Resin belt manufacturing method and resin belt manufacturing device

Abstract

To provide a method for manufacturing a resin belt, which reduces a cost burden and can easily form an uneven pattern of various shapes on a back surface of the resin belt because preparation of an expensive mold for forming the unevenness on the back surface is not required when manufacturing a resin belt with unevenness on the back surface.SOLUTION: There is provided a method for manufacturing a resin belt 10 including a strip-shaped resin portion 13 that is a main body of the resin belt, the method comprises: a laminated structure forming step of forming a laminated structure by supplying a liquid resin material 25 constituting the resin portion between a tooth portion forming mold 21 and a guide belt 23, and by supplying a long release sheet 20 having grooves between the guide belt 23 and the liquid resin material 25; an unevenness forming step of forming protrusions by sandwiching the laminated structure between the tooth forming mold 21 and the guide belt 23 to introduce the resin material 25 into the grooves of the release sheet 20; and a sheet peeling step of peeling off the release sheet 20 from the laminated structure after the unevenness forming step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a toothed resin belt having an uneven back surface. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a resin belt with protrusions on the back surface is known (see Patent Document 1). This belt is used in production, transportation, and assembly lines in factories, and the protrusions integrally provided on the belt serve as partitions when transporting manufactured items. The shape and arrangement of the protrusions vary depending on the shape of the transported item.

[0003] It is known that such protrusions may be formed integrally with the resin belt and used as partitions, or, as described in Patent Document 1, the protrusions formed integrally with the resin belt may be used as support parts, and a protrusion member or the like may be fixed to this support part to form a protrusion.

[0004] The protrusions formed integrally with the resin belt can be formed, for example, by using a mold 121 for forming protrusions as shown in Fig. 11. As another method, it has been reported that the protrusions can also be formed by using a molding guide belt provided with molding holes (see Patent Documents 2 and 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-204237 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2001-96637 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2001-146311 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the method using a metal mold 121 for forming projections and recesses as shown in Fig. 11, i.e., the method using a conventional resin belt manufacturing apparatus 200 having this metal mold 121, requires the preparation of two metal molds, the metal mold 121 and a metal mold 21 for forming teeth. Designing and manufacturing the metal molds requires a lot of cost, and considering the cost, it has not been easy to commercialize a new resin belt. In other words, it has not been easy to manufacture a resin belt having a new shape of protrusions (i.e., a projection and recess pattern).

[0007] In addition, in the method of using a molding guide belt as described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, when the molding guide belt is circulated, if the resin material constituting the resin belt remains in the holes of the molding guide belt without being removed, there is a concern that the resin material will not sufficiently enter the holes and a protrusion of a desired shape cannot be formed. In addition, in consideration of the releasability when peeling off the resin belt, it is considered necessary to coat the surface of the molding guide belt including the holes with a material with good releasability, or to continuously apply a release agent during molding. However, these methods require effort, time, and cost. Furthermore, in the case of a metal molding guide belt (e.g., a steel belt), it is time-consuming and expensive to process holes to fill with the resin material.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of such conventional techniques, and an object of the present invention is to develop a manufacturing method for a toothed resin belt which, when manufacturing a resin belt having unevenness on its back surface, does not require preparing a mold for forming unevenness on the back surface or machining holes or the like in a metal molding guide belt, and therefore can easily form uneven patterns of various shapes, including new shapes, on the back surface of the resin belt at low cost, has good mold releasability, and the formed protrusions have good shapes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] According to the present invention, there are provided a method and an apparatus for producing a resin belt, which will be described below.

[0010] [1] A method for manufacturing a resin belt comprising: a belt-shaped resin portion that is a main body of the resin belt; the resin portion having a protrusion portion on one surface side and a tooth portion on the other surface side, a laminated structure forming step of supplying a liquid resin material constituting the resin portion between a teeth forming die having an uneven surface formed thereon and a guide belt, and supplying a long release sheet having a groove between the guide belt and the liquid resin material to form a laminated structure; a projection-recess forming step of introducing the liquid resin material into the grooves of the release sheet by sandwiching the laminated structure between the teeth forming mold and the guide belt, thereby forming protrusions integrally with the resin portion on one surface side of the resin portion constituting the laminated structure, and forming teeth integrally with the resin portion on the other surface side; and a sheet peeling step of peeling off the release sheet from the laminated structure after the unevenness forming step to obtain the resin belt.

