Coating film cutting apparatus

Abstract

To provide a coating film cutting apparatus capable of making uniform cuts in a coating film with high reproducibility and stability.SOLUTION: Provided is an apparatus for performing a cutting process on a test piece TP on which a coating film is formed, the apparatus including: a test piece holder 2 for holding the test piece TP; and a cutter unit 3 for performing a cutting process on the test piece TP held by the test piece holder 2. The test piece holder 2 is provided on an apparatus base 20 so as to be movable in X-axis, Y-axis, and θ-axis directions. The cutter unit 3 is mounted on a second stage 73 suspended via a load cell 72 from a first stage 71 provided so as to be movable in a Z-axis direction. The process of making cuts in a coating film achieves desired depth, length, and orientation of the cuts by moving the cutter unit 3 in the Z-axis direction to make cuts while moving the test piece holder 2 holding the test piece TP in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ-axis directions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a coating incision device, and more particularly to a device for performing a predetermined incision or scratching process on a test piece having a coating formed on a substrate. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, various test methods have been proposed to evaluate the mechanical properties of coatings. For example, the adhesion cross-cut method (JIS-K5600-5-6), the cross-cut method, the cross-cut tape method, and the X-cut tape method (JIS-K5400 8.5.1) are known as tests to evaluate the adhesion of coatings. In addition, the cyclic corrosion test method - salt spray / dry / wet (JIS-K5600-7-9) and the salt spray test method (JIS-Z2371) are known as tests to evaluate the long-term durability of coatings.

[0003] In tests to evaluate the mechanical properties of such coatings, the tests are carried out using test specimens in which the coating is formed on a substrate. Before or during the test, cuts are made in the coating of the test specimen with a cutter knife or the like. For example, in the cross-cut adhesion method, a rectangular grid pattern (25 squares) is manually cut into the coating of the test specimen with a cutter knife as a preparation before the test (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, in cyclic corrosion tests, cuts are manually made into the coating of the test specimen with a cutter knife before the test, and then a corrosion cycle of salt spray, drying, and wetting is repeatedly carried out. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-85725 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, such a conventional method has the following problems. That is, in this type of test, the depth and angle of the cut with the cutter knife into the coating film, as well as the degree of penetration into the substrate, greatly affect the test results, but if the cutting work was done manually as in the past, the reproducibility and stability of the cuts were poor due to artificial bias, and it was difficult to make uniform cuts in the coating film. Therefore, there was a problem that the results of tests evaluating the mechanical properties of the coating film varied due to artificial bias.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and its object is to provide a coating film cutting device that can make uniform cuts in a coating film with high reproducibility and stability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the coating film cutting device of the present invention is a device that performs a predetermined cutting or scratching process on a test piece having a coating film formed on its surface, and comprises a test piece holder that holds the test piece, and a tool unit equipped with a tool that performs the predetermined cutting or scratching process on the test piece held in the test piece holder, wherein the test piece holder is movably mounted on an apparatus base in the X-axis, Y-axis and θ-axis directions, and the tool unit is detachably attached to a second stage that is suspended via a load cell from a first stage that is movably mounted on the apparatus base in the Z-axis direction.

[0008] The present invention has the following features as its preferred embodiments. (1) The apparatus base is characterized by comprising an X-axis drive mechanism for driving the test specimen holder in the X-axis direction, a Y-axis drive mechanism for driving the test specimen holder in the Y-axis direction, a θ-axis drive mechanism for driving and rotating the test specimen holder around the θ-axis, a Z-axis drive mechanism for driving the first stage in the Z-axis direction, and a control means for controlling the drive of each of these drive mechanisms.

[0009] (2) The tool unit is characterized in that it is composed of a cutter unit that holds the blade of a cutter knife for performing a predetermined cutting process on the test piece.

[0010] (3) The cutter unit is characterized in that it comprises a blade holding mechanism which detachably holds the blade of the cutter knife, a blade feeding mechanism which feeds the blade of the cutter knife held by the blade holding mechanism toward the blade tip, and a blade folding mechanism which is provided at the tip side of the blade feeding mechanism and folds the tip block of the cutter knife blade fed by the blade feeding mechanism along a crease.

[0011] (4) The blade feeding mechanism comprises an electric motor, a ball screw drivingly connected to the electric motor, and a slide member connected to a nut portion of the ball screw, and is characterized in that the slide member is provided with a locking portion that engages with a through hole formed in the blade of the cutter knife.

[0012] (5) The blade breaking mechanism is characterized by having a blade breaking block that clamps the tip block of the cutter knife blade fed by the blade feeding mechanism and rotates in conjunction with the feeding of the cutter knife blade.

[0013] (6) The tool unit is characterized in that it is composed of a scratching unit that holds a needle-like tool or a pencil for performing a predetermined scratching process on the test piece.

[0014] (7) The scratching unit is characterized by having a tool holding mechanism for holding the needle tool or pencil, and a weight attachment mechanism for attaching a weight for applying a load to the tool holding mechanism. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, a test piece holder that holds a test piece on which a coating film is formed is configured to be movable in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ-axis directions on the device base, and a tool unit that performs cutting processes on the coating film, etc. is attached to a second stage that is suspended via a load cell from a first stage that is provided on the device base so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction, so that the tool unit can perform cutting processes on the coating film while measuring the load acting on the coating film, thereby making it possible to perform uniform cutting, etc. on the coating film with high reproducibility and stability. Therefore, by using the coating film cutting device according to the present invention, tests to evaluate the mechanical properties of the coating film can be performed accurately and without variation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of a coating film cutting device according to the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the coating film cutting device with the casing removed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the coating film cutting device with the casing removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a drive mechanism of the coating film cutting device and its control unit. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of a test piece holder in the coating cutting device. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of a cutter unit in the coating film cutting device. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a mounting structure for a cutter knife blade in a cutter unit of the coating film cutting device. [Figure 8] The figures show the holding state of the cutter knife blade in the cutter unit of the coating cutting device, with Figure 8(a) being an oblique view of the tip of the cutter unit seen from above, Figure 8(b) being a plan view of the tip of the cutter unit, and Figure 8(c) being an oblique view of the tip of the cutter unit seen from below. [Figure 9]The figures show the state in which the blade of the cutter knife in the cutter unit of the coating cutting device is folded, with Figure 9(a) being an oblique view of the tip of the cutter unit seen from above, Figure 9(b) being a plan view of the tip of the cutter unit, and Figure 9(c) being an oblique view of the tip of the cutter unit seen from below. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows an example of the external configuration of the pencil hardness testing unit of the coating cutting device, with FIG. 10(a) showing the pencil hardness testing unit without the weight, and FIG. 10(b) showing the pencil hardness testing unit with the weight installed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a coating film cutting device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0018] EMBODIMENT 1 Fig. 1 shows an example of the external configuration of a coating film cutting device 1 according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show the internal structure of the coating film cutting device 1 with the casing 4 removed. Also, Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing various drive mechanisms and their control units of the coating film cutting device 1.

