Laminated core manufacturing method and laminated core manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

First soft magnetic sheets are sequentially punched out from an electrical steel sheet M using a press apparatus (100). A plurality of the first electrical steel sheets are heated within a lower die (120), to thereby temporarily adhere to each other. A laminated body (130a, 130b) of a number of the first electrical steel sheets corresponding to the height of one laminated core 500 is separated from a laminated body (130b, 130c) subsequent to the laminated body within the lower die (120). The plurality of first electrical steel sheets constituting the laminated body (130a to 130c) is heated outside the lower die (120), to thereby permanently adhere to each other.

Description

Manufacturing method of laminated core and manufacturing device of laminated core

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-059073, filed April 1, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] Laminated cores are used in rotating electrical machines. Laminated cores are constructed by laminating multiple soft magnetic plates. In a laminated core, the multiple laminated soft magnetic plates need to be fixed. One technique for fixing the soft magnetic plates is to bond the soft magnetic plates together by utilizing the adhesive properties exhibited by the plate surfaces of the soft magnetic plates. One such technique is described in Patent Document 1.

[0003] The technology described in Patent Document 1 involves piercing a steel plate having an adhesive layer formed on its surface to form lamina members, applying an adhesive to the lamina members, and blanking the lamina members to which the adhesive has been applied. During this process, the adhesive is not applied to certain lamina members. The blanked lamina members are stacked in a squeeze ring. The stacked lamina members are then moved below the squeeze ring and heated below the squeeze ring. The heating temperature is a temperature at which the adhesive applied to the lamina members hardens but is lower than the temperature at which the adhesive layer formed on the surface of the lamina members hardens. A laminated core consisting of the lamina members bonded together in this manner is then ejected from the mold. The laminated core ejected from the mold is then heated at a high temperature to harden the adhesive layer formed on the lamina members.

[0004] Special Publication No. 2024-519226

[0005] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not explain the relationship between the adhesive strength of the adhesive and the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer. In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the adhesive is applied to the area of ​​the surface of the steel plate that will be formed into lamina members by blanking. Therefore, the multiple lamina members that make up the laminated core should be sufficiently bonded by the adhesive. Therefore, the technical significance of bonding using an adhesive layer is unclear in the technology described in Patent Document 1. In other words, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, bonding using an adhesive layer could be an unnecessary process.

[0006] Furthermore, the technique described in Patent Document 1 requires an additional step of applying adhesive between the piercing process and the blanking process, which increases the number of steps within the mold.

[0007] Furthermore, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, the adhesive applied to the lamina members is an adhesive that hardens at low temperatures. When an adhesive that hardens at low temperatures is applied to the area to be formed into the lamina members by blanking, it may take a long time for the entire adhesive to harden. Therefore, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, it may be necessary to adjust the punching speed of the steel plate (the number of punches per unit time). In particular, when the size of the laminated core (at least one of width, depth, and height) is large, the time required to bond the laminated core increases. Therefore, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, it may be necessary to slow down the punching speed of the steel plate.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to efficiently manufacture laminated cores for rotating electrical machines.

[0009] The method for manufacturing a laminated core disclosed herein is a method for manufacturing a laminated core for a rotating electric machine using a soft magnetic plate as a base material, and includes: a punching process in which first soft magnetic plates are sequentially punched out from the base material using a mold; a temporary bonding process in which the multiple first soft magnetic plates punched out in the punching process are temporarily bonded by heating them in a lower mold of the mold; a separation process in which, after the temporary bonding process, the laminate is separated from the subsequent laminate; and a final bonding process in which, outside the mold, the multiple first soft magnetic plates that make up the laminate are finally bonded by heating them, wherein an insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated is formed on at least one of the two plate surfaces of the soft magnetic plate, and within the lower mold, the multiple first soft magnetic plates move downward while at least a portion of their outer end is supported in response to punching in the punching process, and the laminate is formed by stacking the first soft magnetic plates in a number corresponding to the height of one laminated core.

[0010] The laminated core manufacturing apparatus disclosed herein is an apparatus for manufacturing laminated cores for rotating electric machines using a soft magnetic plate as a base material, and includes: a die for sequentially punching out first soft magnetic plates from the base material; a first heating device for locally heating the plurality of first soft magnetic plates punched out by the die for temporary bonding within a lower die of the die; a separation means for separating the laminate from subsequent laminates after heating by the first heating device; and a second heating device for heating the plurality of first soft magnetic plates constituting the laminate for actual bonding outside the die, wherein an insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated is formed on at least one of the two plate surfaces of the soft magnetic plate, and within the lower die, the plurality of first soft magnetic plates move downward while being supported by at least a portion of their outer end in response to punching by the die, and the laminate is formed by stacking the first soft magnetic plates in a number corresponding to the height of one laminated core.

[0011] According to the present disclosure, laminated cores for rotating electrical machines can be efficiently manufactured.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first example of the configuration of a press apparatus. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of a region punched out of an electromagnetic steel sheet by a first punch and a first die. FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an example of a region punched out of an electromagnetic steel sheet by a second punch and a second die. FIG. 2C is a diagram showing an example of a region punched out by a third punch and a third die after punching out by the first punch and the first die, but without punching out by the second punch and the second die. FIG. 2D is a diagram showing an example of a region punched out by a third punch and a third die after punching out by the first punch and the first die and punching out by the second punch and the second die. FIG. 2E is a diagram showing a modified example of a region punched out by a third punch and a third die after punching out by the first punch and the first die and punching out by the second punch and the second die. FIG. 3 is a diagram explaining a specific example of the configuration of a guide ring and a first heating device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the temperature of a first electromagnetic steel sheet and time. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process performed on the laminate ejected from the lower mold. Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a press device and a nozzle configuration. Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a press device and a nozzle configuration.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The term "comparison objects" as being the same in terms of length, position, size, spacing, etc., includes not only cases where they are exactly the same, but also cases where they differ within the scope of the present disclosure (for example, differences within the tolerances established at the time of design). The x-y-z coordinates shown in each figure are used to indicate the orientation relationship in each figure. A symbol with a black circle (●) inside a white circle (○) in the x-y-z coordinates indicates an arrow pointing from the back of the page to the front. A symbol with a cross mark (×) inside a white circle (○) in the x-y-z coordinates indicates an arrow pointing from the front of the page to the back. For convenience of explanation and notation, only the configuration necessary for explanation is shown in simplified form as necessary in each figure.

[0014] First Embodiment First, a first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a press machine 100. In this embodiment, a laminated core for a rotating electric machine is manufactured using a soft magnetic plate as a base material, and the press machine 100 is used to illustrate this. An insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated is formed on at least one of the two plate surfaces of the soft magnetic plate serving as the base material. Note that the two plate surfaces of the soft magnetic plate are the front and back surfaces of the soft magnetic plate. In the following description, if an insulating material is formed on the soft magnetic plate, the two plate surfaces (front and back surfaces) of the soft magnetic plate will be the front and back surfaces of the insulating material. In addition, in the following description, the plate surfaces of the soft magnetic plate during the manufacturing of a laminated core will refer to either or both of the front and back surfaces of the soft magnetic plate at the time of manufacturing.

[0015] In this embodiment, the rotating electric machine is an inner rotor type interior permanent magnet (IPM) motor. However, the rotating electric machine is not limited to an IPM motor. For example, the rotating electric machine may be a motor other than an IPM motor. The rotating electric machine may also be a generator. The rotating electric machine may also be an outer rotor type rotating electric machine.

[0016] The cores included in the rotating electric machine are a rotor core and a stator core. In this embodiment, a case where both the rotor core and the stator core are manufactured is illustrated. However, only one of the rotor core and the stator core may be manufactured. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a case where the rotor core is formed of one laminated core is illustrated. Similarly, in this embodiment, a case where the stator core is formed of one laminated core is illustrated. However, one rotor core may be formed by stacking multiple laminated cores in the lamination direction of the soft magnetic plates. Similarly, one stator core may be formed by stacking multiple laminated cores in the lamination direction of the soft magnetic plates. For example, a skew may be applied when stacking multiple laminated cores.

[0017] In addition, in this embodiment, a case where the soft magnetic plate (base material) is a non-oriented electromagnetic steel plate is exemplified. However, the soft magnetic plate (base material) is not limited to a non-oriented electromagnetic steel plate. For example, the soft magnetic plate (base material) may be a grain-oriented electromagnetic steel plate. For example, when manufacturing a split core, the soft magnetic plate (base material) may be a grain-oriented electromagnetic steel plate. Note that a stator core is constructed using multiple split cores. The planar shape of the split core is, for example, the planar shape of one of p portions (p is an integer of 2 or more). The p portions are portions obtained by dividing the stator core into p portions so that they have a p-fold symmetry relationship with the center line of the stator core as the axis of rotational symmetry.

[0018] Furthermore, the soft magnetic plate is not limited to a non-oriented electromagnetic steel plate or a oriented electromagnetic steel plate. The soft magnetic plate may be, for example, an amorphous alloy thin plate, a nanocrystalline alloy thin plate, a permendur plate, or a permalloy plate. In this case, the magnetic steel plate will be substituted with the soft magnetic plate in the following description.

[0019] An insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated changes from a state in which it cannot adhere to an adherend to a state in which it can adhere to an adherend. In the following description, an insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated will be abbreviated as "insulating material" as necessary. The insulating material is formed so as to cover all or part of the plate surface of the soft magnetic plate (base material). For example, the insulating material may be formed on an area of ​​the plate surface of the soft magnetic plate that occupies 50% or more of the total area of ​​the plate surface, preferably 70% or more, more preferably 90% or more, and most preferably 100%.

[0020] As described above, in this embodiment, the soft magnetic plate (base material) is a non-oriented electrical steel plate. In the following description, the non-oriented electrical steel plate will be abbreviated as electrical steel plate as necessary.

[0021] In a production line such as a finish annealing line (a production line upstream of the process performed by the press device 100), an insulating coating is continuously formed on the surface of an electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) moving along the production line. For example, an insulating material may be realized by incorporating a thermosetting resin into the insulating coating. In this case, the insulating coating formed on the surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) is the insulating material. Note that the insulating coating formed on the surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) has the function of electrically insulating the electromagnetic steel sheet from an object that comes into contact with the surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet. In this way, the insulating material may fulfill a role other than that of an adhesive. However, the insulating material may also fulfill the role of only an adhesive.

[0022] Furthermore, the insulating coating continuously formed on the surface of the electrical steel sheet (base material) in a production line such as a finish annealing line may not exhibit adhesive properties when heated. In this case, an adhesive that exhibits adhesive properties when heated may be applied to the insulating coating that does not exhibit adhesive properties when heated. In this case, the adhesive applied to the insulating coating that does not exhibit adhesive properties when heated is the insulating material. The adhesive includes, for example, a thermosetting resin.

[0023] For example, an adhesive may be continuously formed on the sheet surface (insulating coating that does not exhibit adhesive properties when heated) of an electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) moving through a production line upstream of the process performed by the press device 100. The adhesive is formed, for example, by baking the adhesive onto the insulating coating formed on the sheet surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet. The movement of the electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) through the production line may be performed, for example, as follows: First, a coil (coil-shaped electromagnetic steel sheet) is placed on an uncoiler installed upstream of the production line. Then, the coil (electromagnetic steel sheet) is unwound from the uncoiler, and the electromagnetic steel sheet is moved from the upstream side to the downstream side of the production line. While the electromagnetic steel sheet is moving, adhesive is continuously applied to the sheet surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet. Then, the electromagnetic steel sheet with the adhesive formed thereon is wound into a coil on a coiler installed downstream of the production line. The electromagnetic steel sheet (coil) wound into a coil in this manner may be used as the base material.

[0024] As described above, this embodiment illustrates a case in which an insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated is formed on the surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) before the electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) enters the press device 100 (molds (upper mold 110 and lower mold 120)). This embodiment also illustrates a case in which an insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated is not formed on the surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) after the electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) enters the press device 100 (molds (upper mold 110 and lower mold 120)). This embodiment also illustrates a case in which the insulating material (insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated) formed on the surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) is one type of insulating material. However, this is not necessarily the case. For example, two or more types of insulating materials that exhibit adhesive properties when heated may be formed on the surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) before the electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) enters the press device 100. Furthermore, for example, an insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties in a shorter time than an insulating material formed before the electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) enters the press device 100 may be formed on the plate surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) after the electromagnetic steel sheet (base material) enters the press device 100.

