Punching device

Abstract

To provide a punching device which can adjust a punching pressure without providing a driving source dedicated to punching pressure adjustment.SOLUTION: A punching device comprises: a movable surface plate 1 and a fixed surface plate 2 that are so located as to face each other in a vertical direction; a movement mechanism which vertically moves the movable surface plate 1 toward the fixed surface plate 2; and a control part which controls the movement mechanism. The movement mechanism comprises a die cutter 100 that causes the movable surface plate 1 to approach the fixed surface plate 2, and thus, punches a sheet material into a prescribed shape by a punching die attached to at least one of the movable surface plate 1 and the fixed surface plate 2. The movement mechanism has: four lift transmission mechanisms 4 which respectively pressurize the movable surface plate 1 toward the fixed surface plate 2 by four pressurizing parts of which positions in a horizontal direction are different from each other; and four press motors 3 which drive four lift transmission mechanisms 4 respectively.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, a punching device has been known which includes a movable base and an opposing base arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction, a moving mechanism which moves the movable base up and down toward the opposing base, and a control means which controls the moving mechanism, and which punches out a workpiece into a predetermined shape using a punching die attached to one of the movable base and the opposing base as the moving mechanism moves the movable base closer to the opposing base.

[0003] As an example of this type of punching device, Patent Document 1 describes a punching device in which the moving mechanism is equipped with a link mechanism, and the crankshaft of the link mechanism is driven to rotate, causing the link mechanism to push up a lower movable platen and punch out the workpiece between it and an upper fixed platen using a punching die. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5399231 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a punching device in which a movable platen moves toward an opposing platen, the punching pressure, which is the force that presses the workpiece toward the punching die, can vary depending on the arrangement of the cutting blades of the punching die and manufacturing errors of the die, and in areas where the punching pressure is low, the cutting blades of the die cannot punch through the workpiece, resulting in uneven punching. The punching device of Patent Document 1 is equipped with a punching pressure adjustment mechanism that adjusts the punching pressure by adjusting the vertical position of the lower end of the link mechanism between the sheet inlet side and the sheet outlet side, where the sheet, which is the workpiece, enters and exits. However, the punching device of Patent Document 1 includes a drive source for driving a punching pressure adjustment mechanism, separate from the drive source for the movement mechanism that moves the movable platen for punching. The drive source for this punching pressure adjustment mechanism is stopped when punching is performed, and is a drive source dedicated to adjusting the punching pressure, which does not contribute to obtaining the punching pressure required for punching. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a punching device comprising a movable base plate and an opposing base plate arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction, a moving mechanism for moving the movable base plate up and down toward the opposing base plate, and a control means for controlling the moving mechanism, wherein the moving mechanism moves the movable base plate closer to the opposing base plate, thereby punching out a workpiece into a predetermined shape using a punching die attached to at least one of the movable base plate and the opposing base plate, wherein the moving mechanism is characterized by having a plurality of pressure mechanisms that press the movable base plate toward the opposing base plate using a plurality of pressure sections that are positioned differently from each other in the horizontal direction, and a plurality of drive sources that respectively drive the plurality of pressure mechanisms. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, there is an excellent effect that the punching pressure can be adjusted without providing a drive source dedicated to adjusting the punching pressure, which does not contribute to obtaining the punching pressure required for punching. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a die-cutting system. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view of the die cutter with the front and rear frames not shown. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a rear view of the die cutter with the front and rear frames not shown. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the die cutter with the front frame and the rear frame not shown. [Figure 8] Schematic diagram of the upstream side of the die cutter. [Figure 9] Block diagram of a die cutter. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the displacement of the lift transmission rod and the cylindrical portion when the lift transmission mechanism is driven so that the cylindrical portion moves from the bottom dead center to the top dead center. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a pull-out height adjustment screen. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] 1A and 1B are top and front views of a leveling jig. [Figure 15] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing differences in the amount of displacement of an eccentric shaft portion depending on differences in the rotational position of the eccentric shaft; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, identical or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in each drawing will be assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted where appropriate. Furthermore, the dimensions of the members in each drawing will be enlarged or reduced as appropriate to facilitate understanding. Furthermore, some members that are not important for explaining the embodiments will be omitted from the drawings.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a punching device according to the present invention and a punching processing system including this punching device will be described.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a die-cutting system 500, which is a punching processing system according to this embodiment. The die-cutting system 500 includes a sheet feeder 200, a registration device 300, a die cutter 100, and a discharge processing device 400, from the upstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet material, which is the workpiece.

[0012] In the die-cutting system 500, a sheet feeder 200, which serves as a workpiece supplying means, supplies sheet material placed on a loading shelf toward a registration device 300. The registration device 300, which serves as a workpiece position correcting means, adjusts the inclination of the sheet material relative to the direction parallel to the sheet material's conveyance direction (the X-axis direction in the figure) and the position of the sheet material in the width direction (the Y-axis direction in the figure), and then conveys the sheet material toward a die cutter 100. The die cutter 100, which serves as a punching means, temporarily stops the sheet material supplied from the registration device 300 and punches it into the shape of a cutting die attached to the fixed platen by sandwiching it between a fixed platen and a movable platen, which will be described in detail later. The discharge processing device 400 includes a discharge unit that receives the sheet material discharged after being punched by the die cutter 100, a separator that separates the punched sheet material into a finished product and a surplus portion, and a stacker that accumulates the separated finished products. As shown in FIG. 1, the die cutter 100 has an operation panel 101 on its top surface.

[0013] Next, the die cutter 100 will be described. 2 to 7 are explanatory diagrams of the die cutter 100 with the exterior cover removed. FIG. 2 is a front view of the die cutter 100. FIG. 3 is an upstream side view of the die cutter 100 as seen from the right side in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a downstream side view of the die cutter 100 as seen from the left side in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a front view of the die cutter 100 in which the front frame 5 and the rear frame 6 are not shown from the front view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is a rear view of the die cutter 100 in which the front frame 5 and the rear frame 6 are not shown in the state shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the die cutter 100 in which the front frame 5 and the rear frame 6 are not shown. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram that schematically shows an upstream side view of the die cutter 100 shown in FIG.

[0014] As shown in Figures 2 to 7, the die cutter 100 comprises a movable base 1 that can move up and down relative to the frame (5, 6, 7, etc.) of the device, and a fixed base 2 that is arranged above and opposite the movable base 1 and is fixed to the frame of the device. The die cutter 100 has a metal frame structure including a base frame 7, a front frame 5, a rear frame 6, an upstream guide frame 21, and a downstream guide frame 23. The base frame 7 has casters for movement and a fixing mechanism to prevent movement. The front frame 5 and the rear frame 6 are plate-like members, the lower portions of which are fixed to the base frame 7. The upstream guide frame 21 and the downstream guide frame 23 are square bar-like members that extend in the width direction of the device and have both ends fixed to the front frame 5 and the rear frame 6. The fixed surface plate 2 is fixed to the upper part of the front frame 5 and the rear frame 6. As shown in Fig. 8, a cutting die 8 having a cutting blade 81 is fixed to the underside of the fixed surface plate 2 with a stainless steel plate 82 sandwiched therebetween. On the other hand, a face plate 9 is fixed to the upper surface of the movable surface plate 1.

[0015] The die cutter 100 is equipped with four lifting / lowering transmission mechanisms 4 (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d) and four press motors 3 (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) as a moving mechanism for moving the movable base 1 up and down. Four cylindrical sections 10 (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) whose axial directions are parallel to the conveying direction are fixed to the lower part of the movable base 1. The lifting / lowering transmission mechanisms 4 are configured as crank mechanisms that convert input rotational motion into reciprocating motion in the up and down direction. The press motors 3 are driven to rotate, and the lifting / lowering transmission mechanisms 4 transmit the lifting motion to the cylindrical sections 10, causing the movable base 1 to move up and down. 2 to 7 are explanatory diagrams showing a state in which all four cylindrical portions 10 are positioned at the bottom dead center of the lift transmission mechanism 4 and the movable platen 1 is at the farthest position from the fixed platen 2 within the movable range of the movable platen 1. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the movable platen 1 has risen to the upper stop position and the sheet material S has been punched out by the cutting blade 81 of the punching die 8.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 3, the movable surface plate 1 is provided with an upstream guided shaft 11 that protrudes parallel to the X-axis in the width direction and toward the upstream side in the conveying direction at the center of the width direction of its surface on the upstream side in the conveying direction. Also, as shown in Fig. 4, the movable surface plate 1 is provided with a downstream guided shaft 12 that protrudes parallel to the X-axis in the width direction and toward the downstream side in the conveying direction at the center of the width direction of its surface on the downstream side in the conveying direction. The upstream guided shaft 11 and the downstream guided shaft 12 are provided with upstream guided bearings 11a and downstream guided bearings 12a.

