Forming and taking out device for thin-line adhesive seal having spong layer

Abstract

To provide a forming and taking out device that automatically, instead of manual work, divides and takes out individual thin-line adhesive seals along linear cuts provided parallel to a longitudinal direction of a thick-walled, wide, belt-like laminate having a sponge layer and an adhesive layer formed on release paper, the linear cuts extending in depth from the surface of the sponge layer to the surface of the release paper.SOLUTION: A forming and taking out device for a thin-line adhesive seal material having a sponge layer, the device having a separation stage 2 and a temporary attachment stage 5, is configured to automatically divide, in the longitudinal direction, a thick, wide, strip-shaped laminate having a sponge layer and an adhesive layer formed on release paper and constituting an adhesive seal material having a thick, wide, strip-shaped sponge layer, where a plurality of linear cuts are provided parallel to each other with a depth extending from the surface of the sponge layer to the surface of the release paper in the longitudinal direction of the laminate, into a plurality of pieces, and to automatically take out individual thin-line adhesive seal materials obtained by the division..SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for providing a more practical forming and removing device for thin-line adhesive seal material having a sponge layer, which can easily and automatically divide a thick and wide laminate having a sponge layer and an adhesive layer in a linear fashion in the longitudinal direction and cut it off one by one to form a plurality of thin-line adhesive seal material, and more preferably, can automatically move each thin-line adhesive seal material that has been automatically divided, cut off, and removed to a desired position where the adhesive seal material will be applied and used. [Background technology]

[0002] Adhesive sealants, which are laminated with an adhesive layer and an elastic sponge layer, are widely used as a method for improving the airtightness, thermal insulation, and soundproofing of automobiles and homes. For example, adhesive sealants with a laminated structure, in which a sponge layer made of an elastic material foamed from EPDM (ethylene propylene diene rubber) is laminated with an adhesive layer made of an acrylic adhesive, are used for various applications. For example, in automotive heat exchangers, sealants made of elastic materials have traditionally been used to achieve liquid-tight integration. Furthermore, with the recent shift from gasoline-engine vehicles to electric vehicles, adhesive sealants made of elastic materials are being used to ensure the waterproofing of batteries.

[0003] As described above, adhesive sealants made of elastic materials used to fill narrow gaps in automobiles and the like are often shaped like thin lines, for example, several millimeters wide. In contrast, adhesive sealants made of elastic materials typically have a structure in which an adhesive layer and an elastic sponge layer are laminated on a release liner. Providing such narrow, thin-line adhesive sealants presents challenges in terms of manufacturing, transportation, storage, and the like. Even if such sealants could be manufactured, the several-millimeter-wide laminate consisting of the adhesive layer and the elastic sponge layer must be properly peeled off from the release liner and then properly applied to the gap, making the adhesive seal installation process difficult. Furthermore, because large quantities of adhesive sealants are required for industrial applications such as those described above, providing narrow, thin-line adhesive sealants would result in the generation of large amounts of difficult-to-handle release liner several millimeters wide.

[0004] To address the above-mentioned issues, commercially available adhesive sealing materials, each consisting of a laminated adhesive layer and an elastic sponge layer, are typically thick, elastic, and strip-shaped sealing materials with widths ranging from 10 mm to 100 mm, with widths at least about 10 mm. Products of appropriate widths are selected and used depending on the application. Furthermore, to accommodate the narrower, thin-line adhesive sealing materials made of elastic materials that are used in large quantities, a product such as that shown in FIG. 4 has been provided and used. As shown in FIG. 4, this adhesive sealing material 1B product consists of a thick, wide, strip-shaped laminate 1-5 having a sponge layer 1-1 and an adhesive layer 1-2 formed on a release paper 1-3. A plurality of linear incisions 1-4 are formed parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction of the laminate, extending from the surface of the sponge layer to the surface of the release paper (i.e., the release paper is not separated). When in use, the adhesive sealing material is manually separated from the surface of the release paper 1-3 along the incisions 1-4, and used as individual thin-line adhesive sealing materials 1A. When the above product is used, the release paper 1-3 remains in a wide strip state. In addition to the work of obtaining a narrow, thin line-shaped adhesive seal material 1A for use in vehicles, etc. from the thick, wide, strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1B product having a sponge layer formed on the release paper, the obtained thin line-shaped adhesive seal material 1A is also manually installed in vehicles, etc. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, according to the inventor's investigations, there is no known method for automatically dividing the commercially available, wide, strip-shaped sponge-like adhesive seal material 1B product having the structure shown in Figure 4 into a plurality of thin-line adhesive seal materials 1A, nor for automatically and mechanically performing the operation of attaching the adhesive layer of the thin-line adhesive seal material 1A to desired locations, which is performed as needed following the dividing operation. The thick, wide, strip-shaped sponge-like adhesive seal material 1B product having the structure shown in Figure 4 has the following usage issues and room for improvement. When using the thick, wide, strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1B having the above structure, it is necessary to manually cut and divide the narrow, thin-line adhesive seal material 1A along the linear incision 1-4 that extends from the surface of the sponge layer 1-1 to the surface of the release paper 1-3. However, there are cases where dividing cannot be performed smoothly and satisfactorily, as described below.

[0006] First, in the sponge-like adhesive seal material 1B having the above-described configuration, an adhesive layer 1-2 is provided on a release liner 1-3, and a sponge layer 1-1 is laminated on the adhesive layer 1-2 to form a laminate 1-5. Then, multiple linear incisions 1-4 are made in the laminate so as not to cut the release liner. This can sometimes cause insufficient cutting of the adhesive layer 1-2. Even if the adhesive layer 1-2 is cut in a good condition, blocking of the adhesive layer 1-2 can occur over time. When the incisions in the adhesive layer 1-2 are insufficient or blocking occurs, as described above, when a worker manually peels a single narrow, thin adhesive seal material 1A from the release liner 1-3, other thin adhesive seal materials 1A other than the intended one may also peel off. When this occurs, the worker must be more careful when manually separating the other thin adhesive seals, resulting in poor work efficiency. Furthermore, this can cause delays in processes such as manually attaching the thin line adhesive sealant 1A to gaps after the separation work. In applications where large quantities are used, such as industrial applications, it is inevitable that thick, wide strip-shaped adhesive sealant 1B products will be stored for long periods of time, and the above-mentioned problem of blocking of the adhesive layer occurs to a considerable extent.

