Method for producing laminate film

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing method of a laminate film capable of suppressing wrinkles generated on the laminate film when the laminate film is sealed in a reduced pressure state.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing a laminate film of the present disclosure is a manufacturing method using a molding machine 100. The manufacturing method includes a step of forming a recessed portion in the laminate film X by pressing the tip portion 21 of the punch 2 against the laminate film X placed on the die 1 by the adjustment mechanism 3, a step of welding the spacers 4a and 4b disposed at the corner portions of the recessed portion formed in the laminate film X and the corner portions of the tip portion 21 of the punch 2 by the heaters 5a and 5b provided in the die 1, and a step of separating the spacers 4a and 4b welded to the laminate film X from the corner portion of the tip portion 21 of the punch 2 by moving the tip portion 21 of the punch 2 away from the die 1 by the adjustment mechanism 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing a laminate film. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for manufacturing a storage battery module that can prevent wrinkles in a laminate film when the laminate film is decompressed. Specifically, Patent Document 1 describes a method for sealing a power generating element by joining opposing surfaces of the periphery of the laminate film. This method places insulating spacers inside the corners of the recesses in the laminate film to fill the spaces between the opposing corners of the power generating element. This maintains the shape of the recesses when the laminate films are sealed together under reduced pressure, preventing wrinkles from forming at the corners of the laminate film. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-039271 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, spacers are placed inside the corners of the recessed portion of the laminate film that houses the power generating element, using equipment such as a transfer hand or manually.

[0005] In recent years, there has been a demand for higher capacity and higher density storage batteries, including those used in BEVs (Battery Electronic Vehicles), and the development of large storage battery modules is underway to improve their efficiency. As storage battery modules become larger, when spacers are placed using equipment such as a transfer hand, as in the technology described in Patent Document 1, gaps can form between the corners of the recessed portions of the laminate film and the spacers due to assembly accuracy, molding tolerances, and component tolerances. This has led to the issue of wrinkles forming in the laminate film when the pressure is reduced.

[0006] In view of such problems, the present disclosure aims to provide a method for manufacturing a laminate film that can suppress wrinkles that occur in the laminate film when the laminate film is sealed under reduced pressure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The method for producing a laminate film of the present disclosure includes: a die on which the laminate film is placed; a punch that presses a tip end of the punch against the laminate film placed on the die to form a recess in the laminate film; an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the relative positions of the die and the punch; a spacer disposed at a portion including a corner of the tip of the punch; A method for producing a laminate film using a molding machine comprising: forming a recess in the laminate film by pressing the tip of the punch against the laminate film placed on the die using the adjustment mechanism; a step of welding the corners of the recess formed in the laminate film and the spacer disposed at the corners of the tip of the punch by the heater; and a step of moving the tip of the punch away from the die by the adjustment mechanism, and cutting off the spacer welded to the laminate film from the corner of the tip of the punch.

[0008] The method for producing a laminate film of the present disclosure further includes: The spacer is disposed on a side including a corner of the tip of the punch.

[0009] The method for producing a laminate film of the present disclosure further includes: The spacer is disposed at a corner of the tip of the punch.

[0010] The method for producing a laminate film of the present disclosure further includes: The spacer is disposed on the periphery including the corners of the tip of the punch. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The present disclosure makes it possible to provide a method for manufacturing a laminate film that can suppress wrinkles that occur in the laminate film when the laminate film is sealed under reduced pressure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of a molding machine according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a tip portion of a punch of the molding machine according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the position of a heater provided in a recess of a die of the molding machine according to the first embodiment and the position of a spacer when the bottom dead center is reached. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the molding machine according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 2 is an example of an image of a laminate film formed by the forming machine according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of a tip portion of a punch of a molding machine according to a modified example of the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and for clarity of explanation, duplicate explanations will be omitted as necessary.

[0014] (First embodiment) First, the configuration of a molding machine 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of the molding machine 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the molding machine 100 is a device for molding a laminate film X. The laminate film X is an exterior body for housing the power generating element and spacers of a storage battery module. The laminate film X is a film having a laminate structure in which a metal layer and a resin layer are laminated together, such as a metal laminate film in which resin layers are formed on both sides of a metal layer. The metal layer is made of, for example, aluminum foil. The resin layers on both sides are made of, for example, PP, PET, nylon, or the like. To facilitate welding (described later) of the laminate film X to the spacers 4a, 4b, the laminate film X is preferably made of a resin with a relatively low melting point (for example, PP) at the welding points with the spacers 4a, 4b or the entire laminate film. The thickness of the laminate film X is preferably 50 to 500 μm.

