Method for manufacturing molds and chip molded products

Abstract

To provide a molding die that can suppress occurrence of burrs, and a method for manufacturing a chip molded product W using the molding die.SOLUTION: A molding die according to the present disclosure includes a frame-shaped first die filled with a material containing chips and a binder, and a second die that moves toward the first die. The first die comprises: a bottom part on which the material is placed; a slide part that slides on the bottom from an initial position where the material is placed on the bottom to a compression position where the material is compressed in a first direction that is a direction toward an inside of the frame-shaped first die; and a first guide part that guides the slide part. The first guide part includes a first restriction part that restricts movement of the slide part in a second direction, which is a direction away from the bottom part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0006] ,

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a molding die and a method for manufacturing a chip mold molding using the molding die.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a molding die for forming a chip mold molding by compressing a material containing a chip formed of a foamed resin or the like and a binder has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The molding die of Patent Document 1 has an upper die and a lower die, and after charging the material between the upper die and the lower die, the material is compressed to form a chip mold molding. Such a chip mold molding is used, for example, as an armrest or a cushion material for a chair.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In such a molding die, a slide die is used. When using a slide die, it is necessary to prevent the chip from being caught between the movable parts of the slide die. If the chip is caught by the slide die, the caught part becomes a burr of the chip mold molding. Patent Document 1 does not disclose such a point.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a molding die capable of suppressing the generation of burrs and a method for manufacturing a chip mold molding using the molding die.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The mold according to this disclosure comprises a frame-shaped first mold into which a material including a chip and a binder is filled, and a second mold that moves toward the first mold. The first mold has a bottom into which the material is placed, a sliding portion that slides on the bottom in a first direction which is toward the inside of the frame-shaped first mold from an initial position in which the material is placed on the bottom to a compression position which compresses the material, and a first guide portion that guides the sliding portion. The first guide portion includes a first restricting portion that restricts the movement of the sliding portion in a second direction which is toward away from the bottom.

[0007] Furthermore, the method for manufacturing a chip molded product according to this disclosure involves placing the material into the mold described above and compressing the material using the slide portion and the second mold.

[0008] This molding method prevents the sliding part from separating from the bottom part by the first guide part. As a result, chips can get trapped between the bottom part and the sliding part, preventing the generation of burrs. Therefore, chip molded products manufactured using this method have fewer burrs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] This disclosure provides a molding die that can suppress the generation of burrs, and a method for manufacturing chip molded products using this molding die. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] A side view of a mold in an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] A top view of the mold in an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] A top view showing the operation of the mold in an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 4] A side view showing the operation of the mold in an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 5] A diagram showing a chip molded product in an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the mold 1 comprises a lower mold (an example of a first mold) 2, an upper mold (an example of a second mold) 4, and a slide lock (an example of a second restricting part) 6. In this embodiment, the mold 1 used to manufacture the cushion portion of an armrest as shown in Figure 5 as a chip molded product W will be described as an example. However, the chip molded product W is not limited to an armrest, but may be various cushion portions such as the cushion portion of a chair.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the lower mold 2 has a bottom 8, a plurality of sliding parts 10, a fixed wall 12, a plurality of support columns (an example of a first guide part) 14, and a tapered guide (an example of a second guide part) 16. As shown in Figure 2, the lower mold 2 is a mold in which the bottom of a frame-shaped mold surrounded by the plurality of sliding parts 10 and the fixed wall 12 is closed by the bottom 8.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the bottom portion 8 is a mold member formed from a metal material such as aluminum for forming the lower shape W1 (see Figure 5) or upper shape W2 (see Figure 5) of the chip molded product W. The bottom portion 8 is horizontally supported by the lower frame 8a. As shown in Figure 2, the base material M of the chip molded product W is placed on the upper surface 8b of the bottom portion 8. The upper surface 8b of the bottom portion 8 is also placed on the material containing chips and binder that has been poured into the frame-shaped portion of the lower mold 2. In this embodiment, the material is described as a mixed material in which chips and binder are mixed, but the material may be, for example, a material in which the binder is pre-attached to the chips. The bottom portion 8 is provided with a plurality of through holes 8c. Steam ejected from the steam injection holes 4f of the upper mold 4, which will be described later, flows through the plurality of through holes 8c. The steam melts the binder contained in the material and adheres the chips to each other.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the multiple sliding parts 10 are thick, plate-shaped mold members made of a metal material such as aluminum that slide on the upper surface 8b of the bottom part 8. The multiple sliding parts 10 form the left and right shapes W3 (see Figure 5) and the front shape W4 (see Figure 5) of the chip molded product W. The sliding parts 10 slide in a sliding direction (an example of a first direction) that is toward the center of the frame-shaped portion of the lower mold 2, from an initial position I where the material is placed on the bottom part 8 to a compression position P where the material is compressed. As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, the multiple sliding parts 10 have a front sliding wall 10a, a right sliding wall 10b, and a left sliding wall 10c (hereinafter referred to as each sliding wall in the specification). Each sliding wall is supported by a support column 14 and guided in the sliding direction. In this embodiment, each sliding wall is connected to a pneumatic cylinder type actuator 20 that is operated by compressed air such as factory air, and is capable of reciprocating motion from the initial position I to the compression position P. However, the actuator 20 may be of various types, such as hydraulic or electric.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, a protective plate 11 is provided at the top of each slide wall to prevent material from overflowing from the frame-shaped portion of the lower mold 2 when it is loaded. In this embodiment, the protective plate 11 is made of sheet metal that is thinner than each slide wall. However, the protective plate 11 may be made of a material other than sheet metal, such as a resin material.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the fixed wall 12 is a thick, plate-shaped mold member made of a metal material such as aluminum, which constitutes the rear wall surface of the lower mold 2. The fixed wall 12 forms the rear shape W5 of the chip molded product W. In this embodiment, the front, right, and left sides of the frame-shaped lower mold 2 are configured to slide by their respective sliding walls, and only the rear side is composed of a wall fixed by the fixed wall 12.

