Continuous molding machine

Abstract

To provide a continuous molding machine that can prevent as much as possible a problem of deteriorating a quality of a fiber-reinforced composite material to be molded, which occurs in conventional continuous molding machines.SOLUTION: A continuous molding machine produces fiber-reinforced composite materials by molding a sheet-shaped reinforcing fiber base material formed by impregnating reinforcing fiber material with a thermoplastic resin. The continuous molding machine that includes a molding device that performs a molding operation of pressurizing and molding a plurality of reinforcing fiber base materials that are supplied from a supply device and stacked one on top of the other, includes a heating device including a non-contact heater provided between the supply device and the molding device. The heater is configured to be able to bring at least a temperature of an object to be directly heated to a melting point of the thermoplastic resin within a predetermined heating time depending on the time of the molding operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0004]

[0001] The present invention relates to a continuous molding machine for manufacturing a fiber reinforced composite material by molding a sheet-like reinforced fiber base material formed by impregnating a reinforcing fiber material with a thermoplastic resin. The continuous molding machine includes a molding device that performs a molding operation of pressing and molding a plurality of the reinforced fiber base materials supplied from a supply device and stacked on top of each other. Heating and It relates to a continuous molding machine including a molding device that performs a molding operation of pressing and molding.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, aircraft-related parts, automobile-related parts, sports and leisure goods, etc. have been formed of fiber reinforced composite materials. The fiber reinforced composite material is manufactured by laminating a reinforced fiber base material such as prepreg and then performing pressing, heating, etc. on the laminate to form it.

[0003] Incidentally, the reinforced fiber base material (prepreg) is formed in a sheet shape by impregnating a reinforcing fiber material such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, etc. with a matrix resin. Further, as the matrix resin, there are thermosetting resins and thermoplastic resins. It is known that a reinforced fiber base material using a thermoplastic resin as the matrix resin is superior in terms of moldability compared to a thermosetting resin.

[0004] And, as an apparatus for continuously manufacturing such a fiber reinforced composite material, for example, there is a continuous molding machine disclosed in Patent Document 1. The continuous molding machine includes a supply device to which a plurality of material rolls formed by winding a sheet-like reinforced fiber base material in a roll shape are mounted, and a molding device provided on the downstream side of the supply device for molding the reinforced fiber base material. And, the continuous molding machine is configured such that a plurality of reinforced fiber base materials supplied from the supply device are drawn out downstream in a stacked state, and the plurality of reinforced fiber base materials in the stacked state are heated and pressed by a pressure mold (heating mold) in the molding device to be formed into a fiber reinforced composite material.

Prior Art Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 64-004315 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] By the way, in a conventional continuous molding machine such as Patent Document 1, if the reinforced fiber substrate to be molded is a sheet material made of thermoplastic prepreg using a thermoplastic resin as the matrix resin, when the molding described above is performed in the molding apparatus, the heating for molding in the molding apparatus is performed at a temperature above the melting point of the matrix resin (thermoplastic resin) in order to weld the overlapping reinforced fiber substrates together.

[0007] In molding using a molding apparatus, the matrix resin (thermoplastic resin) in the reinforcing fiber substrate is heated by a pressure mold as described above to a semi-molten state (a state in which the resin is softened to the extent that it does not melt (liquefy)), and the reinforcing fiber substrate is then pressed by the pressure mold in that state to perform the molding. Furthermore, when molding multiple overlapping reinforcing fiber substrates as described above, when heating by the pressure mold, the reinforcing fiber substrate that is in direct contact with the pressure mold is heated directly, but the reinforcing fiber substrate that is not in contact with the pressure mold is heated by the heat transferred from the reinforcing fiber substrates it is in contact with as it is overlapped.

[0008] Therefore, there is a difference in the time it takes for the matrix resin (thermoplastic resin) to become semi-molten between the reinforcing fiber substrate that is in contact with the press mold and the reinforcing fiber substrate that is not in contact with the press mold. As a result, the reinforcing fiber substrate that is in contact with the press mold will continue to be heated by the press mold for a considerably longer time than it would take for the reinforcing fiber substrate itself to become semi-molten, until all of the reinforcing fiber substrates become semi-molten. Consequently, problems may arise such as the matrix resin of the reinforcing fiber substrate in contact with the press mold adhering to the press mold, which can lead to deterioration of the surface condition of the molded fiber-reinforced composite material and a decrease in the quality of the fiber-reinforced composite material.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a continuous molding machine that can prevent as much as possible the problem of deterioration in the quality of the molded fiber-reinforced composite material that occurs in conventional continuous molding machines as described above. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention is a continuous molding machine for producing a fiber-reinforced composite material by molding a sheet-like reinforced fiber substrate formed by impregnating a reinforced fiber material with a thermoplastic resin, wherein a plurality of the reinforced fiber substrates supplied from a supply device and stacked together are used. Heating and This assumes a continuous molding machine that includes a molding device that performs a molding operation by applying pressure.

[0011] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a heating device in a continuous molding machine that is the basis for the present invention, which includes a non-contact type heater provided between the supply device and the molding device, wherein the heater in the heating device is configured to be able to raise the temperature of the direct heating target to the melting point of the thermoplastic resin within a heating time predetermined according to the time of the molding operation. The heating device includes a side heater, which is a heater provided on the side of the path of the reinforced fiber substrate. It is characterized by the following:

[0012] In this invention, the "directly heated object" of the heater refers to the portion of the component (object) heated by the heater that faces the heater and directly receives the heat from the heater. Therefore, in this invention, the reinforced fiber substrate is the object heated by the heating device (heater), the outermost of the multiple reinforced fiber substrates supplied from the supply device is the reinforced fiber substrate that faces the heater, and the portion of that outermost reinforced fiber substrate that is directly heated by the heater within the heating device is what is referred to here as the directly heated object.

