Manufacturing method for foam molded product and molding die

Abstract

To facilitate manufacturing of a foamed molded article in which an insert article is insert-molded.SOLUTION: A mold 31 having at least one contact portion 33 and a protrusion 34 formed at a predetermined position of an upper mold 32 is used, and an insert article 13 having an end face 13a that touches a contact face 33a of the contact portion 33 of the upper mold 32, and having a fitting portion 20 that fits into the protrusion 34, is used. A back face of the insert article 13 is allowed to face the upper mold 32 in a state in which the mold 31 is opened and the end face 13a of the insert article 13 is butted against the contact face 33a of the contact portion 33 of the upper mold 32, to press the back face of the insert article 13 against the upper mold 32. Thereby, the fitting portion 20 of the insert article 13 is fit into the protrusion 34 of the upper mold 32 to set the insert article 13 to a predetermined set position of the upper mold 32. Thereafter, a foamable raw material 38 is injected into a lower mold 35, the mold 31 is closed, and the foamable raw material 38 is foamed, to mold a pad material 12. Thus, the insert article 13 is insert-molded in the pad material 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a foam-molded product and a molding die for manufacturing a foam-molded product in which an insert is insert-molded into a padding material. [Background technology]

[0002] Known examples of foam molded products of this type include seat backs and seat cushions for seats mounted in automobiles, etc. In these products, foam beads or the like are used to form the foam into a predetermined shape when foaming raw materials in a mold to form padding, in order to provide good support for the body of the occupant, reduce fatigue, and reduce the weight of the foam molded product. foam A foam-molded product may be manufactured by embedding a molded insert into a pad material. A known method for manufacturing such a foam-molded product is disclosed in Patent Document 1 (JP-A-9-70836).

[0003] In the manufacturing method described in Patent Document 1, an impact absorbing pad, which is an insert product, is placed in a molding die having a structure in which a middle die (core die) is inserted between a lower die and an upper die, and a foamable raw material is injected into the molding die to foam, thereby manufacturing an automobile seat back with the impact absorbing pad insert-molded therein. In this manufacturing method, protrusions are provided on the sides of the middle die, and recesses into which the protrusions can be press-fitted are formed on the surface of the impact absorbing pad. When an operator places the impact absorbing pad in the molding die, the protrusions of the middle die are press-fitted into the recesses of the impact absorbing pad, thereby removably attaching the impact absorbing pad to the middle die. By press-fitting the protrusions of the middle die into the recesses of the impact absorbing pad, the impact absorbing pad is attached to the middle die in the correct position and with the correct orientation, preventing the impact absorbing pad from shifting when the mold is subsequently closed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-70836 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with the manufacturing method of Patent Document 1, depending on the size of the shock absorbing pad, which is the insert product, and the positional relationship between the worker and the shock absorbing pad, it may be difficult for the worker to visually check the medium-sized protrusion while holding the shock absorbing pad, and it may be difficult to press the medium-sized protrusion into the recess of the shock absorbing pad.

[0006] Therefore, the problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a method for manufacturing a foam-molded product and a molding die that make it easier for a worker to set an insert in the upper die. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a method for manufacturing a foam-molded product in which an insert is insert-molded into a pad material using a molding die having at least an upper die and a lower die, wherein the molding die is formed with at least one abutment and protrusion for determining the set position of the insert at a predetermined position of the upper die, and the abutment has an abutment surface facing the protrusion, and the insert is: It is made of foamed resin and formed into a plate shape. The end surface of the upper die that comes into contact with the contact surface of the contact portion is fitted to the protrusion. Through holes abutting the end face of the insert piece against the abutment surface of the abutment portion of the upper mold while the molding die is open; a step of facing the back surface of the insert piece to the upper mold while the end face of the insert piece is abutted against the abutment surface of the abutment portion of the upper mold; and a step of pressing the back surface of the insert piece against the upper mold. Through holesand a step of insert-molding the insert into the pad material by injecting a foamable material into the lower mold and closing the mold to foam-mold the pad material. A method for producing a foam-molded product, comprising: when the molding die is open, at least a part of the contact portion of the upper die is formed to be located above the protrusion, The size of the through hole of the insert piece is formed slightly smaller than the size of the protrusion of the upper die, The insert is set in the upper die in a state where the insert is sandwiched between the protrusion of the upper die and the abutment surface of the abutment part. It is characterized by the following.

