Cutting device for kneaded material

Abstract

To efficiently perform size measurement and discharge of a kneaded material extruded from a kneading machine.SOLUTION: A cutting device (3) for a kneaded material comprises: upstream side conveying means (31) for receiving a continuously kneaded material extruded from a kneading machine from below to send it forward; downstream side conveying means (32) comprising first and second conveying bodies (34 and 35) arranged in series continuous to the upstream side conveying means; cutting means (33) provided between the upstream side conveying means and the downstream side conveying means; cutting control means (61) for operating the cutting means when a size of the kneaded material to be measured located on the downstream side conveying means reaches a preset size, to cut the continuously kneaded material; and speed control means (63) for individually controlling a speed of the first and second conveying bodies of the downstream side conveying means in linkage with the cutting control by the cutting control means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting device for a kneaded material, and more particularly to a cutting device for cutting a continuous kneaded material extruded from a kneader to produce discontinuous kneaded materials of various sizes. [Background technology]

[0002] The LFT-D (Long Fiber Thermoplastics-Direct) method is a molding method for manufacturing composite materials made by kneading resins such as thermoplastic resins with fibers such as carbon fibers. In the LFT-D method, continuous fiber material and thermoplastic resin material are introduced into the cylinder of a kneading machine (extrusion device), and the continuous fiber material is cut and kneaded with the thermoplastic resin material by the rotation of a screw placed inside the cylinder to generate a kneaded product (kneaded material), which is extruded outside the cylinder, and in a post-process, the kneaded product in the mold is pressed to produce a fiber-reinforced resin molded product.

[0003] Such a manufacturing device for a fiber-reinforced resin molded body is provided with a cutting device between a kneader and a molding device, and the discontinuous kneaded material cut by the cutting device is fed into a molding die. Since the kneaded material contains a thermoplastic resin, as shown in JP 2018-144287 A (Patent Document 1), there is a technique for preventing the cut kneaded material from hardening during transportation by providing a heat-retaining means on a conveyor (transport device) that transports the cut kneaded material.

[0004] In a cutting device for a kneaded material, the measured weight of the kneaded material is generally used as a trigger for cutting. A technology for measuring and cutting a molten thermoplastic resin is disclosed in JP 2006-123468 A (Patent Document 2). Specifically, it describes a method in which the molten thermoplastic resin is measured by a measuring conveyor arranged downstream of the cutting blade of the cutting device, and when a predetermined weight is reached, the molten material having a continuous shape is measured and divided by the cutting blade. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-144287 A [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-123468 A (Patent No. 4478548) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In recent years, in manufacturing equipment for fiber-reinforced plastic moldings, attempts have been made to produce kneaded materials of various sizes (length, weight) in a cutting process, and then collect them in a molding process to mold them into a single final product (fiber-reinforced plastic molding).

[0007] However, when the measuring conveyor downstream of the cutting blade is composed of a single conveyor as in Patent Document 2, there is a problem that it is difficult to smoothly measure (measure the size) and discharge kneaded materials of different lengths.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a cutting device that can efficiently measure the size and discharge the kneaded material being extruded from a kneader. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A kneaded material cutting device according to one aspect of the present invention includes upstream conveying means for receiving the continuous kneaded material extruded from a kneader from below and sending it forward, downstream conveying means including first and second conveying bodies arranged in series connected to the upstream conveying means, and cutting means provided between the upstream conveying means and the downstream conveying means for cutting the continuous kneaded material straddling the upstream conveying means and the downstream conveying means. The cutting device also includes cutting control means for operating the cutting means to cut the continuous kneaded material in response to the size of the kneaded material to be measured located on the downstream conveying means reaching a preset size, and speed control means for individually controlling the speeds of the first and second conveying bodies of the downstream conveying means in conjunction with the cutting control by the cutting control means.

[0010] Preferably, when the speed control means detects that the continuous kneaded material has been cut by the cutting means, it increases the speed of the first and second conveying bodies to a high speed, and when it detects that the kneaded material has been conveyed away from the first conveying body which is closer to the cutting means, it controls the speed of the first conveying body to return from a high speed to a low speed while maintaining the speed of the second conveying body at a high speed.

