Molded body manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

A molded body for forming a photonic crystal fiber is manufactured with good precision. In a molded body manufacturing apparatus, a mold (20) is tilted and fixed to a movable beam (14) of a stand (10). A fixed side pulley (30) and a wire straightening pulley (40) are fixed to a movable beam (14) as a mechanism for fixing a plurality of wires (60) for forming holes to a molded body. One end of the wire (60) is fixed to a wire fixing part (15) provided to the stand. The other end passes through the fixed side pulley 30, then passes through the inside of the metal mold 20, passes through the wire rod straightening pulley 40 and the direction changing pulley 50, and is provided with a weight 70. In this way, tension is applied to the wire rod 60 by the gravity of the weight 70, the wire rod 60 can maintain linearity even in the interior of the mold 20, and a molded body can be manufactured with good precision.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for producing a molded body having a plurality of holes for forming a photonic crystal fiber or the like. Background Art

[0002] With the development of optical fibers, photonic crystal fibers having a structure in which holes or high refractive index glass are regularly arranged in the cross section of the optical fiber are known. In recent years, in order to improve the performance of photonic crystal fibers, there is a trend to make the diameter and spacing of the holes finer and to set many holes over the entire surface of the cladding part. Photonic crystal fibers are manufactured using a molded body with holes.

[0003] As a method for producing a molded body having such pores, the following prior art is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses the following technology: after metal wires are arranged in a predetermined manner in a metal tube container, a solution for forming a molded body is flowed into the container and dried and solidified, and then the metal wires and the metal tube are disassembled to produce a molded body for a photonic crystal fiber. Patent document 2 discloses the following technology: based on an upper retaining fixture arranged with rod-shaped slender parts from the top of a cylindrical container and a lower retaining fixture arranged with rod-shaped slender parts from the bottom, a sol is introduced into the container and solidified to gel, and then taken out from the container and transformed into a molded body. Prior Art Literature Patent Literature

[0004] Patent document 1: WO2013 / 31484; Patent document 2: Japanese Patent No. 3895562. Summary of the invention Problems to be solved by the invention

[0005] However, in these prior arts, although a conceptual manufacturing method is shown for a molded body for photonic crystal fibers, what kind of device is used to manufacture it is not disclosed. In particular, in order to manufacture a molded body for photonic crystal fibers composed of very fine structures in recent years, it is necessary to precisely arrange metal wires or slender parts in the prior art, but how to achieve the arrangement involved is not disclosed at all. The subject involved is not limited to photonic crystal fibers, but is a common subject when manufacturing a molded body with multiple holes. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of manufacturing with high precision a molded body having a plurality of holes for use in forming a photonic crystal fiber or the like. Solutions to Solve Problems

[0006] The present invention can be configured as the following molded body manufacturing device: The invention is a molded body manufacturing device for manufacturing a molded body, comprising: stand; stand a metal mold for forming a molded body, which is fixed to the aforementioned stand; and A wire holding mechanism that holds the wire while passing through the metal mold. The aforementioned metal mold has: a plate-shaped guide member, which is mounted on a portion corresponding to both end surfaces of the molded body and has a through hole formed therein for allowing the wire to pass therethrough; and an injection port for injecting the solution for forming the molded body into the metal mold, The wire holding mechanism is configured to be capable of applying a predetermined tension to the wire for holding the wire in a straight line.

[0007] According to the molded body manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, a molded body having holes that can be used for forming a photonic crystal fiber or the like can be manufactured by injecting a solution into a metal mold penetrating and holding a wire material. In this case, in the present invention, the position of the wire can be restricted by the through hole, and a predetermined tension that can maintain the straightness is applied to the wire. In order to manufacture the formed body with good precision, it is important to maintain the linearity of the wire in the metal mold, and to maintain its diameter as designed when multiple wires are used. Therefore, it is necessary to apply a predetermined tension to each wire. In the prior art, although the point of forming the holes using the wire is disclosed, the above-mentioned point is not fully disclosed. Rather, only a manufacturing method is disclosed that is premised on maintaining linearity and following the designed diameter even without taking the wire into special consideration. However, recently, the pores formed in the molded body are required to be very fine and dense, and the wire used in the manufacturing process is also required to be a thin wire, so it is indispensable to consider the method of maintaining the linearity of the wire and the designed diameter. The present invention is made with attention to the importance of the subject involved. Therefore, according to the molded body manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, a molded body can be manufactured with high accuracy by applying a predetermined tension to the wire material.