[0025] In this embodiment, a case where the insulating material exhibits adhesive properties when heated due to a thermosetting resin contained in the insulating material is exemplified. For example, if a thermosetting resin is used as the insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated, an acrylic resin may be used. Alternatively, an insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated may be formed using other known resins (e.g., epoxy resin, polyimide resin). Note that multiple types of materials (e.g., multiple types of resins) may be used as the material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated.

[0026] In this embodiment, FIG. 1 illustrates a case where the base material is an electromagnetic steel sheet M having the above-described insulating material formed on two sheet surfaces (front and back surfaces). The electromagnetic steel sheet M, which is the base material, is a strip-shaped plate. The electromagnetic steel sheet M is unwound from a coil set in an uncoiler (not shown) installed upstream of the press device 100 (negative side of the x-axis) and transported downstream (positive side of the x-axis). The transport speed of the electromagnetic steel sheet M may or may not be changed. Furthermore, the electromagnetic steel sheet M may move upstream in addition to moving downstream. This embodiment illustrates a case where the electromagnetic steel sheet M is transported according to a preset speed pattern. The speed pattern is, for example, information indicating the relationship between the time from the start of unwinding the coil and the transport speed and transport direction of the electromagnetic steel sheet M.

[0027] 1 , the present embodiment illustrates a case in which the press machine 100 includes an upper mold 110 and a lower mold 120. The present embodiment also illustrates a case in which the upper mold 110 includes a first punch 111a, a second punch 111b, a third punch 111c, a fourth punch 111d, a fifth punch 111e, and a sixth punch 111f. The present embodiment also illustrates a case in which the lower mold 120 includes a first die 121a, a second die 121b, a third die 121c, a fourth die 121d, a fifth die 121e, and a sixth die 121f.

[0028] In the example shown in Figure 1, the first punch 111a, the second punch 111b, the third punch 111c, the fourth punch 111d, the fifth punch 111e, and the sixth punch 111f each move in the vertical direction (direction parallel to the z-axis). This embodiment illustrates a case in which the first punch 111a, the second punch 111b, the third punch 111c, the fourth punch 111d, the fifth punch 111e, and the sixth punch 111f can be moved individually.

[0029] In this embodiment, the first punch 111a and the first die 121a are paired to punch out a partial region of the electromagnetic steel sheet M. Similarly, in this embodiment, the second punch 111b and the second die 121b, the third punch 111c and the third die 121c, the fourth punch 111d and the fourth die 121d, the fifth punch 111e and the fifth die 121e, and the sixth punch 111f and the sixth die 121f are paired to punch out a partial region of the electromagnetic steel sheet M.

[0030] In this embodiment, the first punch 111a, the second punch 111b, the third punch 111c, the first die 121a, the second die 121b, and the third die 121c are punches and dies for manufacturing a rotor core. Also, in this embodiment, the fourth punch 111d, the fifth punch 111e, the sixth punch 111f, the fourth die 121d, the fifth die 121e, and the sixth die 121f are punches and dies for manufacturing a stator core. In this case, the first punch 111a, the second punch 111b, the third punch 111c, the first die 121a, the second die 121b, and the third die 121c correspond to the fourth punch 111d, the fifth punch 111e, the sixth punch 111f, the fourth die 121d, the fifth die 121e, and the sixth die 121f, respectively. The difference between the punch and die for manufacturing the rotor core and the punch and die for manufacturing the stator core is the difference in the shape and size of the area punched out from the electromagnetic steel sheet M. Therefore, in the following, a description of specific examples of the shape, etc. of the stator core will be omitted.

[0031] FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of a region punched out of the electromagnetic steel sheet M by the first punch 111a and the first die 121a. In FIGS. 2A to 2D, the black regions indicate the regions punched out of the electromagnetic steel sheet M. The punched regions are regions separated from the base material. This embodiment illustrates a case in which the first punch 111a and the first die 121a punch out a portion that will become a hole in the rotor core. The first punch 111a and the first die 121a may also punch out a portion that will become a hole in the stator core. FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an example of a region punched out of the electromagnetic steel sheet M by the second punch 111b and the second die 121b. This embodiment illustrates a case in which the second punch 111b and the second die 121b punch out an unnecessary portion as a separator plate used to manufacture the rotor core. The role of the separator plate will be described later.

[0032] FIG. 2C shows an example of an area that is punched by the third punch 111c and the third die 121c after punching by the first punch 111a and the first die 121a is completed, but not punched by the second punch 111b and the second die 121b. The shape shown in FIG. 2C (the shape of the black area) is the same as the planar shape of the rotor core. That is, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which an electromagnetic steel sheet having the planar shape shown in FIG. 2C and the same thickness as the electromagnetic steel sheet M constitutes the rotor core. In the following description, the electromagnetic steel sheet that constitutes the laminated core (rotor core and stator core) will be referred to as the first electromagnetic steel sheet as necessary. In this embodiment, the first electromagnetic steel sheet is an example of a first soft magnetic sheet. As described above, this embodiment illustrates an example in which the outer edge of the first electromagnetic steel sheet is punched by the third punch 111c and the third die 121c.

[0033] 2D is a diagram showing an example of an area punched out by the third punch 111c and the third die 121c after punching out by the first punch 111a and the first die 121a and punching out by the second punch 111b and the second die 121b are performed. In this embodiment, the diagram shows an example of a separator plate used when manufacturing a rotor core, where the electromagnetic steel sheet has the planar shape shown in FIG. 2D and the same thickness as the electromagnetic steel sheet M. In the following description, the electromagnetic steel sheet constituting the separator plate will be referred to as the second electromagnetic steel sheet as necessary. In this embodiment, the second electromagnetic steel sheet is an example of a second soft magnetic sheet. As described above, this embodiment illustrates a case where the outer edge of the second electromagnetic steel sheet is punched out by the third punch 111c and the third die 121c.

[0034] The planar shape of the second soft magnetic plate (second electromagnetic steel plate (electromagnetic steel plate constituting the separation plate)) is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 2D. For example, it may be the shape shown in FIG. 2E. FIG. 2E is a diagram showing a modified example of an area punched out by a third punch 111c and a third die 121c after punching out by a first punch 111a and a first die 121a and punching out by a second punch 111b and a second die 121b. The black area in FIG. 2E is also an area punched out from the electromagnetic steel plate M, similar to the black areas in FIGS. 2A to 2D.

[0035] 1 , the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets punched by the third punch 111c and the third die 121c enter a space present in a region below the third punch 111c (on the negative side of the z-axis) within the lower mold 120. Similarly, the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets punched by the sixth punch 111f and the sixth die 121f enter a space present in a region below the sixth punch 111f (on the negative side of the z-axis) within the lower mold 120. In the following description, the space into which the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets enter will be referred to as a stacking space as necessary.

[0036] In Fig. 1, the horizontally long gray rectangles indicate the second electromagnetic steel sheets, and the horizontally long white rectangles indicate the first electromagnetic steel sheets.

[0037] The third punch 111c and the third die 121c sequentially punch out the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets for manufacturing the rotor core. Similarly, the sixth punch 111f and the sixth die 121f sequentially punch out the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets for manufacturing the stator core. In this embodiment, a case is illustrated in which the punching process is achieved by punching with the third punch 111c and the third die 121c and punching with the sixth punch 111f and the sixth die 121f.

[0038] As described above, when manufacturing the first electromagnetic steel sheets that constitute the rotor core, for example, the first punch 111a, the third punch 111c, the first die 121a, and the third die 121c are used. When manufacturing the separator plates (second electromagnetic steel sheets) for the rotor core, for example, the first punch 111a, the second punch 111b, the third punch 111c, the first die 121a, the second die 121b, and the third die 121c are used. Note that when manufacturing the separator plates for the rotor core, for example, the first punch 111a and the first die 121a do not have to be used.

[0039] Furthermore, when manufacturing the first electromagnetic steel sheet that constitutes the stator core, for example, the first punch 111a, the third punch 111c, the fourth punch 111d, the sixth punch 111f, the first die 121a, the third die 121c, the fourth die 121d, and the sixth die 121f are used. Note that when manufacturing the first electromagnetic steel sheet that constitutes the stator core, for example, at least one of the first punch 111a and the first die 121a and the third punch 111c and the third die 121c may not be used. When manufacturing the separator plate (second electromagnetic steel sheet) for the stator core, for example, the first punch 111a, the fourth punch 111d, the fifth punch 111e, the sixth punch 111f, the first die 121a, the fourth die 121d, the fifth die 121e, and the sixth die 121f are used. When manufacturing a separator plate for a stator core, for example, at least one of the first punch 111a and the first die 121a and the fourth punch 111d and the fourth die 121d may not be used.

[0040] When each punch and die operates as described above, each punch and die may perform punching in synchronization with the other punches and dies. However, if there is no area to be punched from the electromagnetic steel sheet M, each punch and die may not operate. The number of punch and die pairs provided in the press device 100 varies depending on the planar shapes of the rotor core, stator core, and separator plate, etc. The number of punch and die pairs provided in the press device 100 may be more than the number (=6) shown in FIG. 1 .

[0041] In this embodiment, a case where the control of the operation of the press apparatus 100 as described above is realized by a control device 200 is illustrated. The control device 200 selects a punch to be operated from among the first punch 111a, the second punch 111b, the third punch 111c, the fourth punch 111d, the fifth punch 111e, and the sixth punch 111f, based on, for example, the conveyance speed of the electromagnetic steel sheet M and the punching pattern, and operates the selected punch. The punching pattern is, for example, information for specifying the punching to be performed by the punch and die. The punching pattern is, for example, information including information on the position, size, and shape of the area to be punched out of the electromagnetic steel sheet M, and identification information of the punch and die used to punch out the area. Note that the position of the area to be punched out of the electromagnetic steel sheet M is, for example, a position relative to a predetermined position of the electromagnetic steel sheet M (e.g., the position of one corner of the leading edge).

[0042] The control device 200 includes, for example, one or more hardware processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and one or more memories such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). In this case, the control device 200 executes various calculations by executing one or more programs stored in the memory using one or more hardware processors. The control device 200 also includes an input device and an output device. The control device 200 may be implemented by a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) or dedicated hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The functions of the control device 200 may be implemented by multiple devices.

[0043] In this embodiment, a case is illustrated in which laminations 130a, 130b of first electromagnetic steel sheets, the number of which corresponds to the height of one rotor core, and laminations 130b, 130c that follow the laminations 130a, 130b in the lower mold 120 (stacking space) are separated using second electromagnetic steel sheets (separation plates). Note that the laminations refer to laminated cores in the middle of production. The lamination that follows lamination 130a is lamination 130b. The lamination that follows lamination 130b is lamination 130c. Similarly, in this embodiment, a case is illustrated in which laminations 130d, 130e of first electromagnetic steel sheets, the number of which corresponds to the height of one stator core, and laminations 130e, 130f that follow the laminations 130d, 130e in the lower mold 120 (stacking space) are separated using second electromagnetic steel sheets. The stack following stack 130d is stack 130e. The stack following stack 130e is stack 130f. In this way, "following" refers to the stack following one stack when counting from the bottom in the arrangement order of the stacks in lower mold 120 (stacking space). Note that, for convenience of notation, not all of the stacks are labeled with reference numerals in FIG. 1 .

[0044] 1 illustrates a case in which one separation plate 131a, 131b, 131c, and 131d are arranged at positions between two adjacent stacks 130a-130b, 130b-130c, and 130d-130e in the lower mold 120 (stacking space). This embodiment illustrates a case in which the separation material arrangement step and separation material arrangement means are realized by punching with the second punch 111b and the second die 121b and punching with the third punch 111c and the third die 121c. Note that multiple separation plates may be stacked at positions between two adjacent stacks 130a-130b, 130b-130c, and 130d-130e in the lower mold 120 (stacking space).

[0045] The first and second electromagnetic steel sheets that have entered the stacking space below the third punch 111c (negative side of the z-axis) move downward (negative side of the z-axis) each time a punching operation is performed by the third punch 111c and the third die 121c. Similarly, the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets that have entered the stacking space below the sixth punch 111f (negative side of the z-axis) move downward (negative side of the z-axis) each time a punching operation is performed by the sixth punch 111f and the sixth die 121f.

[0046] In this embodiment, the stacking space below the third punch 111c (on the negative side of the z-axis) is formed by using a die 121c, a squeeze ring 122a, and a guide ring 123a. Similarly, in this embodiment, the stacking space below the sixth punch 111f (on the negative side of the z-axis) is formed by using a die 121f, a squeeze ring 122b, and a guide ring 123b.

[0047] The squeeze ring 122b and the guide ring 123b have the same functions as the squeeze ring 122a and the guide ring 123a, respectively. The difference between the squeeze ring 122a and the guide ring 123a and the squeeze ring 122b and the guide ring 123b is that the shapes and sizes of the areas punched out from the electromagnetic steel sheet M are different. Therefore, in the following, a description of specific examples of the squeeze ring 122b and the guide ring 123b will be omitted.

