Press molding device

Abstract

The present invention provides a press molding device that keeps the distance between a mold and an ejector below a certain distance in a press molding device in which the mold is deformable. The press molding device of the present invention includes a base plate, an elastic plate that is suspended and supported on the base plate and is deformable in an elastic manner, an upper mold that is fixed in close contact with the lower surface of the elastic plate and is deformable in accordance with the shape of the elastic plate, a lower mold that is disposed below the upper mold in opposition to the upper mold, an upper mold demolding ejector that is disposed at the side of the upper mold and is movable up and down, and a stepped bolt that connects the upper mold and the upper mold demolding ejector, the upper mold demolding ejector having a through-hole through which the shaft portion of the stepped bolt is movable up and down, the shaft portion of the stepped bolt passing through the through-hole and being fixed to the upper mold, and the head portion of the stepped bolt abutting against the side surface of the upper mold demolding ejector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a compression molding apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Plate-shaped resin components are sometimes used as insulating materials for separators in fuel cells or electronic substrates. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing an electronic component comprising a resin sheet. In the method described in Patent Document 1, the resin sheet is pressed with a plate capable of elastic deformation, thereby squeezing out air from within the resin sheet. This allows for the manufacture of electronic components while suppressing the formation of voids.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-174932 Summary of the Invention

[0004] The method in Patent Document 1 can also be applied to the processing of resin sheets. For example, by pressing a sheet-like resin workpiece using a mold capable of elastic deformation, air can be expelled from the workpiece while the product is being processed. In this case, to demold the pressed workpiece from the mold, an ejector is sometimes provided on the side of the mold, which can abut against the workpiece during and after pressing. However, if the mold is deformable, the distance between the mold and the ejector can easily change, sometimes causing problems such as poor demolding.

[0005] The present invention was made in view of this situation, and provides a compression molding apparatus in which the distance between the mold and the ejector is kept below a certain distance in a compression molding apparatus in which the mold is deformable.

[0006] The compression molding apparatus of the present invention comprises: a base plate; an elastic plate suspended and supported on the base plate and capable of elastic deformation; an upper mold fixed in close contact with the lower surface of the elastic plate and capable of deforming according to the shape of the elastic plate; a lower mold disposed below the upper mold in a manner opposite to the upper mold; an upper mold ejector disposed on the side of the upper mold and capable of vertical movement; and a stepped bolt connecting the upper mold and the upper mold ejector, the upper mold ejector having a through hole for the vertical movement of the shaft portion of the stepped bolt, the shaft portion of the stepped bolt passing through the through hole and fixed to the upper mold, and the head of the stepped bolt abutting against the side of the upper mold ejector.

[0007] Invention Effects

[0008] This invention provides a compression molding apparatus that maintains the distance between the mold and the ejector below a certain distance in a compression molding apparatus in which the mold can deform. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the compression molding apparatus according to this embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the compression molding apparatus according to this embodiment.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the pressing and forming apparatus according to this embodiment when pressing a workpiece.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the upper mold demolding unit in the modified example.

[0013] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the upper mold demolding unit in a modified example when connected to the upper mold. Detailed Implementation

[0014] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, for clarity, the following description and drawings have been appropriately simplified. In the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are labeled with the same symbols, and repeated descriptions have been omitted as needed for clarity. Figure 1 The right-handed xyz coordinate system shown in other figures is used to illustrate the positional relationship of the constituent elements, with the positive z-axis pointing vertically upwards.

[0015] Figure 1 and Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the compression molding apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 1 It is along Figure 2 A sectional view cut by section line II. Figure 2 It is along Figure 1 A sectional view cut along section line II-II. Furthermore, Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the pressing and forming device 1 when pressing workpiece W. (Example) Figures 1-3 As shown, the compression molding device 1 includes a base plate 11, an elastic plate 12, an upper mold 13, a lower mold 14, an upper mold demolding unit 15, a lower mold demolding unit 16, and step bolts 17a to 17c. The compression molding device 1 is symmetrical about the center line C with respect to the yz plane and the zx plane.