[0008] In the present invention, the number and arrangement of the wires can be arbitrarily determined. In addition, the material of the wire can also be determined arbitrarily. Generally, metals such as stainless steel are used, but not limited to this, and synthetic fibers, resins, etc. can also be used. However, in order to maintain the accuracy of the formed body, it is preferred to select a raw material that does not cause an intentional change in the diameter of the wire due to tension. The molded body refers to a columnar material made of glass, resin, etc. used to form an optical fiber, and is also equivalent to a preform in a broad sense. However, the preform sometimes refers to a material that has undergone various processes and is in a state just before being drawn into an optical fiber in a narrow sense, which is ambiguous. Therefore, in the present invention, the term molded body also includes a columnar material that has not undergone such a process. As the solution used for forming the compact, slurry, sol, or the like can be used. The wire holding mechanism can use various mechanisms that can impart tension to the wire. It can also be a mechanism that uses a heavy object as described later, or a mechanism that winds the wire, a mechanism that pulls the wire, etc. It is even better if the tension can be measured. In the case of using multiple wires, if the tension is applied to each wire individually, it has the advantage of being able to adjust the tension individually. As another solution, multiple wires can also be combined and applied or applied to the entire wire at once, which has the advantage of being easy to apply uniform tension to multiple wires in the case involved.

[0009] The molded body manufacturing apparatus of the present invention may include: a pulley disposed outside the metal mold and used to allow the wire to pass through; and The first adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the relative position of the pulley and the metal mold.

[0010] By using the pulley in this way, the position and direction of the wire outside the guide of the metal mold can be adjusted, and the interference between the wire and the through hole of the guide can be alleviated. As a result, it is possible to avoid the tension based on the wire holding mechanism being hindered by the guide and the linearity of the wire being damaged. In addition, applying excess tension to the wire from the guide can also alleviate the disadvantages such as unexpected deformation.

[0011] The first adjustment mechanism may be a mechanism capable of adjusting a relative position between the pulley and the mold in a normal direction of a bottom surface of the mold.

[0012] The above scheme can adjust the position of the normal direction of the bottom surface of the metal mold (that is, the height direction based on the bottom surface of the metal mold). In the case of penetrating the metal mold to hold the wire, by adjusting the height, the interference between the through hole provided in the guide and the wire can be effectively alleviated. The inventors have found that compared with the interference between the through hole and the wire in the width direction (referring to the direction orthogonal to the height direction on the surface of the guide), the interference in the height direction has a greater impact on the tension applied to the wire and thus on the posture of the wire in the metal mold. Therefore, as mentioned above, the ability to adjust the height can effectively alleviate the adverse effects caused by the interference between the wire and the through hole. However, the first adjustment mechanism does not deny the possibility of adjusting the position in both the height direction and the width direction. However, if it is a mechanism that can only adjust the height direction, it has the advantage of being cheaper than the case where it can adjust the height direction and the width direction. In addition, if it is only the height direction that is adjusted, it also has the practical advantage of being easier to adjust than the case where it can adjust the height direction and the width direction.

[0013] In the present invention, Preferably, the first adjustment mechanism and the pulley are respectively arranged outside both ends of the metal mold.

[0014] By doing so, the position and direction of the wire can be adjusted on both sides of the metal mold, so that the interference between the through hole and the wire can be alleviated more effectively. However, it does not deny that the first adjustment mechanism and the pulley may be provided only on one side of the metal mold.