[0011] [2] The method for producing a resin belt according to [1] above, wherein a fluorine-based sheet is used as the release sheet.

[0012] [3] The method for producing a resin belt according to [2] above, wherein the material of the fluorine-based sheet is polytetrafluoroethylene, a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, or a tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer.

[0013] [4] The method for producing a resin belt according to any one of the above [1] to [3], wherein the release sheet has a thickness of 0.1 to 10 mm.

[0014] [5] The method for producing a resin belt according to any one of the above [1] to [4], wherein a urethane resin is used as the resin material.

[0015] [6] The method for producing a resin belt according to any one of the above [1] to [5], wherein the release sheet has air vent passages formed therein for discharging air from within the grooves.

[0016] [7] The air vent passage extends at an angle with respect to the short direction of the release sheet and opens to a side surface of the release sheet, The method for producing a resin belt according to [6] above, wherein in the laminate structure forming step, the release sheet is supplied so that the opening of the air vent passage is positioned behind the groove of the release sheet.

[0017] [8] A resin belt manufacturing apparatus used in the resin belt manufacturing method according to any one of [1] to [7], a teeth forming die having projections and recesses formed on its outer surface; A guide belt disposed opposite the outer surface of the tooth forming die; a resin material supplying section for supplying a resin material, which is a material for a belt-shaped resin portion that is a main body of the resin belt, between the tooth portion forming die and the guide belt; a release sheet supply unit that supplies a long release sheet having a groove between the guide belt and the resin material; A resin belt manufacturing apparatus comprising:

[0018] [9] The resin belt manufacturing apparatus according to [8], wherein the release sheet supplying section has a roll of the release sheet, and tension is applied to the release sheet supplied from the roll of the release sheet.

[0019]

[10] The resin belt manufacturing apparatus according to [8] or [9], further comprising a pair of guide rollers for guiding the release sheet supplied between the guide belt and the resin material in a sending-out direction.

[0020]

[11] The resin belt manufacturing apparatus according to any one of [8] to

[10] , further comprising a sheet winding unit which winds up, while peeling off, the release sheet from the laminated structure discharged from between the tooth portion forming die and the guide belt.

[0021]

[12] The resin belt manufacturing apparatus according to any one of [8] to

[11] , further comprising a belt winding section which winds up the resin belt after it is discharged from between the tooth portion forming mold and the guide belt and the release sheet has been peeled off.

[0022]

[13] The resin belt manufacturing apparatus according to any one of the items [8] to

[12] , wherein the release sheet supplied from the release sheet supply unit has an air vent path formed therein, the air vent path being a path for discharging air from within the grooves.

[0023]

[14] The resin belt manufacturing apparatus according to

[13] , wherein the air vent passage extends at an angle with respect to the short-side direction of the release sheet and opens to a side surface of the release sheet.

[0024] According to the method for producing a resin belt of the present invention, when producing a resin belt having an uneven back surface, it is not necessary to prepare an expensive mold for forming the uneven back surface, so that the cost burden is reduced (i.e., production can be performed at low cost), various new resin belts having uneven patterns on the back surface can be easily produced, and the formed projections have a good shape.

