Laminate embossing / debossing processing device, and laminate embossing / debossing processing method

Abstract

To provide a laminate embossing / debossing device capable of performing distinct embossing or debossing on laminates composed of multiple sheet materials.SOLUTION: A laminate embossing / debossing device 100 comprises a metal upper mold 20 having a convex pattern 22 that forms a pattern with recesses on the upper surface of a laminate 10 composed of a first vinyl chloride sheet material 10A and a second vinyl chloride sheet material 10B, a metal lower mold 30 having a recessed pattern 32 formed on the bottom surface of the laminate 10, corresponding to the convex pattern 22 with a pattern formed by convex portions, a mold drive unit 40 that causes the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 30 to clamp the laminate 10 by moving at least one of the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 30 toward or away from the other, and a high-frequency voltage application section 50 that applies high-frequency voltage to the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 30 in a state of clamping the laminate body 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a laminate embossing / debossing device and a laminate embossing / debossing method, and more particularly to a laminate embossing / debossing device and a laminate embossing / debossing method that are capable of performing clear embossing or debossing on the surface of a laminate made of multiple sheet materials whose surface materials are formed from thermoplastic resin. [Background technology]

[0002] A known method for processing a pattern with projections and depressions (embossing or debossing) on ​​the surface of a sheet material is the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 5462401).The processing method disclosed in Patent Document 1 applies a high-frequency voltage and applies primary pressure to the surface of the sheet material to be processed using a heated stamping die, and then performs secondary pressure while maintaining only the heated and pressurized state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5462401 (Claim 1, etc.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The processing method disclosed in Patent Document 1 involves applying pressure to a sheet material, which is the workpiece, while sandwiching it between a flat plate and a die. However, because the processing pattern is only formed on the die, there are issues such as an insufficient pressure or the need for multiple pressurization processes to create a clear pattern on the surface of the sheet material. Furthermore, there are issues such as difficulty in embossing or debossing a thick sheet material, even when the pressure is increased or multiple pressurization processes are performed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention is therefore intended to solve the above problems, and its object is as follows: That is, the present invention aims to provide a laminate embossing / debossing device and a laminate embossing / debossing method that are capable of clearly embossing or debossing a laminate made up of multiple sheet materials, and that are capable of embossing or debossing even thick laminates.

[0006] As a result of intensive research by the inventors to solve the above problems, the inventors have come up with the following configuration: That is, the present invention is a laminate embossing / debossing device for embossing or debossing a laminate made of multiple sheet materials whose surface materials are formed from a thermoplastic resin, comprising: a metallic upper mold having a first processing pattern for forming a pattern of convex or concave portions on the upper surface of the laminate; a metallic lower mold having a second processing pattern for forming a pattern of convex or concave portions corresponding to the first processing pattern on the lower surface of the laminate; a mold driving unit for moving at least one of the upper mold and the lower mold toward and away from the other to sandwich the laminate between the upper mold and the lower mold; and a high-frequency voltage application unit for applying a high-frequency voltage to the upper mold and the lower mold while the laminate is sandwiched between them.

[0007] This allows the laminate consisting of multiple sheet materials to be firmly clamped between metal upper and lower molds, so that the first processing pattern of the upper mold and the second processing pattern of the lower mold can be reliably transferred to the laminate, making it possible to perform clear embossing or debossing even on a thick laminate made of multiple sheet materials.

[0008] Preferably, both the upper and lower molds are made of copper.

[0009] This makes it easy to apply a high-frequency voltage and to transfer the first processing pattern and the second processing pattern to the laminate.

[0010] It is also preferable that the convex portions and concave portions of the first processing pattern and the second processing pattern are fitted together.

[0011] This allows for a more defined embossing or debossing of the laminate.

[0012] There is also an invention for a laminate embossing / debossing method for embossing or debossing a laminate consisting of multiple sheet materials whose surface material is formed of a thermoplastic resin, using a metal upper mold having a first processing pattern formed by convex or concave portions and a metal lower mold having a second processing pattern formed by concave or convex portions corresponding to the first processing pattern, the method comprising the steps of: clamping the laminate between the upper mold and the lower mold in the thickness direction; applying a high-frequency voltage to the upper mold and the lower mold while they are clamping the laminate, with a predetermined voltage profile; and separating the upper mold and the lower mold from the laminate.

