Electrical conductor integrated resin component, and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

To provide an electrical conductor integrated resin component, a wiring material and a resin component of which are manufactured in the same step to achieve manufacturing efficiency, and a method of manufacturing the same.SOLUTION: An electrical conductor integrated resin component 1 comprises: an electrical conductive wiring material 3; and a resin component 5 holding the wiring material 3. The wiring material 3 and the resin component 5 are formed by laminating a plurality of layers. The wiring material 3 is made of at least one of a copper alloy and an electrical conductive resin.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conductor-integrated resin part and a method for manufacturing the same.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, among automotive parts, resin molded parts having a conductor are mainly manufactured by two methods. One method is to prepare a wire harness in which a plurality of electric wires as conductors are bundled and provided with a protective material or the like for protecting against external damage, and then combine it with a resin molded product.

[0003] Another method is to punch a copper flat plate into a circuit pattern and mold resin around it, which is called a molded bus bar. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing a molded bus bar in which a bus bar as an energized plate is held in a mold and a resin molded part serving as an insulator is formed between the bus bars.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the method for manufacturing a conductor-integrated resin part such as that of Patent Document 1, manufacturing equipment is required for each of the manufacture of the wiring material, the manufacture of the resin part, and the integration of the wiring material and the resin part. Therefore, a great deal of time and cost are required for product design, and the manufacturing process is complicated and inefficient.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the conventional technology. An object of the present invention is to provide a conductor-integrated resin part and a method for manufacturing the same, in which a wiring material and a resin part are manufactured in the same process to improve manufacturing efficiency.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] The conductor-integrated resin component according to an aspect of the present invention includes a conductive wiring material and a resin component that holds the wiring material. The wiring material and the resin component are formed by laminating a plurality of layers, and the wiring material is made of at least one of a copper alloy and a conductive resin.

[0008] The method for manufacturing a conductor-integrated resin component according to an aspect of the present invention includes a design data creation step of creating design data for output from a 3D printer for at least one of a copper alloy for a 3D printer and a conductive resin for a 3D printer that constitute a wiring material, and a resin for a 3D printer that constitutes a resin component, and a 3D printer output step of laminating a plurality of layers by discharging at least one of a copper alloy for a 3D printer and a conductive resin for a 3D printer that constitute a wiring material, and a resin for a 3D printer that constitutes a resin component from a 3D printer head based on the design data created in the design data creation step to form a wiring material and a resin component.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a conductor-integrated resin component and a method for manufacturing the same in which a wiring material and a resin component are manufactured in the same process, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, the conductor-integrated resin component and its manufacturing method according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 3, the conductor-integrated resin component 1 of the present embodiment includes a conductive wiring material 3 and a resin component 5 that holds the wiring material 3. The wiring material 3 and the resin component 5 are formed by laminating a plurality of layers.

[0013] The wiring material 3 and the resin component 5 may be formed by laminating a plurality of layers using a 3D printer. A 3D printer is a device that sequentially laminates a modeling material to create a three-dimensional object based on three-dimensional modeling data created by a computer.

[0014] The wiring material 3 has conductivity and is composed of at least one of a copper alloy and a conductive resin. The copper alloy constituting the wiring material 3 may be a copper alloy for a 3D printer, and the conductive resin constituting the wiring material 3 may be a conductive resin for a 3D printer. Also, the resin component 5 may be made of a resin for a 3D printer. When the material constituting the wiring material 3 or the resin component 5 is a material that can be used in a 3D printer, it is not particularly limited, but the materials that can be used differ depending on the modeling method of the 3D printer as described later.

[0015] As the copper alloy, for example, those specified in Japanese Industrial Standard JIS H3100 (Plates and Bars of Copper and Copper Alloys) can be used. Specifically, oxygen-free copper (C1020), tough pitch copper (C1100), phosphor-deoxidized copper (C1201), tin-containing copper (C1441), zirconium-containing copper (C1510), iron-containing copper (C1921), etc. can be used.

[0016] Furthermore, the copper alloy may contain metals and compounds other than the copper alloy. Examples of the metals and compounds other than copper and copper alloy include one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Fe, Pt, Au, Al, Si, Cr, Mg, Mn, Mo, Rh, Si, Ta, Ti, W, U, V, and Zr, or compounds containing the one or more elements.

