Pressure molding device and pressure molding method

Abstract

The present invention provides a pressure molding device including a dimension measuring unit that is easy to apply within a mold and yet capable of reliable dimension measurement. In one embodiment, the pressure molding device includes an upper mold and a lower mold arranged along a first direction, wherein the upper mold includes a first cam portion that moves a part of the lower mold in a second direction different from the first direction as one of the upper mold and the lower mold moves in the first direction, and a material fixing portion that fixes the material together with a material support portion in accordance with the movement in the first direction, and the lower mold includes a second cam portion corresponding to the first cam portion, the material support portion that supports the material, and a molding portion that is configured to move together with the second cam portion and mold the material, and further includes a dimension measuring unit located below the molding portion and configured to be movable in the second direction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pressure molding apparatus and a pressure molding method, and more particularly to a pressure molding apparatus and a pressure molding method for measuring dimensions of a molded material after pressure molding. [Background technology]

[0002] In the automotive industry, due to the trend towards higher strength materials, bending methods are increasingly being used instead of stretching methods to overcome low elongation rates. Among these, the cam method is used for bending the workpiece, punching / shaping the bent surface, and re-strike.

[0003] However, when bending sheet metal, the rate of dimensional errors increases due to springback, which occurs due to a combination of factors such as the material's elastic modulus and stress distribution in the thickness direction. In particular, when there is variation in physical properties between coils, it becomes more difficult to ensure shape fixability. In such cases, even when formed using the same mold, the dimensions of the final product can vary, so most manufacturing companies require a dimensional inspection process after forming the final product.

[0004] The equipment required for this process is called a dimensional inspection fixture, which is capable of measuring the main dimensions of the target product. If a defective product is found as a result of the dimensional inspection of the molded product using this dimensional inspection fixture, the mold may need to be corrected or additional post-processing may be required. Dimensional measurement work is mostly done manually, and although automatic measurement systems using vision equipment have recently been introduced for large parts, their use is very limited due to cost issues.

[0005] Meanwhile, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a laser distance measuring device is placed in the material support part of the lower mold to measure the distance after molding. However, there is a problem in that the material support part has a small space and it is difficult to place the distance measuring device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0076857 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention is intended to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and aims to provide a pressure molding device that includes a dimension measurement unit that can be easily applied inside a mold and yet is capable of reliable dimension measurements. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following pressure molding apparatus and pressure molding method.

[0009] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a pressure molding apparatus including an upper mold and a lower mold arranged along a first direction, wherein the upper mold includes a first cam portion that moves a part of the lower mold in a second direction different from the first direction as one of the upper mold and the lower mold moves in the first direction, and a material fixing portion that fixes the material together with a material support portion by the movement in the first direction, and the lower mold includes a second cam portion corresponding to the first cam portion, the material support portion that supports the material, and a molding portion that is configured to move together with the second cam portion and mold the material, and further includes a dimension measuring portion located below the molding portion and configured to be movable in the second direction.

[0010] In one embodiment, the second cam portion and the forming portion are provided on the same moving block, and the dimension measuring portion can include a contact type displacement sensor.

[0011] In one embodiment, the press machine further includes a press driver that moves the upper die in the first direction; and a controller connected to the press driver and the dimension measuring unit, wherein a lower end of the material fixing unit is disposed at a position lower than a lower end of the first cam unit, and the controller can measure a forming degree of the material using the dimension measuring unit after the upper die reaches a bottom dead center by the press driver.

[0012] In one embodiment, the present invention can provide a pressure molding method including: a molding step of molding a material using a pressure molding device; and a dimension measuring step of measuring the dimensions of the molded material; wherein the molding step includes a material fixing step of pressing and fixing a material placed on a material support part in a first direction, i.e., a vertical direction, using a material fixing part; and a bending step of pressing and bending a material located on a side of the material support part against the molding part in a second direction different from the first direction, wherein the dimension measuring step is performed after the bending step is completed but while the material remains fixed, and the dimension measuring part moves in the second direction to come into contact with the molded material, and then the movement distance of the dimension measuring part is measured. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] With the above-described configuration, the present invention can provide a pressure molding apparatus and a pressure molding method including a dimension measuring unit that can perform reliable dimension measurements while being easily applied to the inside of a mold. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a pressure molding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the moving block of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a dimension measuring unit in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a movement operation of the pressure molding device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a movement operation of the pressure molding device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a movement operation of the pressure molding device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a movement operation of the pressure molding device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a movement operation of the pressure molding device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a movement operation of the pressure molding device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 1 is a flowchart of a pressure molding method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0015] 1 Pressure molding device 100 Upper mold 110 Material fixing part 120 First cam part 200 Lower mold 210 Material support part 220 second cam portion 230 molding portion 231 Molding surface 240 Groove 250 Moving block 260 Dimension measurement section 261 Main body 262 Rod 263 Connection part 265 Sensor 270 Elastic Members DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily practice the present invention. However, in describing preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail, if it is determined that a detailed description of related well-known functions or configurations may obscure the gist of the present invention, such detailed description will be omitted. In addition, parts having similar functions and operations will be referred to by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings. In addition, in this specification, terms such as "top," "upper," "upper surface," "bottom," "lower," "bottom surface," and "side" are used based on the drawings and may actually vary depending on the direction in which elements or components are arranged.

