Seal material manufacturing method, demolding device and manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a seal material manufacturing method which easily removes a seal material from a mold in a demolding step, a demolding device and a manufacturing apparatus.SOLUTION: A seal material manufacturing method using a mold includes a demolding step of removing the seal material from the mold, wherein the mold includes an upper mold and a lower mold, the upper mold has a through hole, and in the demolding step, a pin is inserted into the through hole while lifting the upper mold, when separating the upper mold and the lower mold, thereby removing the seal material from the upper mold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a sealing material, a demolding device, and a manufacturing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing a sealant by filling a mold with a sealant composition and curing it. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-177720 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a method for producing a sealing material using a mold, if the sealing material is made of a material with low releasability or if the sealing material is sticky, it may be difficult to remove the sealing material from the mold in the demolding step.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method, demolding device, and manufacturing apparatus for a sealing material, which allows the sealing material to be easily removed from a mold in a demolding process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides the following manufacturing method, demolding device, and manufacturing device for a sealing material. [1] A method for manufacturing a sealing material using a mold, comprising the steps of: A demolding process is included in which the sealing material is removed from the mold. The mold includes an upper mold and a lower mold, The upper die has a through hole, A method for manufacturing a sealing material, wherein, in the demolding process, when the upper mold and the lower mold are separated, the sealing material is removed from the upper mold by inserting a pin into the through hole while lifting the upper mold. [2] The upper mold has a recess that defines a cavity in which the sealing material is formed, the through hole extends linearly from the upper surface of the upper die to the recess, The method for manufacturing a sealing material described in [1], wherein the sealing material is pushed out of the recess by the pin. [3] A substrate is disposed between the upper mold and the lower mold; The method for manufacturing a sealing material according to [1] or [2], wherein the substrate is pushed out by the pin. [4] The method for producing a sealing material according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the upper die is raised while blowing air into the through hole. [5] The through hole is composed of a plurality of through holes, The through hole is composed of a plurality of through holes, The pin is composed of a plurality of pins, The method for producing a sealing material according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the pins constituting the plurality of pins are inserted into the through holes constituting the plurality of through holes all at the same time, or one by one, or two or more at the same time in any order. [6] A method for manufacturing a sealing material described in [5], in which the pins are inserted in sequence from the center of the upper mold toward the end side of the upper mold when viewed from the thickness direction of the mold. [7] When the mold is viewed from a horizontal direction, the through hole that is closest to the end of the upper mold among the plurality of through holes is defined as the first through hole, and the through hole adjacent to the (n-1)th through hole is defined as the nth through hole (n is an integer of 2 or more), The method for manufacturing a sealing material described in [5], wherein the pins are inserted one by one or two or more at the same time in the order from the first through hole to the nth through hole, or in the order from any through hole to any other hole. [8] The pins constituting the plurality of pins have different lengths, The method for manufacturing a sealing material according to [7], wherein pins of increasing length are inserted in the order from the first through hole to the nth through hole. [9] A method for manufacturing a sealing material described in [3], in which, when the upper mold and the lower mold are separated, the upper mold is raised while leaving the sealing material on the upper mold side, a sealant recovery device is placed between the substrate and the lower mold, and then the sealant is pushed out of the upper mold onto the recovery device.

[10] The method for manufacturing a sealing material described in [3], wherein when the upper mold and the lower mold are separated, the upper mold is raised while the substrate remains on the lower mold side.

[11] The method for producing a sealing material according to any one of [1] to

[10] , wherein the mold is subjected to a release treatment.

[12] a mold preparation step of preparing the mold; A filling step of filling the mold with a sealing material composition using a filling machine; and The method further includes a curing step of curing the sealant composition filled in the mold, The method for producing a sealing material according to any one of [1] to

[11] , wherein the mold from which the sealing material was removed in the demolding step is returned to the mold preparation step.

[13] The method for manufacturing a sealing material described in

[12] , wherein the through hole functions as a filling nozzle insertion portion for inserting the filling nozzle of the filling machine.

[14] The method for producing a sealing material according to any one of [1] to

[13] , wherein the upper die has a thickness of 5 mm or less.

[15] The upper mold has a carrier frame, The method for producing a sealing material according to any one of [1] to

[14] , wherein the upper die is raised while supporting the transportation frame.

