, a mold or a substrate is held in a jig, and compressed air / vacuum forming is performed while the jig is held in the upper or lower container. Therefore, when a mold is used, precise molding of the resin sheet can be performed, and when a substrate is used, adhesion between the resin sheet and the substrate can be improved.

[0013] (3) In the thermoforming apparatus according to either (1) or (2), the jig is formed by stacking a support frame for holding the resin sheet and a support part for holding the mold or the base material, the thermoforming unit has a separation function for separating the support unit and the holding frame when the resin sheet is inserted; is preferred.

[0014] According to the aspect described in (3) above, the jig is composed of a frame having a function of holding a resin sheet and a support part for holding a mold or substrate, which are stacked on top of each other, and can be separated or stacked as needed. Therefore, when inserting a resin sheet, the frame and the support part can be separated so as not to interfere with the mold or substrate being held, and by providing this separation function to the thermoforming part, the resin sheet can be inserted in the thermoforming part, thereby realizing space savings.

[0015] (4) In the thermoforming device according to any one of (1) to (3), The jig lifting mechanism is provided with a lift-up cylinder that lifts up the resin sheet together with the mold or the base material after molding in the thermoforming section. is preferred.

[0016] According to the aspect (4) above, by operating the lift-up cylinder with the jig lifting mechanism, it becomes possible to knock out the molded product with the jig lifting mechanism, which contributes to improving the ease of work such as removing the molded product. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a thermoforming device according to the present embodiment (Step 1). [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a thermoforming device according to the present embodiment (Step 2). [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a thermoforming device according to the present embodiment (Step 3). [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a thermoforming device according to the present embodiment (step 4). [Figure 5]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a thermoforming device according to the present embodiment (step 5). [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a thermoforming device according to the present embodiment (step 6). [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a thermoforming device according to the present embodiment (Step 7). [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a thermoforming device according to the present embodiment (step 8). [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a thermoforming device according to the present embodiment (step 9). [Figure 10] 4 is a timing chart of a molding procedure in the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] First, we will explain the outline of the configuration of a thermoforming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the thermoforming apparatus. In the following description, the upper side of the drawing corresponds to the positive Z-axis direction, and the right side corresponds to the positive X-axis direction. The thermoforming apparatus 100 includes a thermoforming unit 150, a jig transport unit 200, and a jig lifting table 210, and is configured to adhere a resin sheet S to the upper surface of a substrate B by thermoforming. The thermoforming unit 150 heats and molds the resin sheet S to adhere it to the substrate B, and the jig transport unit 200 transports a receiving jig 50. The jig lifting table 210 raises and lowers the receiving jig 50. Therefore, mold replacement is achieved by the jig transport unit 200 and the jig lifting table 210.

[0019] First, the configuration of the thermoforming unit 150 will be described. The thermoforming unit 150 includes an upper container 101 that opens downward and a lower container 102 that opens upward. The upper container 101 and the lower container 102 are highly pressure-resistant containers, and are configured to maintain internal pressure during vacuum and pressure forming. The lower container 102 is equipped with a lifting mechanism (not shown) that can move the lower container 102 toward or away from the upper container 101. That is, the lower container 102 has the function of lifting in the positive direction of the Z axis and lowering in the negative direction of the Z axis as shown in FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, the thermoforming unit 150 has the function of stopping at at least three positions: a lower end position where the receiving jig 50 is received and the resin sheet S is inserted; an upper end position where the receiving jig 50 abuts against the upper container 101; and an intermediate position where the receiving jig 50 is ejected.

[0020] The upper heating means 110 is a group of heaters 111 that perform radiant heating from the upper surface of the resin sheet S, and is composed of a plurality of heaters 111 arranged in a tiled pattern. The upper heating means 110 is disposed inside the upper container 101 and has a lifting function (not shown), and is configured to be able to move toward or away from the resin sheet S held between the upper container 101 and the lower container 102 using this lifting function. In other words, it has the function of moving inside the upper container 101 in the negative Z-axis direction (approaching) and in the positive Z-axis direction (moving away).