[0019] The coating cutting device 1 is an apparatus for performing a predetermined cutting or scratching process on a test piece TP having a coating formed on its surface, and comprises as its main parts a test piece holder 2 for holding the test piece TP, and a cutter unit 3 for holding a tool (a cutter knife blade) for performing the predetermined cutting process on the test piece TP.

[0020] Here, the test piece TP is a plate- or film-shaped sample having a coating film, the mechanical properties of which are to be evaluated, formed on a base material made of metal, resin, etc. In this embodiment, for example, a test piece TP having a base material made of a metal plate is used.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the coating film cutting device 1 is housed in a casing 4. The casing 4 is composed of a main body casing 4a that covers almost the entire device except for the test piece holder 2 and the cutter unit 3, and an openable / closable lid 4b that is attached to the main body casing 4a via a hinge 5 so that the test piece holder 2 and the cutter unit 3 can be housed in a closed space by closing the openable / closable lid 4b. Therefore, when performing a cutting process on the test piece TP, by closing the openable / closable lid 4b, it is possible to prevent cut pieces of the coating film from scattering outside the device. In addition, 4c in the figure indicates a transparent window provided in the openable / closable lid 4b, and the cutting process status can be visually observed from outside the device through this transparent window 4c.

[0022] The test specimen holder 2 is a holder for fixedly holding the test specimen TP, and as shown in Figure 5, its main parts are a lifting stage 6 that is configured to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and a pressure frame 7 that cooperates with the lifting stage 6 to clamp and hold the test specimen TP.

[0023] Specifically, the test holder 2 includes a base plate 8, a support 9 erected on the base plate 8, a presser frame 7 arranged on the support 9, a lifting stage 6 arranged below the presser frame 7, and a lifting mechanism 10 for the lifting stage 6. The base plate 8 is made of a plate-like member having a substantially rectangular shape, and supports 9, 9, ... are erected at its four corners. The presser frame 7 is a member that abuts against the outer periphery of the test piece TP when the lifting stage 6 on which the test piece TP is placed is elevated, and sandwiches and holds the test piece TP between the presser frame 7 and the lifting stage 6. The presser frame 7 is made of a frame body with an opening in the center, and its four corners are attached on the support 9. An elastic body (e.g., a rubber plate) (not shown) is arranged on the surface (lower surface) of the presser frame 7 that faces the lifting stage 6. This prevents the test piece TP from being displaced by friction with the elastic body. In addition, in this type of test piece TP, a large amount of paint or the like that constitutes the coating film may be applied to the outer periphery of the test piece TP in order to seal the end of the test piece TP, which may cause the coating film to bulge around the outer periphery of the test piece TP. However, even if the outer periphery of the test piece TP is bulged in this way, by placing an elastic body on the holding frame 7, the test piece TP can be securely held.

[0024] The lifting stage 6 is composed of a plate-like member having a substantially rectangular shape arranged inside the four support columns 9, 9, .... The lifting mechanism 10 has a cam (not shown) acting on the lower surface of the lifting stage 6, a lifting knob 11 connected to the rotation shaft of the cam, and a linear shaft 12 and a linear bush 13 that guide the lifting stage 6 to move up and down. The lifting stage 6 attached to the linear bush 13 moves up and down as the lifting knob 11 rotates. In addition, 14 in the figure is a rotation stopper that stops the rotation of the lifting knob 11. The lifting stage 6 can be stopped at a desired height position by this rotation stopper 14. In addition, 15 in the figure is a stop plate used for positioning when the test piece TP is set on the lifting stage 6. In addition, the lifting stage 6 shown in FIG. 5 has a groove formed on the outer periphery of the stage that is lower than the center. This groove is for accommodating the bulging outer peripheral edge of the test piece TP described above, and by accommodating the outer peripheral edge in this groove, the test piece TP can be stably placed on the lifting stage 6.

[0025] When the test piece holder 2 configured in this manner is used, first, the lifting stage 6 is lowered to the set position for the test piece TP, and the test piece TP is placed on the lifting stage 6 at that position. Once placement is complete, the lifting knob 11 is then operated to raise the lifting stage 6. By raising the lifting stage 6, the test piece TP is sandwiched between the lifting stage 6 and the holding frame 7, and the test piece TP is held between the lifting stage 6 and the holding frame 7. Once holding of the test piece TP is complete, the rotation stopper 14 is finally operated to stop the rotation of the lifting knob 11. This causes the test piece TP to be fixed in a state where it is held by the test piece holder 2.

[0026] In the coating film cutting device 1 of the present invention, the test piece holder 2 having such a configuration is arranged on the device base 20 of the coating film cutting device 1 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction (left-right direction), Y-axis direction (front-back direction) and θ-axis direction (circumferential direction).