[0017] 3, the upstream guide frame 21 is provided at its widthwise center with an upstream guide portion 22. The upstream guide portion 22 protrudes downstream in the conveying direction and includes two upstream guide rails 22a extending in the vertical direction, and the upstream guided bearing 11a is sandwiched between the two upstream guide rails 22a to engage with the upstream guided shaft 11, thereby restricting movement of the upstream guided shaft 11 in the widthwise direction. 4, the downstream guide frame 23 is provided at its widthwise center with a downstream guide portion 24. The downstream guide portion 24 protrudes upstream in the conveying direction and includes two downstream guide rails 24a extending in the up-down direction, and the downstream guided bearing 12a is sandwiched between the two downstream guide rails 24a to engage with it, thereby restricting movement of the downstream guided shaft 12 in the widthwise direction. By restricting the widthwise movement of the upstream guided shaft 11 and the downstream guided shaft 12 using the upstream guide portion 22 and the downstream guide portion 24, it is possible to prevent the widthwise displacement of the movable base plate 1 when the movable base plate 1 moves up and down.

[0018] The die cutter 100 is equipped with a pair of conveyor belts (14, 15) that convey the sheet material S toward the rear side in the width direction relative to the movable base 1. It also includes a belt drive motor 13 that is the drive source for the pair of conveyor belts, and a belt drive transmission mechanism 16 that transmits the drive force. By driving the belt drive motor 13, the lower conveyor belt 14 and the upper conveyor belt 15 move endlessly at the same surface movement speed, and the lower conveyor belt 14 and the upper conveyor belt 15 sandwich one end of the sheet material S in the width direction and convey it.

[0019] The lower conveying belt 14 and the upper conveying belt 15 are tensioned by a plurality of tension rollers. Some of these tension rollers define the paths of the lower conveying belt 14 and the upper conveying belt 15 so that a surface for sandwiching the sheet material S is horizontally formed between the upper tension surface of the lower conveying belt 14 and the lower tension surface of the upper conveying belt 15. The tension rollers that form the surface for sandwiching the sheet material S are supported by roller holding members that can move up and down. When performing the punching process, the sheet material S is transported between the movable surface plate 1 and the fixed surface plate 2, and the lower transport belt 14 and upper transport belt 15 are stopped. The movable surface plate 1 has a protrusion (not shown) that protrudes toward the rear in the width direction, and when the movable surface plate 1 rises, the protrusion pushes up the roller holding member, causing the tension surface formed by the tension rollers held by the roller holding member to rise together with the movable surface plate 1. This allows the sheet material S to be processed to rise toward the fixed surface plate 2 as the movable surface plate 1 rises.

[0020] As a configuration for vertically moving the sheet material S sandwiched between the pair of conveyor belts (14, 15), the pair of conveyor belts (14, 15) may be held by a holding unit that can move in the vertical direction, including a belt drive mechanism (belt drive motor 13, belt drive transmission mechanism 16). In this case, the protruding portion of the movable base 1 is configured to push up the holding unit that holds the pair of conveyor belts, including the belt drive mechanism.

[0021] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the die cutter 100. The control unit 30 of the die cutter 100 controls the driving of the four press motors 3 (3a to 3d) and the belt drive motor 13 based on outputs from the operation panel 101 and the rear end detection sensor 25. In the die cutter 100 of this embodiment, the control unit 30 can independently control the driving of each of the four press motors 3 (3a to 3d).

[0022] Next, the preparation work for the punching process will be described. In the sheet feeder 200, a stack of sheet materials S to be punched is placed on a shelf.

[0023] In the die cutter 100, the cutting die 8 is set on the fixed platen 2, and the face plate 9 is set on the movable platen 1. When setting the cutting die 8 and the face plate 9, the discharge unit provided in the discharge processing device 400 at the position closest to the die cutter 100 is lowered manually or electrically. This opens the exit side of the space between the fixed platen 2 and the movable platen 1 through which the sheet material S passes, allowing access from outside.

[0024] Below the fixed surface plate 2, there is provided a die slide guide that allows the die 8 to slide in the direction along the conveyance direction. By inserting the die 8 into the space below the fixed surface plate 2 from the downstream side of the apparatus body in the conveyance direction, the die 8 slides along the die slide guide toward the upstream side in the conveyance direction. By inserting the die 8 until the tip of the die 8 in the insertion direction abuts against the die abutment plate 19 and pulling down the die fixing lever 17 to the state shown in Figure 2, etc., the die fixing member 18 abuts the die 8 against the die abutment plate 19, and the die 8 is locked in a state where it abuts against the underside of the fixed surface plate 2. This fixes the die 8 to the fixed surface plate 2.

[0025] If the die 8 has an identifier such as a barcode attached thereto for calling up information about the die 8, the identifier is read using a reading means such as a handheld scanner, and then the die 8 is set on the fixed surface plate 2.

[0026] After the cutting die 8 and the face plate 9 are set, the discharge unit is manually or electrically raised to a predetermined position.

[0027] Next, job settings are made using the operation panel 101 or an external input device. Settings can include the size of the sheet material S, the height of the cutting blade 81 of the die 8, the thickness of the sheet through the die 8, the number of punches, the die reference position, and the sheet reference position. Here, the thickness of the sheet of the die 8 is the sum of the thicknesses of the stainless steel plate 82 fixed to the upper surface of the die 8, the image sheet fixed to the upper surface of this stainless steel plate 82 and depicting the arrangement of the cutting blades 81 of the die 8, and the protective sheet covering the upper surface of the image sheet. The die 8 is inserted into and removed from the die cutter 100 with the stainless steel plate 82, an image sheet with a shim tape attached as needed, and a protective sheet laminated on the upper surface of the die 8 in this order.

[0028] The stainless steel plate 82 is a member that prevents the cutting blades 81 of the cutting die 8 from being pushed up by the face plate 9 and protruding from the back surface (top surface) of the cutting die 8. The image sheet allows the arrangement of the cutting blades 81 of the cutting die 8 to be confirmed, and if the arrangement of the cutting blades 81 indicates an area where the punching pressure is insufficient, a shim tape for smoothing unevenness can be attached to the top surface of the image sheet. The protective sheet covers and protects the top surface of the image sheet to which the shim tape for smoothing unevenness has been attached, and therefore prevents the shim tape for smoothing unevenness from rubbing against the bottom surface of the fixed surface plate 2 and coming off when the cutting die 8 is slid to set it.

[0029] The above-mentioned die reference position and sheet reference position are reference values ​​that are input in the job settings so that the stopping position of the sheet material S during the punching process is a stopping position where the position on the sheet material S to be cut matches the position of the cutting blade 81 of the die 8. The sheet material S stops when a predetermined number of stop pulses are acquired after the trailing end detection sensor 25, which is arranged upstream of the pair of conveyor belts (14, 15), detects the trailing end of the sheet material S, and punching is performed at that stopping position. In job setting, the worker extracts any blade reference point of the cutting blade 81 of the cutting die 8, and inputs a cutting die reference position, which is the distance from the blade reference point to the upstream end of the cutting die 8. The worker also extracts a cut reference point corresponding to the blade reference point from among the positions on the sheet material S to be punched that are to be cut, and inputs a sheet reference position, which is the distance from the cut reference point to the upstream end of the sheet material S to be punched. Based on the input cutting die reference position and sheet reference position, the control unit 30 calculates and sets the number of stop pulses so that the sheet material S stops at a stop position where the blade reference point and the cut reference point coincide with each other. This process allows the cutting blade 81 of the cutting die 8 to coincide with the position on the sheet material S to be cut during the punching process.

[0030] When a job to be executed by the die cutter 100 includes a creasing process for creasing the sheet material S, an operation is performed to fix a creasing facing recessed member to the face plate 9. In this operation, double-sided tape is applied to the underside of the creasing facing recessed member, and the creasing facing recessed member and a clip are attached to the creasing protrusion provided on the cutting die 8. When the creasing recess transfer button is operated in this state, the movable surface plate 1 moves a distance smaller than that of the punching process operation, and the face plate 9 comes into contact with the underside of the facing recessed member, and the facing recessed member is attached to the face plate 9 with the double-sided tape. Since the clip remains on the attached facing recessed member, the face plate 9 is removed from the movable surface plate 1, the clip, which is an unnecessary member, is removed, and the face plate 9 is fixed to the movable surface plate 1.

