Interior skin peeling device

Abstract

To provide a peeling device capable of automatically peeling only release paper from an interior covering material. [Solution] A peeling device D peels off the release paper from an interior covering material 9 of a predetermined shape, which has a skin layer, a cushioning layer, an adhesive layer, and a release paper 94 in that order. The peeling device D includes a base 1 on which the interior covering material is placed, a chuck 2 that holds the edge of the interior covering material, a gripper 4 that grips the edge of the release paper, and an actuator 5 that moves the gripper. The chuck holds the covering material to the base, for example, by inserting a thin clip into the edge face of the cushioning layer and lowering it. In this state, when the actuator moves the gripper gripping the edge of the release paper, the release paper peels off from the adhesive layer.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for peeling release paper from an interior covering material. [Background technology]

[0002] Interior covering materials are provided on the inside of automobile doors, armrests, dashboards, etc. Interior covering materials are prepared by shaping (cutting, etc.) a raw sheet having a skin layer, a cushioning layer, an adhesive layer, release paper, etc. into a desired shape, and then peeling off the release paper and attaching it to a target component. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2023-6144 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Until now, it has not been easy to automate the process of peeling off extremely thin, smooth release paper from large sheet-like interior covering materials, and the process has been done manually.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a device for peeling off release paper from interior covering materials. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Through intensive research, the inventor developed a device that grips the edge of interior covering material that has been shaped to a desired shape and peels off the release paper. By expanding on this result, the inventor has completed the present invention, which will be described below.

[0007] <Interior skin peeling device> The present invention is a device for peeling release paper from an interior covering material of a predetermined shape that has a surface layer, a cushioning layer, an adhesive layer, and a release paper in that order, and is equipped with a base for placing the interior covering material, a chuck for holding the edge of the interior covering material, a gripper for gripping the edge of the release paper, and an actuator for moving the gripper.

[0008] The peeling device (simply referred to as the "device") for interior covering materials (simply referred to as the "covering material") of the present invention makes it possible to mechanize or automate the process of peeling release paper from the covering material, thereby reducing the burden on the worker and improving work efficiency.

[0009] <<How to remove interior skin material>> The present invention can be understood not only as an apparatus but also as a method, for example, a method for removing an interior covering material, comprising the steps of placing an interior covering material on a base with the release paper facing up, holding an edge of the interior covering material, gripping the edge of the release paper that has been peeled up from the interior covering material, and moving the edge of the release paper to remove the release paper.

[0010] All steps may be performed automatically or an operator may intervene in some steps.

[0011] "others" Unless otherwise specified, "x to y" in this specification includes a lower limit value x and an upper limit value y. Any numerical value included in the numerical value or numerical range described in this specification may be used as a new lower limit or upper limit value to create a new range such as "a to b." In this specification, "x to y mm" means x mm to y mm. The same applies to other unit systems (such as μm). [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic overview of an interior skin peeling device. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3A] 10 shows the process of inserting a clip into the end face of the cushion layer. [Figure 3B] The step of lowering the clip to hold the cushion layer is shown. [Figure 3C] This shows the process of lifting the edge of the release paper with a vacuum pad. [Figure 3D] The process of rolling up the end portion with a jet and clamping it with a retainer is shown. [Figure 3E] The process of moving the edge and peeling off the release paper is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The components of the present invention may be supplemented with one or more components arbitrarily selected from the present specification. A component relating to a method may also be a component relating to an object (such as an apparatus). Which embodiment is best depends on the target, required performance, etc.

[0014] 《Interior skin material》 The skin material has, from the surface side (design surface side), a skin layer, a cushion layer, an adhesive layer, and a release paper. The structure and materials of each layer are selected appropriately depending on the application and specifications of the skin material.

[0015] Other layers may be interposed between the outermost skin material and the innermost release paper, such as a primer layer (adhesive layer) between the skin layer and the cushion layer, or a hard base layer (e.g., a resin film layer) between the cushion layer and the adhesive layer.

[0016] The surface layer may be made of, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic olefin (TPO), leather (genuine leather, synthetic leather), or fabric (cloth, nonwoven fabric, etc.). The surface layer (surface) may be smooth, uneven (grained / embossed), or patterned.