[0048] The squeeze ring 122a is installed below the die 121c. The squeeze ring 122a supports at least a portion of the outer circumferential surfaces (ends on the outer circumferential side) of the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets. For example, the squeeze ring 122a has a hollow portion the same size and shape as the punching hole of the die 121c (or a hollow portion slightly smaller than the punching hole of the die 121c). In this case, the shape and size of the hollow portion of the squeeze ring 122a are determined so that a frictional force is generated between the outer circumferential surfaces (ends on the outer circumferential side) of the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets and the inner circumferential surface of the squeeze ring 122a (i.e., so that lateral pressure is generated on the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets). Note that this frictional force (lateral pressure) is set to a level that does not generate residual stress in the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets. The squeeze ring may also be integral with the die.

[0049] The guide ring 123a is installed below the squeeze ring 122a. Like the squeeze ring 122a, the guide ring 123a supports at least a partial region of the outer circumferential surfaces (ends on the outer circumferential side) of the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets. Note that the frictional force generated between the guide ring 123a (contact portions 310a to 310h in the example described below) and the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets due to this support is set to a level that does not generate residual stress in the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets. In this embodiment, the guide ring 123a has a configuration separate from the squeeze ring 122a and supports at least a partial region of the outer circumferential surfaces (ends on the outer circumferential side) of the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets.

[0050] A specific example of the configuration of the guide ring 123a will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. 1. Specifically, FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of the lower die 120 taken at the position of the separator plate 131b, perpendicular to the center line O of the stacking space below the third punch 111c, and includes a section of a region required for the description. In the following description, the center line O of the stacking space below the third punch 111c will be abbreviated as the center line O of the stacking space or center line O as necessary. Note that this embodiment illustrates a case in which the center line O of the stacking space coincides with the center line of the laminate 130b (first electromagnetic steel sheets) in the stacking space and the center line of the second electromagnetic steel sheets in the stacking space. Therefore, in the following description, center line O also refers to the center line of the laminate (first electromagnetic steel sheets) in the stacking space and the center line of the second electromagnetic steel sheets in the stacking space.

[0051] In this embodiment, FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which the guide ring 123a includes contact portions 310a to 310h, elastic portions 320a to 320h, and wall portions 330a to 330b. The tip surfaces (surfaces on the center line 0 side) of the contact portions 310a to 310h contact partial regions of the outer circumferential surfaces of the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets (separator plates). FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which the contact portions 310a to 310h are arranged with a gap between them around the center line 0. Specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which the contact portions 310a to 310h are arranged so as to be eight-fold symmetrical about the center line 0 as the axis of rotational symmetry. However, the number of contact portions 310a to 310h is not limited to eight. Furthermore, the contact portions 310a to 310h do not necessarily have rotational symmetry about the center line 0 as the axis of rotational symmetry.

[0052] The elastic portions 320a to 320h are used to adjust the positions of the contact portions 310a to 310h so that a frictional force sufficient to move the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets downward (in the negative direction of the z-axis) is generated between the tip surfaces of the contact portions 310a to 310h and the outer circumferential surfaces of the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets in response to punching by the third punch 111c and the third die 121c. The elastic portions 320a to 320h are realized, for example, by using springs. The tip ends (ends on the center line 0 side) of the elastic portions 320a to 320h are connected to the base end surfaces (end faces opposite the center line 0 side) of the contact portions 310a to 310h.

[0053] The wall portions 330a to 330b are intended to hold the contact portions 310a to 310h and the elastic portions 320a to 320h. Figure 3 illustrates an example in which the wall portions 330a to 330b are shaped like an arcuate column. The arcuate column is one of multiple sections obtained by dividing a hollow cylinder so that the cutting surface is an imaginary plane that passes through the center line of the hollow cylinder and is parallel to the center line of the hollow cylinder. The base ends (ends opposite the center line 0) of the elastic portions 320a to 320h are connected to the inner circumferential surfaces (surfaces facing the center line 0) of the wall portions 330a to 330b.

[0054] As described above, this embodiment illustrates a case in which the die 121c, squeeze ring 122a, and guide ring 123a are used to support the first electromagnetic steel sheets that constitute the rotor core and the second electromagnetic steel sheets (separator plates 131a-131b) used to manufacture the rotor core while at least a partial region of their outer peripheral edge is moved downward within the lower die 120. In Figure 1, this is indicated by the downward hollow arrow shown below the stacking space below the third punch 111c.

[0055] It is not necessary to use the guide ring 123a. For example, the surfaces that come into contact with the outer peripheral ends of the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets in the stacking space may be cooled to move the surfaces (slightly) toward the center line 0. In this case, the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets move downward within the lower mold 120 while at least partial regions of their outer peripheral ends are supported by the surfaces.

[0056] In this embodiment, an example is given in which the first electromagnetic steel sheets that constitute the rotor core as described above and the second electromagnetic steel sheets (separation plates 131a to 131b) for manufacturing the rotor core are temporarily bonded together by heating a plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets within the lower mold 120 (stacking space).

[0057] The timing for heating the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets in the stacking space may include at least one of the following: a timing when the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets are moving downward in the stacking space in response to punching by the third punch 111c and the third die 121c; and a timing when the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets are not moving downward in the stacking space. When temporarily bonding the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets, the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets may be continuously heated, regardless of whether the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets are moving downward in the stacking space. This can shorten the time required to temporarily bond the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets. On the other hand, when temporarily bonding the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets, heating the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets may be temporarily interrupted. This can reduce power consumption. For example, heating the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets may be temporarily interrupted when the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets are moving downward in the stacking space. In this case, the first electromagnetic steel sheets may be heated when the first electromagnetic steel sheets and the second electromagnetic steel sheets are not moving downward in the stacking space.

[0058] The adhesive strength exhibited by the insulating material formed on the sheet surfaces of the first electromagnetic steel sheets when temporarily bonding the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets need only be such that the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminate do not separate from each other between the time the laminate is ejected from the stacking space and the time the main bonding described below begins. However, the smaller the positional deviation that occurs among the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminate between the time the laminate is ejected from the stacking space and the time the main bonding described below begins, the better, and it is most preferable that the deviation be 0 (zero).

[0059] However, if the adhesive force acting between the plurality of temporarily bonded first electromagnetic steel sheets is made greater than the adhesive force acting between the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets that are permanently bonded, as described below, there is a risk that the time required for temporary bonding will be longer, for example. In this case, there is a risk that the productivity of the punching process will decrease. Therefore, the temporary bonding is performed so that the adhesive force acting between the plurality of temporarily bonded first electromagnetic steel sheets is smaller than the adhesive force acting between the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets that are permanently bonded, as described below.

[0060] In this embodiment, a case is illustrated in which temporary bonding of a plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets is achieved by exerting the adhesive ability of the insulating material so that the adhesive ability of the insulating material is not fully exerted in at least a portion of the insulating material. For example, if the insulating material contains a thermosetting resin, temporary bonding of the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets may be achieved by causing the thermosetting resin to be in a state in the middle of a curing reaction.

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded together, the insulating material formed on the surface of the first electromagnetic steel sheets exhibits adhesive properties when heated. Therefore, it is not necessary to pressurize the first electromagnetic steel sheets solely for temporarily bonding the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets. Therefore, the press apparatus 100 of this embodiment does not include a dedicated pressurizing device for temporarily bonding the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets. However, the first electromagnetic steel sheets may be pressed solely for temporarily bonding the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets. Note that in this embodiment, the first electromagnetic steel sheets are pressed by the first and second electromagnetic steel sheets above them in the lower mold 120. Furthermore, the first electromagnetic steel sheets are also pressed by punching with the third punch 111c and the third die 121c in the lower mold 120. However, these pressurizations are not intended to temporarily bond the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets.

[0062] If the number of first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminate discharged from the lamination space is less than the number corresponding to the height of the laminated core (e.g., if the first electromagnetic steel sheets are discharged from the lamination space (lower mold 120) in a separate state), the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are not temporarily bonded. From this perspective, whether the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded may be determined, for example, based on the height of the laminate discharged from the lamination space. For example, whether the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded may be determined based on whether the laminates 130a to 130f are discharged from the lamination space at the intended height. Specifically, if the height of the laminate discharged from the lamination space is within a predetermined range as the height required for the laminated core, it may be determined that the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminate are temporarily bonded. The height of the laminate is measured, for example, using a thickness measuring device such as a vernier caliper. If the temporary bonding of the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets is insufficient, the adhesive strength of the insulating material will be insufficient. In this case, one laminate will separate into multiple laminates. The height of the plurality of laminates is less than the lower limit of a preset range of heights required for the laminated core. In this case, it is necessary to adjust, for example, at least one of the temperature (heating temperature) of the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets when they are temporarily bonded and the time (heating time) required for temporarily bonding the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets. Note that the value of the height required for the laminated core may be used instead of the range of heights required for the laminated core.

[0063] Instead of or in addition to determining whether the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminate are temporarily bonded based on the height of the laminate discharged from the stacking space, it may be determined whether the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded by performing at least one of determining whether the manufacturing conditions when temporarily bonding the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets satisfy specified conditions, and determining whether the characteristics of the laminate discharged from the stacking space satisfy specified conditions.

[0064] For example, whether or not the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded may be determined based on the adhesive strength of the insulating material exerted by the temporary bonding at the time of ejection from the stacking space. Furthermore, when the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are locally heated, whether or not the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded may be determined based on the size of the region of the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets that is heated. Furthermore, whether or not the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded may be determined based on the temperature of the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets when the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded. Furthermore, when the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded by applying radiant heat to the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets, whether or not the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded may be determined based on the size of the region of the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets that is exposed to the radiant heat. The radiant heat may be applied to a portion of the region of the outer circumferential surface (end portion on the outer circumferential side) of each of the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets. Note that applying radiant heat to the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets corresponds to irradiating the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets with electromagnetic waves (e.g., near-infrared rays). The outer peripheral surface of the first electromagnetic steel sheet is the surface that surrounds the center line of the first electromagnetic steel sheet and faces outward from the first electromagnetic steel sheet (the side where the heat source of the radiant heat is present). In the example shown in Figure 3, the center line of the first electromagnetic steel sheet is center line 0.

[0065] As described above, there are no particular limitations on the method for determining whether multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded. Hereinafter, a specific example of a method for determining upper and lower limits of the adhesive strength of the insulating material exerted by the temporary bonding when the laminated core is ejected from the stacking space will be described. First, the lower limit of the adhesive strength of the insulating material exerted by the temporary bonding when the laminated core is ejected from the stacking space may be determined based on the mass of the laminated core. Meanwhile, the upper limit of the adhesive strength of the insulating material exerted by the temporary bonding when the laminated core is ejected from the stacking space may be determined based on the method for separating the laminated bodies 130a-130c. When the laminated bodies 130a-130c are separated using second electromagnetic steel sheets (separator plates 131a-131b) as in this embodiment, the upper limit of the adhesive strength of the insulating material may be determined based on the contact area between the second electromagnetic steel sheets (separator plates 131a-131b) and the first electromagnetic steel sheets, for example.

[0066] For example, when a laminated core is formed by laminating 278 first electromagnetic steel sheets each having an outer diameter of 220 mm and a thickness of 0.25 mm, the lower limit of the adhesive strength of the insulating material at the time of ejection from the lamination space is, for example, 3.6 × 10 －２ (kgf / mm ２ ) The method for measuring the adhesive strength of the insulating material is not particularly limited. For example, the adhesive strength of the insulating material may be measured (calculated) as follows. First, both end faces in the lamination direction of the laminate discharged from the lamination space are fixed to a tensile tester with double-sided tape or the like. The laminate fixed in this manner is pulled in a direction perpendicular to the adhesive surface (lamination direction) using the tensile tester. The adhesive strength of the insulating material may be simply calculated as the maximum load required to break at least a part of the adhesive surface of the laminate divided by the area of ​​the adhesive surface. Alternatively, the adhesive strength may be evaluated in terms of tensile strength. If it is possible to cut out a test piece of a predetermined size from the laminate discharged from the lamination space, the adhesive strength of the insulating material may be measured (calculated), for example, by using the method for testing the tensile adhesive strength of adhesives described in JIS K6849 1994.

