Apparatus for manufacturing panel bodies, and apparatus for manufacturing thermal insulation panels

Abstract

The present invention provides a panel manufacturing apparatus that allows for the continuous flow of sheet metal in a continuous production line while minimizing dead areas and enabling cutting to the ordered size. [Solution] The manufacturing apparatus for the air conditioning panel 10 includes a sheet material supply unit 100 that continuously supplies two sheets of sheet material from two uncoilers in which sheet material 11 is wound into a coil shape, a welding unit 600 that welds the two supplied sheets of sheet material 11, a cutting unit 700 that cuts the two supplied sheets of sheet material 11, and a control device 900 that controls these. The control device 900 controls the welding unit 600 to weld at predetermined length intervals in the supply direction of the two supplied sheets of sheet material 11, and to perform double-line welding of at least two of the multiple welding locations, identifies two of the double-line welded locations as locations to be cut, and controls the cutting unit 700 to perform cutting between the double-line welds of the identified locations to be cut.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus for a panel body and a manufacturing apparatus for a heat insulating panel.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a highly heat-insulating sandwich panel having a structure in which a foamed heat insulating material such as polyurethane, polyisocyanurate, or phenolic resin is sandwiched between metal plates has been known. Such sandwich panels are used for building materials such as wall panels and roof panels, and for loading boxes of trucks. Here, in mass-producing sandwich panels, a method has been disclosed in which coil plates are fed out from two sets of uncoilers, a foaming resin is filled between the plates, and the resin is flowed while being restrained by a slat conveyor from above and below the coil plates and heated to foam the resin (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4). In such a continuous production line, the flow rate of the coil is about 1 m / min to 15 m / min, and the productivity is very high.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The applicant of the present application is considering making the inside of a plate-shaped hollow body vacuum and enabling the introduction of a refrigerant, and using it as a panel body capable of exhibiting an air conditioning function, and is researching the production of this panel body by a continuous production line.

[0005] Here, such panel bodies need to be manufactured to the size specified by the customer. However, at the same time, the panel bodies need to be welded to form compartments of a certain size in order to enable refrigerant circulation. Therefore, welding needs to be performed every time a predetermined length of panel flows through the continuous production line.

[0006] Furthermore, considering manufacturing efficiency, it is necessary to cut the panel bodies to the ordered size in a continuous production line, and it is conceivable to cut them adjacent to the welded area. However, in this case, while one side of the welded area is fine, the other side becomes a dead area where the internal space is in contact with the outside, making it unusable as a product.

[0007] The present invention was made to solve these problems, and its objective is to provide a panel manufacturing apparatus and an insulation panel manufacturing apparatus that can continuously flow sheet material in a continuous production line while minimizing dead areas and cutting to the size specified by the order. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The panel manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is a panel manufacturing apparatus formed in the shape of a panel, comprising: a supply means for continuously supplying two sheets of sheet material from two uncoilers in which sheet material is wound in a coil shape; a welding means for welding the two sheets of sheet material supplied by the supply means; a cutting means for cutting the two sheets of sheet material being transported by the supply means; and a control means for controlling at least the welding means and the cutting means, wherein the control means controls the welding means to perform welding at predetermined length intervals in the transport direction of the two sheets of sheet material supplied by the supply means, and to perform double-line welding, which is two welds, at least two of a plurality of welding locations at intervals of 10 cm or less, and identifies two of the double-line welded locations as locations to be cut, and controls the cutting means to perform cutting between the double welds of the identified locations to be cut.

[0009] Furthermore, the thermal insulation panel manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a panel supply means for supplying two sets of panel bodies manufactured by the panel body manufacturing apparatus described above in succession, and a thermal insulation body forming means for forming a thermal insulation body between the two sets of panel bodies supplied by the panel body supply means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a panel manufacturing apparatus that can continuously flow sheet material in a continuous production line while minimizing dead areas and cutting to the size specified by the order. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing an insulating panel manufactured by the insulating panel manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view showing an insulating panel manufactured by the insulating panel manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a thermal insulation panel according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a configuration diagram showing a manufacturing apparatus for an insulating panel according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is an end view showing an example of the mold configuration in the mold section, where (a) shows the first state and (b) shows the second state. [Figure 6] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing details of the powder-coated area. [Figure 7] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the details of the welded joint. [Figure 8] Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the welding process performed by the first and second seam welding machines. [Figure 9] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the channel to be installed by the heat insulation layer forming section. [Figure 10] This is a cross-sectional view showing a thermal insulation panel according to the second embodiment.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described along with preferred embodiments. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. Also, in the embodiments shown below, there are some parts where the illustration and description of some configurations are omitted. Needless to say, well-known or widely known technologies are appropriately applied within the range where there is no contradiction with the content described below regarding the details of the omitted technologies.

[0013] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are configuration diagrams showing a heat insulation panel manufactured by a manufacturing apparatus for a heat insulation panel according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view, and FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view. The heat insulation panel 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes two air-conditioning panels (panel bodies) 10, a heat insulating body 20, and a flow path 30.

[0014] The air-conditioning panel 10 is constituted by a hollow body in which two plate materials 11 are processed to form an internal space IS and the edge portions 12 are welded. The internal space IS is, for example, evacuated to a reduced pressure state. The air-conditioning panel 10 has a large structure with a long side of at least 60 cm or more. The two plate materials 11 are each constituted by those having a thickness of 0.8 mm or less, and the air-conditioning panel 10 is designed to be lightweight. Hereinafter, although the description will be made assuming a large air-conditioning panel 10 having a side of 60 cm or more, it is not particularly limited thereto, and it may be applied to those having a long side of less than 60 cm. Also, the thickness of the plate material 11 may exceed 0.8 mm. Hereinafter, the air-conditioning panel 10 will be described assuming that it has a long side of at least 60 cm or more and the thickness of the plate material 11 is 0.8 mm or less.