[0015] The molded body manufacturing apparatus of the present invention may also be: The aforementioned wire holding mechanism has: a fixing portion, which fixes one end of the wire to the stand; and A hanging mechanism applies the aforementioned tension by hanging a weight at the other end of the aforementioned wire.

[0016] As described above, various mechanisms can be applied as the wire holding mechanism, but according to the above scheme, the tension depends on the weight of the heavy object, so it has the advantage of being able to apply constant tension relatively easily even when the formed body is repeatedly manufactured. In addition, it has the following advantages: even when a plurality of wires are used to manufacture the formed body, it is relatively easy to apply uniform tension to the wire to which uniform tension should be applied. In the above scheme, the weights do not necessarily have to be unified as one weight. When the tension to be applied is divided into multiple stages according to the wire material, it is sufficient to prepare weights of a weight corresponding to the tension. In addition, it is not necessary to use one weight for one wire, and one weight may be used for multiple wires. However, in this case, the tension applied to the wire depends on the number of wires on which one weight is suspended, so it is desirable to set the weight of the weight in consideration of the number of wires.

[0017] In the case of using heavy objects, it can also be, The aforementioned suspension mechanism has: a wire straightening pulley for maintaining the wire in a straight line in the metal die; and A pulley for changing direction is used to change the direction of the wire to the location where the weight is hung.

[0018] The mechanism for hanging the weight can adopt various mechanisms, but the above scheme is one of them. After the wire passes through the wire straightening pulley and the direction changing pulley from the metal mold side, it is installed on the weight. By using the wire straightening pulley in addition to the direction changing pulley for hanging the weight, the linearity of the wire can be effectively maintained in the metal mold. The first adjustment mechanism described above may also be provided on the wire straightening pulley. By doing so, interference between the wire and the through hole of the guide can be effectively alleviated. In addition, the direction changing pulley does not necessarily need to be one, and a plurality of pulleys may be combined to form the pulley.

[0019] In the above scheme, it can also be, The direction changing pulley includes a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting a relative position with the wire straightening pulley.

[0020] By doing so, the relative positions of the direction changing pulley and the wire linearizing pulley can be adjusted, thereby alleviating disadvantages such as the wire being floated from the wire linearizing pulley and being unable to sufficiently regulate its position and direction.

[0021] In the mechanism using the pulley for direction change and the pulley for wire linearization, it is also possible to: The wire linearization pulley is provided with two or more pulleys along the direction in which the wire extends. The wire passes through the two wire linearization pulleys from the side close to the metal mold in the order of the upper side and the lower side to reach the direction changing pulley.

[0022] In the above scheme, the wire passing through the lower side of the wire straightening pulley passes through the direction changing pulley. In this state, if the wire is passed through the upper side of the direction changing pulley and the direction is changed downward, a heavy object can be hung on the end of the wire. By doing so, the position of the wire can be stabilized by using the direction changing pulley and the wire straightening pulley. In addition, the direction change pulley can also be used to change the direction of the wire rod temporarily to upwards, and then change the direction to downwards and hang the weight. When becoming the structure involved, the wire rod can also be used to pass the upper side of the wire rod linearization pulley, and then pass the lower side of the direction change pulley to constitute. In this way, by configuring the pulley for linearizing the wire and the pulley for changing the direction so that the shafts are located on opposite sides with the wire sandwiched therebetween, the position of the wire can be stabilized.

[0023] The molded body manufacturing apparatus of the present invention may also be: The stand tilts and holds the metal mold in a manner such that one end is low and the other end is high. The injection port of the metal mold is provided at the end portion of the side held low.

[0024] According to the above configuration, the solution can be injected from the lower side into the inclined and held metal mold. When injecting the solution to produce a molded body, it is important to inject the solution into the metal mold without generating voids and to prevent bubbles from forming in the solution. As a result of repeated experiments, the inventors found that when the solution is injected while the metal mold is vertically erected or when the solution is injected while the metal mold is held horizontally, voids or bubbles are easily generated. In contrast, it was found that the voids or bubbles can be sufficiently suppressed by slowly injecting the solution from the lower side while the metal mold is tilted and held. According to the above aspect, the injection in such an aspect can be realized, and a defect-free molded body can be manufactured with a high yield. The position of the injection port can also be arbitrarily determined and does not need to be strictly at the end of the mold, but only needs to be near the end.