[0031] After the various settings described above, the die cutter 100 performs adjustment processing so that appropriate punching can be performed before the mass production process in which the sheet material S is continuously conveyed and continuously punched.

[0032] In the adjustment process, a single sheet material S is fed as a test feed for punching. In the test feed, punching is performed by the die cutter 100, but separation by the separator is not performed, and the sheet is discharged to the stacker in a state where the product of the punching process and the excess portion are not separated. The operator performs test feeding by pressing the test feeding button on the operation panel 101, and adjusts each part while looking at the results of the test feeding. The test feeding and adjustment operations are repeated as necessary.

[0033] The adjustment operation is performed on the operation panel 101, but may also be performed using an external input device. The adjustments to be made include the widthwise position of the sheet material S, the inclination (skew) of the sheet material S relative to the conveying direction, and the position of the sheet material S in the conveying direction when stopped during punching. As will be described in detail later, the die cutter 100 of this embodiment can also perform adjustments to correct punching unevenness by operating the operation panel 101. The operator visually inspects the sheet material S obtained in test feeding and performs such adjustments based on the punching deviation and punching unevenness.

[0034] After the adjustment process, the operator enters the number of sheets to be processed and the processing speed on the operation panel 101 and presses the start button to execute mass production. Mass production stops when the entered number of sheets to be processed has been processed, an error is detected, or the operator operates the stop button. The start button and stop button may be provided not only on the operation panel 101 but also on the operation section of the sheet feeder 200, so that they can be operated from either side.

[0035] Next, the operation of the die cutter 100 for punching will be described. When the start button on the operation panel 101 is pressed, the sheet material S is fed from the sheet feeder 200, the registration device 300 corrects the inclination and widthwise position of the sheet material S, and the sheet material S is supplied to the die cutter 100. In the die cutter 100, the belt drive motor 13 is driven, and the lower conveying belt 14 and the upper conveying belt 15 of the conveyor belt pair begin endless movement. The sheet material S supplied from the registration device 300 is then sandwiched between the conveyor belt pair and conveyed. The belt drive motor 13 is stopped a predetermined time after the trailing edge detection sensor 25, located upstream of the conveyor belt pair, detects the trailing edge of the sheet material S. This stops the sheet material S sandwiched between the conveyor belt pair at the punching position between the movable surface platen 1 and the fixed surface platen 2.

[0036] Next, the four press motors 3 are driven to raise the movable surface plate 1. When the movable surface plate 1 rises, the protrusions of the movable surface plate 1 push up the roller holding members described above, and the sheet material S that was at the conveying height also rises. By driving each of the four press motors 3 in the forward direction by a predetermined rotation amount and then stopping it, the movable surface plate 1 reaches the upper stop position, and the sheet material S is punched out to the shape of the cutting blades 81 of the punching die 8.

[0037] Next, the four press motors 3 are driven in the reverse direction by a predetermined rotational amount and then stopped, causing the movable platen 1 to descend and reach the lower stop position. At this time, the roller holding member also descends together with the movable platen 1, and the sheet material S descends to the conveying height. After this, by restarting the driving of the belt drive motor 13, the sheet material S that has been subjected to the punching process is conveyed to the discharge processing device 400, and the succeeding sheet material S supplied from the registration device 300 is sandwiched between the pair of conveyor belts and conveyed to the punching position. These operations are repeated during mass production processing.

[0038] In the above description, the press motor 3 is driven in the forward direction after the belt drive motor 13 has stopped, and the drive of the belt drive motor 13 is resumed after the reverse drive of the press motor 3 has stopped, but the motor drive timing is not limited to this. The press motor 3 may be driven in the forward direction before the belt drive motor 13 has stopped, or the drive of the belt drive motor 13 may be resumed before the reverse drive of the press motor 3 has stopped, as long as no problems with the conveyance of the sheet material S, such as jamming, occur. By providing a period in which the drive period of the belt drive motor 13 and the drive period of the press motor 3, overlapping, the processing speed can be improved.

[0039] Next, the operation of the press motor 3 during the punching operation will be described. When the belt drive motor 13 is driven, the control unit 30 controls the rotation position of the press motor 3, which is a servo motor, so that the rotation position of the press motor 3 becomes a lower reference rotation position corresponding to the lower stop position, so that the lift transmission mechanism 4 waits at the lower stop position.

[0040] After a predetermined time has elapsed since the trailing edge detection sensor 25 detected the passage of the trailing edge of the sheet material S, the belt drive motor 13 is stopped and the press motor 3 starts to rotate forward. Then, the press motor 3 is rotated forward to the upper reference rotation position and stopped so that the lift transmission mechanism 4 is at the upper stop position. When the rotation positions of all four press motors 3 reach the upper reference rotation positions and the forward rotation stops, they wait for a predetermined time (20 msec (milliseconds)) and then start reverse rotation. The four press motors 3 stop when they rotate reversely to the lower reference rotation positions. In this way, the four press motors 3 perform the punching process by repeating forward rotation from the lower reference rotation position to the upper reference rotation position and reverse rotation from the upper reference rotation position to the lower reference rotation position.

[0041] Fig. 10 is a schematic explanatory diagram of one of the four lift transmission mechanisms 4. Fig. 10(a) is an explanatory diagram of the XZ plane, Fig. 10(b) is an explanatory diagram of the YZ plane, and Fig. 10(c) is a perspective view. 10 , the lift transmission mechanism 4 includes a rotation input gear 41 that engages with the rotation output gear 31, an eccentric shaft 44 that rotates together with the rotation input gear 41, and a shaft holder 42 that is fixed to the frame 7 and rotatably holds a rotation shaft portion 441 of the eccentric shaft 44. The lift transmission mechanism 4 further includes a lift transmission rod 43 that has a lower portion that engages with the eccentric shaft portion 442 of the eccentric shaft 44 and an upper portion that engages with the cylindrical portion 10 of the movable base 1.

[0042] 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams showing the displacement of the lifting / lowering transmission rod 43 and the cylindrical portion 10 when the eccentric shaft 44 is rotated around the center line of the rotation shaft portion 441 so that the cylindrical portion 10 moves from the bottom dead center to the top dead center. Fig. 11A is an explanatory diagram of the state in which the cylindrical portion 10 is located at the bottom dead center, Fig. 11B is an explanatory diagram of the state in which the cylindrical portion 10 is located midway between the bottom dead center and the top dead center, and Fig. 11C is an explanatory diagram of the state in which the cylindrical portion 10 is located at the top dead center.

[0043] The eccentric shaft 44 is a member in which the positions of the center lines of the rotation shaft portion 441 that engages with the shaft holding portion 42 and the eccentric shaft portion 442 that engages with the lift transmission rod 43 are different. The rotation input gear 41 and the rotation shaft portion 441 have the same center line.

[0044] When the press motor 3 is driven to rotate and the rotation output gear 31 rotates, the rotation input gear 41 rotates, and the eccentric shaft 44, to which the rotation input gear 41 is fixed, rotates around the center line of the rotation shaft portion 441. As a result, the eccentric shaft portion 442 rotates around the center axis of the rotation shaft portion 441, and the lift transmission rod 43 engaged with the eccentric shaft portion 442 and the cylindrical portion 10 engaged with the lift transmission rod 43 move. At this time, the upstream guide portion 22 and the downstream guide portion 24 restrict the movement of the movable base 1 having the cylindrical portion 10 in the width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 11 , a direction parallel to the Y-axis), and the cylindrical portion 10 also does not move in the width direction. Therefore, when the eccentric shaft portion 442 is displaced in the up-down direction and the width direction due to the rotation of the eccentric shaft 44, the lift transmission rod 43 tilts, and the cylindrical portion 10 moves only in the up-down direction, as shown in FIG. 11(b).

[0045] In the eccentric shaft 44 of this embodiment, the eccentricity between the central axis of the rotating shaft portion 441 and the central axis of the eccentric shaft portion 442 is 15 mm. Therefore, the vertical movable range H, which is the displacement of the columnar portion 10 when the eccentric shaft 44 is rotated from the bottom dead center state shown in Fig. 11(a) to the top dead center state shown in Fig. 11(c), is 30 mm.