[0015] In such an air-conditioning panel 10, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a number of convex portions 13 are formed on both plate materials 11. The number of convex portions 13 is formed so as to face each other with the two plate materials 11, and the tops of the convex portions 13 are in contact with each other. Therefore, the two plate materials 11 are separated from each other in the internal space IS by the height of two convex portions 13. Further, since the tops of the convex portions 13 are in contact with each other, the air-conditioning panel 10 with the internal space IS evacuated is more resistant to external pressure. Although 32 convex portions 13 are formed in FIGS. 1 and 2, actually, since the plate material 11 of the air-conditioning panel 10 is thin and has a large structure, a larger number will be formed. Specifically, in the air-conditioning panel 10 with a width of 930 mm and a length of 2000 mm, for example, thousands of convex portions 13 are formed on each plate material 11.

[0016] Also, in the present embodiment, a number of convex portions 13 are formed on both of the two plate materials 11 of the air-conditioning panel 10, but it is not particularly limited thereto, and a number of convex portions 13 may be formed only on one of the plate materials 11, and the other plate material 11 may be a flat plate.

[0017] Such two air-conditioning panels 10 are configured such that a refrigerant flows through two flow paths 30. The two air-conditioning panels 10 are configured such that heat on one side of the air-conditioning panel 10 can be discarded from the other side of the air-conditioning panel 10 through the flow of the refrigerant. Further, a heat insulator 20 is provided between the two air-conditioning panels 10 to ensure heat insulation. Therefore, the heat insulation panel 1 prevents heat from the other side from penetrating to the one side by the heat insulator 20, and allows heat on the one side to penetrate to the other side through the refrigerant circulation.

[0018] In this type of heat transfer, one of the two air conditioning panels 10 functions as an evaporator E, and the other functions as a condenser C. More specifically, the liquid refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator E due to heat from one side. As a result, the space S1 facing the air conditioning panel 10 on one side is cooled by the loss of heat from evaporation. Meanwhile, the evaporated refrigerant, or vapor refrigerant, reaches the condenser C through the first channel 31. In the condenser C, the vapor refrigerant liquefies into liquid refrigerant due to heat from the space S2 facing the other air conditioning panel 10. The heat of condensation released when the vapor refrigerant liquefies is discarded to the space S2 side. The liquefied liquid refrigerant then returns to the evaporator E through the second channel 32. Thus, the insulated panel 1 allows heat from one side to flow to the other side.

[0019] Here, at least one of the air conditioning panels 10 on the evaporator E side has a wick layer 14 formed on it (the panel 11 furthest from the condenser C) to promote the evaporation of the liquid refrigerant. The wick layer 14 draws up and holds the liquid refrigerant stored at the bottom of the evaporator E through capillary action. With such a wick layer 14, the evaporation area of ​​the evaporator E expands along the height direction, enabling efficient evaporation in the height direction.

[0020] In this embodiment, the air conditioning panel 10 has a large structure. Therefore, if the protrusions 13 are not welded to the opposing plate material 11 (protrusions 13), the tops of the protrusions 13 will shift, causing the air conditioning panel 10 to bend. As a result, it becomes difficult to use it in vertical surfaces, and its use as a building material becomes difficult.

[0021] Therefore, in this embodiment, the tops of the numerous protrusions 13 of the air conditioning panel 10 are welded together. Here, a wick layer 14 is formed on the air conditioning panel 10 on the evaporator E side, but in this embodiment, the wick layer 14 is formed so as to avoid the tops of the protrusions 13.

[0022] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the thermal insulation panel 1 according to the first embodiment. The thermal insulation panel 1 may have a structure that is long in one direction, for example, by connecting the panels shown in Figures 1 and 2. Here, the air conditioning panel 10 needs to be divided into predetermined size sections in order to allow refrigerant circulation. For this reason, in order to manufacture a long thermal insulation panel 1, it is necessary to divide the air conditioning panel 10 into sections of a certain size and weld them together. Such welded sections are called compartment forming sections 15. By dividing the thermal insulation panel 1 into sections of a certain size with compartment forming sections 15, it is possible to have a long structure in one direction while allowing refrigerant circulation. Note that compartment forming sections 15 are also formed in the thermal insulation panel 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2.

[0023] The following describes the manufacturing apparatus for such a heat-insulating panel 1. Figure 4 is a configuration diagram showing the manufacturing apparatus for the heat-insulating panel 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the manufacturing apparatus for the heat-insulating panel 1 includes a sheet material supply unit (supply means) 100, a mold unit 200, a powder coating unit 300, a powder removal unit 400, a heating unit 500, a welding unit (welding means) 600, a cutting unit (cutting means) 700, a heat-insulating layer forming unit (heat-insulating body forming means) 800, and a control device (control means) 900.

[0024] In this embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus for the heat-insulating panel 1 includes a manufacturing apparatus for the air conditioning panel 10, which is composed of a sheet material supply unit 100, a mold unit 200, a powder coating unit 300, a powder removal unit 400, a heating unit 500, a welding unit 600, a cutting unit 700, and a control device 900. In other words, the manufacturing apparatus for the heat-insulating panel 1 is the same as the manufacturing apparatus for the air conditioning panel 10, with the addition of a heat-insulating layer forming unit 800. In particular, as will be described later, the manufacturing apparatus for the heat-insulating panel 1 is capable of continuously manufacturing (supplying) two sets of air conditioning panels 10, so each unit 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, and 900 functions as a means of supplying two sets of air conditioning panels 10 (panel body supply means).