[0027] Here, the device base 20 of the coating film cutting device 1 will be briefly described. In the coating film cutting device 1 shown in this embodiment, the device base 20 is composed of a three-layer frame including a bottom plate 21, an intermediate plate 22, and a ceiling plate 23, so that an electrical equipment area is formed on the bottom layer for accommodating electrical equipment such as a display unit 90, an operation unit 91, and a power supply unit (not shown), a test piece holder area is formed on the middle layer for accommodating a test piece holder 2 and its drive mechanism, and a tool unit area is formed on the top layer for accommodating a cutter unit 3 and its drive mechanism.

[0028] The test specimen holder 2 is placed on an intermediate plate 22, which is equipped with a Y-axis drive mechanism 25 that moves the test specimen holder 2 in the Y-axis direction, an X-axis drive mechanism 26 that moves the test specimen holder 2 in the X-axis direction, and a θ-axis drive mechanism 27 that rotates the test specimen holder 2 around the θ-axis.

[0029] The Y-axis drive mechanism 25 includes a pair of Y-axis rails 28 disposed in the Y-axis direction on the intermediate plate 22, an XY stage 29 disposed so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction on the Y-axis rails 28, and a Y-axis motor 30 that drives the XY stage 29 in the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis motor 30 is connected to a control unit 100, which will be described later, and is configured so that the position of the XY stage 29 in the Y-axis direction can be controlled via the control unit 100.

[0030] The X-axis drive mechanism 26 includes a pair of X-axis rails 31 arranged in the X-axis direction on the XY stage 29, a first θ stage 32 arranged on the X-axis rails 31 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction, and an X-axis motor 33 that drives the first θ stage 32 in the X-axis direction. The X-axis motor 33 is connected to a control unit 100, which will be described later, and the position of the first θ stage 32 in the X-axis direction is controlled by the control unit 100. In addition, pillars 38 are erected at the four corners of the first θ stage 32, and a second θ stage 34 is arranged on the pillars 38. That is, the θ stage arranged on the X-axis rails 31 has a two-layer structure of a first and a second layer.

[0031] The θ-axis drive mechanism 27 includes an annular θ-axis rail 35 disposed on the second θ-stage 34, a test piece holder mounting plate 36 disposed on the θ-axis rail 35 and rotatable around the θ-axis, and a θ-axis motor (not shown) that rotates and drives a θ-axis body (not shown) connected to the test piece holder mounting plate 36. The θ-axis motor is connected to a control unit 100 described later, and the control unit 100 controls the rotation angle of the test piece holder mounting plate 36. The θ-axis body is connected to an electromagnetic brake 37 disposed on the first θ-stage 32 through the second θ-stage 34, and the electromagnetic brake 37 can stop the rotation of the θ-axis body. This makes it possible to fix the rotation of the test piece holder 2 attached to the test piece holder mounting plate 36, and prevents the test piece holder 2 from shifting out of position during the cutting process into the test piece TP.

[0032] The base plate 8 of the test specimen holder 2 is attached onto the test specimen holder attachment plate 36 of the θ-axis drive mechanism 27. This allows the test specimen holder 2 to be rotationally driven together with the rotation of the test specimen holder attachment plate 36.

[0033] In this embodiment, the Y-axis drive mechanism 25, the X-axis drive mechanism 26, and the θ-axis drive mechanism 27 that drive the test piece holder 2 in the Y-axis, X-axis, and θ-axis directions are arranged at different height positions in the vertical direction, so that the drive means for the test piece holder 2 can be arranged in a narrow space (a narrow space in a plan view). Therefore, the coating cutting device 1 can be configured compactly.

[0034] On the other hand, the cutter unit 3 is a unit for performing a predetermined cutting process on the test piece TP held in the test piece holder 2 using a cutter knife blade CB, and in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, it mainly comprises a blade holding mechanism 40 that detachably holds the cutter knife blade CB, a blade feeding mechanism 41 that feeds the cutter knife blade CB held by the blade holding mechanism 40 toward the blade tip (tip), and a blade folding mechanism 42 that is provided on the tip side of the blade feeding mechanism 41 and breaks off the tip block CB1 of the cutter knife blade CB fed by the blade feeding mechanism 41 along the crease.

[0035] Here, the cutter knife blade CB used in the cutter unit 3 is a cutter knife blade used in tests for evaluating the mechanical properties of a coating film, and examples of such cutter knife blades include those designated as cutting tools in JIS-K5600-5-6, those designated as cutting tools in ISO2409, and those designated in JIS-5400 8.5.1(2)(a) and JIS-K5400 7.2(2)(e). In particular, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the cutter knife blade CB is a blade having folds formed at regular intervals from the cutting edge side and an engagement hole (through hole) BH that engages with the slider of the cutter knife drilled on the base end side. This type of cutter knife blade CB is commercially available as a replacement blade for a general cutter knife, and can be obtained cheaply and easily.

[0036] The blade holding mechanism 40 mainly comprises a main body frame 43 and a blade pressing cover 44. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the main body frame 43 is formed of an elongated block body that houses the cutter knife blade CB, and a blade fitting groove 45 into which the cutter knife blade CB is fitted is formed on one side of the main body frame 43 along the longitudinal direction. A long and thin slide through hole 46 extending in the longitudinal direction is formed at the bottom of the blade fitting groove 45, and a joint pin 53 of the blade feeding mechanism 41 described later is disposed so as to be exposed from the slide through hole 46.

[0037] The joint pin 53 is a pin that engages with the engagement hole BH of the cutter knife blade CB, and when the cutter knife blade CB is fitted into the blade fitting groove 45, the engagement hole BH of the cutter knife blade CB is engaged with the joint pin 53, so that the cutter knife blade CB slides in the longitudinal direction of the main body frame 43 as the joint pin 53 moves along the slide through hole 46. Note that the cutter knife blade CB, which slides in the longitudinal direction, is fitted into the blade fitting groove 45 to suppress shaking in the vertical direction.

[0038] The blade holder cover 44 is a cover that covers the cutter knife blade CB fitted in the blade fitting groove 45, and this blade holder cover 44 prevents the cutter knife blade CB housed in the blade fitting groove 45 from floating up. The blade holder cover 44 is provided with a knurled knob 47 having a bolt shaft 47a, and the blade holder cover 44 is attached to the main body frame 43 by screwing the bolt shaft 47a of this knurled knob 47 into a screw hole 49 on the main body frame 43 side. Note that the blade holder cover 44 is lifted up to replace the cutter knife blade CB housed in the main body frame 43.

