Pressure device

Abstract

To provide a pressure device capable of suppressing degradation in pressure uniformity with a simple structure.SOLUTION: A pressure device 1 includes an upper pressure unit 2 and a lower pressure unit 3 which are arranged above and below an object to be pressurized. The upper pressure unit comprises: an upper die 24 that comes into contact with the object to be pressurized during pressurization; an upper elastic member 25 disposed above the upper die and adjacently to the upper die; and an upper housing 23 disposed so as to surround the entire periphery of the upper elastic member in the horizontal direction. The upper die has a flat-shaped upper press surface 24a that is made of metal and comes into contact with the object to be pressurized during pressurization. In a vertical view, the entire region occupied by the upper press surface overlaps with the region occupied by the upper elastic member. The upper housing includes a restriction section 232 that restricts downward movement of the upper die during the non-pressurization. In the non-pressurization, the upper die is supported only by the restriction section and is arranged so as to be vertically slidable with respect to the upper housing according to the state of pressurization to the object to be pressurized.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pressure device. [Background technology]

[0002] A pressure device is used as a device for applying pressure to a laminate in which multiple sheet-like base materials (e.g., green sheets for multilayer ceramic capacitors, printed wiring boards, etc.) are stacked. The pressure device sandwiches the laminate (object to be pressed) from above and below with a pair of pressure units and applies a predetermined pressure to the laminate. In the pressure unit, the press surfaces of a die that contacts the laminate are formed in mutually parallel planar shapes so that, when the laminate is pressed, an even surface pressure is applied from the press surfaces to the entire upper and lower surfaces of the laminate.

[0003] Incidentally, when a pressurized object is pressed by a flat press surface, the phenomenon that the pressure becomes higher at the outer edge of the press surface and lower at the center of the press surface (deterioration of pressure uniformity, non-uniformity of surface pressure) is well known. Although the exact cause of this deterioration in pressure uniformity has not been identified, one example of the cause is said to be the deflection of the pressurizing unit (mold) due to a reaction force from the mold generated during pressurization (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2022 / 114113 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, a gap is formed in the pressurizing unit to absorb the deflection, assuming that the pressurizing unit will deflect. As a result, in this technology, the gap absorbs distortion of the pressurizing unit other than the die, allowing the die to apply pressure to the laminate without distortion. However, this technology requires processing to form the gap according to the configuration of the pressurizing unit, the load, and the size (area) of the object to be pressed. Therefore, there is a demand for a technology that suppresses deterioration of pressure uniformity (improves pressure uniformity) with a simpler configuration.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a pressurizing device capable of suppressing deterioration of pressure uniformity with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A pressurizing device in one embodiment of the present invention is a pressurizing device that sandwiches and pressurizes an object to be pressurized in a vertical direction, and includes an upper pressurizing unit arranged above the object to be pressurized, and a lower pressurizing unit arranged below the object to be pressurized, and the upper pressurizing unit includes an upper die that contacts the object to be pressurized when the object to be pressurized is pressed, an upper elastic member arranged adjacent to the upper die above the upper die, and an upper housing arranged to surround the entire periphery of the upper elastic member in the horizontal direction, and the upper die is a pressurizing device that sandwiches and pressurizes an object to be pressurized in a vertical direction, and includes an upper pressurizing unit arranged above the upper die and a lower pressurizing unit arranged below the object to be pressurized. This pressure application device comprises a flat upper press surface made of metal that comes into contact with the pressurized object when the object is pressurized, and when viewed in the vertical direction, the entire area occupied by the upper press surface overlaps with the area occupied by the upper elastic member, and the upper housing comprises a regulating portion that regulates downward movement of the upper mold when the pressurized object is not pressurized, and when the pressurized object is not pressurized, the upper mold is supported only by the regulating portion and is positioned so as to be slidable in the vertical direction relative to the upper housing depending on the state of pressure applied to the pressurized object. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pressurizing device capable of suppressing deterioration of pressure uniformity with a simple configuration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a pressure device according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the pressure device of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a partially enlarged schematic bottom view of the pressure device of FIG. 1 taken along an arrow A. [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the pressure device of FIG. 1 taken along line BB. [Diagram 5] 2 is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view showing the pressurizing device of FIG. 1 when an object to be pressed is being pressed. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams explaining factors that suppress the deterioration of pressure uniformity, in which (a) shows the state of deflection of a component that occurs when the pressurized object W is pressurized, and (b) shows the propagation of stress that occurs when the pressurized object W is pressurized. [Figure 7] 1A is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device according to a first modified example; FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device according to a second modified example; FIG. 1C is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device according to a third modified example; and FIG. 1D is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device according to a fourth modified example. [Figure 8] 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device according to a fifth modified example, FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device according to a sixth modified example, FIG. 1C is a schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device according to a seventh modified example, and FIG. 1D is a schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device according to an eighth modified example. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a pressure distribution diagram showing an embodiment of the pressurizing device of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a pressurizing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the drawings will be referred to as appropriate. In each drawing, the same members and elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. In addition, the dimensional ratios of each element may be exaggerated for convenience of explanation, and are not limited to the ratios shown in each drawing.

[0011] In the following explanation and drawings, unless otherwise specified, when three mutually orthogonal axes in space are defined as the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, the "X-axis direction" is the direction along the X-axis, which is the left-right direction. The "Y-axis direction" is the direction along the Y-axis, which is the front-back direction. The "Z-axis direction" is the direction along the Z-axis, which is the up-down direction. In addition, the "+X direction" is the left, the "-X direction" is the right, the "+Y direction" is the front, the "-Y direction" is the rear, the "+Z direction" is the up, and the "-Z direction" is the down.

[0012] The present invention uses an elastic member to suppress the deterioration of pressure uniformity (unevenness of surface pressure) that occurs in a pressurizing device that presses a pressurized object from above and below with a flat press surface. In addition, the present invention suppresses the deterioration of pressure uniformity according to the pressurized object by facilitating the replacement of dies, even if the shape and size of the pressurized object are changed.

[0013] "Deterioration of pressure uniformity" is a phenomenon in which, when an object is pressed by a flat press surface, the pressure becomes higher at the outer edge of the press surface and lower at the center of the press surface.

[0014] The "object to be pressed" is an object to be pressed by the pressing device according to the present invention, and is, for example, a sheet-like base material (such as a ceramic green sheet), a substrate on which electronic components, circuits, etc. are mounted, and the like.

[0015] ●Pressure device● Composition of the pressure device FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a pressurizing device according to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the device"). The figure shows a cross-section of the device 1 in the X-axis and Z-axis directions (hereinafter referred to as the "XZ-axis directions"), with the device 1 cut at the center in the Y-axis direction (the same applies to Figures 2, 5, 8, and 9).

[0016] The apparatus 1 pressurizes an object W to be pressurized by sandwiching it in the Z-axis direction (up and down direction). The apparatus 1 includes an upper pressurizing unit 2, a lower pressurizing unit 3, a lifting mechanism 4, a control device 5, a pump pipe Lp, and a vacuum pump P.

[0017] The upper pressurizing unit 2, together with the lower pressurizing unit 3, sandwiches and pressurizes the object to be pressurized W in the Z-axis direction. The upper pressurizing unit 2 is disposed so as to face the lower pressurizing unit 3 in the +Z direction (upward direction) of the lower pressurizing unit 3. The upper pressurizing unit 2 is configured to be movable (lifted) in the Z-axis direction by the operation of the lifting mechanism 4. The upper pressurizing unit 2 includes an upper base member 20, a first upper housing 21, a cylinder 22, a second upper housing 23, an upper mold unit 24, an upper elastic member 25, and O-rings R1 and R2.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the device 1 of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged schematic bottom view of the device 1 of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction of arrow A. As shown in FIG. 3, for convenience of explanation, the pressure target W is indicated by a thick two-dot chain line, and an inner circumferential surface 23a of a main body portion 231 described later is indicated by a thin two-dot chain line. In the following explanation, FIG. 1 will be referred to as appropriate.

[0019] The upper base member 20 supports a cylinder 22 and a second upper housing 23. The upper base member 20 is supported by a lifting mechanism 4 so as to be movable (liftable) in the Z-axis direction.

[0020] The first upper housing 21 accommodates the second upper housing 23, the upper die unit 24, and the upper elastic member 25, and defines a space (accommodating space S4: see FIG. 5) in which the pressurized object W is accommodated when the pressurized object W is pressurized (when pressurized). The first upper housing 21 is made of a metal such as stainless steel. The shape of the first upper housing 21 is square and substantially cylindrical (rectangular cylindrical) when viewed in the Z-axis direction. That is, a square internal space is formed in the center of the first upper housing 21 when viewed in the Z-axis direction. The first upper housing 21 has an exhaust hole 21a penetrating from the inside to the outside of the first upper housing 21. The exhaust hole 21a is connected to the vacuum pump P via the pump piping Lp. The first upper housing 21 is supported by the upper base member 20 via a cylinder 22. In the horizontal direction, the first upper housing 21 is disposed so as to surround the second upper housing 23, the upper die unit 24, and the upper elastic member 25.

[0021] In the X-axis and Y-axis directions (hereinafter referred to as "XY-axis directions"), the distance between the inner circumferential surfaces of the first upper housing 21 is greater than the distance between the outer circumferential surfaces of the second upper housing 23 (main body portion 231). O-rings R1 and R2 are disposed between the inner circumferential surface of the first upper housing 21 and the outer circumferential surface of the second upper housing 23, and on the lower surface of the first upper housing 21.