[16] A sealant demolding device for removing a sealant from a mold, comprising: The mold includes an upper mold and a lower mold, The upper die has a through hole, A pin is provided at a position corresponding to the through hole, The sealing material demolding device includes a means for lifting the upper die, separating the upper die and the lower die, and inserting the pin into the through hole.

[17] The through holes are composed of a plurality of through holes, The pins are composed of a plurality of pins, The pins constituting the plurality of pins are respectively inserted into all of the through holes constituting the plurality of through holes, either simultaneously, one by one, or two or more at a time, in any order, in the mold release device for the sealing material according to

[16] .

[18] When the mold is viewed from the thickness direction, the pins are inserted in order from the central portion of the upper mold toward the end portion side of the upper mold, in the mold release device for the sealing material according to

[17] .

[19] When the mold is viewed from the horizontal direction, one of the through holes closest to the end of the upper mold among the plurality of through holes is defined as the first through hole, and a through hole adjacent to the (n - 1)-th through hole is defined as the n-th through hole (n is an integer of 2 or more), The pins are inserted one by one or two or more at a time, in order from the first through hole to the n-th through hole or in any order from any through hole, in the mold release device for the sealing material according to

[17] .

[20] The pins constituting the plurality of pins have different lengths from each other, The length of the pins inserted in order from the first through hole to the n-th through hole is long, in the mold release device for the sealing material according to

[19] .

[21] The mold has been subjected to a mold release treatment, in the mold release device for the sealing material according to any one of

[16] to

[20] .

[22] A sealing material manufacturing apparatus including the mold release device for the sealing material according to any one of

[16] to

[21] .

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a sealing material, a mold release device, and a manufacturing apparatus in which the sealing material can be easily removed from the mold in the mold release step.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the mold release step. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the demolding step. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the demolding step. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the sealing material. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a schematic method for continuously producing a sealing material. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view that illustrates a schematic diagram of a manufacturing apparatus for a sealing material. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. In all of the drawings, the scale of each component is appropriately adjusted to make it easier to understand, and the scale of each component shown in the drawings does not necessarily match the scale of the actual component.

[0010] <Method of manufacturing the sealing material> The method for manufacturing a sealing material of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a sealing material using a mold, and includes a demolding step of removing the sealing material from the mold, the mold including an upper mold and a lower mold, the upper mold having a through hole, and in the demolding step, the sealing material is removed from the upper mold by inserting a pin into the through hole while raising the upper mold.

[0011] The demolding step will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. The demolding step can be performed using a demolding device. Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the demolding device 10 as viewed from the horizontal direction. A mold 13 is placed on a mounting table 22 of the demolding device 10. The mold 13 may be transported from a step (e.g., a curing step) prior to the demolding step. Methods for transporting the mold 13 include, for example, a belt conveyor, a free-flow conveyor, a linear conveyor module, a transport roll, a transport arm, and the like.

[0012] The mold 13 is composed of an upper mold 13a and a lower mold 13b. The mold 13 has a cavity 17. The upper mold 13a has a through hole 14 and a recess 12. The cavity 17 is formed by the recess 12 and the lower mold 13b. The mold 13 contains a sealant 11 formed by curing a sealant composition filled in the cavity 17.

[0013] The mold 13 may be transported to the demolding step with the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b fixed by clamps (not shown). The clamps are removed before the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b are separated.

[0014] Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper mold 13a is raised to separate the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b. When the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b are separated, the sealant 11 is in a state of being accommodated in the recess 12. Since the surface area of ​​the sealant 11 in contact with the upper mold 13a is larger than that of the lower mold 13b, the force of adhesion to the upper mold 13a is large, and the sealant 11 does not fall from the upper mold 13a even when the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b are separated. The upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b can be separated by placing an end of the upper mold 13a on the claw portion 20 of the lifting mechanism 19 supported by the support 23 and lifting the lifting mechanism 19.

[0015] By raising the upper mold 13a, the pin 15 supported by the support 23 can be inserted into the through hole 14. By inserting the pin 15 into the through hole 14, the sealing material 11 can be removed from the upper mold 13a. According to the present invention, even if the sealing material is fixed to the mold and is difficult to remove from the mold, the sealing material can be easily removed from the mold. Furthermore, when the sealing material includes a substrate as described below and the substrate is pressed with the pin 15 to remove the sealing material 11, there is a tendency that separation of the sealing material and the substrate is easily suppressed when the upper mold and the lower mold are separated.