[0025] The resin belt manufacturing apparatus of the present invention does not include an expensive mold for forming the unevenness on the back surface, and therefore does not require the preparation of such a mold, thereby reducing the financial burden (i.e., manufacturing is possible at low cost), while easily manufacturing various new resin belts having uneven patterns on the back surface, and the formed protrusions have a good shape. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1]FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a resin belt manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged explanatory view showing a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a method for producing a resin belt of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of a release sheet used in one embodiment of the method for producing a resin belt of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing, in perspective, a part of a release sheet used in one embodiment of the method for producing a resin belt of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a side view showing a schematic perspective view of a part of a release sheet used in another embodiment of the method for producing a resin belt of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view that shows typically a part of a resin belt manufactured by one embodiment of a method for manufacturing a resin belt of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a plan view that typically shows a release sheet used in still another embodiment of the method for producing a resin belt of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic side view showing, in perspective, a part of a release sheet used in still another embodiment of the method for producing a resin belt of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a plan view that typically shows a release sheet used in still another embodiment of the method for producing a resin belt of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a schematic side view showing, in perspective, a part of a release sheet used in still another embodiment of the method for producing a resin belt of the present invention. [Figure 11] 1A to 1C are explanatory views that typically show a conventional method for producing a resin belt. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and that appropriate design changes, improvements, etc. may be made based on the ordinary knowledge of a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0028] (1) Manufacturing method of resin belt: One embodiment of the method for producing a resin belt of the present invention is a method for producing a resin belt 10 (see FIG. 6) including a band-shaped resin part 13 which is the main body of the resin belt 10, a protrusion part 15 on one side of the resin part 13, and a tooth part 17 on the other side, and the method includes the following laminated structure forming step, unevenness forming step, and sheet peeling step. The laminated structure forming step is a step of supplying a liquid resin material 25 constituting the resin part 13 between a tooth part forming die 21 having unevenness formed on its outer surface and a guide belt 23, as shown in FIG. 1, and supplying a long release sheet 20 having a groove part 27 (see FIGS. 3 to 5) between the guide belt 23 and the liquid resin material 25 to form a laminated structure 50 (see FIG. 2). The unevenness forming step is a step in which the laminated structure 50 is sandwiched between the tooth forming die 21 and the guide belt 23, and the liquid resin material 25 is introduced into the grooves 27 of the release sheet 20 to form the protrusions 15 integrally with the resin part 13 on one side of the resin part 13 constituting the laminated structure 50, and the tooth parts 17 integrally with the resin part 13 on the other side. The sheet peeling step is a step in which the release sheet 20 is peeled off from the laminated structure 50 after the unevenness forming step to obtain the resin belt 10. In the method for producing a resin belt of the present invention, a resin belt producing apparatus 100 as shown in FIG. 1 can be used. In the method for producing a resin belt of the present embodiment, a core wire 11 covered with the resin part 13 is used.

[0029] According to such a method for producing a resin belt, when producing the resin belt 10 (see FIG. 6) having projections and recesses on the back surface, it is not necessary to prepare an expensive mold for forming the projections and recesses on the back surface, so that the cost burden is reduced and various resin belts 10 having projections and recesses on the back surface can be easily produced.

[0030] In addition, the uneven pattern formed on the back surface of the resin belt 10 can be more reliably formed. Specifically, according to the method for manufacturing the resin belt 10 using the conventional resin belt manufacturing apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 11, the contact time between the mold for forming unevenness on the back surface (mold for uneven back surface 121) and the resin material 25 is short (i.e., the contact time is only the time when the mold for uneven back surface 121 and the mold for forming teeth 21 are sandwiched), and the resin material 25 tends to enter the recess 127 (hole for forming protrusion) of the mold for uneven back surface 121, and the recess 127 cannot be sufficiently filled with the resin material 25. If the resin material 25 does not sufficiently enter the recess 127, there is a problem that the corner of the formed protrusion 15 is chipped, and the desired shape tends not to be obtained. Therefore, when the above process is adopted as in the present invention, there is a grace period for the resin material 25 to enter the groove 27 of the release sheet 20 while the mold for forming teeth 21 and the guide belt 23 are sandwiched between them. As a result, groove 27 can be sufficiently filled with resin material 25, and projection 15 can be formed in a desired shape without chipping at corners.

[0031] (1-1) Laminated structure formation process: As described above, the laminated structure forming step is a step of supplying the liquid resin material 25 constituting the resin portion 13 and, if necessary, the core wire 11 between the tooth forming die 21 having an uneven outer surface and the guide belt 23, and supplying the release sheet 20 having the groove portion 27 (see Figs. 3 to 5) between the guide belt 23 and the liquid resin material 25 to form the laminated structure 50. By forming the laminated structure 50 through this step, it is possible to obtain a resin belt 10 having the protrusions 15 on one side and the tooth portion 17 on the other side. Furthermore, by using the release sheet 20, it is not necessary to prepare an expensive die. The laminated structure 50 is made up of, in order from the tooth forming die 21 side, a layer made of the liquid resin material 25 and a release sheet 20. The layer made of the liquid resin material 25 has the core wire 11 disposed therein.

[0032] A fluorine-based sheet can be used as the release sheet 20 used in this step. More specifically, examples of the material for the fluorine-based sheet include polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinylether copolymer (PFA), and tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer (FEP). By using such a fluorine-based sheet, the release sheet 20 can be more easily peeled off in the sheet peeling step.