[0008] In this manufacturing method, when an operator sets an insert in the upper die, the operator can easily determine the rough position of the insert relative to the upper die by butting the end face of the insert against the contact surface of the contact part of the upper die. Then, by facing the back surface of the insert to the upper die while the end face of the insert is butted against the contact surface of the contact part of the upper die, the position of the insert can be determined. Through holes This allows the insert to be automatically positioned at a position corresponding to the protrusion of the upper die. This allows the operator to press the backside of the insert against the upper die without having to visually check the protrusion of the upper die. Through holes The insert can be easily fitted into the protrusion of the upper die, and the worker can set the insert in a predetermined set position in the upper die with a simple operation.

[0009] in this case, When the molding die is open, at least a portion of the contact portion of the upper die is formed to be positioned above the protrusion, making it easier for the worker to visually check the contact portion of the upper die while holding the insert. Furthermore, since the through-hole of the insert is fitted into the protrusion of the upper die, it is possible to visually confirm through the through-hole that the insert has been set in the predetermined position in the upper die. Furthermore, since the size of the through hole in the insert is formed slightly smaller than the size of the protrusion in the upper mold, the insert is set in the upper mold with the inner surface of the through hole in the insert and the protrusion in the upper mold making strong contact, making it less likely that the insert will shift out of position or come off the upper mold when the molding mold is closed. Furthermore, since the insert is set in the upper mold while being sandwiched between the protrusion of the upper mold and the abutment surface of the abutment part, the insert is less likely to shift position or come off the upper mold even when the molding mold is closed or when the foamable raw material is foaming and flowing.

[0010] Furthermore, claims 2 As shown in the figure, before setting the insert item in the upper mold, the back surface reinforcement material may be set in the upper mold, and then the insert item may be set in the upper mold so as to overlap at least a portion of the back surface reinforcement material. In this way, the back surface reinforcement material that covers the back surface of the foam-molded item and the insert item can be integrated into the padding material.

[0014] The mold used in the invention of the "manufacturing method for foam-molded products" according to claim 1 is 3As described above, the mold has at least an upper mold and a lower mold, the upper mold is attached to the lower mold so as to be pivotable to open and close, and the upper mold is formed with at least one abutment portion with which an upper end surface of an insert comes into contact, and a protrusion portion that fits into the through hole when the back surface of the insert is pressed against the upper mold with the end surface abutting against the abutment portion, and a molding die in which an abutment surface facing the protrusion is formed on the abutment portion, When the molding die is opened, at least a part of the contact portion of the upper die is formed to be located above the protrusion. ,before A molding die can be used that is configured such that when the molding die is open, at least a portion of the abutment portion of the upper die is positioned higher than the protrusion, the size of the protrusion of the upper die is slightly larger than the size of the through hole of the insert, and the insert is set in the upper die while sandwiched between the protrusion of the upper die and the abutment surface of the abutment portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an expansion-molded product according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the insert. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the process of opening the mold and setting an insert in the upper mold. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the molding die is opened and an insert is set in the upper die. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the foamable raw material has been injected into the lower mold and the molding die is closed. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the upper mold. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the state in which the back surface reinforcement material is set in the upper mold. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the state in which the insert is set in the upper die. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a method for manufacturing a cushioning material for a vehicle seat back (backrest portion) will be described.

