Manufacturing method of panel body and manufacturing method of heat insulating panel

Abstract

To provide a method for manufacturing a large-sized panel body which is less prone to bending while reducing the thickness of a plate material and improving manufacturability, and a method for manufacturing a heat insulating panel. [Solution] The air conditioning panel 10 is formed into a panel shape with sides of 60 cm or more to obtain an air conditioning effect, and two plates 11 with a thickness of 0.8 mm or less are prepared, and numerous protrusions 13 are formed on at least one of the two plates 11, and powder is applied to form a wick layer 14 in the areas including the numerous protrusions 13, and then the powder is removed from the areas corresponding to the numerous protrusions 13.After removal, the plate 11 is heated to form the wick layer 14, and the two plates 11 including the plate 11 with the wick layer 14 formed on them are combined and the numerous protrusions 13 are welded together.

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, a panel-shaped heat exchanger has been proposed in which the outer peripheries of two plates are welded together, and the central parts of the two plates are welded together to form a polka dot pattern, and the space between the plates is pressurized with gas or the like to form an internal space (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also, a flat heat pipe has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Such flat heat pipes are small and can be installed inside smartphones. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Publication No. 3,458,917 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-023167 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, the present applicant is considering using the panel-shaped heat exchanger described in Patent Document 1 as a panel body capable of performing air conditioning function by evacuating the inside and introducing a refrigerant. In such a panel body, a wick layer is formed on the inner surface from the viewpoint of efficiently using the internal refrigerant. In addition, in order to reduce the weight of the air conditioning panel, it is preferable that the two plate materials are as thin as possible, for example, 0.8 mm or less in thickness.

[0005] However, if the thickness of the plate material of a panel body capable of performing air conditioning function is 0.8 mm or less, the inside is evacuated, and it becomes difficult to withstand external pressure. Therefore, the applicant of the present application is considering providing a large number of contact structures (protrusions) between one plate material and the other plate material, like the polka dot pattern part described in Patent Document 1, in a panel body with a thinner plate material, and is considering forming the protrusions more densely as the plate material becomes thinner.

[0006] On the other hand, when forming a wick layer inside a panel body capable of performing air conditioning functions, it is difficult to form the wick layer so as to avoid the densely formed protrusions. Therefore, from the viewpoint of manufacturability, it is preferable to form the wick layer over almost the entire inner surface of the plate material.

[0007] However, if a wick layer is formed over almost the entire inner surface of the plate material, the wick layer will interfere with the welding of the protruding parts. Here, for small heat pipes such as those described in Patent Document 2, there is no problem if the protruding parts are not welded, but for large panel bodies with sides of 60 cm or more, if the protruding parts are not welded, the protruding parts will be misaligned and the air conditioning panel will be prone to bending (bending). This problem is not limited to the case of forming a wick layer using capillary action, but is also common to the case of forming a powder fixing layer on the inner surface of the plate material, such as when a simple uneven surface is formed using powder.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and its object is to provide a method for manufacturing a panel body that is large and less prone to bending, and a method for manufacturing an insulating panel, which improves manufacturability while reducing the thickness of the plate material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The method for manufacturing a panel body according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a panel body formed into a panel shape having sides of 60 cm or more, and includes the steps of: a preparation step of preparing two plate materials having a thickness of 0.8 mm or less; an embossing step of embossing at least one of the two plate materials prepared in the preparation step to form a large number of convex portions; a powder applying step of applying powder to form a powder fixed layer at locations of the plate materials embossed in the embossing step that include the large number of convex portions; a powder removing step of removing powder from locations of the powder applied in the powder applying step that correspond to the large number of convex portions; a powder fixed layer forming step of heating the plate materials from which the powder in the large number of convex portions has been removed in the powder removing step to melt the powder in the unremoved portions to form the powder fixed layer; and a welding step of combining the two plate materials including the plate material on which the powder fixed layer has been formed in the powder fixed layer forming step, and welding the large number of convex portions.

[0012] In addition, the manufacturing method for an insulating panel of the present invention comprises a flow path forming process in which at least one of two plate-shaped hollow bodies having an internal space is an air-conditioning panel for obtaining an air-conditioning effect, manufactured by the manufacturing method for a panel body described above, and which forms a flow path connecting the internal spaces of the two hollow bodies, and an insulation body forming process in which an insulation body is formed between the two hollow bodies. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a panel body that is large and less prone to bending, and a method for manufacturing an insulating panel, while improving manufacturability while reducing the thickness of the plate material. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a heat insulating panel manufactured by a method for manufacturing a heat insulating panel in accordance with a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a heat insulating panel manufactured by the method for manufacturing a heat insulating panel in accordance with the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the insulation panel according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a process diagram showing a method for manufacturing a heat insulating panel according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5A and 5B are end views showing an example of a mold configuration in the mold section shown in FIG. 4, where (a) shows a first state and (b) shows a second state. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing details of the powder coating unit shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing details of the welded portion shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 8] 8 is a perspective view showing a state where welding is performed by the first seam welder and the second seam welder shown in FIG. 7. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a flow passage to be attached in a flow passage attachment step. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a process diagram showing a first example of a method for manufacturing a heat insulating panel according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a process diagram showing a second example of a method for manufacturing a heat insulating panel according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] The present invention will be described below along with preferred embodiments. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. In addition, in the embodiments shown below, some configurations are omitted from illustration and description, but it goes without saying that publicly known or well-known technologies are appropriately applied to the details of the omitted technologies within the scope of no contradiction with the contents described below.

[0016] Figures 1 and 2 are configuration diagrams showing a thermal insulation panel manufactured by the thermal insulation panel manufacturing method according to the first embodiment, with Figure 1 showing a perspective view and Figure 2 showing a cross-sectional view. The thermal insulation panel 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is configured to include two air conditioning panels (panel bodies) 10, a thermal insulator 20, and a flow path 30.