[0033] The release sheet 20 is in a strip shape and can be wound into a roll, and is fed out successively from the roll. At this time, the resin material 25 enters the grooves 27 and hardens to form the protrusions 15. The protrusions 15 are provided on one surface side (i.e., the front surface side) of the resin belt 10, and serve as obstacles to separate objects being transported during the transport of objects, which is one of the roles of the resin belt 10.

[0034] The grooves 27 may be holes with a bottom as shown in FIG. 4, or may be through-holes that penetrate the release sheet 20 as shown in FIG.

[0035] The shape, size, and position of the groove 27 can be appropriately set to correspond to the desired protrusion 15 .

[0036] There is no particular limitation on the thickness of the release sheet 20, but a thickness of, for example, 0.1 to 10 mm can be used. If a sheet of this thickness is used, it can be easily deformed to follow the curvature of the guide belt 23 used during molding.

[0037] It is preferable that the release sheet 20 being supplied is subjected to a force in the opposite direction to the supply direction of the release sheet 20, i.e., tension. Furthermore, when using a core wire 11, a slight rotational resistance is applied to the roll-shaped release sheet that applies tension to the supplied release sheet 20 so that the release sheet 20 does not slacken and interfere with the core wire 11. When the release sheet 20 is supplied while tension is applied in this way, wrinkles on the molding surface that occur when the release sheet 20 is thin and the release sheet 20 slackens are less likely to occur.

[0038] 7 to 10, the release sheet 20 may be one having air vent passages 20a (i.e., air vent passages 20a connecting the grooves 27 to the outside) that serve as exhaust passages for the air in the grooves 27. By forming the air vent passages 20a in this manner, the resin material 25 is sufficiently filled into the corners of the grooves 27, and the protrusions 15 having a good shape are formed.

[0039] The air vent path 20a extends at an angle with respect to the short-side direction of the release sheet 20, and further, the air vent path 20a preferably opens to a side surface of the release sheet 20 and has an opening 22. The release sheet 20 having the air vent path 20a thus formed is preferably arranged such that the opening 22 of the air vent path 20a is located behind the groove portion 27 of the release sheet 20 when the release sheet 20 is supplied in the laminated structure forming step. In this way, the resin material 25 is more reliably filled in the corners of the groove portion 27, and further, less resin material 25 enters the air vent path 20a, thereby reducing the occurrence of so-called burrs.

[0040] The air vent passages 20a may be through holes penetrating the release sheet 20 to the groove portions 27 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, or may be slits formed on the surface of the release sheet 20 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

[0041] The grooves 27 of the release sheet 20 can be formed into any desired shape by various processes such as punching, mechanical cutting, and laser processing.

[0042] The tooth forming die 21 used in this step is not particularly limited, and any tooth forming die employed in the conventionally known manufacturing method of resin belts can be appropriately used.

[0043] The guide belt 23 used in this step is not particularly limited, and a guide belt (e.g., a steel belt) used in a conventionally known method for manufacturing a resin belt can be appropriately used. For example, by using a steel belt, the resin material 25 can be efficiently cooled.

[0044] The material of the guide belt 23 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected, and examples of the material include stainless steel such as SUS304, and synthetic resin.

[0045] The resin material 25 used in this process is not particularly limited, and any resin material that is used for the main body of a conventionally known resin belt can be appropriately used. Specifically, a thermoplastic urethane resin can be used as the resin material 25. By using a thermoplastic urethane resin, it is possible to easily melt the resin by applying heat and form a desired shape, and the abrasion resistance and mechanical strength are also increased.

[0046] The resin material 25 is heated in advance to be liquid, and is then supplied onto the irregularities formed on the outer surface of the teeth forming die 21 .

[0047] The core wire 11 used in this step is not particularly limited, and any core wire used in a conventionally known method for manufacturing a resin belt can be appropriately used. There is no particular limit to the number or size of the core wire.

[0048] Specific examples of the material of the core wire 11 include steel, stainless steel, aramid fiber, glass fiber, carbon fiber, nylon fiber, polyester fiber, and polyparaphenylene benzobis oxazole (PBO) fiber.