[0022] The cylinder 22 supports the first upper housing 21 so that it can rise and fall in the Z-axis direction. The cylinder 22 is attached to the lower surface 20a of the upper base member 20. The cylinder 22 is, for example, a known air cylinder.

[0023] The second upper housing 23 accommodates a part of the upper die unit 24 and the upper elastic member 25. The second upper housing 23 is made of a metal such as stainless steel. The shape of the second upper housing 23 is square when viewed in the Z-axis direction, and is substantially cylindrical (rectangular cylindrical). The second upper housing 23 is attached to the lower surface 20a of the upper base member 20 by, for example, a plurality of bolts (not shown; the same applies below) with the openings at both ends facing the Z-axis direction. Therefore, the second upper housing 23 can be easily attached and detached from the upper base member 20 by attaching and detaching the bolts. The second upper housing 23 includes a main body portion 231 and an inner flange portion 232. The second upper housing 23 is an example of an upper housing in the present invention.

[0024] The main body 231 accommodates a part of the upper mold unit 24 and the upper elastic member 25, and suppresses excessive deformation of the upper elastic member 25 when pressure is applied. The shape of the main body 231 is a square cylinder (rectangular cylinder) when viewed in the Z-axis direction. The inner peripheral surface 23a of the main body 231 is a square shape when viewed in the Z-axis direction, a flat surface parallel to the Z-axis direction, and faces the XY-axis directions. In the horizontal direction, the main body 231 is disposed so as to surround the entire circumference of the upper mold unit 24 and the upper elastic member 25. That is, the main body 231 is disposed so as to sandwich the upper mold unit 24 and the upper elastic member 25 in the XY-axis directions.

[0025] The inner flange portion 232 supports the upper mold unit 24 and prevents the upper mold unit 24 from falling. That is, when the pressurized object W is not pressurized (when not pressurized), the inner flange portion 232 supports the upper mold unit 24 and restricts the upper mold unit 24 from moving in the -Z direction (downward). The lower end of the main body portion 231 protrudes evenly inward (in the direction in which a mold portion 241 described later is disposed relative to the main body portion 231) around the entire circumference to form the inner flange portion 232. That is, in the horizontal direction, the inner flange portion 232 protrudes inward from the main body portion 231 and is configured integrally with the main body portion 231. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the shape of the inner flange portion 232 is a square frame shape (rectangular ring shape). In the Z-axis direction, the thickness of the inner flange portion 232 is set to a thickness necessary for the inner flange portion 232 to have a strength sufficient to support the upper mold unit 24. The upper surface 23b of the inner flange portion 232 is a plane parallel to the horizontal direction. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the inner peripheral surface 23c of the inner flange portion 232 is square-shaped, a plane parallel to the Z-axis direction, and oriented in the XY-axis direction. The inner flange portion 232 is an example of a restricting portion in the present invention. The upper surface 23b of the inner flange portion 232 is an example of a supporting surface in the present invention. In other words, the restricting portion in the present invention comprises the supporting surface in the present invention.

[0026] In the present invention, the shape of the inner flange portion 232 is not limited to this embodiment. That is, for example, the inner flange portion 232 may protrude from the main body portion 231 only in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. That is, the inner flange portion 232 may protrude only from the inner circumferential surface 23a parallel to the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. Also, for example, each of a plurality of rod-shaped portions protruding at equal distances from the main body portion 231 in the X-axis direction and / or the Y-axis direction may function as a restricting portion in the present invention.

[0027] The upper mold unit 24 is a mold that comes into contact with the object to be pressurized W when the object to be pressurized W is pressurized. The upper mold unit 24 includes a mold part 241 and a heat unit part 244. The upper mold unit 24 is an example of an upper mold in the present invention.

[0028] The mold part 241 is made of a metal having high rigidity, such as stainless steel. The shape of the mold part 241 is square when viewed in the Z-axis direction, and is inverted hat shape when viewed from the side. The mold part 241 includes a main body part 242 and an outer flange part 243.

[0029] The shape of the main body 242 is a square shape when viewed in the Z-axis direction, and a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is flat in the Z-axis direction. The lower surface 24a and the upper surface 24b of the main body 242 are planar and parallel to the horizontal direction. When viewed from below, the outer peripheral surface 24c of the main body 242 is a square shape, a planar shape parallel to the Z-axis direction, and faces the XY-axis direction. The outer edge of the lower surface 24a is recessed in the +Z direction over the entire circumference, forming a step portion 24d. In the following description, the part of the lower surface 24a excluding the step portion 24d is the lower surface 24a. That is, the lower surface 24a is disposed in the -Z direction from the step portion 24d, and the shape of the lower surface 24a is a square shape when viewed in the Z-axis direction. The lower surface 24a is a surface that contacts the pressurized object W when pressed, and is an example of an upper press surface in the present invention.

[0030] The outer flange portion 243 is supported by the inner flange portion 232 to prevent the main body portion 242 (upper mold unit 24) from falling. In the horizontal direction, the upper end portion of the main body portion 242 evenly protrudes outward (the direction in which the second upper housing 23 is disposed relative to the main body portion 242: the direction away from the main body portion 242) around the entire circumference to form the outer flange portion 243. That is, in the horizontal direction, the outer flange portion 243 protrudes outward from the main body portion 242 and is integrally formed with the main body portion 242. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the shape of the outer flange portion 243 is a square frame shape (rectangular ring shape). In the Z-axis direction, the thickness of the outer flange portion 243 is set to a degree that can sufficiently support the main body portion 242 and the heat unit portion 244 (upper mold unit 24). The lower surface 24e and the upper surface 24f of the outer flange portion 243 are flat surfaces parallel to the horizontal direction. The upper surface 24f is disposed on the same imaginary plane as the upper surface 24b of the main body 242. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the outer peripheral surface 24g of the outer flange 243 is square-shaped, is a planar surface parallel to the Z-axis direction, and is oriented in the XY-axis direction. The lower surface 24e of the outer flange 243 faces the upper surface 23b of the inner flange 232. The outer flange 243 is an example of a mold protrusion of the present invention.

[0031] In the present invention, the shape of the outer flange portion 243 is not limited to this embodiment. That is, for example, the outer flange portion 243 may protrude from the main body portion 242 only in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. That is, the outer flange portion 243 may protrude only from the outer circumferential surface 24c parallel to the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. Also, for example, each of a plurality of rod-shaped portions protruding at equal distances from the main body portion 242 in the X-axis direction and / or the Y-axis direction may function as a mold protrusion in the present invention.

[0032] The thermal unit section 244 heats / cools the pressurized object W when the pressurized object W is pressurized. The thermal unit section 244 has a square shape when viewed in the Z-axis direction, and a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is flattened in the Z-axis direction. The thermal unit section 244 includes a main body section 245, a first insulating member 246, a second insulating member 247, a plurality of heaters H1, and a plurality of refrigerant flow paths L1. The thermal unit section 244 is an example of an upper heat unit in the present invention.

[0033] The main body 245 protects the heater H1 and the refrigerant flow path L1. The main body 245 is made of a metal having high rigidity, such as stainless steel. The shape of the main body 245 is a square shape when viewed in the Z-axis direction, and a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is flat in the Z-axis direction. In the horizontal direction, the first heat insulating member 246 covers the periphery of the main body 245 (four faces facing the XY-axis direction) and suppresses the heat of the heater H1 from leaking to the side. The second heat insulating member 247 is arranged so as to divide the main body 245 into two parts, upper and lower, and suppresses the heat of the heater H1 from leaking in the +Z direction. The heater H1 heats the pressurized object W when the pressurized object W is pressurized. The heater H1 is arranged in the lower half of the main body 245. The refrigerant flow path L1 is a flow path through which a refrigerant (not shown, the same applies below) that cools the main body 245 and the pressurized object W flows. The refrigerant is cooled by a cooling device (not shown, same below) and circulates between the refrigerant flow path L1 and the cooling device. The refrigerant flow path L1 is disposed in the upper half of the main body portion 245. The heat unit portion 244 is housed in the second upper housing 23 and disposed adjacent to the mold portion 241 in the +Z direction of the mold portion 241. The heat unit portion 244 is attached to the mold portion 241 by, for example, bolts (not shown, same below).

[0034] In the present invention, the thermal unit section 244 does not necessarily have to include the heater H1 or the refrigerant flow path L1. In this case, the thermal unit section 244 includes the first heat insulating member 246 and the second heat insulating member 247 as necessary.

[0035] In the present invention, the thermal unit section 244 may be placed on the mold section 241 and may not be attached to the mold section 241 .

[0036] In the XY axis directions, the size (L3) of the outer flange portion 243 is larger than the size (L2) of the main body portion 242 and is the same as the size (L4) of the thermal unit portion 244. In the XY axis directions, the size (L1) of the lower surface 24a of the main body portion 242 is smaller than the size (L2) of the main body portion 242 and is the same as the size (Lw) of the pressurized object W. In other words, when viewed in the Z axis direction, the shape and size (L1) (of the outer edge) of the lower surface 24a are the same as the shape and size (Lw) of the (outer edge) of the pressurized object W.

[0037] Here, "same" in the relationship between the lower surface 24a and the pressurized object W does not only mean completely identical, but also includes differences based on tolerances and dimensional accuracy during manufacturing, but the size (L1) of the lower surface 24a will not be smaller than the size (Lw) of the pressurized object W.

[0038] In the present invention, the size (L4) of the thermal unit portion 244 in the XY axis direction may be equal to or larger than the size of the main body portion 242, and may be smaller than the size (L3) of the outer flange portion 243.