[0021] The receiving jig 50 is composed of a frame body 51 and a base portion 52 stacked on top of each other, the frame body 51 having a rectangular frame-like shape and functioning to hold the resin sheet S on its upper surface, and the base portion 52 having a rectangular, flat plate-like shape and functioning to position and hold the substrate B. Two receiving jigs 50 are used in the thermoforming device 100, and for convenience of explanation, they may be described as a first jig 50a and a second jig 50b, but when the term receiving jig 50 is used without any particular distinction, it refers to either or both of the first jig 50a and the second jig 50b.

[0022] This receiving jig 50 is used by stacking a frame body 51 on a base portion 52, and a substrate B is placed within the frame body 51. When the frame body 51 is stacked on the base portion 52, it is positioned so as not to shift laterally, and the frame body 51 is structured so that it can be easily separated in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). Positioning is preferably performed using a positioning pin (not shown) or by forming a step on the top surface of the base portion 52. In addition, a plurality of through holes 52a for a lift-up cylinder 215 shown in FIG. 9 are formed in the bottom surface of the base portion 52 for reasons that will be described later.

[0023] As described above, the resin sheet S is held on the upper surface of the frame body 51, and positioning pins (not shown) or the like are provided to hold the resin sheet S without shifting relative to the frame body 51. The thickness of the frame body 51 is set to be thicker than the height of the substrate B, and the frame body 51 in a state where it holds the resin sheet S is positioned so that the lower surface of the resin sheet S does not come into contact with the substrate B, with the substrate B held on the upper surface of the base part 52 (that is, with the frame body 51 and the base part 52 overlapping and the substrate B disposed within the frame of the frame body 51).

[0024] The resin sheet S is a rectangular sheet material that is attached to the surface of the substrate B, and is made of a thermoplastic resin and has a pattern printed on it. According to the JIS standard, a film is defined as a plastic membrane having a thickness of less than 250 μm, and anything thicker than that is defined as a sheet material, but for convenience, the present embodiment uses the term sheet material, and does not preclude the use of a film material in the present invention as needed.

[0025] In this embodiment, the substrate B is assumed to be a resin, approximately rectangular bathtub counter. A resin sheet S with a printed pattern is attached to the surface of the substrate B, which will become the bathtub counter, by thermoforming, enhancing the product's design. Of course, the substrate B is not limited to this, and can be applied to various containers and automobile interior parts, etc., where the resin sheet S is attached to the surface to impart functionality or enhance aesthetics. Since two substrates B appear within the thermoforming device 100, for convenience of explanation, they will be referred to as a first substrate B1 and a second substrate B2. Unless otherwise specified, the term "substrate B" refers to either or both of the first substrate B1 and the second substrate B2.

[0026] The mold lifting platform 120 is provided inside the lower container 102, and moves up and down inside the lower container 102 by a lifting function (not shown). The mold lifting platform 120 also has the function of holding the base portion 52 of the receiving jig 50. In other words, by moving in the positive direction of the Z axis (upward) or in the negative direction of the Z axis (downward), the base portion 52 and the substrate B held thereon can be raised and lowered. The mold lifting platform 120 also has a built-in pickup cylinder 121 that lifts up the receiving jig 50, and has the function of lifting up only the receiving jig 50 from the upper surface of the mold lifting platform 120.

[0027] 2 shows the thermoforming unit 150 in a closed state. The figure shows the state in which the lower container 102 is close to the upper container 101 and closed, with the resin sheet S sandwiched between the frame 51 and the upper attachment 60. With the upper container 101 and the lower container 102 in this closed state, the upper chamber 150A, which is the space on the upper container 101 side, and the lower chamber 150B, which is the space on the lower container 102 side, are separated by the resin sheet S. At this time, the upper container 101 and the lower container 102 are connected to pipes connected to a compressed air tank or vacuum tank (not shown), which can adjust the internal pressure of the upper chamber 150A and the lower chamber 150B.