[0017] The support column 14 extends upward along each slide wall, supports each slide wall and guides each slide wall in the sliding direction. The support column 14 may be integrally formed with the bottom portion 8. In the present embodiment, the support columns 14 are arranged at the four corners of the frame-shaped portion of the lower mold 2. As shown in an enlarged view of the front side of FIG. 1, the end face 14a of the support column 14 is formed to have substantially the same shape as the shape of the opposing face 10d of each slide wall facing the end face 14a.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the present embodiment, the opposing faces 10d are provided at both ends of each of the front slide wall 10a, the right slide wall 10b, and the left slide wall 10c. Each slide wall is guided in the sliding direction by surface contact of each opposing face 10d with the end face 14a of the support column 14. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the front slide wall 10a is guided by the left and right end faces 14a located on the left and right sides of the front support columns 14. The right slide wall 10b is guided by the end faces 14a located on the rear face of the front right support column 14 and the front face of the rear right support column 14. The left slide wall 10c is guided by the end faces 14a located on the rear face of the front left support column 14 and the front face of the rear left support column 14.

[0019] As shown in the enlarged view of the front side of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the support column 14 includes an undercut (an example of the first regulating portion) 18. The undercut 18 of the present embodiment restricts the movement of each slide wall in the separation direction (an example of the second direction), which is the direction in which each slide wall moves away from the bottom portion. For this reason, the undercut 18 is formed in a part of the end face 14a in the direction of pushing (pressing) the opposing face 10d of each slide wall back to the bottom portion. In the present embodiment, the separation direction is upward, and the undercut 18 is an R-shaped surface in which a part of the end face 14a is directed downward toward the bottom portion 8. However, the undercut 18 may be a surface formed in the direction of pushing (pressing) each slide wall back to the bottom portion 8, and does not necessarily have to be an R shape. Also, in the present embodiment, the undercuts 18 are provided on all the end faces 14a of the support column 14, and a total of six locations are provided. However, at least one or more undercuts 18 may be provided.