[0017] First, the structure of a cushion material 11 for a vehicle seat back manufactured by the manufacturing method of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0018] The cushion material 11 for a vehicle seat back is a foam-molded product in which an insert item 13 is insert-molded into a pad material 12, which is a foam cushion material. The pad material 12 is foam-molded by injecting a liquid foamable raw material 38 (for example, a foamable polyurethane raw material made by mixing a foaming agent such as water with a mixed raw material of a polyol-based resin raw material and an isocyanate-based resin raw material) into a molding die 31, which will be described later. Left and right pad side portions 14, 15 for stabilizing the seated posture of an occupant are integrally molded on both left and right side portions of the pad material 12 so as to rise up from the front side.

[0019] On the other hand, the insert part 13 is formed of foam resin such as foam beads, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a center part 16 and left and right side parts 17, 18 rising from both left and right side parts of this center part 16 are formed integrally, and the center part 16 is embedded in the pad main part 12a of the pad material 12, and the left and right side parts 17, 18 are embedded in the left and right pad side parts 14, 15 of the pad material 12, respectively, by insert molding.

[0020] 3 to 6, the insert piece 13 has an end surface 13a (the upper end surface in this embodiment) that abuts against a contact surface 33a of a contact portion 33 of the upper mold 32, which will be described later, and a fitting portion 20 that fits into a protrusion 34 of the upper mold 32, which will be described later. This fitting portion 20 may be a recess whose shape matches the shape of the protrusion 34 of the upper mold 32, but in this embodiment, the fitting portion 20 is formed as a through hole (circular in this embodiment) that has a cross-sectional shape (circular in this embodiment) that matches the cross-sectional shape of the protrusion 34 of the upper mold 32 and through which the protrusion 34 can pass, and the size (diameter) of the fitting portion 20 is formed slightly smaller than the size (diameter) of the protrusion 34 of the upper mold 32. This prevents the insert piece 13 from coming off the upper mold 32 even when the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 20 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 34 to close the molding die 31 or when the foamable raw material 38 is foaming and flowing.

[0021] As shown in Figure 8, the length H from the portion of the fitting portion 20 of the insert item 13 closest to the end face 13a of the insert item 13 to said end face 13a is formed to be slightly smaller than the length h (see Figure 6) from the portion of the protrusion 34 of the upper mold 32 closest to the contact surface 33a of the contact portion 33 to said contact surface 33a. As a result, the insert item 13 is sandwiched between the protrusion 34 and the contact portion 33 of the upper mold 32, and the insert item 13 does not shift position or come off from the upper mold 32 even when the molding mold 31 is closed or when the foamable raw material 38 is foaming and flowing.

[0022] Meanwhile, a back surface reinforcement material 21 (see Figures 7 and 8) that covers the back surface of the padding 12 is insert-molded together with the insert item 13 to integrate these three components. The back surface reinforcement material 21 is formed by sewing together a cloth-like material such as a nonwoven fabric that has been cut to a predetermined shape, and at positions of the back surface reinforcement material 21 that correspond to the abutment portion 33 and protrusion 34 of the upper mold 32 described below, through holes 22, 23 that can pass through the abutment portion 33 and protrusion 34, respectively, are formed. The back surface reinforcement material 21 not only reinforces the padding 12, but also serves to prevent the padding 12 and the insert item 13 from coming into direct contact with the frame (not shown) to which the cushioning material 11 is attached, thereby preventing the generation of abnormal noise.

[0023] Next, the structure of the molding die 31 for molding the cushion material 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. The molding die 31 is arranged so as to mold the front side of the cushion material 11 (the side facing the back of the person sitting) facing downward, and is composed of at least an upper die 32 and a lower die 35. The upper die 32 is attached to the lower die 35 via a hinge shaft 36 so as to be able to open and close. At least one abutment portion 33 and a protrusion 34 are formed in predetermined positions of the upper die 32 for determining the setting position of the insert item 13. The abutment portion 33 and the protrusion 34 may be formed integrally with the upper die 32, or may be formed by attaching separate parts.