[0046] The moving mechanism that moves the movable base 1 has four lifting and lowering transmission mechanisms 4 (4a to 4d) as multiple pressure mechanisms that independently pressurize the four cylindrical sections 10 that serve as multiple pressure sections, and four press motors 3 (3a to 3d) as multiple drive sources that drive these mechanisms, respectively. The control unit 30 can independently control the driving of each of the four press motors 3, and therefore can change the upper reference rotation position corresponding to the upper stop position for each press motor 3. This makes it possible to individually change the height of the columnar portion 10 when at the upper stop position.

[0047] In the die cutter 100 of this embodiment, the eccentric shaft 44 is not controlled to rotate once, but is controlled so that the cylindrical portion 10 moves back and forth between a lower stop position and an upper stop position, which are in the range between the bottom dead center and the top dead center. Regarding the rotation angle θ of the eccentric shaft 44, if θ=0° when the cylindrical portion 10 is at the bottom dead center, then θ=180° when the cylindrical portion 10 is at the top dead center. Here, if the rotation angle of the eccentric shaft 44 when the cylindrical portion 10 is at the lower stop position is θ1, and the rotation angle when the cylindrical portion 10 is at the upper stop position is θ2, then the relationship in the following equation (1) holds. 0[°]≦θ1<θ2<180[°] ·······(1)

[0048] In this way, by making the rotation angle at the upper stop position smaller than the rotation angle at the top dead center, it becomes possible to change the rotation angle "θ2" when the cylindrical portion 10 is at the upper stop position, and it becomes possible to adjust the position of the cylindrical portion 10 when at the upper stop position. When applying pressure, the four press motors 3 are rotated forward at the same speed while at the lower reference rotation position corresponding to the state where the columnar portion 10, which is the home position of the lift-and-low transmission mechanism 4, is located at the lower stop position. Then, the press motors 3 are stopped sequentially, starting with the press motors 3 that have rotated to the upper reference rotation position corresponding to the upper stop position of the lift-and-low transmission mechanism 4. If the angles θ2 of the four press motors 3 are different from one another, the press motor 3 that has a larger amount of rotation from the lower reference rotation position to the upper reference rotation position will be stopped later than the other press motors 3. Alternatively, the rotation amount from the lower reference rotation position to the upper reference position may be calculated, and the rotation speed of the press motor 3 with a larger rotation amount may be increased so that the drive time from the lower reference rotation position to the upper reference rotation position is the same for all the press motors 3.

[0049] As described above, the die cutter 100 of this embodiment can change the upper reference rotation position corresponding to the upper stop position for each press motor 3, and can individually change the height of the cylindrical portion 10 when at the upper stop position. With this configuration, by changing the rotation amount of one press motor 3 to be larger when it is in the upper reference rotation position, the value of the rotation angle "θ2" of the eccentric shaft 44 when it is in the upper reference rotation position becomes larger, and the position of the cylindrical portion 10 when it is in the upper stop position becomes higher. As a result, the punching pressure, which is the contact pressure between the face plate 9 and the punch die 8 during the punching process, can be increased vertically above the cylindrical portion 10, which is in a higher position when it is in the upper stop position.

[0050] In this way, in a configuration in which the contact pressure between the face plate 9 and the punching die 8 during punching processing can be increased partially, correction can be made to eliminate punching unevenness by increasing the amount of rotation of the upper reference rotation position of the press motor 3 so that the upper stop position of the cylindrical portion 10 below the location where punching unevenness occurred during test feeding becomes higher.

[0051] In other words, the punching pressure, which in conventional die cutters was adjusted by sticking shim tape to the back of the punching die to eliminate unevenness, can now be adjusted by changing the amount of rotation of the upper reference rotation position of the press motor 3. For example, if punching unevenness occurs on the upstream side of the sheet material S output in the test feeding, the setting is made to increase the rotation amount of the upper reference rotation position of the first press motor 3a. This increases the value of the rotation angle "θ2" of the eccentric shaft 44 of the first lifting / lowering transmission mechanism 4a, making it possible to raise the position of the first cylindrical portion 10a at the upper stop position compared to before the setting. This also makes it possible to increase the punching pressure on the upstream side of the sheet material S during the punching process, thereby eliminating punching unevenness.

[0052] When correcting uneven punching using the operation panel 101, the operator indicates the four corners on the operation panel 101, selects the corner for which he or she wants to change the punching pressure, and displays a screen for changing the punching pressure for that corner. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the display screen (cutting height adjustment screen) of the operation panel 101 for "cutting height adjustment" for correcting the cutting unevenness on the operation panel 101. The punching height adjustment is used to increase the amount of pressure applied to areas where punching is insufficient for a product that has undergone test feeding. In this embodiment, the rotation amounts of the four press motors 3 can be adjusted individually, so the punching height has variable values ​​at the four corners.

[0053] The display screen shown in FIG. 12 has a punching height distribution display section 75 in the center. To the lower right of the punching height distribution display unit 75 is a right-front punching height adjustment value display window 70 that shows the adjustment value of the first press motor 3a, and above and below it are a right-front punching height increase button 71 that increases the right-front punching height (upper stop position) of the movable platen 1, and a right-front punching height decrease button 72 that decreases the right-front punching height. At the lower left of the punching height distribution display unit 75 is a left-front punching height adjustment value display window 64 that shows the adjustment value of the second press motor 3b, and above and below it are a left-front punching height increase button 65 for increasing the left-front punching height of the movable surface plate 1, and a left-front punching height decrease button 66 for decreasing the left-front punching height. At the top right of the punching height distribution display unit 75 is a right rear punching height adjustment value display window 67 that shows the adjustment value of the third press motor 3c, and above and below it are a right rear punching height increase button 68 for increasing the punching height at the right rear of the movable surface plate 1, and a right rear punching height decrease button 69 for decreasing the punching height at the right rear. At the upper left of the punching height distribution display unit 75 is a left rear punching height adjustment value display window 61 that indicates the adjustment value of the fourth press motor 3d, and above and below the window are a left rear punching height increase button 62 that increases the punching height at the left rear of the movable base 1, and a left rear punching height decrease button 63 that decreases the punching height at the left rear.

[0054] Furthermore, at the upper center of the punching height distribution display section 75, there are provided an overall punching height increase button 73 for increasing the punching height at all four locations, and an overall punching height decrease button 74 for decreasing the punching height at all four locations. In this embodiment, the adjustment unit for the punching height at each of the four corners is "0.01 [mm]", and the adjustment range is "0.00 to 2.50 [mm]", but this is not limiting. In this embodiment, in order to keep the face plate 9 flat, one of the four corners diagonally opposite the corner for adjusting the punching height is used as a fulcrum, and the other two corners are changed accordingly. In the example shown in Figure 12, the rear left corner is adjusted to rise by "0.09". In this adjustment, the front right corner acts as a fulcrum, so the adjustment value does not change and remains at "0.00". Meanwhile, the other two corners (front left corner and rear right corner) rise in response to the rise of the rear left corner.

[0055] The punching height distribution display section 75 shows an outline of the height distribution of the upper surface of the movable base plate 1, dividing the upper surface of the movable base plate 1 into 16 regions and displaying the height of each region calculated based on the adjustment values ​​of the four corners. In FIG. 12, the punching height distribution display section 75 shows the punching height distribution numerically, but the punching height distribution may also be displayed in color.

[0056] When a setting to increase the release pressure is input on the punch height adjustment screen shown in FIG. 12 , the control unit 30 changes the setting to increase the amount of rotation of the upper reference rotation position of the corresponding press motor 3. On the other hand, when a setting to decrease the release pressure is input, the control unit 30 changes the setting to decrease the amount of rotation of the upper reference rotation position of the corresponding press motor 3. Then, during the punching process, the control unit 30 controls each press motor 3 to rotate forward to the upper reference rotation position set for that motor.

[0057] The die cutter 100 of this embodiment is configured so that each of the four corners of the movable base 1, which moves from bottom to top during punching, is moved up and down by an independent press motor 3 and lifting transmission mechanism 4. In addition, each press motor 3 is configured so that the rotation amount can be adjusted individually, so that the lifting position of each of the four corners can be adjusted according to the punching unevenness, thereby improving the punching unevenness.