[0017] The air conditioning panel 10 is composed of a hollow body in which an internal space IS is formed by processing two plate materials 11 and the edges 12 are welded together. The internal space IS is, for example, evacuated to a reduced pressure state. The air conditioning panel 10 is a large structure with a long side of at least 60 cm or more. Each of the two plate materials 11 is composed of a material having a thickness of 0.8 mm or less, and the air conditioning panel 10 is lightweight.

[0018] In such an air-conditioning panel 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a large number of protrusions 13 are formed on both plate materials 11. The large number of protrusions 13 are formed on the two plate materials 11 facing each other, and the tops of the protrusions 13 are in contact with each other. Therefore, the two plate materials 11 are separated in the internal space IS by the height of two protrusions 13. In addition, by the tops of the protrusions 13 contacting each other, the air-conditioning panel 10 in which the internal space IS is evacuated becomes more resistant to external pressure. Note that, although 32 protrusions 13 are formed in Figs. 1 and 2, in reality, since the plate materials 11 of the air-conditioning panel 10 are thin and have a large structure, a larger number of protrusions 13 are formed. Specifically, in an air-conditioning panel 10 having a width of 930 mm and a length of 2000 mm, for example, several thousand protrusions 13 are formed on each plate material 11.

[0019] In this embodiment, the air conditioning panel 10 has a number of protrusions 13 formed on both of the two plate materials 11, but this is not limited to the above, and a number of protrusions 13 may be formed on only one of the plate materials 11, and the other plate material 11 may be a flat plate.

[0020] The two air conditioning panels 10 are configured so that a refrigerant flows through two flow paths 30. The two air conditioning panels 10 are configured so that heat from one air conditioning panel 10 can be dissipated from the other air conditioning panel 10 through the flow of the refrigerant. In addition, a heat insulator 20 is provided between the two air conditioning panels 10 to ensure thermal insulation. For this reason, the heat insulated panel 1 prevents heat from the other side from flowing through to one side by the heat insulator 20, and allows heat from one side to flow through to the other side through the refrigerant circulation.

[0021] When such heat transfer is performed, 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 side facing the air conditioning panel 10 on one side is cooled by absorbing the heat of evaporation. Meanwhile, the evaporated refrigerant, that is, the vapor refrigerant, reaches the condenser C through the first flow path 31. In the condenser C, the vapor refrigerant is liquefied by the heat from the space S2 side facing the air conditioning panel 10 on the other side, and becomes a liquid refrigerant. The condensation heat generated when the vapor refrigerant liquefies is discarded to the space S2 side. Also, the liquefied liquid refrigerant reaches the evaporator E again through the second flow path 32. As described above, the heat insulating panel 1 allows heat from one side to pass through to the other side.

[0022] Here, in order to promote evaporation of the liquid refrigerant, at least the air conditioning panel 10 on the evaporator E side has a wick layer (powder fixed layer) 14 formed on at least one plate material 11 (the plate material 11 on the side farther from the condenser C). The wick layer 14 sucks up and holds the liquid refrigerant stored on the lower side of the evaporator E by capillary action. This wick layer 14 expands the evaporation area of ​​the evaporator E in the height direction, enabling efficient evaporation in the height direction.

[0023] Here, the air conditioning panel 10 according to this embodiment has a large structure. Therefore, if the protrusions 13 are not welded to the mating plate material 11 (protrusions 13), the tops of the protrusions 13 will be misaligned, causing the air conditioning panel 10 to bend. As a result, it is difficult to use the air conditioning panel 10 for elevations, etc., and it is also difficult to use the air conditioning panel 10 as a building material.

[0024] Therefore, in the air conditioning panel 10 according to this embodiment, the tops of many of the protrusions 13 are welded together. Here, a wick layer 14 is formed on the air conditioning panel 10 on the evaporator E side, but in the air conditioning panel 10 according to this embodiment, the wick layer 14 is formed so as to avoid the tops of the protrusions 13.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the insulating panel 1 according to this embodiment. The insulating panel 1 may be one that is long in one direction, for example, by connecting the panels shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Here, the air conditioning panel 10 needs to be divided into sections of a predetermined size in order to circulate the refrigerant. Therefore, in order to manufacture a long insulating panel 1, the air conditioning panel 10 needs to be divided into sections of a certain size and welded. Such welded parts are called compartment forming parts 15. By dividing the insulating panel 1 into sections of a certain size using the compartment forming parts 15, it is possible to make the insulating panel 1 long in one direction while still allowing the refrigerant to circulate. The compartment forming parts 15 are also formed in the insulating panel 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0026] The following describes a method for manufacturing such a thermal insulation panel 1. Figure 4 is a process chart showing a method for manufacturing the thermal insulation panel 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the manufacturing apparatus for the thermal insulation panel 1 includes a plate material supply section 100, a mold section 200, a powder coating section 300, a powder removal section 400, a heating section 500, a welding section 600 and a thermal insulation layer forming section 700.

[0027] The plate material supplying section 100 is configured to have, for example, four uncoilers. The coil body wound around the uncoiler constitutes the long plate material 11, and is continuously supplied as being unwound from the uncoiler. In particular, the long plate material 11 supplied from the plate material supplying section 100 has a thickness of 0.8 mm or less. The preparation step is a step of preparing at least two such plate materials 11, that is, two uncoilers around which the coil body is wound.

[0028] The metal mold section 200 performs an embossing process in which the four plate materials 11 supplied from the four uncoilers are embossed. The metal mold section 200 forms a large number of protrusions 13 at equal intervals in the planar direction of the plate material 11.