[0007] Furthermore, according to the inventor's investigations, even if it were possible to cut and separate a single thin line of adhesive sealing material 1A in good condition from a thick, wide strip of adhesive sealing material 1B with a sponge layer and linear notches, there was a problem that it was difficult to reliably manually attach the thin line of adhesive sealing material 1A with the sponge layer 1-1 to the desired position, and the attachment was unstable, which also resulted in issues of poor workability and convenience.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for forming and removing thin adhesive seal materials that can automatically and reliably separate and cut a thick, wide, strip-shaped laminate 1-5 having a sponge layer 1-1 and an adhesive layer 1-2 formed on a release liner 1-3, so that individual thin adhesive seals 1A can be formed along linear incisions 1-4 that run parallel to the longitudinal direction of the laminate, instead of manually. Another object of the present invention is to develop an apparatus that, by implementing a preferred embodiment of the present invention, can automatically and reliably move a single thin adhesive seal material 1A formed by dividing, cutting, and removing it from a wide strip-shaped laminate to another position, such as a position where the thin adhesive seal material needs to be applied, and more preferably, to develop an apparatus with greater practical value that can mechanically (automatically) apply the formed thin adhesive seal material 1A in good condition to the desired position to which it has been moved. According to the inventors' investigations, no apparatus with a purpose similar to that of the present invention has yet been developed or proposed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The above object can be achieved by the following apparatus for forming and dispensing a thin line-shaped adhesive sealing material having a sponge layer: That is, the present invention provides the following apparatus for forming and dispensing a thin line-shaped adhesive sealing material having a sponge layer.

[0010] [1] An apparatus for forming and removing a thin-line adhesive seal material having a sponge layer, the apparatus comprising a separation stage for a front process and a temporary attachment stage for a back process, which is configured to automatically divide a laminate constituting a thick, wide, strip-shaped adhesive seal material having a sponge layer and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer formed on a release paper, the laminate having a sponge layer and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, the laminate having a thickness of 1000 to 15000 mm, the thickness of 1000 to 15 ... the separation stage includes a release paper separation mechanism and a laminate feeding mechanism that automatically separate the wide strip-shaped laminate formed on the release paper into the release paper and the laminate, and automatically feed the separated laminate to a next temporary attachment stage; The separation stage comprises a work surface for arranging the thick, wide, strip-shaped adhesive seal material having a sponge layer in a straight line with the release paper facing downward, a folding member for automatically folding the release paper toward the underside of the work surface while holding an end portion in the short direction of the release paper on which the laminate is not formed, a pressing roller for automatically arranging the wide, strip-shaped laminate separated from the release paper by the member on the temporary attachment stage, and a jig having a gear, a feed roller consisting of a gear that meshes with the gear to sequentially feed the release paper folded by the folding member while sandwiching it, and a rack that is structured to automatically advance as the two gears rotate, the temporary attachment stage has a dividing and removing mechanism for temporarily attaching the wide strip-shaped laminate having the sponge layer and the adhesive layer sequentially separated from the release paper by the automatic advancement of the rack in the previous process, to an upper surface, and dividing the laminate into a plurality of pieces along the cuts and separating them individually so that the thin-line adhesive sealing material can be removed; The dividing and removing mechanism has an upper surface configured to be able to temporarily attach adhesive layers of each width at positions corresponding to the widths defined by the plurality of linear cuts provided on the laminate, and a plurality of drive members configured to be able to independently move up and down are provided so that adjacent drive members do not come into contact with each other.