[0058] Since the unevenness in punching is caused by the arrangement of the cutting blade 81 of the punching die 8 or manufacturing errors of the punching die 8, when the punching die 8 that has been removed is reattached to the die cutter 100, the same unevenness removal process as when it was previously attached may be carried out. In the die cutter 100 of this embodiment, identification information and control information for each cutting die 8 are linked and stored in the storage unit of the control unit 30. The control information at this time includes information on the upper reference rotation positions of the four press motors 3 when the cutting die 8 was previously attached. As a result, by inputting the identification information when attaching the cutting die 8, the control information linked to the identification information can be called up and the upper reference rotation positions of the four press motors 3 can be set to the settings at the time of the previous attachment, thereby reducing the workload during adjustments before mass production operations and shortening the setup time.

[0059] The cutting die 8 is preferably provided with an identification information display unit for displaying a barcode, a control number, etc. The identification information of the cutting die 8 to be attached can be input by reading the barcode with a barcode reader provided in the die cutter 100, or by inputting the control number on the operation panel 101. As a configuration for setting the upper reference rotation position according to the cutting die 8, a readable memory element such as an RF tag or an IC tag may be provided in the cutting die 8, control information including information on the upper reference rotation positions of the four press motors 3 at the time of the previous attachment may be stored in the memory element of the cutting die 8, and the upper reference rotation position may be set based on the information read from the memory element of the cutting die 8 at the time of attachment.

[0060] In the die cutter 100 of this embodiment, when a new cutting die 8 is attached, the upper reference rotation positions of the four press motors 3 can be set by operating the operation panel 101, thereby improving punching unevenness and reducing the work of applying shim tape to correct unevenness. Furthermore, when attaching a cutting die 8 for the second or subsequent time, the control information used when the die was previously attached can be recalled and set by inputting identification information, thereby semi-automating and simplifying adjustments before mass production.

[0061] The control information linked to the above-described identification information for each die 8 may include one or more job setting information such as the height of the cutting blade 81 of the die 8, the thickness of the sheet of the die 8, the usage history of the die 8, and the die reference position. Examples of the usage history include the date and time of use and the number of times punching has been performed. When the die 8 is attached and there is a change in the pre-stored control information, the change is linked to the identification information and stored in the lookup table.Then, the next time the die 8 is attached and the identification information is input, the linked control information is automatically called up and job settings are performed.

[0062] By linking the time-consuming process of attaching and adjusting the die 8, and items whose accuracy can only be confirmed by actually processing and generating paper waste, to the identification information of the die 8 as control information, the workload on the user can be reduced and setup time can be shortened.

[0063] The upper stop position of the movable platen 1 is largely determined by the punching die 8, so by acquiring the setting information of the upper reference rotation positions of the four press motors 3 at the time of previous installation as control information, the upper stop position of the movable platen 1 can be automatically set, which is advantageous in reducing the workload and shortening the setup time. For punching processing, it is essential to input the reference position of the punching die 8. By acquiring information on the reference position of the punching die, which is the reference position of the punching die 8, as control information and setting it automatically, adjustment time can be reduced.

[0064] By acquiring the usage history of the cutting die 8 as control information, the date and time of use and the number of punches can be recorded, making it easier to manage the cutting die 8, such as when to replace the cutting blade 81.

[0065] The control information may also include information regarding the compatibility of the cutting die 8 with the sheet material, such as paper. In this case, an identifier, such as a barcode, is attached to a portion of the sheet material S to be cut by the cutting die 8. Furthermore, an identifier reading means (such as a CCD camera) that reads the identifier of the sheet material S is disposed between the sheet feeder 200 and the die cutter 100. Then, before the punching process is performed, it is confirmed whether the sheet material S and the cutting die 8 are an appropriate combination based on the information acquired by the identifier reading means and the identification information of the cutting die 8. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary punching processes from being performed on sheet material S that is incompatible with the cutting die 8, thereby preventing the generation of paper waste and unnecessary punching processes.

[0066] The die cutter 100 of this embodiment can perform leveling adjustment to bring the upper surface of the movable base 1 and the lower surface of the fixed base 2 closer to being parallel when the movable base 1 reaches the upper stop position. Fig. 13 is a perspective explanatory view of a level adjustment jig 50 used for level adjustment. Fig. 14 is an explanatory view of the level adjustment jig 50, Fig. 14(a) is a top view, and Fig. 14(b) is a front view. The level adjustment jig 50 is fixed to the fixed surface plate 2 in place of the punching die 8 and comprises a jig body plate portion 51 having the same external shape as the punching die 8 and four spacers 52 .

[0067] The spacers 52 are highly rigid members that are difficult to deform, and are manufactured with high precision so that the heights (lengths in the Z direction in the figure) of the four spacers 52 are uniform, and they are fixed in place by passing through four holes provided in the jig main body plate portion 51. The four spacers 52 are arranged in positions that face each other near the four corners of the upper surface of the rectangular movable surface plate 1 when the level adjustment jig 50 is fixed to the fixed surface plate 2.

[0068] To perform leveling, the operator fixes the leveling jig 50 to the fixed platen 2 instead of the cutting die 8 and attaches it to the die cutter 100. The operator then inputs a command to execute leveling via the operation panel 101. Upon receiving the command, the control unit 30 simultaneously rotates the four press motors 3 in the forward direction from a position where the four cylindrical members 10 are at bottom dead center. After rotating the four lifting / lowering transmission mechanisms 4 in the forward direction by a predetermined rotational amount (a fixed pulse) within a range where the movable platen 1 does not reach the leveling jig 50, the control of the four press motors 3 is switched to a torque limit set to low torque (control that stops the rotation of the press motors 3 when the set torque is reached). This low torque is the torque required to lift the movable platen 1, but is such that if the movable platen 1 hits an object, it will not be able to move any further. The movable platen 1 is rotated at an extremely low torque at least immediately before contact with the spacer 52 of the leveling jig 50, so that it will stop when it comes into contact with the spacer 52. The stopped position is then stored as the horizontal reference position.

[0069] In the leveling adjustment, the press motors 3 of the four corresponding lift transmission mechanisms 4 are rotated to aim for a rotation position where the four columnar portions 10 are at the top dead center. However, under low-torque torque limiting control, if the upper surface of the movable platen 1 comes into contact with the spacer 52 of the leveling jig 50 and then butts against the lower surface of the fixed platen 2 via the spacer 52, the rotation of the press motor 3 will stop, resulting in a position deviation error, even if the cylindrical portion 10 has not yet reached the rotation position where it is at top dead center. For example, if the drive pulses of the press motor 3 are 1,000 pulses when the lift transmission mechanism 4 is driven so that the cylindrical portion 10 moves from bottom dead center to top dead center, the control unit 30 will drive the press motor 3 with a target of 1,000 pulses, but if the movable platen 1 hits the spacer 52 during 995 pulse drive and the press motor 3 cannot be driven due to the torque limit, resulting in a position deviation error.

[0070] Because the four spacers 52 are aligned at the same height with high precision, when the movable platen 1 abuts against the fixed platen 2 via the four spacers 52, the upper surface of the movable platen 1 and the lower surface of the fixed platen 2 are parallel to each other. At this time, the rotation positions of the four press motors 3 are rotation positions that make the upper surface of the movable platen 1 and the lower surface of the fixed platen 2 parallel to each other, and therefore these rotation positions are stored in the memory of the control unit 30 as horizontal reference positions. By setting the upper reference rotation positions of the four press motors 3 based on the horizontal reference positions stored here, it is possible to bring the upper surface of the movable platen 1 and the lower surface of the fixed platen 2 closer to being parallel to each other when the movable platen 1 reaches the upper stop position.

[0071] The rotation of each of the four press motors 3 may be stopped due to a position deviation error, the rotation position at that time may be stored as the horizontal reference position, and then the motors may be rotated slightly in the reverse direction, followed by control to rotate forward again under low torque limiting control, and this control may be repeated.In addition, by storing multiple pieces of information about the horizontal reference position at which rotation stops due to a position deviation error for each of the four press motors 3, and calculating the average of the multiple stored horizontal reference positions for each press motor 3 to set the horizontal reference position, more appropriate information about the horizontal reference position may be obtained.

[0072] If the thickness of the cutting die 8 including the cutting blade 81 is greater than the height of the spacer 52, the upper reference rotation position is set so that the upper stop position is lower by that difference. On the other hand, if the thickness of the cutting die 8 including the cutting blade 81 is smaller than the height of the spacer 52, the upper reference rotation position is set so that the upper stop position is higher by that difference. This makes it possible to prevent large variations in the pressure of the face plate 9 against the cutting die 8 when the cutting die 8 is attached and punching processing is performed. In either case, the difference value to be subtracted or added is the same for each of the four press motors 3.