[0028] Next, the configuration of the jig transport section 200 will be described. The jig transport section 200 is equipped with an upper transport roller 220 and a lower transport roller 230, which correspond to the first and second transport sections. The lower transport roller 230 has the function of linearly transporting the receiving jig 50 in a fixed direction, and together with the upper transport roller 220 stacked on top of it, forms a two-story structure of a self-propelled mold front roller 240. The upper transport roller 220 and the lower transport roller 230 use roller conveyors and have the function of supporting and transporting the receiving jig 50 on their transport surfaces. A jig lifting table 210, provided adjacent to the jig transport section 200, can move the receiving jig 50 from the position of the upper transport roller 220 to the position of the lower transport roller 230. A mold loading cylinder 125, which will be described later, is also provided and has the function of moving the receiving jig 50 from the lower transport roller 230 onto the mold lifting platform 120.

[0029] The jig lifting table 210 is a pantograph arm type lifting device, and can raise and lower the receiving jig 50 by extending and retracting the arm 211. A plurality of motor-equipped carry-in / out rollers 212 are arranged on the upper surface of the jig lifting table 210, and the lifting end of the arm 211 is set to a height where the conveying surface of the upper conveying roller 220 and the conveying surface of the carry-in / out rollers 212 coincide. Also, the lowering end of the arm 211 is set to a height where the conveying surface of the lower conveying roller 230 and the conveying surface of the carry-in / out rollers 212 coincide. In other words, the jig lifting table 210 is configured to change the holding position of the receiving jig 50 and to load and unload it.

[0030] The jig lifting table 210 also incorporates a lift-up cylinder 215 for lifting the substrate B from the conveying surface of the carry-in / out rollers 212, and the cylinder rod 215a extends and retracts, allowing only the substrate B to be raised and lowered. In other words, it has the function of raising and lowering the substrate B in the Z-axis direction. Note that the lift-up cylinder 215 only needs to function when the jig lifting table 210 is at the bottom end, so the lift-up cylinder 215 itself is not configured to follow the raising and lowering of the arm 211, but this does not preclude a configuration in which it follows.

[0031] Such a jig lifting table 210 is disposed at the end of the mold self-propelled front roller 240, at a position far from the thermoforming section 150. That is, the thermoforming section 150, the mold self-propelled front roller 240, and the jig lifting table 210 are disposed in a line, and for convenience of explanation, the thermoforming section 150 side is referred to as the forming position St1, and the jig lifting table 210 side is referred to as the mold replacement position St2.

[0032] A transport beam 245 is disposed further above the upper transport roller 220 in parallel with the upper transport roller 220, and a mold chuck 241 is movably provided below the transport beam 245. The mold chuck 241 is fixed to a table 242a of an advance / retract cylinder 242 that uses a linear motion mechanism such as a rodless cylinder provided on the transport beam 245, so that the mold chuck 241 can chuck and move the receiving jig 50. The mold chuck 241, the advance / retract cylinder 242, and the transport beam 245 constitute a mold retraction unit 250.

[0033] With the receiving jig 50 held on the jig lifting table 210, the work of loading the substrate B is carried out as described below, but an opening / closing door 300 is arranged to prevent an operator from accessing the mold replacement position St2 while the jig lifting table 210 is in operation. The opening / closing door 300 is configured to move in the vertical direction and is supported by a frame (not shown). Note that an area sensor may be used instead of the opening / closing door 300, or the opening / closing door 300 and the area sensor may be used together.

[0034] Next, the molding procedure of the thermoforming apparatus 100 will be described. Fig. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the thermoforming apparatus 100, illustrating the state of step 2. Similarly, Figs. 3 to 9 show a schematic configuration of the thermoforming apparatus 100, illustrating the states of steps 3 to 9. Fig. 10 shows a timing chart.

[0035] (Step 1) First, at the molding position St1, a resin sheet S is placed on the frame 51 by a sheet supply unit (not shown). This is performed in the thermoforming section 150 with the lower container 102 lowered as shown in FIG. 1. The frame 51 of the first jig 50a is held in contact with the opening edge of the lower container 102, and the base 52 is held on the mold lifting platform 120. In other words, the first jig 50a is held on the lower container 102 side of the thermoforming section 150 in a state where it is separated into the frame 51 and the base 52. Therefore, the mold lifting platform 120 is located at the lower end inside the lower container 102. This prevents interference between the resin sheet S placed on the frame 51 and the first substrate B1. After being placed on the frame 51, the resin sheet S is held by the frame 51.