[0020] At least in the undercut 18 portion of the opposing surface 10d, a high-hardness layer is provided. The high-hardness layer is a layer having a higher hardness than a metal material such as aluminum forming the lower mold 2. In the present embodiment, the high-hardness layer is formed by subjecting aluminum to electroless nickel plating. The high-hardness layer may also be provided on the opposing surface 10d in addition. By providing such a high-hardness layer, wear generated by friction between the opposing surface 10d and the end surface 14a of each slide wall when each slide wall slides can be suppressed.

[0021] The tapered guide 16 is a guide for guiding the upper mold 4 toward the center of the frame-shaped portion of the lower mold 2. As shown enlarged on the rear side of FIG. 1, the tapered guide 16 has a tapered surface (an example of an inclined surface) 16a that inclines in a direction approaching the bottom 8 as it goes in the slide direction toward the center of the frame-shaped portion, and a vertical surface 16b perpendicular to the bottom 8. In the present embodiment, the tapered guide 16 is fixed to the upper portions of each slide wall and the fixed wall 12. That is, in the present embodiment, four tapered guides 16 are provided on the front side, rear side, right side, and left side. The vertical surface 16b of the tapered guide 16 may be substantially the same as the inner surface of the frame-shaped portions of each slide wall and the fixed wall 12 (see the inner surface 12a in the rear-side enlarged view in FIG. 1) in the vertical direction, or may protrude slightly inward (toward the first direction side) from the inner surface 12a. Further, a high-hardness layer is provided on the tapered surface 16a and the vertical surface 16b. In the present embodiment, the high-hardness layer is formed by subjecting the tapered surface 16a and the vertical surface 16b to electroless nickel plating, similarly to the undercut 18.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the upper mold 4 descends toward the lower mold 2 and is guided by the tapered guide 16 to fit into the frame-shaped portion of the lower mold 2. By fitting into the frame-shaped portion of the lower mold 2 in this way, the upper mold 4 compresses the material between itself and the bottom portion 8, forming the upper shape W2 (see Figure 5) or lower shape W1 (see Figure 5) of the chip molded product W. Therefore, the lower surface 4b of the upper mold 4 is formed to match the lower shape W1 or upper shape W2 of the chip molded product W. In this embodiment, for example, a convex portion 4c is provided on the lower surface 4b of the upper mold 4 to match the shape of a recess G (see Figure 5) included in the upper shape W2 of the chip molded product W. A high-hardness layer is formed on the four side surfaces (an example of contact surfaces) 4a of the upper mold 4. By forming a high-hardness layer on the side surfaces 4a of the upper mold 4 in this way, wear caused by friction between the tapered surface 16a and the vertical surface 16b and the side surfaces 4a when the upper mold 4 is guided by the tapered guide 16 can be suppressed. In this embodiment, the high-hardness layer is formed by electroless nickel plating on the side surface 4a, similar to the undercut 18. The high-hardness layer may be applied not only to the side surface 4a but also to the entire lower mold 2. Furthermore, although this embodiment describes an example where the side surface 4a and the tapered guide 16 are in contact, the upper mold 4 may have a contact surface separate from the side surface 4a. A steam injection hole 4f for ejecting steam is provided on the lower surface 4b of the upper mold 4.

[0023] The upper mold 4 is fixed to the upper frame 4d, which extends vertically and is connected to legs 4e that support the upper frame 4d so as to be movable vertically. The upper frame 4d is connected to a pneumatic cylinder actuator 22 that is operated by compressed air such as factory air, and moves from the mold open position O to the vertically compressed position Pt (see Figure 4).

[0024] The slide lock 6 is a member that restricts each slide wall from moving in the opposite direction of the slide when each slide wall is in the compressed position P. In this embodiment, the slide lock 6 is a rod-shaped member that extends downward from the upper frame 4d. As shown in Figure 2, the slide lock 6 contacts a lock wall 10e provided on the outer wall surface of each slide wall when each slide wall is in the compressed position P, thereby restricting each slide wall from moving in the opposite direction of the slide. In this embodiment, one slide lock 6 is provided for each right slide wall 10b and left slide wall 10c, but slide lock 6 may be provided for all slide walls, or two or more slide lock 6 may be provided for a single slide wall.