[0011] Preferably, the kneaded material cutting device further includes a weighing means for measuring the weight of the kneaded material placed on the downstream conveying means as the size of the kneaded material to be measured. In this case, it is preferable that the cutting control means operates the cutting means in response to the measured value by the weighing means reaching a set weight.

[0012] Preferably, the weighing means includes a first load sensor provided on the first conveying body and a second load sensor provided on the second conveying body, and the cutting control means measures the weight of the kneaded material placed on the downstream conveying means based on at least an output value of the first load sensor.

[0013] It is desirable that the overall length of the first carrier be shorter than the overall length of the second carrier. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently measure the size of the kneaded material extruded from the kneader and to efficiently discharge the kneaded material. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a manufacturing apparatus for a fiber-reinforced resin molding according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 1A to 1C are views showing a conveying means of a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]5 is a flowchart showing a process (cutting control) executed by a cutting control unit and a process (speed control) executed by a speed control unit in the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 5(A) to 5(D) are diagrams illustrating the operation of the cutting device according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and their description will not be repeated.

[0017] <Outline of the configuration of the manufacturing device for fiber-reinforced resin molded bodies> First, a schematic configuration of a manufacturing apparatus 1 for a fiber-reinforced resin molded body according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the manufacturing apparatus 1 for a fiber-reinforced resin molded body includes a kneading device 2 for kneading fibers and a thermoplastic resin, a cutting device 3 for cutting a kneaded material (continuous kneaded material) K1 having a continuous shape discharged from the kneading device 2, a transfer device 5 for transferring the kneaded material (discontinuous kneaded material) K2 after cutting to a die 80, and a molding device 8 having a die 80. Note that the kneaded materials K1 and K2 are indicated by hatching on the drawing.

[0018] The kneading device 2 is a device for producing a kneaded product as a molding material in which fibers are mixed into a thermoplastic resin. The kneading device 2 includes, for example, a first kneader 21 for kneading a thermoplastic resin with fibers, a second kneader 22 for kneading and melting the thermoplastic resin introduced into the first kneader 21 before kneading it with the fibers in the first kneader 21, and a fiber supplying section (not shown) for supplying fibers to the first kneader 21. The kneaded product K1 extruded at a constant speed from the first kneader 21 is sent to the cutting device 3. The discharge port of the kneading device 2 may be replaceable so as to be able to handle final products of various sizes (cross-sectional areas). The kneading device 2 may be any device that produces a molding material containing a thermoplastic resin, and may knead a material other than fibers with a resin.

[0019] The cutting device 3 includes an upstream conveying means 31 that receives the kneaded material K1 extruded from the first kneader 21 from below and sends it forward, a downstream conveying means 32 that is arranged in series connected to the upstream conveying means 31, and a cutting blade 33 that is provided between the upstream conveying means 31 and the downstream conveying means 32. The cutting device 3 includes the upstream conveying means 31 and the downstream conveying means 32 as conveying means for the kneaded material, and the cutting blade 33 cuts the kneaded material K1 that is in a state of straddling the upstream conveying means 31 and the downstream conveying means 32. The cutting means for cutting the kneaded material K1 is not limited to the cutting blade 33, and may be, for example, a laser or the like.

[0020] The cutting device 3 cuts the kneaded material K1 discharged from the first kneader 21 while measuring the size from the tip, i.e., the size of the portion (the kneaded material to be measured) located above the downstream conveying means 32. In this embodiment, the weight of the kneaded material K2 is set in advance according to the cutting order, and the cutting device 3 cuts the kneaded material K1 when the weight of the kneaded material to be measured reaches the set weight. As a result, kneaded materials K2 of various sizes (lengths, weights) are discharged from the cutting device 3. The specific configuration and operation of the cutting device 3 will be described in detail later.