[0013] Furthermore, the continuous molding machine according to the present invention has the heating device 、 The side heater may be configured to have a position-changing structure that allows the mounting position to be changed in a direction that moves it closer to or further away from the path. Furthermore, in this configuration, a plurality of side heaters may be provided along the direction of travel of the reinforcing fiber substrate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The continuous molding machine of the present invention includes a heating device between the supply device and the molding device, which includes a non-contact heater configured to bring the temperature of at least the directly heated object to the melting point of the thermoplastic resin within the heating time. Therefore, with such a continuous molding machine of the present invention, the thermoplastic resin (matrix resin) of at least the portion of the reinforcing fiber substrate supplied from the supply device that is directly heated by the heater can be brought to a semi-molten state before that portion is introduced into the molding device.

[0015] As a result, compared to conventional devices in which the molded portion (molded portion) of multiple stacked reinforcing fiber substrates is heated to a state where it can be molded by the molding device (pressure mold) (semi-molten state), the time required for molding can be shortened because at least a part of it is in a semi-molten state, and consequently, the time in contact between the pressure mold and the reinforcing fiber substrate can be shortened. Consequently, the occurrence of the aforementioned quality problems of fiber-reinforced composite materials that occur due to prolonged contact between the pressure mold and the reinforcing fiber substrate can be prevented as much as possible.

[0016] Furthermore, in the continuous molding machine according to the present invention, if the heating device (heater) is configured to set the temperature of all thermoplastic resins in the multiple reinforcing fiber substrates to the melting point, it becomes unnecessary to heat the molding portion in the molding device (pressure mold) to a semi-molten state, and thus the temperature of the pressure mold can be set to a lower temperature. In that case, it is possible to more effectively prevent the matrix resin from adhering to the pressure mold.

[0017] Moreover, since the heating device includes a side heater which is a heater provided on the side of the path of the reinforced fiber substrate, When the fiber-reinforced composite material being molded has a shape that includes not only a flat plate-like portion but also a portion that forms an angle with respect to the flat plate-like portion (for example, a cross-sectional shape that is so-called C-shaped or L-shaped), Even if there is, Not only the flat part but also the angled part is a heater (Side heater) It can be heated directly. 。

[0018] Also Furthermore, by configuring the heating device to have a position-changing structure that allows the mounting position of the side heater to be changed in a direction that moves it closer to or further away from the path, for example, if the reinforcing fiber substrate to be molded is changed to one using a thermoplastic resin (matrix resin) with a different melting point, or if the shape of the fiber-reinforced composite material to be molded is changed, the heating of the reinforcing fiber substrate can be made as appropriate as possible by changing the distance between the reinforcing fiber substrate and the side heater using the position-changing structure.

[0019] Furthermore, in the case where the heating device includes side heaters and is configured to have a position-changing structure, by providing a plurality of side heaters along the traveling direction of the reinforcing fiber base material , it is possible to heat the reinforcing fiber base material more appropriately at each position of the path along the traveling direction with respect to the reinforcing fiber base material whose cross-sectional shape gradually changes toward the molding device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] [Figure 1] It is a side view showing a continuous molding machine to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] It is an explanatory view of the heating device according to the present invention (A-A cross-sectional view of FIG. 1). [Figure 3] It is an explanatory view of the heating device according to the present invention (C-C cross-sectional view of FIG. 2). [Figure 4] It is an explanatory view of the preforming device (B-B cross-sectional view of FIG. 1).

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, based on FIGS. 1 to 4, an embodiment (example) of a continuous molding machine according to the present invention will be described. The reinforcing fiber base material referred to in the present invention is formed in a sheet shape by impregnating a reinforcing fiber material such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, or aramid fiber with a thermoplastic resin as a matrix resin as described above. And in this embodiment, it is assumed that the reinforcing fiber base material is a thermoplastic prepreg obtained by impregnating carbon fiber as a reinforcing fiber material with a thermoplastic resin.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the continuous molding machine 1 is equipped with a supply device 4 into which multiple material rolls 3, 3, ... are set. However, the material rolls 3 referred to here are formed by winding sheet-like prepreg (hereinafter referred to as "prepreg sheet") 2 into a roll shape. The continuous molding machine 1 is also equipped with a molding device 6 that performs a molding operation to pressurize the multiple prepreg sheets 2, 2, ... supplied from the supply device 4 and stacked together to form a fiber-reinforced composite material 5, and a drawer device 7 that performs a drawer operation to pull out the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 formed by the molding device 6. Details of each device of the continuous molding machine 1 are as follows.

[0023] The supply device 4 is equipped with multiple support shafts 12 (10 in the illustrated example) supported by the frame 11, and a material roll 3 is mounted on each of the support shafts 12. The supply device 4 is also equipped with guide rollers 13 corresponding to each of the support shafts 12. The prepreg sheets 2 drawn from the 10 material rolls 3 are then wound onto their respective guide rollers 13 and directed downstream (towards the side where the molding device 6 is located), and the 10 prepreg sheets 2 are drawn out of the supply device 4 in an orderly fashion.