[0067] When the insulating material is discharged from the stacking space, the adhesive strength measured as described above is 3.5×10 －２ (kgf / mm ２ ) or more or 5.0 x 10 －２ (kgf / mm ２ ) or greater, the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminate may be determined to be in a temporarily bonded state. The ratio of the adhesive strength of the insulating material between the first electromagnetic steel sheets may be, for example, 0.2 or greater, 0.3 or greater, or 0.4 or greater. The ratio of the adhesive strength of the insulating material between the first electromagnetic steel sheets may be 0.9 or less, 0.7 or less, or 0.5 or less. Here, the ratio of the adhesive strength of the insulating material between the first electromagnetic steel sheets is the ratio of the adhesive strength of the insulating material exerted by the temporary bonding at the time of removal from the stacking space to the adhesive strength of the insulating material exerted by the permanent bonding at the time of completion of heating for permanent bonding. The above numerical ranges also apply to soft magnetic sheets other than electromagnetic steel sheets.

[0068] Furthermore, the conditions for determining whether the first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded may be selected for each attribute of the laminate, which may include, for example, at least one of the type of the first electromagnetic steel sheets, the size of the first electromagnetic steel sheets (e.g., at least one of the outer diameter and the thickness), the type of insulating material, and the thickness of the insulating material.

[0069] However, if it is determined based on the height of the laminate discharged from the lamination space whether or not the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminate are temporarily bonded, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded, which is practical. The inventors have found that if it is determined based on the height of the laminate discharged from the lamination space that the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminate are temporarily bonded, then as a result, at least one of the examples of the range of adhesive strength described above is satisfied.

[0070] The temporary bonding is performed so that the adhesive force acting between the second electromagnetic steel sheet (separator plates 131a-131b) and at least one of the two first electromagnetic steel sheets located above and below the second electromagnetic steel sheet is smaller than the adhesive force acting between the first electromagnetic steel sheets themselves. The adhesive force of the former is preferably 0 (zero).

[0071] In this way, the insulating material formed on the second electromagnetic steel sheet (separator plate 131a-131b) may exhibit adhesive properties sufficient to separate the second electromagnetic steel sheet from the first electromagnetic steel sheet (laminates 130a-130c) before the start of the main bonding process described below. For example, the insulating material formed on the surface of the second electromagnetic steel sheet may exhibit adhesive properties sufficient to separate the second electromagnetic steel sheet from at least one of the two first electromagnetic steel sheets (two laminations 130a-130b, 130b-130c) located above and below the second electromagnetic steel sheet when the laminations 130a-130c are ejected from the lamination space. Furthermore, for example, the insulating material formed on the surface of the second electromagnetic steel sheet may exhibit adhesive properties sufficient to allow an operator to manually separate the second electromagnetic steel sheet from the first electromagnetic steel sheet (laminations 130a-130c) after the laminations are ejected from the lamination space. The smaller the positional deviation that occurs in the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets that make up the laminates 130a to 130c when the second electromagnetic steel sheets are separated from the first electromagnetic steel sheets, the better, and it is most preferable that the deviation be 0 (zero). The adhesive strength between the multiple temporarily bonded first electromagnetic steel sheets (laminated bodies 130a to 130c) and second electromagnetic steel sheets (separator plates 131a to 131b) is determined, for example, by the method described above.

[0072] 1 and 3 , the present embodiment illustrates a case in which first heating devices 140a to 140d are installed within the lower mold 120. The first heating devices 140a to 140d are an example of devices for performing the temporary bonding described above. The first heating devices 140a to 140b heat the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets in the stacking space below the third punch 111c (on the negative side of the z-axis). The first heating devices 140c to 140d heat the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets in the stacking space below the sixth punch 111f (on the negative side of the z-axis). The present embodiment illustrates a case in which the first heating devices 140a to 140d locally heat the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets in the stacking space to perform the temporary bonding described above. Locally heating the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets means heating only a portion of the areas of the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets. The region in which the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets are locally heated may include a portion of the region of the outer peripheral surface of each of the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets, and may not include the remaining portion of the region of the outer peripheral surface of each of the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets.

[0073] The first heating devices 140c to 140d have the same functions as the first heating devices 140a to 140b. The only difference between the first heating devices 140a to 140b and the first heating devices 140c to 140d is the arrangement and specific heating conditions due to the different shapes and sizes of the areas to be punched out from the electromagnetic steel sheet M. Therefore, in the following, a description of specific examples of the first heating devices 140c to 140d will be omitted.

[0074] As described above, the insulating material formed on the surface of the base material, the electromagnetic steel sheet M, exhibits adhesive properties when heated. The first and second electromagnetic steel sheets are punched out from the electromagnetic steel sheet M. This embodiment illustrates a case where the insulating material formed on the surface of the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminates 130a-130c and the insulating material formed on the surface of the second electromagnetic steel sheets (separator plates 131a-131b) are the same type of insulating material. In this case, if the shape and size of the second electromagnetic steel sheets (separator plates 131a-131b) are the same as those of the first electromagnetic steel sheets, the insulating material formed on the surface of the second electromagnetic steel sheets (separator plates 131a-131b) also exhibits adhesive properties comparable to those of the insulating material formed on the surface of the first electromagnetic steel sheets. Therefore, when multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded together, the insulating material formed on the surface of the second electromagnetic steel sheet may exhibit adhesive properties. The insulating material formed on the surface of the second electromagnetic steel sheet (separator sheets 131a to 131b) may contain a different type of insulating material from the insulating material formed on the surface of the first electromagnetic steel sheets that make up the laminates 130a to 130c. Even in this case, the insulating material formed on the surface of the second electromagnetic steel sheet may exhibit adhesive properties when the first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded together.

[0075] 1 and 3, the present embodiment illustrates a case in which the distance between the outer peripheral edge of the separator 131b and the first heating devices 140a-140b within the stacking space is longer than the distance between the outer peripheral edge of the stack 130b and the first heating devices 140a-140b. Note that this distance is the shortest distance. Also, in FIG. 3, a leader line (130b) is attached to the first electromagnetic steel sheet that constitutes the top surface of the stack 130b.

[0076] For example, the distance between the outer peripheral edge of the laminate 130b and the first heating devices 140a-140b and the distance between the outer peripheral edge of the separator 131b and the first heating device 140a are determined, for example, by the type of heating device and the type of insulating material formed on the separator 131b. For example, if the first heating devices 140a-140b are heating devices that use near-infrared rays or the like, the distance between the outer peripheral edge of the laminate 130b and the first heating devices 140a-140b is, for example, 20 mm or less, preferably 5 mm or less. Furthermore, the outer peripheral edge of the laminate 130b and the first heating devices 140a-140b may be in complete contact. Furthermore, the distance between the outer peripheral edge of the separator 131b and the first heating device 140a is 20 mm or more, preferably 50 mm or more.

[0077] As described above, the distance between the outer edge of the laminate 130b and the first heating device 140a-140b, and the distance between the outer edge of the separator 131b and the first heating device 140a may be set appropriately depending on the type of heating device and the type of insulating material formed on the separator 131b. Note that these distances are the shortest distances. Furthermore, the above-mentioned numerical ranges of these distances also apply to soft magnetic plates other than electromagnetic steel plates.

[0078] The positions of the first heating devices 140a to 140b when determining the shortest distance described above may be, for example, any positions of the first heating devices 140a to 140b. However, the positions of the first heating devices 140a to 140b when determining the distance between the outer peripheral end of the separation plate 131b and the first heating devices 140a to 140b and the positions of the first heating devices 140a to 140b when determining the distance between the outer peripheral end of the stack 130b and the first heating devices 140a to 140b are the same.

[0079] For example, in Fig. 3, the shortest distance between the outer peripheral edge of separator 131b and first heating device 140a is the straight-line distance between position 1310a of the outer peripheral edge of separator 131b and position 1400a of first heating device 140a. Also, for example, in Fig. 3, the shortest distance between the outer peripheral edge of stack 130b and first heating device 140a is the straight-line distance between position 1300a of the outer peripheral edge of stack 130b and position 1400a of first heating device 140b. Similarly, in Fig. 3, the shortest distance between the outer peripheral edge of separator 131b and first heating device 140b is the straight-line distance between position 1310b of the outer peripheral edge of separator 131b and position 1400b of first heating device 140b. 3, the shortest distance between the outer peripheral end of the laminate 130b and the first heating device 140b is the linear distance between the position 1300b of the outer peripheral end of the laminate 130b and the position 1400b of the first heating device 140a. Note that the positions 1400a and 1400b of the first heating devices 140a and 140b may be, for example, positions (e.g., center of gravity) within the area of ​​the first heating devices 140a and 140b where a heat transfer medium for heating the heating object (first electromagnetic steel sheet) is output to the outside. The heat transfer medium is determined depending on the type of the first heating devices 140a and 140b. Examples of the heat transfer medium include electromagnetic waves, current, and magnetic flux. More specifically, when the first heating devices 140a to 140b are near-infrared heaters, the heat transfer medium is near-infrared rays.

[0080] In order to achieve the above-described relationship between the distance between the outer peripheral end of the separator 131b and the first heating devices 140a-140b and the distance between the outer peripheral end of the laminate 130b and the first heating devices 140a-140b, this embodiment illustrates a case in which multiple notches 210a-210b are formed in the outer peripheral end of the second soft magnetic plate (separator 131a-131b), as shown in Figures 1, 2D, and 3. In the laminate space, the second soft magnetic plate (separator 131a-131b) is arranged so that at least a portion of the notches 210a-210b formed in the plate surface of the second soft magnetic plate is located closer to the center line 0 (the center line of the two laminates) than the outer peripheral ends of the two laminates 130a-130b and 130b-130c arranged above and below the notches 210a-210b. 2D and 3 illustrate an example in which the entire area of ​​the cutouts 210a-210b is located closer to the center line 0 than the outer peripheral ends of the two laminates 130a-130b and 130b-130c arranged above and below the cutouts 210a-210b. In this way, the cutouts 210a-210b formed in the outer peripheral end of the second soft magnetic plate (separator plates 131a-131b) include areas that are located closer to the center line 0 than the outer peripheral ends of the two laminates 130a-130b and 130b-130c arranged above and below the second soft magnetic plate in the lamination space. 2D and 3 illustrate an example in which two such cutouts 210a-210b are formed.

[0081] The dimensions of the cutouts are not limited. For example, the circumferential length (direction around the center line O) of the outer periphery of one cutout 210a or 210b may be 1 / 10 or more, 1 / 8 or more, or 1 / 6 or more of the outer diameter of the first electromagnetic steel sheets that make up the laminates 130a to 130f. Furthermore, the circumferential length of the outer periphery of one cutout 210a or 210b may be 1 / 2 or less, 1 / 3 or more, or 1 / 4 or more of the outer diameter of the first electromagnetic steel sheets that make up the laminates 130a to 130f. Furthermore, the circumferential length of the outer periphery of one cutout 210a or 210b may be, for example, 30 mm or more, or 50 mm or more. Here, the circumferential length of the outer peripheral edge of one notch 210a or 210b is the circumferential length of a portion of the outer peripheral edge of the second electromagnetic steel sheet that corresponds to one notch 210a or 210b when it is assumed that one notch 210a or 210b is not formed. In Figure 3, the circumferential length of one notch 210a or 210b at the outer peripheral edge is the length of an arc that is part of a circle that is in contact with contact portions 310a to 310h, and is the length of one of the two arcs shown in the area not shown with diagonal lines.

[0082] The radial length of each cutout 210a or 210b is also not limited. For example, it may be 1 / 10 or more, 1 / 8 or more, or 1 / 6 or more of the radius of the first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminates 130a to 130f. Furthermore, the radial length of each cutout 210a or 210b may be 4 / 5 or less, 3 / 5 or less, or 2 / 5 or less. Furthermore, the radial length of each cutout 210a or 210b may be, for example, 20 mm or more, or 30 mm or more.

[0083] As shown in FIGS. 2D and 3, this embodiment illustrates a case where the planar shape of the separation plates 131a to 131b is a shape that surrounds the center line 0. However, this is not necessarily the case. For example, multiple separation plates may be arranged on the same plane. For example, in FIG. 2D, two separation plates may be configured so that the black region on the positive side of the y axis and the black region on the negative side of the y axis are spaced apart from each other. Two such separation plates spaced apart from each other may be arranged so as to be dyad-symmetric with the center line 0 as the axis of rotational symmetry.