[0039] Of the upper mold unit 24, a part (upper half) of the main body 242, the outer flange 243, and the heat unit 244 are housed in the second upper housing 23. Another part (lower half) of the main body 242 protrudes in the -Z direction from the second upper housing 23. The outer peripheral surface 24c of the main body 242 faces the inner peripheral surface 23c of the inner flange 232. In the XY axis direction, the interval (L2) between the outer peripheral surfaces 24c of the main body 242 is smaller than the interval (L11) between the inner peripheral surfaces 23c of the inner flange 232. The outer peripheral surface 24g of the outer flange 243 and the outer peripheral surface 24h of the heat unit 244 face the inner peripheral surface 23a of the main body 231 of the second upper housing 23 and abut against the inner peripheral surface 23a in a state in which they can slide in the Z axis direction. In the XY-axis direction, the interval (L3) between the outer peripheral surfaces 24g of the outer flange portion 243 is approximately the same as (slightly smaller than) the interval (L12) between the inner peripheral surfaces 23a of the main body portion 231. In the XY-axis direction, the interval (L4) between the outer peripheral surfaces 24h of the thermal unit portion 244 is the same as the interval (L3) between the outer peripheral surfaces 24g of the outer flange portion 243. When no pressure is applied, the upper surface 23b of the inner flange portion 232 abuts against the lower surface 24e of the outer flange portion 243. As a result, when no pressure is applied, the upper mold unit 24 is supported only by the inner flange portion 232 (upper surface 23b). At this time, the upper mold unit 24 can slide in the +Z direction only by the amount of elastic deformation of the space S1 and the upper elastic member 25 described later, and cannot slide in the -Z direction.

[0040] In the present invention, "sliding of the upper mold unit 24" means that the lower surface 24a moves in the Z-axis direction while being parallel to the horizontal direction. That is, the entire surfaces of the outer peripheral surfaces 24g, 24h do not necessarily have to abut against the inner peripheral surface 23a. In other words, as long as the upper mold unit 24 can slide in the Z-axis direction without rattling, a part or the entire outer peripheral surfaces 24g, 24h do not have to abut against the inner peripheral surface 23a.

[0041] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the device 1 taken along line BB in FIG. For ease of explanation, the figure shows a cross section of only the second upper housing 23 and the upper elastic member 25, and indicates the lower surface 24a of the main body portion 242 and the outer edge of the pressurized object W by a two-dot chain line. In the following explanation of the upper elastic member 25, FIGS. 1 to 3 will be referred to as appropriate.

[0042] The upper elastic member 25 suppresses deterioration of pressure uniformity. The upper elastic member 25 is made of, for example, silicon-based rubber. The upper elastic member 25 has a square plate shape (rectangular plate shape) when viewed in the Z-axis direction. The upper elastic member 25 is accommodated in the second upper housing 23 and placed on the upper mold unit 24. That is, the upper elastic member 25 is disposed between the upper base member 20 and the upper mold unit 24, and disposed adjacent to the upper mold unit 24 in the +Z direction of the upper mold unit 24. In the horizontal direction, the upper elastic member 25 is surrounded by the second upper housing 23 all around. The lower surface 25a and the upper surface 25b of the upper elastic member 25 are flat surfaces parallel to the horizontal direction. The outer peripheral surface 25c faces the inner peripheral surface 23a of the main body 231 of the second upper housing 23. The outer peripheral surface (horizontally oriented surface) 25c of the upper elastic member 25 is a concave surface that is hemispherically recessed inward (away from the second upper housing 23) in a cross-sectional view parallel to the Z-axis direction. The lower surface 25a abuts against the upper surface of the upper mold unit 24 (the upper surface of the thermal unit part 244). The upper surface 25b faces the lower surface 20a of the upper base member 20, and a space S1 is formed between the upper base member 20 and the upper elastic member 25 when no pressure is applied. That is, when no pressure is applied, the upper elastic member 25 does not abut against the upper base member 20. In the XY-axis direction, the distance (L21) between the outer peripheral surfaces 25c is smaller than the distance (L12) between the inner peripheral surfaces 23a of the main body part 231, and is larger than the distance (L2) between the outer peripheral surfaces 24c of the main body part 242 of the mold part 241 and the size (L1) of the lower surface 24a. That is, when viewed in the Z-axis direction, the entire area occupied by the lower surface 24a overlaps with the area occupied by the upper elastic member 25. As described above, since the outer peripheral surface 25c is a concave surface, the outer peripheral surface 25c does not abut against the inner peripheral surface 23a, and a gap S2 is formed between the inner peripheral surface 23a and the outer peripheral surface 25c.

[0043] In the present invention, when no pressure is applied, the upper elastic member 25 may be in contact with the upper base member 20. In other words, the space S1 does not have to be formed.

[0044] In the present invention, the outer peripheral surface 25c of the upper elastic member 25 is not limited to a concave surface recessed in a hemispherical shape. That is, for example, in a cross-sectional view parallel to the Z-axis direction, the outer peripheral surface 25c may be a concave surface recessed in a triangular shape, or may be a flat surface parallel to the Z-axis direction (it does not have to be a concave surface).

[0045] The thickness of the upper elastic member 25 is set to a thickness that allows the stress variation described below to be cancelled when pressure is applied. That is, for example, the lower limit of the thickness of the upper elastic member 25 is a thickness that allows the upper elastic member 25 to not completely lose elasticity when pressure is applied, and the upper limit is a thickness that allows the device 1 to apply pressure as set. Therefore, the thickness of the upper elastic member 25 is not set to be extremely thin (for example, 1 mm or less) or extremely thick (for example, 100 mm or more).

[0046] The drawings to which primary reference is made in this description are turned back to FIGS. The lower pressurizing unit 3, together with the upper pressurizing unit 2, sandwiches and pressurizes the object to be pressurized W in the Z-axis direction. The lower pressurizing unit 3 is disposed opposite the upper pressurizing unit 2 in the -Z direction of the upper pressurizing unit 2. The lower pressurizing unit 3 includes a lower base member 30, a lower housing 31, a lower mold unit 32, and a lower elastic member 33.

[0047] The lower base member 30 supports a lower housing 31 , a lower mold unit 32 , and a lower elastic member 33 .

[0048] The lower housing 31 houses the lower mold unit 32 and the lower elastic member 33. The lower housing 31 is made of a metal such as stainless steel. The shape of the lower housing 31 is square and cylindrical (rectangular cylindrical) when viewed in the Z-axis direction. The lower housing 31 is attached to the upper surface 30a of the lower base member 30 by, for example, a plurality of bolts (not shown) with the openings at both ends facing the up and down directions. The inner peripheral surface 31a of the lower housing 31 is square when viewed in the Z-axis direction, is flat and parallel to the Z-axis direction, and faces the XY-axis directions.

[0049] The lower mold unit 32 is a mold on which the object to be pressurized W is placed (contacts the object to be pressurized W) when pressure is applied. That is, the lower mold unit 32 contacts the object to be pressurized W when pressure is applied. The shape of the lower mold unit 32 is the same as the shape of the upper mold unit 24 inverted in the Z-axis direction. The lower mold unit 32 includes a mold portion 321 and a heat unit portion 324. The lower mold unit 32 is an example of a lower mold in the present invention.

[0050] The mold part 321 is made of a metal having high rigidity, such as stainless steel. The mold part 321 has a square shape when viewed in the Z-axis direction, and a hat shape when viewed from the side. The mold part 321 includes a main body part 322 and an outer flange part 323.

[0051] The shape of the main body 322 is a square shape when viewed in the Z-axis direction, and a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is flat in the Z-axis direction. The upper surface 32a and the lower surface 32b of the main body 322 are planar and parallel to the horizontal direction. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the outer peripheral surface 32c of the main body 322 is a square shape, a planar shape that is parallel to the Z-axis direction, and is oriented in the XY-axis direction. The outer edge of the upper surface 32a is recessed in the -Z direction over the entire circumference, forming a step portion 32d. In the following description, the part of the upper surface 32a excluding the step portion 32d is the upper surface 32a. That is, the upper surface 32a is disposed in the +Z direction from the step portion 32d, and the shape of the upper surface 32a is a square shape when viewed in the Z-axis direction. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the shape and size (of the outer edge) of the upper surface 32a are the same as the shape and size (of the outer edge) of the pressurized object W. The upper surface 32a is a surface that comes into contact with the object W to be pressed during pressing, and is an example of a lower press surface in the present invention.

[0052] In the horizontal direction, the lower end of the main body 322 uniformly protrudes outward (the direction in which the lower housing 31 is disposed relative to the main body 322: the direction away from the main body 322) around the entire circumference to form the outer flange 323. That is, in the horizontal direction, the outer flange 323 protrudes outward from the main body 322 and is integrally formed with the main body 322. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the outer flange 323 has a square frame shape (rectangular ring shape). The lower surface 32e of the outer flange 323 is a flat surface parallel to the horizontal direction. The lower surface 32e is disposed on the same imaginary plane as the lower surface 32b of the main body 322. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the outer peripheral surface 32f of the outer flange 323 has a square shape, is a flat surface parallel to the Z-axis direction, and is oriented in the XY-axis direction.

[0053] The thermal unit section 324 heats / cools the pressurized object W during pressurization. The thermal unit section 324 has a square shape when viewed in the Z-axis direction, and a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is flattened in the Z-axis direction. The thermal unit section 324 includes a main body section 325, a first insulating member 326, a second insulating member 327, a plurality of heaters H2, and a plurality of refrigerant flow paths L2.