[0049] (1-2) Irregularity forming process: In the unevenness forming step, as described above, the laminated structure 50 obtained in the laminated structure forming step is sandwiched between the tooth forming mold 21 and the guide belt 23. By sandwiching in this manner, the liquid resin material 25 is introduced into the grooves 27 of the release sheet 20, and the protrusions 15 are formed integrally with the resin part 13 on one side of the resin part 13 constituting the laminated structure 50, and the tooth parts 17 are formed integrally with the resin part 13 on the other side. The tooth parts 17 are convex parts formed on the back side of the resin belt 10, and the tooth parts 17 engage with a rotating gear or the like to drive the resin belt 10.

[0050] The pressure with which the laminated structure 50 is clamped is not particularly limited and can be set as appropriate, but it is preferable that the pressure be set to a level that allows the liquid resin material to fill the irregularities formed on the outer surface of the tooth-forming mold 21 and to be filled into the grooves 27 of the release sheet 20, thereby filling the grooves 27.

[0051] (1-3) Sheet peeling process: The sheet peeling step is a step of peeling off the release sheet 20 from the laminated structure 50 after the unevenness forming step, and in this way, the resin belt 10 can be obtained. By using the release sheet 20, the release sheet 20 can be easily peeled off in this step. The sheet peeling step may be performed manually or may be mechanically wound up. For mechanical winding, a sheet winding section 31 (see FIG. 1) may be used. However, at this time, the release sheet 20 may be peeled off manually from the tip side of the manufactured resin belt 10 and the release sheet 20 may be wound around the sheet winding section 31.

[0052] The time for peeling off the release sheet 20 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, about 5 to 6 minutes after molding (that is, after being ejected from the teeth forming mold 21).

[0053] (1-4) Other steps: As another process, a surface treatment process may be adopted in which the protrusions 15 of the resin belt 10 are made to have a matte finish, a grained finish, a lattice finish, or the like.

[0054] (1-5) Molding target: The method for manufacturing a resin belt is not particularly limited and can be used to manufacture any resin belt, but can be applied to trapezoidal tooth belts MXL, XL, L, H, and XH types described in standards (JIS K6372, JIS K6373, ISO 5296-1, and ISO 5296-2); trapezoidal tooth belts T2.5, T5, T10, and T20 types described in standards (DIN7721); special trapezoidal tooth belts AT type, and the like; arc tooth belts H, S, and P types described in standards (JIS B1857-1 and ISO 13050); and arc tooth belts MA type, and the like.

[0055] (2) Plastic belt manufacturing equipment: One embodiment of the resin belt manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is a resin belt manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1. This resin belt manufacturing apparatus 100 is a resin belt manufacturing apparatus used in the above-mentioned resin belt manufacturing method of the present invention. This resin belt manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a toothed portion forming die 21 having unevenness formed on its outer surface 21a, a guide belt 23 arranged facing the outer surface 21a of the toothed portion forming die 21, a resin material supplying section 35 for supplying a resin material 25, which is a material for a strip-shaped resin portion 13 that is a main body of the resin belt 10, between the toothed portion forming die 21 and the guide belt 23, and a release sheet supplying section 37 for supplying a long release sheet 20 having a groove portion 27 between the guide belt 23 and the resin material 25. In the present invention, as in the resin belt manufacturing apparatus 100, a core wire supplying section 33 for supplying a core wire 11 between the toothed portion forming die 21 and the guide belt 23 may be further provided.

[0056] This resin belt manufacturing apparatus 100 does not have an expensive mold 121 (see FIG. 11) for forming unevenness on the back surface as in the conventional apparatus 200, and does not require preparation of this mold 121, so that various resin belts 10 having uneven patterns on the back surface can be easily manufactured while reducing the financial burden.

[0057] (2-1) Mold for tooth formation: The teeth forming die 21 is a die having a plurality of projections and recesses formed on its outer surface 21a, and any of the teeth forming dies used in conventionally known resin belt manufacturing devices can be appropriately used.

[0058] (2-2) Guide belt: The guide belt 23 is disposed so as to face the outer surface 21a of the teeth forming die 21. Since the surface of the guide belt 23 faces the outer surface 21a of the teeth forming die 21, the laminated structure 50 can be guided along the teeth forming die 21, and the teeth 17 and the protrusions 15 can be formed integrally with the resin belt 10.

[0059] As explained in the above-mentioned method for producing a resin belt, the guide belt 23 can be made of stainless steel such as SUS304.