[0024] Furthermore, a sheet guide 15 is provided between the supply device 4 and the molding device 6 to guide the 10 prepreg sheets 2 drawn from the supply device 4 downstream in a stacked state. The sheet guide 15 is configured to include two plates spaced apart vertically and a stand to support them. The spacing between the two plates is slightly greater than the sum of the thicknesses of the 10 prepreg sheets 2. The 10 prepreg sheets 2 drawn from the supply device 4 (in a vertically aligned state) are then guided by the sheet guide 15 to be stacked.

[0025] The molding apparatus 6 is equipped with a pressure mold 21 for applying pressure to the stacked prepreg sheets 2. The pressure mold 21 consists of an upper mold 21a and a lower mold 21b, whose shapes correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 to be molded. In this embodiment, the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 to be molded consists of side portions including each side edge and a portion between the side portions (intermediate portion), with each side portion forming an angle with respect to the intermediate portion, and the angle being approximately 90°, i.e., a fiber-reinforced composite material having a so-called C-shaped cross-sectional shape. Therefore, the upper mold 21a has a groove opening on its lower surface and its cross-sectional shape is approximately an inverted U shape. The lower mold 21b has a rectangular cross-sectional shape and can fit into the groove of the upper mold 21a with a slight gap. The upper mold 21a and the lower mold 21b are provided in the molding apparatus 6 at positions above and below the path of the supplied prepreg sheets 2.

[0026] Furthermore, the molding apparatus 6 is equipped with a drive device 23 such as a hydraulic cylinder that drives the upper mold 21a in the vertical direction, and is configured to pressurize the prepreg sheet 2 located between the upper mold 21a and the lower mold 21b with a preset pressure.

[0027] Furthermore, the molding apparatus 6 is equipped with a heating mechanism 25 that heats the prepreg sheet 2 being pressurized in the pressurized mold 21 by heating the pressurized mold 21. The heating mechanism 25 includes an upper heating section 25a built into the upper mold 21a and a lower heating section 25b built into the lower mold 21b. The heating mechanism 25 heats the upper mold 21a with its upper heating section 25a and the lower mold 21b with its lower heating section 25b, thereby heating the prepreg sheet 2 when pressurized. The molding apparatus 6 is connected to the main control device (not shown) of the continuous molding machine 1, and the temperature of the upper heating section 25a and the lower heating section 25b in the heating mechanism 25 is controlled by the main control device so that the upper mold 21a and the lower mold 21b heat the prepreg sheet 2 at a preset temperature.

[0028] The extraction device 7 is located downstream of the molding device 6 in the direction of travel of the prepreg sheet 2, in order to extract the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 that has been molded by the molding device 6. The extraction device 7 comprises a gripping mechanism 31 for gripping the molded fiber-reinforced composite material 5 and an extraction mechanism 33 for reciprocating the gripping mechanism 31 along the path of the fiber-reinforced composite material 5.

[0029] The gripping mechanism 31 includes a pair of upper and lower gripping plates provided on either side of the path of the fiber-reinforced composite material 5, and is configured to grip the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 by moving the upper gripping plate 31b downward by a drive device 31a such as an air cylinder. The extraction mechanism 33 includes a moving mechanism such as a ball screw mechanism to which the gripping mechanism 31 is connected and which is driven by a servo motor 33a, and is configured to move the gripping mechanism 31 in the direction of travel of the prepreg sheet 2 by driving the moving mechanism with the servo motor 33a. The extraction mechanism 33 is configured to move the gripping mechanism 31 by a distance slightly smaller than the dimension of the pressurizing mold 21 in the direction of the path (hereinafter referred to as the "extraction amount").

[0030] In the continuous molding machine 1, which includes the supply device 4, molding device 6, and withdrawal device 7 described above, the drive device 23 in the molding device 6 moves the upper mold 21a downward, thereby performing a molding operation involving pressure and heating on the 10 prepreg sheets 2 that have been drawn out from the supply device 4 side in the stacked state described above. Subsequently, upon completion of the molding operation, the upper mold 21a is moved upward to release the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 in the molding device 6, and the drive device 31a in the gripping mechanism 31 of the withdrawal device 7 moves the upper gripping plate 31b downward, so that the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 is held by the gripping mechanism 31.

[0031] Next, in the extraction mechanism 33 of the extraction device 7, the servo motor 33a is driven to move the gripping mechanism 31 in the direction of travel, thereby performing an extraction operation in which the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 is extracted by the amount specified. As a result, in the molding device 6, the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 formed as described above is extracted from the molding device 6 by the amount specified, and a new prepreg sheet 2 is supplied into the molding device 6. In addition, in conjunction with this extraction operation, the same amount of prepreg sheet 2 is also extracted from each material roll 3 set up in the supply device 4.

[0032] In this way, one molding operation, including the molding operation by the molding device 6 and the extraction operation by the extraction device 7, is completed. Then, the molding operation is performed again, and thereafter, the molding operation and extraction operation are repeated to continuously mold the fiber-reinforced composite material 5.

[0033] In the continuous molding machine configured as described above, the present invention provides a heating device including a non-contact heater provided between the supply device and the molding device, and the heater is configured to bring the temperature of the direct heating target to at least the melting point of the thermoplastic resin within a predetermined heating time according to the molding operation time. Furthermore, the heating device of this embodiment includes a lateral heater, which is a heater provided on the side of the path of the reinforcing fiber substrate, and has a position-changing structure that allows the mounting position of the lateral heater to be changed in a direction toward or toward the path. One embodiment of such a continuous molding machine (this embodiment) will be described in detail below.

