Method for generating rectangular frame body

Abstract

To provide a technology that enables precise adjustment of frame dimensions in a short processing time.SOLUTION: The method disclosed herein comprises the steps of: (a) arranging four resin materials on a flat surface such that two of the four resin materials are adjacent at the four corner portions of a rectangular workpiece composed of the four resin materials; (b) simultaneously heating the four corner portions from both sides or one side using impulse heater heating while clamping the four corner portions in the vertical direction, thereby melting the four resin materials at the four corner portions; (c) adjusting a specific dimension of the rectangular workpiece, measured in a direction parallel to the flat surface, to a predetermined value; and (d) simultaneously cooling the four corner portions from both sides or one side while the four corner portions are clamped in the vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for generating a rectangular frame. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which, in a welding device for welding resin materials, heating is performed through a sheet material when applying pressure to the molten resin. This conventional technology improves the operating rate and operational efficiency of the welding device by using a mechanism that makes it easy to replace the sheet material, which was previously complicated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-076285 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-mentioned conventional technology has the problem that the processing takes time because the sheet material is heated using a hot iron. Also, in order to control the thickness of the product, the process of ironing to remove excess material is repeated, but this has the problem that it is difficult to accurately adjust the dimensions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for producing a rectangular frame, the method including the steps of: (a) arranging four resin materials on a flat surface so that two of the four resin materials are adjacent at four corners of the rectangular workpiece; (b) clamping the four corners in a vertical direction and simultaneously heating the four corners from one or both sides using an impulse heater to melt the four resin materials at the four corners; (c) adjusting a specific dimension of the rectangular workpiece along a direction parallel to the flat surface to a predetermined value; and (d) clamping the four corners in the vertical direction and simultaneously cooling the four corners from one or both sides.

[0006] In this method, the rectangular workpiece is heated and cooled while its four corners are clamped, and specific dimensions of the rectangular workpiece are adjusted in a direction parallel to the flat surface, allowing for accurate adjustment of the frame dimensions. Furthermore, because heating and cooling are performed simultaneously at the four corners, the frame can be easily produced in a short processing time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing four resin materials, a rectangular workpiece, and a frame body in the embodiment. [Figure 2] 5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams showing a method for generating a frame body in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] 1 is a plan view showing four resin materials 11 to 14, a rectangular workpiece 10, and a frame 20 in an embodiment. For convenience of illustration, Fig. 1 depicts an X-axis and a Y-axis indicating horizontal directions, and a Z-axis indicating a vertically upward direction.

[0009] The four resin materials 11 to 14 are rod-shaped bodies that form the four sides of the rectangular workpiece 10. In this embodiment, the four resin materials 11 to 14 each have a flat plate shape. The resin materials 11 to 14 are preferably made of a thermoplastic resin.

[0010] At each of the four corners C1 to C4 of the rectangular workpiece 10, two of the four resin materials 11 to 14 are adjacent to each other. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the two opposing resin materials 12, 14 are arranged so that their end faces face the side surfaces of the other two resin materials 11, 13. While adjacent resin materials are in contact with each other in this example, a certain gap may be provided between adjacent resin materials. A rectangular frame 20 is produced by subjecting the rectangular workpiece 10 to a heating or cooling process. The term "rectangular" does not refer only to a strict rectangular shape but also has a broad meaning that encompasses shapes close to a rectangle. Welded portions W1 to W4 are formed on the frame 20 at positions corresponding to the four corners C1 to C4 of the rectangular workpiece 10. Adjacent resin materials are joined by the welded portions W1 to W4, respectively.

[0011] The frame 20 is, for example, a frame for a lithium battery using a sealed resin, a bipolar electrode, or the like, and is a component used in a battery module. The present disclosure is also applicable to frames used for other purposes.

[0012] 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for generating the frame body 20 in this embodiment. The right direction in FIG. 2 corresponds to the X-axis direction, and the upward direction in FIG. 2 corresponds to the Z-axis direction. In FIG. 2, the fourth resin material 14 and the two corner portions C3 and C4 are hidden and cannot be seen.

[0013] In step S1, four resin materials 11 to 14 are placed on a work table 100 to form a rectangular workpiece 10. The flat surface 101, which is the top surface of the work table 100, is preferably horizontal. In the example of FIG. 2, a fixed gap is set between adjacent resin materials at the four corners C1 to C4 of the rectangular workpiece 10. The gap is preferably set to a fixed value using, for example, spacers. However, the gap between the resin materials may be zero.

[0014] In step S2, the four corner portions C1 to C4 of the rectangular workpiece 10 are simultaneously heated from both sides or one side of the rectangular workpiece 10 by the heat treatment head 30. In the example of FIG. 2, the corner portions C1 to C4 are simultaneously heated from the top side of the rectangular workpiece 10. The heat treatment head 30 is preferably configured as a heater that performs impulse heating. "Impulse heating" refers to a method of raising the temperature of a heater by passing a large current through the heater for a short period of time. In the present disclosure, this type of heating is referred to as "impulse heater heating." However, heating may be performed using a method other than impulse heater heating. In this embodiment, the four corner portions C1 to C4 are simultaneously heated from both sides or one side of the rectangular workpiece 10 using impulse heater heating, thereby shortening the processing time.