[0011] Preferable embodiments of the apparatus for forming and removing the thin-line adhesive sealing material having a sponge layer of the present invention are as follows. [2] An apparatus for forming and removing thin-line adhesive sealing material having a sponge layer as described in [1] above, wherein the upper surfaces of the plurality of driving members have at least one of a finely uneven shape or are treated with a release agent. [3] The device for forming and removing thin-line adhesive sealing material having a sponge layer described in [1] or [2] above is further provided with a holding jig for an integrated laminate that has the function of holding down the surface of the wide, strip-shaped laminate having the plurality of linear notches for dividing the laminate into a plurality of thin-line adhesive sealing materials, which is temporarily attached to the upper surface of each of the plurality of driving members, other than the surface that is to be divided along the linear notches. [4] The device for forming and removing a thin line of adhesive sealing material having a sponge layer according to any one of [1] to [3] above, further comprising a mechanism on the temporary attachment stage that grips both sides of a sponge layer constituting a thin line of adhesive sealing material that has been temporarily attached to a drive member and that is separated from the wide band-shaped laminate by driving only one drive member out of the plurality of drive members upward, and that can hold that state and move the thin line of adhesive sealing material to another position, and a gripping and moving tool that peels the thin line of adhesive sealing material from the upper surfaces of the plurality of drive members and can move the thin line of adhesive sealing material while holding the straight state. [5] An apparatus for forming and removing a thin line of adhesive sealing material having a sponge layer as described in [4] above, wherein the gripping and moving tool is configured to automatically move the single thin line of adhesive sealing material to the desired bonding position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an apparatus for forming and removing thin-line adhesive seal materials that can automatically and reliably divide and separate a thick, wide, strip-shaped laminate 1-5 having a sponge layer 1-1 and an adhesive layer 1-2 formed on a release liner 1-3, by machine instead of the conventional manual operation, so that individual thin-line adhesive seal materials 1A can be formed along linear incisions 1-4 that are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the laminate and extend from the surface of the sponge layer to the surface of the release liner. In addition to the above, a preferred embodiment of the present invention can automatically and reliably move a single thin-line adhesive seal material 1A formed by dividing, separating, and removing the wide strip-shaped laminate 1-5 to another position, such as a position where the adhesive seal material 1A needs to be attached, and in a more preferred embodiment, it is possible to provide an apparatus for forming and removing thin-line adhesive seal materials having a sponge layer that is more practical, because the single thin-line adhesive seal material 1A can be mechanically (automatically) attached in good condition to the desired position to which it has been moved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a schematic oblique view for explaining the outline of the structure of an example of an apparatus for forming and removing a thin-line adhesive sealing material 1A having a sponge layer according to the present invention, characterized by having a separation stage 2 and a unique temporary attachment stage 5. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view for explaining an outline of a separation stage 2 for release paper 1-3 that constitutes the device of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view for explaining an outline of a temporary attachment stage 5 constituting the device of the present invention. [Figure 4]This is a schematic oblique view showing the outline of the configuration of an adhesive sealing material 1B having a thick, wide, strip-shaped sponge layer, which is the target of the device of the present invention, and in which a laminate 1-5 having a sponge layer 1-1 and an adhesive layer 1-2 formed on a release paper 1-3 has multiple linear incisions 1-4 parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction of the laminate, the depth of which extends from the surface of the sponge layer 1-1 to the surface of the release paper 1-3. [Figure 5A] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a mechanism for folding the exposed release paper 1-3 at the longitudinal tip of the adhesive seal material 1B in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the adhesive seal material 1B in the separation stage 2 that constitutes the device of the present invention. [Figure 5B] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a mechanism for folding the exposed release paper 1-3 at the longitudinal tip of the adhesive seal material 1B in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the adhesive seal material 1B in the separation stage 2 that constitutes the device of the present invention. [Figure 6A] This is a schematic diagram showing the state at the start of sequential separation of an example of a mechanism for sequentially separating a laminate 1-5 (adhesive seal material 1C) having a sponge layer 1-1 and an adhesive layer 1-2 from the release paper 1-3 by sequentially sending the exposed release paper 1-3 folded in Figure 5B above backward in the opposite direction from the temporary attachment stage 5 toward which the adhesive seal material is directed. [Figure 6B] This is a schematic diagram to explain an example of a mechanism in which the separation stage 2 constituting the device of the present invention sequentially separates and cuts off the release paper 1-3 from the adhesive seal material 1B, and sequentially advances the laminate 1-5 (adhesive seal material 1C) having the sponge layer 1-1 and the adhesive layer 1-2 to send it to the temporary attachment stage 5. [Figure 6C] This is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a mechanism for placing a laminate 1-5 (adhesive seal material 1C) having a thick, wide, strip-shaped sponge layer 1-1 and an adhesive layer 1-2, from which the release paper 1-3 has been automatically separated on the separation stage 2 from the adhesive seal material 1B, on the upper surface 5-1 of the temporary attachment stage 5 that constitutes the device of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view for explaining an outline of the mechanism of an example of a temporary attachment stage 5 constituting the device of the present invention. [Figure 8]This is a schematic diagram for explaining the outline of the temporary attachment stage 5 that constitutes the device of the present invention, which has an upper surface 5-1 configured to be able to temporarily attach adhesive layers 1-2 of the width individually at positions corresponding to each of the widths defined by multiple linear notches 1-4 provided in the adhesive sealing material 1C (laminate 1-5), and multiple driving members 5-2 configured to be able to independently drive each of the multiple plate-shaped bodies up and down. [Figure 9A] This is a schematic diagram to explain the configuration in which an integrated laminate clamp 6 is used to integrally press multiple laminates 1-5 other than one section of a wide strip-shaped laminate 1-5 that is temporarily attached to the upper surface 5-1 of a driving member 5-2 shown in Figure 8 above and is divided into multiple thin lines by linear cuts 1-4. [Figure 9B] This is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the thin-line adhesive sealing material 1A pressing / holding device 7, which is intended to stably hold the laminate 1-5 (adhesive sealing material 1A) 1 located at the far right as shown in Figure 9A above, which is not pressed down by the integrated laminate pressing device 6, on the upper surface 5-1 when raising the driving member 5-2 1, to the upper surface of which the laminate 1-5 1 located at the far right is attached. [Figure 9C] This is a schematic diagram to explain how, when the thin-line adhesive seal material pressing and holding device 7 shown in Figure 9B fixes the laminate 1-5 (adhesive seal material 1A) temporarily attached to the upper surface of the driving member 5-2 of 1, the driving member 5-2 of 1 is raised to separate it from the other laminates, making it possible to remove the thin-line adhesive seal material 1A. [Figure 9D] This is a schematic diagram to explain how the laminate 1-5 (adhesive sealing material 1A) temporarily attached to the upper surface 5-1 can be grasped with a thin-line adhesive sealing material 1A grasping / moving device 8, removed, and moved to another location by raising the driving member 5-2 of 1 shown in Figure 9C above so that it can be separated from the others and removed. [Figure 9E]This is a schematic diagram to explain how the laminate 1-5 (adhesive sealing material 1A) temporarily attached to the upper surface 5-1 can be grasped with a thin-line adhesive sealing material 1A grasping / moving device 8, removed, and moved to another location by raising the driving member 5-2 of 1 shown in Figure 9C above so that it can be separated from the others and removed. [Figure 10A] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the state of temporary attachment stage 5 after one thin line-shaped adhesive seal material 1A has been taken out by cutting and dividing it with the device of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9E. [Figure 10B] 10A. FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram showing that by repeating the operations of FIGS. 9A to 9E from the state of FIG. 10A, it is possible to sequentially divide, separate and remove a plurality of thin wire-shaped adhesive seal materials 1A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings. However, these are merely examples and the present invention is not limited to the accompanying drawings. First, the target of the thin-line adhesive sealing material forming and dispensing device of the present invention is a thick, wide, strip-shaped laminate (wide-strip adhesive sealing material) having a sponge layer and an adhesive layer formed on release paper, which is configured to be divided and separated linearly in the longitudinal direction to form individual thin-line adhesive sealing materials for use. The laminate has a thick, wide, strip-shaped sponge layer and adhesive layer, and a plurality of linear incisions are formed parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction, extending from the surface of the sponge layer to the surface of the release paper. The laminate is a sealing material having a thick, wide, strip-shaped structure that is separated along the linear incisions to form thin-line adhesive sealing materials for use.