[0016] The compression molding apparatus 1 is a device that shapes the workpiece W by pressing it with an upper mold 13 and a lower mold 14. The workpiece W is a sheet of resin, and through the compression process, the shapes of the lower surface of the upper mold 13 and the upper surface of the lower mold 14 are transferred. During compression, the workpiece W can be heated.

[0017] The base plate 11 is a component that serves as a base plate for supporting the elastic plate 12 and the upper mold 13. The base plate 11 is a rigid body, for example, made of metal. During pressing, the base plate 11 descends, thereby pressing the workpiece W.

[0018] The elastic plate 12 is a plate suspended from the base plate 11 and capable of elastic deformation. The material of the elastic plate 12 is not particularly limited, as long as it is capable of elastic deformation and can withstand the maximum load under pressure (e.g., a load of 200 tons). The elastic plate 12 is suspended from the base plate 11 near its x-axis end by bolts or wires (not shown). Normally, the elastic plate 12 sags at its center due to its own weight (see reference). Figure 1 At the center of the elastic plate 12, the shaft portion of the stepped bolt 17a engages, and the lower surface of the head of the stepped bolt 17a abuts against the upper surface of the base plate 11. By changing the length of the stepped bolt 17a engaging with the elastic plate 12, the downward length of the elastic plate 12 can be adjusted. The downward length of the elastic plate 12 can be set, for example, to 1 mm.

[0019] The upper mold 13 is fixed in close contact with the lower surface of the elastic plate 12 and is configured to deform according to the shape of the elastic plate 12. The upper mold 13 is fixed to the lower surface of the elastic plate 12, for example, by stepped bolts 17b. The material of the upper mold 13 is not particularly limited, as long as it is capable of elastic deformation and can withstand the maximum load under pressure (e.g., a load of 200 tons). Similar to the elastic plate 12, the upper mold 13 typically sags near its center (see reference). Figure 1 During pressing, the center portion of the upper die 13 first abuts against the workpiece W, and then the outer portion of the upper die 13 gradually abuts against the workpiece W from the side closest to the center (see reference). Figure 3 As a result, the air contained in the workpiece W is forced outward, thus suppressing the formation of voids.

[0020] The lower mold 14 is positioned below the upper mold 13 in a manner opposite to the upper mold 13. The lower mold 14 serves as a base plate for holding the workpiece W. There are no particular limitations on the material of the lower mold 14, as long as it can withstand the maximum load during pressing (e.g., a load of 200 tons).

[0021] The upper mold demolding unit 15 and the lower mold demolding unit 16 are unit parts used to demold the upper mold 13 and the lower mold 14 from the workpiece W. Specifically, the upper mold demolding unit 15 abuts against the upper surface of the workpiece W during and after pressing, thereby fixing the position of the workpiece W. By raising the upper mold 13 in this state, the workpiece W can be demolded from the upper mold 13. Furthermore, the lower mold demolding unit 16 lifts the workpiece W from below after pressing. Thus, the workpiece W can be demolded from the lower mold 14.

[0022] The upper mold ejection unit 15 includes an ejector spring 151 and an upper mold ejector 152. The ejector spring 151 is a spring component suspended from above on the outside of the upper mold 13. In this embodiment, the ejector spring 151 is housed inside the elastic plate 12. The upper mold ejector 152 is connected to the lower end of the ejector spring 151.

[0023] The lower mold ejection unit 16 includes an ejector spring 161 and a lower mold ejector 162, and is arranged opposite to the upper mold ejection unit 15. The ejector spring 161 is a spring member that extends from the lower side to the upper part. In this embodiment, the ejector spring 161 is housed inside the lower mold 14. The lower mold ejector 162 is connected to the upper end of the ejector spring 161.

[0024] Here, the structure of the upper mold ejector 152 will be explained in further detail.