[0025] In the scheme of tilting and holding the metal mold, it is also possible to: The aforementioned inclination angle is less than 45 degrees.

[0026] The inclination angle can be arbitrarily determined in consideration of the size of the molded body, the number and arrangement of the wires, the viscosity of the solution, etc. However, the inventors have found through repeated experiments that an inclination angle of 45 degrees or less is effective. Furthermore, the inclination angle may be adjustable.

[0027] The present invention does not necessarily need to include all of the various features described above, and may be configured by appropriately omitting or combining some of them. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned molded body manufacturing apparatus, but can also be configured as a molded body manufacturing method as described below.

[0028] For example, the following method for producing a molded body may be used: The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a molded body, comprising: A step of fixing a metal mold on a stand, the metal mold being a metal mold for forming a molded body, having a plate-shaped guide member mounted at a position corresponding to both end surfaces of the molded body and having a through hole formed therein for allowing the wire to pass therethrough, and an injection port for injecting a solution for forming the molded body into the metal mold; A step of applying a predetermined tension to the wire material so as to keep the wire material in a straight line while the wire material passes through the metal die; and The step of injecting the solution from the injection port to solidify the solution. The various features described above can also be applied to the molded body manufacturing method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is a process diagram showing the process of manufacturing a molded body. Figure 2 It is an explanatory diagram showing the overall structure of a compact production apparatus. Figure 3 It is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a metal mold. Figure 4 It is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the fixed side pulley. Figure 5 It is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a wire linearization pulley and a direction changing pulley. Figure 6 It is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the pulley and the metal mold. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Hereinafter, regarding an embodiment of the case of manufacturing a molded body having many pores, first the manufacturing process thereof will be described, and then the molded body manufacturing apparatus for realizing the same will be described. Hereinafter, the molded body refers to a material for an optical fiber obtained by solidifying a slurry, and is a material corresponding to a preform in a broad sense.

[0031] Figure 1 It is a process diagram showing the process of manufacturing a molded body. First, the operator sets a wire and a metal mold in a molded body manufacturing apparatus described later (step S10). In this embodiment, the wire is installed in a state where tension is applied to the wire so as to be able to maintain a straight line while penetrating the metal mold. Next, a slurry as a solution for forming a molded body is injected from an injection port provided in the metal mold (step S12). The slurry can be composed of various components, but can be, for example, a solution containing quartz glass powder, curable resin, binder, and pure water. In addition, a sol can also be used. After the slurry is injected in this way, the slurry is solidified in this state (step S14). Thereafter, by disassembling the wire and the metal mold (step S16), a solidified body 1 having many pores 2 at positions corresponding to the wire is formed as shown in the figure. Then, the solidified body 1 is dried, degreased, and vitrified to form a molded body.

[0032] Hereinafter, a molded body manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a molded body through the above-mentioned steps will be described. Figure 2This is an explanatory diagram showing the overall structure of a molded body manufacturing apparatus, and shows a state viewed from the side.

[0033] In the molded body manufacturing apparatus, the metal mold 20 is tilted and fixed to the stand 10. The tilt angle A of the metal mold 20 can be changed by the mechanism described below. On the stand 10, the movable beam 14 is rotatably connected to the fixed beam 11 installed horizontally via the shaft 14a. The fixed beam 11 is fixed with a connecting beam 12 formed by arranging a plurality of connecting holes 12h in the horizontal direction. In addition, the movable beam 14 is rotatably connected with the support 13 via the shaft 13a. With the mechanism involved, the inclination can be changed by fixing the end of the support 13 to any connecting hole 12h with a bolt or the like. The metal mold 20 is fixed to the movable beam 14, so the inclination of the metal mold 20 can also be changed at the same time. The inclination of the metal mold 20 may be appropriately selected according to the size of the molded product, the number and arrangement of the wires placed in the metal mold, the viscosity of the slurry, and the like. In addition, the mechanism for changing the inclination of the movable beam 14 is not limited to the mechanism shown in the figure, and various structures such as a mechanism that can continuously change the inclination can be applied. However, the molded body manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment can adjust various parts in order to form a molded body with good accuracy as described later, so the situation that the inclination angle of the movable beam 14 can be selectively changed has an advantage of excellent reproducibility when it is desired to re-manufacture a molded body manufactured previously.