[0016] The through hole 14 may penetrate linearly from the upper surface of the upper mold 13a to the recess 12. When the through hole 14 penetrates linearly from the upper surface of the upper mold 13a to the recess 12, the pin 15 is inserted into the through hole 14 while raising the upper mold 13a, and the pin 15 is pressed directly against the sealant 11 to push out the sealant 11, thereby removing the sealant 11 from the upper mold 13a. The through hole 14 may function as a filling nozzle insertion part for inserting a filling nozzle for filling the mold 13 with a sealant composition. When the through hole 14 functions as a filling nozzle insertion part, the through hole 14 may have a shape that allows it to be fitted with the filling nozzle. The shape of the tip of the pin 15 may be, for example, a hemispherical shape or a flat surface to prevent the pin 15 from piercing the sealant 11 or the sealant 11 from adhering to the pin 15. The shape of the tip of the pin 15 can be selected according to the type of object that the pin 15 comes into contact with, such as the sealant 11 or the substrate, and according to the position where the pin 15 is placed in the demolding device 10. When there are multiple pins, the shapes of the pin tips may be a combination of different shapes. In order to prevent damage to the sealant 11, the entire pin 15 or the tip of the pin 15 may be made of resin or rubber.

[0017] A substrate (not shown) may be disposed between the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b. The substrate may be one selected from the group consisting of a film, a plate material, and a molded product. The substrate may be, for example, a metal plate, etc., and may be preferably made of SUS or the like. The substrate may be in a state of being in close contact with the sealant, or may be included in a product together with the sealant. When the substrate is disposed between the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b, a cavity 17 in which the sealant is formed is formed by the recess 12 of the upper mold 13a and the substrate. When the upper mold 13a is raised, the substrate may be raised together with the sealant in a state of being in close contact with the sealant 11. When the substrate is disposed between the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b, the pin 15 is inserted into the through hole 14 while the upper mold 13a is raised, and the sealant 11 can be removed from the upper mold 13a by pushing the substrate with the pin 15. When the substrate is pressed by the pin 15, the through hole 14 into which the pin 15 is inserted may be linearly penetrating from the upper surface of the upper mold 13a without passing through the recess 12. When the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b are separated, the upper mold is raised while the substrate remains on the lower mold 13b side, thereby making it easier to remove the sealant. Methods for leaving the substrate on the lower mold 13b side include, for example, a method of sucking the substrate from the lower mold 13b side, a method of fixing the substrate to the lower mold 13b, a method of hooking the substrate on the lower mold side, and the like.

[0018] The upper mold 13a may have one or more through holes 14. The diameter of the through holes 14 may be, for example, 0.5 to 50 mm, preferably 1 to 20 mm, and more preferably 1 to 10 mm.

[0019] The pins 15 are arranged so as to be insertable into the through holes 14 of the upper die 13a. The diameter of the pins 15 may be any size that allows them to be inserted into the through holes 14, and is, for example, 0.3 to 45 mm.

[0020] When the through hole 14 is composed of a plurality of through holes, the pin 15 can be composed of a plurality of pins. The pins can be arranged in accordance with the positions of the corresponding through holes. One pin can be inserted into one through hole. The pins 15 constituting the plurality of pins can be inserted into the through holes constituting the plurality of through holes all at the same time, or one at a time, or two or more at a time, in any order. In addition, when the mold 13 is viewed in the thickness direction, the pins 15 can be inserted in order from the center of the upper mold 13a toward the end side of the upper mold 13a. In addition, when the mold 13 is viewed in the horizontal direction, when the through hole that is closest to the end of the upper mold 13a among the plurality of through holes is defined as the first through hole, and the through hole adjacent to the n-1th through hole is defined as the nth through hole (n is an integer of 2 or more), the pins 15 can be inserted one at a time or two or more at a time in the order from the first through hole to the nth through hole, or from any through hole in any order, and the sealing material 11 can be pushed out of the recess 12 by the pins 15. n may be an integer of, for example, 2 to 100.