[0025] The sheet material supply unit 100 is configured, for example, with four uncoilers. The coils wound around the uncoilers constitute long sheet materials 11, which are continuously supplied by being unwound from the uncoilers. In particular, the long sheet materials 11 supplied from the sheet material supply unit 100 have a thickness of 0.8 mm or less. Although the sheet material supply unit 100 is equipped with four uncoilers, it is not limited to this, and it is sufficient to have two or more uncoilers.

[0026] The mold section 200 presses the four sheet metals 11 supplied from the four uncoilers into a trapezoidal shape (first press) to form welding portions that will become partitioned sections 15 (see Figures 1 to 3). The mold section 200 also embosses the four sheet metals 11 (second press). This embossing by the mold section 200 creates numerous protrusions 13 in a direction perpendicular to the supply direction of the sheet metals 11. In the example shown in Figures 1 to 3, the air conditioning panel 10 has trapezoidal sections formed on both of the two sheet metals 11 in a cross-section along the transport direction (supply direction) of the sheet metals 11, but it is not limited to this, and may be formed on only one of the two sheet metals 11.

[0027] Figure 5 is an end view showing an example of the mold configuration in the mold section 200 shown in Figure 4, where (a) shows the first state and (b) shows the second state. As shown in Figure 5, the mold section 200 comprises a first die set (first pressing means) 210 and a second die set (second pressing means) 220 configured in five stages, and a movable part 230.

[0028] The first die set 210 is equipped with first to fifth layer molds 211 to 215, and one long sheet material 11 is supplied between each layer mold 211 to 215. The sheet material 11 supplied between each layer is pressed, for example, from the fifth layer mold 215 toward the first layer mold 211 to form various shapes. The second die set 220 is also equipped with first to fifth layer molds 221 to 225, and one long sheet material 11 that has passed through the first die set 210 is supplied between each layer mold 221 to 225. The second die set 220 is also pressed, for various shapes, from the fifth layer mold 225 toward the first layer mold 221. In particular, the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 are pressed simultaneously by the same press machine.

[0029] Here, the first die set 210 includes a trapezoidal processing section 210a and a flow path opening section 210b. As described above, the air conditioning panel 10 needs to be divided into predetermined sizes in order to circulate the refrigerant. For this reason, it is necessary to form a welded section that extends in the width direction of the long plate material 11 each time the long plate material 11 flows a certain distance. Therefore, the trapezoidal processing section 210a of the first die set 210 is press-formed into a trapezoidal shape in order to form a welded section that will become the partition forming section 15. Note that in the air conditioning panel 10 shown in Figures 1 to 3, both plate materials 11 are press-formed into a trapezoidal shape, but as shown in Figure 5, only one of the plate materials 11 may be press-formed into a trapezoidal shape.

[0030] Furthermore, the flow path opening section 210b is provided with a hole for connecting the flow path 30 between the air conditioning panels 10. The hole is formed by cutting out, for example, a rectangular shape adjacent to the partition forming section 15.

[0031] Specifically, the first die set 210 is provided with a trapezoidal protrusion 213a1 that protrudes downward on the lower surface of the third layer mold 213 and a trapezoidal protrusion 213a2 that protrudes upward on the upper surface. In addition, the second layer mold 212 and the fourth layer mold 214 are provided with trapezoidal recesses 212b and 214b, respectively, at positions opposite to the trapezoidal protrusions 213a1 and 213a2 of the third layer mold 213, which match the shape of the trapezoidal protrusions 213a1 and 213a2. As a result, trapezoidal portions for forming the welding area that will become the partition forming portion 15 are created on the second plate material 11b and the third plate material 11c of the four long plate materials 11 (hereinafter referred to as reference numerals 11a to 11d from the bottom). Furthermore, since the trapezoidal protrusions 213a1, 213a2 and trapezoidal recesses 212b, 214b are formed continuously in the width direction of the plate material 11 (i.e., the depth direction in Figure 5), the trapezoidal parts are also continuous in the width direction.

[0032] Furthermore, the first die set 210 has hollowing projections 213c and 214c on the lower surfaces of the third layer mold 213 and the fourth layer mold 214, respectively, for forming holes. Also, on the upper surfaces of the second layer mold 212 and the third layer mold 213, which face the hollowing projections 213c and 214c, there are member receiving sections 212d and 213d for discarding the hollowed-out members. Here, the hollowing projections 213c and 214c and the member receiving sections 212d and 213d are not continuous in the width direction of the plate material 11 but are scattered. As a result, of the four long plate materials 11, holes are formed in the second plate material 11b and the third plate material 11c at positions adjacent to the partition forming section 15.

[0033] Furthermore, the second die set 220 is equipped with an embossing section 220a. The embossing section 220a is for forming a number of protrusions 13. Specifically, two rows of protrusions 221a, 223a1, 223a2, and 225a are formed on the upper surface of the first layer mold 221, the lower and upper surfaces of the third layer mold 223, and the lower surface of the fifth layer mold 225, aligned in the direction of supplying the sheet material 11. A large number of these two rows of protrusions 221a, 223a1, 223a2, and 225a are formed in the width direction of the sheet material 11, for example, 35 in one row. Also, two rows of recesses 222b1, 222b2, 224b1, and 224b2 are formed on the lower and upper surfaces of the second layer mold 222, and the lower and upper surfaces of the fourth layer mold 224, aligned in the direction of supplying the sheet material 11. Numerous two rows of recesses 222b1, 222b2, 224b1, and 224b2 are also formed in the width direction of the plate material 11, for example, 35 in one row. As a result, 70 protrusions 13 are formed on the four long plate materials 11a to 11d each time the second die set 220 operates.