[0017] The conductive resin may contain at least one of a metal and carbon. Alternatively, a resin containing at least one of a metal and carbon may be used for the resin constituting the resin component 5.

[0018] Examples of the metal used for the conductive resin include one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, Pt, Au, Al, Si, Cr, Mg, Mn, Mo, Rh, Si, Ta, Ti, W, U, V, and Zr, or compounds containing the one or more elements.

[0019] Examples of the carbon used for the conductive resin include at least one material selected from the group consisting of carbon black, carbon fiber, CNT (carbon nanotube), and diamond.

[0020] When the resin constituting the resin component 5 is a resin for a 3D printer, the materials that can be used differ depending on the shaping method of the 3D printer as described later. Therefore, a thermoplastic resin, a photocurable resin, or the like that is compatible with the shaping method of each 3D printer can be used.

[0021] Examples of the shaping method of the 3D printer include a fused deposition modeling (FDM) method, a material jetting method (material jet method), a binder jet method, a powder bed fusion method (SLS method, SLM method, EBM method), a stereolithography method (SLA method, DLP method), and the like.

[0022] The fused deposition modeling method is a method of discharging a thermoplastic resin melted at a high temperature from a 3D printer head and laminating it layer by layer. Therefore, known thermoplastic resins can be used as the resin for the 3D printer that constitutes the resin component 5, and at least one selected from the group consisting of polyacetal resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) resin, polyamide resin, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) resin, polycarbonate (PC) resin, PC / ABS resin, and polylactic acid (PLA) resin may be used. Further, the material used in the fused deposition modeling method may be a synthetic material in which different materials are mixed with the thermoplastic resin. Therefore, by mixing a conductive material such as metal or carbon with the thermoplastic resin, it is also possible to produce a conductive resin for a 3D printer that constitutes the wiring material 3.

[0023] The material jetting method is a method of discharging a liquid photocurable resin or the like from a 3D printer head, irradiating it with ultraviolet rays, and curing and laminating it layer by layer. Therefore, known photocurable resins can be used as the resin for the 3D printer that constitutes the resin component 5, and at least one of acrylic resin and epoxy resin may be used. Further, by mixing a conductive material such as metal or carbon with the photocurable resin, which is the material used in the material jetting method, it is also possible to produce a conductive resin for a 3D printer that constitutes the wiring material 3.

[0024] The binder jetting method is a method of discharging a resin and a powder such as metal from a 3D printer head, further discharging a photocurable resin from the 3D printer head as a binder, curing it, and solidifying and laminating the powder layer by layer. Therefore, known photocurable resins can be used as the resin for the 3D printer that constitutes the resin component 5, and at least one of acrylic resin and epoxy resin may be used. Further, in the binder jetting method, a photocurable resin may be discharged as a binder onto a conductive material such as metal or carbon to produce it, and it is also possible to produce a copper alloy for a 3D printer or a conductive resin for a 3D printer that constitutes the wiring material 3.

[0025] The powder bed fusion method is a method of irradiating a powdery material ejected from a 3D printer head with a laser beam or an electron beam to sinter or melt and stack it layer by layer. Furthermore, the powder bed fusion method is classified into an SLS method of sintering with a laser beam, an SLM method of melting with a laser beam, an EBM method of melting with an electron beam, and the like. Therefore, as the resin for a 3D printer constituting the resin component 5, a powdery resin used in the SLS method can be mentioned, and at least one selected from the group consisting of nylon resin, polypropylene resin, polystyrene resin, and thermoplastic elastomer may be used. Also, among the powder bed fusion methods, the SLM method or the EBM method is also useful as a modeling method for melting and solidifying metal, and it is also possible to produce a copper alloy for a 3D printer constituting the wiring material 3.

[0026] The stereolithography method is a method of curing and stacking a liquid photocurable resin layer by layer. Furthermore, the stereolithography method is classified into an SLA method of curing while irradiating with an ultraviolet laser, a DLP method of curing while irradiating with an LED light beam, and the like. Therefore, as the resin for a 3D printer constituting the resin component 5, known photocurable resins can be mentioned, and at least one of acrylic resin and epoxy resin may be used. Also, by mixing a conductive material such as metal or carbon into the photocurable resin, which is the material used in the stereolithography method, it is also possible to produce a conductive resin for a 3D printer constituting the wiring material 3.