[0021] The pins 15 constituting the plurality of pins may have different lengths. By making the length of the pin 15 inserted into the first through hole the longest and shortening the length of the pins 15 inserted into the first through hole through the nth through hole in order, it is possible to insert pins with longer lengths in the order from the first through hole through the nth through hole. This makes it possible to push out the sealant 11 from the recess 12 in stages, and to soften the impact when the sealant 11 that has fallen out of the recess 12 falls onto the recovery device 16. The length of the pin 15 can be adjusted according to the thickness of the upper mold 13a and the number of pins 15, and may be, for example, 1 to 100 mm. The interval at which the pins 15 are arranged can be adjusted according to, for example, the shape of the sealant 11 and the number of pins 15. In addition, when the through hole 14 has a function as a filling nozzle insertion part, the interval at which the pins 15 are arranged may be the interval of the filling nozzle arranged in the filling device, and the pins 15 do not have to be arranged in all of the through holes 14. The pins 15 may be arranged at intervals of, for example, 1 to 500 mm.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, when the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b are separated, the upper mold 13a is raised while the sealant 11 remains on the upper mold 13a side, and a recovery device 16 for recovering the sealant 11 is disposed between the sealant 11 and the lower mold 13b, or between the substrate and the lower mold 13b if a substrate is present, and then the sealant 11 can be extruded from the upper mold 13a onto the recovery device 16. The extruded sealant 11 can be recovered by the recovery device 16. The recovery device 16 can be disposed under the upper mold 13a while the upper mold 13a is rising and before the pins 15 extrude the sealant 11. The recovery device 16 may be movable, for example, a robot arm or the like.

[0023] In order to facilitate separation of the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b and to facilitate removal of the sealant 11 from the mold 13, the upper mold 13a can be raised while blowing air into the through holes 14. The mold 13 may be release-treated, the surface of the recess 12 may be release-treated, and the surface of the lower mold 13b may be release-treated. The release treatment can be performed by applying a release agent to the mold surface.

[0024] The thickness of the upper mold 13a may be, for example, 20 mm or less, preferably 15 mm or less, more preferably 10 mm or less, and further preferably 5 mm or less, and may be, for example, 1 mm or more. The thickness of the lower mold 13b may be any thickness that can withstand the filling pressure of the sealing material composition.

[0025] The material for forming the mold 13 may be, for example, metal, glass, resin, etc. When the sealant composition is an ultraviolet-curable sealant composition described below, the mold 13 may have ultraviolet transparency so that the ultraviolet-curable sealant composition filled in the mold 13 is irradiated with ultraviolet light in a curing step described below to cure the composition. The ultraviolet transparency may be, for example, a light transmittance of 80% or more at a wavelength of 365 nm, and is preferably 90% or more, more preferably 95% or more, and is usually 100% or less, from the viewpoint of the curability of the ultraviolet-curable sealant composition.

[0026] When the mold 13 has ultraviolet light transmittance, the mold 13 may be formed of a material having ultraviolet light transmittance. Examples of the material having ultraviolet light transmittance include glass, quartz, polyester resin, polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin, tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinylether copolymer (PFA), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer (ETFE), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (ECTFE), cycloolefin polymer (COP), and the like. Among them, tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinylether copolymer (PFA) and acrylic resin are preferred from the viewpoint of handling and transparency, and acrylic resin is more preferred. The material having ultraviolet light transmittance can be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

[0027] The mold 13 may be provided with a transport frame 21 at an end of the upper mold 13a. The mold 13 can be transported while the transport frame 21 is placed on a transport device. When the mold 13 is provided with the transport frame 21, the upper mold 13a can be lifted while supporting the transport frame 21. The mold 13 may be provided with a mold sealant 18 to improve the sealing performance between the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b.

[0028] The sealant composition may be, for example, an ultraviolet-curable sealant composition, a heat-curable sealant composition, or the like. The sealant composition is preferably an ultraviolet-curable sealant composition from the viewpoint of shortening the production time of the sealant and not generating heat. The ultraviolet-curable sealant composition is a composition having the property of being cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet-curable sealant composition may contain an ultraviolet-curable resin component and a photopolymerization initiator.