[0017] Throughout this specification, when a part is referred to as being "connected" to another part, this includes not only "directly connected" but also "indirectly connected" via another element therebetween. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, "comprising" a certain component does not mean excluding other components, but means that other components can be further included.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a pressure molding apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a moving block of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a dimension measuring unit of FIG. 1.

[0019] The pressure molding device 1 includes an upper mold 100 and a lower mold 200, and the upper mold 100 is arranged in the vertical direction, which is the first direction 11. The upper mold 100 is connected to a press drive unit (not shown), and molding is performed while moving toward the lower mold 200 in accordance with the operation of the press drive unit.

[0020] The upper mold 100 includes a first cam portion 120 having an inclined surface 121 formed thereon so that the lower mold 100 moves in the left-right direction of FIG. 1, i.e., in a second direction 12 that is perpendicular to the first direction 11 and toward the material P, as the upper mold 100 moves in the first direction 11, and a material fixing portion 110 that pressurizes and fixes the material P placed on the material support portion 210 as the upper mold 100 moves in the first direction.

[0021] The material fixing unit 110 may be a gas spring, and the lower end of the material fixing unit 110 is positioned lower than the lower end of the first cam unit 120 to fix the material P before the moving block 250 moves, measure the material P for as long as possible even after molding is completed, and in a state where the material P is fixed, the dimension measuring unit 260 measures the dimension of the material P.

[0022] The lower mold 200 includes: a second cam portion 220 having an inclined surface 221 corresponding to the inclined surface 121 of the first cam portion 120 so as to move the forming portion 230 in the second direction 12 in cooperation with the first cam portion 120 as the upper mold 100 moves along the first direction 11; a moving block 250 configured to move together with the second cam portion and having the forming portion 230 disposed adjacent to the material P relative to the second cam portion 220 so as to include a forming surface 231 that contacts the material P and bends the material P; a material support portion 210 disposed below the material fixing portion 110 and on which the material P is seated; a dimension measuring portion 260 disposed in a groove 240 formed below the forming portion 230 in the moving block 250; and a control portion 300 connected to the upper mold 100 and the dimension measuring portion 260.

[0023] The moving block 250 and the dimension measuring unit 260 are connected to elastic members 235 and 270, respectively. The elastic member 235 provides a restoring force that moves the moving block 250 away from the material P when it is not being pressed by the upper mold, and the elastic member 270 provides a restoring force that moves the dimension measuring unit 250 to its original position when it is not measuring dimensions.

[0024] The portion of the moving block 250 on the side of the material P is the forming portion 230, and the portion located below the first cam portion 120 is the second cam portion 220. In this embodiment, the forming portion 230 and the second cam portion 220 are formed on the moving block 250, but they may also be realized by being composed of different blocks and coupled to each other.

[0025] The first cam portion 120 and the second cam portion 220 have corresponding inclined surfaces 121, 221, and the forming portion 230, which moves together with the second cam portion 220 due to the inclined surfaces 121, 221, bends and forms the material P while moving in the second direction 12 instead of the first direction 11.

[0026] The forming part 230 includes a forming surface 231, and can be configured in a manner in which only a portion of the material P protrudes as in this embodiment and presses a portion of the material P against the protruding portion, but it is also possible for the forming surface 231 to be formed to correspond to the desired material shape and to form the desired shape together with the material support part 210.

[0027] The moving block 250 may be provided with an LM guide at its bottom so that it moves only in the second direction 12. When the first cam portion 120 of the moving block 250 is lowered by the second cam portion 220 of the moving block 250, the moving block 250 moves in the direction of the material P, and when the first cam portion 120 is raised, the moving block 250 is returned to its original position by the elastic member 235.

[0028] A groove 240 is formed in the movable block 250 under the forming unit 230. The groove 240 extends in the second direction 12 to a size that allows the dimension measuring unit 260 to pass through, and is configured so that the operation of the movable block 250 and the operation of the dimension measuring unit 260 do not affect each other. At least a portion of the dimension measuring unit 260 is disposed inside the groove 240. The groove 240 may include a first portion 241 that is larger than the cross section of the dimension measuring unit 260, and a second portion 242 that extends to the bottom surface so that a structure that guides the movement of the dimension measuring unit 260 in the second direction 12 is disposed therein. Therefore, the groove 240 is configured to connect one side and the other side of the movable block 250 in the second direction 12 and to extend to the bottom surface of the movable block 250.