[0015] Because the shape of the adhesive seal material 1 automatically changes as the device of the present invention operates, the adhesive seal material 1 at each stage is referred to and distinguished as follows in the description of the present invention. The thin-line adhesive seal material in a state in which it can be separated and removed by the temporary attachment stage 5 of the device of the present invention, which is the final state when the present invention is used, is referred to as 1A. The wide, strip-shaped adhesive seal material in a state in which a laminate 1-5 having a sponge layer 1-1 with multiple linear incisions 1-4 and an adhesive layer 1-2 is provided on a release paper 1-3, which is the object of the device of the present invention sold as a product, is referred to as 1B. The wide, strip-shaped adhesive seal material in the laminate 1-5 having a sponge layer 1-1 with multiple linear incisions 1-4 and an adhesive layer 1-2 without the release paper 1-3, from which the release paper 1-3 has been automatically separated by operation of the separation stage 2 of the device of the present invention, is referred to as 1C.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the device for forming and removing a thin line-shaped adhesive seal material having a sponge layer of the present invention is characterized by having a front-end separation stage 2 and a back-end temporary attachment stage 5, each having the following unique configuration. These stages will be described below. First, the front-end separation stage 2 is used to separate the thick, wide, strip-shaped laminate 1-5, which has a sponge layer and an adhesive layer formed on release paper, from the release paper 1-3 to leave only the laminate, and is characterized by having the following configuration. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the outline of the appearance of one example of the separation stage 2.

[0017] The separation stage 2 is provided with a work table 2-1 having a work surface for arranging a thick, wide, strip-shaped laminate (sometimes referred to as a wide strip-shaped laminate 1-5 or a wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1B) to be separated from the release paper 1-3 in a straight line with the release paper 1-3 facing downward. The work surface is preferably provided with a horizontal guide 2-3, as shown in FIG. 2, so that the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1B with the release paper can be arranged in a straight line without meandering and set in a securely positioned state. Furthermore, the separation stage 2 sequentially feeds the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1B with the release paper 1-3 set as described above forward, thereby separating it into the release paper 1-3 and the laminate 1-5 formed thereon. Therefore, to ensure stable separation, it is preferable to provide a configuration in which a plurality of feed rolls 2-2 are provided for feeding the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1B forward (see FIG. 2). Furthermore, in the separation stage 2, the portion of the release paper 1-3 exposed at the short-side end of the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal 1B is folded and automatically advanced in the folded direction to separate the laminate from on the release paper, so it is preferable that the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1B set on the working surface of the separation stage 2 has a sufficient portion at its short-side end consisting of only the release paper 1-3 on which no laminate is formed. Therefore, in cases where there is no portion at the short-side end of the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1B, such as a commercially available product, consisting of only the release paper 1-3, it is preferable to peel off and remove part of the laminate to expose part of the release paper.

[0018] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing a mechanism for automatically separating a wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1B formed on a release paper set on the work surface into a lower release paper 1-3 and a laminate 1-5 formed on the release paper, which is performed in the separation stage 2. The mechanism in the separation stage 2 first requires a jig 3 to realize the mechanism for folding the release paper 1-3 and automatically separating it from the strip-shaped laminate. As shown in FIG. 5A, the jig 3 includes a folding member 3-1 for folding the release paper 1-3, a gear 3-2, and a pressing roller 3-3 for placing the strip-shaped laminate 1-5 separated from the release paper on the temporary attachment stage 5 for the next post-process. The release paper 1-3 is then folded toward the bottom of the work table 2-1 having the work surface while the folding member 3-1 holds the short-side end portion of the release paper 1-3 on which the laminate 1-5 is not formed, so that the wide strip-shaped laminate 1-5 can be separated from the release paper 1-3. In order to automatically and more stably separate the release paper 1-3 using the folding member 3-1, it is preferable to configure the work table 2-1 so that the release paper 1-3 moves along an inclined side provided at the end as shown in FIG. 5A.

[0019] Furthermore, in the separation stage 2, the release paper 1-3 folded downward by the bending member 3-1 as described above needs to be fed sequentially in that direction, and as shown in Fig. 6A, the gear 3-2 constituting the jig 3 is used in a feed mechanism for the release paper 1-3. As shown in Figs. 6A to 6C, the feed mechanism for the release paper 1-3 in the present invention is also a mechanism that feeds the laminate 1-5, which is sequentially separated as the release paper 1-3 is fed, to the temporary attachment stage 5 in the subsequent process. Specifically, it is a rack mechanism 4 having a gear 4-2 that is structured to mesh with the gear 3-2 constituting the jig 3. That is, in the rack mechanism 4 provided in the separation stage 2, as shown in Figure 5B, a rack 4-1 is provided that advances with the rotation of gear 4-2 that meshes with gear 3-2, and by advancing the rack 4-1 with two gears (advancing in the opposite direction to the advance of the release paper 1-3), it is possible to automatically separate the laminate 1-5 having the sponge layer 1-1 and the adhesive layer 1-2 from the release paper 1-3 on which the laminate was formed, in a stable and sequential manner. In the mechanism of the separation stage 2 that constitutes the device of the present invention, the laminate 1-5 sequentially separated from the release paper 1-3 by the advance of the rack 4-1 described above is configured to be sent to the next post-process temporary attachment stage 5. The temporary attachment stage 5 will be described below.