[0039] Further, a cutting edge guide block 48 that guides the cutting edge of the cutter knife blade CB is provided on the tip side of the main body frame 43. As shown in Figures 8(a) and (b), the cutting edge guide block 48 is disposed so as to sandwich the cutter knife blade CB between itself and the main body frame 43 with a small gap (for example, a gap of about 0.1 mm), and this cutting edge guide block 48 guides the cutting edge of the cutter knife blade CB so that it does not swing left and right.

[0040] Further, the tips of the main frame 43 and the blade guide block 48 are shaped to protrude downward so that the blade tip BT of the cutter knife blade CB is slightly exposed between them (for example, about 2 mm of the blade tip is exposed) (see FIG. 8(c)). As a result, only the blade tip BT portion of the cutter knife blade CB that is used to cut into the coating film is exposed to the outside, making it difficult for the portion other than the blade tip BT to break during the cutting process into the coating film. The tip surface 43a of the main frame 43 and the tip surface 48a of the blade guide block 48 are formed to be approximately flush with each other, and this surface faces the opposing surface 58a (see FIG. 9(b)) of the blade breaker block 58 described later.

[0041] The blade feeding mechanism 41 is a mechanical part that advances and retreats (slides) the cutter knife blade CB held by the blade holding mechanism 40 along the longitudinal direction of the main frame 43, and has a stepping motor (electric motor) 50, a ball screw 51 drivingly connected to the stepping motor 50, and a slide member (not shown) connected to a nut portion 52 of the ball screw 51, and this slide member is provided with a joint pin (locking portion) 53 that engages with the engagement hole BH of the cutter knife blade CB.

[0042] Specifically, the stepping motor 50 is drivingly connected to one end of a ball screw 51 via a transmission belt 55. The ball screw 51 is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the main body frame 43 along the slide through hole 46, and is configured so that a nut portion 52 of the ball screw 51 slides in conjunction with the rotation of the stepping motor 50.

[0043] A slide member is connected to the nut portion 52, and a joint pin 53 provided on this slide member is disposed so as to be exposed on the opposite side of the main body frame 43 through the slide through hole 46. This allows the joint pin 53 to slide in the longitudinal direction of the main body frame 43 in conjunction with the sliding movement of the nut portion 52.

[0044] The stepping motor 50 that drives the ball screw 51 is connected to the control unit 100, and the longitudinal position of the joint pin 50 is controlled by the control unit 100. In other words, the feed control of the blade CB of the cutter knife is performed by the control unit 100. In this embodiment, the control unit 100 is configured to be able to control the feed control of the blade CB in units of at least 1 μm.

[0045] In the drawing, reference numeral 56 denotes an origin sensor that detects the origin position of the slide member. The origin sensor 56 is composed of a photointerrupter that detects the position of the slide member, and is disposed at a predetermined position on the base end side of the main body frame 43. The control unit 100 is configured to temporarily return the slide member to the position detected by the origin sensor 56 when the stepping motor 50 is powered on, thereby setting the origin for blade feed control.

[0046] Also, reference numeral 57 in the drawing denotes a blade edge detection sensor 57 that detects the cutting edge of the cutter knife blade CB. The blade edge detection sensor 57 is composed of a photoelectric sensor arranged on the blade edge guide block 48. The control unit 100 detects, by means of the blade edge detection sensor 57, the cutting edge position of the cutter knife blade CB that is slid by the blade feed mechanism 41, as well as the presence or absence of the cutter knife blade CB.

[0047] The blade breaking mechanism 42 is a mechanism that breaks off and removes the tip block CB1 of the cutter knife blade CB fed by the blade feeding mechanism 41, and has a blade breaking block 58 that clamps the tip block CB1 of the cutter knife blade CB fed by the blade feeding mechanism 41 and folds off the tip block CB1 along the crease by rotating in conjunction with the feeding of the cutter knife blade CB.

[0048] Specifically, the blade breaking mechanism 42 includes, as its main components, a blade breaking block 58 and a rotating arm 59 that rotates the blade breaking block 58 .

[0049] The blade folding block 58 has an opposing surface 58a facing the respective tip surfaces 43a, 48a of the main frame 43 and the blade tip guide block 48, and a slit-shaped blade tip introduction hole 58b into which the tip block CB1 of the blade CB of the cutter knife can be inserted is formed in the opposing surface 58a. The blade tip introduction hole 58b is formed so as to be located on an extension line of the cutter knife blade CB held by the main frame 43 when the opposing surface 58a of the blade folding block 58 and the respective tip surfaces 43a, 48a of the main frame 43 and the blade tip guide block 48 are in a facing state, and the blade tip (tip block CB1) of the cutter knife blade CB fed by the blade feed mechanism 41 is introduced into the blade tip introduction hole 58b as the blade is fed. The depth of the blade tip introduction hole 58b is set according to the width of the fold of the blade CB of the cutter knife, and in this embodiment, it is set to a depth equivalent to the depth of one fold (the width dimension of the tip block CB1) (see FIG. 9(c)).

[0050] The rotating arm 59 is provided with a blade breaking block 58 at its tip, and its base end is connected to the tip of the main body frame 43 via a link mechanism 60. The link mechanism 60 constitutes a four-joint link mechanism consisting of the main body frame 43, the rotating arm 59, and a pair of connecting members 61, 61 that connect these together, and a return spring 62 is provided inside the link mechanism 60 to return the blade breaking block 58 to its initial position after it has been rotated (see FIG. 8(b)).