[0016] The molding machine 100 includes a die 1, a punch 2, an adjustment mechanism 3, spacers 4a and 4b, and heaters 5a and 5b. The die 1 is a member on which the laminate film X is placed. The punch 2 is a member for forming a recess in the laminate film X by pressing a tip portion 21 against the laminate film X placed on the die 1. The tip portion 21 of the punch 2 is inserted into a recess 11 provided in the die 1.

[0017] The spacers 4a and 4b are members to be attached to the corners of the recess formed in the laminate film X by the tip 21 of the punch 2. The spacers 4a and 4b are made of resins such as PE, PP, PVC, ABS, and PET, which are classified as general-purpose plastics, and POM, PEEK, PPS, and PTFE, which are classified as engineering plastics or super engineering plastics. The spacers 4a and 4b may be made of a combination of multiple resins. The spacers 4a and 4b may be made of a material to which a reinforcing material such as glass fiber or carbon fiber is added to suppress warping and to suppress the difference in linear expansion coefficient with the laminate film X. To facilitate welding (described below) of the spacers 4a and 4b to the laminate film X, the spacers 4a and 4b are preferably made of a resin with a relatively low melting point (e.g., PP) at the locations to be welded to the laminate film X or the entire spacers.

[0018] Each of the spacers 4a and 4b is disposed at the tip 21 of the punch 2. For example, each of the spacers 4a and 4b is attracted to the tip 21 of the punch 2 by an attraction portion (not shown) provided at the tip 21 of the punch 2 so as not to fall. Note that the punch 2 may be provided at its tip with a gripping portion (not shown) that grips each of the spacers 4a and 4b, instead of the attraction portion (not shown).

[0019] The shapes and positions of the spacers 4a and 4b are specifically shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the tip 21 of the punch 2 of the molding machine 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the spacers 4a and 4b are arranged in a portion including corners of the tip 21 of the punch 2. More specifically, the tip 21 of the punch 2 has four corners. The spacer 4a is arranged on a side including two corners on the other side (the negative x-direction side) of the tip 21 of the punch 2. The spacer 4b is arranged on a side including two corners on one side (the positive x-direction side) of the tip 21 of the punch 2. The number of corners of the tip 21 of the punch 2 is not limited to four and can be changed. The number and shape of the spacers 4a and 4b can be changed depending on the number of corners of the tip 21 of the punch 2.

[0020] The adjustment mechanism 3 adjusts the relative positions of the die 1 and the punch 2. Specifically, the adjustment mechanism 3 raises or lowers the punch 2. Here, the position when the laminate film X pressed against the tip 21 of the punch 2 reaches the bottom surface of the recess 11 of the die 1 becomes the bottom dead center of the tip 21 of the punch 2 and the spacers 4a, 4b. The adjustment mechanism 3 is also provided with a stripper 31 that holds the laminate film X when the tip 21 of the punch 2 is pressed against the laminate film X during the downward movement of the punch 2.

[0021] Each of the heaters 5a and 5b is a device for welding the corners of the recess formed in the laminate film X by the tip 21 of the punch 2 to the spacers 4a and 4b arranged at the tip 21 of the punch 2. Each of the heaters 5a and 5b is arranged in the recess 11 of the die 1.

[0022] The specific arrangement of the heaters 5a and 5b is shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the positions of the heaters 5a and 5b provided in the recess 11 of the die 1 of the molding machine 100 according to the first embodiment and the positions of the spacers 4a and 4b when the bottom dead center is reached. Fig. 3 also shows the relationship between the positions of the heaters 5a and 5b and the positions of the spacers 4a and 4b when viewed from the vertically upper side (positive z direction) of Fig. 1.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, one or more heaters 5a (four in this embodiment) are provided near the bottom dead center of the spacer 4a on the bottom surface of the recess 11 of the die 1. Similarly to the heater 5a, one or more heaters 5b (four in this embodiment) are provided near the bottom dead center of the spacer 4b on the bottom surface of the recess 11 of the die 1. Preferably, the heaters 5a and 5b are disposed on the bottom surface near the corners of the recess 11 of the die 1. The configuration of the heaters 5a and 5b is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 3. For example, the heaters 5a and 5b may be disposed on the side surfaces of the recess 11 of the die 1, not limited to the bottom surface of the recess 11 of the die 1. Furthermore, the heaters 5a and 5b may be moved up and down by a cylinder or the like, without being fixed to the bottom surface of the recess 11 of the die 1. The number, length, and welding shape of the heaters 5a and 5b may also be changed.

