Continuous press forming apparatus, molded article, and continuous press forming method

Abstract

To provide a press apparatus or the like that enables suppression of damage to a press-forming target sheet material at the time of press forming.SOLUTION: A continuous press forming apparatus 1 comprises: a forming die 20 including an upper forming die 21 having a first upper press surface including one of a concave shape and a convex shape entering the concave shape, and a lower forming die 22 having a first lower press surface including the other of the concave shape and the convex shape; a positioning die 30 including an upper positioning die 31 having a second upper press surface corresponding to the first upper press surface, and a lower positioning die 32 having a second lower press surface corresponding to the first lower press surface; and a transport device 50 that transports a press-forming target sheet material M. Mold clamping of the positioning die and mold clamping of the forming die are continuously performed in this order.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a continuous press molding apparatus, a molded product, and a continuous press molding method. [Background technology]

[0002] A press device is known that places a preheated sheet material to be press-molded (e.g., a thermoplastic resin sheet) between an upper mold having a press surface including a concave-convex shape and a lower mold having a press surface including a convex shape that fits into the concave shape and a concave shape that the convex shape fits into, and performs press molding in which the press surface of the upper mold and the press surface of the lower mold sandwich and pressurize the sheet material to be press-molded placed between them (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-156012 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, when an FRP sheet material (e.g., prepreg, laminate, stampable sheet) is used as the sheet material to be press-molded, the FRP sheet material reinforced with reinforcing fibers hardly stretches, so when the convex shapes on the press surface of the upper mold are pressed simultaneously into the concave shapes on the press surface of the lower mold (i.e., when the molds are closed), the FRP sheet material between the concave shapes on the press surface of the lower mold (between the convex shapes on the press surface of the upper mold) is pulled, posing a problem of concern that the FRP sheet material may be damaged.

[0005] Other objects and novel features will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A continuous press-forming apparatus according to one embodiment comprises a shaping die including an upper shaping die having a first upper press surface including one of a concave shape and a convex shape that fits into the concave shape, and a lower shaping die having a first lower press surface including the other of the concave shape and the convex shape; a positioning die including an upper positioning die having a second upper press surface corresponding to the first upper press surface, and a lower positioning die having a second lower press surface corresponding to the first lower press surface; and a conveying device that conveys a sheet material to be press-formed, wherein the shaping die and the positioning die are arranged in this order along a conveying direction of the sheet material to be press-formed, and clamping of the shaping die is performed by clamping a preheated portion of the sheet material to be press-formed that is arranged between the first upper press surface of the upper shaping die and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping die. The clamping of the positioning dies is carried out by sandwiching and applying pressure between the second upper press surface of the upper positioning die and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning die, and the clamping of the positioning dies is carried out by clamping and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material placed between them, which has been shaped by the shaping die, and the conveying device conveys the press-molded sheet material so that each time each die is opened, the pre-heated portion of the press-molded sheet material is placed between the first upper press surface of the upper shaping die and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping die, and the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material is placed between the second upper press surface of the upper positioning die and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning die, and clamping of the positioning dies and clamping of the shaping dies are carried out successively in this order. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the embodiment, it is possible to provide a continuous press-forming apparatus and a formed product that can suppress damage to a sheet material to be press-formed during press-forming. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous press-forming apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a molded product molded (manufactured) by the continuous press molding device 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along line B-B. [Figure 5] 1 shows an example of the configuration of a mold clamping mechanism 100. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a top view of the transport device 50. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of a control device 60. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the continuous press-forming device 1. [Figure 9] This figure shows how a molded product (see Figure 2) with a continuous alternating pattern of concave and convex shapes is produced by press-molding the sheet material M to be press-molded using each of the molds 10, 20, 30, and 40 each time the sheet material M to be press-molded is transported a predetermined distance (for example, one pitch). [Figure 10] These are modified examples of the convex shapes of the upper shaping mold, upper positioning mold, and upper cooling mold, and the concave shapes of the lower shaping mold, lower positioning mold, and lower cooling mold. [Figure 11] 10 is a modified example of the sheet material M to be press-molded. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous press-forming apparatus 1A according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous press-forming apparatus 1B according to a third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 13. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous press-forming apparatus 1C according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 16] (a) to (d) are specific examples of the height positions of the upper dies. [Figure 17] 10 is a modified example of the sheet material M to be press-molded. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. In addition, the following description and drawings have been simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. <Overall configuration of the press device> First, the overall configuration of a press apparatus according to embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous press-molding apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a molded product molded (manufactured) by the continuous press-molding apparatus 1.

[0010] The continuous press-molding apparatus 1 is an apparatus for producing a molded product (see FIG. 2) having a series of alternating concave and convex shapes by press-molding the sheet material M to be press-molded using each of the molds 10, 20, 30, and 40 each time the sheet material M to be press-molded is transferred (transported) a predetermined distance (e.g., one pitch). The distance P1 (see FIG. 2) between the concave shapes of the molded product corresponds to the distance P2 (see FIG. 1) in the X-axis direction between the convex shapes of each mold. Hereinafter, these distances P1 and P2 will be referred to as one pitch. One pitch is, for example, 50 mm.

[0011] The press-molding target sheet material M is, for example, an FRP sheet material. FPR stands for fiber-reinforced plastics. This plastic may be a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin. That is, the press-molding target sheet material M may be an FRP sheet material made of a thermoplastic resin or an FRP sheet material made of a thermosetting resin. Examples of FRP sheet materials include prepregs, laminated plates, and stampable sheets. The press-molding target sheet material M may be cut to a predetermined length, or may be unwound from a roll of the press-molding target sheet material M. Furthermore, the press-molding target sheet material M may be a single sheet, or multiple sheets may be stacked together.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the continuous press molding device 1 includes a preheating mold 10, a shaping mold 20, a positioning mold 30, a cooling mold 40, a conveying device 50, a control device 60 (omitted in Figure 1), and a mold clamping mechanism 100 (omitted in Figure 1).

[0013] For ease of explanation, the X, Y, and Z axes are defined below as shown in Fig. 1 etc. The X axis extends in the conveying direction (horizontal direction) of the sheet material M to be press-formed. The Y axis extends in a direction (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the X axis. The Z axis extends in a direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the XY plane.

[0014] The preheating mold 10 includes an upper preheating mold 11 and a lower preheating mold 12. Similarly, the shaping mold 20 includes an upper shaping mold 21 and a lower shaping mold 22. Similarly, the positioning mold 30 includes an upper positioning mold 31 and a lower positioning mold 32. Similarly, the cooling mold 40 includes an upper cooling mold 41 and a lower cooling mold 42.

[0015] The upper molds (upper shaping mold 21, upper positioning mold 31, upper cooling mold 41) are attached to the underside of the upper mold platen 70A (movable platen). Similarly, the lower molds (lower shaping mold 22, lower positioning mold 32, lower cooling mold 42) are attached to the upper side of the lower mold platen 70B (fixed platen). Specific examples of the attachment structure of the upper and lower molds will be described later.

[0016] A gap (clearance) G1 (see FIG. 1) exists between the shaping mold 20 (upper shaping mold 21 and lower shaping mold 22) and the positioning mold 30 (upper positioning mold 31 and lower positioning mold 32). Similarly, a gap (clearance) G2 (see FIG. 1) exists between the positioning mold 30 (upper positioning mold 31 and lower positioning mold 32) and the cooling mold 40 (upper cooling mold 41 and lower cooling mold 42). It is preferable that the gaps G1 and G2 are as short as possible, for example, 1 mm.

[0017] Length L of the positioning die 30 in the X-axis direction 30_X is the length L of the shaping mold 20 in the X-axis direction 20_X The length L of the cooling mold 40 in the X-axis direction is shorter than40_X is the length L of the shaping mold 20 in the X-axis direction 20_X is the same as

[0018] In this way, by making the lengths of the dies 20, 30, 40 in the X-axis direction different, it becomes possible to pressurize the portions of the sheet material M to be press-molded that correspond to the gaps G1, G2 in one of the steps (see Figures 9(a) to 9(d)). The lengths of the dies 10, 20, 30, 40 in the Y-axis direction correspond to the width of the sheet material M to be press-molded.

[0019] Length L of the preheating mold 10 in the X-axis direction 10_X is the length L of the shaping mold 20 in the X-axis direction 20_X Therefore, as will be described later, when the press-molding target sheet material M is transferred (transported) at one pitch at a time (see FIGS. 9(a) to 9(d)), the preheating mold 10 heats and presses a portion (the same portion) of the press-molding target sheet material M multiple times, allowing for a longer heating time for the press-molding target sheet material M. Furthermore, because the portion of the press-molding target sheet material M is heated during preheating without dropping below the intended molding temperature, molding defects such as wrinkles and voids that tend to occur due to insufficient molding temperature can be suppressed. As a result, the internal quality of the press-molding target sheet material M is improved. For example, defects such as voids inside the press-molding target sheet material M can be eliminated or reduced.