[0029] Fig. 5 is an end view showing an example of a mold configuration in the mold section 200 shown in Fig. 4, where (a) shows a first state and (b) shows a second state. As shown in Fig. 5, the mold section 200 includes a first die set 210 and a second die set 220 configured in five stages, and a movable section 230.

[0030] The first die set 210 includes first to fifth layer dies 211 to 215, and the long plate material 11 is supplied between the dies 211 to 215 of each layer one by one. The plate material 11 supplied between each layer is pressed from the fifth layer die 215 toward the first layer die 211, for example, to form various shapes. The second die set 220 also includes first to fifth layer dies 221 to 225, and the long plate material 11 that has passed through the first die set 210 is supplied between the dies 221 to 225 of each layer one by one. The second die set 220 also presses from the fifth layer die 225 toward the first layer die 221, forming various shapes in the plate material 11. In particular, the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 are pressed simultaneously by the same press machine.

[0031] Here, the first die set 210 includes a trapezoidal processing portion 210a and a flow path port removal portion 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 portion extending in the width direction of the long plate material 11 every time the long plate material 11 flows a certain distance. Therefore, the trapezoidal processing portion 210a of the first die set 210 is pressed into a trapezoidal shape to form a welded portion that becomes the partition forming portion 15. In the air conditioning panel 10 shown in Figs. 1 to 3, both plate materials 11 are pressed into a trapezoidal shape, but as shown in Fig. 5, only one of the plate materials 11 may be pressed into a trapezoidal shape.

[0032] The flow path outlet portion 210b is provided with a hole for connecting the flow paths 30 between the air conditioning panels 10. The hole is formed adjacent to the partition forming portion 15 by hollowing out, for example, a rectangular shape.

[0033] Specifically, the first die set 210 has a trapezoidal protrusion 213a1 that is convex downward on the lower surface of the third layer mold 213 and a trapezoidal protrusion 213a2 that is convex upward on the upper surface. The second layer mold 212 and the fourth layer mold 214 have trapezoidal recesses 212b and 214b that match the shapes of the trapezoidal protrusions 213a1 and 213a2 at positions facing the trapezoidal protrusions 213a1 and 213a2 of the third layer mold 213. Therefore, among the four long plate materials 11 (hereinafter, indicated in order of reference numerals 11a to 11d from the bottom), trapezoidal portions for forming welded portions that become the partition forming portions 15 are made in the second plate material 11b and the third plate material 11c. Since the trapezoidal convex portions 213a1, 213a2 and the trapezoidal concave portions 212b, 214b are formed continuously in the width direction of the plate material 11 (that is, the depth direction in FIG. 5), the trapezoidal portions are also continuous in the width direction.

[0034] Furthermore, the first die set 210 has hollowing convex portions 213c, 214c for forming holes on the lower surfaces of the third layer mold 213 and the fourth layer mold 214. Also, on the upper surfaces of the second layer mold 212 and the third layer mold 213 facing the hollowing convex portions 213c, 214c, member receiving portions 212d, 213d for discarding the hollowed-out members are provided. Here, the hollowing convex portions 213c, 214c and the member receiving portions 212d, 213d are not continuous in the width direction of the plate material 11 but are scattered. Therefore, of the four long plate materials 11, the second plate material 11b and the third plate material 11c have holes formed at positions adjacent to the partition forming portion 15.

[0035] The second die set 220 also includes an embossing section 220a. The embossing section 220a is for forming a large 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 supply direction of the sheet material 11. The two rows of protrusions 221a, 223a1, 223a2, and 225a are formed in large numbers aligned in the width direction of the sheet material 11, for example, 35 pieces are formed aligned in one row. In addition, 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, which are opposite to these, aligned in the supply direction of the sheet material 11. The two rows of recesses 222b1, 222b2, 224b1, 224b2 are also formed in large numbers in the width direction of the plate material 11, for example, 35 recesses are formed in one row. Therefore, 70 protrusions 13 are formed in the four long plate materials 11a to 11d every time the second die set 220 operates.

[0036] Furthermore, the movable part 230 is a wedge-shaped member tapered from the second die set 220 toward the first die set 210. The base side of the movable part 230 is attached to the third layer die 223 of the second die set 220, and the tip side is in a state of being bitten into the wedge recess 213e of the third layer die 213 of the first die set 210. The wedge recess 213e is a recess shaped according to the wedge shape of the movable part 230. Furthermore, the third layer die 213 has a lower die 213f and an upper die 213g that can move up and down. The lower die 213f is formed with a trapezoidal convex portion 213a1 and a hollowed-out convex portion 213c. The upper die 213g is formed with a trapezoidal convex portion 213a2 and a member receiving portion 213d.

[0037] Here, the die section 200 according to this embodiment includes a driving section 240. The driving section 240 adjusts at least the distance between the first die set 210 and the second die set 220. The driving section 240 includes a straight gear section 241 formed extending in the conveying direction (supply direction) of the plate material 11, a worm gear 242 whose teeth match with the straight gear section 241, and a motor section 243 that rotates the worm gear 242. The worm gear 242 is a rotary ball spline gear that utilizes a ball spline structure, and is movable along a rotation axis 242a.

[0038] In the driving 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 conveyance direction according to the position of the worm gear 242 on the linear gear portion 241. Therefore, by driving the motor portion 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.

[0039] Here, the first state shown in Fig. 5(a) shows a state in which the distance between the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 is shortened, while the second state shown in Fig. 5(b) shows a state in which the distance between the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 is lengthened.