[0020] The following operations are performed automatically in the post-process temporary attachment stage 5 that constitutes the apparatus of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 7, in the temporary attachment stage 5, a rack 4-1 continuing from the pre-process separation stage 2 advances, and the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1C (wide strip-shaped laminate 1-5) separated from the release paper 1-3 is placed on the upper surface 5-1 of a driving member 5-2 that characterizes the post-process temporary attachment stage 5.

[0021] As described above, the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1C (wide strip-shaped laminate 1-5) is sequentially sent from the separation stage 2 in the preceding process to the temporary attachment stage 5 in the following manner. The separation stage 2 is provided with a jig 3 having a mechanism for folding the release paper constituting the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1B having the release paper 1-3 as the target, separating the strip-shaped laminate 1-5 formed on the release paper from the release paper 1-3, and sequentially sending them backward. The strip-shaped laminate 1-5 separated from the release paper is automatically sequentially sent to the temporary attachment stage 5 by a gear 3-2 constituting the jig 3 and a rack 4-1 that advances with the rotation of a gear 4-2 meshing with the gear 3-2. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6B , the strip-shaped laminate 1-5 separated from the release paper 1-3 is properly positioned by a pressing roller 3-3 provided for positioning it on the upper surface 5-1 of the temporary attachment stage 5, where it is temporarily attached. In the device of the present invention, a rack 4-1 that constitutes the release paper separation mechanism of the separation stage 2 is provided on the temporary attachment stage 5, so that it is possible to keep constant the feed speed of the wide strip adhesive seal material 1B, which is the object from which the release paper 1-3 is separated on the separation stage 2, and the attachment speed of the wide strip adhesive seal material 1C (wide strip laminate 1-5) from which the release paper 1-3 has been separated.

[0022] The post-process temporary attachment stage 5 constituting the apparatus of the present invention is provided with a dividing and removing mechanism for dividing and separating the wide strip-shaped laminate 1-5 (wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1C) separated from the release paper 1-3 into multiple strips along multiple linear incisions 1-4 provided in the longitudinal direction of the laminate, and making them removable as thin strip-shaped adhesive seal materials 1A. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the temporary attachment stage 5 is further provided with a mechanism for moving the individual thin strip-shaped adhesive seal materials 1A that have been divided and separated and are now removable to another desired position. The mechanism in the temporary attachment stage 5 will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] First, as shown in Figures 6A to 6C, the apparatus of the present invention is configured to automatically sequentially feed wide band-shaped adhesive seal material 1C (hereinafter also simply referred to as adhesive seal material 1C), which is a laminate 1-5 that is sequentially separated from the release paper 1-3 in the separation stage 2 in the preceding process, to the temporary attachment stage 5 in the following process, and sequentially temporarily attach the adhesive seal material 1C to the upper surface 5-1 of the laminate. For this reason, the temporary attachment stage 5 that temporarily attaches the adhesive seal material 1C has the following structure and mechanism. That is, the temporary attachment stage 5 that constitutes the apparatus of the present invention has a dividing and removing mechanism that can automatically divide the adhesive seal material 1C that has been separated from the release paper 1-3 in the separation stage 2 in the preceding process into individual pieces along multiple linear notches 1-4 that are provided in the longitudinal direction of the temporarily attached adhesive seal material 1C, and that can easily and stably remove the individually separated pieces as thin-line adhesive seal material 1A. This feature can be achieved by configuring the temporary attachment stage 5 as shown in Figures 8 and 9A to 9E, by having an upper surface 5-1 configured to be able to temporarily attach adhesive layers 1-2 of each width at positions corresponding to each of the widths defined by a plurality of linear notches 1-4 provided in the adhesive seal material 1C, and by configuring a plurality of drive members 5-2, each of which is configured to be able to be driven independently up and down, so that adjacent drive members 5-2 do not come into contact with each other.

[0024] In a more preferred embodiment, the upper surface 5-1 of the driving member has at least one of a finely uneven shape as shown in Fig. 10A, or is treated with a release agent such as a silicone-based or fluorine-based release agent. By configuring the upper surface 5-1 of the driving member 5-2 in this manner, with the adhesive seal material 1C temporarily attached to the upper surface 5-1 of the driving member 5-2, the individual thin lines of adhesive seal material 1A can be cut along the multiple linear cuts 1-4 provided in the longitudinal direction of the adhesive seal material 1C, making it easier to peel the individually formed thin lines of adhesive seal material 1A from the upper surface 5-1 of the driving member 5-2.

[0025] Furthermore, the temporary attachment stage 5 constituting the apparatus of the present invention is preferably configured to have a roller 5-3 arranged thereon for the same purpose as the pressing roller 3-3 provided on the separation stage 2 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). That is, by using the roller 5-3 provided on the temporary attachment stage 5 to press each of the adhesive layers 1-2 of a width defined by the linear notches 1-4 constituting the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1C against the individual upper surfaces 5-1 of the plurality of driving members 5-2, each of the narrow adhesive layers 1-2 can be stably temporarily attached to the upper surface 5-1, and therefore, it becomes possible to automatically and smoothly separate and remove a single thin strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1A from the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1C arranged in a good state on the upper surface 5-1.