[0036] Furthermore, at the mold replacement position St2, the substrate B (second substrate B2) is loaded into the second jig 50b. The jig lifting table 210 is in a state in which the arm 211 is folded so that it is located at the lower end. In this state, the second jig 50b is held on the lifting table 210, and the lift-up cylinder 215 provided at the bottom of the lifting table 210 is moved forward (raised), and then the worker loads the second substrate B2. At this time, the second substrate B2 is placed at the tip of the cylinder rod 215a, thereby positioning the second substrate B2.

[0037] (Step 2) Next, at the molding position St1, the lower container 102 is lifted up. This is shown in Fig. 2, and the lower container 102 is lifted up so that it approaches the upper container 101 with the resin sheet S held on the upper surface of the frame 51. The resin sheet S is then sandwiched between the upper attachment 60, which is held so as to contact the end surface of the upper container 101, and the frame 51, which is held on the lower container 102. With the resin sheet S sandwiched between the upper attachment 60 and the frame 51, the resin sheet S is heated by the upper heating means 110.

[0038] Furthermore, at the mold replacement position St2, the cylinder rod 215a, which is at the forward end and holds the second substrate B2, is retracted. As a result, the second substrate B2 is moved into the second jig 50b. Once the second substrate B2 is placed inside the second jig 50b, the second substrate B2 is positioned and held relative to the second jig 50b.

[0039] (Step 3) Next, at the molding position St1, compressed air / vacuum forming is performed in the molding mechanism unit 150 to bring the resin sheet S into close contact with the first substrate B1. This process is shown in FIG. 3. The mold lifting platform 120 is lifted up, the first substrate B1 is brought into contact with the underside of the heated resin sheet S, and compressed air / vacuum forming is performed by pressurizing the upper chamber 150A and reducing the pressure in the lower chamber 150B. The second jig 50b is then moved from the mold replacement position St2. As shown in FIG. 2, the second jig 50b is positioned above the jig lifting table 210, on the conveying surface of the conveying rollers 212. By driving the conveying rollers 212, the second jig 50b is sent toward the lower conveying rollers 230. The lower conveying rollers 230 are then driven to move the second jig 50b to the front of the lower container 102 shown in FIG. 3. The lower conveying roller 230 is provided with a stopper (not shown), so that the second jig 50b stops at a predetermined position.

[0040] (Step 4) Next, at the molding position St1, molding of the resin sheet S is completed and the lower container 102 is lowered. This state is shown in Figure 4. After the internal pressure of the upper container 101 and the lower container 102 is returned to atmospheric pressure, the lower container 102 is lowered to open the mold. At this time, the lower container 102 has moved to an intermediate position so that the first jig 50a can be removed in the following procedure. The forward / backward cylinder 242 provided in the mold retraction unit 250 moves the mold chuck 241 to a standby position.

[0041] (Step 5) Next, the first jig 50a is removed from the thermoforming section 150 at the molding position St1. This is shown in Figure 5. The forward / backward cylinder 242 provided in the mold retraction unit 250 is moved to its forward end, and the mold chuck 241 is opened and closed to grip the first jig 50a. Also, at the mold replacement position St2, the arm 211 of the jig lifting table 210 is operated to lift the table 210 so that the conveying surface of the carry-in / out rollers 212 coincides with the conveying surface of the upper conveying rollers 220.

[0042] (Step 6) Next, the first jig 50a chucked by the mold chuck 241 is removed from the molding position St1 by driving the advance / retract cylinder 242. As shown in Fig. 6, the first jig 50a chucked by the mold chuck 241 fixed to the table 242a of the advance / retract cylinder 242 is moved by moving the table 242a to the retract end of the advance / retract cylinder 242. As a result, the first jig 50a passes through the conveyance surface of the upper conveyance roller 220 and is moved up to above the jig lifting table 210 on the mold replacement position St2 side. Then, at the molding position St1, the lower container 102 is moved to the lower end.