[0029] Examples of the ultraviolet-curable resin component include rubber-based resins, polyolefin-based resins, acrylic-based resins, epoxy resins, silicone-based resins, urethane-based resins, vinyl alkyl ether-based resins, polyvinylpyrrolidone-based resins, polyacrylamide-based resins, and cellulose-based resins. The ultraviolet-curable resin component may include polyolefin-based resins, acrylic resins, or epoxy resins. These cured products have crosslinking points and can have rubber elasticity.

[0030] Examples of rubber-based resins include isoprene rubber, butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, nitrile rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene rubber, acrylic rubber, fluororubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, urethane rubber, silicone rubber, etc. Examples of polyolefin-based resins include polyisobutylene, etc. Examples of commercially available ultraviolet-curable sealing material compositions containing polyolefin-based resins include ThreeBond3178 (manufactured by ThreeBond Co., Ltd.).

[0031] The content of the ultraviolet curable resin component in the solid content of the ultraviolet curable sealant composition may be, for example, 50% by mass or more, preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 60% by mass or more, even more preferably 70% by mass or more, particularly preferably 80% by mass or more, and extremely preferably 90% by mass or more. The content of the ultraviolet curable resin component in the solid content of the ultraviolet curable sealant composition may be, for example, 99% by mass or less, or 98% by mass or less.

[0032] Examples of the photopolymerization initiator include a photocationic polymerization initiator and a photoradical polymerization initiator.

[0033] The content of the photopolymerization initiator may be, for example, 0.001 parts by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less, preferably 0.005 parts by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less, and more preferably 0.01 parts by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less, relative to 100 parts by mass of the ultraviolet-curable resin component.

[0034] The ultraviolet-curable sealant composition may further contain a crosslinking agent, other resin components, additives, fillers, and the like.

[0035] The viscosity of the ultraviolet-curable sealant composition may be, for example, 500 Pa·s or less, and from the viewpoint of filling property, is preferably 300 Pa·s or less, more preferably 200 Pa·s or less. The viscosity of the ultraviolet-curable sealant composition is measured, for example, using a B-type viscometer.

[0036] The method for producing a sealant may further include, in addition to the demolding step, a mold preparation step of preparing a mold, a filling step of filling the mold with a sealant composition, and a curing step of curing the sealant composition filled in the mold. When the mold is transportable, a plurality of molds are used and transported between steps, making it possible to perform a plurality of steps independently and continuously, thereby increasing the productivity of the sealant.

[0037] The method for producing a sealing material may be a method for continuously producing a sealing material. As shown in FIG. 4, the method for producing a sealing material may include a mold preparation step (S10), a filling step (S20), a curing step (S30), and a demolding step (S40). The mold filled with the sealing material composition in the filling step (S20) is transported to the curing step (S30), and the mold from which the sealing material is removed in the demolding step (S40) can be returned to the mold preparation step (S10). The method for producing a sealing material shown in FIG. 4 further includes an inspection step (S50) for inspecting the removed sealing material, a packaging step (S60) for packaging the sealing material, a cleaning step (S70) for cleaning the mold returned to the mold preparation step (S10), and a release agent application step (S80) for applying a release agent to the cleaned mold. The method for producing a sealing material may be performed continuously from the mold preparation step (S10) to the release agent application step (S80). After the demolding step (S40), the mold is returned to the mold preparation step (S10), whereby the above steps can be repeatedly and continuously carried out.

[0038] The method for continuously manufacturing the sealing material is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include a method in which the above steps are performed in series while the mold is conveyed in a straight line (hereinafter also referred to as the straight line method), a method in which the above straight line methods are performed in a line (hereinafter also referred to as the multi-line method), a method in which the above steps are performed while the mold is conveyed in a concentric circle (hereinafter also referred to as the rotation method), etc. In addition, a plurality of steps may be integrated and performed as a single process, or a plurality of steps may be performed in parallel.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method for continuously manufacturing a sealing material, with the direction of conveyance of the mold indicated by an arrow. The method shown in FIG. 5(a) is a linear method in which steps a1, a2, a3, and a4 are continuously performed in this order, the mold is collected in step a4 (e.g., demolding step), and the mold is returned to step a1 (e.g., mold preparation step). The method shown in FIG. 5(b) is a linear method in which steps a1, a2, a3, and a4 are continuously performed in this order, while step a2 is performed multiple times in parallel, the mold is collected in step a4 (e.g., demolding step), and the mold is returned to step a1 (e.g., mold preparation step). The method shown in FIG. 5(c) is a rotational method in which steps a1, a2, a3, and a4 are continuously performed in this order, and in step a2, the mold is treated while being conveyed concentrically in the order of 1 to 8. As shown in FIG. 5(c), for example, the product can be removed from the mold in step a3 (e.g., a demolding step), the mold can be returned to step a1 (e.g., a mold preparation step), and the product can be transported to the subsequent step a4 (e.g., an inspection step, etc.).