[0034] Furthermore, the movable part 230 is a wedge-shaped component that tapers from the second die set 220 towards the first die set 210. The base of this movable part 230 is attached to the third layer mold 223 of the second die set 220, and the tip is engaged with the wedge recess 213e of the third layer mold 213 of the first die set 210. The wedge recess 213e is a recess shaped to conform to the wedge shape of the movable part 230. Furthermore, the third layer mold 213 has a lower mold 213f and an upper mold 213g that can move up and down. The lower mold 213f has a trapezoidal protrusion 213a1 and a hollowed-out protrusion 213c. The upper mold 213g has a trapezoidal protrusion 213a2 and a component receiving portion 213d.

[0035] Here, the mold section 200 according to this embodiment includes a drive unit 240. The drive unit 240 adjusts the distance between at least the first die set 210 and the second die set 220. The drive unit 240 includes a linear gear section 241 formed extending in the direction of transport of the sheet material 11, a worm gear 242 whose teeth match those of the linear gear section 241, and a motor section 243 that rotates the worm gear 242. The worm gear 242 is a rotary ball spline gear utilizing a ball spline structure and is movable along the rotation axis 242a.

[0036] In this drive unit 240, the worm gear 242 is connected to the first die set 210, and the first die set 210 can be moved along the conveying direction according to the position of the worm gear 242 on the linear gear portion 241. Therefore, by driving the motor unit 243 to change the position of the worm gear 242, the distance between the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 can be adjusted.

[0037] Here, the first state shown in Figure 5(a) represents a state in which the distance between the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 has been shortened. On the other hand, the second state shown in Figure 5(b) represents a state in which the distance between the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 has been lengthened.

[0038] As shown in Figure 5(b), when the distance between the two increases, the amount of biting of the tip side of the movable part 230 into the third layer mold 213 of the first die set 210 decreases. As a result, the lower mold 213f of the third layer mold 213 moves slightly upward, and the upper mold 213g of the third layer mold 213 moves slightly downward. This causes the trapezoidal protrusions 213a1, 213a2, the hollowed-out protrusion 213c, and the member receiving part 213d to retract, and even when the first die set 210 performs a press operation, neither the trapezoidal parts nor the holes are formed. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 5(a), when the distance between the two decreases, the amount of biting of the tip side of the movable part 230 increases, the lower mold 213f of the third layer mold 213 moves slightly downward, and the upper mold 213g of the third layer mold 213 moves slightly upward. As a result, the trapezoidal protrusions 213a1, 213a2, the hollowed-out protrusion 213c, and the member receiving portion 213d protrude, and when the first die set 210 performs a pressing operation, the trapezoidal portion and the hole are formed.

[0039] Thus, the mold unit 200 is configured to switch between a state in which trapezoidal parts and holes are formed and a state in which they are not formed by adjusting the distance between the first die set 210 and the second die set 220. Specifically, let's assume that the protrusions 13 are formed at 25 mm intervals in the supply direction of the sheet material 11, and that trapezoidal parts and holes are formed every 2 m. In this case, the mold unit 200 presses 37 times in the state shown in Figure 5(b) and then drives the drive unit 240 to press once in the state shown in Figure 5(a). This makes it possible to form a large number of protrusions 13 while also forming trapezoidal parts and holes every 2 m.

[0040] Although not shown in the illustration, the mold section 200 also performs Z-folding on the sides. As shown in Figure 1, the air conditioning panel 10 has a Z-fold section 16 formed on its side. It is preferable that the Z-folding is performed in the first die set 210 of the mold section 200.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the drive unit 240 of the mold unit 200 is equipped with a pinion gear 244 whose teeth mesh with the linear gear unit 241. Therefore, the linear gear unit 241 functions as a so-called rack gear. The linear gear unit 241 is connected to the second die set 220. Therefore, by rotating the pinion gear 244, the entirety of the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 can be moved. This allows the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 to be moved in the transport direction in accordance with the transport speed of the sheet metal 11, for example, and press working can be performed during this movement. Therefore, press working can be performed on sheet metal 11 that is transported continuously without having to transport the sheet metal 11 in a step-by-step manner, thereby further improving manufacturability.

[0042] Refer to Figure 4 again. The sheet materials 11a to 11d that have passed through the mold section 200 are supplied to the powder coating section 300. The powder coating section 300 applies powder to the embossed first and fourth sheet materials 11a and 11d. The powder is heated in the heating section 500 located downstream of the powder coating section 300 to form a wick layer 14.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the powder coating section 300 sprays powder onto a region containing numerous protrusions 13 formed by embossing. Therefore, powder is also provided on the tops of each protrusion 13. In this embodiment, the powder coating section 300 utilizes electrostatic coating to apply powder to the plate material 11. The powder is, for example, alumina powder with an average particle size of 50 μm or more mixed with about 10% low-melting-point glass frit with an average particle size of 10 μm or less. Ceramics such as alumina and glass are not electrically conductive. Therefore, such powder is not electrically conductive and is charged before electrostatic powder coating.

[0044] To explain in more detail, we assume a case where a coiled, long stainless steel plate with a thickness of 0.3 mm and a width of 930 mm has compartmentalized sections 15 formed every 2 m in length. The protrusions 13 are assumed to be frustoconical in shape with a base diameter of 15 mm, a top diameter of 8 mm, and a height of 3 mm, spaced at 25 mm intervals. Excluding the Z-fold sections 16 on both ends of the plate width, which are 20 mm wide, powder needs to be applied to the remaining 890 mm wide portion to form the wick layer 14. Excluding the compartmentalized sections 15, the area where the powder is applied is 890 mm in the width direction and 1925 mm in the length direction. The powder coating section 300 performs electrostatic coating on this area (excluding the edges 12).

[0045] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing details of the powder coating section 300 shown in Figure 4. For illustrative purposes, in Figure 6, each plate material 11 that has passed through the mold section 200 is shown as a flat plate. Also, for illustrative purposes, some reference numerals are omitted for parts of the same configuration.