[0020] <Configuration of preheating mold 10> As shown in FIG. 1, the preheating mold 10 includes an upper preheating mold 11 and a lower preheating mold 12. The preheating mold 10 is placed on a lower mold platen 70B (fixed platen). The upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 is a plane parallel to the XY plane. Similarly, the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 is a plane parallel to the XY plane. At least one of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower preheating mold 12 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device (e.g., an electric heater 13; see FIG. 7). The heating device may be built into the preheating mold 10 or may be provided external to the preheating mold 10.

[0021] <Example of clamping operation of preheating mold 10> The preheating mold 10 is clamped by the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12, which sandwich and press the portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded located therebetween. This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 14 (a solenoid valve for adjusting the air supply amount provided midway through the air supply line connected to the air cylinder; see FIG. 7 ) connected to the upper preheating mold 11 to lower the upper preheating mold 11. At this time, since the preheating mold 10 is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heating device, the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 sandwich and heat and press the portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded located therebetween at a predetermined pressure. Hereinafter, the portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded that has been preheated in this manner will be referred to as the preheated portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded. On the other hand, the preheating mold 10 is opened by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 14 (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supply provided midway in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder; see FIG. 7) connected to the upper preheating mold 11, thereby lifting the upper preheating mold 11.

[0022] <Configuration of the shaping mold 20> As shown in FIG. 1, the shaping mold 20 includes an upper shaping mold 21 having an upper press surface (an example of a first upper press surface of the present disclosure) including a convex shape 21c that is convex in the -Z direction, and a lower shaping mold 22 having a lower press surface (an example of a first lower press surface of the present disclosure) including a concave shape 22c into which the convex shape 21c fits. The upper press surface of the upper shaping mold 21 includes planes 21a and 21b parallel to the XY plane and the convex shape 21c that is convex in the -Z direction. The convex shape 21c has, for example, a convex shape whose cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) is an inverted trapezoid (see FIG. 1). The planes 21a and 21b and the convex shape 21c extend in the Y-axis direction. On the other hand, the press surface of the lower shaping mold 22 includes planes 22a and 22b parallel to the XY plane and the concave shape 22c into which the convex shape 21c fits. The flat surfaces 22a, 22b and the recessed shape 22c extend in the Y-axis direction. At least one of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower shaping mold 22 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device (e.g., an electric heater 23; see FIG. 7). The predetermined temperature is lower than that of the upper pre-heating mold 11. The heating device may be built into the shaping mold 20 or may be provided outside the shaping mold 20.

[0023] <Mounting structure of the shaping mold 20> The upper shaping die 21 is attached in a fixed state to the lower surface side of the upper die platen 70A. Specifically, it is attached as follows.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, a mounting plate 82A and a heat insulating plate 83A are arranged in this order from top to bottom between the upper shaping mold 21 and the upper mold platen 70A.

[0026] As will be described later, the upper platen 70A is raised and lowered in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by a clamping mechanism 100. The mounting plate 82A is fixed to the upper platen 70A with its upper surface in surface contact with the lower surface of the upper platen 70A. The two are fixed together by, for example, bolts (not shown).

[0027] On the other hand, the upper shaping mold 21 is fixed to the mounting plate 82A with a heat insulating plate 83A sandwiched between its upper surface and the lower surface of the mounting plate 82A. The two are fixed by, for example, bolts B2. Reference numeral 84 denotes a knock pin for accurately fixing the upper shaping mold 21 to the mounting plate 82A.

[0028] As described above, the upper shaping mold 21 is attached in a fixed state to the upper mold platen 70A side.

[0029] On the other hand, the lower shaping mold 22 is attached in a fixed state to the upper surface side of the lower mold platen 70B. Specifically, it is attached as follows.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, a mounting plate 82B and a heat insulating plate 83B are arranged in this order from bottom to top between the lower shaping mold 22 and the lower mold platen 70B.

[0031] The mounting plate 82B is fixed to the lower platen 70B with its lower surface in surface contact with the upper surface of the lower platen 70B, and the two are fixed together by, for example, bolts (not shown).

[0032] On the other hand, the lower shaping mold 22 is fixed to the mounting plate 82B with a heat insulating plate 83B sandwiched between its lower surface and the upper surface of the mounting plate 82B. Both are fixed by, for example, bolts B4. Reference numeral 85 denotes a knock pin for accurately fixing the lower shaping mold 22 to the mounting plate 82B.

[0033] <Example of clamping operation of the shaping mold 20> The shaping mold 20 is clamped by the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 clamping and applying pressure to the preheated portion (portion preheated by the preheating mold 10) of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between them. As will be described later, this is realized by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and lowering the upper platen 70A on which the upper shaping mold 21 is attached.

[0034] At this time, since the shaping mold 20 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 sandwich the preheated portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between them, and heat and press it with a predetermined pressure. The predetermined pressure is higher than that of the preheating mold 10.

[0035] At this time, the preheated portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded is pressed into the concave shape 22c of the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22 by the convex shape 21c of the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21. As a result, a shape (concave shape) corresponding to the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping die 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping die 22 is formed in the preheated portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded. Hereinafter, the portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded that has been shaped in this manner will be referred to as the shaped portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded. Meanwhile, the mold opening of the shaping die 20 is realized by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and lifting the upper platen 70A to which the upper shaping die 21 is attached.

[0036] <Configuration of positioning mold 30> As shown in FIG. 1, the positioning die 30 includes an upper positioning die 31 having an upper press surface (an example of the second upper press surface of the present disclosure) corresponding to the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21, and a lower positioning die 32 having a lower press surface (an example of the second lower press surface of the present disclosure) corresponding to the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22. The upper press surface of the upper positioning die 31 has the same shape as the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21, and includes planes 31a and 31b parallel to the XY plane and a convex shape 31c convex in the -Z direction. The convex shape 31c has the same shape as the convex shape 21c, and is, for example, a convex shape whose cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) is an inverted trapezoid (see FIG. 1). The planes 31a and 31b and the convex shape 31c extend in the Y-axis direction. On the other hand, the lower press surface of the lower positioning die 32 has the same shape as the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22, and includes flat surfaces 32a and 32b parallel to the XY plane and a concave shape 32c into which the convex shape 31c fits. The flat surfaces 32a and 32b and the concave shape 32c extend in the Y-axis direction. The positioning die 30 has a lower temperature than the shaping die 20.

[0037] <Mounting structure of the positioning mold 30> The upper positioning die 31 is attached to the lower surface side of the upper die platen 70A so as to be movable in a direction (Z-axis direction) in which it approaches and moves away from the upper die platen 70A. Specifically, it is attached as follows.

[0038] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 1. The cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Fig. 1 is the same as Fig. 4.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 4, a mounting plate 82A and a heat insulating plate 83A are arranged in this order from top to bottom between the upper positioning die 31 and the upper die platen 70A.

[0040] As will be described later, the upper platen 70A is raised and lowered in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by a clamping mechanism 100. The mounting plate 82A is fixed to the upper platen 70A with its upper surface in surface contact with the lower surface of the upper platen 70A. The two are fixed together by, for example, bolts (not shown).

[0041] The upper positioning mold 31 is attached to the underside of the upper mold plate 70A so as to be movable in the direction of approaching and moving away from the upper mold plate 70A (Z-axis direction) by screwing a bolt 94 inserted into a through hole H1 formed in the mounting plate 82A and a through hole H2 formed in the insulating plate 83A at its top (see the enlarged view within the rectangle C1 in Figure 4).

[0042] The through-hole H1 formed in the mounting plate 82A includes a large-diameter hole H1a formed in the upper part in the thickness direction of the mounting plate 82A and a small-diameter hole H1b formed in the lower part in the thickness direction of the mounting plate 82A. A step portion 95 is formed between the large-diameter hole H1a and the small-diameter hole H1b.

[0043] A head portion 94a of the bolt 94 is inserted into the large diameter hole H1a, while a shaft portion 94b of the bolt 94 is inserted into the small diameter hole H1b and the through hole H2.

[0044] The diameter of the large diameter hole H1a is slightly larger than the diameter of the head 94a of the bolt 94. Similarly, the diameters of the small diameter hole H1b and the through hole H2 are slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft 94b of the bolt 94. Therefore, the upper positioning die 31 is movable in the direction (Z-axis direction) toward and away from the upper die platen 70A.

[0045] The upper positioning die 31 moves downward (in the -Z direction) relative to the upper platen 70A due to its own weight, etc., but further downward movement is restricted when the heads 94a of the bolts 94 engage with the stepped portions 95. In this state, a gap G3 (see FIG. 4) is formed between the heat insulating plate 83A and the upper positioning die 31. The upper positioning die 31 can move in the direction toward and away from the upper platen 70A (in the Z-axis direction) within the range of this gap G3.

[0046] As described above, the upper positioning die 31 is attached to the lower surface side of the upper die platen 70A so as to be movable in the direction (Z-axis direction) in which it approaches and moves away from the upper die platen 70A.

[0047] An elastic body 96 is provided between the upper positioning die 31 and the upper platen 70A (see FIGS. 1 and 4). The elastic body 96 is elastically deformed when the upper positioning die 31 moves in a direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper platen 70A, and biases the upper positioning die 31 toward the lower positioning die 32. The elastic body 96 is, for example, a coil spring.