[0054] The main body 325 protects the heater H2 and the refrigerant flow path L2. The main body 325 is made of a metal having high rigidity, such as stainless steel. The shape of the main body 325 is a square shape when viewed in the Z-axis direction, and a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is flat in the Z-axis direction. In the horizontal direction, the first heat insulating member 326 covers the periphery of the main body 325 (four faces facing the XY-axis direction) and suppresses the heat leakage of the heater H2 to the side. The second heat insulating member 327 is arranged so as to divide the main body 325 into two parts, upper and lower, and suppresses the heat leakage of the heater H2 in the -Z direction. The heater H2 heats the pressurized object W when the pressurized object W is pressurized. The heater H2 is arranged in the upper half of the main body 325. The refrigerant flow path L2 is a flow path through which a refrigerant that cools the main body 325 and the pressurized object W flows. The refrigerant is cooled by a cooling device and circulated between the refrigerant flow path L2 and the cooling device. The refrigerant flow path L2 is disposed in the lower half of the main body part 325. The heat unit part 324 is housed in the lower housing 31, and disposed adjacent to the mold part 321 in the -Z direction of the mold part 321. The heat unit part 324 is attached to the mold part 321 by, for example, bolts (not shown; the same applies below).

[0055] In the present invention, the heat unit section 324 does not necessarily have to include the heater H2 or the refrigerant flow path L2. In this case, the heat unit section 324 includes the first heat insulating member 326 and the second heat insulating member 327 as necessary.

[0056] In the present invention, the thermal unit section 324 does not have to be attached to the mold section 321 .

[0057] Of the lower mold unit 32, a part (lower half) of the main body 322, the outer flange 323, and the heat unit 324 are housed in the lower housing 31. Another part (upper half) of the main body 322 protrudes in the +Z direction from the lower housing 31. In the XY axis direction, the outer peripheral surface 32f of the outer flange 323 and the outer peripheral surface 32g of the heat unit 324 face the inner peripheral surface 31a of the lower housing 31 and abut against the inner peripheral surface 31a in a state in which they can slide in the Z axis direction. In the XY axis direction, the distance (L31) between the outer peripheral surfaces 32f of the outer flange 323 is approximately the same as (slightly smaller than) the distance (L32) between the inner peripheral surfaces 31a of the lower housing 31. As a result, when no pressure is applied, the lower mold unit 32 is supported only by the lower elastic member 33 and can be removed in the +Z direction, and can slide in the -Z direction only by the amount of elastic deformation of the lower elastic member 33.

[0058] In the present invention, "sliding of the lower mold unit 32" means that the upper surface 32a moves in the Z-axis direction while being parallel to the horizontal direction. That is, the entire surfaces of the outer peripheral surfaces 32f, 32g do not necessarily have to abut against the inner peripheral surface 31a. In other words, as long as the lower mold unit 32 can slide in the Z-axis direction without rattling, a part or the whole of the outer peripheral surfaces 32f, 32g do not have to abut against the inner peripheral surface 31a.

[0059] The lower elastic member 33 suppresses deterioration of pressure uniformity. The lower elastic member 33 is made of, for example, silicon-based rubber. The shape of the lower elastic member 33 is the same as that of the upper elastic member 25. That is, the lower elastic member 33 has an upper surface 33a and a lower surface 33b that are flat parallel to the horizontal direction, and an outer peripheral surface 33c that is a semispherical concave surface. The lower elastic member 33 is housed in the lower housing 31 and is disposed between the lower base member 30 and the lower mold unit 32. That is, the lower elastic member 33 is disposed below the lower mold unit 32. The upper surface 33a abuts against the lower surface of the lower mold unit 32 (the lower surface of the heat unit part 244). The lower surface 33b abuts against the upper surface 30a of the lower base member 30. The outer peripheral surface 33c faces the inner peripheral surface 31a of the lower housing 31. Since the outer peripheral surface 33c is concave, the outer peripheral surface 33c does not abut against the inner peripheral surface 31a, and a gap S3 is formed between the lower housing 31 and the lower elastic member 33. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the entire area occupied by the upper surface 32a overlaps with the area occupied by the lower elastic member 33.

[0060] In the present invention, the outer peripheral surface 33c of the lower elastic member 33 is not limited to a concave surface recessed in a hemispherical shape. That is, for example, in a cross-sectional view parallel to the Z-axis direction, the outer peripheral surface 33c may be a concave surface recessed in a triangular shape, or may be a flat surface parallel to the Z-axis direction (it does not have to be a concave surface).

[0061] The lifting mechanism 4 lifts and lowers the upper pressurizing unit 2 under the control of the control device 5. The lifting mechanism 4 is, for example, a known hydraulic cylinder.

[0062] The control device 5 controls the overall operation of the present device 1. The control device 5 is, for example, a PLC or a microcomputer including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) that functions as a working area for the CPU, and a non-volatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various information such as a program that controls the operation of the present device 1 and other control programs.

[0063] In the present device 1 thus configured, when pressure is not applied, the lower surface 24e of the outer flange portion 243 abuts against the upper surface 23b of the inner flange portion 232, and the upper mold unit 24 and the upper elastic member 25 are not fixed to the upper base member 20 and the second upper housing 23, but are supported only by the inner flange portion 232. The second upper housing 23 can be attached and detached to the upper base member 20 by attaching and detaching bolts. Therefore, when the second upper housing 23 is removed, the upper mold unit 24 (mold portion 241) can be easily replaced. Meanwhile, the lower mold unit 32 is also accommodated in the lower housing 31 so as to be slidable in the Z-axis direction, and is not fixed to the lower housing 31. Therefore, when pressure is not applied, the lower mold unit 32 (mold portion 321) can be easily replaced. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the shape and size of the lower surface 24a of the mold portion 241 and the upper surface 32a of the mold portion 321 are set to be the same as the shape and size of the pressurized object W. Therefore, if the present apparatus 1 is provided with multiple types of mold portions 241 each having a lower surface 24a corresponding to the shape and size of the pressurized object W, when the shape or size of the pressurized object W is changed, the mold portion 241 can be changed to correspond to the pressurized object W.

[0064] ● Operation of the pressure device Next, a description will be given below of the operation of the present device 1. In the following description, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 3 as appropriate.

[0065] FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view showing the present device 1 when pressure is applied.

[0066] First, the object W to be pressurized is placed on the upper surface (upper surface 32a of the main body 322) of the lower mold unit 32. That is, the object W to be pressurized is in contact with the upper surface 32a. As described above, in the XY axis direction, the size of the object W to be pressurized is the same as the size of the upper surface 32a (i.e., the lower surface (lower surface 24a of the main body 242) of the upper mold unit 24). At this time, the upper mold unit 24 is supported only by the inner flange portion 232 and is in a state in which it can slide in the +Z direction with respect to the second upper housing 23.

[0067] Next, the control device 5 controls the operation of the lifting mechanism 4 to lower the upper pressurizing unit 2 to a predetermined position. At this time, the upper die unit 24 is not in contact with the object W to be pressed.

[0068] Next, the control device 5 controls the operation of the cylinder 22 to lower the first upper housing 21, and the O-ring R1 is brought into contact with and pressed against the upper surface 30a of the lower base member 30. At this time, the accommodation space S4 (the space between the upper pressurizing unit 2 and the lower pressurizing unit 3) is sealed by the first upper housing 21. Next, the control device 5 operates the vacuum pump P to reduce the pressure inside the accommodation space S4.

[0069] Next, the control device 5 controls the operation of the lifting mechanism 4 to further lower the upper die unit 24, bringing the lower surface 24a into contact with the pressurized object W, and pressurizing the pressurized object W. At this time, as described below, the pressure applied from the lower surface 24a to the pressurized object W is applied approximately evenly to the entire upper surface of the pressurized object W due to the arrangement of the upper elastic member 25. Similarly, the pressurized object W is in contact with the upper surface 32a, and the pressure applied from the upper surface 32a to the pressurized object W is also applied approximately evenly to the entire lower surface of the pressurized object W due to the arrangement of the lower elastic member 33. That is, in the present device 1, deterioration of pressure uniformity is suppressed.

[0070] As described above, the shape and size (of the outer edge) of the lower surface 24a and the upper surface 32a are the same as the shape and size (of the outer edge) of the pressurized object W in the Z-axis direction. Therefore, when pressurized, the edge portion of the pressurized object W in the XY-axis direction does not abut against the lower surface 24a and the upper surface 32a. If the edge portion of the pressurized object W abuts against the lower surface 24a and the upper surface 32a, stress concentration occurs at the edge portion, and the portion of the lower surface 24a and the upper surface 32a adjacent to the inside of the edge portion may be locally deformed. In this case, the stress at the edge portion of the pressurized object W increases locally, and the stress at the portion adjacent to the inside of the edge portion decreases locally. As a result, the stress applied to the vicinity of the edge portion of the pressurized object W may become non-uniform. In this embodiment, since the edge portion of the pressurized object W does not abut against the lower surface 24a and the upper surface 32a, this non-uniformity of stress does not occur.

[0071] Furthermore, when pressure is applied, the upper mold unit 24 slides in the +Z direction to press the upper elastic member 25, and the lower mold unit 32 slides in the -Z direction to press the lower elastic member 33. At this time, the outer peripheral surface 24g of the outer flange portion 243 and the outer peripheral surface 24h of the heat unit portion 244 slide against the inner peripheral surface 23a of the main body portion 231. Also, the outer peripheral surface 32f of the outer flange portion 323 and the outer peripheral surface 32g of the heat unit portion 324 slide against the inner peripheral surface 31a of the lower housing 31. As a result, the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33 are compressed in the Z-axis direction, and the outer peripheral surfaces 25c, 33c are pushed out in the horizontal direction. At this time, since the outer peripheral surfaces 25c, 33c are concave, the outer peripheral surfaces 25c, 33c do not deform excessively in the horizontal direction (do not protrude). Even if a large pressure is applied to the pressurized object W, excessive deformation in the horizontal direction of the outer peripheral surfaces 25c, 33c is prevented by the inner peripheral surface 23a of the main body 231 of the second upper housing 23. Therefore, even a highly fluid material that undergoes a large amount of horizontal deformation when pressure is applied can be used for the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33.