[0040] In the method for producing the sealing material, the time (takt time) from the mold preparation step, through the filling step and curing step, to the removal of the sealing material in the demolding step may be, for example, 60 seconds or less, preferably 50 seconds or less, more preferably 40 seconds or less, even more preferably 30 seconds or less, particularly preferably 20 seconds or less, and extremely preferably 10 seconds or less.

[0041] The type of the sealing material produced by the method for producing a sealing material is not particularly limited. The use of the sealing material produced by the method for producing a sealing material is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a vehicle, an aircraft, a ship, an internal combustion engine, a manufacturing device, a plant, a medical product, a building, a semiconductor, a food, a battery, etc. In addition, the sealing material of the present invention can be combined with a mold, a resin part, or various sheets to form an integrally molded product or a composite product.

[0042] <Sealing material demolding device> A sealant demolding device according to another aspect of the present invention is a sealant demolding device for removing a sealant from a mold, the mold including an upper mold and a lower mold, the upper mold having a through hole and a pin at a position corresponding to the through hole, and a means for lifting the upper mold to insert the pin into the through hole. The sealant demolding device may further include a support, a mounting table, and a recovery device. The above description is applied to the sealant, the mold, the upper mold, the lower mold, the through hole, the pin, the support, the mounting table, and the recovery device. When the upper mold is lifted while leaving the sealant on the upper mold side when separating the upper mold and the lower mold, the recovery device can be disposed between the substrate and the lower mold to recover the sealant extruded from the upper mold.

[0043] The means for lifting the upper mold, separating the upper mold and the lower mold, and inserting a pin into the through hole of the upper mold can be, for example, a transport arm that lifts the upper mold while supporting the transport frame of the upper mold. The demolding device may be equipped with a means for blowing air into the through hole. The demolding device may be equipped with a means for the substrate to remain on the lower mold side when the upper mold and the lower mold are separated. The means for the substrate to remain on the lower mold side can be, for example, a means for sucking the substrate from the lower mold side, a means for fixing the substrate to the lower mold, or a means for hooking the substrate on the lower mold side. The mold may be release-treated, the surface of the recess may be release-treated, and the surface of the lower mold may be release-treated. The release treatment can be performed by applying a release agent to the mold surface.

[0044] The through hole may be composed of a plurality of through holes. The pin may be composed of a plurality of pins. Each pin may be arranged in accordance with the position of the corresponding through hole. One pin may be inserted into one through hole. The pins constituting the plurality of pins may be inserted into the through holes constituting the plurality of through holes all at the same time, or one at a time, or two or more at a time, in any order. Also, when the mold is viewed in the thickness direction, the pins may be inserted in order from the center of the upper mold toward the end side of the upper mold. When the mold is viewed in the horizontal direction, when one of the through holes that is closest to the end of the upper mold is the first through hole, and the through hole adjacent to the n-1th through hole is the nth through hole (n is an integer of 2 or more), the pins may be inserted in the order from the first through hole to the nth through hole, or in any order from any through hole, one at a time, or two or more at a time. The pins constituting the plurality of pins may have different lengths from each other. The length of the pin inserted in the order from the first through hole to the nth through hole may increase.

[0045] <Sealing material manufacturing equipment> The sealing material manufacturing apparatus may include the above-mentioned filling apparatus. The sealing material manufacturing apparatus may have a plurality of apparatuses used for carrying out the above-mentioned steps arranged linearly, any or all of the plurality of apparatuses arranged in parallel, a plurality of apparatuses arranged concentrically, or a combination of these arrangements.