[0084] 3, this embodiment illustrates a case where two first heating devices 140a-140b are installed at positions sandwiching the stack 130b when viewed along the center line 0. Specifically, this embodiment illustrates a case where two first heating devices 140a-140b are arranged at positions facing each other with a gap between them across the center line 0 when viewed along the center line 0. Furthermore, one first heating device 140a, 140b of the plurality of first heating devices 140a-140b is installed at a position facing one notch 210a, 210b of the plurality of cutouts 210a-210b with a gap between them. The fact that there is a gap between the first heating devices 140a, 140b and the cutouts 210a, 210b corresponds to the fact that there is a gap between the first heating devices 140a, 140b and the imaginary line that shows the outer peripheral end of the first electromagnetic steel sheet if it is assumed that the cutouts 210a, 210b are not formed. Note that the two-dot chain line shown in Fig. 2D is an imaginary line that shows the outer peripheral end of the first electromagnetic steel sheet if it is assumed that the cutouts 210a, 210b are not formed.

[0085] In this embodiment, the first heating devices 140a-140b locally heat the regions of the first electromagnetic steel sheet that are located above and below the cutouts 210a-210b of the second electromagnetic steel sheet. Therefore, the adhesive properties of the insulating material are partially exhibited in the heated regions. Meanwhile, the second electromagnetic steel sheet has cutouts 140a-140b, and the first heating devices 140a-140b locally heat the regions of the second electromagnetic steel sheet where the cutouts 140a-140b are formed. Therefore, the second electromagnetic steel sheet is not sufficiently heated by this heating, and the adhesive properties of the insulating material formed on the sheet surface of the second electromagnetic steel sheet are not easily exhibited. Therefore, even if the insulating material is formed on the entire surface or most of the sheet surface of the second electromagnetic steel sheet, the adhesive properties of the insulating material can be prevented from being fully exhibited. In this way, it is possible to exert the adhesive properties of the insulating material formed on the plate surface of the first electromagnetic steel sheet, while suppressing (preferably preventing) the adhesive properties of the insulating material formed on the second electromagnetic steel sheet (separator plates 131a-131b). Note that the number of first heating devices installed in positions facing one notch with a gap between them is not limited to one, and may be two or more.

[0086] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case where the first heating devices 140a-140b are installed at positions facing all of the notches 210a-210b with a gap therebetween is exemplified. However, it is sufficient that the first heating devices are installed at positions facing at least one notch with a gap therebetween. In this case, it is not necessary for the first heating devices to be installed at positions facing all of the notches with a gap therebetween.

[0087] The number of first heating devices is not limited to 2 and may be 1, 3 or more. The number of cutout portions formed in the separation plate is also not limited to 2 and may be 1, 3 or more. The number, positions, and heating method of the first heating devices and the shape and size of the separation plate may be determined by trial and error, or may be determined based on the results of heat transfer analysis during temporary bonding.

[0088] For example, multiple first heating devices may be installed at positions facing one notch 210a, 210b with a gap therebetween. However, from the viewpoint of improving the parallelism of the upper and lower surfaces of the laminated core, it is preferable that the separator plates 131a-131b (second electromagnetic steel plates) have two notches 210a-210b formed at positions sandwiching the center line 0 when viewed along the center line 0 of the separator plate. Specifically, it is preferable that the two notches 210a-210b are arranged at positions facing each other with a gap therebetween across the center line 0 when viewed along the center line 0. There may be multiple pairs of such two notches 210a-210b. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2D and 3, it is more preferable that two notches 210a to 210b are formed in the separation plates 131a to 131b (second electromagnetic steel plates) so as to be two-fold symmetric with the center line 0 of the separation plates 131a to 131b (second electromagnetic steel plates) as the axis of rotational symmetry.

[0089] When the separator plates 131a-131b have the cutouts 210a-210b as in this embodiment, it is preferable to set the temperature of at least a portion of the region of the first electromagnetic steel sheet located above and below the cutouts 210a-210b at least 25°C higher than the minimum temperature of the region of the first electromagnetic steel sheet that is not located above or below the cutouts 210a-210b. This ensures that the adhesive force acting between the separator plates 131a-131b and the first electromagnetic steel sheet is suppressed. Specifically, it is preferable to set the temperature of the region of the first electromagnetic steel sheet located above and below the cutouts 210a-210b on the same circumference of the first electromagnetic steel sheet at least 25°C higher than the minimum temperature of the region of the first electromagnetic steel sheet that is not located above or below the cutouts 210a-210b. The temperature of the first electromagnetic steel sheet is calculated, for example, by numerically simulating the thermal conduction of the first electromagnetic steel sheet and the second electromagnetic steel sheet in the stacking space. In this case, the temperature is calculated for each discretized region. The minimum temperature is, for example, the lowest temperature among the temperatures of the multiple discretized regions.

[0090] Additionally or alternatively, it is preferable to set the temperature of the regions of the first electromagnetic steel sheet that are not located above or below the notches 210a-210b at least 25°C lower than the adhesion initiation temperature of the insulating material formed on the surface of the first electromagnetic steel sheet. It is also preferable to set the temperature of the regions of the first electromagnetic steel sheet that are located above and below the notches 210a-210b at or above the adhesion initiation temperature of the insulating material formed on the surface of the first electromagnetic steel sheet. Here, the adhesion initiation temperature is the temperature at which the insulating material begins to exhibit its adhesive properties. For example, if the insulating material exhibits its adhesive properties due to a thermosetting resin contained in the insulating material when heated, the adhesion initiation temperature may be the curing temperature of the thermosetting resin. The curing temperature may be the curing initiation temperature (the temperature at which the curing reaction begins). The adhesion initiation temperature may be, for example, a value published by the adhesive manufacturer.

[0091] The regions of the first electromagnetic steel sheet located above and below the cutouts 210a-210b are the regions of the first electromagnetic steel sheet (laminated body 130b) other than the region of the separator plate 131b (the white regions on the left and right) in Fig. 3. The outputs of the first heating devices 140a-140b that can reach the temperatures described above may be investigated in advance.

[0092] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the temperature of the first electromagnetic steel sheet and time. In Fig. 4, Ts is the temperature of the first electromagnetic steel sheet before the start of temporary bonding (heating by the first heating devices 140a to 140b). In the following description, this temperature will be referred to as the temperature before temporary bonding starts as necessary. In Fig. 1, this embodiment illustrates a case where the temperature before temporary bonding starts Ts is measured by the thermometers 150a to 150b.

[0093] The thermometers 150a to 150b are, for example, thermocouples. For convenience of illustration, FIG. 1 illustrates the thermometers 150a to 150b as measuring the temperature of the uppermost first electromagnetic steel sheet in the stacking space. However, the first electromagnetic steel sheet that is the object of measurement by the thermometers 150a and 150b may be the first electromagnetic steel sheet before heating by the first heating devices 140a to 140b and 140c to 140d begins. In this case, the first electromagnetic steel sheet that is the object of measurement by the thermometers 150a and 150b may be the first electromagnetic steel sheet immediately before heating by the first heating devices 140a to 140b and 140c to 140d begins. The first electromagnetic steel sheets to be measured by the thermometers 150a and 150b may be the first electromagnetic steel sheets immediately after heating by the first heating devices 140a to 140b and 140c to 140d has started. The thermometers 150a to 150b may be radiation thermometers or the like.

[0094] The zero on the horizontal axis in Figure 4 represents the timing when heating by the first heating devices 140a-140b begins. Graphs 410a-410b are created by investigating the relationship between heating time and the temperature of the first electromagnetic steel sheets (laminations 130a-130c) while varying the output of the first heating devices 140a-140b, with the output of the first heating devices 140a-140b kept constant. Figure 4 shows graphs 410a and 410b for the cases where the first heating devices 140a-140b are set to 80% and 70% of their rated output.

[0095] Ta is the target temperature of the first magnetic steel sheet after temporary bonding, and th is the time from the timing of measuring the temperature Ts before temporary bonding starts to the timing of temporary bonding completion (in this case, 0 on the horizontal axis of FIG. 4 represents the timing of measuring the temperature Ts before temporary bonding starts).

[0096] Below, an example of a method for setting the heating conditions for the first heating devices 140a-140c using the graphs 410a-410b and the measurement values ​​of the thermometer 150a is described. First, the pre-bonding temperature Ts is measured using the thermometer 150a. Next, the measured pre-bonding temperature Ts is subtracted from the target temperature Ta of the first electromagnetic steel sheet. In the following description, the value obtained by this subtraction (Ta - Ts) is referred to as the temperature rise amount. Furthermore, the time from the measurement of the pre-bonding temperature Ts to the completion of the temporary bonding is calculated as an example of the time for heating by the first heating devices 140a-140b. In the following description, this time will be referred to as the required time for temporary bonding as necessary. The required time for temporary bonding th is calculated, for example, based on the number of punching operations per unit time by the third punch 111c and the third die 121c and the thickness of the electromagnetic steel sheet M. In Fig. 4, from among the graphs 410a to 410b, the graph that has the value closest to the temperature rise Ta - Ts during the temporary bonding required time th is selected. The output corresponding to the selected graph is set as the output of the first heating devices 140a to 140b. Fig. 4 illustrates an example in which the output of the first heating devices 140a to 140b is set to 70% of the rated output.

[0097] The method for calculating the output of the first heating devices 140a to 140b is not limited to the above method. Two of the graphs 410a to 410b may be selected that sandwich the temperature rise Ta-Ts during the required temporary bonding time th between them. In this case, the output of the first heating devices 140a to 140b may be calculated by interpolating the outputs corresponding to the two graphs based on the temperature rise Ta-Ts during the required temporary bonding time th and the temperatures of the two graphs during the required temporary bonding time th.

[0098] In this embodiment, the setting of the heating conditions for the first heating devices 140a-140b and the control of the operation of the first heating devices 140a-140b are exemplified by the control device 200. For example, the control device 200 sets the heating conditions by calculating the output of the first heating devices 140a-140b based on the temperatures measured by the thermometers 150a-150b, the graphs 410a-410c shown in FIG. 4, and the target temperature Ta of the first electromagnetic steel sheet. The control device 200 operates the first heating devices 140a-140b so that the output of the first heating devices 140a-140b becomes the output calculated in this manner. The control device 200 also operates the first heating devices 140c-140d in the same manner as the first heating devices 140a-140b. Note that the output of the first heating devices 140a-140d may be updated. For example, the outputs of the first heating devices 140a-140d may be updated when the attributes of the laminates 130a-130c change. The attributes of the laminates include, for example, at least one of the type of the first electromagnetic steel sheets, the size of the first electromagnetic steel sheets (e.g., at least one of the outer diameter and thickness), the type of insulating material, and the thickness of the insulating material. As described above, this embodiment illustrates a case in which the heating condition setting step and heating condition setting means are realized by using the thermometers 150a-150b and the control device 200.

[0099] The heating method using the first heating devices 140a-140b is not limited as long as it can perform temporary bonding as described above. The heating using the first heating devices 140a-140b may be contact heating or non-contact heating. Contact heating is heating performed while the first heating devices 140a-140b are in contact with the object to be heated. Non-contact heating is heating performed while the first heating devices 140a-140b are not in contact with the object to be heated. However, non-contact heating is preferred for the heating using the first heating devices 140a-140b. This is because, for example, it is possible to easily and quickly heat the first electromagnetic steel sheet while it is moving within the lower mold 120. When the heating using the first heating devices 140a-140b is non-contact heating, the heating using the first heating devices 140a-140b may be, for example, radiant heating, induction heating, or dielectric heating. However, the heating by the first heating devices 140a-140b is preferably heating by irradiation of near-infrared rays, which is an example of radiant heating. In this case, the first heating devices 140a-140b have near-infrared heaters. The wavelength of the near-infrared rays output by the near-infrared heaters is preferably 700 nm or more and less than 1400 nm. Such near-infrared rays penetrate not only the first electromagnetic steel sheets but also the insulating material, so that the insulating material can be directly heated. Therefore, the insulating material can be uniformly heated. Therefore, softening of the insulating material begins in the region of the insulating material near the interface with the first electromagnetic steel sheet, thereby preventing the insulating material from dissolving near the interface.

[0100] Furthermore, it is more preferable that the near-infrared heaters of the first heating devices 140a-140b focus near-infrared rays linearly along the stacking direction (z-axis direction) of the laminates 130a-130c. This is because the position to which the near-infrared rays are irradiated can be determined with high precision. Figure 3 illustrates an example in which such near-infrared rays L are irradiated onto the outer peripheral edge of the laminate 130b. However, the near-infrared heaters may also output, for example, parallel light.

[0101] In this embodiment, the cutouts 210a-210b are formed at the outer peripheral end of the second soft magnetic plate (separator plate 131a-131b). However, the second soft magnetic plate does not have to have a cutout. For example, the planar shape of the second soft magnetic plate may be the shape shown in FIG. 2E. Even when the second electromagnetic plate shown in FIG. 2E is used as the separator plate, the distance between the outer peripheral end of the separator plate and the first heating devices 140a-140b within the stacking space is longer than the distance between the outer peripheral end of the stack 130b and the first heating devices 140a-140b.