[0013] This allows the laminate consisting of multiple sheet materials to be firmly clamped between upper and lower molds, both of which are made of metal, so that the first processing pattern of the upper mold and the second processing pattern of the lower mold can be reliably transferred to the laminate, making it possible to perform clear embossing or debossing even on a laminate that is thick due to the use of multiple sheet materials. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the configuration of the present invention, by firmly clamping multiple laminates between metal upper and lower molds, the first processing pattern of the upper mold and the second processing pattern of the lower mold can be reliably transferred to the laminate, making it possible to perform clear embossing or debossing even on laminates that are thick due to the use of multiple sheet materials. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a laminate processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1A is a plan view of a convex pattern formed on an upper mold, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of a concave pattern formed on a lower mold. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic process diagram of a method for processing a laminate made of a vinyl chloride sheet material and a polyethylene terephthalate sheet material in this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the state of the upper mold, the lower mold, and the laminate during processing. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the processed state of the upper surface (surface) of the embossed laminate. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the processed state of the lower surface (rear surface) of the embossed laminate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] In this embodiment, a laminate embossing / debossing device 100 that performs at least one of embossing and debossing on a laminate 10 consisting of a first vinyl chloride sheet material 10A (hereinafter simply referred to as first sheet material 10A) and a second vinyl chloride sheet material 10B (hereinafter simply referred to as second sheet material 10B) as sheet materials whose surface materials are formed from a thermoplastic resin, and a laminate embossing / debossing method will be described.

[0017] 1 is a schematic diagram of a laminate embossing / debossing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. The laminate embossing / debossing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment includes an upper die 20, a lower die 30, a die driver 40 that moves the upper die 20 and the lower die 30 toward and away from each other, a high-frequency voltage application unit 50 that applies a high-frequency voltage to the upper die 20 and the lower die 30, and an operation controller 60.

[0018] In this embodiment, the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 30 are made of flat copper plates, but the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 30 are not limited to copper plates, and plates made of other known conductive metals can also be used. A convex pattern 22 (see FIG. 2(A)) is engraved on the lower surface (work clamping surface) of the upper mold 20 as a first processing pattern for forming a pattern of convex or concave portions on the upper surface of the laminate 10. On the other hand, a concave pattern 32 (see FIG. 2(B)) is engraved on the upper surface (work clamping surface) of the lower mold 30 as a second processing pattern for forming a pattern of concave or convex portions on the lower surface of the laminate 10. In this embodiment, the convex pattern 22 and the concave pattern 32 are formed so that they can be fitted together via the laminate 10 disposed therebetween.

[0019] The die driving unit 40 clamps the laminate 10 between the upper die 20 and the lower die 30 at a preset pressure and pressure time, forming a convex and concave pattern 22 and a concave pattern 32 on the upper and lower surfaces of the laminate 10 (embossing and debossing). In this embodiment, a fluid cylinder is used as the die driving unit 40. The upper die 20 is fixed to the output shaft of the fluid cylinder, and the upper die 20 and the lower die 30 are moved closer to and farther apart by lowering and raising the upper die 20 relative to the lower die 30, which is fixed to the main body of the laminate embossing / debossing device 100.

[0020] The high-frequency voltage application unit 50 has a power supply unit 52, a positive electrode 54 attached to the upper mold 20, and a negative electrode 56 attached to the lower mold 30. When the positive electrode 54 and the negative electrode 56 come into contact with each other, a high-frequency voltage generated by the power supply unit 52 is applied to each of the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 30 according to a predetermined voltage profile that is stored in advance in a memory unit 62 of the operation control unit 60. The positive electrode 54 and the negative electrode 56 are set to their respective upright heights so that they come into contact with each other when the laminate 10 is clamped between the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 30 with a predetermined pressure.