[0034] As shown in Figure 1, the heating device 8 is provided between the supply device 4 (sheet guide 15) and the molding device 6. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the heating device 8 includes an upper heater 79 provided above the path of the prepreg sheet 2, and lateral heaters 53 provided on both sides of the path. In addition, the heating device 8 in this embodiment includes a lower heater 67 provided below the path (inside the prepreg sheet 2). Moreover, the heating device 8 includes a temperature controller 43 for controlling the temperatures of the upper heater 79, lateral heaters 53, and lower heater 67. Details of such a heating device 8 are as follows. In this embodiment, each heater is assumed to be a non-contact infrared heater that heats the object to be heated using infrared radiation. However, in the present invention, the heater is not limited to an infrared heater; for example, it may also heat the object to be heated by high-frequency induction.

[0035] First, the heating device 8 is equipped with a guide structure 61 for guiding the prepreg sheet 2. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the guide structure 61 includes a mounting base 61b installed on the base 41 of the heating device 8, and a plurality of inverted U-shaped guide members 61a attached to the mounting base 61b. The mounting base 61b is a rectangular plate material in which the length of the longer side is sufficiently larger than the length of the shorter side when viewed in the thickness direction. The mounting base 61b is installed on the base 41 with its longer side aligned with the direction of the path. The mounting base 61b is attached to the base 41 by screwing a screw member inserted through the mounting base 61b into the base 41.

[0036] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the guide member 61a is formed by bending a rod into an inverted U-shape, with the portion between the two bent parts (intermediate part) and the portion from the bent part to the end part being straight. Each guide member 61a is erected on the mounting base 61b with both ends fixed (inserted) to the mounting base 61b. Multiple guide members 61a are arranged on the mounting base 61b at equal intervals in the direction of the long side, as shown in Figure 3. The guide structure 61 is provided to guide the prepreg sheet 2 at the upper edge of the intermediate part of each guide member 61a. Therefore, the upper edge of the guide member 61a forms the path.

[0037] As shown in Figure 2, the upper heater 79 is positioned above the guide structure 61 (guide member 61a) that forms the path. The upper heater 79 is also mounted on the heating device 8, supported by a support frame 70 installed on the base 41. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, three upper heaters 79 are provided, arranged in the direction of the path.

[0038] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the support frame 70 that supports the upper heater 79 consists of a support plate 71 to which the upper heater 79 is attached, and four support columns 73 that support the support plate 71. The support plate 71 is a rectangular plate when viewed in the thickness direction. The support plate 71 has dimensions such that, in the long-side direction of its end face, it can support the three upper heaters 79, as described above, arranged in the long-side direction. The support plate 71 also has dimensions such that, in the short-side direction of its end face, it is larger than the size of the mounting base 61b in the short-side direction. The support columns 73 are provided so as to be erected on the base 41 near each corner (4 locations) of the mounting base 61b.

[0039] Furthermore, the support frame 70 is constructed such that the support plate 71 is aligned with the direction of the path (the direction of the long side of the mounting base 61b), and the support plate 71 is attached to the upper end of each support column 73. The arrangement of the support plate 71 in the vertical direction (the length dimension of the support column 73) is such that the upper heater 79 can be placed between the support plate 71 and the guide structure 61 (the upper edge of the guide member 61a) at a predetermined distance from the guide structure 61. The support plate 71 is attached to each support column 73 by inserting the male threaded portion protruding from the upper end of the support column 73 into the support plate 71 and screwing a nut onto the male threaded portion.

[0040] The upper heater 79 has a thick, plate-like, substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped portion as its main body 79a, and is configured such that a heater portion 79a1 is exposed on one end face in the thickness direction. The upper heater 79 also has a mounting portion 79b which is attached to the support frame 70, and the mounting portion 79b is configured to protrude from the other end face in the thickness direction of the main body 79a.

[0041] Each upper heater 79 is attached to the support frame 70 by being suspended from its mounting portion 79b. The attachment of the upper heater 79 to the support plate 71 on the support frame 70 is done by inserting the mounting portion 79b of the upper heater 79 into a hole formed in the support plate 71 and attaching a fastener (not shown) to the mounting portion 79b. With the upper heaters 79 attached to the support frame 70 (support plate 71) in this manner, the three upper heaters 79 are aligned in the direction of the aforementioned path, and the heater portions 79a1 are positioned facing downward above the guide structure 61 (each guide member 61a).

[0042] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the side heaters 53 are provided so as to be positioned on both sides of the guide structure 61 (guide member 61a). Three side heaters 53 are provided on each side (a total of six), arranged in the direction of the path (the direction of the long side of the mounting base 61b). Each side heater 53 is supported on the base 41 by a support base 45 that is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with that side heater 53.

[0043] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, each support base 45 that supports the side heater 53 is mainly made of a rectangular plate material bent into a roughly L-shape. The support base 45 has a portion on one end of the bent portion 45c that becomes the support portion 45a to which the side heater 53 is attached, and the other end becomes the installation portion 45b that is attached to the base 41. The support base 45 also has a roughly triangular reinforcing portion 45d that straddles the support portion 45a and the installation portion 45b. There are two of these reinforcing portions 45d, spaced apart in a direction parallel to the edge of the support portion 45a (installation portion 45b).