[0046] The powder coating section 300 shown in Figure 6 comprises a powder spraying section 310, a masking plate section 320, and a masking belt section 330. The powder coating section 300 sprays powder onto areas containing numerous protrusions 13 using the powder spraying section 310, but the masking plate section 320 and the masking belt section 330 are used to mask areas corresponding to the partitioning sections 15 and the Z-fold sections 16 so that no powder is applied to those areas.

[0047] The powder spraying unit 310 sprays powder onto the first plate material 11a from above, and also sprays powder onto the fourth plate material 11d from below.

[0048] The masking plate section 320 comprises an endless belt 321, a number of plate-shaped masking plates 322 attached along the outer circumference of the endless belt 321, a drive unit 323, and a cleaning unit 324. Such masking plate sections 320 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the first plate material 11a and the fourth plate material 11d.

[0049] The endless belt 321 of the masking plate section 320 is wrapped between two pulleys that are spaced apart in the conveying direction of the sheet material 11. Therefore, the direction of operation of the endless belt 321 is generally aligned with the conveying direction of the sheet material 11. In addition, since the numerous masking plates 322 are provided on the outer circumference of the endless belt 321, they are arranged to cover the positions of the Z-folds 16 on both sides of the first sheet material 11a from above, and to cover the positions of the Z-folds 16 on both sides of the fourth sheet material 11d from below. The drive unit 323 rotates the endless belt 321. The cleaning unit 324 blows off the powder adhering to the numerous masking plates 322 by sending compressed air to them.

[0050] The powder spraying unit 310 performs electrostatic powder coating while the endless belt 321 is rotated by the drive unit 323 of the masking plate unit 320. As a result, the numerous masking plates 322 provided along the outer circumference of the endless belt 321 prevent powder from being deposited at the location corresponding to the Z-fold 16. At this time, powder adheres to the masking plates 322. However, because the endless belt 321 is rotating, the powder-covered masking plates 322 are supplied to the cleaning unit 324, where the powder is removed, and they move back to the location corresponding to the Z-fold 16 to prevent powder from being deposited again.

[0051] The masking belt section 330 also includes an endless belt 331, a drive unit 333, and a cleaning unit 334. The endless belt 331 of the masking belt section 330 is wrapped around two pulleys that are aligned in the width direction of the first plate material 11a and the fourth plate material 11d. At least one of the two pulleys is a rotatable drive unit 333. Each plate material 11a, 11d is conveyed so as to pass inside the endless belt 331. The cleaning unit 334 blows off powder adhering to the endless belt 331 by sending compressed air to it.

[0052] The powder spraying unit 310 performs electrostatic powder coating while the endless belt 331 is rotated by the drive unit 333 of the masking belt unit 330. This prevents powder from being placed in areas corresponding to the partitioning unit 15 by the endless belt 331. At this time, powder adheres to the endless belt 331. However, as the endless belt 331 rotates, the powder-adhered parts reach the cleaning unit 334 and the powder is removed.

[0053] Furthermore, the powder coating section 300 can also be configured to move the powder spraying section 310 and the masking belt section 330 in accordance with the conveying speed of the sheet material 11. This allows for continuous masking of the sheet material 11 without having to convey it in a step-by-step manner. The masking plate section 320, depending on the number of masking plates 322, preferably has a mechanism to move in accordance with the conveying speed of the sheet material 11 when the number of masking plates 322 is small.

[0054] Refer to Figure 4 again. The plate materials 11a to 11d that have passed through the powder coating section 300 are supplied to the powder removal section 400. The powder removal section 400 removes the powder from the areas corresponding to the numerous protrusions 13 of the first and fourth plate materials 11a and 11d. The powder removal section 400 may remove the powder from the tops of the numerous protrusions 13 by compressed air, or it may remove the powder by scraping it off by bringing a cleaning plate into contact with the tops of the numerous protrusions 13. In particular, in this embodiment, although the powder is present on the first and fourth plate materials 11a and 11d, it is only attached to the extent of electrostatic force or intermolecular force, so it can be easily removed by these removal configurations.

[0055] The plate materials 11a to 11d that have passed through the powder removal section 400 are supplied to the heating section 500. The heating section 500 is, for example, composed of a tunnel furnace, which heats the first and fourth plate materials 11a and 11d to melt the powder and form a wick layer 14. Here, the powder at the tops of the numerous protrusions 13 is removed in the powder removal section 400, leaving the powder in other parts. In this state, heating is performed, for example, by the tunnel furnace, so that the wick layer 14 is formed, excluding the tops of the numerous protrusions 13. When the powder is as described above, the heating section 500 is heated to approximately the melting point of the low-melting-point glass. As a result, the low-melting-point glass wets and spreads across the surfaces of both the alumina powder and the plate material 11. After that, the plate material 11 is cooled, for example, in a room temperature environment. As a result, the low-melting-point glass solidifies and the alumina powder is fixed as the wick layer 14.

[0056] The plate materials 11a to 11d that have passed through the heating section 500 are supplied to the welding section 600. The welding section 600 is used to weld together the first plate material 11a and the second plate material 11b, and the third plate material 11c and the fourth plate material 11d.

[0057] Figure 7 is a perspective view showing details of the welded section 600 shown in Figure 4. For illustrative purposes, in Figure 7, each plate material 11 is shown as a flat plate. As shown in Figure 7, the welded section 600 comprises a plurality of spot welding machines 610, a first seam welding machine 620, and a second seam welding machine 630.

[0058] Multiple spot welding machines 610 weld the tops of numerous protrusions 13 to the mating plate material 11. The multiple spot welding machines 610 are arranged in a line in the width direction of the plate material 11, positioned on the lower side of the first plate material 11a and the upper side of the second plate material 11b, and on the lower side of the third plate material 11c and the upper side of the fourth plate material 11d, to weld two plates 11 from both sides. In the first embodiment, the multiple spot welding machines 610 are, for example, laser welding machines.