[0073] Conventional die cutters do not perform leveling to correct the parallelism between the movable and fixed plates. Therefore, if the parallelism between the movable and fixed plates deteriorates due to assembly errors during die cutter manufacturing, component errors, or repeated use, the process involves simply applying shim tape to correct the punching unevenness caused by the deterioration in parallelism, without actually improving the parallelism itself. With such conventional die cutters, the shim tape must be applied to correct the deteriorated parallelism, which increases the operator's workload and may not fully resolve the punching unevenness depending on the operator's capabilities. Furthermore, correcting the deteriorated parallelism with shim tape requires applying an excess amount of shim tape to the same position each time, which increases the number of test feeds and results in increased paper waste.

[0074] In contrast, in the die cutter 100 of this embodiment, by performing leveling adjustment before attaching the cutting die 8, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of uneven punching due to poor parallelism during test feeding with the cutting die 8 attached, and to reduce the workload of the operator in correcting the uneven punching. Furthermore, because the leveling adjustment is performed under the control of the control unit 30, it is possible to eliminate uneven punching due to poor parallelism regardless of the operator's ability. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce paper waste.

[0075] 2, the die cutter 100 is provided with a first strain sensor 26a and a second strain sensor 26b on the upstream and downstream sides of the front frame 5 in the conveying direction. Also, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the die cutter 100 is provided with a third strain sensor 26c and a fourth strain sensor 26d on the upstream and downstream sides of the rear frame 6 in the conveying direction. The four strain sensors 26 (26a, 26b, 26c, 26d) are extension amount measuring means for measuring the amount of extension in the vertical direction of the front frame 5 and the rear frame 6, which are holding members that hold the fixed base plate 2 among the frames of the die cutter 100. The measurement points are a front frame 5 and a rear frame 6, which are frames on both sides of the conveyance path of the sheet material S, and are set at a plurality of points (two points in this embodiment) spaced apart in the conveyance direction.

[0076] The four strain sensors 26 are fixed near the upper end of the front frame 5 or the rear frame 6, and strain detection rods 27 (27a, 27b, 27c, 27d) are disposed below each strain sensor 26. The lower ends of the four strain detection rods 27 are fixed to detection rod fixing portions 28 (28a, 28b, 28c, 28d) near the lower end of the front frame 5 or the rear frame 6. Because only the lower ends of the strain detection rods 27 are fixed to the front frame 5 or the rear frame 6, the positions of their upper ends are not affected by deformation of the front frame 5 or the rear frame 6. On the other hand, because the strain sensors 26 are disposed at the upper ends of the front frame 5 or the rear frame 6, when the front frame 5 or the rear frame 6 expands, the strain sensors 26 move upward, increasing the distance to the upper surfaces of the opposing strain detection rods 27; and when the expansion is released, the distance from the strain sensors 26 to the upper surfaces of the strain detection rods 27 returns to its original position. Therefore, the strain sensor 26 can detect the amount of extension of the front frame 5 or the rear frame 6 at the position where it is placed by measuring the change in the distance to the upper surface of the strain detection rod 27 that is placed opposite it.

[0077] The four strain sensors 26 detect the amount of extension of the front frame 5 or the rear frame 6 at the installed positions as an electric signal. The control unit 30 is capable of controlling the driving of each of the four press motors 3 based on the measurement results of the strain sensors 26.

[0078] When the die cutter 100 punches the sheet material S, a large load is applied in the vertical direction, causing the frame to stretch. This frame stretch reduces the punching pressure when the movable platen 1 is moved to the upper stop position, potentially resulting in punching irregularities. Because frame stretch varies depending on the job (e.g., the combination of the punching die 8 and the sheet material S) and adjustments, the amount of rotation for the upper reference rotation position of each press motor 3 is corrected according to the measurement results of each strain sensor 26 during adjustment. The greater the stretch measured by the strain sensor 26, the closer the upper reference rotation position of the corresponding press motor 3 is to the rotation position where the cylindrical portion 10 is at its top dead center. This allows the upper stop position of the movable platen 1 to be raised at the four corners where the frame stretches most during punching, thereby pre-correcting the reduction in punching pressure due to frame stretch. This reduces the operator's workload of correcting punching irregularities by inspecting the finished product during test feeding and shortens adjustment time.

[0079] The strain sensor 26, which serves as the extension amount measuring means, detects the change in the distance between the strain sensor 26 fixed near the upper end of the frame and the strain detection rod 27 fixed near the lower end of the frame. The configuration for detecting the change in distance can be a configuration in which a rotating lever is provided that is rotatable relative to the strain sensor 26 body and contacts the upper surface of the strain detection rod 27, the angle of the rotating lever is detected by the detection unit of the strain sensor 26, and the change in the distance between the strain sensor 26 and the strain detection rod 27 is detected based on the detected angle. Another configuration for the extension amount measuring means may be a configuration in which the distance is calculated from a reflective optical distance sensor fixed near either the upper or lower end of the frame to a reflective unit fixed near the other of the upper or lower end of the frame. Furthermore, the extension amount measuring means for measuring the extension of the frame is not limited to a distance sensor such as the strain sensor 26, and may also be a device in which a strain gauge is attached to the frame to measure the extension of the frame.

[0080] The four press motors 3 may be subjected to torque limitation during punching processing in order to prevent damage to the members constituting the die cutter 100 due to an overload acting on them when they are driven. In this case, it is desirable that the control unit 30 performs control to change the upper limit value of the torque generated by the corresponding press motor 3 depending on the rotational position of each of the four eccentric shafts 44 (the rotational angle of the eccentric shaft 44 when θ=0° is set to when the cylindrical portion 10 is at the bottom dead center).

[0081] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the difference in the amount of displacement of the eccentric shaft portion 442 depending on the rotational position of the eccentric shaft 44. As shown in FIG. 15(a) is an explanatory diagram of the movement of the lift transmission rod 43 and the cylindrical portion 10 when the eccentric shaft 44 is rotated, and Fig. 15(b) is an explanatory diagram showing the difference in the amount of displacement of the eccentric shaft portion 442 for the same amount of rotation (α1 = α2 = α3) when the rotation position of the eccentric shaft 44 is different. "L" in Fig. 15(b) is the distance between the center line of the rotation shaft portion 441 of the eccentric shaft 44 and the center line of the eccentric shaft portion 442.

[0082] "α1" in FIG. 15(b) indicates a state in which the eccentric shaft 44 has rotated by "α" from the state in which the rotation angle is "0°" as shown in (i) of FIG. 15(a), and the amount of displacement is "L·sinα1." "α2" indicates a state in which the eccentric shaft 44 has rotated by "α" near the state in which the rotation angle is "90°" as shown in (ii) of FIG. 15(a), and the amount of displacement is "L·sinα2." "α3" indicates a state in which the eccentric shaft 44 has rotated by "α" toward the state in which the rotation angle is "180°" as shown in (iii) of FIG. 15(a), and the amount of displacement is "L·sinα3."

[0083] As shown in FIG. 15(b), when the rotation angle is near "0°" or "180°", the displacement amount "L·sinα" relative to the rotation amount "α" is sufficiently smaller than when the rotation angle is near "90°". Therefore, even if the torque generated by the press motor 3 is the same, the force that tries to lift the cylindrical portion 10 is sufficiently larger when the rotation angle is near "0°" or "180°" than when the rotation angle is near "90°".

[0084] Therefore, if the upper limit of the generated torque is set to a constant value so that the movable base 1 can be smoothly raised when the rotation angle is near 90°, when the rotation angle is near 0° or 180°, even if a large load is applied to the components constituting the die cutter 100, such as the cylindrical portion 10, the generated torque of the press motor 3 does not reach the upper limit, and the press motor 3 continues to drive, which may damage the components constituting the die cutter 100. In particular, when the rotation angle reaches near 180°, if the generated torque does not reach the upper limit, even if resistance during punching increases due to a paper jam or an object getting caught, the generated torque does not reach the upper limit, and the press motor 3 continues to drive until the set upper stop position, which may damage the components constituting the die cutter 100. On the other hand, if the upper limit of the torque to be generated is set to a low value to prevent damage to components when the rotation angle is near "0°" or "180°", there is a risk that the force required to smoothly raise the movable base 1 will not be obtained when the rotation angle is near "90°".