[0021] The operation control unit 60 has a storage unit 62 in which an operation control program is stored, and a calculation unit 64 that operates based on the operation control program and controls the operation of the laminate embossing / debossing device 100. An example of the storage unit 62 is a non-volatile storage device. An example of the calculation unit 64 is a central processing unit (CPU). Since a known configuration can be adopted for such an operation control unit 60, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0022] The structure of the laminate embossing / debossing apparatus 100 in this embodiment is as described above. Next, a method for embossing a laminate 10 made of a first sheet material 10A and a second sheet material 10B using the laminate embossing / debossing apparatus 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Note that Figure 4 is drawn with dimensional ratios that differ from the actual dimensional ratios in order to make it easier to understand the state of processing of the laminate 10 by the convex pattern 22 of the upper die 20 and the concave pattern 32 of the lower die 30.

[0023] In the laminate embossing / debossing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the operation of the die drive unit 40 is set so that the upper die 20 and the lower die 30 are in an open (separated from each other) state at the start. As shown in FIG. 4(A), an operator or a feeder (not shown) places a laminate 10, which is a simple stack of a first sheet material 10A and a second sheet material 10B, at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the lower die 30 (S-1). Next, the operator performs a predetermined operation using an operation button (not shown), or a laminate detection sensor (not shown) detects that the laminate 10 has been placed on the upper surface of the lower die 30, and the apparatus enters a standby state. Furthermore, from this state, when a foreign object detection sensor (not shown) confirms that a safe state exists, i.e., no object other than the laminate 10 is present between the upper die 20 and the lower die 30, the operation control unit 60 activates the die drive unit 40, and the laminate 10 is clamped between the upper die 20 and the lower die 30 with a predetermined pressure in the thickness direction of the member (S-2), as shown in FIG. 4(B).

[0024] The operation control unit 60 applies a high-frequency voltage generated by the high-frequency voltage application unit 50 to the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 30 while continuing to sandwich the laminate 10 for a preset pressure time (S-3). By applying a high-frequency voltage with a predetermined voltage profile while sandwiching the laminate 10 between the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 30 in this manner, embossing and debossing are performed at the welded portion 12 where the first sheet material 10A and the second sheet material 10B constituting the laminate 10 are welded by internal heat in the sandwiched portion between the protruding pattern 22 and the recessed pattern 32. Note that in the non-welded portion 13, which is the portion excluding the sandwiched portion between the protruding pattern 22 and the recessed pattern 32, the state of the laminate 10 in which the first sheet material 10A and the second sheet material 10B are simply stacked is maintained. Furthermore, because the laminate 10 has a sufficient member thickness, sparks can be prevented even when a high-frequency voltage is applied to the laminate 10, thereby improving yield.

[0025] After a preset pressure application time has elapsed, the operation control unit 60 stops the operation of the high-frequency voltage application unit 50, thereby terminating the application of the high-frequency voltage (S-4). Simultaneously or subsequently, the operation control unit 60 activates the mold drive unit 40 to separate the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 30, as shown in FIG. 4(C) (S-5). The laminate 10 thus formed rests on the lower mold 30 due to its own weight. An operator or a workpiece removal device (not shown) removes the embossed and debossed product 14 from the lower mold 30, as shown in FIG. 4(D) (S-6). The most notable feature of the present invention is that the protruding patterns 22 and the recessed patterns 32 are engaged with each other at a predetermined pressure to clamp the laminate 10, while the high-frequency voltage is applied for a predetermined period of time.

[0026] As described above, the upper (front) and lower (rear) surfaces of the laminate 10 are embossed and debossed with a single pressurization process using the metal convex and concave patterns 22 and 32, respectively, resulting in a highly distinct embossing and debossing process, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 . Furthermore, the welded portions 12 are finished in a color different from both the first and second sheet materials 10A and 10B, due to the blending of the colors of the first and second sheet materials 10A and 10B. Thus, by employing the laminate embossing / debossing device 100 and laminate embossing / debossing method of this embodiment, the upper and lower surfaces of the product 14 can be given a rich expression through the unevenness and color differences of the welded portions 12 and non-welded portions 13, thereby significantly increasing the commercial value of the product 14. Furthermore, since the laminate 10 is made up of multiple sheets, sparks can be prevented when high-frequency voltage is applied, which is advantageous in that it virtually eliminates the waste of the product 14 due to sparks.