[0072] Next, the control device 5 controls the operation of the thermal unit parts 244 and 324 to perform a heating process on the pressurized object W. At this time, the heat of the heaters H1 and H2 is hardly transmitted to the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33 due to the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow paths L1 and L2.

[0073] After the heat treatment is completed, the control device 5 returns the pressure inside the accommodation space S4 to atmospheric pressure, and controls the operation of the lifting mechanism 4 to lift the upper pressurizing unit 2. Thereafter, the pressurized object W is removed.

[0074] ●Prevent deterioration of pressure uniformity In the present device 1, deterioration of the pressure uniformity for the pressurized object W is suppressed by the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33. The reason for this suppression has not been elucidated, but the findings of the inventors of the present invention are explained below. In the following explanation, the factors in the upper pressurizing unit 2 are mainly explained, and Figs. 1 to 3 are referred to as appropriate.

[0075] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram explaining the factors that suppress the deterioration of pressure uniformity, where (a) shows the state of bending of the member when pressure is applied, and (b) shows the propagation of the stress that occurs when pressure is applied. For the sake of convenience, in Fig. 6(b), the magnitude of the stress is indicated by a black arrow.

[0076] As mentioned above, the factor that suppresses the deterioration of the pressure uniformity has not been specified, but the bending of the members that occurs during pressurization has been proposed as one of the factors. According to this factor, as shown in FIG. 6(a), when the pressurized object W is pressurized, the upper base member 20 is slightly bent (deformed) so as to be upwardly convex in a side view due to the pressing force from the lifting mechanism 4 and the reaction force from the pressurized object W. This bending is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the upper elastic member 25 and has (almost) no effect on the upper mold unit 24. As a result, the upper mold unit 24 does not bend following the bending of the upper base member 20, and the entire surface of the lower surface 24a is uniformly abutted against the pressurized object W. As a result, the pressure from the lower surface 24a is applied uniformly to the pressurized object W.

[0077] As another factor, the inventors of the present invention speculate that the variation in the stress propagated within the member during pressurization is one of the factors. According to this speculation, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the stress applied from the lifting mechanism 4 is propagated inside the upper base member 20, but the stress that reaches the end of the upper base member 20 has nowhere to go and can be propagated along the end. As a result, the stress propagated to the end is larger than the stress propagated to the center, and the stress can vary. This variation is canceled by the elastic force of the upper elastic member 25, and the stress propagated from the upper base member 20 is propagated evenly from the upper elastic member 25 to the upper mold unit 24. As a result, the pressure from the lower surface 24a is applied evenly to the pressurized object W.

[0078] In the present invention, the factors that suppress the deterioration of pressure uniformity are not limited to the above two factors. That is, for example, other factors or combinations of these factors may be factors that suppress the deterioration of pressure uniformity. Even if these factors are incorrect, the present invention suppresses the deterioration of pressure uniformity as shown in the examples described later.

[0079] Summary According to the embodiment described above, the upper pressurizing unit 2 includes the upper mold unit 24, the upper elastic member 25, and the second upper housing 23. The upper mold unit 24 (main body 242) includes a planar lower surface 24a that contacts the pressurized object W when pressurized. The upper elastic member 25 is disposed adjacent to the upper mold unit 24 in the +Z direction of the upper mold unit 24. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the entire area occupied by the lower surface 24a overlaps with the area occupied by the upper elastic member 25. In this configuration, since the upper elastic member 25 is disposed between the upper base member 20 and the upper mold unit 24, the deterioration of pressure uniformity between the lower surface 24a and the pressurized object W is suppressed by the upper elastic member 25. In addition, even if the upper elastic member 25 is compressed in the Z-axis direction when pressurized, the second upper housing 23 prevents the upper elastic member 25 from excessively deforming (protruding) in the horizontal direction.

[0080] In addition, the second upper housing 23 includes an inner flange portion 232 that restricts the movement of the upper mold unit 24 in the -Z direction when pressure is not applied. When pressure is not applied, the upper mold unit 24 is supported only by the inner flange portion 232, and is arranged to be slidable only in the Z-axis direction relative to the second upper housing 23 depending on the state of pressure applied to the pressurized object W. With this configuration, a structure and a member for fixing the upper mold unit 24 are not required, and the structure of the upper pressurizing unit 2 is simpler than that of a conventional upper pressurizing unit in which the upper mold unit 24 is fixed. In addition, when the second upper housing 23 is configured to be detachable, the upper mold unit 24 can be detached by attaching and detaching the upper mold unit 24, and the upper mold unit 24 (mold portion 241) can be easily replaced. Therefore, it is easy to replace the upper mold unit 24 (mold portion 241) with an optimal one depending on the shape and size of the pressurized object W. As a result, even if the shape and size of the pressurized object W are changed, it is possible to suppress unevenness in stress due to the edge portion of the pressurized object W. Furthermore, the upper mold unit 24 is slidable only in the Z-axis direction relative to the second upper housing 23. Therefore, even if a locally deformable upper elastic member 25 is disposed above the upper mold unit 24, the upper mold unit 24 presses evenly over the entire surface of the upper elastic member 25 without tilting from the horizontal direction. As a result, the effect of suppressing deterioration of pressure uniformity by the upper elastic member 25 affects the entire upper mold unit 24 without being unevenly distributed.

[0081] In this way, in the present invention, the deterioration of pressure uniformity is suppressed by the simple configuration in which the upper elastic member 25 is arranged adjacent to the upper mold unit 24, and the upper mold unit 24 can also be easily replaced.

[0082] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, the second upper housing 23 is disposed so as to sandwich the upper mold unit 24 in the horizontal direction (XY axis direction). In the horizontal direction, the inner flange portion 232 protrudes from the main body portion 231 in the direction in which the upper mold unit 24 is disposed, and has an upper surface 23b that supports the upper mold unit 24 when no pressure is applied. According to this configuration, the second upper housing 23 can support the upper mold unit 24 slidably in the +Z direction with a simple configuration in which the inner flange portion 232 protrudes from the main body portion 231.

[0083] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, the upper mold unit 24 includes a main body 242 having a lower surface 24a, and an outer flange 243 protruding from the main body 242 in the horizontal direction. When no pressure is applied, the upper surface 23b of the inner flange 232 abuts against the lower surface 24e of the outer flange 243. With this configuration, the upper mold unit 24 can be supported slidably in the +Z direction with a simple configuration in which two protruding portions (the inner flange 232 and the outer flange 243) are combined.

[0084] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, the upper mold unit 24 includes a heat unit section 244 that heats or cools the object W to be pressurized. In the Z-axis direction, the upper elastic member 25 is disposed adjacent to the heat unit section 244 in the +Z direction of the heat unit section 244. According to this configuration, the heat unit section 244 and the upper elastic member 25 are insulated from each other, so that the heat of the heat unit section 244 is not transferred to the upper elastic member 25, and damage to the upper elastic member 25 due to the heat can be suppressed / prevented. In addition, since the upper elastic member 25 that can function as a heat insulator is not disposed between the heat unit section 244 and the object W to be pressurized, the heat of the heat unit section 244 is efficiently transferred to the object W to be pressurized. Furthermore, since the upper elastic member 25 is disposed between the upper base member 20 and the upper mold unit 24, deterioration of pressure uniformity between the lower surface 24a and the object W to be pressurized is suppressed by the upper elastic member 25.

[0085] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, in the upper pressurizing unit 2, the second upper housing 23 is configured to be detachable from the upper base member 20. As a result, the upper mold unit 24 is replaceable when the second upper housing 23 is removed. With this configuration, the upper mold unit 24 (mold part 241) can be easily replaced. Therefore, it is easy to replace the upper mold unit 24 (mold part 241) with an optimal one depending on the shape and size of the object W to be pressurized. As a result, even if the shape and size of the object W to be pressurized are changed, it is possible to suppress non-uniform stress due to the edge part of the object W to be pressurized.

[0086] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, when viewed in the Z-axis direction, the shape and size of the lower surface 24a of the upper die unit 24 are the same as the shape and size of the pressurized object W. With this configuration, non-uniform stress due to the edge portion of the pressurized object W is suppressed.

[0087] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, the lower pressurizing unit 3 includes the lower die unit 32 that comes into contact with the object to be pressurized W during pressurization. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the shape and size of the upper surface 32a of the lower die unit 32 are the same as the shape and size of the object to be pressurized W. With this configuration, non-uniform stress due to the edge portion of the object to be pressurized W is further suppressed.

[0088] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, the lower pressurizing unit 3 includes the lower elastic member 33 sandwiched between the lower base member 30 and the lower mold unit 32. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the entire area occupied by the upper surface 32a of the lower mold unit 32 overlaps with the area occupied by the lower elastic member 33. With this configuration, with a simple configuration in which the lower elastic member 33 is disposed adjacent to the lower mold unit 32, deterioration of pressure uniformity on the -Z direction side of the pressurized object W is also suppressed.

[0089] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, outer peripheral surface 25c of upper elastic member 25 faces second upper housing 23 and is a concave surface that is concave inward (in a direction away from second upper housing 23). With this configuration, outer peripheral surface 25c does not deform excessively in the horizontal direction (does not protrude) when pressure is applied.