[0021] (transfer device) The transfer device 5 is provided in series with the downstream conveying means 32 of the cutting device 3, and includes a transfer conveyor 51 that transfers the cut kneaded material K2 in one direction, a placement table 52 provided between the transfer conveyor 51 and the molding device 8, and a transfer robot 53 that feeds (inserts) one or more kneaded materials K2 placed on the placement table 52 into a mold 80. The transfer robot 53 has a gripping unit 54 that grips the kneaded material K2. The gripping unit 54 is typically a needle gripper, and includes a plurality of needle-shaped members and an advancing / retracting member that moves the plurality of needle-shaped members forward and backward.

[0022] In addition, as a form not shown, a transfer robot for transferring the kneaded material K2 from the transfer conveyor 51 to the mounting table 52 may be separately provided. Alternatively, the transfer robot 53 may pick up the kneaded material K2 directly from the transfer conveyor 51 without going through the mounting table 52.

[0023] (molding equipment) The molding device 8 is located downstream of the transfer device 5, and pressure-moldes the kneaded material K2 placed in the metal mold 80 to produce a fiber-reinforced resin molded body as a final molded body (product). The metal mold 80 is a molding die, and is composed of a lower die 81 on which the kneaded material K2 is placed, and an upper die 82 disposed opposite the lower die 81. The upper die 82 is provided at the lower end of a slider 83. After one or more kneaded materials K2 are inserted into the lower die 81 by the transfer robot 53, the molding device 8 closes the upper die 82 and the lower die 81 to mold a fiber-reinforced resin molded body corresponding to the shape of the metal mold 80.

[0024] (warming device) A heating device 36 for suppressing cooling of the kneaded materials K1, K2 is provided on the transport path of the transport means 31, 32 of the cutting device 3. In addition, heating devices 56, 57 for heating the kneaded materials K2 at least from below are provided on the transport path of the kneaded materials K2 by the transport conveyor 51 of the transfer device 5 and on the mounting table 52. This allows the plasticity (molten resin state) of the kneaded materials K1, K2 to be maintained from the kneading device 2 to the molding device 8, so that a good fiber-reinforced resin molded body can be molded by the molding device 8. The heating devices 36, 56, 57 are, for example, composed of infrared heaters.

[0025] <Examples of cutting device configuration> A specific configuration example of the cutting device 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the cutting device 3 according to the present embodiment. Figs. 3(A) to (C) are diagrams showing the conveying means (upstream conveying means 31 and downstream conveying means 32) of the cutting device 3. Note that the arrow A1 shown in Figs. 2 and 3 indicates the conveying direction (forward) of the kneaded materials K1 and K2, and coincides with the discharge direction of the kneaded material K1 from the kneading device 2.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 2, the upstream conveying means 31 is composed of one conveying body, whereas the downstream conveying means 32 is composed of two conveying bodies 34, 35 arranged in series (not shown in Fig. 1). The conveying bodies 31, 34, 35 of the cutting device 3 are typically belt conveyors including a heat-resistant rotating belt, and the upper surface of the belt constitutes the conveying surface of the kneaded materials K1, K2. The conveying surfaces (upper surfaces) 31b, 34b, 35b of the conveying bodies 31, 34, 35 are arranged to be flush with each other. The downstream conveying means 32 is required to include at least two conveying bodies 34, 35, and may be composed of three or more conveying bodies.

[0027] In the following description, the conveying body 31 is referred to as the "entrance conveyor 31", the conveying body (first conveying body) 34 closer to the entrance conveyor 31 is referred to as the "relay conveyor 34", and the conveying body (second conveying body) 35 farther from the entrance conveyor 31 is referred to as the "discharge conveyor 35".

[0028] In the present embodiment, the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 function as so-called weighing conveyors. To this end, a load sensor 41 is provided on the relay conveyor 34, and a load sensor 42 is provided on the discharge conveyor 35.

[0029] The conveyors 31 to 35 of the cutting device 3 are not uniform in length but are different from one another. With reference to FIG. 3(A), the overall length L2 of the relay conveyor 34 is longer than the overall length L1 of the entrance conveyor 31 and shorter than the overall length L3 of the discharge conveyor 35. The "overall length" of a conveyor refers to the length of the conveying surface of the conveyor in the conveying direction. As an example, the overall length L2 of the relay conveyor 34 is 1 / 2 or more and 3 / 4 or less of the discharge conveyor 35. Also, it is 2 times or more and 4 times or less of the overall length L1 of the entrance conveyor 31.