[0046] FIG. 6 shows a linear type sealant manufacturing apparatus. The sealant manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the sealant manufacturing apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 6. The sealant manufacturing apparatus 200 includes a conveying device 201, a mold supplying device 202, a mold 13, a filling device 203, a curing device 204, and a demolding device 10, which are linearly arranged. The curing device 204 is equipped with an ultraviolet (UV) irradiating device. The sealant manufacturing apparatus 200 may be a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a sealant using an ultraviolet curable sealant composition. The mold 13 is supplied by the mold supplying device 202, the mold 13 is conveyed by the conveying device 201 to the filling device 203, the mold 13 is filled with the ultraviolet curable sealant composition by the filling device 203, and then ultraviolet rays are irradiated in the curing device 204, and after curing, the sealant 205 is removed from the mold 13 in the demolding device 10. In the mold supplying device 202, a substrate 206 is arranged between the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b. The mold 13 is returned to the mold supply device 202 following the arrow from the demolding device 10.

[0047] As the conveying device 201, for example, a belt conveyor, a free-flow conveyor, a linear conveyor module, a conveying roll, a conveying arm, or the like can be used.

[0048] The ultraviolet irradiation device may be equipped with a light source such as a metal halide lamp or an LED. According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the upper mold, so that the distance between the light source and the ultraviolet curable sealant composition filled in the mold can be easily reduced. When the distance between the ultraviolet curable sealant composition filled in the mold is short, the ultraviolet curable sealant composition filled in the mold tends to be easily cured in a short time even without irradiating ultraviolet light with high illuminance, for example. The distance between the light source and the ultraviolet curable sealant composition filled in the mold may be, for example, 30 mm or less, and is preferably 20 mm or less, more preferably 15 mm or less, even more preferably 10 mm or less, and particularly preferably 6 mm or less from the viewpoint of efficient curing of the ultraviolet curable sealant composition. EXAMPLES

[0049] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to examples.

[0050] <Example 1> In the mold preparation process, a SUS plate was placed between the upper and lower molds made of acrylic resin to prepare a mold. The upper mold had a filling nozzle insertion section, a runner section, and a gate section. The thickness of the upper mold was 5 mm. The mold was transported to the filling process by a belt conveyor, and after the filling nozzle was inserted into the through hole (filling nozzle insertion section) of the upper mold, the mold was pressed down by a filling machine. After the upper and lower molds were fixed with a clamp, the cavity of the mold was filled with an ultraviolet-curable sealant composition (containing polyisobutylene and a photopolymerization initiator) from the filling nozzle. Next, the filling nozzle was removed from the mold. Thereafter, the mold filled with the ultraviolet-curable sealant composition was transported to the curing process, where ultraviolet light was irradiated from an ultraviolet irradiation device having an LED as a source of ultraviolet light, and the ultraviolet-curable sealant composition was cured. Thereafter, the mold was transported to the demolding process, and the clamp was removed. After the lower mold was fixed by suction, the conveying frame of the upper mold was lifted by an arm. The sealant was placed in the recess of the upper mold together with the SUS plate. The demolding device had multiple pins of different lengths. The pins with the longest length were inserted into the through holes arranged from one end of the upper mold to the other end, starting with the longest. The sealant was removed from the upper mold from one end to the other, and the sealant removed from the upper mold was collected by the collection device with the SUS plate still attached. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 10 demolding device, 11 sealing material, 12 recess, 13 mold, 13a upper mold, 13b lower mold, 14 through hole, 15 pin, 16 recovery device, 17 cavity, 18 mold sealing material, 19 lifting mechanism, 20 claw portion, 21 transport frame, 22 mounting table, 23 support, 200 sealing material manufacturing device, 201 transport device, 202 mold supply device, 203 filling device, 204 curing device, 205 sealing material, 206 substrate.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a sealing material using a mold, comprising the steps of: A demolding process is included in which the sealing material is removed from the mold. The mold includes an upper mold and a lower mold, The upper die has a through hole, A method for manufacturing a sealing material, wherein, in the demolding process, when the upper mold and the lower mold are separated, the sealing material is removed from the upper mold by inserting a pin into the through hole while lifting the upper mold.

2. the upper die has a recess that defines a cavity in which the sealing material is formed, the through hole extends linearly from the upper surface of the upper die to the recess, The method for producing a sealing material according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of pressing the pin directly against the sealing material to push the sealing material out of the recess.