[0043] (Step 7) Next, at molding position St1, with the lower container 102 having been moved to its lowest position, the second jig 50b is moved to the mold lifting platform 120. As shown in Fig. 7, the second jig 50b is in a standby state on the lower conveying roller 230, so it is moved to the mold lifting platform 120 side of molding position St1 using the mold carry-in cylinder 125. At this time, the pickup cylinder 121 is in a forward position on the mold lifting platform 120 side, and the second jig 50b is moved onto the pickup cylinder 121.

[0044] (Step 8) Next, the second jig 50b inserted into the molding position St1 is positioned, and the jig lifting table 210 carrying the unchucked first jig 50a is moved to the lower end at the mold replacement position St2. As shown in FIG. 8, at the mold replacement position St2, the second jig 50b carried by the mold retraction unit 250 is placed on the upper surface of the jig lifting table 210 by opening the mold chuck 241. In this state, the jig lifting table 210 is moved to the lower end, and the conveying surfaces of the lower conveying rollers 230 and the carry-in / out rollers 212 are brought to the same level. Meanwhile, at the molding position St1, the second jig 50b is positioned by the pickup cylinder 121.

[0045] (Step 9) Next, the resin sheet S is introduced at molding position St1. As shown in Fig. 9, at molding position St1, the frame 51 of the second jig 50b is held in contact with the end surface of the lower container 102, and the resin sheet S is introduced onto the upper surface of this. At this time, the mold lifting platform 120 has been moved to the lower end, and the base portion 52 of the second jig 50b has been lowered while being held on the upper surface of the mold lifting platform 120, so that the second substrate B2 held by the base portion 52 does not interfere with the lower surface of the resin sheet S to be introduced.

[0046] Then, at the mold replacement position St2, the first substrate B1 after molding, which was held in the first jig 50a, is lifted (knocked out) by the lift-up cylinder 215 provided on the jig lifting table 210. Here, the base portion 52 held by the mold lifting platform 120 is provided with a plurality of through-holes 52a through which the cylinder rods 215a of the lift-up cylinders 215 pass, so that only the first substrate B1 held in the base portion 52 of the first jig 50a can be lifted by the cylinder rods 215a. As a result, the molded resin sheet S held in the frame 51 is knocked out together with the first substrate B1, making it possible to remove it. At this point, the opening / closing door 300 is opened, and the worker removes the molded product.

[0047] In this way, by repeating the operations shown in steps 1 to 9, the resin sheet S is molded and adhered to the surface of the substrate B, resulting in a molded product. Therefore, molding is performed by alternately using the first jig 50a and the second jig 50b. Note that multiple receiving jigs 50 may be prepared and used while removing waste material and performing maintenance.

[0048] The thermoforming apparatus 100 of this embodiment has the above-described configuration and therefore provides the following functions and effects.

[0049] First, space saving of the device can be expected. This is because the thermoforming device 100 includes a thermoforming section 150 that thermoforms a resin sheet S using a receiving jig 50 that holds a substrate B, and a jig transport section 200 that transports the receiving jig 50 from an input position to the thermoforming section 150. The receiving jig 50 includes a first jig 50a and a second jig 50b. The jig transport section 200 is composed of a first transport section (upper transport roller 220) and a second transport section (lower transport roller 230) that transport the receiving jig 50 in a straight line, stacked in two stages. The jig transport section 200 is disposed adjacent to the jig transport section 200 and is provided with a jig lifting mechanism (jig lifting table 210) for moving the receiving jig 50 up and down. The thermoforming section 150, the jig transport section 200, and the jig lifting table 210 are disposed side by side.

[0050] In other words, the thermoforming unit 150, jig transport unit 200, and jig lifting table 210 are arranged side by side, which is expected to result in a more compact configuration and greater layout flexibility than using an index table as shown in Patent Document 1. This is because, while using an index table requires that the equipment for each process be arranged around the rotation axis of the index table, the thermoforming apparatus 100 of this embodiment can be installed with less width because the thermoforming unit 150, jig transport unit 200, and jig lifting table 210 can be arranged side by side. Furthermore, by configuring the jig transport unit 200 as a two-story structure with upper transport rollers 220 and lower transport rollers 230, the receiving jig 50 can be moved in and out of a space-saving manner, which contributes to space savings.