[0040] When the distance between them is long as shown in FIG. 5(b), the amount of bite of the tip side of the movable part 230 into the third layer die 213 of the first die set 210 becomes smaller. As a result, the lower die 213f of the third layer die 213 moves slightly upward, and the upper die 213g of the third layer die 213 moves slightly downward. As a result, the trapezoidal convex parts 213a1 and 213a2, the hollowing convex part 213c, and the member receiving part 213d are in a retreated state, and even if the first die set 210 performs a pressing operation, neither the trapezoidal part nor the hole part is formed. On the other hand, when the distance between them is short as shown in FIG. 5(a), the amount of bite of the tip side of the movable part 230 becomes larger, the lower die 213f of the third layer die 213 moves slightly downward, and the upper die 213g of the third layer die 213 moves slightly upward. As a result, the trapezoidal convex portions 213a1 and 213a2, the hollow convex portion 213c, and the member receiving portion 213d are in a protruding state, and when the first die set 210 performs a pressing operation, a trapezoidal portion and a hole are formed.

[0041] In this way, the mold section 200 is configured to be able to switch between a state in which the trapezoidal portions 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, it is assumed that the protrusions 13 are formed at a pitch of 25 mm in the supply direction of the plate material 11, and the trapezoidal portions and holes are formed every 2 m. In this case, the mold section 200 drives the driving section 240 to press once in the state of FIG. 5(a) every time it presses 37 times in the state of FIG. 5(b). This allows the formation of a large number of protrusions 13 while forming trapezoidal portions and holes every 2 m.

[0042] Although not shown in the drawings, the mold unit 200 also performs Z-folding at the side. As shown in Fig. 1, the air conditioning panel 10 has a Z-folded portion 16 formed at the side. The mold unit 200 preferably performs Z-folding at the first die set 210.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5, the driving part 240 of the die part 200 is provided with a pinion gear 244 whose teeth mesh with the straight gear part 241. Therefore, the straight gear part 241 functions as a so-called rack gear. The straight gear part 241 is connected to the second die set 220. Therefore, by rotating the pinion gear 244, the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 can be moved as a whole. This allows the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 to move in the conveying direction in accordance with the conveying speed of the plate material 11, for example, and press processing can be performed during this movement. Therefore, the plate material 11 does not need to be conveyed in a frame-by-frame manner, and press processing can be performed on the continuously conveyed plate material 11, thereby improving manufacturability.

[0044] Referring again to Fig. 4, the plate materials 11a-11d that have passed through the mold section 200 are supplied to the powder coating section 300. The powder coating section 300 performs a powder application step in which powder is applied to the first and fourth plate materials 11a, 11d that have been embossed. The powder becomes the wick layer 14 by being heated in the heating section 500 that is located downstream of the powder coating section 300.

[0045] In addition, in this embodiment, the powder coating unit 300 sprays powder onto an area including a large number of protrusions 13 formed by embossing. Thus, powder is also provided on the tops of each of the protrusions 13. Here, in this embodiment, the powder coating unit 300 uses electrostatic coating to apply powder to the plate material 11. For example, the powder is a mixture of alumina powder with an average particle size of 50 μm or more and about 10% low-melting-point glass frit with an average particle size of 10 μm or less. Ceramics such as alumina and glass have almost no electrical conductivity. For this reason, such powder has almost no electrical conductivity and is charged to be electrostatically powder coated.

[0046] More specifically, it is assumed that the partition forming portion 15 is formed every 2 m in length on a coil-shaped long stainless steel plate having a thickness of 0.3 mm and a width of 930 mm. The convex portion 13 is a truncated cone shape with a bottom diameter of 15 mm, a top diameter of 8 mm, and a height of 3 mm at a pitch of 25 mm. Here, excluding the Z-folded portions 16 on the sides of both ends of the plate width, each of which has a width of 20 mm, powder needs to be provided in the remaining 890 mm width portion to form the wick layer 14. In addition, excluding the partition forming portions 15, the powder installation area is 890 mm in the width direction and 1925 mm in the length direction. The powder coating unit 300 performs electrostatic coating on such an area (area excluding the edge portion 12). In addition, in order to perform such electrostatic coating, powder is also provided on the top of the convex portion 13, which has a diameter of 8 mm.

[0047] Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the details of the powder coating unit 300 shown in Fig. 4. For convenience of illustration, each plate material 11 that has passed through the mold unit 200 is shown in a flat plate shape in Fig. 6. For convenience of illustration, reference symbols are omitted for some of the same components.

[0048] 6 includes a powder spraying section 310, a masking plate section 320, and a masking belt section 330. In the powder coating section 300, powder is sprayed by the powder spraying section 310 onto an area including a large number of protrusions 13, but masking is performed by the masking plate section 320 and the masking belt section 330 so that powder is not provided at areas corresponding to the partition forming sections 15 and the Z-folded sections 16.

[0049] The powder spraying section 310 sprays powder onto the first plate material 11a from above the first plate material 11a, and also sprays powder onto the fourth plate material 11d from below the fourth plate material 11d.

[0050] The masking plate section 320 includes an endless belt 321, a number of plate-shaped masking plates 322 attached along the outer periphery of the endless belt 321, a drive section 323, and a cleaning section 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.

[0051] The endless belt 321 of the masking plate section 320 is wound around two pulleys arranged at a distance in the conveying direction of the plate material 11. Therefore, the movement direction of the endless belt 321 is generally aligned with the conveying direction of the plate material 11. In addition, the masking plates 322 are provided on the outer periphery of the endless belt 321, and are arranged so as to cover the positions of the Z-folded portions 16 on both sides of the first plate material 11a from above, and to cover the positions of the Z-folded portions 16 on both sides of the fourth plate material 11d from below. The driving section 323 rotates the endless belt 321. The cleaning section 324 blows off powder adhering to the masking plates 322 by sending compressed air to the masking plates 322.