3. A substrate is disposed between the upper mold and the lower mold; The method for producing a sealing material according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate is pushed out by the pin.

4. The method for producing a sealing material according to claim 1 , wherein the upper die is raised while blowing air into the through hole.

5. The through hole is composed of a plurality of through holes, The pin is composed of a plurality of pins, The method for manufacturing a sealing material according to claim 1 , wherein the pins constituting the plurality of pins are inserted into the through holes constituting the plurality of through holes all at the same time, or one by one, or two or more at the same time, in any order.

6. The method for manufacturing a sealing material according to claim 5 , wherein the pins are inserted in sequence from a center of the upper die toward an end of the upper die when the die is viewed in a thickness direction.

7. When the mold is viewed from a horizontal direction, the through hole that is closest to an end of the upper mold among the plurality of through holes is defined as a first through hole, and the through hole adjacent to the (n-1)th through hole is defined as an nth through hole (n is an integer of 2 or more), The method for manufacturing a sealing material according to claim 5 , wherein the pins are inserted one by one or two or more at the same time in the order from the first through hole to the nth through hole, or in the order from any through hole to any other through hole.

8. The pins constituting the plurality of pins have different lengths, The method for producing a sealing material according to claim 7 , wherein pins of increasing length are inserted in the order from the first through hole to the nth through hole.

9. 4. The method for manufacturing a sealing material according to claim 3, wherein, when the upper mold and the lower mold are separated, the upper mold is raised while the sealing material remains on the upper mold side, a recovery device for the sealing material is disposed between the substrate and the lower mold, and then the sealing material is extruded from the upper mold onto the recovery device.

10. The method for producing a sealing material according to claim 3 , wherein when the upper mold and the lower mold are separated, the upper mold is raised while the substrate is left on the lower mold side.

11. The method for producing a sealing material according to claim 1 , wherein the mold is subjected to a release treatment.

12. a mold preparation step of preparing the mold; A filling step of filling the mold with a sealing material composition using a filling machine; and The method further includes a curing step of curing the sealant composition filled in the mold, The method for producing a sealing material according to claim 1 , wherein the mold from which the sealing material was removed in the demolding step is returned to the mold preparation step.

13. The method for manufacturing a sealing material according to claim 12, wherein the through hole functions as a filling nozzle insertion portion into which a filling nozzle of the filling machine is inserted.

14. The method for manufacturing a sealing material according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the upper die is 5 mm or less.

15. The upper mold includes a carrier frame, The method for manufacturing a sealing material according to claim 1 , wherein the upper die is raised while the transport frame is supported.

16. A sealant demolding device for removing a sealant from a mold, comprising: The mold includes an upper mold and a lower mold, The upper die has a through hole, A pin is provided at a position corresponding to the through hole, The sealing material demolding device includes a means for lifting the upper die, separating the upper die and the lower die, and inserting the pin into the through hole.

17. The through hole is composed of a plurality of through holes, The pin is composed of a plurality of pins, The sealing material demolding device according to claim 16, wherein the pins constituting the plurality of pins are inserted into the through holes constituting the plurality of through holes all at the same time, one at a time, or two or more at the same time in any order.

18. The apparatus for removing a sealing material according to claim 17 , wherein the pins are inserted in sequence from a center of the upper mold toward an end of the upper mold when the mold is viewed in a thickness direction.

19. When the mold is viewed from a horizontal direction, one of the plurality of through holes that is closest to an end of the upper mold is defined as a first through hole, and the through hole adjacent to the (n-1)th through hole is defined as an nth through hole (n is an integer of 2 or more), The sealing material demolding device according to claim 17 , wherein the pins are inserted one by one or two or more at the same time in the order from the first through hole to the nth through hole, or in the order from any through hole to any other through hole.

20. The pins constituting the plurality of pins have different lengths, The apparatus for removing a sealing material according to claim 19 , wherein the lengths of the pins inserted in the order from the first through hole to the nth through hole increase.

21. The apparatus for removing a sealing material according to claim 16, wherein the mold is subjected to a release treatment.

22. An apparatus for manufacturing a sealing material, comprising the apparatus for demolding a sealing material according to any one of claims 16 to 21.

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