[0085] In response to this, the upper limit of the torque generated by the press motor 3 is changed depending on factors such as the rotation angle of the eccentric shaft 44. Specifically, when the rotation angle is near 90°, the upper limit of the torque generated by the press motor 3 is set to a high value, and as the rotation angle approaches 180°, the setting of the upper limit of the torque generated by the press motor 3 is changed so that the value decreases continuously or in stages. During the punching operation, if the torque generated by the press motor 3 reaches an upper limit value before the upper stop position is reached, the drive of the press motor 3 is stopped and an error message is displayed on a display unit such as the operation panel 101. In this way, the movable base 1 can be raised smoothly by setting the upper limit of the generated torque to a high value until it approaches the upper stop position, and after it approaches the upper stop position, the upper limit of the generated torque is changed to a low value to reduce the load on the device and prevent damage to the components that make up the die cutter 100, such as the cutting die 8 and the lifting transmission mechanism 4.

[0086] As a configuration for changing the upper limit of the generated torque, reduction control may be performed to reduce the upper limit of the generated torque of the press motor 3 when the movable platen 1 approaches the upper stop position. The most torque is required when the movable platen 1 starts to rise, and the required torque decreases as the movable platen 1 approaches the upper stop position. The movable base 1 used in the die cutter 100 of this embodiment is very heavy (approximately 280 kg), so a large torque is required to start and accelerate it. For this reason, when the movable base 1 starts to move from the lower stop position, the press motor 3 is set so that no upper limit is set on the torque generated by the press motor 3, allowing the press motor 3 to apply its maximum torque. Then, when the movable base 1 approaches the upper stop position where punching is performed, the upper limit of the torque generated by the press motor 3 is limited so that the vertical force acting on the lift transmission rod 43, the cylindrical portion 10, and the movable base 1 via the eccentric shaft 44 does not exceed a certain value.

[0087] Examples of the sheet material S, which is a plate-shaped workpiece, include paper media such as plain paper, cardboard, label paper, thick paper, coated paper, etc. Furthermore, the plate-shaped workpieces to be processed by the punching device according to the present invention include, in addition to paper media, overhead projector sheets, films, fabrics, resin sheets, metal sheets, electronic circuit board materials that have been subjected to metal foil or plating treatment, special films, plastic films, prepregs, sheets for electronic circuit boards, etc., and these may be in the form of a bundle of multiple sheets stacked on top of each other or as single sheets.

[0088] Although the configuration in which the movable surface plate is disposed below and the fixed surface plate is disposed above has been described, the movable surface plate may be disposed above and the fixed surface plate may be disposed below.Furthermore, a configuration in which two surface plates facing each other vertically are both movable surface plates that can be moved up and down and are moved toward and away from each other by multiple (four) lifting drive sources may be used. In a configuration in which the movable base is placed at the bottom and the fixed base is placed at the top, as in this embodiment, the four press motors 3, which are somewhat heavy, and the four lifting transmission mechanisms 4 can be placed at low positions in the device, thereby lowering the center of gravity of the die cutter 100 device.

[0089] The above description is merely an example, and each of the following aspects provides unique effects.

[0090] [Aspect 1] In a punching device such as a die cutter 100 that comprises a movable base plate such as a movable base plate 1 and an opposing base plate such as a fixed base plate 2 arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction, a moving mechanism that moves the movable base plate up and down toward the opposing base plate, and a control means such as a control unit 30 that controls the moving mechanism, the moving mechanism moves the movable base plate closer to the opposing base plate, thereby punching out a workpiece such as a sheet material S into a predetermined shape using a cutting die such as a cutting die 8 attached to at least one of the movable base plate and the opposing base plate, the moving mechanism is characterized by having a pressure mechanism such as a plurality (four, etc.) of lifting and lowering transmission mechanisms 4 that pressurize the movable base plate toward the opposing base plate using pressure sections such as a plurality (four, etc.) of cylindrical sections 10 that are positioned differently from each other in the horizontal direction, and a drive source such as a plurality (four, etc.) of press motors 3 that drive each of the plurality of pressure mechanisms. According to this, the control means independently controls the multiple drive sources, so that the amount of pressure applied at the multiple pressure applying sections can be adjusted independently, and it is possible to adjust the punching pressure to suppress unevenness in the punching pressure without providing a drive source dedicated to adjusting the punching pressure.

[0091] [Aspect 2] In the punching device of the first aspect, the pressure mechanism is characterized by being an eccentric rotor drive transmission mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the drive source into the up and down motion of the movable surface platen by an eccentric rotor such as the eccentric shaft 44. A ball screw can also be used as a pressure mechanism for applying pressure to the movable surface platen to move it. However, with a ball screw, the amount of movement of the movable surface platen relative to the amount of rotation output by the drive source is constant. In contrast to this, the eccentric rotor drive transmission mechanism makes it possible to increase the moving speed of the moving surface platen in the moving range that does not contribute to punching, while also enabling fine adjustment of the pressure during punching, for the following reasons. That is, when the position of the pressure applying unit is near the midpoint between the bottom dead point and the top dead point (for example, the state in Figure 11(b)), the vertical displacement relative to the amount of rotation is large, so by setting this range as the range of movement of the movable surface plate when it is not contributing to punching, the movement speed of the movable surface plate in the range of movement when it is not contributing to punching can be increased. On the other hand, when the pressure applying unit is near the top dead point or the bottom dead point, the vertical displacement relative to the amount of rotation is small, so by setting the stop position of the pressure applying unit when applying pressure, such as the upper stop position, to a position close to the top dead point or the bottom dead point, the vertical displacement of the pressure applying unit when it is applied can be reduced relative to the amount of rotation, and the stop position of the pressure applying unit when applying pressure can be set precisely, allowing for fine adjustment of the pressure during punching.

[0092] Aspect 3 In the punching device of aspect 2, during a pressurizing operation such as an upward operation in which the pressurizing mechanism presses the movable platen toward the opposing platen, the pressurizing unit is characterized in that it displaces to a stop position such as an upper stop position that does not reach a dead point such as the top dead center of the eccentric rotor drive transmission mechanism. In this aspect, the eccentric rotor does not rotate once, and the pressure applying unit displaces within a range between the top dead center and the bottom dead center. When applying pressure by raising the movable base plate toward an opposing base plate located above, as in the above-described embodiment, the pressure applying unit displaces to an upper stop position set lower than the top dead center. Unlike the above-described embodiment, when applying pressure by lowering the movable base plate toward an opposing base plate located below, the pressure applying unit displaces to a lower stop position set higher than the bottom dead center. By setting the stop position of the pressure applying unit during pressure applying to a position that does not reach the dead center, the stop position of the pressure applying unit during pressure applying can be adjusted in the vertical direction. Adjusting the stop position of the pressure applying unit during pressure applying for each of the multiple pressure applying mechanisms allows the punching pressure to be adjusted to eliminate punching unevenness.

[0093] [Aspect 4] In the punching device of either aspect 2 or 3, the control means performs torque limitation to limit the torque generated when the drive source is driven, and is characterized in that the upper limit of the generated torque is changed depending on the rotational position of the eccentric rotor, such as the rotational angle of the eccentric shaft 44 when θ=0[°] is the time when the cylindrical portion 10 is at the bottom dead center. This makes it possible to maintain the torque required to move the movable base when the amount of movement of the movable base relative to the rotation angle of the eccentric rotor is large, while preventing damage to the components that make up the punching device when the amount of movement of the movable base relative to the rotation angle of the eccentric rotor is small.

[0094] [Aspect 5] The punching device of any one of the first to fourth aspects is characterized in that the pressure units are arranged at the vertices of a rectangle included in the range of the movable surface plate. In Patent Document 1, it is only possible to adjust the punching pressure in the front-to-rear direction relative to the conveyance direction of the sheet material, and it is not possible to adjust the punching pressure in the left-to-right direction relative to the conveyance direction of the sheet material. In contrast, as in this embodiment, by arranging pressure units at four locations that are the vertices of a rectangle included in the range of the movable surface plate and having the control means independently control the drive sources of the pressure mechanisms of each pressure unit, it is possible to adjust the punching pressure not only in the front-to-rear direction relative to the conveyance direction of the sheet material, but also in the left-to-right direction, and to more appropriately eliminate punching unevenness.