[0027] Then, the worker or the parts feeder checks whether there is a laminate 10 to be processed next (S-7), and if there is a laminate 10 to be processed next (YES), the process returns to (S-1), and if there is no laminate 10 to be processed next (NO), the process ends (END).

[0028] Although the present invention has been described in detail above based on the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, in this embodiment, embossing and debossing are performed on a laminate 10 of a first sheet material 10A and a second sheet material 10B, both of which are made of vinyl chloride. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Sheet materials whose surface materials are made of thermoplastic resin are not limited to vinyl chloride sheet materials. Embossing and debossing can also be performed on a laminate 10 made of three or more thermoplastic resin sheets made of different thermoplastic resins, such as vinyl chloride sheet materials and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) sheet materials, allowing for more complex (detailed) appearances of the product 14. The present invention is advantageous in that it enables distinct embossing and debossing by welding vinyl chloride sheet materials and PET sheet materials, which are different thermoplastic resin sheet materials.

[0029] Furthermore, although the mold driving unit 40 in this embodiment moves the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 30 toward and away from each other, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. It is also possible to adopt a configuration of the mold driving unit 40 in which one of the upper mold 20 and the lower mold 30 moves toward and away from the other.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a laminate embossing / debossing apparatus 100 in which a convex pattern 22 is formed on the upper die 20 and a concave pattern 32 is formed on the lower die 30 is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a concave pattern is formed on the upper die 20 as a first processing pattern and a convex pattern is formed on the lower die 30 as a second processing pattern.

[0031] In addition to the modifications described above, it is also possible to adopt a form in which the modifications described in the embodiment are appropriately combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 10: Laminate, 10A: First vinyl chloride sheet material (first sheet material; thermoplastic resin sheet material), 10B: second vinyl chloride sheet material (second sheet material; thermoplastic resin sheet material), 12: Welded area, 13: Non-welded area, 14: Product 20: Upper die, 22: Convex pattern (first processing pattern) 30: Lower die, 32: Concave pattern (second processing pattern) 40: Mold drive unit 50: High frequency voltage application unit, 52: Power supply unit, 54: Positive electrode, 56: Negative electrode 60: Operation control unit, 62: Memory unit, 64: Calculation unit 100:Laminate embossing and debossing device

Claims

1. A laminate embossing / debossing device for embossing or debossing a laminate made of a plurality of sheet materials whose surface materials are formed of thermoplastic resin, an upper mold made of metal having a first processing pattern for forming a pattern of convex portions or concave portions on the upper surface of the laminate; a lower mold made of metal having a second processing pattern that forms a pattern of recesses or protrusions corresponding to the first processing pattern on the lower surface of the laminate; a mold driving unit that moves at least one of the upper mold and the lower mold toward and away from the other, thereby sandwiching the laminate between the upper mold and the lower mold; a high-frequency voltage application unit that applies a high-frequency voltage to the upper mold and the lower mold that are sandwiching the laminate.

2. 2. The laminate embossing / debossing device according to claim 1, wherein said upper and lower dies are both made of copper.

3. 3. The laminate embossing / debossing device according to claim 1, wherein the convex portions and concave portions of the first processing pattern and the second processing pattern are fitted together.

4. A laminate embossing / debossing method for embossing or debossing a laminate made of a plurality of sheet materials whose surface materials are made of a thermoplastic resin, using a metal upper mold having a first processing pattern formed by convex portions or concave portions and a metal lower mold having a second processing pattern formed by concave portions or convex portions corresponding to the first processing pattern, a step of sandwiching the laminate between the upper mold and the lower mold in a thickness direction; applying a high-frequency voltage to the upper mold and the lower mold in a state where the laminate is sandwiched between them, with a predetermined voltage profile set in advance; and a step of separating the upper mold and the lower mold from the laminate.

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