[0048] On the other hand, the lower positioning die 32 is attached in a fixed state to the upper surface side of the lower die platen 70B. Specifically, it is attached as follows.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 4, a mounting plate 82B and a heat insulating plate 83B are arranged in this order from bottom to top between the lower positioning die 32 and the lower die platen 70B.

[0050] The mounting plate 82B is fixed to the lower platen 70B with its lower surface in surface contact with the upper surface of the lower platen 70B, and the two are fixed together by, for example, bolts (not shown).

[0051] On the other hand, the lower positioning mold 32 is fixed to the mounting plate 82B with a heat insulating plate 83B sandwiched between the lower surface of the lower positioning mold 32 and the upper surface of the mounting plate 82B. Both are fixed together by, for example, bolts (not shown).

[0052] <Example of clamping operation of positioning mold 30> The clamping of the positioning die 30 is performed by the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning die 31 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning die 32 clamping and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded (the portion shaped by the shaping die 20) placed between them. As will be described later, this is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and lowering the upper platen 70A on which the upper positioning die 31 is attached.

[0053] At this time, the lower positioning die 32 pushes up the upper positioning die 31 in the +Z direction. This causes the upper positioning die 31 to move in a direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper platen 70A, which causes the elastic body 96 (elastic body 96 (see FIG. 1) arranged between the upper positioning die 31 and the upper platen 70A; hereinafter also referred to as elastic body 96A) to elastically deform, and the upper positioning die 31 is urged toward the lower positioning die 32 by this elastically deformed elastic body 96A. The elastic body 96A is an example of a first elastic body of the present disclosure.

[0054] Therefore, clamping of the positioning mold 30 is carried out between the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31, which is urged toward the lower positioning mold 32 by the elastic body 96A, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32.

[0055] At this time, since the positioning die 30 is at a lower temperature than the shaping die 20, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning die 31 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning die 32, which are urged toward the lower positioning die 32 by the elastic body 96A, sandwich the shaping portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded that is placed between them, and cool and pressurize them at a predetermined pressure. Note that this predetermined pressure can be changed to any pressure by using an elastic body with a different spring constant as the elastic body 96A.

[0056] At this time, the shaped portion (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M is pressed into the concave shape 32c on the lower press surface of the lower positioning die 32, and the convex shape 31c on the upper press surface of the upper positioning die 31 is pressed into the shaped portion (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M. This positions the press-molded sheet material M. This positioning allows concave shapes to be accurately formed in the press-molded sheet material M at one pitch at a time. In addition, the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material M is cooled and pressurized. Then, by lowering the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material M to below the resin solidification temperature while pressurizing it, molding defects such as wrinkles and voids that tend to occur due to insufficient pressure can be suppressed. This prevents a decrease in the quality of the molded product.

[0057] On the other hand, the positioning die 30 is opened by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and raise the upper die platen 70A to which the upper positioning die 31 is attached.

[0058] <Configuration of cooling mold 40> As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling mold 40 includes an upper cooling mold 41 having an upper press surface (an example of the third upper press surface of the present disclosure) corresponding to the upper press surface of the upper shaping mold 21, and a lower cooling mold 42 having a lower press surface (an example of the third lower press surface of the present disclosure) corresponding to the lower press surface of the lower shaping mold 22. The upper press surface of the upper cooling mold 41 has the same shape as the upper press surface of the upper shaping mold 21, and includes planes 41a and 41b parallel to the XY plane and a convex shape 41c convex in the -Z direction. The convex shape 41c has the same shape as the convex shape 21c, and is, for example, a convex shape having an inverted trapezoidal cross section (cross section taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) (see FIG. 1). The planes 41a and 41b and the convex shape 41c extend in the Y-axis direction. On the other hand, the press surface of the lower cooling mold 42 has the same shape as the press surface of the lower shaping mold 22, and includes flat surfaces 42a and 42b parallel to the XY plane and a concave shape 42c into which the convex shape 41c fits. The flat surfaces 42a and 42b and the concave shape 42c extend in the Y-axis direction. Unlike the shaping mold 20, the cooling mold 40 is not heated by a heating device and is at room temperature.

[0059] <Mounting structure of cooling mold 40> The upper cooling mold 41, like the upper positioning mold 31, is attached to the underside of the upper mold platen 70A so as to be movable in a direction (Z-axis direction) toward and away from the upper mold platen 70A. This attachment structure is similar to that of the upper positioning mold 31, and therefore its description will be omitted. On the other hand, the lower cooling mold 42, like the lower positioning mold 32, is attached in a fixed state to the upper surface of the lower mold platen 70B. This attachment structure is similar to that of the lower positioning mold 32, and therefore its description will be omitted.

[0060] <Example of clamping operation of cooling mold 40> The cooling mold 40 is clamped by the upper press surface of the upper cooling mold 41 and the lower press surface of the lower cooling mold 42 sandwiching and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning mold 30) that is placed between them. As will be described later, this is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101, and lowering the upper mold platen 70A on which the upper cooling mold 41 is attached.

[0061] At that time, the lower cooling mold 42 pushes up the upper cooling mold 41 in the +Z direction. This causes the upper cooling mold 41 to move in a direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper platen 70A, which causes the elastic body 96 (elastic body 96 (see FIG. 1) arranged between the upper cooling mold 41 and the upper platen 70A; hereinafter, also referred to as elastic body 96B) to elastically deform, and the upper cooling mold 41 is urged toward the lower cooling mold 42 by this elastically deformed elastic body 96B. The elastic body 96B is elastically deformed by the movement of the upper cooling mold 41 in a direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper platen 70A, and urges the upper cooling mold 41 toward the lower cooling mold 42. The elastic body 96B is an example of a second elastic body of the present disclosure.

[0062] Therefore, the clamping of the cooling mold 40 is carried out between the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41, which is biased toward the lower cooling mold 42 by the elastic body 96B, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 42a, 42b and concave shape 42c) of the lower cooling mold 42.

[0063] At this time, because the cooling die 40 is at room temperature, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling die 41 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 42a, 42b and concave shape 42c) of the lower cooling die 42, which are urged toward the lower cooling die 42 by the elastic body 96B, sandwich the shaped portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning die 30) placed between them, and cool and pressurize it at a predetermined pressure. Note that this predetermined pressure can be changed to any pressure by using an elastic body with a different spring constant as the elastic body 96B.

[0064] At this time, the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material M (the shaped portion pressed by the positioning die 30) (concave shape) is pressed into the concave shape 42c on the lower press surface of the lower cooling die 42, and the convex shape 41c on the upper press surface of the upper cooling die 41 is pressed into the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material M (the shaped portion pressed by the positioning die 30) (concave shape). As a result, the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material M (the shaped portion pressed by the positioning die 30) is cooled and pressurized. As a result, it is further cooled and pressurized compared to immediately after being pressed by the positioning die 30. Therefore, by reliably pressing the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material M down to below the solidification temperature of the resin, molding defects such as wrinkles and voids that tend to occur due to insufficient pressurization can be suppressed, and a decrease in the quality of the molded product can be suppressed.

[0065] On the other hand, the cooling mold 40 is opened by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and raise the upper mold platen 70A on which the upper cooling mold 41 is attached.

[0066] <Configuration of mold clamping mechanism> The mold clamping mechanism 100 is a mechanism that moves the upper platen 70A, to which the upper dies (upper shaping die 21, upper positioning die 31, upper cooling die 41) are attached, in a direction (Z-axis direction) toward and away from the lower platen 70B, i.e., a mechanism that raises and lowers the upper platen 70A in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The mold clamping mechanism 100 may have any configuration as long as it is a mechanism that raises and lowers the upper platen 70A in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). For example, the mold clamping mechanism 100 may be a mechanism that uses an electric motor as a drive source, a mechanism that uses a hydraulic cylinder as a drive source, or other mechanisms. The mold clamping mechanism 100 is an example of a first mold clamping mechanism of the present disclosure.

[0067] Hereinafter, as an example, a mold clamping mechanism 100 using an electric motor as a drive source will be described. Fig. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the mold clamping mechanism 100. Note that the transport device 50 is omitted from Fig. 5.

[0068] 5, the mold clamping mechanism 100 includes a ball screw 101 connected to the upper platen 70A, and an electric motor 102 connected to the ball screw 101. The electric motor 102 is attached to an upper fixed platen 104, which is fixed to the tip end of support columns 103, the base ends of which are fixed to the four corners of the lower platen 70B and extend in the +Z direction.

[0069] <Example of Operation of Mold Clamping Mechanism> In the mold clamping mechanism 100, the control device 60 controls the electric motor 102 to rotate (forward and reverse) the ball screw 101, thereby moving the upper platen 70A, to which the upper dies (upper shaping die 21, upper positioning die 31, upper cooling die 41) are attached, in a direction (Z-axis direction) toward or away from the lower platen 70B. In other words, the upper platen 70A is raised and lowered in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). At that time, the upper platen 70A is raised and lowered while remaining parallel to the lower platen 70B.