[0051] As a result, when the blade CB of the cutter knife is fed forward beyond the respective tip surfaces 43a, 48a of the main body frame 43 and the blade tip guide block 48 by the blade feeding mechanism 41, the blade tip of the cutter knife blade CB that has passed the tip surfaces 43a, 48a is introduced into the blade tip introduction hole 58b of the blade breaking block 58. Then, when the cutter knife blade CB is further fed, the blade breaking block 58 is pushed out by the cutter knife blade CB, and the rotating arm 59 connected to the main body frame 43 via the link mechanism 60 starts to rotate accordingly, and the blade breaking block 58 attached to the rotating arm 59 is tilted so as to bend the cutter knife blade CB (a bending angle is generated), and as a result, the tip block CB1 of the cutter knife blade CB is broken off (blade breaking operation (see FIGS. 9(a) and (b))).

[0052] At this time, since the blade tip introduction hole 58b is set to a depth equivalent to one crease in the blade CB of the cutter knife, only the tip block CB1 is broken off as shown in Fig. 9(c). At that time, the second crease from the blade tip is protected by being sandwiched between the main body frame 43 and the blade tip guide block 48, so the blade CB of the cutter knife will not break at the position of the second crease. In addition, since the blade folding mechanism 42 performs the blade folding operation using the actuator (stepping motor 50) of the blade feed mechanism 41, the blade folding mechanism can be realized with a simple structure, and the blade folding mechanism 42 can be provided at low cost.

[0053] In addition, when the applicant conducted an experiment on the bending angle of the blade breaking block 58 required for breaking the blade of the tip block CB1, it was found that a bending angle of at least 7° is required to break the tip block CB1. Therefore, in the blade breaking mechanism 42 shown in the present embodiment, the blade breaking block 58 is configured to be inclined up to 15° (maximum bending angle is 15°).

[0054] The cutter unit 3 thus configured is provided with a mounting plate 65 for supporting the cutter unit 3 movably in the Z-axis direction (up and down direction) on one side opposite the blade retaining cover 44, and is detachably mounted to a second stage 73 (described later) via this mounting plate 65. Note that, when mounting, the cutter unit 3 is moved in the Z-axis direction so that the blade CB of the cutter knife can properly (with the correct blade line and cutting angle) cut into the test piece TP held by the test piece holder 2.

[0055] Next, a structure for moving the cutter unit 3 in the Z-axis direction will be described. In the coating film cutting device 1 shown in this embodiment, the cutter unit 3 is attached to a second stage 73 suspended via a load cell 72 from a first stage 71 that is arranged to be movable in the Z-axis direction on the device base 20.

[0056] 2 and 3, the first stage 71 is attached to a Z-axis base plate 74 that stands upright on the ceiling plate 23. A pair of Z-axis rails 75 are disposed on the Z-axis base plate 74 in the Z-axis direction, and the first stage 71 is mounted on these Z-axis rails 75 so as to be slidable.

[0057] The first stage 71 is provided with a Z-axis drive mechanism 79 that drives the first stage 71 in the Z-axis direction. The Z-axis drive mechanism 79 includes a Z-axis rail 75 and a Z-axis motor 80 that drives the first stage 71 in the Z-axis direction, and the first stage 71 is drivingly connected to the Z-axis motor 80, thereby driving the first stage 71 in the Z-axis direction. The Z-axis motor 80 is connected to a control unit 100, which will be described later, and the position of the first stage 71, and therefore the cutter unit 3, in the Z-axis direction can be controlled through the control unit 100.

[0058] The load cell 72 is a sensor that measures the load applied to the cutter unit 3, and has one end connected to a sensor mounting plate 76 attached to the first stage 71 and the other end connected to the second stage 73. As a result, the second stage 73 is suspended from the first stage 71 via the load cell 72.

[0059] For this suspension, for example, a rod (not shown) with a flange formed at its tip is placed on the other end of the load cell 72, a load cell protection spring 81, a connecting block 82, and a metal collar 83 are placed on this rod, and the connecting block 82 loosely fitted on the rod is fixed to the second stage 73. The load cell protection spring 81 is compressed and inserted between the load cell 72 and the connecting block 82, and functions to prevent damage to the load cell 72 and protect the load cell 72 when, for example, an excessive force (displacement) is applied to the cutter unit 3.

[0060] When the cutter unit 3 is attached to the second stage 73 suspended in this manner, the load cell 72 is put into a tension state by the weight of the cutter unit 3, and the second stage 73 is lowered. Here, assuming that the weight of the cutter unit 3 is 1 kg and the deflection of the load cell 72 per 1 kg is 4 μm, when the first stage 71 is lowered in this state and the cutting edge BT of the cutter knife held by the cutter unit 3 is brought into contact with the test piece TP, the deflection of the load cell 72, which was in a tension state of 4 μm before the contact, gradually returns to its original state. If the return amount at this time is 4 μm or less, a load of less than its own weight (1 kg) is applied. When the first stage 71 is further lowered and a deflection in the compression direction is applied to the load cell 72, a load of more than its own weight is applied. All of these loads are set by the thrust of the Z-axis motor 80 of the Z-axis drive mechanism 79.

[0061] The load cell 72 is connected to the control unit 100, and the control unit 100 is capable of measuring the load applied to the cutter unit 3.

[0062] The second stage 73 is a portion on which tool units such as the cutter unit 3 are attached, and is made of a substantially plate-shaped member. In this embodiment, the second stage 73 is attached to a pair of guide rails 78, 78 disposed in the Z-axis direction on the surface of the first stage 71, and is configured to be able to slide in the Z-axis direction along the guide rails 78, 78.

[0063] In this way, in the coating film cutting device 1 shown in this embodiment, by moving the first stage 71 in the Z-axis direction, the cutter unit 3 attached to the second stage 73 can be moved in the Z-axis direction, thereby making it possible to use the cutter knife blade CB held by the cutter unit 3 to perform a predetermined cutting process on the test piece TP held in the test piece holder 2.

[0064] Next, the folding blade recovery mechanism 85 will be described. The blade recovery mechanism 85 is a mechanism for recovering the blade pieces BP broken off by the blade breaking mechanism 42, and its main components include a blade piece recovery tray 86, a bracket 87 for attaching the blade piece recovery tray 86 to a slider 89, and a tray drive mechanism 88 for driving the slider 89 in the X-axis direction.