[0017] The cushion layer is made of polyurethane foam (PU), polyethylene foam (PE), polypropylene foam (PP), etc. For example, the polyurethane may be slab urethane or molded urethane.

[0018] The adhesive layer is made of, for example, an acrylic or rubber adhesive, and the release paper is, for example, paper treated with silicone or the like, or a film made of resin (PET or the like).

[0019] The thickness of the entire skin material is, for example, about 0.5 to 5 mm. The release paper is, for example, about 0.015 to 0.3 mm or 0.03 to 0.1 mm thick, which is quite thin.

[0020] The skin material is attached to the surfaces of various interior parts such as automobile doors, consoles, instrument panels, dashboards, roofs, and sun visors to enhance their design.

[0021] Foundation The base may be, for example, a table with a smooth surface, or may have a plurality of holes (apertures) open on the surface so that the covering material can be attached and detached by air pressure (negative pressure).

[0022] Zipper The zipper holds the edge of the skin material, enabling it to be separated from the adhesive layer of the release paper. Various forms and timing for holding the skin material can be considered as long as they assist in the separation of the release paper and do not interfere with the peeling of the release paper.

[0023] As an example, it is effective to insert a thin clip into the edge of the cushion layer. Furthermore, if the inserted clip is moved slightly downward, the covering material can be more stably held via the cushion layer. By holding the cushion layer, which is the middle layer of the covering material, it is not necessary to move the clip back while peeling off the release paper.

[0024] The clip is inserted into the cushion layer by relative movement between the cover material and the clip. For example, the clip may be moved horizontally toward the cover material, or the cover material may be moved horizontally toward the clip. The depth of penetration (horizontal movement) of the tip of the clip into the cushion layer should be at least sufficient to securely hold the edge of the release paper (for example, approximately 0.3 to 5 mm or 0.7 to 3 mm).

[0025] The shape (particularly thickness) and descending width (height) of the clip are adjusted according to the shape (thickness, material, etc.) of the cushion layer. The cushion layer is usually about 0.4 to 4 mm thick, so the tip of the clip that penetrates the cushion layer may be, for example, thin plate-like (blade-like) or claw-like.

[0026] Gripper The gripper can move while gripping the end of the release paper. The gripping of the release paper is performed, for example, by a pair of retainers that clamp the end of the release paper. The pair of retainers can preferably restrain the end of the release paper by, for example, mating recesses and protrusions. This allows even smooth release paper to be securely gripped without peeling off.

[0027] The end of the release paper may be gripped by a gripper, for example, after being lifted by a vacuum pad or rolled up by an airflow (jet) from a nozzle, etc. This allows the end of the release paper to be gripped efficiently and reliably.

[0028] The negative pressure applied to the vacuum pad and the flow rate and speed of the gas (usually air) sprayed from the nozzle need only be sufficient to lift the edge of the release paper. By adjusting the vacuum level and flow rate appropriately, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in peeling the release paper while avoiding the need for larger equipment and damage to the covering material.

[0029] Actuator The actuator moves the gripper that grips the edge of the release paper. The direction of movement may be along the base (horizontal), vertical, or a diagonal direction that combines both. The trajectory may be linear or curved.

[0030] The actuator is, for example, a robot arm, a linear slider, a ball screw, a link mechanism, etc. Use of a robot arm allows for greater freedom in adjusting the trajectory, speed, etc. of the gripper movement.

[0031] The actuator may, for example, transport the peeled release paper to a collection area. The collection area may, for example, be a collection path such as a belt conveyor. The gripper may release the release paper at the collection area.

[0032] In addition to moving the gripper, the actuator may also place the skin material on the base, move the skin material (cushion layer) to the chuck (clip), and the like. [Example]

[0033] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to specific examples.

[0034] "Device" An embodiment of an interior skin peeling device D (simply referred to as "device D") is shown in Fig. 1, and the interior skin 9 (simply referred to as "skin 9") is shown in Fig. 2. For ease of explanation, the arrows in Fig. 1 indicate up and down or left and right.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus D includes a table 1, a chuck 2, a gripper 4, and an arm 5 of a multi-axis robot.

[0036] 2, the skin material 9 is formed by laminating in order a skin layer 91, a cushion layer 92, an adhesive layer 93, and a release paper 94. The skin layer 91 and the cushion layer 92 are bonded or integrally formed, and the release paper 94 and the adhesive layer 93 are detachable (peelable).