[0070] For example, the upper platen 70A is lowered by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 in the forward direction, which causes the upper dies (upper shaping die 21, upper positioning die 31, upper cooling die 41) attached to the upper platen 70A to also be lowered, and clamping is performed between the upper dies and the lower dies (lower shaping die 22, lower positioning die 32, lower cooling die 42).

[0071] <Height position of the upper press surface of each upper die> The height positions of the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31, and the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 are set so that when the mold clamping mechanism 100 moves the upper mold platen 70A in a direction approaching the lower mold platen 70B, the positioning mold 30 is clamped and the shaping mold 20 is clamped in this order, and the positioning mold 30 is clamped and the cooling mold 40 is clamped simultaneously or in this order.

[0072] 16(a) to 16(d) show specific examples of the height positions of the upper dies.

[0073] For example, as shown in Figure 16(a), before the clamping of each mold (clamping of the shaping mold 20, clamping of the positioning mold 30, and clamping of the cooling mold 40) is performed, it is desirable that the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41. This is achieved, for example, by adjusting the gap G3 (see Figure 4) of the upper positioning mold 31.

[0074] In this case, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 may be located lower than the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 (see FIG. 16(a)). Conversely, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 may be located lower than the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 (see FIG. 16(b)). Furthermore, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 may be located at the same height (see FIG. 16(c)). In addition, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31 and the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 may be located at the same height position (see Figure 16(d)).

[0075] When the height positions of the molds are set as described above (see Fig. 16(a) to Fig. 16(d)), the upper mold platen 70A is lowered as described above, whereby the clamping of the positioning mold 30 and the clamping of the shaping mold 20 are carried out in this order. In other words, the clamping of the positioning mold 30 and the clamping of the shaping mold 20 are not carried out simultaneously, but at different times.

[0076] By clamping the positioning mold 30 and the shaping mold 20 at different times in this way, the following advantages are obtained.

[0077] That is, when the positioning die 30 and the shaping die 20 are clamped simultaneously, the press-molded sheet material M (for example, an FRP sheet material reinforced with reinforcing fibers) hardly stretches, and therefore, as in the above-mentioned prior art document, the convex shapes (plural) on the press surfaces of the upper dies (upper shaping die 21, upper positioning die 31) "simultaneously" press the press-molded sheet material M into the concave shapes (plural) on the press surfaces of the lower dies (lower shaping die 22, lower positioning die 32). As a result, the press-molded sheet material M present between the concave shapes on the press surface of the lower die (between the convex shapes on the press surface of the upper die) is pulled, which poses a problem of concern that the press-molded sheet material M (molded product) may be damaged.

[0078] In contrast, by clamping the positioning die 30 and the shaping die 20 in this order, that is, by clamping them at different times, the convex shapes (plural) on the press surfaces of the upper dies (upper shaping die 21, upper positioning die 31) will press the press-molded sheet material M into the concave shapes (plural) on the press surfaces of the lower dies (lower shaping die 22, lower positioning die 32) at "different times." This prevents the press-molded sheet material M present between the concave shapes on the press surface of the lower die (between the convex shapes on the press surface of the upper die) from being pulled, which has the advantage of preventing damage to the press-molded sheet material M (molded product).

[0079] Meanwhile, the upper platen 70A rises as a result of the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to reversely rotate the ball screw 101. This also causes the upper dies (upper shaping die 21, upper positioning die 31, upper cooling die 41) attached to the upper platen 70A to rise, thereby clamping the positioning die 30, clamping the cooling die 40, and opening the shaping die 20.

[0080] <Conveyor device configuration> As shown in FIG. 1, the conveying device (transfer mechanism) 50 is a device that conveys (transfers) the press-molded sheet material M. The conveying device 50 is installed on a lower mold platen 70B (fixed platen). The conveying devices 50 are provided at two locations, one upstream (upstream in the conveying direction of the press-molded sheet material M) and one downstream (downstream in the conveying direction of the press-molded sheet material M) with respect to the mold group (preheating mold 10, shaping mold 20, positioning mold 30, cooling mold 40). Hereinafter, the conveying device 50 provided on the upstream side will be referred to as conveying device 50A, and the conveying device 50 provided on the downstream side will be referred to as conveying device 50B.

[0081] The conveying device 50 (50A, 50B) includes a gripping mechanism 51 that grips and releases the sheet material M to be press-molded, and a moving mechanism 52 that moves the gripping mechanism 51 in the X direction.

[0082] FIG. 6 is a top view of the transport device 50. As shown in FIG.

[0083] As shown in Fig. 6, the gripping mechanisms 51 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the sheet material M to be press-molded. As shown in Fig. 1, the gripping mechanism 51 includes an upper and lower pair of fixed gripping parts 51a and movable gripping parts 51b, and an air cylinder 51c connected to the movable gripping part 51b. An air supply path (not shown) that supplies air to the air cylinder 51c is connected to the air cylinder 51c, and an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supplied is provided midway in the air supply path.

[0084] The moving mechanism 52 includes a slider 52a on which the gripping mechanism 51 is placed. The slider 52a is slidably attached to a guide rail (not shown) extending in the X-axis direction. The moving mechanism 52 also includes a ball screw (not shown) that is connected to the slider 52a and extends in the X-axis direction, and an electric motor 53 (for example, a servo motor; see FIG. 7) that is connected to the ball screw.

[0085] <Operation example of the transport device 50> The following mainly describes an example of the operation of the transport device 50A provided on the upstream side.

[0086] First, the gripping mechanism 51 grips the press-molding target sheet material M. Specifically, the movable gripping portion 51b rises, and the movable gripping portion 51b lifts both widthwise ends of the press-molding target sheet material M in the +Z direction and presses both widthwise ends of the lifted press-molding target sheet material M against the upper fixed gripping portion 51a. In this way, the gripping mechanism 51 grips both widthwise ends of the press-molding target sheet material M by sandwiching them from above and below. This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 51c connected to the movable gripping portion 51b (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the air supply amount provided midway in an air supply path connected to the air cylinder 51c).

[0087] Next, the movement mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51 gripping the press-molded sheet material M as described above, a predetermined distance in the +X direction. This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling an electric motor (e.g., a servo motor) connected to a ball screw connected to the slider 52a so that it rotates in the positive direction. The predetermined distance is, for example, the distance P2 (see FIG. 1) in the X-axis direction between the convex shapes of each mold, i.e., one pitch.

[0088] Next, the gripping mechanism 51 releases the grip on the sheet material M to be press-molded. Specifically, the movable gripping part 51b descends. This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 51c connected to the movable gripping part 51b (the electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supply provided midway in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder 51c).

[0089] Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51 that has released its grip on the sheet material M to be press-molded as described above, in the -X direction, and returns it to the initial position before conveyance. This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor (for example, a servo motor) connected to the ball screw connected to the slider 52a so that it rotates in the reverse direction, for example.

[0090] In each of the above steps, both widthwise ends of the press-molding target sheet material M are disposed between the movable gripping part 51b and the fixed gripping part 51a.

[0091] The above has mainly explained an example of the operation of the conveying device 50A provided on the upstream side, but the conveying device 50B provided on the downstream side is also controlled to perform the same operation at the same timing as the conveying device 50A provided on the upstream side.

[0092] <Control device 60> Fig. 7 is a system configuration diagram of the control device 60. The control device 60 includes a processor, RAM, ROM, etc., which are not shown. As shown in Fig. 7, the control device 60 is electrically connected to an electric heater 13 for heating the preheating mold 10, an air cylinder 14 for raising and lowering the upper preheating mold 11 (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supplied provided in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder 14), an electric heater 23 for heating the shaping mold 20, an air cylinder 51c for driving the gripping mechanism 51 (movable gripping portion 51b) (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supplied provided in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder 51c), an electric motor 53 for driving the moving mechanism 52 (slider 52a), and an electric motor 102 for driving the mold clamping mechanism 100.

[0093] The processor is, for example, a CPU. The processor may be one or more. For example, the processor executes a program read from ROM to RAM to function as a control means for controlling the electric heater 13 for heating the preheating mold 10, the air cylinder 14 for raising and lowering the upper preheating mold 11 (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supplied provided in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder 14), the electric heater 23 for heating the shaping mold 20, the air cylinder 51c for driving the gripping mechanism 51 (movable gripping portion 51b) (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supplied provided in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder 51c), the electric motor 53 for driving the moving mechanism 52 (slider 52a), the electric motor 102 for driving the mold clamping mechanism 100, etc.

[0094] <Operation example of continuous press forming device 1> An example of the operation of the continuous press-forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Note that the conveying device 50 is omitted in Figure 9.

[0095] Fig. 8 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the continuous press-molding apparatus 1. Fig. 9(a) to Fig. 9(d) are diagrams showing how a molded product having a continuous alternating pattern of concave and convex shapes (see Fig. 2) is produced by press-molding the sheet material M to be press-molded by each of the dies 10, 20, 30, and 40 every time the sheet material M to be press-molded is conveyed a predetermined distance (for example, one pitch).