[0034] The movable beam 14 is fixed with a fixed side pulley 30 and a pulley 40 for linearizing the wires as a mechanism for fixing the plurality of wires 60 forming the holes 2, and further, a pulley 50 for changing the direction is fixed to the fixed beam 11. One end of the wire 60 is fixed to a wire fixing portion 15 provided on a stand below the fixed beam 11. The other end passes through the fixed side pulley 30, passes through the inside of the metal mold 20, passes through the pulley 40 for linearizing the wires and the pulley 50 for changing the direction, and a weight 70 is attached thereto. By doing so, tension is applied to the wire 60 by the weight of the weight 70, and the wire 60 can maintain linearity even inside the metal mold 20. In addition, by using the weight 70, there is also an advantage that a tension of a predetermined value can be easily applied to the wire 60. Furthermore, there is also an advantage that the tension applied to the plurality of wires 60 can be made uniform relatively easily. In the present embodiment, one weight 70 is hung on one wire 60 in order to accurately adjust the tension applied to the wire 60 . However, one weight 70 may be hung on a plurality of wires 60 , or a plurality of weights 70 may be hung on one wire 60 . Furthermore, the fixed side pulley 30 and the wire linearization pulley 40 may be fixed to the movable beam 14 individually, or the fixed side pulley 30 and the wire linearization pulley 40 may be fixed to the movable beam 14 as a unit. As a method of unitization, for example, a method of fixing the fixed side pulley 30 and the wire linearization pulley 40 to a plate or a frame and fixing the plate or the frame to the movable beam 14 may be adopted. The metal mold 20 may be mounted on a plate or a frame, or may be mounted on the movable beam 14. In this way, since the number and position of wires required vary depending on the product, if the fixed side pulley 30 and the wire linearization pulley 40 are unitized, manufacturing can be easily switched by simply replacing the unit for each product. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the fixed-side pulley 30 side with respect to the die 20 may be referred to as the upstream side, and the wire-rod-linearizing pulley 40 side may be referred to as the downstream side.

[0035] Figure 3 It is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a metal mold. Figure 3 (a) shows a state where one side wall of the metal mold 20 has been removed. Regarding the metal mold 20, a side wall 21 is fixed perpendicularly to the bottom surface 22 of a predetermined plate thickness. Both can also be formed in one piece. In addition, on the inner surface 23 of the side wall 21, two guides 24 and 25 are provided in a manner orthogonal to both the side wall 21 and the bottom surface 22. The guides 24 and 25 are components in which many through holes 24h are formed at positions corresponding to the pores of the molded body. The area Pa surrounded by the side wall 21, the bottom surface 22, the guides 24 and 25, and the side wall opposite to the side wall 21 (shown with a margin in the figure) becomes a space for injecting slurry in order to form a molded body. The wire material 60 is provided in a state of penetrating the guides 24 , 25 and the metal mold 20 . For convenience of description, the normal direction of the guides 24 and 25 is referred to as the axial direction, the normal direction of the bottom surface 22 is referred to as the height direction, and the direction orthogonal to the two (ie, the normal direction of the side wall 21) is referred to as the width direction.