[0059] Here, the multiple spot welding machines 610 are configured to weld some of the numerous protrusions 13, leaving the remaining protrusions 13 unwelded. To perform this type of welding, the number of spot welding machines 610 is less than the number of numerous protrusions 13 formed in the width direction. For example, if 35 numerous protrusions 13 are formed in the width direction, seven spot welding machines 610 are provided in the width direction at intervals of, for example, 125 mm. This allows the spot welding machines 610 to reduce the number of welds in an area that has little impact on the curvature of the air conditioning panel 10, thereby improving manufacturability.

[0060] Furthermore, the first seam welding machine 620 performs welding on the side portion of the plate material 11 that will become the Z-fold portion 16. This first seam welding machine 620 also welds two plates 11 from both sides.

[0061] The second seam welding machine 630 performs welding on the areas that will become partitioned sections 15 of the plate material 11. The second seam welding machine 630 is configured so that the welding area can move in the width direction, and it welds two plates 11 from both sides. In particular, the second seam welding machine 630 can also perform welding on a single partitioned section 15 while moving back and forth.

[0062] Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the welding process performed by the first seam welding machine 620 and the second seam welding machine 630 shown in Figure 7. As shown in Figure 8, the Z-fold portion 16 of the two plate materials 11 is welded by the first seam welding machine 620. Furthermore, the second seam welding machine 630 can also perform two substantially parallel welds in the compartment forming section 15. That is, the second seam welding machine 630 can selectively perform single-line welding and double-line welding for one compartment forming section 15. Note that the distance between the double lines is assumed to be 20 mm, for example, but it is not limited to 20 mm as long as it is 10 cm or less.

[0063] Here, as shown in Figure 7, it is preferable that the spot welding machine 610 and the second seam welding machine 630 be movable along the conveying direction of the plate material 11, and that welding be performed while moving them in accordance with the conveying speed of the plate material 11. This allows welding to be performed by the spot welding machine 610 and the second seam welding machine 630 while continuously supplying the plate material 11, rather than supplying it in a piece-by-piece manner, thereby further improving manufacturability.

[0064] Refer to Figure 4 again. The cutting section 700 cuts the two plate materials 11 welded together by the welding section 600. The cutting section 700 is performed, for example, by press cutting. In particular, the cutting section 700 cuts between the double welds shown in Figure 8. This reduces the amount of wasted material from the plate material 11. That is, in the case of single-line welding, if the compartment forming section 15 is cut adjacent to the single-line weld, a hollow body can be produced on one side, but the internal space IS on the other side becomes open, resulting in a dead area. However, in the case of double-line welding, by cutting between the double welds, the internal space IS is not opened on both sides, which helps to reduce the dead area.

[0065] The plate materials 11a to 11d that have passed through the cutting section 700 are supplied to the insulation layer forming section 800. The insulation layer forming section 800 is responsible for installing the flow path, installing the foam, and foaming the material.

[0066] First, in the heat insulating layer forming section 800, the flow channel 30 is installed in the hole formed by the flow channel opening section 210b of the mold section 200. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the flow channel 30 installed in the heat insulating layer forming section 800 shown in Figure 4. The hole formed by the flow channel opening section 210b of the mold section 200 is roughly rectangular in shape. The flow channel 30 comprises two opposing rectangular plates 30a (only one is shown in Figure 9), a pipe section 30b connecting them, and a small pipe 30c formed in the pipe section 30b.

[0067] The two plates 30a are shaped to match the shape of the holes. The pipe section 30b connects the internal spaces IS of the two air conditioning panels 10 and is for the flow of refrigerant. The small pipe 30c is used for evacuating the internal space IS and sealing in the refrigerant, and is sealed after these operations are completed. Such a flow path 30 is installed in the insulation layer forming section 800. In addition, in the insulation layer forming section 800, evacuating and refrigerant sealing may be performed after the flow path 30 is installed, but is not limited to this. For example, in a later step, the insulation body 20 may be provided such that the tip of the small pipe 30c is exposed from the insulation body 20, and evacuating and refrigerant sealing may be performed using the small pipe 30c with its exposed tip.

[0068] Furthermore, when electrically resistance welding the two plates 30a to the second and third plate materials 11b and 11c, the flow path 30 may be installed before the second and third plate materials 11b and 11c are superimposed on the first and fourth plate materials 11a and 11d, respectively. For this reason, the flow path 30 may be installed, for example, during the process of transport from the mold section 200 to the powder coating section 300. By installing the flow path 30 at such a timing, the second and third plate materials 11b and 11c can be transported while maintaining a stable distance between them using the flow path 30.

[0069] Refer to Figure 4 again. After the flow path 30 is installed, the insulation layer forming unit 800 installs and foams the foam. This forms the insulation body 20. After the flow path is installed, the insulation layer forming unit 800 injects the foam insulation material raw material 21 between the two air conditioning panels 10. Then the insulation layer forming unit 800 foams the injected foam insulation material raw material 21. Foaming can be carried out by various methods such as gas, heating, and chemicals. Alternatively, the foam insulation material raw material 21 may be pre-mixed with gas to foam at the installation stage, similar to spray foamed polyurethane foam, and foaming may simply be carried out by waiting for time to pass after the injection of the raw material 21.

[0070] Here, it is preferable that the cutting section 700 is also provided downstream of the heat insulation layer forming section 800. In this case, the cutting section 700 downstream of the welding section 600 first provides a certain length, and then the cutting section 700 downstream of the heat insulation layer forming section 800 cuts it to a shorter length according to the order. This allows the line to be divided into two sections, before and after cutting by the cutting section 700 downstream of the welding section 600, so that the line is not a straight line and the flexibility of the factory layout is increased. Furthermore, the cutting section 700 may be provided only downstream of the heat insulation layer forming section 800.