[0096] First, a portion of the press-molding target sheet material M is placed between the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower preheating mold 12 (step S10). This is achieved by a conveying device 50A provided upstream. Specifically, first, the gripping mechanism 51 grips the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51 that has gripped the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, a predetermined distance in the +X direction. Next, the gripping mechanism 51 releases its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51 that has released its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, in the -X direction to return it to its initial position before conveyance. In this way, the portion p1 of the press-molding target sheet material M is placed between the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower preheating mold 12 (see FIG. 9(a)).

[0097] Next, the preheating mold 10 is clamped (step S11). The preheating mold 10 is clamped by the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 sandwiching and pressuring the portion p1 of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed therebetween. At this time, since the preheating mold 10 has been heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 sandwich and heat and press the portion p1 of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed therebetween with a predetermined pressure.

[0098] Next, the preheating mold 10 is opened (step S12). This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder connected to the upper preheating mold 11 (the electromagnetic valve for adjusting the air supply amount provided midway in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder) to raise the upper preheating mold 11.

[0099] Next, the press-molding target sheet material M is conveyed by one pitch (step S13). This is achieved by the conveying device 50A provided upstream. Specifically, first, the gripping mechanism 51 grips the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51 gripping the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, by one pitch P2 (see FIG. 1) in the +X direction. Next, the gripping mechanism 51 releases its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51, which has released its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, in the -X direction, returning it to its initial position before conveyance. In this way, the portion p1 (preheated portion) of the press-molding target sheet material M is positioned between the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower shaping mold 22 (see FIG. 9(b)). Furthermore, a portion p2 of the sheet material M to be press-molded is placed between the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower preheating mold 12 (see FIG. 9(b)).

[0100] Next, the molds are clamped (step S14). That is, the preheating mold 10 and the shaping mold 20 are clamped.

[0101] The preheating mold 10 is clamped by sandwiching and pressurizing the portion p2 of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed between the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12. At this time, since the preheating mold 10 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 sandwich and heat and press the portion p2 of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed between them with a predetermined pressure.

[0102] Meanwhile, the shaping mold 20 is clamped by the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 sandwiching and pressuring the portion p1 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between them. This is done by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and lowering the upper platen 70A to which the upper shaping mold 21 is attached. At this time, since the shaping mold 20 is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heating device, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 sandwich and heat and pressurize the portion p1 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between them, at a predetermined pressure.

[0103] At this time, the portion p1 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded is pressed into the concave shape 22c of the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22 by the convex shape 21c of the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21. As a result, a shape (concave shape) corresponding to the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping die 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping die 22 is formed in the portion p1 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded.

[0104] Next, the molds are opened (step S15). That is, the preheating mold 10 and the shaping mold 20 are opened.

[0105] The preheating mold 10 is opened by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder connected to the upper preheating mold 11 (the electromagnetic valve for adjusting the air supply amount provided midway in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder) and lifting the upper preheating mold 11.

[0106] On the other hand, the shaping mold 20 is opened by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and raise the upper platen 70A on which the upper shaping mold 21 is attached.

[0107] Next, the press-molding target sheet material M is conveyed by one pitch (step S16). This is achieved by the conveying device 50A provided upstream. Specifically, first, the gripping mechanism 51 grips the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51 gripping the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, by one pitch P2 (see FIG. 1), in the +X direction. Next, the gripping mechanism 51 releases its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51, which has released its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, in the -X direction, returning it to its initial position before conveyance. In this way, the portion p1 (shape portion) of the press-molding target sheet material M is positioned between the upper positioning die 31 and the lower positioning die 32 (see FIG. 9(c)). Furthermore, a portion p2 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded is disposed between the upper shaping die 21 and the lower shaping die 22 (see FIG. 9(c)). Furthermore, a portion p3 of the sheet material M to be press-molded is disposed between the upper preheating die 11 and the lower preheating die 12 (see FIG. 9(c)).

[0108] Next, the molds are clamped (step S17). That is, the preheating mold 10, the shaping mold 20, and the positioning mold 30 are clamped.

[0109] The preheating mold 10 is clamped by sandwiching and pressurizing the portion p3 of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed between the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12. At this time, since the preheating mold 10 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 sandwich and heat and press the portion p3 of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed between them with a predetermined pressure.

[0110] On the other hand, the clamping of the positioning mold 30 and the clamping of the shaping mold 20 are performed in this order by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and lowering the upper mold platen 70A on which the upper positioning mold 31 and the upper shaping mold 21 are attached.

[0111] Specifically, the clamping of the positioning mold 30 is performed by clamping and applying pressure to the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32, which sandwich and pressurize the portion p1 (shaped portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded that is placed between them.

[0112] At this time, the lower positioning die 32 pushes up the upper positioning die 31 in the +Z direction. This causes the upper positioning die 31 to move in a direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper platen 70A, which causes the elastic body 96A arranged between the upper positioning die 31 and the upper platen 70A to elastically deform, and the upper positioning die 31 is urged toward the lower positioning die 32 by this elastically deformed elastic body 96A.

[0113] Therefore, clamping of the positioning mold 30 is carried out between the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31, which is urged toward the lower positioning mold 32 by the elastic body 96A, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32.

[0114] At this time, since the positioning mold 30 is at a lower temperature than the shaping mold 20, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31, which is biased toward the lower positioning mold 32 by the elastic body 96A, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32 sandwich the portion p1 (shaping portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between them, and cool and pressurize it at a predetermined pressure.

[0115] At this time, portion p1 (shaping portion) (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M is pressed into the concave shape 32c of the lower press surface of the lower positioning die 32, and the convex shape 31c of the upper press surface of the upper positioning die 31 is pressed into portion p1 (shaping portion) (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M. This positions the press-molded sheet material M. This positioning allows concave shapes to be accurately formed in the press-molded sheet material M at one pitch at a time. In addition, portion p1 (shaping portion) of the press-molded sheet material M is cooled and pressurized. This, as described above, makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the quality of the molded product.

[0116] On the other hand, the clamping of the shaping mold 20 is performed by sandwiching and pressurizing the portion p2 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed between the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22. At this time, since the shaping mold 20 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 sandwich and heat and pressurize the portion p2 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed between them with a predetermined pressure.

[0117] At this time, the portion p2 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded is pressed into the concave shape 22c of the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22 by the convex shape 21c of the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21. As a result, a shape (concave shape) corresponding to the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping die 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping die 22 is formed in the portion p2 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded.

[0118] Next, the molds are opened (step S18). That is, the preheating mold 10 is opened, the shaping mold 20 is opened, and the positioning mold 30 is opened. This is the same as step S15, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0119] Next, the press-molding target sheet material M is conveyed by one pitch (step S19). This is achieved by the conveying device 50A provided upstream. Specifically, first, the gripping mechanism 51 grips the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51 gripping the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, by one pitch P2 (see FIG. 1) in the +X direction. Next, the gripping mechanism 51 releases its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51, which has released its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, in the -X direction, returning it to its initial position before conveyance. In this way, the portion p1 of the press-molding target sheet material M (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning die 30) is positioned between the upper cooling die 41 and the lower cooling die 42 (see FIG. 9(d)). Furthermore, a portion p2 (shaping portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded is disposed between the upper positioning die 31 and the lower positioning die 32 (see FIG. 9(d)). Further, a portion p3 (preheating portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded is disposed between the upper shaping die 21 and the lower shaping die 22 (see FIG. 9(d)). Furthermore, a portion p4 of the sheet material M to be press-molded is disposed between the upper preheating die 11 and the lower preheating die 12 (see FIG. 9(d)).

[0120] Next, the molds are clamped (step S20). That is, the preheating mold 10, the shaping mold 20, the positioning mold 30, and the cooling mold 40 are clamped.

[0121] The preheating mold 10 is clamped by sandwiching and pressurizing the portion p4 of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed between the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12. At this time, since the preheating mold 10 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 sandwich and heat and press the portion p4 of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed between them with a predetermined pressure.

[0122] On the other hand, the clamping of the positioning mold 30, the clamping of the cooling mold 40 and the clamping of the shaping mold 20 are carried out in that order by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and lowering the upper mold platen 70A on which the upper positioning mold 31, the upper cooling mold 41 and the upper shaping mold 21 are attached.

[0123] Specifically, the clamping of the positioning mold 30 is performed by clamping and applying pressure to the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32, which sandwich and pressurize the portion p2 (shaped portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between them.

[0124] At this time, the lower positioning die 32 pushes up the upper positioning die 31 in the +Z direction. This causes the upper positioning die 31 to move in a direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper platen 70A, which causes the elastic body 96A arranged between the upper positioning die 31 and the upper platen 70A to elastically deform, and the upper positioning die 31 is urged toward the lower positioning die 32 by this elastically deformed elastic body 96A.

[0125] Therefore, clamping of the positioning mold 30 is carried out between the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31, which is urged toward the lower positioning mold 32 by the elastic body 96A, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32.

[0126] At this time, since the positioning mold 30 is at a lower temperature than the shaping mold 20, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31, which is biased toward the lower positioning mold 32 by the elastic body 96A, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32 sandwich the portion p2 (shaping portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between them, and cool and pressurize it at a predetermined pressure.