[0060] (2-3) Resin material supply section: The resin material supply section 35 supplies resin material 25, which is the material for the band-shaped resin section 13 that is the main body of the resin belt 10, between the tooth forming mold 21 and the guide belt 23, and any conventionally known material can be used as appropriate. For example, the resin material supply section 35 may be equipped with an ejection nozzle for the resin material 25, a storage tank for storing the resin material 25, piping connecting the ejection nozzle and the storage tank, and the storage tank may have a heating device for liquefying the resin material 25.

[0061] (2-4) Release sheet supply unit: The release sheet supply unit 37 supplies the release sheet 20 having the grooves 27 between the guide belt 23 and the resin material 25, and may be a roll-shaped release sheet having the strip-shaped release sheet 20 wound up, a driving means for appropriately rotating the roll-shaped release sheet, etc. The release sheet 20 may be one in which air vent paths 20a are formed in addition to the grooves 27, as explained in the manufacturing method for the resin belt of the present invention.

[0062] It is preferable that the release sheet supply unit 37 has a roll of release sheet, and tension is applied to the release sheet 20 supplied from this roll of release sheet. When tension is applied to the release sheet 20 in this manner, when the release sheet 20 is thin, wrinkles on the molding surface caused by the sheet sagging are less likely to occur.

[0063] (2-5) Core wire supply section: The core wire supply section 33 supplies the core wire 11 between the tooth forming die 21 and the guide belt 23, and may be any of the conventionally known ones as appropriate. For example, it may be made up of a core wire reel on which the core wire 11 is wound in a spiral shape, and a driving means for appropriately rotating the core wire reel.

[0064] (2-6)Other configurations: The resin belt manufacturing apparatus of the present invention may further include other components in addition to the above-mentioned configurations.

[0065] As shown in Fig. 1, the resin belt manufacturing apparatus of the present invention preferably includes a pair of guide rollers 39 for guiding the sending direction of the release sheet 20 supplied between the guide belt 23 and the resin material 25. The guide rollers 39 can be arranged one on each side of the release sheet 20, sandwiching the release sheet 20 therebetween. By providing the guide rollers 39, it is possible to prevent the release sheet 20 from meandering, and it is possible to form the protrusions 15 of the resin belt 10 at more accurate positions.

[0066] 1, the resin belt manufacturing apparatus of the present invention preferably includes a sheet winding unit 31 that winds up the release sheet 20 while peeling it off from the laminated structure 50 discharged from between the tooth forming mold 21 and the guide belt 23. By including this sheet winding unit 31, the release sheet 20 after use is obtained in a wound state, and can be used as it is, thereby reducing the effort required for reusing the release sheet 20.

[0067] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 1, the resin belt manufacturing apparatus of the present invention preferably includes a belt winding unit 41 that winds up the resin belt 10 discharged from between the tooth portion forming mold 21 and the guide belt 23 and after the release sheet 20 has been peeled off. The obtained resin belt 10 can be immediately cut to a desired length and stored, or can be wound up in a roll by the belt winding unit 41. Forming the resin belt 10 into a roll by the belt winding unit 41 improves storage, transportation, and the like.

[0068] 1, the resin belt manufacturing apparatus of the present invention preferably includes a pressing roller 43 for pressing down the slack of the resin belt 10 after it is discharged from between the tooth forming die 21 and the guide belt 23 and before the release sheet 20 is peeled off. By pressing down the slack of the resin belt 10 with this pressing roller 43, the resin belt 10 can be wound up well. EXAMPLES

[0069] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0070] Example 1 A resin belt manufacturing device was prepared as shown in Fig. 1. Then, grooves were formed in the longitudinal direction of a strip-shaped PFA-processed sheet as shown in Fig. 3. The grooves were formed by punching.

[0071] Next, in the resin belt manufacturing device, the liquid resin material and the core wire constituting the resin part were supplied between the tooth part forming die and the guide belt, and a release sheet having a groove was supplied between the guide belt and the liquid resin material (urethane resin) to form a laminated structure (laminate structure forming process). After that, the formed laminated structure was sandwiched between the tooth part forming die and the guide belt. As a result, the liquid resin material was introduced into the groove of the release sheet to form a protrusion integral with the resin part on one side of the resin part constituting the laminated structure, and a tooth part was formed integral with the resin part on the other side (unevenness forming process). Then, the release sheet was peeled off from the laminated structure after the unevenness forming process (sheet peeling process). In this way, a resin belt as shown in FIG. 6 was obtained.