[0102] Furthermore, the separator plate does not have to be an electromagnetic steel plate (second electromagnetic steel plate) punched out from the electromagnetic steel plate M, which is the base material. In this case, the surface of the separator plate does not have to be formed with an insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated. Furthermore, the surface of the separator plate does not have to be formed with an insulating material that does not exhibit adhesive properties at temperatures at which the insulating material formed on the electromagnetic steel plate M, which is the base material, exhibits adhesive properties. Furthermore, the insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated may be formed on only a portion of the surface of the separator plate. For example, the ratio of the area of ​​the surface of the separator plate where the insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated is formed to the area of ​​the surface of the separator plate may be 0.8 or less, preferably 0.4 or less, and more preferably 0.2 or less. Furthermore, when temporarily bonding a plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets by heating only a portion of the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets, it is not necessary for an insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated to be formed in the area of ​​the plate surface of the separation plate that faces the area where the plurality of first electromagnetic steel sheets are heated.

[0103] As described above, in this embodiment, the temporary bonding step is performed by using the guide rings 123a and 123b and the first heating devices 140a to 140b and 140c to 140d.

[0104] 1, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which a discharge space communicating with the stacking space is formed in the region below the stacking space within the lower mold 120. In the discharge space, nothing comes into contact with the outer peripheral edges of the laminates 130a-130c (first electromagnetic steel sheets) and the separator plates 131a-131b (second electromagnetic steel sheets). In other words, when viewed along the center line 0, the outer edge of the discharge space is located outside the outer edge of the stacking space.

[0105] In this embodiment, the laminates 130a-130c, 130d-130e, after the temporary bonding, are ejected below the lower mold 120 through the ejection space and placed on the receiving pedestals 160a, 160b. At this time, the laminates 130a-130c, 130d-130e may fall under their own weight or may be grasped and removed by a robot arm or the like. The difference between the configuration of the laminates 130a-130c after being ejected from the lower mold 120 and the configuration of the laminates 130d-130e after being ejected from the lower mold 120 is due to the difference in the shape and size of the region punched out from the electromagnetic steel sheet M. Therefore, hereinafter, a specific example of the configuration of the laminates 130d-130e after being ejected from the lower mold 120 will be omitted.

[0106] In this embodiment, an example is given in which, when the stacks 130a to 130c are discharged, the separation plates 131a and 131b are separated from at least the stacks 130b and 130c above the separation plates 131a and 131b, among the stacks 130a to 130b and 130b to 130c above and below the separation plates 131a and 131b. As described above, even if the separator plates 131a, 131b are not separated from the laminates 130a, 130b below them within the lower mold 120, the insulating material formed on the plate surfaces of the separator plates 131a-131b (second electromagnetic steel plates) may exhibit adhesive properties as long as the insulating material has adhesive properties to such an extent that the separator plates 131a, 131b can be separated from the laminates 130a, 130b so that the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminates 130a, 130b do not separate (preferably do not shift in position) after they are removed from the lower mold 120. Furthermore, the insulating material formed on the plate surfaces of the separator plates 131a-131b (second electromagnetic steel plates) does not have to exhibit adhesive properties.

[0107] FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which a separation plate 131a is present on the laminate 130a ejected from the lower mold 120. In this case, a worker may collect the separation plate 131a. As described above, the adhesive force between the separation plate 131a and the first electromagnetic steel sheets positioned above and below the separation plate 131a is zero or low. Therefore, the worker can collect the separation plate 131a without separating (preferably without shifting) the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminate 130a. Furthermore, when the laminate 130a is ejected from the lower mold 120, the separation plate 131a on the laminate 130a may naturally separate from the laminate 130a. In this case, the worker collects the separation plate 131a separated from the laminate 130a. The collection of the separation plate 131a may be performed by a device.

[0108] As described above, in this embodiment, the case where the separating step and separating means are realized by discharging the stacks 130a to 130c and 130d to 130e below the lower mold 120 through the discharge space is exemplified.

[0109] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process performed on the laminate 130a ejected from the lower mold 120. In this embodiment, FIG. 5 illustrates a case in which the laminate 130a placed on a receiving table 160a is sent to a conveying device 520 by an extrusion device 510. In FIG. 5, a hollow arrow next to the extrusion device 510 indicates this. The conveying device 520 conveys the laminate 130a. In FIG. 5, a hollow arrow next to the conveying device 520 indicates this. The conveying device 520 has, for example, a conveying belt. Note that, as described above, if a separation plate 131a is present on the laminate 130a placed on the receiving table 160a, the separation plate 131a may be collected before the laminate 130a is sent to the conveying device 520, or may be collected while the laminate 130a is being conveyed by the conveying device 520.

[0110] The stack 130a transported by the transport device 520 is set in the second heating device 530a-530b by an operator or a device such as a crane. At this time, a key ring 550 is inserted into the hollow portion of the stack 130a. The shape of the key ring 550 is preferably as close as possible to the shape of the hollow portion of the stack 130a, and most preferably the same. The key ring 550 is a metal object. The key ring 550 only needs to be sized so that the outer surface of the key ring 550 after thermal expansion contacts the inner surface of the stack 130a to the extent that it does not generate residual stress in the stack 130a. The wider the contact area between the outer surface of the key ring 550 after thermal expansion and the inner surface of the stack 130a, the more preferable. Most preferably, the outer surface of the key ring 550 after thermal expansion contacts the entire inner surface of the stack 130a.

[0111] Furthermore, pressure blocks 540a to 540b are disposed on the upper surface (the end surface on the positive side of the z-axis) and lower surface of the laminate 130a, respectively, to pressurize the laminate 130a in the stacking direction (z-axis direction) of the first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminate 130a. The pressure blocks 540a to 540b are configured so that the laminate 130a is pressed in the stacking direction (z-axis direction) of the first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminate 130a to an extent that no residual stress is generated in the laminate 130a. The pressure blocks 540a to 540b are, for example, cylindrical in shape. Furthermore, the lower surface (the end surface on the negative side of the z-axis) of the pressure block 540a preferably contacts the entire upper surface of the laminate 130a. The upper surface (the end surface on the positive side of the z-axis) of the pressure block 540b preferably contacts the entire lower surface of the laminate 130a.

[0112] After the pressure blocks 540a-540b and the key ring 550 are set in the above manner, the second heating devices 530a-530b are operated. At this time, the pressure block 540a may be pressed down on the laminate 130a to an extent that does not cause residual stress in the laminate 130a. The operation of the second heating devices 530a-530b may be controlled by the control device 200.

[0113] The second heating devices 530a-530b heat the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets that make up the laminate 130a to perform the final bonding. The final bonding of the first electromagnetic steel sheets by the second heating devices 530a-530b is achieved, for example, by maximizing the adhesive properties of the insulating material formed on the surfaces of the first electromagnetic steel sheets. The amount of heat imparted to the laminate 130a by the second heating devices 530a-530b is greater than the amount of heat imparted to the laminate 130a by the first heating devices 140a-140b. For example, when the second heating devices 530a-530b are used, at least one of the temperature of the laminate 130a during heating and the heating time of the laminate 130a may be greater than when the first heating devices 140a-140b are used. If the insulating material contains a thermosetting resin, the final bonding of the first electromagnetic steel sheets by the second heating devices 530a-530b may be achieved, for example, by completing the curing reaction of the thermosetting resin. Furthermore, if a portion of the sheet surface of the first electromagnetic steel sheets is temporarily bonded, the final bonding of the first electromagnetic steel sheets by the second heating devices 530a-530b may be achieved by bonding the remaining portion of the sheet surface of the first electromagnetic steel sheets. The configuration and conditions for the final bonding of the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets that make up the laminate 130a may be known configurations and conditions used when stacking and bonding multiple soft magnetic sheets, each having an insulating material on its surface that exhibits adhesive properties when heated, outside a mold.

[0114] The second heating devices 530a to 530b may include near-infrared heaters. In this case, the near-infrared heaters included in the second heating devices 530a to 530b preferably focus near-infrared rays linearly along the stacking direction (z-axis direction) of the laminate 130a. However, the near-infrared heaters may also output, for example, parallel light. Furthermore, the second heating devices 530a to 530b may include a device that performs heating by thermal radiation other than near-infrared thermal radiation, or may include a device that performs induction heating.

[0115] As described above, this embodiment illustrates a case where the main bonding process is performed by using the second heating devices 530a to 530b. When heating by the second heating devices 530a to 530b is completed, the laminated core 500 is completed. In Figure 5, the outline arrow next to the laminated core 500 indicates this.

[0116] As described above, in this embodiment, first soft magnetic sheets are sequentially punched out from electromagnetic steel sheets M using a press machine 100 having a die. Then, multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets are heated in the lower die 120 to temporarily bond them together. Then, laminations 130a, 130b of the first electromagnetic steel sheets, the number of which corresponds to the height of one laminated core 500, are separated from the subsequent laminations 130b, 130c in the lower die 120. The multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the laminations 130a-130c are then heated outside the lower die 120 to permanently bond them together. This allows for efficient manufacturing of laminated cores for rotating electrical machines. For example, the adhesive strength can be gradually increased by bonding multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets together inside the press machine 100 (lower die 120) and then bonding multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets together outside the press machine 100 (lower die 120). Furthermore, since it is only necessary to temporarily bond the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets inside the press device 100 (lower die 120), it is possible to prevent a decrease in productivity of the punching process. For example, it is possible to prevent the need to wait for punching to be completed due to the bonding of the first electromagnetic steel sheets. It is also possible to prevent the multiple first electromagnetic steel sheets that make up the laminates 130a to 130c from shifting in position outside the press device 100 (lower die 120). This makes it easier to perform work outside the press device 100 (lower die 120).

[0117] Furthermore, in this embodiment, before the first electromagnetic steel sheets are temporarily bonded, separation plates 131a and 131b are placed between the laminates 130a and 130b and the subsequent laminates 130b and 130c in the lower mold 120. Here, the separation plates 131a to 131b do not need to exhibit adhesive properties during the temporary bonding. Furthermore, the adhesive properties exhibited by the separation plates 131a to 131b during the temporary bonding may be lower than the adhesive properties exhibited by the insulating material formed on the surface of the first electromagnetic steel sheets during the temporary bonding. This arrangement allows for easy and reliable separation of the laminates 130a to 130c. It will be noted that the separation material is not limited to separation plates, as will be described later in the third embodiment.

[0118] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the distance between the outer peripheral ends of the separation plates 131a-131b, which exhibit adhesive properties when heated, and the first heating devices 140a-140b is longer than the distance between the outer peripheral ends of the stacks 130a-130c and the first heating devices 140a-140b. This prevents the separation plates 131a-131b from exhibiting adhesive properties when heated. This allows the stacks 130a-130c to be reliably separated by the separation plates 131a-131b.

[0119] In this embodiment, the separator plates 131a-131b are second electromagnetic steel plates punched out of the electromagnetic steel sheet M by the press device 100. In this embodiment, the second soft magnetic plates (separator plates 131a, 131b) are disposed in the lower mold 120 at positions between the two laminates 130a-130b and 130a-130c. Therefore, disposing the second soft magnetic plates (separator plates 131a, 131b) between the two laminates 130a-130b and 130a-130c can be achieved with a simple configuration. In this way, the separator plates 131a-131b and the first electromagnetic steel sheet are preferably punched out from the same base material (electromagnetic steel sheet M in this embodiment). However, this is not necessarily the case. For example, the separator plates may exhibit adhesive properties when heated, or may not exhibit adhesive properties regardless of whether they are heated. In this case, a mechanism for disposing a separation plate at a position between the two stacks 130a to 130b and 130a to 130c may be configured.

[0120] In this embodiment, the second soft magnetic plate (separator plate 131a, 131b) has a plurality of notches 210a-210b formed at its outer peripheral end. The second soft magnetic plate (separator plate 131a, 131b) is positioned such that at least a portion of the notches 210a-210b is located closer to the center line 0 than the outer peripheral ends of the two laminates 130a-130b and 130b-130c arranged above and below the second soft magnetic plate (separator plate 131a, 131b) on which the notches 210a-210b are formed. This allows a space to be formed between the two laminates 130a-130b and 130a-130c. Therefore, for example, by heating the regions above and below this space, the insulating material formed on the surface of the second soft magnetic plate (separator plate 131a, 131b) can be prevented from exerting its adhesive properties. Therefore, the stacks 130a to 130c can be separated more reliably.

[0121] In this embodiment, one of the plurality of first heating devices 140a-140b is installed at a position facing one of the plurality of notches 210a-210b with a gap therebetween, thereby more reliably preventing the separation plates 131a-131b from exerting their adhesive properties.