[0127] At this time, portion p2 (shaping portion) (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M is pressed into the concave shape 32c of the lower press surface of the lower positioning die 32, and the convex shape 31c of the upper press surface of the upper positioning die 31 is pressed into portion p2 (shaping portion) (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M. This positions the press-molded sheet material M. This positioning allows concave shapes to be accurately formed in the press-molded sheet material M at one pitch at a time. In addition, portion p2 (shaping portion) of the press-molded sheet material M is cooled and pressurized. This, as described above, makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the quality of the molded product.

[0128] On the other hand, the clamping of the cooling mold 40 is performed by clamping and applying pressure to the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 42a, 42b and concave shape 42c) of the lower cooling mold 42, which sandwich and pressurize the portion p1 (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning mold 30) of the sheet material M to be press-molded that is placed between them.

[0129] At that time, the lower cooling mold 42 pushes up the upper cooling mold 41 in the +Z direction. This causes the upper cooling mold 41 to move in a direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper mold platen 70A, which causes the elastic body 96B (see FIG. 1) arranged between the upper cooling mold 41 and the upper mold platen 70A to elastically deform, and the upper cooling mold 41 is urged toward the lower cooling mold 42 by this elastically deformed elastic body 96B.

[0130] Therefore, the clamping of the cooling mold 40 is carried out between the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41, which is biased toward the lower cooling mold 42 by the elastic body 96B, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 42a, 42b and concave shape 42c) of the lower cooling mold 42.

[0131] At this time, since the cooling mold 40 is at room temperature, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the lower cooling mold 42 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 42a, 42b and concave shape 42c) of the lower cooling mold 42, which are urged toward the lower cooling mold 42 by the elastic body 96B, sandwich the portion p1 (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning mold 30) of the sheet material M to be press-molded that is placed between them and cool and pressurize it at a predetermined pressure.

[0132] At this time, portion p1 (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning die 30) (concave shape) of the press-molding target sheet material M is pressed into the concave shape 42c of the lower press surface of the lower cooling die 42, and the convex shape 41c of the upper press surface of the upper cooling die 41 is pressed into portion p1 (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning die 30) (concave shape) of the press-molding target sheet material M. As a result, portion p1 (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning die 30) of the press-molding target sheet material M is cooled and pressurized. As a result, as described above, deterioration in the quality of the molded product can be suppressed.

[0133] On the other hand, the clamping of the shaping mold 20 is performed by sandwiching and pressurizing the portion p3 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed between the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22. At this time, since the shaping mold 20 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 sandwich and heat and pressurize the portion p3 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed between them with a predetermined pressure.

[0134] At this time, the portion p3 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded is pressed into the concave shape 22c of the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22 by the convex shape 21c of the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21. As a result, a shape (concave shape) corresponding to the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21 (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) and the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22 (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) is formed in the portion p3 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded.

[0135] Next, each mold is opened (step S21). That is, the preheating mold 10 is opened, the shaping mold 20 is opened, the positioning mold 30 is opened, and the cooling mold 40 is opened. This is the same as step S15, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0136] Thereafter, the processes of steps S19 to S21 are repeatedly executed. At that time, each time the molds (preheating mold 10, shaping mold 20, positioning mold 30, and cooling mold 40) are opened (step S21), the conveying device 50 conveys the press-molding target sheet material M so that the preheated portion of the press-molding target sheet material M is disposed between the upper press surface of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface of the lower shaping mold 22, the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material M is disposed between the upper press surface of the upper positioning mold 31 and the lower press surface of the lower positioning mold 32, and the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material M (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning mold 30) is disposed between the upper press surface of the upper cooling mold 41 and the lower press surface of the lower cooling mold 42 (step S19).

[0137] In this manner, the clamping of the positioning mold 30, the clamping of the cooling mold 40, the clamping of the shaping mold 20 (step S20), and the opening of each mold (positioning mold 30, cooling mold 40, and shaping mold 20) (step S21) are carried out repeatedly and continuously in this order.

[0138] This makes it possible to manufacture a molded product having a series of alternating concave and convex shapes (see FIG. 2). The press-molding target sheet material M manufactured as described above (a molded product having a series of alternating concave and convex shapes) is then placed between the movable gripping unit 51b and the fixed gripping unit 51a of the conveying device 50B provided downstream (see FIG. 1). The conveying device 50B performs the same operation as the conveying device 50A provided upstream, at the same timing, on the press-molding target sheet material M (a molded product having a series of alternating concave and convex shapes) placed between the movable gripping unit 51b and the fixed gripping unit 51a.

[0139] As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a press device that can suppress damage to a sheet to be formed during press forming.

[0140] This is because the clamping of the positioning mold 30, the clamping of the cooling mold 40, and the clamping of the shaping mold 20 are performed in this order, that is, at different timings.

[0141] The invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described above based on embodiment 1, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to embodiment 1 already described, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

[0142] For example, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the upper shaping die 21 having an upper press surface including the convex shape 21c is used as the upper shaping die, and the lower shaping die 22 having a lower press surface including the concave shape 22c into which the convex shape 21c fits is used as the lower shaping die, but this is not limited to this. Conversely, the upper shaping die 21 having an upper press surface including the concave shape 22c into which the convex shape 21c fits may be used as the upper shaping die, and the lower shaping die 22 having a lower press surface including the convex shape 21c may be used as the lower shaping die. The same applies to the upper positioning die and the lower positioning die, and the upper cooling die and the lower cooling die.

[0143] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the conveying device 50 including the gripping mechanism 51 and the moving mechanism 52 is used as the conveying device, but this is not limiting. For example, other mechanisms (e.g., a robot arm) may be used as the conveying device. Also, the conveying device may be omitted, and the sheet material M to be press-molded may be conveyed manually by an operator.

[0144] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the upper platen 70A to which each upper mold (upper shaping mold 21, upper positioning mold 31, upper cooling mold 41) is attached is a movable platen, and the lower platen 70B to which each lower mold (lower shaping mold 22, lower positioning mold 32, lower cooling mold 42) is attached is a fixed platen, and the mold clamping mechanism 100 is a mechanism that moves the upper platen 70A (movable platen) in a direction toward and away from the lower platen 70B (Z-axis direction), i.e., a mechanism that raises and lowers the upper platen 70A in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), but this is not limited to this. Conversely, the upper platen 70A to which each upper mold (upper shaping mold 21, upper positioning mold 31, upper cooling mold 41) is attached may be used as a fixed platen, and the lower platen 70B to which each lower mold (lower shaping mold 22, lower positioning mold 32, lower cooling mold 42) is attached may be used as a movable platen, and the mold clamping mechanism 100 may be a mechanism that moves the lower platen 70B (movable platen) in a direction toward and away from the upper platen 70A (Z-axis direction), i.e., a mechanism that raises and lowers the lower platen 70B in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

[0145] FIG. 10 shows modified examples of the convex shapes of the upper shaping mold, upper positioning mold, and upper cooling mold, and the concave shapes of the lower shaping mold, lower positioning mold, and lower cooling mold.

[0146] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the convex shapes of the upper shaping mold 21, the upper positioning mold 31, and the upper cooling mold 41 have convex shapes (see FIG. 1) whose cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) is an inverted trapezoid. However, this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the convex shapes of the upper shaping mold 21, the upper positioning mold 31, and the upper cooling mold 41 may have a cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) that is a quadratic curve convex downward, or other convex cross-sectional shapes.

[0147] Similarly, although an example has been described in which the concave shapes of the lower shaping mold 22, the lower positioning mold 32, and the lower cooling mold 42 are each formed in a cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) that corresponds to a convex shape of an inverted trapezoid (see FIG. 1), the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the concave shapes of the lower shaping mold 22, the lower positioning mold 32, and the lower cooling mold 42 may each be formed in a cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) that corresponds to a convex shape of a quadratic curve that is convex downward, or other concave cross-sectional shapes.

[0148] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 is located below the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper shaping mold 21 before the shaping mold 20, the positioning mold 30 and the cooling mold 40 are clamped, but this is not limiting. Conversely, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper shaping mold 21 may be located below the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 before the shaping mold 20, the positioning mold 30 and the cooling mold 40 are clamped. In this way, by lowering the upper mold plate 70A on which each upper mold (upper shaping mold 21, upper positioning mold 31, upper cooling mold 41) is attached, the clamping of the positioning mold 30, the clamping of the shaping mold 20, and the clamping of the cooling mold 40 can be performed in that order.

[0149] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, an example has been described in which a press-molding target sheet material M having nothing attached to its front and back surfaces is used, but this is not limiting. For example, to facilitate peeling from the mold, a press-molding target sheet material M having a release material F1 attached to its front and back surfaces may be used, as shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 shows a modified example of a press-molding target sheet material M. The release material F1 is a release film (e.g., a polyimide film). The release material F1 attached to the molded product (see FIG. 2) is removed at a predetermined timing. To facilitate peeling from the mold, a release agent may be applied to the press surface of each mold instead of a release film.