[0052] Powder spraying section 310 performs electrostatic coating of powder while endless belt 321 is rotated by drive section 323 of masking plate section 320. As a result, a large number of masking plates 322 provided along the outer periphery of endless belt 321 prevent powder from being placed at the location corresponding to Z-fold section 16. In addition, powder adheres to masking plate 322 at this time. However, since endless belt 321 is rotating, masking plate 322 with powder attached thereto reaches cleaning section 324 where the powder is removed, and then moves again to the location corresponding to Z-fold section 16 to prevent powder from being placed there.

[0053] Further, the masking belt section 330 includes an endless belt 331, a drive section 333, and a cleaning section 334. The endless belt 331 of the masking belt section 330 is wound around two pulleys arranged 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 drive section 333 capable of rotating. Each of the plate materials 11a, 11d is transported so as to pass inside the endless belt 331. The cleaning section 334 blows off powder adhering to the endless belt 331 by sending compressed air to the endless belt 331.

[0054] The powder spraying section 310 performs electrostatic coating of powder while the endless belt 331 is rotated by the drive section 333 of the masking belt section 330. This prevents the endless belt 331 from depositing powder at the location corresponding to the partition forming section 15. In addition, at this time, the powder adheres to the endless belt 331. However, as the endless belt 331 rotates, the portion where the powder adheres reaches the cleaning section 334, and the powder is removed.

[0055] In addition, in the powder coating unit 300, the powder spraying unit 310 and the masking belt unit 330 can also be moved in accordance with the conveying speed of the plate material 11. This allows the plate material 11 to be masked as it is continuously conveyed without having to be conveyed frame by frame. In addition, although it depends on the number of masking plates 322, it is preferable that the masking plate unit 320 has a mechanism for moving in accordance with the conveying speed of the plate material 11 when the number of masking plates 322 is small.

[0056] Referring again to FIG. 4, the plate materials 11a to 11d that have passed through the powder coating section 300 are supplied to the powder removing section 400. The powder removing section 400 performs a powder removing process for removing powder at locations corresponding to the numerous protruding portions 13 of the first and fourth plate materials 11a and 11d. The powder removing section 400 may remove the powder at the tops of the numerous protruding portions 13 by compressed air, or may remove the powder by contacting the tops of the numerous protruding portions 13 with a cleaning plate to scrape off the powder. In particular, in this embodiment, the powder is provided on the first and fourth plate materials 11a and 11d, but is merely attached by electrostatic force or intermolecular force, and is therefore easily removed by these removal configurations.

[0057] 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, a tunnel furnace, and heats the first and fourth plate materials 11a and 11d to perform a wick layer forming process (powder fixed layer forming process) in which the powder is melted to form the wick layer 14. Here, the powder at the tops of the many protrusions 13 is removed in the powder removal section 400, and the powder at other parts remains. In this state, heating is performed, for example, by a tunnel furnace, to form the wick layer 14 except for the tops of the many protrusions 13. When the powder is the above-mentioned, the heating section 500 heats it to about the melting point of the low-melting glass. As a result, the low-melting glass spreads wet on the surfaces of both the alumina powder and the plate material 11. Thereafter, the plate material 11 is cooled, for example, in a room temperature environment. As a result, the low-melting glass solidifies and the alumina powder is fixed as the wick layer 14.

[0058] 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 performs a welding process in which the first plate material 11a and the second plate material 11b, and the third plate material 11c and the fourth plate material 11d are combined together, and the tops of the many protrusions 13 are welded together.

[0059] Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing details of the welded portion 600 shown in Fig. 4. For convenience of illustration, each plate material 11 is shown in a flat plate shape in Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 7, the welded portion 600 includes a plurality of spot welders 610, a first seam welder 620, and a second seam welder 630.

[0060] The plurality of spot welders 610 weld the tops of the numerous protrusions 13 to the mating plate material 11. The plurality of spot welders 610 are arranged side by side in the width direction of the plate material 11, and are arranged on the lower surface side of the first plate material 11a and the upper surface side of the second plate material 11b, and on the lower surface side of the third plate material 11c and the upper surface side of the fourth plate material 11d, to weld each pair of plate materials 11 from the front and back. The plurality of spot welders 610 according to the first embodiment are, for example, laser welders.

[0061] Here, the multiple spot welders 610 are configured to weld some of the multiple protrusions 13, and not weld the remaining protrusions 13. To perform such welding, the number of spot welders 610 is made smaller than the number of multiple protrusions 13 provided in the width direction. For example, when 35 multiple protrusions 13 are formed in the width direction, seven spot welders 610 are provided in the width direction, for example, at intervals of 125 mm. As a result, in the welding process, the welded points are thinned out in a range that has little effect on the bending of the air conditioning panel 10, thereby improving manufacturability. Also, the laser welders can be arranged at a relatively realistic interval of 125 mm.

[0062] Moreover, the first seam welder 620 performs welding on the side portions of the plate materials 11 that will become the Z-folded portions 16. This first seam welder 620 also welds each of the two plate materials 11 from the front and back.

[0063] The second seam welder 630 welds the portions of the plate materials 11 that will become the compartment forming portions 15. The second seam welder 630 is configured so that the welding portion can be moved in the width direction, and welds each of the two plate materials 11 from the front and back. In particular, the second seam welder 630 welds one of the compartment forming portions 15 while making a reciprocating motion.

[0064] Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a state where welding is performed by the first seam welding machine 620 and the second seam welding machine 630 shown in Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 8, the first seam welding machine 620 welds the Z-folded portions 16 of the two plate materials 11. Furthermore, the second seam welding machine 630 performs welding so that two lines are approximately parallel in the compartment forming portion 15. That is, the second seam welding machine 630 performs double-line welding on one compartment forming portion 15. Note that the distance between the double lines is assumed to be, for example, 20 mm, but is not limited to 20 mm as long as it is 10 cm or less.