[0026] 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a laminate 1-5 having a sponge layer 1-1 and an adhesive layer 1-2, which is an adhesive sealant 1C, is placed on the upper surfaces 5-1 of multiple drive members 5-2 constituting the temporary attachment stage 5 by continuing to advance the rack 4-1 from the separation stage 2 in the previous process. FIG. 8 is an end view showing a state in which a wide strip-shaped adhesive sealant 1C having multiple linear notches 1-4 formed in the longitudinal direction is placed on the upper surfaces 5-1 of multiple drive members 5-2. As shown in FIG. 8, the multiple drive members 5-2 are an assembly of plate-like bodies that can form a wide upper surface, with each of the individual upper surfaces 5-1 of the drive members narrow in width. Furthermore, by arranging the drive members adjacent to each other and aligning them, the individual upper surfaces 5-1 come together to form a single unit that can accommodate the wide strip-shaped adhesive sealant 1C. The adhesive seal material 1C, arranged on a wide upper surface formed by multiple drive members, is designed so that the narrow, thin adhesive layer 1-2, which is divided into multiple sections by multiple linear notches 1-4 provided in the adhesive seal material 1C, can be temporarily attached to the upper surface 5-1 of each drive member (plate-like body) 5-2. Furthermore, the multiple drive members 5-2 are characterized in that each drive member (plate-like body) 5-2 has a narrow upper surface and is structured so that it can be independently driven up and down. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, the width of the upper surface of each independently driven plate-like drive member is designed to be slightly narrower than the width of each adhesive layer 1-2 of the adhesive seal material 1C, which is divided into multiple narrow sections by multiple linear notches 1-4, so that adjacent drive members do not come into contact with each other. With the above-described structure, the multiple drive members 5-2 constituting the device of the present invention can be smoothly driven up and down independently.

[0027] The device of the present invention has multiple drive members 5-2 with the unique structure described above, and thus can smoothly and reliably divide and separate a narrow laminate comprising a sponge layer 1-1 and an adhesive layer 1-2, which are separated by multiple linear notches 1-4, into individual thin-line adhesive seal materials 1A by mechanical operation. Furthermore, the temporary attachment stage 5 constituting the device of the present invention can automatically divide and separate the narrow-line laminate of the adhesive seal material 1C, which is separated by multiple linear notches 1-4, into individual adhesive seal materials 1A, and can automatically remove the divided adhesive seal materials 1A. Furthermore, by repeating the above process, multiple thin-line adhesive seal materials 1A can be sequentially obtained from the adhesive seal material 1C.

[0028] 9A to 9E, a mechanism for automatically dividing, separating, and removing thin strips of adhesive seal material 1A from a wide strip-shaped laminate 1-5 having a sponge layer 1-1 and an adhesive layer 1-2, which is a wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1C, using a plurality of drive members 5-1 constituting a temporary attachment stage 5 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1C (wide strip-shaped laminate 1-5) separated from the release paper 1-3 in the separation stage 2 in the previous process is temporarily attached to the upper surfaces 5-1 of the plurality of drive members 5-2. The wide strip-shaped laminate 1-5, which is sequentially separated from the release paper 1-3 as the rack 4-1 continues from the separation stage 2 in the previous process, must be temporarily attached to the upper surfaces 5-1 of the plurality of drive members 5-2 so that the narrow strip-shaped laminate, defined by a plurality of linear notches 1-4 provided in the longitudinal direction of the laminate 1-5, matches the individual upper surfaces of the plurality of drive members. For this reason, it is preferable that the temporary attachment of the laminate 1-5 to the upper surfaces 5-1 of the plurality of drive members 5-2 on the temporary attachment stage 5 be performed using the laminate pressing roller 3-3 constituting the separation stage 2 as shown in Fig. 5A, and further using the roller 5-3 (see Fig. 1) provided on the temporary attachment stage 5. By doing this, as shown in Fig. 8, the narrow, thin-line-shaped laminate 1A separated by the slits 1-4 in the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1C (wide strip-shaped laminate 1-5) are automatically pressed with an appropriate force and positioned so as to fit onto the individual upper surfaces 5-1 of the plurality of drive members 5-2, and are temporarily attached in a good state.

[0029] Next, a mechanism for automatically dividing, separating, and removing a single thin-line adhesive seal material 1A to be used from the adhesive seal material 1C in the state shown in Fig. 8, which has been temporarily attached to the upper surfaces 5-1 of the plurality of drive members 5-2 as described above, will be described with reference to Figs. 9A to 9E, using an example of a preferred device of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 9A, the device of the present invention illustrated has a structure in which the adhesive seal material 1C temporarily attached to the upper surfaces 5-1 of the plurality of drive members 5-2, which are driven separately (independently) from the plurality of drive members 5-2 described above, is further provided with an "integral laminate presser" 6 having a strip-shaped (rectangular) flat surface with approximately the same width and length. 9A, the "integrated laminate presser" 6 is designed to automatically press with a moderate force adhesive seal material 1C other than the single thin-line adhesive seal material 1A to be used (targeted) among the laminates 1-5 having a sponge layer and an adhesive layer, which are arranged on the upper surfaces of the plurality of drive members 5-2 and have a wide band-like structure while being provided with a plurality of linear notches 1-4. By designing in this way, the individual laminates 1-5, which are arranged in the portions pressed by the "integrated laminate presser" 6 and have a sponge layer and an adhesive layer in a temporarily attached state and which are partitioned by the notches 1-4, are stably held in a good temporarily attached state on the upper surfaces of the plurality of drive members 5-2 without peeling off from the respective upper surfaces.

[0030] 9A to 9E, a preferred device of the present invention has a structure in which a "thin-line adhesive seal material presser / holder" 7 is provided, which has a mechanism capable of pressing and holding only one thin-line adhesive seal material 1A to be removed and is driven separately (independently) from the above-described "integral laminate presser" 6. Specifically, the "thin-line adhesive seal material presser / holder" 7 is first temporarily attached to the upper surface 5-1 of the drive member 5-2 as shown in FIG. 9B, and is designed to be able to press only one target thin-line adhesive seal material 1A defined by the linear cut 1-4. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 9B and 9C, by using a "thin line adhesive seal material press / holding device" 7, the thin line adhesive seal material 1A (target object) to be removed is held down so that it remains temporarily attached to the upper surface 5-1 of the driving member 5-2, and by driving and raising only the corresponding driving member 5-2, the target thin line adhesive seal material 1A can be mechanically separated in good condition from another adjacent thin line adhesive seal 1A along the linear notch 1-4, making it possible to remove it to another position.