[0071] The control device 900 controls each of the above-mentioned parts 100 to 800. In particular, the control device 900 according to this embodiment has the function of performing double-line welding and cutting, etc., at selected locations among the partition forming sections 15 that are formed at predetermined length intervals.

[0072] First, the control device 900 accepts information input for cutting points in 2m units, for example, if the predetermined length is 2m. That is, the control device 900 accepts information input for 2m, 4m, 6m, etc.

[0073] As a result, the control device 900 performs double-line welding on the section forming sections 15 that are the start and end points of the length for which information has been input. For example, if the control device 900 receives the information input of 6m, it will perform double-line welding on the section forming section 15 that is the 0m point which is the start point of the 6m length, and on the section forming section 15 located 6m away from this section forming section 15.

[0074] The control device 900 then identifies the double-wire welded section forming section 15 as the cutting location. Next, the control device 900 controls the cutting section 700 to perform cutting at the identified cutting location.

[0075] In the above, double-line welding is performed at two locations: the start and end points of the location where information input is received. However, it is not limited to this. For example, if the control device 900 performs double-line welding at at least two locations, it may have the welding unit 600 perform double-line welding at all locations that are not to be cut, such as the entire section forming section 15. In this case, the control device 900 identifies two planned cutting locations from at least two double-line welding locations. For example, the control device 900 identifies the locations that will be the start and end points of the input length as planned cutting locations and has the cutting unit 700 perform the cutting.

[0076] In this way, according to the manufacturing apparatus for the air conditioning panel 10 of the first embodiment, welding is performed at predetermined length intervals in the supply direction of two sheet metal 11, at least two of the multiple welding locations are double-wired, two of the double-wired locations are identified as locations to be cut, and cutting is performed between the double-wired welds of the identified locations to be cut. As a result, while welding at predetermined lengths is performed to form partitions, at least a portion of the welding locations are double-wired, and the area between the double-wired welds is cut, thereby minimizing the dead area. In particular, some of the welding locations at predetermined length intervals are not designated as locations to be cut, and by identifying locations to be cut to the size required for the order, cutting can be performed according to the order. Therefore, it is possible to provide a manufacturing apparatus for the air conditioning panel 10 that can continuously flow the sheet metal 11 in a continuous production line while minimizing the dead area and cutting to the size required for the order.

[0077] Furthermore, according to the manufacturing apparatus for the heat-insulating panel 1 of the first embodiment, two sets of air conditioning panels 10 are supplied in succession, and a heat insulating body 20 is placed between them, so it is possible to provide a manufacturing apparatus for the heat-insulating panel 1 using the air conditioning panels 10.

[0078] Next, a second embodiment will be described. The manufacturing apparatus for the air conditioning panel 10 and the heat insulation panel 1 according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, but some control details and other aspects differ. The following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0079] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a thermal insulation panel according to the second embodiment. The thermal insulation panel 2 according to the second embodiment is not made of predetermined length units, but of arbitrary length. For this reason, it is composed of a first part 2a partitioned by a predetermined length, such as 2m, and a second part 2b partitioned by a length shorter than the predetermined length.

[0080] Next, the manufacturing apparatus for the heat-insulating panel 2 according to the second embodiment will be described. First, the control device 900 according to the second embodiment accepts input of information about the location where the panel should be cut, not limited to units of 2m, for example, when the predetermined length is 2m. For this reason, the control device 900 accepts input of information such as 2m, 4m, 6m, as well as 2.5m, 3.2m, 4.8m, etc.

[0081] Here, suppose the predetermined length is 2m, and the control device 900 receives information input of 2.5m. In this case, the control device 900 controls the mold section 200 to form trapezoidal sections in 2m increments, while also forming a trapezoidal section at a position 0.5m away from the 2m position (the 2.5m position). In other words, the control device 900 forms trapezoidal sections not only at predetermined lengths but also at arbitrary length positions. The control device 900 also forms holes adjacent to the trapezoidal sections.

[0082] In this embodiment, the mold section 200 also forms a number of protrusions 13. Therefore, the control device 900 performs the following control. Specifically, the control device 900 controls the mold section 200 to first form a trapezoidal portion at position 0m, which is the starting point of 2.5m, using the first die set 210. Then, assuming that the number of protrusions 13 are formed at a pitch of 25mm, the control device 900 causes the second die set 220 to perform a second press 38 times (an example of the set number of second presses), and during one of these presses, the first die set 210 simultaneously performs a first press once to form a trapezoidal portion at position 2m.

[0083] Next, the control device 900 sets the number of second presses according to the fractional length of the input length. If the input length is 2.5m, the control device 900 sets the number of second presses to 8 according to the fractional length of 0.5m. Then, the control device 900 causes the second die set 220 to perform the second press 8 times (an example of the set number of second presses). The control device 900 also forms a trapezoidal section at the 2.5m position using the first die set 210. The control device 900 will then perform the second press again to manufacture insulation panels 2 of other lengths beyond the 2.5m position.

[0084] Subsequently, the control device 900 controls the welding section 600 to perform double-line welding on at least the section forming sections 15 that are the start and end points for which information has been input. That is, the control device 900 performs double-line welding on the section forming section 15 at the 0m point, which is the starting point of the 2.5m section, and on the section forming section 15 located 2.5m away from this section forming section 15. In this case, the section forming section 15 at the position 2m from the starting point may be single-line welded or double-line welded.

[0085] The control device 900 then identifies the cutting location from the double-welded section. In this case, since the information input for 2.5m is given, the control device 900 identifies the starting point at 0m and the ending point at 2.5m as the cutting locations. Next, the control device 900 controls the cutting unit 700 to perform cutting at the identified cutting locations.

[0086] As described above, the control device 900 can manufacture thermal insulation panels 2 of any length, including not only predetermined length units such as 2m, but also lengths with fractional parts in predetermined length units.