[0065] The blade piece recovery tray 86 is positioned directly below the blade breaking block 58 (at the blade piece recovery position) when the tip block CB1 of the cutter knife blade CB is broken off by the blade breaking mechanism 42, and is a receiving tray for receiving the blade pieces BP that fall from the blade breaking block 58. In this embodiment, the tray is in the form of a roughly rectangular tray with an open top.

[0066] The tray drive mechanism 88 is a drive mechanism for moving the blade collection tray 86 between a predetermined standby position and a blade collection position, and in this embodiment is configured with an electric actuator for moving a slider 89 between the standby position and the blade collection position. The illustrated tray drive mechanism 88 is disposed on the ceiling board 23, and a bracket 87 to which the blade collection tray 86 is attached is attached to the slider 89 that moves between the two points.

[0067] In this way, by configuring the blade collection tray 86 to be detachably attached via the bracket 87, it is possible to replace the blade collection tray 86 with one of a size corresponding to the size of the blade pieces BP, or to replace the blade collection tray 86 with one of different properties (for example, magnetic / non-magnetic). The electric actuator is connected to the control unit 100, so that the position of the blade collection tray 86 can be controlled by the control unit.

[0068] The control unit 100 is a control device that controls the Y-axis drive mechanism 25 (Y-axis motor 30), the X-axis drive mechanism 26 (X-axis motor 33), the θ-axis drive mechanism 27 (θ-axis motor), the Z-axis drive mechanism 79 (Z-axis motor 80), the blade feed mechanism 41 (stepping motor 50), the tray drive mechanism 88, etc., and in this embodiment, it is configured with a microcomputer (not shown) equipped with a control program that controls the drive of each of these drive mechanisms and the display of the display unit 90, etc., and is housed in the electrical equipment area of ​​the device base 20. In particular, in this embodiment, the control unit 100 is configured to execute a cutting process into the coating film and a blade folding blade feed process, which will be described later, through the drive control of each of these drive mechanisms.

[0069] In addition, 90 in the figure indicates a display unit of the coating film cutting device 1. In this embodiment, the display unit 90 is configured, for example, by a touch panel that also serves as an operation unit 91. Also, 91 in the figure indicates an operation unit configured by physical switches other than a touch panel. A user of the coating film cutting device 1 can input various instructions to the control unit 100 by operating the physical switches or touch panel while checking the display on the display unit 90.

[0070] Next, the coating film cutting process of the test piece TP by the coating film cutting device 1 will be described. The coating film is cut in the following manner.

[0071] (1) Mounting the test piece TP on the test piece holder 2 As a preliminary step for cutting into the coating film, the test piece TP having the coating film formed on its surface is attached to the test piece holder 2. As described above, this attachment is performed by clamping and holding the test piece TP between the lifting stage 6 and the holding frame 7, and then operating the rotation stopper 14 in this state to fix the test piece TP to the test piece holder 2.

[0072] (2) Attaching the cutter knife blade CB to the cutter unit 3 In parallel with the attachment of the test specimen TP to the test specimen holder 2, the cutter knife blade CB is attached to the cutter unit 3. This attachment is performed by loosening the blade retaining cover 44 provided on the main body frame 43 of the cutter unit 3. Specifically, the cutter knife blade CB is fitted into the blade fitting groove 45 of the main body frame 43, the engagement hole BH of the cutter knife blade CB is engaged with the joint pin 53 exposed from the slide through hole 46, and finally the blade retaining cover 44 is reattached to complete the attachment of the cutter knife blade CB.

[0073] (3) Blade feed processing After the attachment of the cutter knife blade CB is completed, the control unit 100 performs a blade feed process of the cutter knife blade CB while detecting the position of the cutting edge BT of the cutter knife blade CB so that the cutting edge BT is disposed at a predetermined position. In the coating film cutting device 1 shown in this embodiment, when the power is turned on, the control unit 100 controls the stepping motor 50 to move the cutter knife blade CB backward to detect the origin position. After the detection of the origin position is completed, the control unit 100 then controls the stepping motor 50 to advance the cutter knife blade CB. At this time, the control unit 100 detects the cutting edge BT of the cutter knife blade CB with the cutting edge detection sensor 57 provided on the cutting edge guide block 48, and based on the detection result, advances the cutter knife blade CB to a position where the cutting edge BT of the cutter knife blade CB slightly protrudes from the tip of the cutting edge guide block 48, that is, to a position where only the cutting edge BT portion used for the cutting process is exposed to the outside from the cutting edge guide block 48, and disposes the cutter knife blade CB at a predetermined cutting position (blade feed process).

[0074] (4) Cutting Once the blade CB of the cutter knife is positioned at a predetermined cutting position, the test piece TP is then cut. This process may be performed manually by operating the operation unit 91, but in this embodiment, data for the cutting process is input to the control unit 100, and the control unit 100 controls the driving of the Y-axis drive mechanism 25, the X-axis drive mechanism 26, the θ-axis drive mechanism 27, and the Z-axis drive mechanism 79 based on this data, thereby automatically performing the cutting process.

[0075] Specifically, the control unit 100 controls the Y-axis drive mechanism 25, the X-axis drive mechanism 26, and the θ-axis drive mechanism 27 to place the test piece TP held by the test piece holder 2 at a predetermined cutting start position. The cutting start position is, for example, a position where the start point of the cutting process is located directly below the cutter unit 3, that is, directly below the cutting edge BT of the blade CB of the cutter knife. This makes it possible to start the cutting process by moving the cutter unit 3 in the Z-axis direction.

[0076] Once the test specimen holder 2 is placed at the predetermined cutting start position, the control unit 100 then controls the driving of the Z-axis driving mechanism 79 to lower the cutter unit 3 and start the cutting process on the test specimen TP held by the test specimen holder 2. At that time, the control unit 100 measures the load applied to the test specimen TP by the load cell 72, thereby making it possible to cut into the test specimen TP at a desired load set in advance.