[0065] As a result, it is only necessary to cut between the double tracks to manufacture the air conditioning panel 10, and less wasted material is produced from the plate material 11 compared to when only one weld is performed on the compartment forming portion 15. In other words, in the case of single-track welding, if the compartment forming portion 15 is cut adjacent to the single-track welded portion, a hollow body can be manufactured on one side, but the internal space IS is left open on the other side. However, in the case of double-track welding, cutting between the double tracks prevents the internal space IS from being opened on both sides, which contributes to reducing the wasted material of the plate material 11.

[0066] 7, it is preferable that the spot welder 610 and the second seam welder 630 are movable along the conveying direction of the plate material 11 and perform welding while moving in accordance with the conveying speed of the plate material 11. This makes it possible to weld the plate material 11 by the spot welder 610 and the second seam welder 630 while continuously supplying the plate material 11, rather than supplying the plate material 11 in a frame-by-frame manner, thereby further improving manufacturability.

[0067] Referring again to Fig. 4, the plate materials 11a-11d that have passed through the welded portion 600 are subjected to a flow path attachment process (flow path forming process), a foam installation process (insulation forming process), and a foaming process (insulation forming process) in the insulation layer forming section 700. These processes may be performed after cutting is performed between the double lines of the compartment forming section 15.

[0068] First, in the flow path mounting step, the flow path 30 is mounted by utilizing a hole formed by the flow path opening portion 210b of the mold part 200 shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the flow path 30 mounted in the flow path mounting step. The hole formed by the flow path opening portion 210b of the mold part 200 is substantially rectangular. The flow path 30 includes two opposing rectangular plates 30a (only one plate is shown in Fig. 9), a pipe portion 30b connecting the plates, and a small pipe 30c formed in the pipe portion 30b.

[0069] The two plates 30a are shaped to match the shape of the hole. The pipe section 30b connects the internal space IS of the two air conditioning panels 10 and allows the refrigerant to flow through. The small pipe 30c is a pipe for evacuating the internal space IS and sealing the refrigerant therein, and is sealed after these operations are completed. In the flow path installation process, such a flow path 30 is installed. In addition, evacuation and refrigerant sealing may be performed in the flow path installation process, but this is not limited to this. For example, in a later process, the insulator 20 may be provided so that the tip of the small pipe 30c is exposed from the insulator 20, and evacuation and refrigerant sealing may be performed using the small pipe 30c with the exposed tip.

[0070] In addition, when the two plates 30a and the second and third plate materials 11b, 11c are electrically resistance welded together, the flow path attachment step may be performed before the second and third plate materials 11b, 11c are overlapped with the first and fourth plate materials 11a, 11d, respectively. Therefore, for example, the flow path attachment step may be performed during the process of transporting the plate materials 11b, 11c from the mold section 200 to the powder coating section 300. By attaching the flow path 30 at such a timing, the second and third plate materials 11b, 11c can be transported while the distance between the second plate material 11b and the third plate material 11c is stabilized by using the flow path 30.

[0071] Referring again to FIG. 4, the foam installation process and the foaming process are processes for forming the insulation body 20. In the foam installation process, raw material 21 of the foam insulation material is injected between the two air conditioning panels 10. In the foaming process, the injected raw material 21 of the foam insulation material is foamed. Foaming is performed by various methods such as gas, heat, and chemicals. Also, in the foam installation process, a mixture with gas in advance so that it foams at the installation stage, such as a spray of foamed urethane foam, may be injected, and the foaming process may simply involve waiting for time to pass. In this manner, the insulation panel 1 is manufactured.

[0072] In this way, according to the manufacturing method of the air conditioning panel 10 according to the first embodiment, two plates 11 having a thickness of 0.8 mm or less are used, and while forming a large number of protrusions 13, powder is provided on the large number of protrusions 13 in a removable manner. In addition, in this method, after removing the powder on the protrusions 13, a wick layer 14 is formed by heating and melting, and then the large number of protrusions 13 are welded. As a result, even in a large structure having a side of 60 cm or more, it is possible to weld the large number of protrusions 13 and make bending difficult to occur. In addition, there is no need to provide powder to avoid the large number of protrusions 13. Therefore, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method of the air conditioning panel 10 that can improve manufacturability while reducing the thickness of the plate material 11, and is large and difficult to bend.

[0073] In addition, in this manufacturing method, the powder is applied to an area including a large number of protrusions 13 by electrostatic coating, so that the powder can be applied to an area including a large number of protrusions 13 in an easily removable state while minimizing the possibility of the powder being dispersed by wind, etc.

[0074] Furthermore, in the welding process, welding is performed on some of the many protrusions 13, and welding is not performed on the remaining protrusions 13. This makes it possible to reduce the number of welding points in an area where the influence of bending is small, and in the case of laser welding, for example, laser heads can be arranged in a practical range to perform welding, thereby improving manufacturability.

[0075] Furthermore, according to the manufacturing method for the insulating panel 1 of the first embodiment, at least one of the hollow bodies is the above-mentioned air conditioning panel 10, the two hollow bodies are connected by a flow path 30, and an insulating body 20 is provided therebetween, so that a manufacturing method for the insulating panel 1 using the above-mentioned air conditioning panel 10 can be provided.

[0076] Next, a second embodiment will be described. The manufacturing method of the air conditioning panel 10 and the heat insulating panel 1 according to the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, but some steps are different. Below, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0077] Fig. 10 is a first process diagram showing a method for manufacturing a thermal insulation panel 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 10, a manufacturing apparatus for a thermal insulation panel 1 in the second embodiment includes a plate material supply section 100, a thermal spray section 800, a mold section 200, a welding section 600, and a thermal insulation layer forming section 700.