[0024] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, two abutting portions 33 and two protrusions 34 are formed at symmetrical positions on the left and right sides of the insert 13. upper By pressing the back surface of the insert piece 13 against the upper die 32 with the end face 13a abutting against the abutting portion 33, the fitting portion 20 of the insert piece 13 is (automatically) fitted directly into the protrusion 34. The positional relationship between the abutting portion 33 of the upper die 32 and the protrusion 34 is formed so that at least a part of the abutting portion 33 of the upper die 32 is located above the protrusion 34 when the molding die 31 is open, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0025] Next, a method for manufacturing the cushioning material 11 using the molding die 31 will be described. First, as shown in Fig. 3, with the forming die 31 open, an operator sets the back surface reinforcement material 21 on the inner surface of the upper die 32. At this time, as shown in Fig. 7, holes 22 and 23 are formed in the back surface reinforcement material 21 so as to avoid the contact portion 33 and protrusion 34 of the upper die 32.

[0026] 3, the worker holds the insert piece 13 and places the upper end surface 13a of the insert piece 13 against the contact surface 33a of the contact portion 33 of the upper die 32. This determines the approximate position of the insert piece 13 relative to the upper die 32. In this embodiment, when the molding die 31 is open, at least a portion of the contact portion 33 of the upper die 32 is formed to be located above the protrusion 34, so that the worker can easily visually check the contact portion 33 of the upper die 32 while holding the insert piece 13.

[0027] Then, with the upper end surface 13a of the insert piece 13 abutting against the abutment surface 33a of the abutment portion 33 of the upper die 32, the back surface of the insert piece 13 is brought into opposition to the upper die 32. As a result, the fitting portion 20 of the insert piece 13 is (automatically) positioned at a position corresponding to the protrusion 34 of the upper die 32, and the insert piece 13 overlaps at least a portion of the back surface reinforcement material 21. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4 , by pressing the back surface of the insert piece 13 against the upper die 32, the fitting portion 20 of the insert piece 13 is fitted into the protrusion 34 of the upper die 32, and the insert piece 13 is set in a predetermined set position of the upper die 32. As a result, by pressing the back surface of the insert piece 13 against the upper die 32, the fitting portion 20 of the insert piece 13 can be easily fitted into the protrusion 34 of the upper die 32 without the operator having to visually check the protrusion 34 of the upper die 32.

[0028] In this embodiment, the fitting portion 20 of the insert item 13 is a through hole, so that it is possible to visually confirm that the insert item 13 has been set in the upper mold 32 by fitting the fitting portion 20 of the insert item 13 into the protrusion 34 of the upper mold 32.

[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the size of the fitting portion 20 of the insert piece 13 is formed slightly smaller than the size of the protrusion 34 of the upper die 32, so that the insert piece 13 is set in the upper die 32 with the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 20 of the insert piece 13 and the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 34 of the upper die 32 coming into strong contact with each other. This makes it possible to prevent the insert piece 13 from coming off the upper die 32 when the molding die 31 is closed.

[0030] Moreover, in this embodiment, the length H from the portion of the fitting portion 20 of the insert piece 13 closest to the end face 13a of the insert piece 13 to said end face 13a is formed to be slightly smaller than the length h from the portion of the protrusion 34 of the upper die 32 closest to the contact surface 33a of the contact portion 33 to said contact surface 33a, so that the insert piece 13 is set in the upper die 32 in a state where it is sandwiched between the protrusion 34 of the upper die 32 and the contact surface 33a of the contact portion 33. This makes it difficult for the insert piece 13 to come off the upper die 32 when the molding die 31 is closed.

[0031] After the insert item 13 is set, a foamable raw material 38 such as a foamable polyurethane raw material is injected into the lower mold 35, and then, as shown in Figure 5, the molding die 31 is closed to foam the foamable raw material 38, and the foamed foamable raw material 38 is filled into the cavity in the molding die 31 to form the pad material 12, and a cushion material 11 is produced in which the insert item 13 and the back surface reinforcement material 21 are integrated on the back surface side of the pad material 12 by insert molding.