[0090] ●Variations● Next, modified examples of the present device 1 will be described below, focusing on the differences from the previously described embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the "first embodiment"). In the following modified examples, for ease of explanation, the same components as in the first embodiment and components having common functions are given the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the same components as in other modified examples and components having common functions are given the same reference numerals as in those modified examples. In the following modified examples, reference will be made to Figures 1 and 2 as appropriate.

[0091] First to fourth modified examples First, pressure devices 1A to 1D according to first to fourth modified examples will be described. In the pressure devices 1A to 1D according to the first to fourth modified examples, the configuration of the housing and / or the restricting portion in the present invention is different from that of the first embodiment.

[0092] Figure 7(a) is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device 1A according to a first modified example, (b) is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device 1B according to a second modified example, (c) is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device 1C according to a third modified example, and (d) is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device 1D according to a fourth modified example. In this figure, for the sake of convenience, only a cross section of the upper pressurizing unit 2 is shown, and the first upper housing 21 and the cylinder 22 are omitted from the illustration.

[0093] In the pressurizing device 1A (the present device 1A) according to the first modified example, the second upper housing 23 can be divided into an upper half 233 and a lower half 234 in the Z-axis direction. The upper half 233 is composed of the upper half of the main body 231, and the lower half 234 is composed of the lower half of the main body 231 and the inner flange 232. The upper half 233 is attached to the lower surface 20a of the upper base member 20 by, for example, bolts (not shown; the same applies below). The lower half 234 is detachably attached to the lower surface of the upper half 233 by, for example, bolts (not shown; the same applies below). In this configuration, the upper mold unit 24 can be easily replaced by removing only the lower half 234, not the entire second upper housing 23.

[0094] In the pressurizing device 1B (present device 1B) according to the second modification, the second upper housing 23 has a recess 235 instead of the inner flange portion 232. A part of the inner peripheral surface 23a of the main body portion 231 near the lower portion is recessed around the entire circumference of the inner peripheral surface 23a toward the first upper housing 21 (see FIG. 1) side, forming the recess 235. The second upper housing 23 is configured to be separable into two parts, for example, in the Y-axis direction. The mold portion 241 has an outer flange portion 248 instead of the outer flange portion 243. In the Z-axis direction, the center portion of the main body portion 242 of the mold portion 241 protrudes outward evenly around the entire circumference, forming the outer flange portion 248. The outer flange portion 248 is accommodated in the recess 235, and the lower surface 24j of the outer flange portion 248 abuts against the bottom surface 23d of the recess 235 when not pressurized. In the Z-axis direction, the size of the recess 235 is larger than the sum of the thickness of the outer flange portion 248 and the size of the space S1. In this configuration, the upper mold unit 24 is supported only by the recess 235, which functions as a regulating portion in the present invention, and the bottom surface 23d functions as a supporting surface in the present invention. The upper mold unit 24 can be easily replaced by removing the second upper housing 23 and dividing it into two. In addition, the sliding amount of the upper mold unit 24 can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the recess 235 in the Z-axis direction and the thickness of the outer flange portion 248.

[0095] In the pressurizing device 1C (the present device 1C) according to the third modified example, the second upper housing 23 includes a frame body portion 236 and a connecting portion 237 instead of the inner flange portion 232. In the Z-axis direction, the length of the main body portion 231 is shorter than the length of the main body portion 231 in the first embodiment. The shape of the frame body portion 236 is a rectangular frame shape that matches the shape of the main body portion 231 when viewed in the Z-axis direction. In the Z-axis direction, the length of the frame body portion 236 is the same as the length of the inner flange portion 232 in the first embodiment. The frame body portion 236 is disposed at a position separated from the main body portion 231 in the -Z direction of the main body portion 231, and is fixed at the same position by the connecting portion 237. The connecting portion 237 is, for example, a plurality of bolts. The frame body portion 236 is detachable from the main body portion 231 by attaching and detaching the connecting portion 237. A space S5 is formed between the main body portion 231 and the frame body portion 236. The outer flange portion 248 is accommodated in the space S5, and when the pressurized object W is not pressurized, the lower surface 24j of the outer flange portion 248 abuts against the upper surface 23e of the frame portion 236. In the Z-axis direction, the size of the space S5 is larger than the sum of the thickness of the outer flange portion 248 and the size of the space S1. In this configuration, the upper mold unit 24 is supported only by the frame portion 236, which functions as a regulating portion in the present invention, and the upper surface 23e functions as a supporting surface in the present invention. By removing only the frame portion 236, rather than the entire second upper housing 23, the upper mold unit 24 can be easily replaced.

[0096] In the pressurizing device 1D (present device 1D) according to the fourth modified example, the mold part 241 of the upper mold unit 24 includes a main body part 242, an outer flange part 243, and a second outer flange part 249. The lower end part of the main body part 242 protrudes outward (in the direction in which the second upper housing 23 is located) evenly around the entire circumference to form the second outer flange part 249. The second upper housing 23 is configured to be separable into two parts in the Y-axis direction, for example. The inner flange part 232 is disposed slightly in the +Z direction from the lower end part of the main body part 231, and is disposed (housed) between the outer flange part 243 and the second outer flange part 249. When not pressurized, the upper surface 23f of the inner flange part 232 abuts against the lower surface 24e of the outer flange part 243. In the Z-axis direction, the distance between the outer flange part 243 and the second outer flange part 249 is greater than the sum of the thickness of the inner flange part 232 and the size of the space S1. In this configuration, the inner flange portion 243 functions as a regulating portion in the present invention, similarly to the inner flange portion 232 in the first embodiment. The upper mold unit 24 can be easily replaced by removing the second upper housing 23 and dividing it into two. In addition, the sliding amount of the upper mold unit 24 can be adjusted by adjusting the distance between the outer flange portion 243 and the second outer flange portion 249 in the Z-axis direction and the thickness of the inner flange portion 232.

[0097] ● Fifth to eighth variants Next, pressure applying devices 1E to 1H according to fifth to eighth modified examples will be described. In the pressure applying devices 1E to 1H according to the fifth to eighth modified examples, the configuration of the upper die unit 24 and / or the lower die unit 32 is different from that of the first embodiment.

[0098] Figure 8(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device 1E according to the fifth modified example, (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device 1F according to the sixth modified example, (c) is a schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device 1G according to the seventh modified example, and (d) is a schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure applying device 1H according to the eighth modified example.

[0099] In the pressurizing device 1E (present device 1E) according to the fifth modification, the lower surface 24a of the main body 242 of the mold part 241 is divided into a plurality of small regions 24R, and the upper surface 32a of the main body 322 of the mold part 321 is divided into a plurality of small regions 32R. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the shape of each of the small regions 24R, 32R is square, and the shape and size of each of the small regions 24R, 32R are the same as the shape and size of the pressurized object WE. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the position, size, and shape of each of the small regions 24R are the same as the position, size, and shape of each of the small regions 32R. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the entire area occupied by each of the small regions 24R, 32R overlaps with the area occupied by the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33. In this configuration, the deterioration of the pressure uniformity in each of the small regions 24R, 32R is suppressed by the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33. Therefore, the present device 1E is capable of simultaneously pressurizing a plurality of pressure-receiving objects WE.

[0100] In the pressurizing device 1F (the present device 1F) according to the sixth modified example, the upper pressurizing unit 2 includes the upper base member 20, the first upper housing 21 (see FIG. 1), the cylinder 22 (see FIG. 1), the second upper housing 23, the mold part 241, the heat unit part 244, the upper elastic member 25, the upper protective plate 26, and the O-rings R1 and R2 (see FIG. 1). That is, in the sixth modified example, the mold part 241 and the heat unit part 244 are not unitized, and the upper pressurizing unit 2 includes the heat unit part 244. In the sixth modified example, the mold part 241 is an example of the upper mold of the present invention. The heat unit part 244 is attached to the lower surface 20a of the upper base member 20 by, for example, a bolt (not shown; the same applies below). The upper elastic member 25 is placed on the mold part 241. That is, the upper elastic member 25 is disposed adjacent to the mold part 241 in the +Z direction of the mold part 241, and is disposed between the mold part 241 and the heat unit part 244. The upper protective plate 26 prevents contact between the heat unit part 244 and the upper elastic member 25. The upper protective plate 26 is made of a metal having high rigidity, such as stainless steel. When viewed in the Z-axis direction, the upper protective plate 26 has a square plate shape (rectangular plate shape). The lower surface 26a and the upper surface 26b of the upper protective plate 26 have a planar shape parallel to the horizontal direction. The upper protective plate 26 is placed on the upper elastic member 25. A space S1F corresponding to the space S1 is formed between the upper protective plate 26 and the heat unit part 244. The lower pressurizing unit 3 includes a lower base member 30, a lower housing 31, a mold part 321, a heat unit part 324, a lower elastic member 33, and a lower protective plate 34. That is, in the sixth modified example, the mold part 321 and the heat unit part 324 are not unitized, and the lower pressurizing unit 3 includes the heat unit part 324. The heat unit part 324 is placed on the upper surface 30a of the lower base member 30. The lower protective plate 34 prevents contact between the heat unit part 324 and the lower elastic member 33. The shape and size of the lower protective plate 34 are the same as those of the upper protective plate 26. The lower protective plate 34 is placed on the heat unit part 324 and is sandwiched between the mold part 321 and the heat unit part 324. In this configuration, the heat from the heat unit parts 244, 324 is less likely to be transferred to the pressurized object W than in the first embodiment.Instead, in the Z-axis direction, the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33 can be disposed closer to the pressure target W than in the first embodiment. As a result, the effect of suppressing deterioration of pressure uniformity by the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33 is enhanced.