[0150] Furthermore, a glass cloth layer (a thin layer such as a glass fiber layer) or a resin-impregnated glass prepreg may be disposed between the front surface of the press-molded sheet material M and the release film, or between the back surface of the press-molded sheet material M and the release film. This allows for the production of a molded product with a highly insulating, continuous, alternating concave-convex pattern, with glass cloth layers fused to the front and back surfaces. The glass cloth layer (glass fiber layer) is attached to the press-molded sheet material M by the application of heat and pressure to the molds, causing the molten resin on the press-molded sheet material M to penetrate into the glass cloth layer (glass fiber layer). In other words, if the basis weight (weight per square meter) is sufficiently light compared to the molded product (FRP molded product), the molded product can be formed simply by the penetration of the resin inherent in the FRP material, without the need for additional resin. The release material attached to the molded product (see Figure 2) is removed at a predetermined timing.

[0151] <Embodiment 2> Next, the overall configuration of a press apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous press-forming apparatus 1A according to the second embodiment.

[0152] 12, the continuous press molding apparatus 1A differs from the continuous press molding apparatus 1 of embodiment 1 (see FIG. 1) in that the cooling mold 40 is omitted. Otherwise, the continuous press molding apparatus 1A has the same configuration as the continuous press molding apparatus 1 of embodiment 1.

[0153] An example of the operation of the continuous press-molding apparatus 1A is similar to the example of the operation of the continuous press-molding apparatus 1 of the first embodiment (FIGS. 8 and 9), and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0154] According to the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a press device that can suppress damage to the sheet to be formed during press forming.

[0155] <Third Embodiment> Next, the overall configuration of a press apparatus according to embodiment 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous press-forming apparatus 1B according to embodiment 3. Fig. 14 is a DD cross-sectional view of Fig. 13.

[0156] 13, the continuous press molding apparatus 1B differs from the continuous press molding apparatus 1 of embodiment 1 (see FIG. 1) in that the upper positioning die 31 is not attached to the upper platen 70A, and in that it is equipped with a die clamping mechanism 200 (an example of a third die clamping mechanism of the present disclosure) that clamps the positioning die 30 by moving the upper positioning die 31 in a direction toward or away from the lower positioning die 32. Otherwise, the continuous press molding apparatus 1B has the same configuration as the continuous press molding apparatus 1 of embodiment 1.

[0157] <Configuration of mold clamping mechanism 200> The mold clamping mechanism 200 is a mechanism that moves the upper positioning mold 31 in a direction toward and away from the lower positioning mold 32, i.e., a mechanism that raises and lowers the upper positioning mold 31 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The mold clamping mechanism 200 may have any configuration as long as it is a mechanism that raises and lowers the upper positioning mold 31 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). For example, the mold clamping mechanism 200 may be a mechanism that uses an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder as a drive source, a mechanism that uses an electric motor as a drive source, or any other mechanism.

[0158] As an example, a mold clamping mechanism 200 using an air cylinder as a drive source will be described below. FIG.

[0159] 14, the mold clamping mechanism 200 includes air cylinders 201 provided on both sides in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the sheet material M to be press-molded, and a mold support plate 202 provided on a rod 201a of the air cylinder 201. The air cylinders 201 are installed on a lower mold platen 70B (fixed platen). The upper positioning mold 31 is attached in a fixed state to the underside of the mold support plate 202.

[0160] <Operation example of mold clamping mechanism 200> The positioning die 30 is closed by the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning die 31 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning die 32 clamping and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the sheet material M to be press-formed (the portion shaped by the shaping die 20) placed between them. This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 201 (a solenoid valve for adjusting the air supply amount provided in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder; not shown) to lower the upper positioning die 31. On the other hand, the positioning die 30 is opened by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 201 (a solenoid valve for adjusting the air supply amount provided in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder; not shown) to raise the upper positioning die 31.

[0161] An example of the operation of the continuous press-forming apparatus 1B is similar to the example of the operation of the continuous press-forming apparatus 1 of the first embodiment (FIGS. 8 and 9).

[0162] That is, the clamping of the molds in step S17, that is, the clamping of the positioning mold 30 and the clamping of the shaping mold 20, are carried out in this order.

[0163] Specifically, in step S17, clamping of the positioning mold 30 is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 201 (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supply provided midway in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder; not shown) to lower the upper positioning mold 31. On the other hand, in step S17, clamping of the shaping mold 20 is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 to lower the upper platen 70A to which the upper shaping mold 21 is attached.

[0164] Similarly, the clamping of each mold in step S20, that is, clamping of the positioning mold 30, clamping of the cooling mold 40, and clamping of the shaping mold 20, are carried out in this order.

[0165] Specifically, in step S20, clamping of the positioning mold 30 is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 201 (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supply provided midway in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder; not shown) to lower the upper positioning mold 31. On the other hand, in step S20, clamping of the cooling mold 40 and the shaping mold 20 is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 to lower the upper platen 70A to which the cooling mold 40 and the upper shaping mold 21 are attached.

[0166] According to the third embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a press device that can suppress damage to the sheet to be formed during press forming.

[0167] <Fourth Embodiment> Next, the overall configuration of a press apparatus according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous press-forming apparatus 1C according to the fourth embodiment.

[0168] 15, the continuous press molding apparatus 1C differs from the continuous press molding apparatus 1B of embodiment 3 (see FIG. 13) in that the cooling mold 40 is omitted. Otherwise, the continuous press molding apparatus 1C has the same configuration as the continuous press molding apparatus 1B of embodiment 3.

[0169] An example of operation of the continuous press molding apparatus 1C is similar to the example of operation of the continuous press molding apparatus 1B of embodiment 3 (FIGS. 8 and 9), and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Note that the mold clamping mechanism 100 of embodiment 4 is an example of the second mold clamping mechanism of the present disclosure.

[0170] According to the fourth embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a press device that can suppress damage to the sheet to be formed during press forming.

[0171] The invention made by the inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiments, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments already described, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

[0172] For example, in the above-described first to fourth embodiments, an example has been described in which a press-molding target sheet material M having nothing attached to its front and back surfaces is used, but this is not limiting. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, a press-molding target sheet material M having a metal foil F2 attached to at least one of its front and back surfaces may be used. FIG. 17 shows a modified example of the press-molding target sheet material M. The metal foil F2 is, for example, copper foil, but other metal foils may also be used. In this way, peeling from the mold (peeling of the press-molding target sheet material M) can be easily performed without using a release agent. Furthermore, a molded product having a continuous alternating concave and convex shape with the metal foil F2 attached to its front and back surfaces can be produced. Furthermore, the front surface is electrically conductive via the metal foil F2, fulfilling functions such as connecting a ground wire. Furthermore, thermal conductivity is improved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0173] 1...Pressing device 10...Preheating mold 11...Upper preheating mold 11a, 11b...pressed surface 12...Lower preheating mold 13...Electric heater 14...Air cylinder 20...Forming mold 21...Upper forming mold 21a, 21b...plane 21c…Convex shape 22...Lower forming mold 22a, 22b...plane 22c…Concave shape 23...Electric heater 30... Positioning mold 31...Upper positioning die 31a, 31b...plane 31c…Convex shape 32...Lower positioning die 32a, 32b...plane 32c…concave shape 40...Cooling mold 41...Upper cooling mold 41a, 41b...plane 41c…Convex shape 42...Lower cooling mold 42a, 42b...plane 42c…Concave shape 50, 50A, 50B...Transport device 51...Gripping mechanism 51a...Fixed grip part 51b...Movable grip part 51c...Air cylinder 52...Movement mechanism 52a...Slider 53...Electric motor 60...Control device 70A…Upper mold board 70B…Lower mold board 82A...Mounting plate 82B...Mounting plate 83A, 83B...heat insulating board 94...Bolt 94a...Head 94b...Shaft part 95...Step 96, 96A, 96B...Elastic body 100...Mold clamping mechanism 101...Ball screw 102...Electric motor 103…post 104…Upper fixed plate B2, B4...Bolts F1...Release agent F2: Metal foil G1~G3...Gap H1...Through hole H1a...Large diameter hole H1b…Small diameter hole M: Sheet material for press molding p1~p4…part

Claims

1. A shaping mold including an upper shaping mold having a first upper press surface including one of a concave shape and a convex shape that fits into the concave shape, and a lower shaping mold having a first lower press surface including the other of the concave shape and the convex shape; a positioning die including an upper positioning die having a second upper press surface corresponding to the first upper press surface and a lower positioning die having a second lower press surface corresponding to the first lower press surface; a conveying device that conveys a sheet material to be press-molded, The shaping die and the positioning die are arranged in this order along a conveying direction of the press-molded sheet material, The clamping of the shaping mold is carried out by the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping mold sandwiching and pressing the preheated preheated portion of the press-molded sheet material arranged between them, The clamping of the positioning mold is carried out by sandwiching and applying pressure to the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold, the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material arranged between them, which has been shaped by the shaping mold; The conveying device conveys the press-molded sheet material so that each time each mold is opened, a preheated portion of the press-molded sheet material is disposed between the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping mold, and the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material is disposed between the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold; A continuous press molding device in which the clamping of the positioning mold and the clamping of the shaping mold are performed continuously in this order.