[0029] The dimension measuring unit 260 may be a contact-type displacement sensor, and the configuration of the dimension measuring unit 260 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. However, the structure of Fig. 3 is merely an example, and other configurations may be applied to the dimension measuring unit 260 as long as it can move from a predetermined reference position and accurately measure the distance to a point on the material P.

[0030] 3, the dimension measuring unit 260 includes a cylinder body 261 including a connecting part 263 connected to an air pressure source, a rod 262, and a sensor 265 that measures the movement distance of the rod 262 in the second direction. When air pressure is supplied via the connecting part 263, the dimension measuring unit 260 moves as a whole in the second direction 12, whereby the rod 262, which is the tip of the dimension measuring unit 260, comes into contact with the material P.

[0031] The distance d moved by the air pressure is always constant. As the rod 262 moves in the second direction 12, it comes into contact with the material P and is blocked by the material P, preventing it from moving. Therefore, it moves a shorter distance than the distance it would move if there was no material. This means that the length l1 by which the rod 262 protrudes from the main body 261 before movement is shorter than the length l2 by which the rod 262 protrudes from the main body 262 after movement, and the rod 262 has moved backward by that amount. The sensor 265 measures the distance the rod 262 has moved backward, and the degree to which the material P has been formed can be measured based on the measurement value of the sensor 265.

[0032] When the air pressure is released, the rod 262 returns to its original position by an elastic member (not shown) disposed in the main body 261, and the main body 261 also returns to its original position by the elastic member 270.

[0033] However, instead of this method, a method is also possible in which the rod 262 advances by air pressure and comes into contact with the material P, and the distance traveled by the rod 262 is measured by the sensor 265.

[0034] The control unit 300 is connected to the upper mold 100, more specifically, the press driving unit and the dimension measuring unit 260, and controls the movement of the upper mold 100 in the first direction, controls the movement of the dimension measuring unit 260 in the second direction, collects the measurement results of the dimension measuring unit 260, and determines whether to reprocess or notify the user based on the measurement results. The operation of the control unit 300 will be described in detail in the description of the operation during processing in FIGS. 4 and 9 and the press molding method in FIG. 10.

[0035] In one embodiment of the present invention, a groove 240 is formed in the lower part of a moving block 250 on which the forming unit 230 is provided, and a dimension measuring unit 260 is configured to advance and retreat through the groove 240. After the material P is formed by the forming unit 230, the dimension measuring unit 260 approaches the material P through the groove 240 to measure the degree of forming of the material P. Therefore, since the dimension measuring unit 260 does not need to be disposed in a limited space such as the material support unit 210, it is possible to use a relatively large, inexpensive, and accurate contact-type displacement sensor without being affected by the size of the dimension measuring unit 260. Such a physical contact-type sensor has higher accuracy than lasers or vision, and therefore the dimension measurement itself can be performed accurately.

[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention, the dimension measuring unit 260 can move separately from the molding unit 230, and the movement of the dimension measuring unit 260 is not affected by the movement of the upper mold 100, which is advantageous for measurement timing and molding adjustment.

[0037] Measurement of the dimensions of the material P molded by the pressure molding apparatus 1 will be examined in more detail with reference to Figures 4 to 9. Figures 4 to 9 show the movement of the lower mold 200 caused by the movement of the upper mold 100 in the first direction 11.

[0038] 4, after the material P is seated, the press driving unit lowers the upper die 100. At this time, since the material fixing unit 110 is located below the first cam unit 120, the material P is first fixed before the first cam unit 120 comes into contact with the second cam unit 220.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, as the upper mold 100 descends, the first cam portion 120 contacts the second cam portion 220, and the inclined surfaces 121, 221 of the first cam portion 120 and the second cam portion 220 convert the downward movement of the upper mold 100 into a second direction movement of the moving block 250 including the second cam portion 220.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 6, when the upper die 100 reaches the bottom dead center, the forming unit 230 of the moving block 250 forms the material P. Typically, the material P is formed further than the desired shape in consideration of springback, but is not limited to this. The dimension measuring unit 260 remains at a predetermined position without moving until the upper die 100 reaches the bottom dead center.

[0041] 7, the upper mold 100 rises beyond the bottom dead center, and as the upper mold 100 rises, the moving block 250 returns to its original position by the elastic member 235. When molding is completed, the control unit 300 applies air pressure to the dimension measuring unit 260, and the dimension measuring unit 260 advances along the groove 240 of the moving block 250 toward the material P to measure the dimensions of the molded material P. The dimension measuring method has been described with reference to FIG.

[0042] 8, while the upper mold 100 is ascending, the control unit 300 measures the dimensions of the material P that has been molded multiple times through the dimension measuring unit 260, thereby improving the measurement accuracy. At this time, since the material fixing unit 110 extends below the first cam unit 120, the dimension measurement can be performed even after the moving block 250 returns to its original position.