[0036] exist Figure 3 (b) schematically shows a state where the cover 27 is installed on the side walls 21 on both sides. By installing the side walls and the cover 27 on both sides while the wire 60 (not shown) passes through, the previously Figure 3 The region Pa shown in (a) becomes a closed space into which the slurry is injected. The cover 27 has a slurry injection port 27a formed at the downstream end (ie, the inclined lower side) of the mold 20, and a discharge port 27b formed at the upstream side. Resin conduits may be provided at the injection port 27a and the discharge port 27b, respectively. By adopting the above-mentioned structure, the slurry can be injected from the lower side into the inclined metal mold 20. It is important that the slurry is injected in such a way that no voids are generated in the metal mold 20 and no bubbles are generated in the injected slurry. According to the structure of this embodiment, the generation of voids or bubbles can be suppressed by injecting the slurry slowly enough. When the slurry is injected and the metal mold 20 is filled with the slurry, the slurry rises in the conduit attached to the discharge port 27b. When this state is reached, the injection of the slurry is completed. In addition, the injection of the slurry is stable when the liquid level of the slurry in the conduits installed at the injection port 27a and the discharge port 27b is balanced. In the embodiment, the metal mold 20 is tilted and maintained, so the upper end of the conduits installed at the injection port 27a and the discharge port 27b needs to be sufficiently higher than the upper end of the metal mold 20.

[0037] Figure 4 It is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the fixed side pulley. exist Figure 4 In (a), the structure of the fixed side pulley 30 is schematically shown. The fixed side pulley 30 is fixed to the movable beam 14 of the frame with respect to the center in the width direction of the metal mold 20, and a plurality of pulleys 31 are arranged along the axial direction of the metal mold 20. The wire 60a coming from the bottom of the movable beam 14 is changed in direction to the metal mold 20 by the pulley 31 like the wire 60b. The same applies to the pulleys other than those shown in the figure.

[0038] exist Figure 4 (b) shows an enlarged view of the pulley 31. The pulley 31 is axially supported by an adjustment mechanism 32 as a first adjustment mechanism. Various mechanisms capable of adjusting the position of the pulley 31 in the height direction B can be applied to the adjustment mechanism 32.

[0039] By providing the adjustment mechanism 32 in this way, the height of the pulley 31 can be adjusted, so that the wire 60 can be transported parallel to the bottom surface 22 of the metal mold 20 relative to the through hole 24h of the guide 24 provided in the metal mold 20. As a result, the interference between the wire 60 and the through hole 24h can be alleviated, and the tension due to the heavy object can be suppressed from being hindered by the interference. As a result, the linearity of the wire 60 inside the metal mold 20 can be maintained.

[0040] In addition, in this embodiment, the plurality of wires 60a coming from the bottom of the movable beam 14 are changed in direction to the direction of the metal mold 20 by the pulley 31 like the wires 60b, and are fan-shaped and installed in a manner of penetrating through holes arranged in the width direction at the same height in the guide 24. This effect will be described later.

[0041] Figure 5It is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a wire linearization pulley and a direction changing pulley. like Figure 5 As shown in (a), the wire straightening pulley 40 and the direction changing pulley 50 are arranged in this order from the upstream side. The wire straightening pulley 40 and the direction changing pulley 50 are fixed to the center of the width direction of the metal mold 20 like the fixed side pulley 30, and the plurality of pulleys are arranged along the axial direction of the metal mold 20. The wire straightening pulley 40 serves to maintain the straightness of the wire 60 inside the metal mold 20. The direction changing pulley 50 serves to change the direction of the wire 60 downward in order to hang a heavy object. In this embodiment, the wire straightening pulley 40 and the direction changing pulley 50 are provided for each function, so that the position of the wire 60 can be made more stable. In particular, in this embodiment, the metal mold 20 can change its inclination together with the movable beam 14. Therefore, by fixing the wire linearization pulley 40 to the movable beam 14 together with the metal mold 20, the linearity of the wire can be easily maintained even if the inclination is changed.