[0077] In this way, when the cutting process for the test piece TP is started, the control unit 100 performs a desired cutting process for the test piece TP by controlling the driving of the Y-axis drive mechanism 25, the X-axis drive mechanism 26, the θ-axis drive mechanism 27, and the Z-axis drive mechanism 79. For example, the X-axis drive mechanism 26 controls the test piece TP to make a cut in the longitudinal direction, or the Z-axis drive mechanism temporarily raises the cutter unit 3, and the Y-axis drive mechanism 25 shifts the position of the test piece holder 2 in the Y-axis direction and performs a cutting process again, thereby making it possible to make a cut parallel to the previous cut. In addition, the θ-axis drive mechanism 27 is driven to rotate the test piece holder 2, so that a cutting process perpendicular to an angle of 90 degrees can be performed, for example.

[0078] In this way, the coating film cutting device 1 according to the present invention can perform the cutting process on the coating film while measuring the load acting on the test piece TP (coating film), so that it is possible to perform uniform cutting on the coating film with high reproducibility and stability. Therefore, by using the coating film cutting device 1 according to the present invention, tests to evaluate the mechanical properties of the coating film can be performed accurately and without variation.

[0079] (5)Blade cutting Furthermore, since the coating film cutting device 1 according to the present invention is equipped with the blade breaking mechanism 42, the control unit 100 executes the following blade breaking process at a predetermined timing.

[0080] When performing the blade breaking process, the control unit 100 controls the drive of the Z-axis drive mechanism 79 to raise the cutter unit 3 from the incision position to a predetermined retreat position. In parallel with the raising of the cutter unit 3, the control unit 100 controls the drive of the tray drive mechanism 88 to move the blade collection tray 86 from the standby position to the blade collection position.

[0081] When the retraction of the cutter unit 3 and the movement of the blade collection tray 86 to the blade collection position are completed, the control unit 100 advances the cutter knife blade CB held by the blade holding mechanism 40 by a predetermined amount using the blade feeding mechanism 41. As a result, the tip block CB1 of the cutter knife blade CB is introduced into the blade tip introduction hole 58b of the blade breaking block 58, and further advancement causes the blade breaking block 58 pushed out by the cutter knife blade CB to rotate, thereby breaking off the tip block CB1 of the cutter knife blade CB (see FIGS. 9(b) and (c)).

[0082] The broken-off tip block CB1 becomes a blade BP, which falls from the blade breaking block 58 and is stored and collected in a blade collection tray 86 arranged at a blade collection position. The control unit 100 waits for the timing to collect the blade BP, and then returns the blade collection tray 86 to its initial standby position.

[0083] In this way, in the coating film cutting device 1 of this embodiment, the control unit 100 is configured to use the blade feed mechanism 41 to break off the tip block CB1 of the cutter knife blade CB. Therefore, for example, when making multiple cuts in a test piece TP, by performing a blade breaking process before starting each cut, it is possible to eliminate variation in the cuts due to deterioration of the cutting edge BT of the cutter knife blade CB and to make multiple cuts uniformly.

[0084] EMBODIMENT 2 Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The coating film cutting device 1 shown in the second embodiment shows a case where a scratching unit 200 that performs a predetermined scratching process on a test piece TP is provided as a replacement unit for the cutter unit 3 in the coating film cutting device 1 shown in the first embodiment. Since the other configurations are common to the coating film cutting device 1 shown in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the common configurations and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0085] The scratching unit 200 is a unit that holds a needle-shaped tool or a pencil P for performing a scratching process on a test piece TP, and has a tool holding mechanism 201 that holds the needle-shaped tool or the pencil P, and a weight mounting mechanism 202 that mounts a weight 203 that applies a load to the tool holding mechanism 201.

[0086] The tool holding mechanism 201 is a mechanism that detachably holds a needle-shaped tool or a pencil P, and in this embodiment, is in the form of a tool holder that clamps and holds a needle-shaped tool such as a scriber or a pencil P, and is configured to hold the needle-shaped tool or the pencil P at a predetermined angle. In addition, 204 in the figure indicates an operation knob that performs clamping / release operations of the tool holder.

[0087] The weight attachment mechanism 202 is a mechanism for attaching a weight 203 that applies a load to the tool holding mechanism 201, i.e., the needle-shaped tool or pencil P held by the tool holding mechanism 201, and is mainly composed of a weight mounting base 205 connected to the weight attachment mechanism 202 and a weight guide support 206 provided upright on the weight mounting base 205. As shown in Fig. 10(b), the weight guide support 206 is a support for mounting the ring-shaped weights 203, 203, and the load can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of weights 203 attached (stacked) to the weight guide support 206 as shown in the figure.

[0088] The tool holding mechanism 201 and the weight mounting mechanism 202 configured in this manner are attached to a mounting plate 207 for detachably mounting them to the second stage 73 so as to be slidable in the Z-axis direction. Specifically, a tool Z-axis rail 208 extending in the Z-axis direction is provided on the mounting plate 207, and a tool base plate 209 to which the tool holding mechanism 201 and the weight mounting mechanism 202 are attached is slidably attached to this tool Z-axis rail 208. As a result, the tool holding mechanism 201 and the weight mounting mechanism 202 are attached to the mounting plate 207 attached to the second stage 73 so as to be slidable in the Z-axis direction.

[0089] In this manner, the coating film cutting device 1 with the scratching unit 200 attached to the second stage 73 can move the test piece holder 2 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ-axis directions as well as the scratching unit 200 in the Z-axis direction under the control of the control unit 100, similar to the coating film cutting device 1 shown in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, so that, for example, the "scratch hardness (pencil method)" of the JIS K5600 general coating test method can be performed. Specifically, for example, first, the scratching unit 200 is lowered under the control of the control unit 100 to bring the tip of the pencil P into contact with the test piece TP. After that, the first stage 71 is further lowered by a predetermined distance (for example, 10 mm) and stopped. At this time, since the second stage 73 is slidably attached to the first stage 71, the tool holding mechanism 201 and the weight attachment mechanism 202 come into contact with the test piece TP under the load of both their weights (their own weights). When applying further load from this state, the necessary number of weights 203, 203 are attached to the weight guide support 206. In this manner, according to the coating film cutting device 1 of the present embodiment, a desired load can be applied to the scratching unit 200, and the test piece TP can be scratched while maintaining a constant load.