[0072] From the above, it can be seen that according to the manufacturing method of Example 1, when manufacturing a resin belt having an uneven back surface, it is not necessary to prepare a mold for forming the uneven back surface, and therefore uneven patterns of various shapes, such as new shapes, can be easily formed on the back surface of the resin belt at low cost. In addition, a resin belt with good shapes of the formed protrusions could be manufactured. [Industrial Applicability]

[0073] The method for manufacturing a resin belt of the present invention can be employed as a method for manufacturing a resin belt such as a conveyor belt for conveying an object placed thereon, such as a product, etc. The apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt of the present invention can be utilized as an apparatus for manufacturing a resin belt such as a conveyor belt for conveying an object placed thereon, such as a product, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10: Resin belt 11: Core wire 13: Resin part 15:Protrusion 17: Teeth 20: Release sheet 20a: Air vent 21:Tooth formation mold 21a: External surface 22: Opening 23: Guide belt 25: Resin material 27: Groove 31: Sheet winding section 33: Core wire supply section 35: Resin material supply section 37: Release sheet supply section 39: Guide roller 41: Belt winding section 43: Pressing roller 50:Laminated structure 100, 200: Resin belt manufacturing equipment 121: Mold for back surface unevenness 127: Recess

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a resin belt comprising: a belt-shaped resin portion that is a main body of the resin belt; the resin portion having a protrusion portion on one surface side and a tooth portion on the other surface side, a laminated structure forming step of supplying a liquid resin material constituting the resin portion between a teeth forming die having an uneven surface formed thereon and a guide belt, and supplying a long release sheet having a groove between the guide belt and the liquid resin material to form a laminated structure; a projection-recess forming step of introducing the liquid resin material into the grooves of the release sheet by sandwiching the laminated structure between the teeth forming mold and the guide belt, thereby forming protrusions integrally with the resin portion on one surface side of the resin portion constituting the laminated structure, and forming teeth integrally with the resin portion on the other surface side; and a sheet peeling step of peeling off the release sheet from the laminated structure after the unevenness forming step to obtain the resin belt.

2. The method for producing a resin belt according to claim 1, wherein a fluorine-based sheet is used as the release sheet.

3. 3. The method for producing a resin belt according to claim 2, wherein the material of the fluorine-based sheet is polytetrafluoroethylene, a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinylether copolymer, or a tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer.

4. The method for producing a resin belt according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the release sheet has a thickness of 0.1 to 10 mm.

5. The method for producing a resin belt according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a urethane-based resin is used as the resin material.

6. The method for producing a resin belt according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the release sheet has air vent passages formed therein for discharging air from within the grooves.

7. The air vent passage extends at an angle with respect to the short side direction of the release sheet and opens to a side surface of the release sheet, The method for producing a resin belt according to claim 6, wherein in the laminate structure forming step, the release sheet is supplied so that the opening of the air vent passage is positioned behind the groove of the release sheet.

8. A resin belt manufacturing apparatus used in the method for manufacturing a resin belt according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a teeth forming die having projections and recesses formed on its outer surface; A guide belt disposed opposite the outer surface of the tooth forming die; a resin material supplying section for supplying a resin material, which is a material for a resin portion that is a main body of the resin belt, between the tooth portion forming die and the guide belt; a release sheet supply unit that supplies a release sheet having a groove between the guide belt and the resin material; A resin belt manufacturing apparatus comprising:

9. 9. The resin belt manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the release sheet supplying section has the release sheet in a roll form, and tension is applied to the release sheet supplied from the roll form release sheet.

10. 10. The resin belt manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a pair of guide rollers for guiding the release sheet supplied between the guide belt and the resin material in a sending-out direction.

11. The resin belt manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising a sheet winding unit that winds up the release sheet while peeling it off from the laminated structure discharged from between the tooth portion forming die and the guide belt.

12. The resin belt manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11, further comprising a belt winding section that winds up the resin belt after the resin belt is discharged from between the tooth portion forming die and the guide belt and the release sheet is peeled off.

13. The resin belt manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein the release sheet supplied from the release sheet supply unit has an air vent path formed therein, the air vent path being a discharge path for air within the groove portion.

14. 14. The resin belt manufacturing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the air vent passage extends at an angle with respect to a short-side direction of the release sheet and opens to a side surface of the release sheet.

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