[0025] The upper mold ejector 152 is disposed on the side of the upper mold 13 and has a through hole 153 extending along the x-axis. The through hole 153 is formed to allow the shaft portion of the stepped bolt 17c to move up and down. The shaft portion of the stepped bolt 17c passes through the through hole 153 and is fixed to the upper mold 13, with the head of the stepped bolt 17c abutting against the side of the upper mold ejector 152. Thus, the upper mold 13 and the upper mold ejector 152 are connected by the stepped bolt 17c.

[0026] The upper mold ejector 152 with the above structure can move up and down, but its left and right movement is restricted by the step bolt 17c. Therefore, the distance between the upper mold 13 and the upper mold ejector 152 is kept below a certain distance.

[0027] Furthermore, the distance between the upper mold 13 and the upper mold ejector 152 is preferably set to 0.1 mm or less. If the distance between the upper mold 13 and the upper mold ejector 152 exceeds 0.1 mm, the workpiece W may enter the gap between the upper mold 13 and the upper mold ejector 152 during pressing, which may become a cause of product defects.

[0028] (Modified example)

[0029] Next, use Figure 4 and Figure 5 The upper mold demolding unit 25, which is a modified example of the upper mold demolding unit 15, will be described. Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the upper mold demolding unit 25. Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the upper mold demolding unit 25 when it is connected to the upper mold 13.

[0030] The upper mold ejection unit 25 is similar to the upper mold ejection unit 15 in that it includes an ejector spring 251 and an upper mold ejector 252, the upper mold ejector 252 having a through hole 253. However, it differs from the upper mold ejection unit 15 in that the upper mold ejector 252 has a notch 254 on the side of its surface that abuts against the head of the step bolt 17c, the notch 254 enlarging the upper side of the opening of the through hole 253.

[0031] The side of the aforementioned upper mold ejector 152 always abuts against the head of the step bolt 17c. Therefore, if the upper mold 13 bends, the upper mold ejector 152 will also tilt inward (see reference). Figure 1 Therefore, the ejector spring 151 bears the load in the horizontal direction.

[0032] On the other hand, the side of the upper mold ejector 252 always abuts against the head of the step bolt 17c, but due to the notch 254, even when the upper mold 13 is bent, the inclination of the upper mold ejector 252 can be kept at a small level (see reference). Figure 5 Therefore, the load applied to the ejector spring 251 can be suppressed to a lower level.

[0033] The above description describes specific embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0034] Symbol Explanation

[0035] 1-Pressure forming device, 11-Base plate, 12-Elastic plate, 13-Upper mold, 14-Lower mold, 15, 25-Upper mold demolding unit, 151, 251-Ejector spring, 152, 252-Upper mold demolding ejector, 153, 253-Through hole, 254-Notch, 16-Lower mold demolding unit, 161-Ejector spring, 162-Lower mold demolding ejector, 17a~17c-Step bolt, W-Workpiece.

Claims

1. A compression molding apparatus, characterized in that, have: Base plate; An elastic plate, which is suspended and supported on the base plate and is capable of elastic deformation; The upper mold is fixed in a manner that closely fits the lower surface of the elastic plate and is able to deform to follow the shape of the elastic plate; The lower mold is disposed below the upper mold in a manner opposite to the upper mold; An upper mold ejector, which is disposed on the side of the upper mold and is capable of vertical movement; and Step bolts connect the upper mold to the upper mold ejector. The upper mold ejector has a through hole that allows the shaft portion of the stepped bolt to move up and down. The shaft portion of the stepped bolt passes through the through hole and is fixed to the upper mold. The head of the stepped bolt abuts against the side of the upper mold ejector.

2. The compression molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between the upper mold and the upper mold ejector is less than 0.1 mm.

3. The compression molding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper mold ejector has a notch on the side of its surface that abuts against the head of the stepped bolt, the notch enlarging the upper side of the opening of the through hole.

Images