[0042] The plurality of pulleys 41 included in the wire-rod linearizing pulley 40 are each supported by an adjustment mechanism 42 as a first adjustment mechanism, and the position in the height direction can be adjusted. The plurality of pulleys 51 included in the direction changing pulley 50 are also supported by an adjustment mechanism 52 as a second adjustment mechanism, and the positions of the pulleys 51 in the normal direction of the gantry (ie, the height direction relative to the gantry) can be adjusted.

[0043] exist Figure 5 (b) schematically shows the state where the wire 60 passes through the pulley 40 for wire straightening and the pulley 50 for direction change. After passing through the upper side of the pulley 41[1] on the upstream side of the pulley 41[2] for wire straightening and the lower side of the adjacent pulley 41[2], the wire is changed in direction downward by the pulley 51 of the pulley 50 for direction change. Therefore, the pulley 41[2] has the function of pressing so that the wire 60 does not fall off the pulley 51. At the same time, the pulley 51 has the function of supporting so that the wire 60 does not fall off the pulley 41[2]. In this way, by configuring the pulley 41[2] and the pulley 51 so that the axes of the pulley 41[2] and the pulley 51 sandwich the wire 60 and come to the opposite side, the wire 60 can be stabilized. The above-mentioned function may also produce the following situation: for example, if the position of the pulley 51 drops downward, the wire 60 is easily floated from the pulley 51, and a sufficient effect cannot be obtained. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the height of the pulley 51 can be adjusted by the adjustment mechanism 52, thereby alleviating the disadvantages involved.

[0044] In addition, if Figure 5As shown in (a), there is no adjacent pulley for the pulley 41a at the end on the downstream side. Therefore, in the embodiment, for the pulley 41a, the pulley 41b is installed on the upper side of the pulley 41a on the same adjustment mechanism 42a, and the wire 60c is passed through the lower side of the pulley 41b. By doing so, the wire 60c also extends from the wire straightening pulley 40 to the downstream side while passing through the lower side of the pulley 42b.

[0045] According to the molded body manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment described above, a molded body can be manufactured with high accuracy as described below. Figure 6 : is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the pulley and the metal mold. Figure 6 (a) shows a side view, Figure 6 (b) shows a top view. In addition, the metal mold 20 is tilted and maintained, but Figure 6 In (a), the figure is based on the metal mold 20, and thus the metal mold 20 is depicted horizontally. As already described, the height positions of the pulley 31 of the fixed side pulley 30 and the wire straightening pulley 40 can be adjusted. Figure 6 As shown in (a), the wire 60 can be held parallel to the bottom surface in the die 20. As a result, interference with the guide 24 in the height direction can be sufficiently suppressed, and the tension applied to the wire 60 can be maintained in an appropriate state. For example, when the position relative to the metal mold 20 is too low as shown by the pulley 31a, the wire 60a enters the guide 24 at an angle, and interferes with the guide 24 at the entrance portion a. Therefore, the tension applied to the wire 60 is hindered by the guide 24, and there is a possibility that the linearity of the wire 60 cannot be maintained inside the metal mold 20. In this embodiment, such a disadvantage can be avoided.

[0046] like Figure 6 As shown in (b), in this embodiment, a plurality of wires 60[1] to 60[5] passing through the pulleys 31, 41[1] are fan-shaped and installed in a manner that passes through through holes arranged at the same height in the width direction of the guides 24, 25. As a result, the wires 60[1] to 60[5] slightly interfere with the guides 24 and 25. However, in this embodiment, a heavy object is used to apply tension, so it is known that interference between the wires and the through holes in the height direction is likely to have an adverse effect on the tension, while interference in the width direction does not have much adverse effect on the tension. In addition, by passing a plurality of wires relative to one pulley 31, 41[1] in this way, there is an advantage in that the deviation of the height direction positions of these wires can be suppressed.