[0122] Furthermore, in this embodiment, during temporary bonding, the temperature of at least a portion of the region of the first electromagnetic steel sheet located above and below the cutouts 210a-210b is set to be at least 25°C higher than the minimum temperature of the region of the first electromagnetic steel sheet not located above and below the cutouts 210a-210b. This makes it possible to increase the adhesive strength in the former region and weaken the adhesive strength in the latter region. Furthermore, it makes it possible to weaken the adhesive strength of the separation plates 131a-131b. This allows for more reliable separation of the stacks 130a-130c.

[0123] In this embodiment, the plurality of cutouts 210a to 210b include two cutouts formed at positions sandwiching the center line 0 when viewed along the center line 0. This improves the parallelism of the upper and lower surfaces of the laminated core 500.

[0124] In this embodiment, the first heating devices 140a to 140b used for temporary bonding include at least two first heating devices installed at positions sandwiching the laminates 130a to 130c when viewed along the center line 0. This allows for improved parallelism between the upper and lower surfaces of the laminated core 500.

[0125] In this embodiment, the first heating devices 140a-140b include near-infrared heaters. This allows the insulating material to be heated uniformly. In this embodiment, the near-infrared heaters focus near-infrared rays linearly along the stacking direction of the stacks 130a-130c. This allows the heating positions of the stacks 130a-130c to be determined with high precision.

[0126] In this embodiment, the heating conditions for the first heating devices 140a-140b are set based on the heating time by the first heating devices 140a-140b, the target temperature of the laminated bodies 130a-130c after temporary bonding is completed, and the temperature of the first electromagnetic steel sheets before heating by the first heating devices 140a-140b is completed. Therefore, temporary bonding by the first heating devices 140a-140b can be more reliably achieved. Furthermore, automatic operation of the first heating devices 140a-140b becomes possible.

[0127] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that it adds a configuration for more reliably achieving separation of stacks 130a-130c and 130d-130f using separation plates 131a-131b and 131c-131d. Therefore, in the description of this embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 5, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0128] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the press apparatus 100 and the nozzle 610. The press apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 6 may be the same as the press apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. In FIG. 6, this embodiment illustrates a case in which the nozzle 610 is installed upstream of the press apparatus 100. The nozzle 610 supplies a volatile material that volatilizes when heated and does not react with the insulating material when heated to the sheet surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet M that has not been punched by the press apparatus 100. In the following description, the volatile material that volatilizes when heated and does not react with the insulating material when heated will be abbreviated as volatile material as necessary. The volatile material may be, for example, an oil that volatilizes when heated, such as processing oil, or another liquid. It is preferable that the nozzle 610 be capable of externally switching the supply of the volatile material on and off. The nozzle 610 may also be capable of externally adjusting the supply amount. For example, the supply of the volatilizing material may be switched on and off by operating a solenoid valve provided in the nozzle 610. The solenoid valve may be installed outside the nozzle 610.

[0129] In this embodiment, the nozzle 610 supplies volatilizing material to a region on the surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet M (the sheet surface on the positive side of the z-axis) that includes a region to be punched out as the second electromagnetic steel sheet (separator plates 131a to 131d). In the following description, the region on the sheet surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet M to which volatilizing material is supplied will be referred to as the volatilizing material supply region as necessary. This embodiment also illustrates a case in which the nozzle 610 does not supply volatilizing material to regions other than those previously set as volatilizing material supply regions. To achieve this, for example, the supply of volatilizing material from the nozzle 610 may be started when the volatilizing material supply region (in this embodiment, the region to be punched out as the second electromagnetic steel sheet (separator plates 131a to 131d)) reaches the region assumed to be the volatilizing material supply region (spray region) by the nozzle 610. Furthermore, the supply of volatile material from the nozzle 610 may be started immediately before the volatile material supply region reaches a region assumed to be the supply region (spray region) of volatile material by the nozzle 610. Thereafter, for example, when the volatile material supply region moves downstream (toward the positive x-axis) of the region assumed to be the supply region (spray region) of volatile material by the nozzle 610, the supply of volatile material from the nozzle 610 may be stopped. Furthermore, the supply of volatile material from the nozzle 610 may be stopped immediately after the volatile material supply region moves downstream of the region assumed to be the supply region (spray region) of volatile material by the nozzle 610.

[0130] In the present embodiment, a case will be exemplified in which the above-described control of the operation of the nozzle 610 is realized by the control device 200. The control device 200 may control the operation of the nozzle 610 based on, for example, the conveying speed of the electromagnetic steel sheet M and the punching pattern.

[0131] As described above, this embodiment illustrates a case in which a separation material is realized by using separation plates 131a to 131d and volatile materials 620a to 620h. Also, this embodiment illustrates a case in which a separation plate arrangement step and a separation material arrangement means are realized by using punching by second punch 111b and second die 121b, punching by third punch 111c and third die 121c, and supply of volatile material by nozzle 610.

[0132] Incidentally, in addition to or instead of the front surface region of the electromagnetic steel sheet M, the volatilizing material may be supplied to the back surface region of the electromagnetic steel sheet M. In the back surface region of the electromagnetic steel sheet M, the region including the region punched out to become the second electromagnetic steel sheet (separator plates 131a to 131d) is also the volatilizing material supply region. Furthermore, instead of or in addition to the region on the sheet surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet M including the region punched out to become the second electromagnetic steel sheet (separator plates 131a to 131d), the region on the sheet surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet M including the region facing the second electromagnetic steel sheet among the regions punched out to become the first electromagnetic steel sheet may be the volatilizing material supply region.

[0133] After the volatile material is supplied as described above, the temporary bonding described in the first embodiment is performed with the volatile material 620a-620d attached to at least one of the two sheet surfaces of the second electromagnetic steel sheet (separator plates 131a-131d) punched by the third punch 111c and the third die 121c (the sixth punch 111f and the sixth die 121f). This delays the timing at which the insulating material formed on the sheet surface of the first electromagnetic steel sheet opposite the sheet surface to which the volatile material 620a-620d is attached begins to exhibit its adhesive properties. This prevents the insulating material formed on the sheet surface of the first electromagnetic steel sheet from fully exhibiting its adhesive properties. For example, if the insulating material contains a thermosetting resin, the timing at which the curing reaction of the thermosetting resin begins can be delayed. This allows for easier and more reliable separation of the stacks 130a-130c and 130d-130f. Therefore, for example, when emphasis is placed on ensuring separation of the stacks 130a to 130c and 130d to 130f, the configuration of this embodiment may be adopted. However, in this embodiment, additional equipment for supplying the volatile material is required. Therefore, for example, when emphasis is placed on reducing the cost of the equipment, the configuration of the first embodiment may be adopted.

[0134] Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described. This embodiment illustrates a case where the separation material does not have a separation plate but has a volatilizing material. As described above, this embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments mainly in the configuration and processing due to the different separation material. Therefore, in the description of this embodiment, the same parts as those in the first and second embodiments will be assigned the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 6, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0135] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a press device 700 and a nozzle 610. In this embodiment, FIG. 7 illustrates a case where the press device 700 includes an upper mold 710 and a lower mold 720.

[0136] In this embodiment, the upper mold 710 is the upper mold 110 shown in Figures 1 and 6 except for the second punch 111b and the fifth punch 111e and the components required to install the second punch 111b and the fifth punch 111e. Also, in this embodiment, the lower mold 720 is the lower mold 120 shown in Figures 1 and 6 except for the second die 121b and the fifth die 121e and the components required to install the second die 121b and the fifth die 121e.

[0137] As described in the first embodiment, the second punch 111b and the second die 121b are used to manufacture the separation plates 131a to 131b used to manufacture the rotor core. The fifth punch 111e and the fifth die 121e are used to manufacture the separation plates 131c to 131d used to manufacture the stator core. Therefore, this embodiment illustrates a case where no separation plates are manufactured by the press device 700.

[0138] In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the control of the operation of the press device 700 as described above is realized by the control device 200. The control device 200 selects a punch to be operated from among the first punch 111a, the third punch 111c, the fourth punch 111d, and the sixth punch 111f based on, for example, the conveyance speed of the electromagnetic steel sheet M and the punching pattern, and operates the selected punch.

[0139] 7 illustrates a case in which a nozzle 610 is installed upstream of the press device 700, similar to the second embodiment. The nozzle 610 supplies a volatile material that volatilizes when heated and does not react with the insulating material when heated, to the sheet surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet M that has not been punched by the press device 100. The volatile material may be the same as that described in the second embodiment.

[0140] In this embodiment, the volatilizing agent supply area is a region on the sheet surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet M, including the region that constitutes the upper surface of the laminates 130a to 130f among the regions punched out as the first electromagnetic steel sheets. In this case, the volatilizing agent supply area is the surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet M (the sheet surface on the positive side of the z-axis). Similar to the second embodiment, this embodiment also illustrates a case in which the nozzle 610 does not supply volatilizing agent to regions other than the region that has been preset as the volatilizing agent supply area. The timing of starting and stopping the supply of volatilizing agent by the nozzle 610 may be, for example, the timing described in the second embodiment. Similar to the second embodiment, this embodiment also illustrates a case in which the operation of the nozzle 610 is controlled by the control device 200. The control device 200 may control the operation of the nozzle 610 based on, for example, the conveyance speed of the electromagnetic steel sheet M and the punching pattern.

[0141] As described above, this embodiment illustrates a case where the separation material is realized by using the volatile materials 730a to 730h. Also, this embodiment illustrates a case where the separation plate arrangement step and the separation material arrangement means are realized by supplying the volatile material from the nozzle 610.

[0142] The volatilizer supply region may be a region of the plate surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet M that includes the region that constitutes the lower surface of the laminates 130a to 130f. In this case, a nozzle that supplies volatilizer is installed in the region on the back surface of the electromagnetic steel sheet M. The volatilizer supply region may also be both the region that constitutes the upper surface of the laminates 130a to 130f and the region that constitutes the lower surface of the laminates 130a to 130f.

[0143] In this embodiment, although it is necessary to install the nozzle 610, the second die 121b and the fifth die 121e are not necessary. Therefore, the number of steps (processing time) in the press device 700 can be reduced. Furthermore, the cost of the equipment can be reduced. Therefore, for example, when these points are important, the configuration of this embodiment may be adopted.

[0144] (Examples) Next, examples will be described. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the following examples. In other words, the various conditions shown in the examples are example conditions adopted to confirm the feasibility and effects of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the example conditions shown in the examples. Furthermore, the present disclosure may adopt various conditions as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure and achieve the object of the present disclosure. ((Common Features)) First, features common to each example will be described. A rotor core and a stator core for an inner rotor type IPM motor were fabricated as described in the first to third embodiments. The specifications of the IPM motor are as follows. Note that specifications unrelated to the present disclosure, such as the operating conditions of the IPM motor, will be omitted here. Outer diameter (diameter): 220 mm Height: 69.5 mm Number of poles: 8 poles Size of permanent magnet: 2 mm (W) x 5 mm (D) x 68 mm (H) Number of permanent magnets per pole: 2 Flux barrier: None Number of slots: 48

[0145] The soft magnetic plates that make up the rotor core and stator core are as follows: Thickness: 0.25 mm Number of layers: 278 Steel type: Non-oriented electrical steel sheet (manufactured by Nippon Steel Corporation, grade: 25HX1300)

[0146] By applying an epoxy or acrylic insulating material to the surface of such a non-oriented electrical steel sheet, an insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated is formed on the surface of the non-oriented electrical steel sheet.

[0147] The following heating device was used as the first heating device (heating device for temporary bonding): Near-infrared heater (manufactured by Hibec Co., Ltd., model number: HYP8NS). Two of these near-infrared heaters were prepared and arranged roughly as shown in Figure 3. Temporary bonding was performed by heating under heating conditions such that the temperature of the laminate (non-oriented electrical steel sheets) rose from 120°C to 160°C in 60 seconds. During this process, the temperature difference between the unheated and heated parts was set to be 25°C or more.

[0148] The following heating device was used as the second heating device (heating device for performing the main bonding): Near-infrared heater (manufactured by Hibec Co., Ltd., model number: HYP28Ns). Two of these near-infrared heaters were prepared and arranged roughly as shown in Figure 5. After the temperature of the laminate was raised to 160°C to 200°C, the temperature state was maintained for 60 seconds to 1 hour to perform the main bonding. At this time, the temperature difference between the non-heated and heated parts was set to be 20°C or more.

[0149] Furthermore, whether or not temporary bonding had been performed was confirmed by checking whether or not the height of the laminate removed from the press machine satisfied the above-mentioned IPM motor specifications (height: 69.5 mm). Furthermore, whether or not the laminated core after manufacture had been properly bonded was confirmed by conducting the tests required for IPM motors.