[0078] The workpiece supply unit 100 is the same as that in the first embodiment. A process of preparing the workpiece 11 in the workpiece supply unit 100 is a preparation process.

[0079] The spraying unit 800 sprays the same area as the powder coating unit 300 shown in the first embodiment. The spraying unit 800 sprays conductive powder onto at least one of the two plate materials 11. This forms the wick layer 14. That is, the spraying unit 800 performs the wick layer formation process. The conductive powder is not limited to metal powder as long as it is conductive.

[0080] Moreover, it is preferable that the conductive powder has the same composition as the plate material 11. This is because electrolytic corrosion can be avoided when water is used as a coolant. If the plate material 11 is a stainless steel plate, the powder to be sprayed is also stainless steel. Known methods for spraying stainless steel with high productivity include plasma spraying and arc spraying. The plasma spraying method uses powdered stainless steel as the material, while the arc spraying method uses wire-shaped stainless steel as the material. The plasma spraying method tends to be expensive and requires commercial gases such as argon, but has the advantage that it is easy to adjust the amounts of chromium, aluminum, and silicon that make up the stainless steel to create a raw material composition that is excellent in high-temperature oxidation properties.

[0081] It is also preferable not to perform thermal spraying on the edge 12 of the plate material 11, i.e., the portion that will become the Z-folded portion 16 and the portion that will become the trapezoidal shape (compartment forming portion 15) in the later mold portion 200. For this reason, it is preferable that the thermal spraying portion 800 utilizes a configuration similar to that of the powder coating portion 300 to mask these portions.

[0082] The plate material 11 that has passed through the thermal spraying section 800 is supplied to the mold section 200. The mold section 200 is the same as that in the first embodiment. This mold section 200 performs embossing of the multiple protrusions 13, formation of the Z-folded portions 16, and formation of the trapezoidal portions that serve as the compartment forming portions 15. The arrangement of the thermal spraying section 800 and the mold section 200 may be reversed.

[0083] Next, the plate material 11 is supplied to a welding portion 600. The welding portion 600 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. In this welding portion 600, a large number of protrusions 13 (one example of a large number of locations on the plate material 11) are welded by a plurality of spot welders 610. Here, a wick layer 14 is formed on the tops of the large number of protrusions 13. However, since this wick layer 14 is made of conductive powder, the tops can be welded by performing electric resistance welding.

[0084] In particular, the conductive powder of the wick layer 14 can be an obstacle to hermetic welding at the edge 12 of the air conditioning panel 10. However, welding intended to prevent bending of the air conditioning panel 10 is possible to an extent that does not cause problems even if the conductive powder is provided at the tops of many protrusions 13. In other words, the wick layer 14 is somewhat interposed at the welded points, resulting in the presence of air pores, but this does not cause any problems when the internal space IS is used in a reduced pressure state.

[0085] Thereafter, the plate material 11 that has been welded to the welded portion 600 is subjected to a flow path attachment step, a foam installation step, and a foaming step in the insulation layer forming section 700, as in the first embodiment, to manufacture the insulation panel 1. Cutting is performed as appropriate. The flow path attachment step may be performed prior to the wick layer formation step and the welding step using the thermal spray section 800 and the welded portion 600, as long as it is performed after the hole for attaching the flow path 30 is formed in the mold section 200.

[0086] Here, of the plate materials 11 prepared in the plate material supply section 100, at least the plate material 11 on which the wick layer 14 is formed preferably has a surface roughness Ra of 2 μm or more. In order to smoothly perform thermal spraying in the thermal spraying section 800, a roughening treatment needs to be performed in advance, but by preparing plate materials 11 with a surface roughness Ra of 2 μm or more, the roughening treatment becomes unnecessary. Note that the surface roughness Ra of the plate material 11 does not need to be 2 μm or more, and a roughening treatment such as sandblasting may be performed.

[0087] As in the first embodiment, it is preferable to perform thinning welding of the welded portion 600 by welding some of the protrusions 13 and not welding the remaining protrusions 13. This is because it is possible to improve manufacturability.

[0088] Fig. 11 is a second process diagram showing the method for manufacturing the thermal insulation panel 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 11, the manufacturing apparatus for the thermal insulation panel 1 in the second embodiment may be configured to include a plate material supply section 100, a thermal spray section 800, a welding section 600, a pressurizing section 900, and a thermal insulation layer forming section 700.

[0089] The plate material supply unit 100 and the thermal spraying unit 800 are the same as those described with reference to Fig. 10. Furthermore, it is preferable to prepare a plate material 11 to be thermally sprayed that has a surface roughness Ra of 2 µm or more in advance.

[0090] The welded portion 600 is formed by combining two plate materials 11, including a plate material 11 on which a wick layer 14 is formed by a thermal spray portion 800, and performing electric resistance welding at a number of locations on the plate materials 11. In this case, the plate material 11 is not processed by a mold and is flat. Therefore, the multiple spot welders 610 of the welded portion 600 perform electric resistance welding at locations that will become a number of protrusions 13 in the future. The first seam welder 620 and the second seam welder 630 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0091] The plate material 11 that has been welded at the welded portion 600 is supplied to the pressurizing portion 900. The pressurizing portion 900 applies pressure between the two plate materials 11 that have been welded at multiple locations at the welded portion 600 to form an internal space IS. Since the two plate materials 11 are welded at multiple locations, the welded locations maintain contact even when pressurized, forming multiple protrusions 13. This produces a hollow body for use as an air conditioning panel 10 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0092] Thereafter, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the plate material 11 is subjected to a flow path attachment step, a foam installation step, and a foaming step in the insulation layer forming section 700, and the insulation panel 1 is manufactured. Cutting is performed as appropriate. Also, holes for attaching the flow paths 30 are formed at an appropriate timing. Therefore, in the case where the holes are formed immediately after the plate material 11 is supplied from the uncoiler, the flow path attachment step may be performed prior to the wick layer formation step and the pressurization step by the thermal spraying section 800 and the pressurization section 900.