[0087] In this way, the manufacturing apparatus for the air conditioning panel 10 according to the second embodiment provides an air conditioning panel 10 that, similar to the first embodiment, can continuously flow the sheet material 11 in a continuous production line while minimizing dead areas and cutting to the size specified by the order.

[0088] Furthermore, by controlling the welding and cutting of any point on the two plate materials 11, even when the order is not an integer multiple of a predetermined length, for example, the dead area can be minimized and the material can be cut to the size specified by the order.

[0089] Furthermore, while performing the second press to form the protrusions 13 a set number of times, a first press is performed to form a partition 15 between the area on the plate material 11 where the next second press will be performed, and welding is performed at the area where the first press was performed. In this way, the air conditioning panel 10 can be made more resistant to external pressure by forming numerous protrusions 13 by performing the second press, while the trapezoidal section is formed by the first press, making welding and cutting easier.

[0090] Furthermore, according to the manufacturing apparatus for the heat-insulating panel 2 of the second embodiment, it is possible to provide a manufacturing apparatus for the heat-insulating panel 2 using the air conditioning panel 10, similar to the first embodiment.

[0091] Although the present invention has been described above based on embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, technologies from different embodiments may be combined, or known or well-known technologies may be combined to the extent possible.

[0092] For example, in the above embodiment, the flow path 30 is separate for the vapor refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant, but it is not limited to separate flow paths; it may be a common flow path through which both vapor refrigerant and liquid refrigerant can flow. Furthermore, it is preferable that the flow path 30 be equipped with a check valve, a temperature-sensing valve, etc., as needed.

[0093] Furthermore, although the above embodiment uses foam to form the heat insulating body 20, the invention is not limited to this, and the heat insulating body 20 may be provided by other methods, such as placing a pre-molded heat insulating body 20 between two hollow bodies.

[0094] Furthermore, although the air conditioning panel 10 has a number of protrusions 13 in the above embodiment, it is not limited to this, and the above manufacturing apparatus may not have a number of protrusions 13, for example, when the size of the air conditioning panel 10 is small, or the protrusions 13 may not be welded.

[0095] Furthermore, although the above example describes the pressing direction of the mold section 200 as being from the fifth layer molds 215, 225 toward the first layer molds 211, 221, it is not limited to this and may be in the opposite direction. Also, the mold section 200 may press by clamping from above and below. In this case, the positions of the third layer molds 213, 223 can be kept in a substantially fixed state, making it easier to ensure the operability of the movable part 230.

[0096] In the above embodiment, a manufacturing apparatus for an air conditioning panel 10 was described as an example of a panel manufacturing apparatus, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the air conditioning panel 10 shown in Figure 1 can be used as a vapor chamber on its own and can be used as a heat dissipation panel. In addition, in the above embodiment, the wick layer 14 may be a layer with irregularities that increase the surface area or aim for a turbulent effect in order to increase the heat exchange efficiency, rather than aiming for capillary action, and may be used as a heat exchanger. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, silica gel powder may be used instead of alumina powder, and a resin (a general low-melting-point resin such as acrylic resin) may be used instead of low-melting-point glass to form an irregular surface with silica gel (an adsorbent layer that adsorbs water vapor), and it may be used as a total heat exchanger. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1,2: Insulation panels 10: Air conditioning panel (panel body) 11: Board material 13: Numerous protrusions 20: Insulator 100: Board material supply unit (supply means, panel body supply means) 200: Mold section (panel body supply means) 210: First die set (first pressing means) 220: Second die set (second pressing means) 600: Welded section (welding means, panel body supply means) 700: Cutting section (cutting means, panel body supply means) 800: Insulation layer forming section (insulation body forming means) 900: Control device (control means, panel body supply means) IS: interior space

Claims

1. A manufacturing apparatus for panel bodies formed in a panel shape, A supply means for continuously supplying two sheets of sheet material from two uncoilers in which sheet material is wound into a coil shape, A welding means for welding two plate materials supplied by the supply means, The supply means includes a cutting means for cutting the two board materials supplied, The system comprises at least the welding means and the cutting means, The control means controls the welding means to weld two plates supplied by the supply means at predetermined length intervals in the supply direction, and to perform double-line welding of at least two of the multiple welding locations at intervals of 10 cm or less, and identifies two of the double-line welded locations as locations to be cut, and controls the cutting means to perform cutting between the double-line welds of the identified locations to be cut. A manufacturing apparatus for panel bodies characterized by the following features.

2. The control means further controls welding at any point on the two plate materials supplied by the supply means, controls the welding means to double-wire weld at least two of the plurality of welding points, including the aforementioned arbitrary point, at intervals of 10 cm or less, identifies two of the double-wire welded points, including the aforementioned arbitrary point, as points to be cut, and controls the cutting means to cut between the double-wire welds of the identified points to be cut. The apparatus for manufacturing a panel body according to feature 1.

3. A first pressing means performs a first press on at least one of the two plate materials supplied by the supply means at predetermined lengths, such that the cross-section along the supply direction is trapezoidal. The system further comprises a second pressing means for performing a second pressing on at least one of the two plate materials supplied by the supply means to form a number of protrusions in a direction perpendicular to the supply direction, The control means controls the first press by the first press means between the location on the sheet metal where the second press means is to perform the set number of second presses and the next location on the sheet metal where the second press will be performed, and controls the welding means to perform welding at the location where the first press has been performed. The apparatus for manufacturing a panel body according to feature 2.

4. A panel supply means for supplying two sets of panel bodies manufactured by the panel body manufacturing apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 3, An insulating material forming means for forming an insulating material between two sets of panel bodies supplied by the panel body supply means, A manufacturing apparatus for thermal insulation panels, characterized by comprising the following features.

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