[0101] In the pressurizing device 1G (present device 1G) according to the seventh modified example, the lower pressurizing unit 3 includes a lower base member 30, a lower housing 31, and a lower mold unit 32, but does not include a lower elastic member 33. In this configuration, the effect of suppressing deterioration of pressure uniformity on the -Z direction side of the pressurized object W by the lower elastic member 33 cannot be obtained, but deterioration of pressure uniformity on the +Z direction side of the pressurized object W is suppressed. By improving the pressure uniformity on the +Z direction side of the pressurized object W, the pressure uniformity on the -Z direction side is also slightly improved.

[0102] The pressurizing device 1H (present device 1H) according to the eighth modified example does not include the thermal unit parts 244, 324. That is, the upper elastic member 25 is disposed between the upper base member 20 and the mold part 241 and adjacent to the mold part 241. The lower elastic member 33 is disposed between the lower base member 30 and the mold part 321 and adjacent to them. In this configuration, the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33 can be disposed closer to the pressurized object W in the Z-axis direction than in the first embodiment. As a result, the effect of suppressing deterioration of pressure uniformity by the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33 is enhanced.

[0103] Example: Next, the results of pressurization by a test device incorporating elastic members corresponding to the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33 into an existing pressurization device (test device) will be described as an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description of the embodiment, a "Prescale (registered trademark: hereinafter simply referred to as "scale")" manufactured by Fujifilm Corporation is used to measure the pressure. The test device used in the embodiment has a configuration similar to that of the pressurization device 1F (see FIG. 8) according to the sixth modified example, except that the space S1F is not formed and the upper die unit 24 does not slide. Felt with a thickness of 4 mm is used as the elastic member. The pressurization force is 5 MPa. In the following embodiment, the results of pressurization by an existing pressurization device not incorporating an elastic member are also obtained as a comparative example.

[0104] FIG. 9 is a pressure distribution diagram showing an embodiment of the present device 1 (present device 1F). The figure shows the distribution of pressure applied to the pressurized object by the test device with shades of color (shade: high pressure, light: low pressure). The figure shows with dashed lines the outer edge of the surface corresponding to the upper press surface (lower press surface) in the present invention. In this embodiment, the upper press surface has the same shape and size as the lower press surface. In the figure, the "area ratio" is the ratio of the pressurized object W to the upper press surface (lower press surface) when viewed from the top to bottom. In addition, the memos written by the inventors of the present application that were located at the top left or bottom left of each scale have been filled in white.

[0105] 9, in the comparative example in which an elastic member is not used, only the outer edge portion of the scale is strongly discolored, and the center portion of the scale is almost undiscolored, resulting in a deterioration in pressure uniformity. In contrast, in each example in which an elastic member is used, although there is a difference due to the area ratio, the extreme deterioration in pressure uniformity shown in the comparative example does not occur, and the deterioration in pressure uniformity is suppressed.

[0106] The effect of suppressing deterioration of uniformity is influenced by the area ratio. For example, in the example with an area ratio of 100%, the entire scale is uniformly discolored, and there is no deterioration in pressure uniformity. And in the examples with area ratios of about 90% and about 80%, the entire scale is almost uniformly discolored, and there is no deterioration in pressure uniformity, but there is some unevenness in discoloration. Next, in the example with an area ratio of about 70%, the outer edge part of the scale is discolored more than the center part, and there is some deterioration in uniformity. On the other hand, in the examples with area ratios of about 60%, about 50%, and about 25%, although the deterioration is suppressed more than in the examples, the deterioration in pressure uniformity occurs as the area ratio decreases. From this result, it is sufficient that the area ratio is 70% or more and 100% or less, preferably 80% or more and 100% or less, more preferably 90% or more and 100% or less, and even more preferably 100%. The cause of this deterioration in pressure uniformity has not been clearly elucidated, but the inventors of the present invention believe that the influence of the edge portion of the pressurized object W described above is also one of the factors.

[0107] In this way, the present invention can suppress and prevent deterioration of pressure uniformity with a simple configuration of placing an upper elastic member 25 (lower elastic member 33) that is larger than the lower surface 24a (upper surface 32a) when viewed in the vertical direction between the upper base member 20 (lower base member 30) and the upper mold unit 24 (lower mold unit 32).

[0108] ●Other embodiments● In the present invention, the upper pressurizing unit 2 does not necessarily have to include the first upper housing 21, the cylinder 22, and the O-rings R1 and R2. In this case, the pump pipe Lp and the vacuum pump P are also unnecessary.

[0109] In the present invention, the inner flange portion 232 may be configured as a separate body from the main body portion 231 and may be detachably attached to the main body portion 231 by bolts or the like. In this configuration, the upper die unit 24 can be easily replaced by simply removing the inner flange portion 232 from the main body portion 231.

[0110] Furthermore, in the present invention, the apparatuses 1 to 1H may include a plurality of types of upper die units 24 corresponding to the shapes and sizes of the pressurized object W. In this configuration, every time the shape and size of the pressurized object W is changed, the upper die unit 24 can be replaced with an upper die unit 24 corresponding to the same pressurized object W. Therefore, even if the shape and size of the pressurized object W are changed, deterioration of pressure uniformity for each pressurized object W is suppressed.

[0111] Furthermore, in the present invention, the shapes of the upper mold unit 24 and the lower mold unit 32 as viewed in the Z-axis direction are not limited to a square shape. That is, for example, the shapes of the upper mold unit 24 and the lower mold unit 32 as viewed in the Z-axis direction may be a rectangle elongated in the X-axis direction or Y-axis direction, or may be a circle. In this case, the shapes of the first upper housing 21, the second upper housing 23, the upper elastic member 25, the lower housing 31, and the lower elastic member 33 are set according to the shapes of the upper mold unit 24 and the lower mold unit 32.

[0112] Furthermore, in the present invention, the material of the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33 may be any material having elasticity that suppresses deterioration of pressure uniformity, and is not limited to silicone rubber. That is, for example, the material of the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33 may be felt or springs arranged uniformly in the XY axis direction.

[0113] Furthermore, in the present invention, when the upper elastic member 25 is made of a material that is difficult to deform in the horizontal direction, the second upper housing 23 may be configured to be disposed only in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction of the upper mold unit 24 and the upper elastic member 25. That is, for example, the second upper housing 23 may be configured of two parts disposed to sandwich the upper mold unit 24 and the upper elastic member 25 in the X-axis direction (Y-axis direction).

[0114] Furthermore, in the present invention, the structure functioning as a regulating part may be any structure that allows the upper die unit 24 to slide in the Z-axis direction and can regulate the movement of the upper die unit 24 in the -Z direction, and is not limited to the inner flange part 232 and the outer flange part 243. That is, for example, the structure functioning as a regulating part may be realized by various structures as exemplified in the first to fourth modified examples.

[0115] Furthermore, in the present invention, the shape of the lower surface 24a of the main body portion 242 of the mold portion 241 and the upper surface 32a of the main body portion 322 of the mold portion 321 may be such that the surface that abuts against the pressurized object W is planar, and does not have to be planar over the entire surface, as shown in, for example, the fifth modified example.

[0116] Furthermore, in the present invention, the heat unit section 244 may be disposed in the +Z direction from the mold section 241, and may be disposed in the +Z direction from the upper elastic member 25 as shown in the sixth modified example. Similarly, the heat unit section 324 may be disposed in the -Z direction from the lower elastic member 33.

[0117] Furthermore, in the present invention, as shown in the eighth variant, the upper mold unit 24 may not be provided with the thermal unit portion 244, and / or the lower mold unit 32 may not be provided with the thermal unit portion 324.

[0118] Furthermore, in the present invention, the thermal unit section 244 may not have the heater H1 or the coolant flow path L1, and the thermal unit section 324 may not have the heater H2 or the coolant flow path L2.

[0119] Furthermore, in the present invention, a plate-like member such as the upper protective plate 26 shown in the sixth modified example may be disposed in the +Z direction and / or the -Z direction of the upper elastic member 25 and the lower elastic member 33. In this case, the upper mold unit 24 and / or the lower mold unit 32 are provided with the same plate-like member.

[0120] Furthermore, in the present invention, the size of the upper surface 32 a of the mold portion 321 of the lower mold unit 32 may be larger than the size of the lower surface 24 a of the mold portion 241 of the upper mold unit 24 .

[0121] Furthermore, in the present invention, the size of the lower surface 24a of the mold portion 241 of the upper mold unit 24 may be equal to or larger than the size of the pressurized object W, and may not be the same as the size of the pressurized object W. In this case, the size (area) of the pressurized object W may be approximately 75% to 100% of the size (area) of the lower surface 24a, preferably approximately 90% to 100%, and more preferably 95% to 100%.

[0122] Furthermore, in the present invention, the main body portion 242 does not necessarily have to include the step portion 24d, and the main body portion 322 does not necessarily have to include the step portion 32d.

[0123] ●Embodiments of the present invention● Next, the embodiments of the present invention that can be understood from the above-described embodiments will be described below, using the terms and symbols described in the respective embodiments.