[0043] 9, when the upper mold 100 ascends and the material fixing unit 110 separates from the material P, the dimension measuring unit 260 also finishes measuring the dimension and returns to its original position. After the measurement is completed, the control unit 300 can determine whether to re-mold, remove the molded product, or notify the user, depending on the measurement result.

[0044] FIG. 10 shows a flow chart of a pressure molding method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] The pressure molding method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a molding step (S100) of molding a material using a pressure molding device, and a dimension measurement step (S200) of measuring dimensions of the molded material.

[0046] In the case of the pressure molding method of FIG. 10, molding is performed using the pressure molding apparatus 1 described with reference to FIG. 1, but the pressure molding apparatus 1 is not limited to that shown in FIG.

[0047] The forming step (S100) includes a material fixing step (S110) of pressing and fixing the material P placed on the material support part 210 in a first direction 11, which is a vertical direction, via the material fixing part 110, and a bending step (S120) of pressing and bending the material P located on the side of the material support part 210 against the forming part 230 in a second direction 12 different from the first direction 11.

[0048] The dimension measuring step (S200) is performed after the bending step (S120) is completed, but the material P is still fixed by the material fixing unit 110. The dimension measuring unit 260 moves in the second direction 12 to come into contact with the formed material P, and then the moving distance of the dimension measuring unit 260 is measured.

[0049] The dimension measurement step (S200) can be performed multiple times between the time when the upper mold 100 rises above the bottom dead center and the time when the moving block 200 retreats in the second direction 12 and the time when the material fixing part 110 finishes pressing the material P.

[0050] Although the above description focuses on one embodiment of the present invention, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and many other modifications based on the present invention are possible within the technical scope described above by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A pressure molding apparatus including an upper mold and a lower mold arranged along a first direction, the upper die includes a first cam portion that moves a portion of the lower die in a second direction different from the first direction as one of the upper die and the lower die moves in the first direction, and a material fixing portion that fixes the material together with a material supporting portion in response to the movement in the first direction, the lower mold includes a second cam portion corresponding to the first cam portion, the material support portion supporting the material, and a molding portion configured to move together with the second cam portion and molding the material, The pressure molding device further includes a dimension measuring unit located below the molding unit and configured to be movable in the second direction.

2. the second cam portion and the forming portion are provided on the same moving block, The pressure molding apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the dimension measuring unit includes a contact displacement sensor.

3. a groove extending in the second direction is formed in a lower portion of the moving block; The pressure molding apparatus of claim 2, wherein the dimension measuring unit is arranged so that at least a portion thereof is positioned in the groove, and includes a main body, a rod extending from inside the main body in the second direction, and a sensor that measures the movement distance of the rod from the main body.

4. a press driving unit that moves the upper die in the first direction; a control unit connected to the press driving unit and the dimension measuring unit, a lower end of the material fixing portion is disposed at a position lower than a lower end of the first cam portion; The pressure molding apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit measures the degree of molding of the material with the dimension measuring unit after the upper die has reached the bottom dead center by the press driving unit.

5. In the upper die, the first cam portions are arranged on both sides of the material fixing portion, The pressure molding apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein in the lower mold, the moving block and the dimension measuring unit are arranged on both sides of the material support unit.

6. a forming step of forming the material through a pressure forming device; a dimension measurement step of measuring the dimensions of the molded material; The forming step includes a material fixing step of pressing and fixing the material placed on the material support part in a first direction, i.e., a vertical direction, through a material fixing part, and a bending step of pressing and bending the material positioned on a side of the material support part against the forming part in a second direction different from the first direction, The dimension measuring step is performed after the bending step is completed but while the material remains fixed, by moving a dimension measuring unit in the second direction to come into contact with the formed material, and then measuring the distance traveled by the dimension measuring unit.

7. The pressure molding device includes an upper mold and a lower mold, the upper die includes a first cam portion and the material fixing portion that move a portion of the lower die in a second direction different from the first direction as one of the upper die and the lower die moves in the first direction, the lower mold includes a second cam portion corresponding to the first cam portion, a moving block including the second cam portion and the forming portion for forming a material, and a material support portion on which the material is seated, The molding step is performed by lowering the upper mold, The pressure molding method according to claim 6 , wherein the dimension measuring step is performed after the upper mold reaches the bottom dead center.

8. The pressure molding method according to claim 7 , wherein the dimension measuring step is performed a plurality of times between the time when the moving block retreats in the second direction and the time when the material fixing unit finishes pressing the material.

9. 9. The pressure molding method according to claim 8, wherein, in the dimension measuring step, the upper mold is raised, the moving block is separated from the material along the second direction, and the dimension measuring unit is moved in the second direction by air pressure.

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