[0051] It is preferable that the thermoforming section 150 is provided with an upper container 101 that opens downward for performing compressed air / vacuum forming, and a lower container 102 that opens upward, and that the upper container 101 or the lower container 102 is provided with a holding function for holding the receiving jig 50 (holding the receiving jig 50 by the opening end face of the lower container 102 and the mold lifting platform 120).

[0052] The receiving jig 50 is composed of a frame body 51 for holding the resin sheet and a support part (base part 52) ​​for holding the substrate B, stacked together, and the frame body 51 is stacked so as to be positioned around the substrate B held by the base part 52, and it is preferable that the thermoforming part 150 has a separation function (a mold lifting platform 120 and a lower container 102 that receives and holds the frame body 51) for separating the frame body 51 and the base part 52 when the resin sheet S is inserted.

[0053] In this embodiment, of the receiving jig 50 in the lower container 102, the frame 51 is held on the open end surface of the lower container 102, and the base 52 is held on the upper surface of a mold lifting platform 120 provided inside the lower container 102. By holding the frame 51 in the lower container 102, it is possible to move the base 52 held on the mold lifting platform 120 to the lower end when the resin sheet S is poured onto the upper surface of the frame 51.

[0054] In this way, the resin sheet S is sandwiched between the upper surface of the frame 51 and the upper attachment 60, and is heated by the upper heating means 110 in this state. Even if the resin sheet S is drawn down during this process, it can be prevented from coming into contact with the substrate B. If the surfaces of the drawn-down resin sheet S and the substrate B come into contact, unintended parts may come into contact, causing wrinkles, heat may escape from the resin sheet S to the substrate B, resulting in insufficient heating, or the resin sheet may become twisted and air bubbles may be trapped, which can lead to defects. Preventing this can be expected to improve the yield of molded products.

[0055] It is preferable that the jig lifting table 210 is provided with a lift-up cylinder 215 that lifts up the resin sheet S together with the substrate B after molding in the thermoforming section 150. This makes it easy to remove the substrate B from the receiving jig 50. Furthermore, since the resin sheet S is held by the frame 51, it becomes possible to knock out the molded product. If a cutting process or the like is required for knocking out, this can be provided on the jig lifting table 210, for example.

[0056] The thermoforming apparatus 100 according to the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in this embodiment, the receiving jig 50 is described as holding the substrate B, but it may also be a mold for forming the resin sheet S. Furthermore, while the receiving jig 50 is described as using two jigs, a first jig 50a and a second jig 50b, as mentioned above, it is not precluded from using three or more jigs for the purpose of replacement. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] B Base material S Resin seat 50, 50a, 50b: receiving jig, first jig, second jig 100 Thermoforming equipment 150 Thermoforming Section 200 Jig transport section 210 Jig lifting table

Claims

1. A thermoforming apparatus including a thermoforming unit that thermoforms a resin sheet using a jig that holds a mold or a substrate, and a jig transport unit that transports the jig from an input position to the thermoforming unit, The jigs include a first jig and a second jig, The jig transport unit includes a first transport unit and a second transport unit that are stacked in two stages and linearly transport the jig, a jig lifting mechanism disposed adjacent to the jig transport section for lifting and moving the jig; the thermoforming unit, the jig transport unit, and the jig lifting mechanism are arranged side by side; A thermoforming device characterized by:

2. 2. The thermoforming apparatus of claim 1, The thermoforming unit includes an upper container that opens downward for performing compressed air / vacuum forming, and a lower container that opens upward; a holding function for holding the jig in the upper container or the lower container; A thermoforming device characterized by:

3. 3. The thermoforming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the jig is formed by stacking a frame body for holding the resin sheet and a support part for holding the mold or the base material, the frame body being stacked so as to be disposed around the mold or the base material held by the support part, the thermoforming unit has a separation function for separating the frame body and the support unit when the resin sheet is inserted; A thermoforming device characterized by:

4. 3. The thermoforming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The jig lifting mechanism is provided with a lift-up cylinder that lifts up the resin sheet together with the mold or the base material after molding in the thermoforming section. A thermoforming device characterized by:

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