[0031] As described above, the apparatus of the present invention allows the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1C (wide strip-shaped laminate 1-5) divided into multiple pieces by linear incisions 1-4 to be handled as a single unit in the pre-process release paper separation stage 2 and the subsequent process strip-shaped laminate temporary attachment stage 5, resulting in excellent ease of handling by mechanical operations. Furthermore, a preferred apparatus of the present invention, which is provided with the drive member 5-2 having the unique structure described above in the temporary attachment stage 5 and further includes the "integral laminate holder" 6 and the "thin strip adhesive seal material holder / retainer" 7 as shown in Figures 9A to 9C, allows the wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1C to be automatically and simply separated and separated into a single thin strip-shaped adhesive seal material 1A in a good condition by mechanical operation, and then easily made into a state that can be removed to the outside.

[0032] As shown in Figures 9D and 9E, the above-exemplified device of the present invention can be further configured with a "thin-line adhesive seal material gripping and moving tool" 8, making it an even more efficient and easy-to-use device. First, in the illustrated device, as shown in Figures 9A to 9C, when only the drive member 5-2, to which a single thin-line adhesive seal material 1A is temporarily attached on its upper surface 5-1, is driven to perform the basic automatic operation of separating and dividing the adhesive seal 1A, the following effect is obtained by using a "thin-line adhesive seal material presser and holder" 7. By using the "thin-line adhesive seal material presser and holder" 7 to press and raise the upper part of the corresponding thin-line adhesive seal material 1A, the separation and division of adjacent thin-line adhesive seals is automatically, simply, and smoothly performed, resulting in the formation of a single thin-line adhesive seal material 1A in good condition that can be automatically removed. 9D and 9E, the "thin line adhesive sealing material gripping and moving tool" 8 has a mechanism that can hold the side portions of the sponge layer 1-1 of the thin line adhesive sealing material 1A by mechanical operation, and therefore in addition to the above, the following effect can be obtained: The single thin line adhesive sealing material 1A having a sponge layer that is the subject of removal in this invention has a side portion of the sponge layer that has an appropriate thickness and is also elastic, so when the side portion of the sponge layer is gripped on both sides by the "thin line adhesive sealing material gripping and moving tool" 8, it can be securely and firmly clamped, and the thin line adhesive sealing material 1A can be held and moved in a grasped state. Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment of the device of the present invention, as shown in Figure 9E, by clamping both sides of the side portion of the sponge layer 1-1 of the desired thin line-shaped adhesive sealing material 1A with the "thin line-shaped adhesive sealing material gripping and moving tool" 8, the adhesive sealing material 1A is gripped (held) while maintaining its thin line shape with the adhesive layer 1-2 facing downward, and the thin line-shaped adhesive sealing material 1A gripped in this good state can be automatically moved, for example, to the desired position for installation.

[0033] Furthermore, if the automatic gripping function of the gripping / moving tool constituting the "thin-line adhesive sealing material gripping / moving tool" 8 can be changed to one that can release the gripped thin-line adhesive sealing material 1A and further that can attach the adhesive layer 1-2 of the thin-line adhesive sealing material 1A to a desired position and fix it in a good condition, the device can be extremely useful, as it can automatically perform even the attachment of the thin-line adhesive sealing material 1A. That is, according to a preferred embodiment of the device of the present invention, first, by basic mechanical operations, the release paper 1-3 is automatically separated from a wide strip-shaped adhesive sealing material 1B having a release paper 1-3 and a plurality of linear incisions 1-4 formed therein to form a wide strip-shaped adhesive sealing material 1C from which the release paper has been separated, and the wide strip-shaped adhesive sealing material 1C can be automatically placed on the upper surface 5-1 of a plurality of driving members 5-2, and by driving and raising only one driving member 5-2, a single thin-line adhesive sealing material 1A can be divided and separated from the wide strip-shaped adhesive sealing material 1C. In addition, the thin line adhesive seal material 1A that has been cut and divided can be taken out and automatically moved to another location.Furthermore, the thin line adhesive seal material 1A that has been automatically taken out and moved to another location can be automatically adhered to a desired location in an automobile, a house, etc., to improve airtightness, heat insulation, or soundproofing, and installed in the desired state.

[0034] As described above, the adhesive seal material product targeted by the apparatus of the present invention is a thick, wide, strip-shaped laminate having a sponge layer and an adhesive layer formed on a release liner, with multiple linear incisions cut longitudinally. The apparatus of the present invention is configured to automatically cut the laminate longitudinally along the incisions into strips and separate them into thin adhesive seal material strips, which can then be automatically removed. The adhesive seal material product targeted by the apparatus of the present invention has problems such as the multiple linear incisions not reaching the adhesive layer sufficiently, or the adhesive layer becoming blocked over time, making it difficult to manually separate and divide into individual thin adhesive seal material strips. In contrast, when the apparatus of the present invention divides the wide strip-shaped laminate along the multiple linear incisions cut longitudinally by the above-described series of mechanical operations, the laminate can be automatically and reliably separated and divided into individual thin adhesive seal material strips in a satisfactory state by mechanical operation, even if the adhesive layer is not sufficiently cut or blocking occurs. The inventor has discovered that by using the device of the present invention, a thick, wide, strip-shaped laminate (adhesive sealant) having a sponge layer and an adhesive layer can be divided and separated with good yield, and thin, good-quality adhesive sealant lines can be formed.

[0035] According to a preferred embodiment of the device of the present invention, the "thin-line adhesive seal material gripping and moving tool" 8 described above can clamp the side portions of the thin-line sponge layer of the divided and removed adhesive seal material 1A from both sides, firmly holding the thick, elastic sponge layer portion and maintaining that state. Therefore, the divided and formed single thin-line adhesive seal material 1A can be easily and reliably moved by mechanical operation to the desired position for bonding. Furthermore, the device of the present invention can also be configured so that the "thin-line adhesive seal material gripping and moving tool" 8 used for moving the divided thin-line adhesive seal material to the desired position automatically adheres the moved thin-line adhesive seal material to the desired position. For example, the thin line adhesive sealant that has been automatically moved to the desired position to be adhered has adhesive layer 1-2 on its underside, so that adhesive layer 1-2 can be accurately positioned and attached to the desired position, and then the thin line adhesive sealant 1A can be automatically placed at the desired position by a series of automatic operations that releases the gripping portions of "thin line adhesive sealant gripping and moving device" 8 that had been holding both sides of the thin line sponge layer. In this case, the portion gripped by "thin line adhesive sealant gripping and moving device" 8 is the sponge layer, so that by releasing the gripping portions, the shrunk sponge layer returns to its original state, and the applied sealant becomes thin line adhesive sealant 1A with a sponge layer in good condition that has the function of filling gaps.