[0030] The total length L4 of the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 (total length of the downstream conveying means 32) is longer than the maximum length L11 of the kneaded material K2 shown in FIG. 3(B), but the relay conveyor 34 alone may be shorter than the maximum length L11 of the kneaded material K2. The maximum length L11 of the kneaded material K2 corresponds to the length of the kneaded material when the set weight is the maximum value. Therefore, when a large (long) kneaded material K2 is produced in the cutting device 3, the weight of the kneaded material can be measured by the sum of the output value of the load sensor 41 of the relay conveyor 34 and the output value of the load sensor 42 of the discharge conveyor 35. The discharge conveyor 35 may also be shorter than the maximum length L11 of the kneaded material K2.

[0031] The relay conveyor 34 may be longer than the minimum length L12 of the kneaded material K2 shown in Fig. 3(C). The minimum length L12 of the kneaded material K2 corresponds to the length of the kneaded material when the set weight is the minimum value. In this case, when the cutting device 3 produces a small (short) kneaded material K2, it is possible to measure the weight of the kneaded material only from the output value of the load sensor 41 of the relay conveyor 34.

[0032] In this way, by making the overall length L2 of the relay conveyor 34 adjacent to the cutting position by the cutting blade 33 shorter than the overall length L3 of the discharge conveyor 35 connected to the relay conveyor 34, the kneaded material can be weighed and discharged efficiently, as described below.

[0033] 2 again, the cutting device 3 further includes a cutting control unit 61 that operates the cutting blade 33 to cut the kneaded material K1 in response to the weight of the kneaded material to be measured located on the downstream conveying means 32 reaching a set weight, a speed control unit 62 that controls the speed of the inlet conveyor 31, and a speed control unit 63 that individually controls the speeds of the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 as the downstream conveying means 32. The "speed" of each conveyor 31, 34, 35 corresponds to the conveying speed of the kneaded materials K1, K2, and in the case of a belt conveyor, indicates the moving speed of the belt.

[0034] The cutting control unit 61 and the speed control units 62 and 63 are realized by a computer including a processor and a memory. The weight of the kneaded material K2 set in advance in the cutting order is stored in the memory of the cutting control unit 61. In this embodiment, the speed control unit 62 that controls the speed of the inlet conveyor 31 is provided separately from the speed control unit 63, but a single speed control unit may be configured to control the speeds of all the conveyors 31, 34, and 35.

[0035] The cutting device 3 also includes a weighing means 40 that measures the weight of the kneaded material (to be measured) placed on the downstream conveying means 32, and the cutting control unit 61 operates the cutting blade 33 when the measured value by the weighing means 40 reaches a set weight. The weighing means 40 includes a load sensor 41 provided on the relay conveyor 34 and a load sensor 42 provided on the discharge conveyor 35.

[0036] The cutting control unit 61 operates the cutting blade 33 when the sum of the weights detected by the load sensors 41 and 42 or the weight detected by the load sensor 41 reaches a set weight. Specifically, the cutting control unit 61 drives and controls the motor 31a to move the cutting blade 33, which is located in the standby position, toward or away from the working position (lower end position).

[0037] The load sensor 41 is composed of one or more (e.g., three) load cells 41a. The load sensor 42 is also composed of one or more (e.g., three) load cells 42a. By configuring the downstream transport means 32 with two (multiple) weighing conveyors in this way, the weight of the kneaded material can be measured more accurately than by using one weighing conveyor having the same length as the total length L4 shown in FIG. 3(A).