[0044] Each support base 45 is installed on the base 41 with its support portion 45a facing the guide structure 61 (guide member 61a), and its installation portion 45b facing away from the guide structure 61 relative to the support portion 45a. Furthermore, each support base 45 is positioned such that the end face of the support portion 45a is parallel to the direction of the path. Each support base 45 is attached to the base 41 by inserting a wing nut 46 through two holes 45e, 45e formed in the installation portion 45b, and then screwing each inserted wing nut 46 into a screw hole (not shown) drilled in the base 41.

[0045] In this embodiment, the two holes 45e, 45e formed in the mounting portion 45b are elongated holes that are parallel to the side edge of the mounting portion 45b, that is, parallel to the width direction of the heating device 8 (continuous molding machine 1) when the support base 45 is positioned as described above. Therefore, the mounting position of the support base 45 to the base 41 can be changed in the width direction. Thus, the heating device 8 is configured to allow the mounting position of the support base 45 (side heater 53) to the base 41 to be changed in the width direction, that is, in the direction of moving closer to and further away from the path, and has a position change structure that enables such changes.

[0046] The side heater 53 is the same type of heater as the upper heater 79, and is configured to include a main body 53a, a heater section 53a1, and a mounting section 53b. The side heater 53 is attached to the support section 45a of the support base 45 at its mounting section 53b. The attachment to the support base 45 is performed on the guide structure 61 side of the support section 45a by inserting the mounting section 53b through a hole formed in the support section 45a and attaching a fastener (not shown) to the inserted mounting section 53b.

[0047] Then, with the side heaters 53 attached to each support base 45 in this manner, each side heater 53 is positioned with its heater portion 53a1 facing the path in the width direction. In addition, with respect to the vertical direction, each side heater 53 is positioned such that the heater portion 53a1 overlaps with the guide member 61a, and the upper edge of the guide member 61a that guides the prepreg sheet 2 is located within the range of the heater portion 53a1. Then, with each side heater 53 supported in this manner by the corresponding support base 45, they are provided on the base 41 in a row of three on each side along the direction of the path, as described above.

[0048] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the lower heater 67 is a different type of heater from the upper heater 79 and the side heater 53. In the illustrated example, a so-called sheathed heater is used, which consists of a heating wire covered with a cylindrical metal pipe. The lower heater 67 has two sheathed heaters 67a, 67a, and each sheathed heater 67a has approximately the same size in its longitudinal direction as the heating range provided by the side heater 53 (upper heater 79), that is, the size of three side heaters 53 (upper heater 79) lined up side by side. Furthermore, each sheathed heater 67a is installed below the path (between the intermediate part of the guide member 61a in the guide structure 61 and the mounting base 61b) such that its longitudinal direction coincides with the direction of the path. Each sheathed heater 67a is supported at both ends by a pair of holders 63, 63 mounted on a mounting base 61b. The two sheathed heaters 67a, 67a are arranged side by side in the vertical direction.

[0049] The holder 63 that supports the sheathed heater 67a is a member formed by bending a rectangular plate into a roughly L-shape. The holder 63 is installed on the mounting base 61b at one end of its bend and supports each sheathed heater 67a at the other end. The sheathed heater 67a has mounting parts at both ends, and both mounting parts are fitted into the holder 63, 63, thereby supporting the heater by the holder 63, 63.

[0050] The upper heater 79, side heater 53, and lower heater 67 described above are each connected to a temperature controller 43 for controlling the temperature of each heater. In this embodiment, the temperature controller 43 is configured to allow the heating temperature of each heater to be set individually. That is, for example, even with the three upper heaters 79 provided as described above, it is possible to set different heating temperatures for each heater.

[0051] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the prepreg sheets 2, which are stacked in a 10-sheet configuration as described above, are all made to a semi-molten state when they pass through the heating device 8. That is, each heater in the heating device 8 is set to a heating temperature that achieves such heating.

[0052] The degree of heating of the prepreg sheet 2 depends on the heating temperature and heating time. The heating time corresponds to the time the prepreg sheet 2 passes through the heating range of the heater (the time it is in the heating range). This passage time is determined by the size of the heating range (in the direction of the path), the time during which the molding operation by the molding device 6 is performed (the time the prepreg sheet 2 is stopped within the heating range), and the amount and time of movement of the prepreg sheet 2 during the extraction operation by the extraction device 7.

[0053] Furthermore, the size of each heater in the direction of the aforementioned path is known in advance by the device, and the time for the molding operation, as well as the amount and time of movement of the prepreg sheet 2 during the drawing operation, are also predetermined by the device. Therefore, the heating time is determined in advance. Accordingly, the heating temperature is set appropriately for each heater, taking into account the determined heating time, so that all 10 sheets of the prepreg sheet 2 stacked as described above are in a semi-molten state when they finally pass through the third heater in the direction of the aforementioned path.

[0054] The prepreg sheet 2 is molded in the molding apparatus 6 to have the so-called C-shaped cross-section described above (a shape in which the angle between each side portion and the intermediate portion is 90°). As a result, the prepreg sheet 2 that is continuous toward the molding apparatus 6 has a shape that is closer to the C-shape the upstream side of the molding apparatus 6 is closer to the molding apparatus 6. Therefore, even at the position of the heating device 8, the angle between each side portion and the intermediate portion of the prepreg sheet 2 becomes smaller towards the downstream side. As a result, the positions of both side edges of the prepreg sheet 2 located within the heating device 8 are closer to the guide structure 61 as the downstream side approaches.