[0027] The wiring material 3 has conductivity and is composed of at least one of a copper alloy and a conductive resin. As described above, by mixing a conductive material such as metal or carbon into a thermoplastic resin or a photocurable resin, or directly melting metal, it is possible to produce a copper alloy or a conductive resin constituting the wiring material 3. That is, it may be formed by solidifying a fluid metal-containing material.

[0028] As described above, by using a 3D printer, the conductor-integrated resin component of the present embodiment can manufacture the wiring material and the resin component in the same process within the same workspace of one manufacturing facility. That is, it is possible to provide a conductor-integrated resin component that manufactures the wiring material and the resin component in the same process and improves manufacturing efficiency.

[0029] The manufacturing method of the conductor-integrated resin component of the present embodiment includes a design data creation process shown in FIG. 1 and a 3D printer output process shown in FIG. 2.

[0030] The design data creation process is a process of creating design data 11 for output from a 3D printer, including at least one of a copper alloy for a 3D printer and a conductive resin for a 3D printer that constitute the wiring material 3, and a resin for a 3D printer that constitutes the resin component 5. Specifically, first, after creating the design data 11, design data cut into thin slices for 3D printer output is created.

[0031] The 3D printer output process is a process of forming the wiring material 3 and the resin component 5 by laminating a plurality of layers by discharging the above materials that constitute the wiring material 3 and the above materials that constitute the resin component 5 from a 3D printer head based on the design data 11 created in the design data creation process. Specifically, there is a 3D printer head for each material of the wiring material 3 or the resin component 5, and the material input into the 3D printer head is discharged and output layer by layer in the workspace and laminated as shown in FIG. 2.

[0032] Finally, as shown in FIG. 3, the conductor-integrated resin component 1 is completed. The use of the conductor-integrated resin component 1 is not particularly limited, but it can be used for resin molded parts having a conductor among automotive parts. As shown in FIG. 3, the conductor-integrated resin component 1 may be provided with a terminal 7 for connecting to a mating terminal (not shown). In this way, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method of a conductor-integrated resin component that manufactures a wiring material and a resin component in the same process using a 3D printer and improves manufacturing efficiency.

[0033] In the conventional method for manufacturing a conductor-integrated resin component, manufacturing equipment was required for each of the manufacturing of the wiring material, the manufacturing of the resin component, and the integration of the wiring material and the resin component. Therefore, a great deal of time and cost were required for product design, and the manufacturing process was also complicated. In particular, for products with small production volumes, if they were produced using the same manufacturing method as mass production, the amortization cost of the manufacturing equipment would be high, and ultimately the cost of the product would increase. In the future, in the automotive industry, it is assumed that the addition of new equipment after vehicle purchase or the retrofitting of manufacturer options will expand, and it is expected that the number of products with small production quantities of several per month will increase. In the manufacturing method of the conductor-integrated resin component of the present embodiment, since the wiring material and the resin component are manufactured in the same process, the preparation period related to design development and the design of the manufacturing line can be shortened, and even in small-scale production, an increase in the cost of the product can be suppressed.

[0034] As described above, the present embodiment has been explained, but the present embodiment is not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present embodiment.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0035] 1 Conductor-integrated resin component 3 Wiring material 5 Resin component 11 Design data 13 3D printer

Claims

1. A conductive cable material, A resin component that holds the cable material, and comprising, The cable material and the resin component are formed by laminating a plurality of layers, The cable material is a conductor-integrated resin component composed of at least one of a copper alloy and a conductive resin.

2. The copper alloy is a copper alloy for a 3D printer, the conductive resin is a conductive resin for a 3D printer, and the resin component is made of a resin for a 3D printer. The conductor-integrated resin component according to claim 1.

3. The conductive resin contains at least one of a metal and carbon. The conductor-integrated resin component according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A method for manufacturing the conductor-integrated resin component according to claim 2, A design data creation step of creating design data for outputting at least one of a copper alloy for a 3D printer and a conductive resin for a 3D printer that constitute the cable material, and a resin for a 3D printer that constitutes the resin component from a 3D printer; A 3D printer output step of laminating the plurality of layers to form the cable material and the resin component by discharging at least one of a copper alloy for a 3D printer and a conductive resin for a 3D printer that constitute the cable material, and a resin for a 3D printer that constitutes the resin component from a 3D printer head based on the design data created in the design data creation step; A method for manufacturing a conductor-integrated resin component having.

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