[0090] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these, and various design modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0091] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the lifting stage 6 of the test specimen holder 2 is manually raised and lowered, but it is also possible to configure the lifting stage 6 to be raised and lowered electrically, for example by arranging an electromagnetic motor on the test specimen holder 2.

[0092] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the scratching unit 200 is used as a replacement unit for the cutter unit 3, but the coating film cutting device 1 of the present invention has a structure that moves the test piece holder 2 in the X-axis, Y-axis and θ-axis directions while moving the tool unit side such as the cutter unit 3 in the Z-axis direction, so that units other than the scratching unit 200 may be configured to be replaceable or provided separately as long as they utilize such a structure to perform the desired action on the test piece TP.

[0093] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, when suspending the second stage 73 from the first stage 71 via the load cell 72, a rod is placed on the other end of the load cell 72, and a load cell protection spring 81, a connecting block 82, and a metal collar 83 are placed on this rod. However, as long as the second stage 73 is suspended from the first stage 71 via the load cell 72, it is also possible to configure it to be suspended using other structures, for example, a simpler structure consisting of a connecting block attached to the second stage 73 and a spring that supports the weight of the second stage 73.

[0094] In the above embodiment, the control unit 100 controls the driving of the Z-axis driving mechanism 79 while measuring the load in the Z-axis direction with the load cell 72, but it is also possible to configure the control program of the control unit 100 so that the user can arbitrarily set the cutting depth of the cutter knife blade CB regardless of the load. For example, it is also possible to configure the cutting depth to be set in units of 1 μm.

[0095] Also, for example, in the coating film cutting device 1 according to the above-mentioned embodiment 1, it is possible to attach a capacitance sensor (not shown) to the test piece holder 2 and the cutter unit 3, and configure the control unit 100 to be able to determine whether or not the cutter knife blade CB has reached the metal base material of the test piece TP based on the detection result of this capacitance sensor. In this case, it is preferable to configure the display unit 90 to notify the outside, for example, of whether or not the cutter knife blade CB has reached the base material. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 1 Coating film cutting device 2 Specimen holder 3 Cutter unit 4 Casing 6. Lifting stage 7 Presser frame 10 Lifting mechanism 20 Equipment base 21 Bottom plate 22 Intermediate plate 23 Ceiling Panel 25 X-axis drive mechanism 26 Y-axis drive mechanism 27 θ-axis drive mechanism 29 XY Stage 32 1st θ stage 34 2nd θ stage 40 Blade retention mechanism 41 Blade feed mechanism 42 Blade folding mechanism 43 Main frame 44 Blade holder cover 45 Blade fitting groove 46 Slide through hole 48 Blade guide block 50 Stepping motor (electric motor) 51 Ball screw 52 Nut of ball screw 53 Joint pin (locking part) 58 Blade breaker block 71 1st Stage 72 Load Cell 73 Second Stage 79 Z-axis drive mechanism 85 Blade recovery mechanism 86 Blade collection tray 88 Tray drive mechanism 90 Display section 91 Operation section 100 Control section 200 Scratch Unit 201 Tool holding mechanism 202 Weight attachment mechanism TP Test piece TP CB Cutter Knife Blade BH Engagement hole (through hole) BH BT cutting edge BP blade piece

Claims

1. An apparatus for performing a predetermined incision or scratching process on a test piece having a coating film formed on its surface, A test piece holder for holding the test piece; a tool unit having a tool for performing a predetermined cutting or scratching process on the test piece held by the test piece holder, The test piece holder is provided on an apparatus base so as to be movable in an X-axis direction, a Y-axis direction, and a θ-axis direction; The tool unit is detachably mounted on a second stage suspended via a load cell from a first stage provided on the device base so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction. A coating film cutting device characterized by the above.

2. The device base includes an X-axis drive mechanism for driving the test piece holder in the X-axis direction, a Y-axis drive mechanism for driving the test piece holder in the Y-axis direction, a θ-axis drive mechanism for rotating the test piece holder around the θ-axis, a Z-axis drive mechanism for driving the first stage in the Z-axis direction, and a control means for controlling the drive of each of these drive mechanisms. The coating film cutting device according to claim 1 .

3. The tool unit is composed of a cutter unit that holds the blade of a cutter knife for performing a predetermined cutting process on the test piece.

3. The coating film cutting device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The cutter unit includes a blade holding mechanism that detachably holds the blade of the cutter knife, a blade feeding mechanism that feeds the blade of the cutter knife held by the blade holding mechanism toward the blade tip, and a blade folding mechanism that is provided on the tip side of the blade feeding mechanism and folds the tip block of the cutter knife blade fed by the blade feeding mechanism along a crease.

4. The coating film cutting device according to claim 3.

5. The blade feed mechanism includes an electric motor, a ball screw drivingly connected to the electric motor, and a slide member connected to a nut portion of the ball screw, and the slide member is provided with a locking portion that engages with a through hole formed in the blade of the cutter knife.

5. The coating film cutting device according to claim 4.

6. The blade breaking mechanism has a blade breaking block that pinches a tip block of the blade of the cutter knife fed by the blade feeding mechanism and rotates in conjunction with the feeding of the blade of the cutter knife.

5. The coating film cutting device according to claim 4.

7. The tool unit is configured with a scratching unit that holds a needle-like tool or a pencil for performing a predetermined scratching process on the test piece.

3. The coating film cutting device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The scratching unit has a tool holding mechanism for holding the needle-like tool or the pencil, and a weight mounting mechanism for mounting a weight for applying a load to the tool holding mechanism. The coating film cutting device according to claim 7 .

Images