[0055] Therefore, in the heating device 8 of this embodiment, the three lateral heaters 53 provided on each side of the guide structure 61 are positioned such that the downstream heaters are closer to the guide structure 61. More specifically, the heating device 8 has a position-changing structure as described above, and is configured so that the mounting position of the support base 45 that supports the lateral heaters 53 to the base 41 can be changed in the width direction (the direction approaching or moving away from the path). Specifically, the position of the support base 45 to the base 41 in the width direction can be arbitrarily set within the range of the elongated hole, since the hole 45e formed in the mounting portion 45b of the support base 45 through which the wing nut 46 is inserted is formed as an elongated hole as described above. Therefore, the lateral heaters 53 are mounted to the support base 45 such that the downstream heaters are positioned closer to the guide structure 61.

[0056] Furthermore, the continuous molding machine 1 in this embodiment is equipped with a pre-molding device 9 in addition to the devices constituting the present invention as described above. The pre-molding device 9 pre-forms the prepreg sheet 2 into a shape close to the cross-sectional shape of its fiber-reinforced composite material 5 before molding (main molding) in the molding device 6, in order to prevent as much as possible from cracking or wrinkling in the prepreg sheet 2 when it is pressed (molded) in the molding device 6. As shown in Figure 1, the pre-molding device 9 is provided between the supply device 4 (sheet guide 15) and the heating device 8. In other words, the pre-molding is performed on the prepreg sheet 2 that is heated in the heating device 8.

[0057] The pre-molding apparatus 9 has basically the same configuration as the molding apparatus 6, and as shown in Figure 4, it comprises an upper mold 91 having a groove opening on its lower surface, a lower mold 92 that can fit into the groove with a slight gap, and an air cylinder 93 that pressurizes the prepreg sheet 2 by driving the upper mold 91 in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the pre-molding apparatus 9 includes a heating mechanism 94 for heating the pressurized prepreg sheet 2, and the heating mechanism 94 is built into the upper mold 91 and the lower mold 92.

[0058] In the molding apparatus 6, the upper mold 21a and lower mold 21b are configured such that the cross-sectional shape of the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 formed as described above is a so-called C-shape (a shape in which the angle between the intermediate portion and each of the side portions is 90°). In contrast, pre-molding by the pre-molding apparatus 9 is performed to pre-form the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 (prepreg sheet 2) into a shape close to the cross-sectional shape of the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 (prepreg sheet 2) formed by the main molding, as described above. Therefore, the pre-molding does not form the prepreg sheet 2 so that the angle between the intermediate portion and each of the side portions is 90° as in the main molding, but rather forms it so that the angle between the intermediate portion and each of the side portions is 120°. Accordingly, the upper mold 91 is configured to have a cross-sectional shape in which the groove widens downwards. The lower mold 92 is configured to have a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape in which the upper side is shorter than the lower side.

[0059] Furthermore, the pre-molding device 9 is connected to the main control device of the continuous molding machine 1 described above, and the pressure applied by the air cylinder 93 to the prepreg sheet 2 via the upper mold 91 is controlled by the main control device. However, this pressure is set to be lower than the pressure applied to the prepreg sheet 2 by the upper mold 21a in the molding device 6. In addition, the temperature at which the heating mechanism 94 heats the prepreg sheet 2 is also controlled by the main control device. However, this temperature is set to be lower than the melting point of the thermoplastic resin impregnated in the prepreg sheet 2 (a temperature at which the prepreg sheet 2 softens slightly). In this embodiment, the temperature at which the molding device 6 heats the prepreg sheet 2 is also set to be lower than the melting point. Moreover, the temperature at which the heating mechanism 94 heats the prepreg sheet 2 is set to be higher than the temperature at which the molding device 6 heats the prepreg sheet 2.

[0060] The operation of the continuous molding machine 1 according to this embodiment, which is equipped with the heating device 8 and pre-molding device 9 configured as described above, is as follows.

[0061] First, the 10 prepreg sheets 2, stacked vertically as described above, are pulled out from the supply device 4 and guided into the pre-forming device 9. Then, the pre-forming described above is performed on the prepreg sheets 2 in the pre-forming device 9, and the prepreg sheets 2 are formed so that the angle between the intermediate portion and each of the aforementioned side portions is 120°, thereby creating a shape close to the cross-sectional shape of the fiber-reinforced composite material 5. This pre-forming is performed almost simultaneously with the molding operation (main molding) performed in the molding device 6. After the pre-forming (main molding) is completed, the pulling operation by the pulling device 7 is started, and the prepreg sheets 2 advance by an amount corresponding to the pulling operation. As a result, the pre-formed portion of the prepreg sheets 2 is pulled out from the pre-forming device 9 and introduced into the heating device 8.

[0062] Within the heating device 8, as shown in Figure 2, the prepreg sheet 2 is guided in its middle portion by the upper edge (the aforementioned path) of the guide member 61a in the guide structure 61, and is heated by each heater in that state. Within the heating device 8, the upper heaters 79 mainly heat the middle portion of the prepreg sheet 2, and the side heaters 53 mainly heat the sides. In addition, the lower heater 67 heats the inner portion of the prepreg sheet 2. As a result, when the prepreg sheet 2 passes through the heating device 8, all 10 stacked prepreg sheets 2 are in a semi-molten state. The semi-molten prepreg sheets 2 are then pulled out of the heating device 8 as they progress and introduced into the molding device 6, where they are molded (final molding) by the molding device 6.