[0024] The molding machine 100 includes a computer (not shown) that includes a processor and a memory. The processor may be, for example, a microprocessor, a microprocessing unit (MPU), or a central processing unit (CPU). The processor may include multiple processors. The memory may be configured by a combination of volatile and nonvolatile memory. The memory may include storage located remotely from the processor. In this case, the processor may access the memory via an I / O interface (not shown). The processor executes one or more programs including instructions for the adjustment mechanism 3, the heaters 5a and 5b, the suction unit, etc. The program includes instructions (or software code) that, when loaded into the computer, cause the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media or tangible storage media include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray® disc or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device. The program may also be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, transitory computer-readable media or communication media include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

[0025] Next, the operation of the molding machine 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the molding machine 100 according to the first embodiment (i.e., the method for manufacturing the laminate film X).

[0026] First, before step S1, the spacers 4a and 4b are each placed on the tip 21 of the punch 2 of the molding machine 100. Specifically, the molding machine 100 starts adsorbing the spacers 4a and 4b to the tip 21 of the punch 2 by the adsorption unit.

[0027] Next, in step S1, the molding machine 100 lowers the tip 21 of the punch 2 using the adjustment mechanism 3, and presses the tip 21 of the punch 2 against the laminate film X placed on the die 1. In this way, the molding machine 100 forms a recess in the laminate film X.

[0028] Next, in step S2, the molding machine 100 uses heaters 5a and 5b to weld the corners of the recesses formed in the laminate film X to the spacers 4a and 4b arranged at the tip 21 of the punch 2. For example, if the welding surfaces of the spacers 4a and 4b and the laminate film X are both made of PP and the thickness of the laminate film X is about 150 μm, the welding temperature is 200° C. and the welding time is about 15 seconds. Also, if the welding temperature is 230° C., the welding time is about 5 seconds.

[0029] Next, in step S3, the molding machine 100 uses the adjustment mechanism 3 to move the tip 21 of the punch 2 away from the recess 11 of the die 1, thereby separating each of the spacers 4a, 4b welded to the laminate film X from the corners of the tip 21 of the punch. For example, at a predetermined timing after step S1, the molding machine 100 stops the suction unit from adhering each of the spacers 4a, 4b to the tip 21 of the punch 2. By doing so, in step S3, the molding machine 100 uses the adjustment mechanism 3 to move the tip 21 of the punch 2 away from the recess 11 of the die 1, thereby separating each of the spacers 4a, 4b welded to the laminate film X from the corners of the tip 21 of the punch.

[0030] In step S3, the laminate film X is finally attached to the recess 11 side of the die 1. However, depending on the draft angles of the recess 11 of the die 1 and the tip 21 of the punch 2, the laminate film X may be attached to the tip 21 side of the punch 2 after the adjustment mechanism 3 moves the tip 21 of the punch 2 away from the recess 11 of the die 1. In that case, in step S3, the adjustment mechanism 3 moves the tip 21 of the punch 2 away from the recess 11 of the die 1, and then the adsorption of the spacers 4a, 4b to the tip 21 of the punch 2 by the adsorption unit is stopped.

[0031] FIG. 5 is an example of an image of a laminate film X molded by the molding machine 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5A is an image of the back side (convex side) of the molded laminate film X after the spacers 4a and 4b have been removed from the concave portions. FIG. 5B is an image of the front side of FIG. 5A. FIG. 5C is an image of the molded laminate film X with the spacers 4a and 4b welded to the concave portions. However, in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the spacers 4a and 4b are not welded.

[0032] As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, in the area where the spacer 4a was removed from the molded laminate film X (within the area surrounded by the dotted line), the surface roughness of the spacer 4a is picked up and a wrinkle-like pattern, which is the shape of the spacer 4a, is transferred. In addition, the step at the connection between the spacer 4a and the tip 21 of the punch 2 is also transferred to this area. The same is true in the area where the spacer 4b was removed from the molded laminate film X. This shows that the laminate film X was molded to the shape of the spacers 4a and 4b.