[0038] As shown in FIG. 2, the load sensors 41, 42 are located in a heating environment of the heating device 36. In this case, the load sensors 41, 42 are influenced by the heating environment, and even if there is nothing on the conveyors 34, 35, the output values ​​of the load sensors 41, 42 may not be 0. Therefore, the cutting control unit 61 of this embodiment resets the output values ​​of the load sensors 41, 42 to zero in response to the kneaded material being conveyed from each of the conveyors 34, 35. That is, the cutting control unit 61 of this embodiment functions as a reset processing means and also functions as a measurement processing means that measures the weight of the kneaded material being conveyed by the conveyors 34, 35 based on the output values ​​of the load sensors 41, 42 after resetting by the reset processing means. This can improve the measurement accuracy of the weight of the kneaded material.

[0039] The speed control unit 62 drives and controls the motor 31a of the inlet conveyor 31 so that the speed of the inlet conveyor 31 is the same as the extrusion speed of the kneaded material K1 from the first kneader 21. The speed control unit 62 drives and controls the motor 31a independently (without interlocking with) the cutting control by the cutting control unit 61. Therefore, the speed of the inlet conveyor 31 is kept constant (low speed) while the cutting device 3 is operating.

[0040] In response to this, the speed control unit 63 individually drives and controls the motor 34a of the relay conveyor 34 and the motor 35a of the discharge conveyor 35 in conjunction with the cutting control by the cutting control unit 61. While the cutting device 3 is in operation, the speed control unit 63 operates the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 in a weighing mode or a high-speed discharge mode by setting the speeds of the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 to the same speed (low speed) as the entrance conveyor 31 or to a speed (high speed) faster than the entrance conveyor 31. As an example, the conveying speed in the high-speed discharge mode is 20 to 30 times the conveying speed in the weighing mode.

[0041] Specifically, at the timing of weighing before cutting, the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 are synchronized with the inlet conveyor 31 to be set at a low speed, and the speed of the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 is increased in response to the kneaded material K1 being cut by the cutting blade 33. This allows the kneaded material K2 after cutting to be discharged from the cutting device 3 to the transfer conveyor 51 at a high speed.

[0042] Here, in this embodiment, even when the kneaded material K2 is being discharged at high speed, the speed control unit 63 switches the operation mode of the relay conveyor 34 from the high-speed discharge mode to the weighing mode when the kneaded material K2 runs out from the relay conveyor 34. That is, when the speed control unit 63 detects that the kneaded material K2 has been carried out (discharged) from the relay conveyor 34, it performs control to return the speed of the relay conveyor 34 from high to low while keeping the speed of the discharge conveyor 35 at high speed. As a result, even when a relatively long kneaded material K2 is discharged, the load sensor 41 of the relay conveyor 34 can start weighing the next kneaded material K1 while the discharge conveyor 35 discharges the kneaded material K2 at high speed.

[0043] <Operation of cutting device 3> The operation of the cutting device 3 will be described with reference to Figures 2, 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a flow chart showing the process (cutting control) executed by the cutting control unit 61 and the process (speed control) executed by the speed control units 62 and 63. Figures 5(A) to (D) are diagrams showing the operation of the cutting device 3. The process shown in Figure 4 is realized by the processor of a computer reading and executing a program stored in advance in a memory.

[0044] Explaining with reference to Fig. 4, when the cutting device 3 starts to operate, all the conveyors 31, 34, 35 are driven at low speed (at the same speed) so as to synchronize with the extrusion speed of the kneaded material K1 from the discharge port 23 (Fig. 5(A)) of the first kneader 21 (step S201). Specifically, the speed control unit 62 drives the inlet conveyor 31 at a low speed, and the speed control unit 63 drives the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 at low speed. As a result, the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 operate in the weighing mode.

[0045] When the tip (front end) of the kneaded material K1 extruded from the first kneader 21 is conveyed from the inlet conveyor 31 to the relay conveyor 34 (downstream conveying means 32), as shown in Fig. 5(A), the cutting control unit 61 weighs the part of the kneaded material K1 placed on the downstream conveying means 32, that is, the kneaded material to be measured (hereinafter referred to as "target kneaded material") Kp (step S101). That is, the weight of the target kneaded material Kp is measured based on the output values ​​from the load sensors 41 and 42 shown in Fig. 2.