[0063] In this embodiment, the continuous molding machine 1 is configured as described above. Before being guided into the molding apparatus 6, all 10 stacked prepreg sheets 2 are brought to a semi-molten state, and the main molding is performed by the molding apparatus 6 in this state. Compared to conventional continuous molding machines in which the main molding is performed while all prepreg sheets are brought to a semi-molten state in the molding apparatus, the time required for the main molding can be shortened. By shortening the time required for the main molding in this way, the contact time between the pressure mold 21 and the prepreg sheets 2 (fiber-reinforced composite material 5) can be shortened. As a result, it is possible to prevent as much as possible the occurrence of quality problems related to the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 that occur due to prolonged contact between the pressure mold 21 and the prepreg sheets 2 (fiber-reinforced composite material 5).

[0064] Furthermore, since the heating device 8 brings all the prepreg sheets 2 to a semi-molten state, there is no need to bring the prepreg sheets 2 to a semi-molten state in the molding device 6, and the temperature of the pressure mold 21 can be set to a temperature lower than the melting point. Therefore, the molding device 6 is configured so that the temperature of the pressure mold 21 is set to that lower temperature. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent the thermoplastic resin from adhering to the pressure mold 21.

[0065] Furthermore, the heating device 8 is equipped with a side heater 53 in addition to the upper heater 79, and multiple side heaters 53 are arranged along the path. Moreover, the heating device 8 has a position-changing structure that allows the mounting position of each side heater 53 to be changed in the width direction (the direction approaching and moving away from the path), and for the prepreg sheet 2 in which the angle formed by each side portion with respect to the intermediate portion gradually decreases toward the molding device 6, each side heater 53 is positioned closer to the guide structure 61 the further downstream it is in the path. As a result, the side portion can be heated more appropriately at the position where each side heater 53 is positioned.

[0066] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above (the above embodiments), and can also be implemented in modified embodiments such as (1) to (6) below.

[0067] (1) In the above embodiment, all 10 stacked prepreg sheets 2 are brought to a semi-molten state, and the heating temperature in the heating device 8 is set to a temperature that enables such heating. In other words, the heating device 8 is configured to be able to set such a heating temperature. However, in the present invention, the heating device only needs to be configured to bring the direct object to be heated to a semi-molten state (heated to a temperature above the melting point of the thermoplastic resin).

[0068] Specifically, the heating device may be configured such that, for a reinforced fiber substrate consisting of multiple layers (10 layers in the above embodiment), only the reinforced fiber substrate directly heated by each heater (the outermost reinforced fiber substrate being the target of direct heating by the upper and side heaters, and the innermost reinforced fiber substrate being the target of direct heating by the lower heater), or a number of reinforced fiber substrates less than half of the total number of layers including those directly heated (5 layers), are heated to a semi-molten state.

[0069] Furthermore, when the heating device is configured in this way, any reinforcing fiber substrate that is not brought to a semi-molten state by the heating device will be brought to a semi-molten state by the molding device. Therefore, the temperature of the pressure mold in the molding device will be set to the temperature at which the reinforcing fiber substrate is brought to a semi-molten state. However, even in this case, since some of the reinforcing fiber substrate is already in a semi-molten state when it is introduced into the molding device, the time it takes for all the stacked reinforcing fiber substrates to reach a semi-molten state is shorter compared to conventional continuous molding machines where only the pressure mold is used to bring all the reinforcing fiber substrates to a semi-molten state. This shortens the time that the pressure mold and the reinforcing fiber substrate are in contact. Therefore, even in this case, it is possible to prevent as much as possible the occurrence of quality problems related to the fiber-reinforced composite material that occur due to prolonged contact between the pressure mold and the reinforcing fiber substrate.

[0070] (2) Regarding the number of heaters, in the above embodiment, the heating device 8 is equipped with three upper heaters 79, three side heaters 53 on each side of the guide structure 61, and one lower heater 67. However, in the present invention, the number of heaters is not limited to the number in the above embodiment.

[0071] More specifically, the degree of heating (heating state) to which the stacked layers of reinforcing fiber substrates are semi-molten (in the above embodiment, all of them) depends on the heating temperature and heating time, as described above. In other words, the heating temperature and heating time are the conditions for achieving the desired heating state. The heating temperature is set within the range that the heater can heat and is controlled by a temperature controller. The heating time is determined by the size of each heater in the direction of the path, the time for which the molding operation is performed, and the amount and time of movement of the reinforcing fiber substrate in the drawing operation. Therefore, after predetermining the degree of heating, the heating conditions (heating temperature, heating time) required to achieve that desired heating state should be determined, and the number of heaters should be appropriately determined based on the determined heating conditions and the configuration of the heaters to be installed (heatable temperature, size, etc.).

[0072] For example, in order to achieve the same heating state as in the above embodiment, if the heating temperature of each of the upper heater and the side heater is higher than in the above embodiment, or if the size of each heater in the direction of the path is larger than in the above embodiment, it is possible to use fewer heaters (two or one) than in the above embodiment. On the other hand, if the heating temperature of each heater is lower than in the above embodiment, or if the size in the direction of the path is smaller, then more heaters will be provided than in the above embodiment.