[0037] Peel (1) The skin material 9 cut to a shape suitable for the target component (door, etc.) is grasped by the arm 5 and carried onto the table 1. The skin material 9 is placed at a predetermined position on the table 1 with the skin layer 91 facing downward. The skin material 9 may be held by suction on the table 1 by applying negative pressure to a plurality of perforations (not shown) arranged in the table 1.

[0038] (2) As shown in Fig. 3A, the cover material 9 on the table 1 is slightly slid to the left. This causes the left end surface of the cushion layer 92 of the cover material 9 to be inserted into the thin-plate clip 21 attached to the chuck 2 disposed on the left end side of the table 1. The cover material 9 is slid by the arm 5 via a vacuum pad (not shown) or the like.

[0039] 3B, the chuck 2 slightly lowers its clip 21. This causes the left end of the cushion layer 92 to be firmly held between the clip 21 and the table 1.

[0040] 3C, the vacuum pad 31 is pressed by the arm 5 against the left end 941 of the release paper 94 above the cushion layer 92. The arm 5 slightly raises the vacuum pad 31 to which negative pressure is applied. As a result, the left end 941 of the release paper 94 is lifted and separated from the adhesive layer 93.

[0041] (3) It is also possible to move the vacuum pad 31, which is holding the left end 941 of the release paper 94 by suction, with the arm 5, and peel the entire release paper 94 from the adhesive layer 93. In order to enable stable peeling even of release paper 94 with a large area, the following was done in this embodiment.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 3D, the vacuum pad 31 that has released the negative pressure is retracted, and air is blown from the nozzle 32 arranged on the upper surface side of the clip 21 onto the left end 941 of the release paper 94 that has been slightly raised.

[0043] As a result, the left end 941 of the release paper 94 is turned up and pressed against the left wall surface of the retainer 41. In this state, the retainer 42 on the left side thereof is moved downward and to the right. In this way, the left end 941 of the release paper 94 is clamped between the retainers 41 and 42. The pair of retainers 41, 42 constitute the gripper 4.

[0044] 3D, the opposing wall surfaces of retainer 41 and retainer 42 have mating recessed portion 411 and protruding portion 421, respectively. Restriction of left end portion 941 by recessed portion 411 and protruding portion 421 prevents release paper 94, which is smooth and prone to slipping off, from peeling off.

[0045] 3E, when the gripper 4 gripping the release paper 94 continues to move upward and to the right by the arm 5, the release paper 94 is completely peeled off from the adhesive layer 93. The peeled release paper 94 is transported by the arm 5 to a recovery path (not shown), where the gripper 4 releases the release paper 94.

[0046] In this way, by using the device D of this embodiment, the operation of peeling the release paper 94 from the covering material 9 can be automated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 table (base) 2 chucks 21 clips 31 Vacuum Pad 32 nozzles 4 Grippers 41, 42 Retainer 5 Arm (actuator) 9 Interior skin material 92 Cushion layer 94 Release Paper

Claims

1. An apparatus for peeling off release paper from an interior covering material of a predetermined shape having a surface layer, a cushion layer, an adhesive layer, and a release paper in this order, comprising: a base on which the interior skin material is placed; a chuck for holding an end side of the interior covering material; A gripper that grips an end of the release paper; an actuator that moves the gripper; An interior skin peeling device comprising:

2. 2. The peeling device according to claim 1, wherein the chuck has a thin clip that is inserted into the end surface of the cushion layer.

3. The stripping device according to claim 2 , wherein the chuck is capable of moving the clip downward.

4. The peeling device according to claim 1 , further comprising a vacuum pad that lifts the edge of the release paper.

5. The peeling device according to claim 1 or 4, further comprising a nozzle that rolls up the end of the release paper with a jet of air.

6. The peeling device according to claim 1 , wherein the gripper has a pair of retainers that clamp the end of the release paper.

7. The peeling device according to claim 6, wherein the pair of retainers restrain the end of the release paper by fitting a recess and a protrusion.

8. The peeling device according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator is a robot arm.

9. The peeling device according to claim 1 or 8, wherein the actuator transports the peeled release paper to a collection area.

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