2. a first clamping mechanism that moves one of the upper platen and the lower platen in a direction toward and away from the other; a first elastic body disposed between the upper positioning die and the upper die platen, The upper shaping mold is attached in a fixed state to the upper mold platen, the upper positioning die is attached to the upper die platen so as to be movable in a direction toward and away from the upper die platen, The lower shaping die and the lower positioning die are attached in a fixed state to the lower platen, the first elastic body is elastically deformed by the movement of the upper positioning die in a direction approaching the upper die platen, and urges the upper positioning die toward the lower positioning die, The clamping of the positioning mold is performed by the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold, which are biased toward the lower positioning mold by the first elastic body, sandwiching and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material placed between them, A continuous press molding apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the height positions of the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold are set so that the clamping of the positioning mold and the clamping of the shaping mold are performed in this order by the first mold clamping mechanism moving one of the upper mold platen and the lower mold platen in a direction approaching the other.

3. A second clamping mechanism that clamps the shaping mold by moving one of the upper shaping mold and the lower shaping mold in a direction toward or away from the other. A continuous press molding apparatus as described in claim 1, further comprising a third clamping mechanism that clamps the positioning mold by moving one of the upper positioning mold and the lower positioning mold in a direction toward or away from the other.

4. a cooling mold including an upper cooling mold having a third upper press surface corresponding to the first upper press surface and a lower cooling mold having a third lower press surface corresponding to the first lower press surface; The shaping die, the positioning die, and the cooling die are arranged in this order along a conveying direction of the press-molded sheet material, The clamping of the cooling mold is carried out by sandwiching and pressurizing the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material placed between the third upper press surface of the upper cooling mold and the third lower press surface of the lower cooling mold, the shaped portion being pressurized by the positioning mold, 2. The continuous press molding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conveying device conveys the press-molded sheet material so that, each time each mold is opened, a preheated portion of the press-molded sheet material is positioned between the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping mold, the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material is positioned between the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold, and the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material pressed by the positioning mold is positioned between the third upper press surface of the upper cooling mold and the third upper press surface of the lower cooling mold.

5. The clamping of the positioning mold and the clamping of the shaping mold are carried out in this order, The continuous press-molding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the clamping of the positioning die and the clamping of the upper cooling die are carried out simultaneously or in this order.

6. a first clamping mechanism that moves one of the upper platen and the lower platen in a direction toward and away from the other; a first elastic body disposed between the upper positioning die and the upper die platen; a second elastic body disposed between the upper cooling mold and the upper mold platen, The upper shaping mold is attached in a fixed state to the upper mold platen, the upper positioning die is attached to the upper die platen so as to be movable in a direction toward and away from the upper die platen, the upper cooling mold is attached to the upper mold platen so as to be movable in a direction toward and away from the upper mold platen, The lower shaping mold, the upper positioning mold, and the lower cooling mold are attached in a fixed state to the lower mold platen, the first elastic body is elastically deformed by the movement of the upper positioning die in a direction approaching the upper die platen, and urges the upper positioning die toward the lower positioning die, the second elastic body is elastically deformed by the movement of the upper cooling die in a direction approaching the upper die platen, and urges the upper cooling die toward the lower cooling die, The clamping of the positioning mold is performed by the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold, which are biased toward the lower positioning mold by the first elastic body, sandwiching and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material placed between them, the clamping of the cooling mold is performed by the third upper press surface of the upper cooling mold and the third lower press surface of the lower cooling mold, which are biased toward the lower cooling mold by the second elastic body, sandwiching and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material placed between them and pressurized by the positioning mold, The height positions of the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold, the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold, and the third upper press surface of the cooling mold are set so that the clamping of the positioning mold and the clamping of the shaping mold are performed in this order by the first mold clamping mechanism moving one of the upper mold platen and the lower mold platen in a direction approaching the other, and so that the clamping of the positioning mold and the clamping of the cooling mold are performed simultaneously or in this order.

7. a first clamping mechanism that moves one of the upper platen and the lower platen in a direction toward and away from the other; a second elastic body disposed between the upper cooling mold and the upper mold platen; a third clamping mechanism that clamps the positioning mold by moving one of the upper positioning mold and the lower positioning mold in a direction toward or away from the other, The upper shaping mold is attached in a fixed state to the upper mold platen, the upper cooling mold is attached to the upper mold platen so as to be movable in a direction toward and away from the upper mold platen, The lower shaping mold, the upper positioning mold, and the lower cooling mold are attached in a fixed state to the lower mold platen, the second elastic body is elastically deformed by the movement of the upper cooling die in a direction approaching the upper die platen, and urges the upper cooling die toward the lower cooling die, the clamping of the cooling mold is performed by the third upper press surface of the upper cooling mold and the third lower press surface of the lower cooling mold, which are biased toward the lower cooling mold by the second elastic body, sandwiching and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material placed between them and pressurized by the positioning mold, The first clamping mechanism clamps the shaping mold and the cooling mold by moving one of the upper platen and the lower platen in a direction toward or away from the other, The clamping of the positioning mold and the clamping of the shaping mold are carried out in this order, The continuous press molding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the clamping of the positioning die and the clamping of the cooling die are carried out simultaneously or in this order.

8. 8. The continuous press-molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a release film is attached to each of the front and back surfaces of the sheet material to be press-molded.

9. A glass cloth layer is disposed between the surface of the press-molded sheet material and the release film, and between the back surface of the press-molded sheet material and the release film. The continuous press molding apparatus according to claim 8.

10. A molded product in which alternating continuous concave and convex shapes are formed by performing press molding on a press-molded sheet material, The molded article has a glass cloth layer attached to at least one of the front and back surfaces of the molded article.

11. The continuous press-forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a metal foil is attached to at least one of the front and back surfaces of the sheet material to be press-formed.

12. A molded product in which alternating continuous concave and convex shapes are formed by performing press molding on a press-molded sheet material, A molded article having a metal foil attached to at least one of the front and back surfaces of the molded article.

13. A shaping mold including an upper shaping mold having a first upper press surface including one of a concave shape and a convex shape that fits into the concave shape, and a lower shaping mold having a first lower press surface including the other of the concave shape and the convex shape; a positioning die including an upper positioning die having a second upper press surface corresponding to the first upper press surface and a lower positioning die having a second lower press surface corresponding to the first lower press surface; a conveying device that conveys a sheet material to be press-molded, A continuous press-forming method in a continuous press-forming apparatus, wherein the shaping die and the positioning die are arranged in this order along a conveying direction of the press-molded sheet material, a press-molding target sheet material conveying process in which the conveying device conveys the press-molding target sheet material so that, each time each mold opening is performed, a preheated portion of the press-molding target sheet material is disposed between the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping mold, and a shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material shaped by the shaping mold is disposed between the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold; A positioning mold clamping process in which the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold sandwich and pressurize the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material arranged between them; A shaping mold clamping process in which the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping mold sandwich and pressurize a preheated portion of the press-molded sheet material arranged between them; A continuous press molding method comprising: a mold opening process for opening each mold.

14. The continuous press molding method according to claim 13, wherein the positioning mold clamping step and the shaping mold clamping step are performed in this order.

15. A shaping mold including an upper shaping mold having a first upper press surface including one of a concave shape and a convex shape that fits into the concave shape, and a lower shaping mold having a first lower press surface including the other of the concave shape and the convex shape; a positioning die including an upper positioning die having a second upper press surface corresponding to the first upper press surface and a lower positioning die having a second lower press surface corresponding to the first lower press surface; a cooling mold including an upper cooling mold having a third upper press surface corresponding to the first upper press surface and a lower cooling mold having a third lower press surface corresponding to the first lower press surface; a conveying device that conveys a sheet material to be press-molded, A continuous press-forming method in a continuous press-forming apparatus, wherein the shaping die, the positioning die, and the cooling die are arranged in this order along a conveying direction of the press-molded sheet material, a press-molding target sheet material conveying process in which the conveying device conveys the press-molding target sheet material so that, each time each mold opening is performed, a preheated portion of the press-molding target sheet material is disposed between the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping mold, a shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material shaped by the shaping mold is disposed between the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold, and the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material pressed by the positioning mold is disposed between the third upper press surface of the upper cooling mold and the third upper press surface of the lower cooling mold; A positioning mold clamping process in which the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold sandwich and pressurize the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material arranged between them; A shaping mold clamping process in which the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping mold sandwich and pressurize a preheated portion of the press-molded sheet material arranged between them; a cooling mold clamping process in which the third upper press surface of the upper cooling mold and the third lower press surface of the lower cooling mold sandwich and pressurize the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material placed therebetween, the portion being pressurized by the positioning mold; A continuous press molding method comprising: a mold opening process for opening each mold.

16. The positioning mold clamping step and the shaping mold clamping step are carried out in this order, The continuous press-molding method according to claim 15, wherein the positioning mold clamping step and the upper cooling mold clamping step are performed simultaneously or in this order.

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