[0073] Furthermore, regarding the lower heater, it is provided so as to extend over the heating range of the upper heater (the range in which the upper heater is provided), but the number of lower heaters is not limited to one as in the above embodiment, but is set appropriately according to its configuration (heatable temperature, size, etc.). In the above embodiment, the lower heater 67 uses a sheathed heater 67a, but it is not limited to such a configuration, for example, it may have the same configuration as the upper heater, or it may have the same configuration as in the above embodiment, but its size in the direction of the path may differ from that of the above embodiment.

[0074] (3) In the above embodiment, the heating device 8 has a position-changing structure that allows the mounting position of each side heater 53 to be changed in the width direction (the direction of approaching and moving away from the path). However, even if the heating device is equipped with side heaters, it does not necessarily have to have a position-changing structure. For example, if the continuous molding machine is for manufacturing only fiber-reinforced composite materials of a predetermined cross-sectional shape, and the thermoplastic resin impregnated into the reinforced fiber substrate to be molded is not changed to one with a different melting point, the mounting position of each side heater is not changed in the width direction, and therefore the heating device does not need to have the position-changing structure described above.

[0075] (4)In the above embodiment, the support base 45 that supports the side heater 53 is provided such that the end face of the support portion 45a is substantially parallel to the direction of the path. As a result, the side heater 53 supported by the support portion 45a is provided such that the heater portion 53a1 is substantially parallel to the direction of the path. However 、 The method of installing the side heater is not limited to the arrangement in which the heater section is positioned substantially parallel to the direction of the aforementioned path.

[0076] For more details 、 When forming a reinforcing fiber substrate such that the fiber-reinforced composite material has a portion corresponding to the side portion in the fiber-reinforced composite material 5 of the above embodiment. 、 As described above, the position of the side edge of the reinforcing fiber substrate becomes closer to the inside of the reinforcing fiber substrate as it moves downstream along the path. As a result, the side edge of the reinforcing fiber substrate forms an angle with respect to the direction of the path in a plan view. In this case, the side heater may be installed inclined in the direction of the path so that the heater portion is approximately parallel to the side edge of the reinforcing fiber substrate.

[0077] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the support base 45 is substantially L-shaped and attached to the base 41 at the other end of its bend, and the side heater 53 is attached to the support base 45 at one end of its bend 45c. Thus, the side heater 53 is provided such that its heater portion 53a1 is substantially parallel to the vertical direction. However, the method of providing the side heater is not limited to providing it so that the heater portion is substantially parallel to the vertical direction.

[0078] More specifically, when forming a reinforced fiber substrate as described above, in the range where a heating device exists in the direction of the path, the portion of the reinforced fiber substrate corresponding to the side portion forms an angle greater than 90° with respect to the portion corresponding to the intermediate portion, as described above. In other words, in the range, the portion of the reinforced fiber substrate corresponding to the side portion forms an angle with respect to the vertical direction. In that case, the side heater may be installed at each position where the side heater is located, tilted with respect to the vertical direction so that the heater portion faces slightly diagonally downward.

[0079] (5) In the above embodiment, the upper heater 79 in the heating device 8 is fixed to the support frame 70 above the path (guide member 61a in the guide structure 61). However, the heating device may be configured so that the mounting position of the upper heater can be changed in the vertical direction. This makes it possible to change the degree of heating of the reinforcing fiber substrate by the upper heater by changing the distance between the upper heater and the reinforcing fiber substrate.

[0080] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1. Continuous molding machine 2. Prepreg sheet 3. Material roll 4. Feeding device 5 Fiber-reinforced composite material 6 Molding apparatus 7 Pulling device 8 Heating device 9. Pre-molding apparatus 11 Frame 12 Support shaft 13 Guide rollers 15 Sheet guides 21 Pressurized type 21a, 91 Upper mold 21b, 92 Lower mold 23 Drive unit 25, 94 Heating mechanism 25a Upper heating section 25b Lower heating section 31 Gripping mechanism 31a Drive unit 31b Gripping plate 33 Pull-out mechanism 33a Servo motor 41 Base 43 Temperature controller 45 Support stand 45a Support part 45b Installation part 45c Bent part 45d Reinforcement part 45e Hole 46 Thumbscrew 53 Side heater 53a, 79a Main body 53a1, 79a1 Heater section 53b, 79b Mounting section 61 Guide structure 61a Guide member 61b Mounting base 63 Holder 67 Downward heater 70 Support frame 71 Support plate 73 Support column 79 Upward heater 93 Air cylinder

Claims

1. A continuous molding machine for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced composite material by molding a sheet-like reinforced fiber substrate formed by impregnating a reinforcing fiber material with a thermoplastic resin, the continuous molding machine includes a molding device that performs a molding operation in which a plurality of the reinforced fiber substrates, supplied from a supply device and stacked, are heated and pressurized to form the material. The heating device includes a non-contact type heater provided between the supply device and the molding device, and the heater is configured to be able to raise the temperature of the direct object to be heated to at least the melting point of the thermoplastic resin within a predetermined heating time according to the time of the molding operation. The heating device includes a side heater, which is a heater provided on the side of the path of the reinforced fiber substrate. A continuous molding machine characterized by the following features.

2. The heating device has a position-changing structure that allows the mounting position of the side heater to be changed in a direction that moves it closer to or further away from the path. The continuous molding machine according to feature 1.

3. Multiple side heaters are provided along the direction of travel of the reinforcing fiber substrate. The continuous molding machine according to feature 2.

Images