[0124] A first embodiment of the present invention is a pressurizing device (e.g., pressurizing device 1, 1A to 1H) that pressurizes a pressurized object (e.g., pressurized object W) by sandwiching it in the vertical direction, and includes an upper pressurizing unit (e.g., upper pressurizing unit 2) arranged above the pressurized object, and a lower pressurizing unit (e.g., lower pressurizing unit 3) arranged below the pressurized object, and the upper pressurizing unit includes an upper mold (e.g., upper mold unit 24) that contacts the pressurized object when the pressurized object is pressurized, an upper elastic member (e.g., upper elastic member 25) arranged adjacent to the upper mold above the upper mold, and an upper housing (e.g., upper housing 26) arranged to surround the entire periphery of the upper elastic member in the horizontal direction. and an upper housing 23), wherein the upper mold has a planar upper press surface (e.g., lower surface 24a) made of metal that comes into contact with the pressurized object when the pressurized object is pressed, and when viewed in the vertical direction, the entire area occupied by the upper press surface overlaps with the area occupied by the upper elastic member, and the upper housing has a regulating portion (e.g., inner flange portion 232, recess 235, frame portion 236) that regulates the downward movement of the upper mold when the pressurized object is not pressurized, and when the pressurized object is not pressurized, the upper mold is supported only by the regulating portion and is positioned so as to be slidable in the vertical direction relative to the upper housing depending on the state of pressure applied to the pressurized object. With this configuration, deterioration of pressure uniformity is suppressed with a simple configuration, and the upper die unit can also be easily replaced.

[0125] A second embodiment of the present invention is a pressure application device in which, in the first embodiment, the upper housing is arranged to sandwich the upper mold in the horizontal direction, and the regulating portion protrudes in the horizontal direction in the direction in which the upper mold is arranged relative to the upper housing, or contains a part of the upper mold, and is provided with a support surface (e.g., upper surfaces 23b, 23e, bottom surface 23d) that supports the upper mold when the object to be pressurized is not being pressurized. According to this configuration, the upper die unit is supported slidably in the +Z direction with a simple configuration.

[0126] A third embodiment of the present invention is a pressure applying device in which, in the second embodiment, the upper mold comprises a mold main body portion (e.g., main body portion 242) having the upper press surface, and a mold protrusion portion (e.g., outer flange portions 243, 248) protruding from the mold main body portion in the horizontal direction, and when the object to be pressurized is not being pressurized, the support surface abuts against the mold protrusion portion. According to this configuration, the upper die unit is supported slidably in the +Z direction with a simple configuration.

[0127] A fourth embodiment of the present invention is a pressure applying device (e.g., pressure applying device 1F) in which, in the first embodiment, the upper pressure applying unit is provided with an upper heat unit (e.g., heat unit section 244) that heats or cools the pressurized object, and in the vertical direction, the upper elastic member is positioned between the upper mold and the upper heat unit. According to this configuration, the effect of suppressing deterioration of pressure uniformity by the upper elastic member and the lower elastic member is enhanced.

[0128] A fifth embodiment of the present invention is a pressure applying device (e.g., pressure applying devices 1, 1A to 1E, 1G) in which, in the first embodiment, the upper mold is provided with an upper heat unit (e.g., heat unit section 244) that heats or cools the object to be pressurized, and in the vertical direction, the upper elastic member is arranged above and adjacent to the upper heat unit. According to this configuration, the heat of the thermal unit is efficiently transferred to the object to be pressurized, and the deterioration of pressure uniformity is suppressed by the upper elastic member.

[0129] A sixth embodiment of the present invention is a pressure application device in which, in any one of the first to fifth embodiments, in the upper pressure application unit, the upper housing or the regulating part is configured to be removable, and when the upper housing or the regulating part is removed, the upper mold is replaceable. This configuration makes it easy to replace the upper mold unit (mold portion).

[0130] A seventh embodiment of the present invention is a pressing device according to the sixth embodiment, wherein, when viewed in the up-down direction, the shape and size of the upper press surface are the same as the shape and size of the object to be pressed. According to this configuration, unevenness in the stress due to the edge portion of the object to be pressed is suppressed.

[0131] An eighth embodiment of the present invention is a pressure applying device in the seventh embodiment, comprising a plurality of types of upper dies corresponding to the shapes and sizes of the object to be pressed as viewed in the vertical direction. According to this configuration, unevenness in the stress due to the edge portion of the object to be pressed is suppressed.

[0132] A ninth embodiment of the present invention is a pressure applying device in which, in the eighth embodiment, the lower pressure applying unit includes a lower die (e.g., lower die unit 32) that comes into contact with the pressurized object when the pressurized object is pressurized, the lower die includes a metallic, planar lower press surface (e.g., upper surface 32a) that comes into contact with the pressurized object when the pressurized object is pressurized, and when viewed in the vertical direction, the shape and size of the lower press surface are the same as the shape and size of the pressurized object. According to this configuration, unevenness in the stress due to the edge portion of the object to be pressed is further suppressed.

[0133] A tenth embodiment of the present invention is a pressure applying device (e.g., pressure applying devices 1, 1A-1F, 1H) in the first embodiment, wherein the lower pressure applying unit comprises a lower die that contacts the pressurized object when the pressurized object is pressurized, and a lower elastic member (e.g., lower elastic member 33) that is arranged lower than the lower die, the lower die having a planar lower press surface made of metal that contacts the pressurized object when the pressurized object is pressurized, and the entire area occupied by the lower press surface overlaps with the area occupied by the lower elastic member when viewed in the vertical direction. According to this configuration, the deterioration of pressure uniformity on the -Z direction side of the pressurized object is also suppressed.

[0134] An eleventh embodiment of the present invention is a pressure applying device in which, in the first embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the upper elastic member (e.g., outer peripheral surface 25c) faces the upper housing and is a concave surface that is recessed in a direction away from the upper housing. According to this configuration, when pressure is applied, the outer circumferential surface does not deform excessively in the horizontal direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0135] 1. Pressure device 2 Upper pressure unit 23 Second upper housing (upper housing) 232 Inner flange part (regulating part) 23b Top surface (support surface) 24 Upper mold unit (upper mold) 24a Bottom surface (upper press surface) 241 Mold Department 242 Main body (mold main body) 243 Outer flange part (mold protrusion part) 244 Heat unit section (upper heat unit) 248 Outer flange part (mold protrusion part) 25 Upper elastic member 3 Lower pressure unit 32 Lower mold unit (lower mold) 32a Top surface (lower press surface) 33 Lower elastic member 33c Outer surface 1B~1H Pressure device

Claims

1. A pressure applying device that applies pressure to an object to be pressurized by clamping the object in the vertical direction, An upper pressurizing unit disposed above the object to be pressurized; A lower pressurizing unit disposed below the object to be pressurized; and The upper pressurizing unit is an upper die that comes into contact with the object to be pressed when the object to be pressed is pressed; an upper elastic member disposed adjacent to the upper die and above the upper die; an upper housing arranged to surround the entire periphery of the upper elastic member in a horizontal direction; With The upper mold is a flat upper press surface made of metal that contacts the pressurized object when the pressurized object is pressed; With When viewed in the vertical direction, the entire area occupied by the upper press surface overlaps with the area occupied by the upper elastic member, The upper housing includes: a restricting portion that restricts downward movement of the upper die when the object to be pressurized is not being pressurized; With The upper mold is When the pressurized object is not pressurized, the pressurized object is supported only by the restricting portion, a pressure adjusting mechanism for adjusting the pressure of the pressure-receiving object, the pressure adjusting mechanism being disposed so as to be slidable in the up-down direction with respect to the upper housing in response to a pressure applied to the pressure-receiving object; Pressure device.

2. The upper housing is disposed so as to sandwich the upper mold in the horizontal direction, The regulating portion is In the horizontal direction, the upper mold is protruded in a direction in which the upper mold is disposed relative to the upper housing, or the upper mold is accommodated in the upper mold. a support surface for supporting the upper die when the object to be pressed is not being pressed; Equipped with The pressure device according to claim 1 .

3. The upper mold is A die body portion having the upper press surface; a mold protrusion protruding from the mold body in the horizontal direction; With When the object to be pressed is not pressurized, the support surface abuts against the die protrusion. The pressure device according to claim 2.

4. The upper pressurizing unit is a heating unit for heating or cooling the pressurized object; With In the vertical direction, the upper elastic member is disposed between the upper mold and the upper heating unit. The pressure device according to claim 1 .

5. The upper mold is a heating unit for heating or cooling the pressurized object; With In the vertical direction, the upper elastic member is disposed adjacent to the upper heating unit above the upper heating unit. The pressure device according to claim 1 .

6. In the upper pressurizing unit, the upper housing or the regulating portion is configured to be detachable, When the upper housing or the restricting portion is removed, the upper mold is replaceable. A pressure application device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. When viewed in the vertical direction, the shape and size of the upper press surface are the same as the shape and size of the pressurized object. The pressure device according to claim 6.

8. a plurality of types of upper dies corresponding to shapes and sizes of the object to be pressed as viewed in the vertical direction; It is made of The pressure device according to claim 7.

9. The lower pressurizing unit is a lower die that comes into contact with the object to be pressed when the object to be pressed is pressed; With The lower die is a lower press surface made of metal and having a flat shape that contacts the pressurized object when the pressurized object is pressed; With When viewed in the vertical direction, the shape and size of the lower press surface are the same as the shape and size of the pressurized object. The pressure device according to claim 7.

10. The lower pressurizing unit is a lower die that comes into contact with the object to be pressed when the object to be pressed is pressed; A lower elastic member disposed below the lower die; With The lower die is a lower press surface made of metal and having a flat shape that contacts the pressurized object when the pressurized object is pressed; With When viewed in the up-down direction, the entire area occupied by the lower press surface overlaps with the area occupied by the lower elastic member. The pressure device according to claim 1 .

11. The outer peripheral surface of the upper elastic member faces the upper housing and is a concave surface that is concave in a direction away from the upper housing. The pressure device according to claim 1 .

Images