[0033] The configuration and operation of the molding machine 100 according to the first embodiment have been described above. When a spacer is placed at the corner of the recess in the laminate film using equipment such as a transfer hand, as in the manufacturing method described in Patent Document 1, a gap will occur between the corner of the recess in the laminate film and the spacer due to the influence of assembly accuracy, tolerances during molding, and component tolerances.

[0034] However, in the manufacturing method of the laminate film X using the molding machine 100 according to the first embodiment, the laminate film X is formed by the spacers 4a and 4b themselves, which are disposed at the tip 21 of the punch 2. This allows the shape of the spacers 4a and 4b to match the shape of the corners of the recesses of the molded laminate film X. This manufacturing method therefore prevents gaps from forming between the corners of the recesses of the laminate film X and the spacers 4a and 4b, thereby suppressing wrinkles that would otherwise occur in the laminate film X when the laminate film X is sealed under reduced pressure. Furthermore, this manufacturing method also welds the spacers 4a and 4b to the laminate film X. This manufacturing method therefore prevents gaps from forming between the corners of the recesses of the laminate film X and the spacers 4a and 4b due to misalignment of the spacers 4a and 4b, thereby further suppressing wrinkles that would otherwise occur in the laminate film X when the laminate film X is sealed under reduced pressure.

[0035] (Modification of the first embodiment) In the above-described first embodiment, the spacers 4a and 4b are arranged at the tip 21 of the punch 2 of the molding machine 100 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The shape of the spacers 4a and 4b is not limited to this example.

[0036] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the tip portion 21 of the punch 2 of the molding machine 100 according to a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the tip portion 21 of the punch 2 of a molding machine 100 according to a modified example of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6A, spacers 6a, 6b, 6c, and 6d are disposed at the four corners of the tip portion 21 of the punch 2, respectively, instead of spacers 4a and 4b. FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the tip portion 21 of the punch 2 of a molding machine 100 according to another modified example of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6B, spacer 7 is disposed at the periphery of the tip portion 21 of the punch 2, including the four corners, instead of spacers 4a and 4b. The number of corners of the tip portion 21 of the punch 2 is not limited to four and can be changed. The number and shapes of the spacers 6a, 6b, 6c, and 6d and the spacer 7 can be changed depending on the number of corners of the tip portion 21 of the punch 2. The arrangement positions and number of the heaters 5a and 5b in the first embodiment can also be changed as appropriate depending on the shapes of the spacers 6a, 6b, 6c, and 6d and the spacer 7.

[0037] 2 and 6, the surface shapes of the spacers 4a, 4b, spacers 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, and spacer 7 of the molding machine 100, particularly the shape (e.g., pattern) of the surface that presses against the laminate film X, are not limited to those in the above-described embodiment and may be set individually. By making the shape of the surface of the spacers 4a and 4b that presses against the laminate film X distinctive, it becomes easier to detect infringement.

[0038] 1, in the molding machine 100 of the above-described embodiment, the punch 2 is disposed above the die 1. However, in a molding machine 100 according to a modified example, the punch 2 may be disposed below the die 1 by turning the machine upside down.

[0039] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0040] Each drawing is merely an example for describing one or more embodiments. Each drawing may relate not only to one particular embodiment, but also to one or more other embodiments. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings to create, for example, an embodiment not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessary to describe an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any drawing may be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1 die, 2 punch, 3 adjustment mechanism, 4a, 4b, 6a to 6d, 7 spacer, 5a, 5b heater, 11 recess, 21 tip, 31 stripper, 100 molding machine

Claims

1. a die on which the laminate film is placed; a punch that presses a tip end of the punch against the laminate film placed on the die to form a recess in the laminate film; an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the relative positions of the die and the punch; a spacer disposed at a portion including a corner of the tip of the punch; A method for producing a laminate film using a molding machine comprising: forming a recess in the laminate film by pressing the tip of the punch against the laminate film placed on the die using the adjustment mechanism; a step of welding the spacer disposed at the corner of the recess formed in the laminate film and the corner of the tip of the punch by the heater; and a step of moving the tip of the punch away from the die by the adjustment mechanism, and cutting off the spacer welded to the laminate film from the corner of the tip of the punch. A method for manufacturing laminated film.

2. The spacer is disposed on a side including a corner of the tip of the punch. A method for producing the laminate film according to claim 1.

3. The spacer is disposed at the corner of the tip of the punch. A method for producing the laminate film according to claim 1.

4. The spacer is disposed on the periphery including the corners of the tip of the punch. A method for producing the laminate film according to claim 1.

Images