[0150] (First Example) In this example, a rotor core and a stator core were manufactured using the method described in the first embodiment. The method of the first embodiment uses a separator plate as the separator, without using a volatile material. In this example, a press machine with the same functions as the press machine 100 shown in FIG. 1 was used. Based on the results of a heat transfer analysis performed during temporary bonding, a separator plate for manufacturing a rotor core and a separator plate for manufacturing a stator core were designed, each having the same functions as the separator plates shown in FIGS. 2D and 3 . Punches and dies (second punch, fifth punch, second die, fifth die) for manufacturing these separator plates were manufactured. Furthermore, punches and dies (first punch, third punch, fourth punch, sixth punch, first die, third die, fourth die, sixth die) for manufacturing a rotor core and a stator core that meet the specifications of the IPM motor described above were manufactured. Then, 20 laminates each for the rotor core and the stator core were manufactured using the press machine as described in the first embodiment, with a punching speed of 300 spm. It was confirmed whether or not temporary bonding had been performed on 20 of the laminates. As a result, it was confirmed that temporary bonding had been performed on all of the laminates.

[0151] Furthermore, a laminated core for a rotor core was manufactured using 20 laminates for the rotor core in the same manner as described in the first embodiment. Similarly, a laminated core for a stator core was manufactured using 20 laminates for the stator core in the same manner as described in the first embodiment. It was confirmed whether or not the main bonding had been performed on the laminated cores manufactured in this manner. As a result, it was confirmed that the main bonding had been performed on all of the laminated cores.

[0152] (Second Example) In this example, a rotor core and a stator core were manufactured using the method described in the second embodiment. The method of the second embodiment uses a separator plate and a volatile material as the separator. In this example, a press machine and a nozzle having the same functions as the press machine 100 and the nozzle 610 shown in FIG. 6 were used. The following volatile material was supplied (sprayed) to the area on the surface of the non-oriented electrical steel sheet, including the area to be punched out as the separator plate. Press processing oil (manufactured by Nippon Kogyo Oil Co., Ltd., model number: G-6376FX). Other manufacturing conditions were the same as those in the first example, and a laminated core for a rotor core and a laminated core for a stator core were manufactured.

[0153] It was checked whether temporary bonding had been performed on the same number of laminates as in Example 1. As a result, it was confirmed that temporary bonding had been performed on all of the laminates. It was also checked whether temporary bonding had been performed on the same number of laminated cores as in Example 1. As a result, it was confirmed that permanent bonding had been performed on all of the laminated cores.

[0154] (Third Example) In this example, a rotor core and a stator core were manufactured using the method described in the third embodiment. The method of the third embodiment does not use a separator plate, but uses a volatile material as the separator. In this example, a press machine and a nozzle having the same functions as the press machine 700 and the nozzle 610 shown in FIG. 7 were used. The same volatile material (press processing oil) as in the second example was supplied (sprayed) to a region of the surface of the non-oriented electrical steel sheet, including the region that constitutes the upper surface of the laminate.

[0155] A laminated core for a rotor core and a laminated core for a stator core were manufactured under the same manufacturing conditions as in Example 1, except that the punches and dies (second punch, fifth punch, second die, fifth die) for manufacturing the separation plates were not used.

[0156] It was checked whether temporary bonding had been performed on the same number of laminates as in Example 1. As a result, it was confirmed that temporary bonding had been performed on all of the laminates. It was also checked whether temporary bonding had been performed on the same number of laminated cores as in Example 1. As a result, it was confirmed that permanent bonding had been performed on all of the laminated cores.

[0157] (Other Embodiments) The above-described embodiments and examples of the present disclosure are merely examples of specific implementations of the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by these. In other words, the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms without departing from its technical concept or main features.

[0158] The present disclosure can be used, for example, to manufacture laminated cores.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a laminated core for a rotating electric machine using a soft magnetic plate as a base material, comprising: a punching step of sequentially punching out first soft magnetic plates from the base material using a die; a temporary bonding step of temporarily bonding the multiple first soft magnetic plates punched out in the punching step by heating them in a lower die of the die; a separation step of separating the laminate from the subsequent laminate after the temporary bonding step; and a final bonding step of heating the multiple first soft magnetic plates that make up the laminate outside the die, wherein at least one of the two plate surfaces of the soft magnetic plate is formed with an insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated, and within the lower die, the multiple first soft magnetic plates move downward while at least a partial region of their outer peripheral end is supported in accordance with the punching in the punching step, and the laminate is constructed by stacking the first soft magnetic plates in a number corresponding to the height of one laminated core.

2. A method for manufacturing a laminated core as described in claim 1, further comprising a separation material placement process, prior to the temporary bonding process, of placing a separation material at a position between the laminate and the laminate that follows it in the lower mold, wherein the separation material does not exhibit adhesive properties in the temporary bonding process, or exhibits adhesive properties in the temporary bonding process that are lower than the adhesive properties exhibited by the insulating material in the temporary bonding process.

3. The method for manufacturing a laminated core according to claim 2, wherein the separating material includes a separating plate.

4. A method for manufacturing a laminated core as described in claim 3, wherein the separation plate exhibits adhesive properties when heated, and the distance between the outer edge of the separation plate and the first heating device used for heating in the temporary bonding process is longer than the distance between the outer edge of the laminate and the first heating device.

5. A method for manufacturing a laminated core as described in claim 3 or 4, wherein the separation plate is a second soft magnetic plate punched out of the base material by the die, and the separation material placement process places the second soft magnetic plate in a position between the two laminates within the lower die.

6. A method for manufacturing a laminated core as described in claim 5, wherein one or more notches are formed in the outer peripheral end of the second soft magnetic plate, and the separation material placement process positions the second soft magnetic plate so that at least a portion of the notch is located closer to the center line of the two laminates arranged above and below the second soft magnetic plate than the outer peripheral ends of the two laminates in which the notches are formed.

7. A method for manufacturing a laminated core as described in claim 6, wherein there are a plurality of said cutout portions, there are a plurality of first heating devices used for heating in said temporary bonding process, and one of said plurality of first heating devices is installed in a position facing one of said plurality of cutout portions with a gap therebetween.

8. A method for manufacturing a laminated core as described in claim 6 or 7, wherein in the temporary bonding process, the temperature of at least a portion of the area of ​​the first soft magnetic plate located above and below the cutout portion is made 25°C or more higher than the lowest temperature of the area of ​​the first soft magnetic plate not located above and below the cutout portion.

9. A method for manufacturing a laminated core as described in any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein there are a plurality of said notches, and the plurality of said notches include two notches formed at positions sandwiching the center line when viewed along the center line of said second soft magnetic plate.

10. A method for manufacturing a laminated core as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the separating material further comprises a volatile material that volatilizes when heated and does not react with the insulating material when heated, and the separating material arranging step arranges the volatile material in an area on at least one of the two plate surfaces of the soft magnetic plate, and the area in which the volatile material is arranged is at least one of an area including an area to be punched out as the second soft magnetic plate and an area including an area facing the second soft magnetic plate within the area to be punched out as the first soft magnetic plate.

11. The method for manufacturing a laminated core according to claim 10, wherein the volatile material is oil.

12. A method for manufacturing a laminated core as described in claim 2, wherein the separating material includes a volatile material that volatilizes when heated and does not react with the insulating material when heated, the separating material placement process places the volatile material in a region of at least one of the two plate surfaces of the soft magnetic plate, and the region in which the volatile material is placed is a region that includes a region that constitutes at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the laminate, among the regions that are punched out to form the first soft magnetic plate.

13. The method for manufacturing a laminated core according to claim 12, wherein the volatile material is oil.

14. A method for manufacturing a laminated core according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the first heating devices used for heating in the temporary bonding step comprise at least two first heating devices installed in positions that sandwich the laminate when viewed along the center line of the laminate.

15. A method for manufacturing a laminated core according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the first heating device used for heating in the temporary bonding step includes a near-infrared heater.

16. The method for manufacturing a laminated core according to claim 15, wherein the near-infrared heater focuses near-infrared rays linearly along the stacking direction of the laminate.

17. A method for manufacturing a laminated core according to any one of claims 1 to 16, further comprising a heating condition setting step for setting heating conditions in the temporary bonding step based on the time for which heating is performed in the temporary bonding step, the target temperature of the laminate after the temporary bonding is completed, and the temperature of the first soft magnetic material before the heating in the temporary bonding step is completed.

18. A laminated core manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing laminated cores for rotating electrical machines using soft magnetic plates as a base material, comprising: a die that sequentially punches out first soft magnetic plates from the base material; a first heating device that locally heats the multiple first soft magnetic plates punched out by the die in order to temporarily bond them within the lower die of the die; a separation means that separates the laminate from the subsequent laminate after heating by the first heating device; and a second heating device that heats the multiple first soft magnetic plates that make up the laminate outside the die in order to actually bond them together, wherein at least one of the two plate surfaces of the soft magnetic plate is formed with an insulating material that exhibits adhesive properties when heated, and within the lower die, the multiple first soft magnetic plates move downward while at least a partial region of their outer peripheral end is supported in accordance with punching by the die, and the laminate is formed by stacking the first soft magnetic plates in a number corresponding to the height of one laminated core.

19. A laminated core manufacturing apparatus as described in claim 18, further comprising a separation material placement means for placing a separation material at a position between the laminate and the laminate following the laminate in the lower mold before heating by the first heating device, wherein the separation material does not exhibit adhesive properties when locally heated by the first heating device, or exhibits adhesive properties when locally heated by the first heating device that are lower than the adhesive properties exhibited by the insulating material when heated by the first heating device.

20. The laminated core manufacturing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the separating member includes a separating plate.

21. A laminated core manufacturing apparatus as described in claim 20, wherein the separation plate exhibits adhesive properties when heated, and the distance between the outer peripheral end of the separation plate and the first heating device is longer than the distance between the outer peripheral end of the laminate and the first heating device.

22. A laminated core manufacturing device as described in claim 20 or 21, wherein the separation plate is a second soft magnetic plate punched out of the base material by the die, and the separation material placement means places the second soft magnetic plate in a position between the two laminates within the lower die.

23. A laminated core manufacturing device as described in claim 22, wherein one or more notches are formed in the outer peripheral end of the second soft magnetic plate, and the separating material arranging means arranges the second soft magnetic plate so that at least a portion of the notch is located closer to the center line of the two laminates arranged above and below the second soft magnetic plate than the outer peripheral ends of the two laminates in which the notches are formed.

24. A laminated core manufacturing apparatus as described in claim 23, wherein the first heating device comprises a plurality of first heating devices, the cutout portion is plural, and one of the plurality of first heating devices is installed in a position facing one of the plurality of cutout portions with a gap therebetween.

25. A laminated core manufacturing apparatus as described in claim 23 or 24, wherein there are a plurality of said cutout portions, and the plurality of said cutout portions include two cutout portions formed at positions sandwiching the center line when viewed along the center line of said second soft magnetic plate.

26. A laminated core manufacturing device as set forth in any one of claims 22 to 25, wherein the separating material further includes a volatile material that volatilizes when heated and does not react with the insulating material when heated, and the separating material disposing means disposes the volatile material in an area on at least one of two plate surfaces of the soft magnetic plate, and the area in which the volatile material is disposed is at least one of an area including an area to be punched out as the second soft magnetic plate and an area including an area facing the second soft magnetic plate within the area to be punched out as the first soft magnetic plate.

27. The laminated core manufacturing apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the volatile material is oil.

28. A laminated core manufacturing apparatus as described in claim 19, wherein the separating material includes a volatile material that volatilizes when heated and does not react with the insulating material when heated, the separating material placement means places the volatile material in a region of at least one of the two plate surfaces of the soft magnetic plate, and the region in which the volatile material is placed is a region that includes a region that constitutes at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the laminate, among the regions punched out as the first soft magnetic plate.

29. The laminated core manufacturing apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the volatile material is oil.

30. A laminated core manufacturing apparatus as described in any one of claims 18 to 29, wherein the first heating devices include at least two first heating devices installed in positions that sandwich the laminate when viewed along the center line of the laminate.

31. The laminated core manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 30, wherein the first heating device includes a near-infrared heater.

32. The laminated core manufacturing apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the near-infrared heater focuses near-infrared rays linearly along the lamination direction of the laminate.

33. A laminated core manufacturing device as described in any one of claims 18 to 32, having a heating condition setting means for setting the heating conditions in the first heating device based on the speed at which the first soft magnetic plate is moved downward within the lower mold, the target temperature of the laminate after the temporary bonding is completed, and the temperature of the first soft magnetic plate when not being heated by the first heating device.