[0046] When the weight of the target kneaded material Kp reaches the set weight (YES in step S103), as shown in FIG. 5(B), the cutting control unit 61 operates the cutting blade 33 to cut the continuous kneaded material K1 (step S105). As a result, the target kneaded material Kp is separated from the continuous kneaded material K1, and a discontinuous kneaded material K2 is produced. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the kneaded material K2 (target kneaded material Kp) is relatively long and spans the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 when cut. Note that all of the conveyors 31, 34, and 35 may be temporarily stopped when the kneaded material K1 is cut.

[0047] When the speed control unit 63 detects the completion of cutting of the continuous kneaded material K1 based on a notification from the cutting control unit 61 (YES in step S202), for example, it switches the speeds of the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 from low to high (step S203) as shown in Fig. 5(C). As a result, both the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 are switched from the weighing mode to the high-speed discharge mode, and the kneaded material K2 is discharged at high speed.

[0048] When the kneaded material K2 is discharged from the relay conveyor 34 by the high speed discharge of the kneaded material K2 and the conveying surface 34b of the relay conveyor 34 becomes empty (YES in step S107), the cutting control unit 61 resets the load cell 41a of the relay conveyor 34 to zero (step S109). Whether the kneaded material K2 has been discharged from the relay conveyor 34 or not can be determined based on a detection signal from a first passage detection sensor 43 provided between the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35, for example, as shown in FIG. 5(C). The first passage detection sensor 43 is a detection means for detecting that the kneaded material has passed the downstream end of the relay conveyor 34.

[0049] Furthermore, when the speed control unit 63 detects that the kneaded material K2 has been discharged from the relay conveyor 34 (YES in step S204), it switches the speed of the relay conveyor 34 to a low speed (step S205) while keeping the speed of the discharge conveyor 35 at a high speed, as shown in Fig. 5(D) . As a result, the relay conveyor 34 is first switched from the high-speed discharge mode to the weighing mode, so that the high-speed discharge of the kneaded material K2 after cutting and the weighing of the kneaded material K1 before cutting (the next target kneaded material) can be performed in parallel.

[0050] Next, when the kneaded material K2 is discharged from the discharge conveyor 35 and the conveying surface 35b of the discharge conveyor 35 becomes empty (YES in step S111), the cutting control unit 61 resets the load cell 42a of the discharge conveyor 35 to zero (step S113). In this way, the cutting control unit 61 resets the output values ​​of the load cells 41a, 42a sequentially. Whether the kneaded material K2 is discharged from the discharge conveyor 35 can be determined based on a detection signal from a second passage detection sensor 44 provided between the discharge conveyor 35 and the transfer conveyor 51 (FIG. 1) of the transfer device 5, as shown in FIGS. 5(C) and (D). The second passage detection sensor 44 is a detection means for detecting that the kneaded material has passed through the downstream end of the discharge conveyor 35. The first and second passage detection sensors 43, 44 are realized, for example, by photoelectric sensors.

[0051] Furthermore, when the speed control unit 63 detects that the kneaded material K2 has been discharged from the discharge conveyor 35 (YES in step S206), the speed of the discharge conveyor 35 is also switched to a low speed (step S207). As a result, as shown in Fig. 5(A), both the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 operate in the weighing mode, so that the kneaded material K2 of various lengths can be produced in the cutting device 3.

[0052] After completing the process of step S113, the cutting control unit 61 returns to step S101 and repeats the above processes. After completing the process of step S207, the speed control unit 63 returns to step S202 and repeats the above processes.

[0053] As described above, in the cutting device 3 of this embodiment, a part (upstream side) of the downstream conveying means 32 is divided as the relay conveyor 34, and the relay conveyor 34 is made to closely follow both the inlet conveyor 31 and the discharge conveyor 35. This allows the downstream conveying means 32 to discharge the cut kneaded material K2 at high speed and simultaneously receive (start weighing) new kneaded material K1 at low speed. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to efficiently weigh the kneaded material K1 (target kneaded material Kp) pushed out from the kneading device 2 and discharge the cut kneaded material K2.