[0093] In this way, according to the manufacturing method of the air conditioning panel 10 according to the second embodiment, two plates 11 having a thickness of 0.8 mm or less are used, conductive powder is sprayed to form the wick layer 14, and electric resistance welding is performed on the wick layer 14. Therefore, even if the wick layer 14 is formed at the welding point, the wick layer 14 is made of conductive powder, so electric resistance welding is possible and welding can be performed. As a result, even in a large structure having a side of 60 cm or more, many points can be welded to make bending less likely to occur. In addition, there is no need to provide powder to avoid many welding points. Therefore, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method of the air conditioning panel 10 that can improve manufacturability while reducing the thickness of the plate material 11, and can be made large and less likely to bend.

[0094] Furthermore, the plate material 11 on which the wick layer 14 is formed has a surface roughness Ra of 2 μm or more. Therefore, for example, there is no need to perform a roughening treatment in advance to facilitate thermal spraying, and manufacturability can be further improved.

[0095] Furthermore, in the welding step, a plurality of protrusions 13 among the large number of protrusions 13 are not welded, but the remaining protrusions 13 are welded, so that manufacturability can be improved, similarly to the first embodiment.

[0096] Moreover, according to the method for manufacturing the heat insulating panel 1 in the second embodiment, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing the heat insulating panel 1 using the air conditioning panel 10 as in the first embodiment.

[0097] Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the techniques of the embodiments may be combined, and publicly known or well-known techniques may be combined to the extent possible.

[0098] For example, in the above embodiment, the flow path 30 is a separate flow path for the vapor refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant, but it is not limited to being separate, and may be a common flow path through which both the vapor refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant can flow. In addition, it is preferable that the flow path 30 is provided with a check valve, a temperature sensing valve, etc., as necessary.

[0099] Further, although the powder coating unit 300 performs electrostatic coating, it is not particularly limited to this, and may simply spray powder without utilizing electrostatic force or intermolecular force.

[0100] Furthermore, while in the above embodiment, the insulation body 20 is formed using a foam, this is not particularly limited, and the insulation body 20 may be provided by other methods, such as by placing a molded insulation body 20 between two hollow bodies.

[0101] Furthermore, in the above description, the pressing direction of the mold section 200 is the direction from the fifth layer molds 215, 225 toward the first layer molds 211, 221, but this is not limited thereto and may be the opposite direction. Also, the mold section 200 may be one that presses by sandwiching from above and below. In this case, the positions of the third layer molds 213, 223 can be substantially fixed, making it easier to ensure the operability of the movable section 230.

[0102] In the above embodiment, the manufacturing method of the air conditioning panel 10 has been described as an example of a manufacturing method of the panel body, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the air conditioning panel 10 shown in FIG. 1 can be used as a vapor chamber by itself and can be used as a heat dissipation panel. In addition, in the above embodiment, the wick layer 14 may be used as a heat exchanger as an uneven layer (powder fixed layer) that does not aim at capillary action but simply increases the surface area or aims at a turbulent flow effect to increase the heat exchange efficiency. In addition, in the first embodiment, silica gel powder may be used instead of alumina powder, and a resin (a general resin with a low melting point such as acrylic resin) may be used instead of low melting point glass to form an uneven surface having silica gel (a powder fixed layer that is an adsorbent layer that adsorbs water vapor) and used as a total heat exchanger. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1: Insulation panel 10: Air conditioning panel (panel body) 11: Plate material 13: Many protrusions 14: Wick layer (powder fixing layer) 20: Insulation 30: Flow path 100: Plate material supply section 200: Mold section 300: Powder coating section 400: Powder removal section 500: Heating part 600: Welded section 700: Heat insulating layer forming section 800: Thermal sprayed section 900: Pressurizing section IS: interior space

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a panel body formed into a panel shape having a side of 60 cm or more, A preparation step of preparing two plate materials having a thickness of 0.8 mm or less; an embossing step of performing an embossing process to form a large number of protrusions on at least one of the two plate materials prepared in the preparation step; a powder placement step of placing powder for forming a powder fixing layer at a location including the multiple convex portions of the plate material embossed in the embossing step; a powder removing step of removing powder from the powder applying step at locations corresponding to the plurality of protrusions; a powder fixing layer forming step of heating the plate from which the powder has been removed from the numerous convex portions in the powder removing step to melt the powder remaining in the unremoved portion, thereby forming the powder fixing layer; a welding step of combining the two plate materials including the plate material on which the fixed powder layer has been formed in the fixed powder layer forming step, and welding the multiple protrusions; A method for manufacturing a panel body comprising:

2. In the powder application step, powder for forming the powder fixed layer is applied to the area including the multiple protrusions by electrostatic coating. The method for manufacturing a panel body according to claim 1 .

3. In the welding step, welding is performed on some of the multiple protrusions, and welding is not performed on the remaining protrusions. The method for manufacturing a panel body according to claim 1 .

4. a flow path forming step of forming an air conditioning panel for obtaining an air conditioning effect, at least one of two plate-like hollow bodies having an internal space, the air conditioning panel being manufactured by the manufacturing method of a panel body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and forming a flow path connecting the internal spaces of the two hollow bodies; a heat insulator forming step of forming a heat insulator between the two hollow bodies; A method for manufacturing a heat insulating panel, comprising:

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