[0047] The various features described in the above embodiments do not necessarily have to be all present, and some of them may be omitted or combined as appropriate. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and includes, for example, the examples shown below, and various modifications can be further adopted. (1) Modification of the pulley: Regarding the pulley used in the adjustment mechanism, the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface receiving the wire is sometimes arc-shaped. Although it can also be the cross-sectional shape involved, by providing a groove corresponding to the thickness of the wire in the cross-section, the deviation of the wire in the width direction can be further suppressed. In addition, the cross-section can also be V-shaped instead of the groove. (2) Variations of pulley arrangement: like Figure 6 As shown in (b), by expanding a plurality of wires in a fan-shaped manner, a plurality of through holes arranged in the width direction can be formed. However, if the width of the formed body becomes larger, there is also a situation where such fan-shaped expansion alone cannot fully cope with the situation. In order to cope with the situation involved, two or more pulleys 31, 41 may be arranged in parallel in the width direction. By doing so, the wires can be accurately arranged even for a wide formed body. Industrial Applicability

[0048] The present invention can be used for manufacturing a molded body having a plurality of holes for forming a photonic crystal fiber, etc. The present invention is not limited to a molded body for an "optical fiber" but can also be used for a molded body formed using a slurry. Description of Reference Numerals

[0049] 1 solid body 2 empty holes 10 racks 11 Fixed beam 12 Connecting beam 12h Connection hole 13 Pillars 13a Axis 14 Movable beam 14a Axis 15 Wire fixing part 20 Metal mold 21 Sidewall 21b Cover fixing bolt 22 Bottom 23 Inner surface 24, 25 guide 24h Through hole 27 Cover 27a Inlet 27b Exhaust port 28 Fixing parts 30 Fixed side pulley 31, 31a, 41, 41a, 41b pulleys 32, 42, 42a, 52 adjustment mechanism 40 Pulley for wire straightening 50 Pulley for direction change 51 Pulley 60, 60a, 60b, 60c wire 70 weights.

Claims

1. A molded body manufacturing device, which is a molded body manufacturing device for manufacturing a molded body, comprising: stand; stand a metal mold for forming a molded body, which is fixed to the frame; and a wire holding mechanism for holding the wire in a state of passing through the metal die, The metal mold has: a plate-shaped guide member, which is mounted on a portion corresponding to both end surfaces of the formed body and has a through hole formed therein for allowing the wire to pass therethrough; and an injection port for injecting a solution for forming the molded body into the metal mold, The wire holding mechanism comprises: a fixing portion, which fixes one end of the wire to the stand; and A mechanism for hanging a weight for applying a predetermined tension to the other end of the wire to keep the wire in a straight line, a mechanism for winding the other end of the wire in a manner that applies a predetermined tension to keep the wire in a straight line, or a mechanism for pulling the other end of the wire in a manner that applies a predetermined tension to keep the wire in a straight line.

2. The molded body manufacturing device according to claim 1, wherein: have: a pulley disposed outside the metal mold and used to allow the wire to pass through; and The first adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the relative position of the pulley and the metal mold.

3. The molded body manufacturing device according to claim 2, wherein: The first adjustment mechanism is a mechanism capable of adjusting the relative position of the pulley and the metal mold in the normal direction of the bottom surface of the metal mold.

4. The molded body manufacturing device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The first adjustment mechanism and the pulley are respectively arranged outside both ends of the metal mold.

5. The compact manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The wire holding mechanism comprises: a fixing portion, which fixes one end of the wire to the stand; and A hanging mechanism applies the tension by hanging a weight at the other end of the wire.

6. The compact manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: The suspension mechanism comprises: a wire straightening pulley for maintaining the wire in a straight line within the metal die; and A pulley for changing direction is used to change the direction of the wire toward the location where the weight is hung.

7. The compact manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: The direction changing pulley includes a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting a relative position with the wire rod linearizing pulley.

8. The compact manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The wire linearization pulley is provided with two or more pulleys along the direction in which the wire extends. The wire passes through the two wire linearization pulleys from the side close to the metal mold in the order of upper side and lower side to reach the direction changing pulley.

9. The compact manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The stand tilts and holds the metal mold in a manner such that one end is low and the other end is high. The injection port of the metal mold is provided at the end portion on the side held low.

10. The compact manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: The tilt angle is less than 45 degrees.

Images