[0054] Furthermore, since the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 can be provided with the load cells 41a and 42a, respectively, the measurement accuracy of the target kneaded product Kp can be improved compared to providing many load cells on one large conveyor.

[0055] Furthermore, even if the heating devices 36 are incorporated in both the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 as shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the cutting control unit 61 resets the output values ​​of the load cells 41a, 42a each time it detects that the kneaded material K2 has been conveyed out of the conveyors 34, 35, thereby having the effect of suppressing errors in the output values.

[0056] <Modification> In this embodiment, the speed of the discharge conveyor 35 is also variable, but when short kneaded material K1 is continuously produced as shown in FIG. 3(C), the discharge conveyor 35 may be always in the high-speed discharge mode, and only the relay conveyor 34 may be switched between the weighing mode and the high-speed discharge mode. That is, the speed control unit 63 may switch only the speed of the relay conveyor 34. In this case, the cutting control unit 61 may measure the weight of the target kneaded material Kp by inputting only the detection signal from the load sensor 41 of the relay conveyor 34. This simplifies the control of the cutting control unit 61 and the speed control unit 63.

[0057] In the present embodiment, the relay conveyor 34 and the discharge conveyor 35 function as weighing conveyors, and the cutting control unit 61 operates the cutting blade 33 in response to the weighing value by the weighing means 40 reaching a set weight, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the cutting control unit 61 may operate the cutting blade 33 in response to the kneaded material (target kneaded material Kp) located at least on the relay conveyor 34 of the downstream transport means 32 reaching a length set in advance. In other words, the size of the kneaded material may be measured based on the weight of the kneaded material obtained from the output values ​​of the load sensors 41 and 42, or may be measured based on the length of the kneaded material obtained from the output value of a distance sensor (not shown), for example.

[0058] In addition, in this embodiment, the downstream conveying means 32 is composed of one relay conveyor 34 and one discharge conveyor 35, but this is not limited to this example and may be composed of, for example, multiple relay conveyors 34 and multiple discharge conveyors 35.

[0059] Further, in the present embodiment, the load sensors 41, 42 have been described as being load cells 41a, 41b, but are not limited to this example and may be configured as, for example, pressure sensors.

[0060] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1 Manufacturing apparatus for fiber reinforced resin moldings, 2 Kneading apparatus, 3 Cutting apparatus, 5 Transfer apparatus, 8 Molding apparatus, 31 Inlet conveyor (upstream conveying means), 32 Downstream conveying means, 33 Cutting blade, 34 Intermediate conveyor, 35 Discharge conveyor, 40 Measuring means, 41, 42 Load sensor, 41a, 42a Load cell, 43, 44 Passage detection sensor, 61 Cutting control section, 62, 63 Speed ​​control section, K1 Continuous kneaded material, K2 Discontinuous kneaded material, Kp Kneaded material to be measured.

Claims

1. an upstream conveying means for receiving the continuous kneaded material extruded from the kneader from below and sending it forward; a downstream conveying means arranged in series with the upstream conveying means, the downstream conveying means including a first conveying body on the upstream side provided with a first load sensor and a second conveying body on the downstream side provided with a second load sensor; a cutting means provided between the upstream conveying means and the downstream conveying means for cutting the continuous kneaded material extending across the upstream conveying means and the downstream conveying means; a cutting control means for operating the cutting means to cut the continuous kneaded material when a weighing value by a weighing means including the first load sensor and the second load sensor reaches a set weight corresponding to a length of the cut kneaded material; a speed control means for individually controlling the speeds of the first and second conveying bodies of the downstream conveying means in conjunction with the cutting control by the cutting control means; The speed control means, when it detects that the continuous kneaded material has been cut by the cutting means, increases the speed of the first and second conveying bodies to a high speed, and when it detects that the cut kneaded material has been transported from the first conveying body, controls the speed of the first conveying body to be returned from a high speed to a low speed while keeping the speed of the second conveying body at a high speed.This is a kneaded material cutting device.

2. The kneaded material cutting device according to claim 1 , wherein a total length of the first transport body is shorter than a total length of the second transport body.

Images