[0095] [Aspect 6] In the punching device of any of aspects 1 to 5, a plurality of deformation amount measuring means such as strain sensors 26 that measure the amount of deformation of members (such as the front frame 5 and the rear frame 6) that deform when pressure is applied by the pressure mechanism are provided at different horizontal positions, and the control means controls the driving of the drive source based on the measurement results of the deformation amount measuring means. This allows the control means to correct a decrease in punching pressure due to deformation of components that deform when pressure is applied, thereby reducing the workload for adjusting the punching pressure. In the above-described embodiment, the deformation measurement means measures the deformation of the front frame 5 and the rear frame 6. However, the components for which deformation is measured are not limited to these. For example, the amount of contraction of each of the shaft holders 42 of the four lift transmission mechanisms 4 when pressure is applied may be measured, and the drive amount of the press motor 3 may be controlled based on this amount of contraction. Furthermore, both the amount of contraction of the shaft holders 42 when pressure is applied and the amount of expansion of the front frame 5 and the rear frame 6 when pressure is applied may be measured, and the drive amount of the press motor 3 may be controlled based on the measurement results. Counter-platen holding members that hold the counter platen, such as the front frame 5 and the rear frame 6, and movable-platen holding members that hold the movable platen, such as the shaft holders 42 and other components of the lift transmission mechanism 4, are members that may be deformed due to stress when pressure is applied. Furthermore, not limited to these components, but for any component that deforms when pressure is applied, the amount of deformation can be measured and the drive source can be controlled based on the measurement results, thereby correcting the decrease in punching pressure caused by deformation when pressure is applied.

[0096] [Aspect 7] In the punching device of aspect 6, the deformation amount measuring means is characterized by being an extension amount measuring means such as a strain sensor 26 that measures the amount of extension in the vertical direction of holding members such as the front frame 5 and the rear frame 6 that hold the opposing base plate. This makes it possible to correct the decrease in punching pressure caused by the extension of the holding member when pressure is applied.

[0097] [Aspect 8] The punching device of any of aspects 1 to 7 is characterized in that it is provided with conveying means such as a lower conveying belt 14 and an upper conveying belt 15 for carrying the workpiece between the movable surface plate and the opposing surface plate and for carrying the workpiece therein. This allows a punching device that automates the loading and unloading of workpieces into the punching device to make adjustments that suppress unevenness in punching pressure by controlling the drive of multiple drive sources that move the movable base up and down, without having to provide a drive source dedicated to adjusting the punching pressure.

[0098] [Aspect 9] In the punching device of any one of the first to eighth aspects, the opposing surface plate is an upper fixed surface plate that is fixed to the housing of the device above the movable surface plate. By placing the movable base plate at the bottom, the pressure mechanism and drive source that make up the moving mechanism can be placed at a low position within the device, which lowers the center of gravity of the device and allows for stable installation of the punching device.

[0099] [Aspect 10] In any of the punching devices of aspects 1 to 9, the punching process settings, such as the setting of the upper reference rotation positions of the four press motors 3, are changed based on the identification information of the attached punching die and the control information linked to the identification information (such as information on the upper reference rotation positions of the four press motors 3 when the punching die 8 was last attached). This reduces the workload during adjustment before mass production and shortens the setup time. [Explanation of symbols]

[0100] 1: Moving surface plate 2: Fixed surface plate 3: Press motor 3a: First press motor 4: Lift transmission mechanism 4a: First lift transmission mechanism 5: Front frame 6: Rear frame 7: Mounting frame 8: Cutting die 9: Face plate 10: Cylindrical part 10a: First cylindrical part 11: Upstream guided shaft 11a: Guided bearing 12: Downstream guided shaft 12a: Downstream guided bearing 13: Belt drive motor 14: Lower conveyor belt 15: Upper conveyor belt 16: Belt drive transmission mechanism 17: Mold fixing lever 18: Mold fixing member 19: Mold stop plate 21: Upstream guide frame 22: Upstream guide section 22a: Upstream guide rail 23: Downstream guide frame 24: Downstream guide section 24a: Downstream guide rail 25: Rear end detection sensor 26: Strain sensor 26a: First strain sensor 26b: Second strain sensor 26c: Third strain sensor 26d: Fourth strain sensor 27: Strain detection rod 28: Detection rod fixing part 30: Control section 31: Rotation output gear 41: Rotation input gear 42: Shaft holding part 43: Lift transmission rod 44: Eccentric shaft 50: Leveling jig 51: Jig body plate part 52: Spacer 61: Left rear removal height adjustment value display window 62: Left rear removal height increase button 63: Left rear removal height decrease button 64: Left front removal height adjustment value display window 65: Left front pull height increase button 66: Left front removal height decrease button 67: Right rear removal height adjustment value display window 68: Right rear removal height increase button 69: Right rear removal height decrease button 70: Right front removal height adjustment value display window 71: Right front pull height increase button 72: Right front removal height decrease button 73: Overall height increase button 74: Overall height decrease button 75: Punching height distribution display 81: Cutting blade 82: Stainless steel plate 100: Die cutter 101: Operation panel 200: Sheet feeder 300: Resist device 400: Discharge treatment equipment 441: Rotating shaft 442: Eccentric shaft part 500: Die-cut system H: Up and down movement range

Claims

1. A movable base plate and an opposing base plate are arranged facing each other in the vertical direction, A moving mechanism for moving the aforementioned movable base plate up and down toward the aforementioned opposing base plate, The system comprises control means for controlling the aforementioned moving mechanism, In a punching apparatus in which the moving mechanism brings the moving platen closer to the opposing platen, thereby performing a punching process in which a workpiece is punched into a predetermined shape by a punching die mounted on at least one of the moving platen and the opposing platen, The moving mechanism includes a pressure mechanism that applies pressure to the moving platen toward the opposing platen with a plurality of pressure units that are positioned differently in the horizontal direction, The system includes a drive source that drives the pressurizing mechanism, In the punching process described above, the pressing unit moves from a stop position on the opposite side of the pressing unit's facing platen to a stop position on the facing platen side of the pressing unit, causing the moving platen to move from a stop position on the opposite side of the facing platen to a stop position on the facing platen side, thereby punching out the workpiece sandwiched between the moving platen and the facing platen into a shape corresponding to the punching die. Multiple operation units corresponding to each of the multiple pressurizing units are displayed on the operation display unit. A punching device characterized in that an operator sets the stopping position on the platen side of each of the multiple pressure units by operating the control unit.

2. In the punching apparatus according to Claim 1, A punching apparatus characterized in that the operation display unit displays a distribution corresponding to the pressure distribution when the movable platen is in the stopping position on the opposing platen side.

3. In the punching apparatus of Claim 2, A punching apparatus characterized by displaying the pressure distribution in color.

4. In the punching apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A punching device characterized in that the multiple operating parts indicate the four corners of the movable platen.

5. In the punching apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A punching device characterized in that the operation display unit displays a plurality of operation units and an overall adjustment operation unit for adjusting the stopping position on the platen side of all of the plurality of pressure units.

6. In the punching apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The moving mechanism comprises a plurality of pressurizing mechanisms that pressurize each of the plurality of pressurizing sections, and a plurality of drive sources that drive each of the plurality of pressurizing mechanisms. In the punching process, the control means drives each of the multiple drive sources from a reference drive amount on the opposite side of the opposing platen to a reference drive amount on the opposing platen side, so that each of the multiple pressurizing units moves from the stop position on the opposite side of the opposing platen to the stop position on the opposing platen side of the pressurizing unit, and the moving platen moves from the stop position on the opposite side of the opposing platen to the stop position on the opposing platen side to punch out the workpiece. A punching device characterized in that the stopping position on the opposing platen side of the pressurizing section can be individually changed for each pressurizing section by having the operator set the reference drive amount on the opposing platen side corresponding to the stopping position on the opposing platen side of each drive source.

7. In the punching apparatus of claim 6, The pressurizing mechanism is an eccentric rotating body drive transmission mechanism that converts the rotational motion of each of the drive sources into vertical motion of each of the pressurizing parts by an eccentric rotating body. The punching apparatus is characterized in that, in the punching process, the control means drives each of the plurality of drive sources from the reference rotation position on the opposite side of the opposing platen, which is the reference drive amount on the opposite side of the opposing platen, to the reference rotation position on the opposing platen side, which is the reference drive amount on the opposing platen side, thereby moving each of the plurality of pressurizing units from the stop position on the opposite side of the pressurizing unit to the stop position on the opposing platen side of the pressurizing unit.

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