[0015] The heat treatment head 30 preferably performs heating while clamping the four corners C1 to C4 in the vertical direction with a preset pressure P1. As a result of this heating, a molten resin portion WD is formed at each of the four corners C1 to C4. The molten resin portion WD is preferably formed from the top surface to the bottom surface of the rectangular workpiece 10. Four heat treatment heads 30 may be provided at positions corresponding to the four corners C1 to C4, respectively, or one or two heat treatment heads 30 may be configured to heat the four corners C1 to C4.

[0016] In step S3, the heat treatment head 30 is retracted vertically upward by a certain retraction amount ΔZ1. In this step S3, the molten portion WD has not yet cooled and is maintained in a molten or semi-molten state. Therefore, when the heat treatment head 30 is pulled upward, the molten portion WD protrudes slightly above the upper surfaces of the resin materials 11-14 before melting.

[0017] In step S4, the rectangular workpiece 10 is pressed from the left and right sides by a constant amount ΔX. This pressing can be performed using a pressing member (not shown). In step S4, the molten zone WD is also maintained in a molten or semi-molten state. Therefore, the width of the molten zone WD is reduced by the pressing, and the left and right dimensions of the rectangular workpiece 10 are adjusted to preset values.

[0018] The above-described steps S3 and S4 correspond to steps of adjusting a specific dimension of the rectangular workpiece 10 in a direction parallel to the flat surface 101 to a preset value. The dimension of the rectangular workpiece 10 adjusted in steps S3 and S4 is the dimension along the thickness direction of the fusion zone WD. In other words, the dimension of the rectangular workpiece 10 adjusted in steps S3 and S4 is the dimension in the direction in which the surfaces of adjacent resin materials face each other. Note that steps S3 and S4 may be modified to adjust a specific dimension other than the left-right dimension of the rectangular workpiece 10.

[0019] In step S4, the heating of the heat treatment head 30 is stopped, and the heat treatment head 30 is thereby cooled. The cooling of the heat treatment head 30 may be performed by natural cooling or by using a coolant. The absence of hatching of the heat treatment head 30 in step S4 means that the heating of the heat treatment head 30 has been stopped. The stopping of heating may be started from the above-mentioned step S3. It is preferable that the heat treatment head 30 is in a sufficiently cooled state by the time the next step S5 is started.

[0020] In step S5, the heat treatment head 30 is lowered vertically by a constant pressure ΔZ2 to clamp the rectangular workpiece 10 in the vertical direction. Because the heat treatment head 30 is sufficiently cooled to a low temperature, it can cool the four corners C1 to C4 of the rectangular workpiece 10. This cooling transforms the four fusion zones WD into the welded zones W1 to W4 shown in FIG. 1, bonding adjacent resin materials together. In step S5, the four corners C1 to C4 are simultaneously cooled, thereby shortening the cooling process time. Furthermore, by performing step S5, the thickness of the frame 20 can be adjusted to a desired value. The pressure ΔZ2 in step S5 may be set to a value different from or equal to the retraction amount ΔZ1 in step S3. In step S5, the rectangular workpiece 10 may be held using the same pressing member used in step S4 to maintain the left-right dimensions of the rectangular workpiece 10 at a desired value.

[0021] In the method shown in FIG. 2, the dimensions of the frame 20 can be kept within the desired tolerance range by adjusting the quantities ΔZ1, ΔX, and ΔZ2 used in steps S3, S4, and S5 to preset values, respectively.

[0022] 2, the heat treatment head 30 used for heating is used to cool the rectangular workpiece 10, but a cooling head different from the heat treatment head 30 used for heating may be used to cool the rectangular workpiece 10. In this case, too, it is preferable to press the cooling head against the four corners C1 to C4 of the rectangular workpiece 10 to cool the four corners C1 to C4 simultaneously.

[0023] In the above-described embodiment, heating and cooling are performed while the rectangular workpiece 10 is clamped, and specific dimensions of the rectangular workpiece 10 along a direction parallel to the flat surface 101 are adjusted, so that the dimensions of the frame body 20 can be accurately adjusted. Furthermore, heating and cooling are performed simultaneously at the four corner portions C1 to C4, so the frame body 20 can be easily produced in a short processing time.

[0024] Other forms: The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be realized in various forms without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the present disclosure can also be realized in the following aspects. The technical features in the above embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described below can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the problems of the present disclosure or to achieve some or all of the effects of the present disclosure. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 10... rectangular workpiece, 11 to 14... resin material, 20... frame, 30... heat treatment head, 100... work table, 101... flat surface

Claims

[Claim 1] 1. A method for generating a rectangular frame, comprising: (a) placing four pieces of resin material on a flat surface so that two pieces of resin material are adjacent to each other at four corners of the rectangular workpiece; (b) a step of melting the four resin materials at the four corner portions by simultaneously heating the four corner portions from one or both sides using an impulse heater while the four corner portions are clamped in the vertical direction; (c) adjusting a specific dimension of the rectangular workpiece along a direction parallel to the flat surface to a preset value; (d) simultaneously cooling the four corner portions from both sides or one side while the four corner portions are clamped in the vertical direction; A method comprising:

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