[0032] In this embodiment, the upper end face 13a of the insert piece 13 is abutted against the abutment surface 33a of the abutment portion 33 of the upper mold 32, which has the advantage that even if the insert piece 13 is large, the worker can easily hold the insert piece 13 and abut its upper end face 13a against the abutment surface 33a of the abutment portion 33 of the upper mold 32.However, the present invention may also be configured so that the lower end face, left end face, or right end face of the insert piece 13 is abutted against the abutment surface of the abutment portion formed at a predetermined position on the upper mold 32.

[0033] The present invention may also be applied to a molding die in which the upper die includes a core die, in which case the core die may be configured to have at least one contact portion and one protrusion. The number of contact portions and protrusions is not limited to two each, and may be one or three or more each.

[0034] In addition, in this embodiment, the insert item 13 is embedded in the pad material 12 and the back surface of the insert item 13 is covered with the back surface reinforcement material 21, but the insert item 13 may also be embedded in the pad material 12 with a portion of it exposed.

[0035] In addition, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to a method for manufacturing a cushion material for a vehicle seat back, but can be widely applied to a method for manufacturing a foam-molded product in which an insert is insert-molded into a pad material using a molding die having at least an upper die and a lower die. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 11...vehicle seat back cushion material (foam molded product), 12...pad material, 12a...pad main portion, 13...insert part, 13a...end surface, 14, 15...pad side portion, 16...center portion, 17, 18...side portion, 20...fitting portion, 21...back surface supplementary material, 22, 23...hole, 31...molding mold, 32...upper mold, 33...contact portion, 33a...contact surface, 34...protrusion, 35...lower mold, 38...foamable raw material

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a foam-molded product in which an insert is insert-molded into a pad material using a molding die having at least an upper die and a lower die, The molding die is formed with at least one contact portion and a protrusion at a predetermined position of the upper die for determining the setting position of the insert, and the contact portion has a contact surface facing the protrusion, The insert is formed into a plate shape from foamed resin and has an end surface that contacts the contact surface of the contact portion of the upper mold and a through hole that fits into the protrusion, a step of abutting the end surface of the insert piece against the contact surface of the contact portion of the upper mold while the molding die is open; a step of placing a back surface of the insert piece against the upper die in a state where the end surface of the insert piece is abutted against the abutment surface of the abutment portion of the upper die; a step of pressing the back surface of the insert against the upper die to fit the through hole of the insert into the protrusion of the upper die, thereby setting the insert at a predetermined setting position of the upper die; a step of injecting a foamable raw material into the lower mold, closing the molding die, and foam-molding the pad material to insert-molde the insert into the pad material; A method for producing a foam-molded product comprising: when the molding die is open, at least a part of the contact portion of the upper die is formed to be located above the protrusion, The size of the through hole of the insert piece is formed slightly smaller than the size of the protrusion of the upper die, A method for manufacturing a foam-molded product, characterized in that the insert is set in the upper mold in a state where the insert is sandwiched between the protrusion of the upper mold and the abutment surface of the abutment portion.

2. A method for manufacturing a foam-molded product as described in claim 1, characterized in that before setting the insert item in the upper mold, a back surface reinforcement material is set in the upper mold, and then the insert item is set in the upper mold so as to overlap at least a portion of the back surface reinforcement material.

3. A mold for producing a foam-molded product in which an insert member having at least one end face and a through hole and formed into a plate shape from foam resin is insert-molded into a pad material that is a foam cushion material, It has at least an upper mold and a lower mold, The upper mold is attached to the lower mold so as to be pivotable to open and close, the upper die is formed with at least one abutment portion with which the upper end face of the insert abuts, and a protrusion portion that fits into the through hole when the back surface of the insert is pressed against the upper die with the end face abutting against the abutment portion, and the abutment portion is formed with an abutment surface that faces the protrusion, when the molding die is open, at least a part of the contact portion of the upper die is formed to be located above the protrusion, The size of the protrusion of the upper die is formed slightly larger than the size of the through hole of the insert piece, A molding die characterized in that the insert is set in the upper die in a state where the insert is sandwiched between the protrusion of the upper die and the abutment surface of the abutment portion.

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