[0036] 10A and 10B, a series of automatic operations using the device of the present invention automatically and sequentially divides and separates a single thin line of adhesive sealant along a plurality of linear incisions 1-4 formed in a thick, wide strip-shaped laminate 1-5 having a sponge layer and an adhesive layer, thereby automatically and smoothly forming a plurality of thin line-shaped adhesive sealant. Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the device of the present invention, the separated individual thin line-shaped adhesive sealant can be automatically moved sequentially to desired positions, and the operation of attaching them to the desired positions can also be performed automatically. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1: Adhesive sealant 1A: Thin adhesive sealant 1B: A wide, strip-shaped adhesive sealant with release paper and multiple linear cuts 1C: A wide, strip-shaped adhesive sealant consisting of a laminate of a sponge layer with multiple linear cuts and an adhesive layer, with the release paper separated. 1-1: Sponge layer 1-2: Adhesive layer 1-3: Release paper 1-4: Linear cut 1-5: Laminate (consisting of a sponge layer and an adhesive layer) 2: Release paper separation stage 2-1: Work table with a work surface 2-2: Roll 2-3: Horizontal guide 3: A jig that forms a mechanism for folding the release paper and separating it from the strip-shaped laminate 3-1: Bending component for folding release paper 3-2: Gears 3-3: Pressing roller for placing the strip-shaped laminate separated from the release paper on the temporary attachment stage 4. Rack mechanism that moves forward as gear 3-2 rotates 4-1: Rack 4-2: Gear that meshes with gear 3-2 5: Stage for temporarily attaching strip-shaped laminates 5-1:Top surface 5-2: Driving member 5-3: Roller 6: Integrated laminate holder 7: Holder and holder for thin adhesive sealant 8: Tool for gripping and moving thin adhesive sealant

Claims

1. A forming and removing device for a thin line-shaped adhesive seal material having a sponge layer, the device comprising a separation stage in a front process and a temporary attachment stage in a back process, configured to automatically divide a laminate constituting a thick and wide strip-shaped adhesive seal material having a sponge layer, the laminate comprising a thick and wide strip-shaped laminate having a sponge layer and an adhesive layer formed on a release paper, the laminate having a plurality of linear incisions parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction of the laminate, the depth of which reaches from the surface of the sponge layer to the surface of the release paper, into a plurality of strips in the longitudinal direction, and to automatically remove each of the divided thin line-shaped adhesive seal materials, the separation stage includes a release paper separation mechanism and a laminate feeding mechanism that automatically separate the wide strip-shaped laminate formed on the release paper into the release paper and the laminate, and automatically feed the separated laminate to a next temporary attachment stage; The separation stage comprises a work surface for arranging the thick, wide, strip-shaped adhesive seal material having a sponge layer in a straight line with the release paper facing downward, a folding member for automatically folding the release paper toward the underside of the work surface while holding an end portion in the short direction of the release paper on which the laminate is not formed, a pressing roller for automatically arranging the wide, strip-shaped laminate separated from the release paper by the member on the temporary attachment stage, and a jig having a gear, a feed roller consisting of a gear that meshes with the gear to sequentially feed the release paper folded by the folding member while sandwiching it, and a rack configured to automatically advance as the two gears rotate, the temporary attachment stage has a dividing and removing mechanism for temporarily attaching the wide strip-shaped laminate having the sponge layer and the adhesive layer sequentially separated from the release paper by the automatic advancement of the rack in the previous process to an upper surface, and dividing the laminate into a plurality of pieces along the cuts and separating them individually so that they can be removed as the thin line-shaped adhesive sealing material; The dividing and removing mechanism has an upper surface configured to be able to temporarily attach adhesive layers of each width at positions corresponding to the widths defined by the plurality of linear cuts provided on the laminate, and is characterized in that a plurality of drive members, each configured to be able to drive independently up and down, are arranged so that adjacent drive members do not come into contact with each other.

2. 2. The apparatus for forming and discharging a thin line-shaped adhesive sealing material having a sponge layer according to claim 1, wherein the upper surfaces of the plurality of driving members have at least one of a finely uneven shape and being treated with a release agent.

3. The temporary attachment stage is further provided with a holding jig for an integrated laminate, which has the function of holding down surfaces of the wide, strip-shaped laminate having the plurality of linear notches for dividing the laminate into a plurality of thin-line adhesive sealing materials, which are temporarily attached to the upper surfaces of each of the plurality of driving members, other than the surfaces to be divided along the linear notches.

4. 3. The device for forming and removing a thin line of adhesive sealing material having a sponge layer as described in claim 1 or 2, further comprising a mechanism on the temporary attachment stage that grips both sides of a sponge layer constituting a thin line of adhesive sealing material that was temporarily attached to the drive member and is separated from the wide band-shaped laminate by driving only one of the plurality of drive members upward, and that can hold that state and move the thin line of adhesive sealing material to another position, and a gripping and moving tool that peels the thin line of adhesive sealing material from the upper surface of the plurality of drive members and can move the thin line of adhesive sealing material while maintaining its straight state.

5. 5. The forming and removing device for a thin line of adhesive sealing material having a sponge layer as described in claim 4, wherein the gripping and moving tool is configured to automatically move the single thin line of adhesive sealing material to the desired bonding position.

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