[0025] Next, a method for manufacturing a chip molded product W using mold 1 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3(a), the base material M is first set when each slide wall is in its initial position I. Once the base material M is set, the material is poured into the frame-shaped portion of the lower mold 2, as indicated by the dots in Figure 3(a). At this time, as shown in Figure 4(a), the upper mold 4 is in the mold-open position O.

[0027] Next, as shown in Figure 3(b), each slide wall is moved in the sliding direction toward the compression position P. At this time, as shown in Figure 3(c), the front slide wall 10a reaches the compression position P later than the right slide wall 10b and the left slide wall 10c. By creating a time difference in the sliding of adjacent slide walls (for example, the front slide wall 10a and the right slide wall 10b), material is less likely to get caught between the two slide walls 10a and 10b, thereby preventing the generation of burrs on the chip molded product W. The timing of moving each slide wall may be changed as appropriate.

[0028] As each slide wall slides in the sliding direction, the bottom surfaces of the right slide wall 10b and the left slide wall 10c move while sliding along the top surface 8b of the bottom 8. If there is a gap between the bottom surface of each slide wall and the top surface 8b of the bottom 8, material will enter this gap. The material that enters the gap becomes a burr on the chip molded product W. However, in the mold 1 of this disclosure, the undercut 18 can push (press) each slide wall back toward the bottom. This suppresses the formation of a gap between the bottom surface of each slide wall and the top surface 8b of the bottom 8. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the opposing surface 10d and the end surface 14a have a high hardness layer. This suppresses wear of the undercut 18. As a result, the formation of a gap between the bottom 8 and the bottom surface of each slide wall can be further suppressed.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3(c), when each slide wall moves to the compression position P, the upper mold 4 moves from the mold opening position O to the compression position Pt, as shown in Figure 4(b). At this time, the upper mold 4 is guided toward the lower mold 2 by the tapered guide 16, aligning itself toward the center of the frame-shaped member of the lower mold 2. This allows the upper mold 4 to smoothly enter the lower mold 2. As a result, the gap between the upper mold 4 and the lower mold 2 can be reduced. Therefore, burrs generated on the chip molded product W can be suppressed. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3(c), while the upper mold 4 descends to the compression position Pt, the slide lock 6 descends while in contact with the lock wall 10e. This restricts the movement of each slide wall in the opposite direction to the sliding direction while the upper mold 4 compresses the material. As a result, the chip molded product W can be manufactured with high precision to the specified shape.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4(b), when the upper mold 4 descends to the compression position Pt, steam is injected from the steam injection holes 4f of the upper mold 4, melting the binder in the material and forming the chip molded product W. After that, the upper mold 4 is returned to the mold open position O, and each slide wall is returned to its initial position I, making the chip molded product W ready for removal.

[0031] With this type of mold 1, the undercut 18 prevents each slide wall from separating from the bottom 8. As a result, it is possible to prevent chips from getting stuck between the bottom 8 and each slide wall and generating burrs. Furthermore, the chip molded product W manufactured by this method has fewer burrs.

[0032] As described above, this disclosure provides a mold that can suppress the generation of burrs, and a method for manufacturing a chip molded product W using this mold.

[0033] <Other Embodiments> Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0034] For example, in the above embodiment, the high-hardness layer was formed by electroless nickel plating, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. The high-hardness layer only needs to have a hardness higher than that of the lower mold 2 and upper mold 4, which are made of aluminum or the like. For this reason, the high-hardness layer may be formed by other methods, such as quenching.

[0035] Furthermore, although the above embodiment was described using an example in which the front, right, and left sides of the frame-shaped lower mold 2 are configured to slide by their respective slide walls, and only the rear side is composed of a wall fixed by the fixed wall 12, the mold 1 of this disclosure is not limited to this. The configuration of the slide section 10 is not limited to this, and three or more slide walls may be provided to match the shape of the chip molded product W. In any case, the configuration of the slide section 10 can be appropriately changed to match the shape of the chip molded product W. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 1: Molding mold 2: Lower type (an example of type 1) 4: Upper type (an example of type 2) 4a: Side view (an example of a contact surface) 6: Slide lock (an example of the second regulating section) 8: Bottom 10: Slide section 10d: Opposing surface 14: Support column (an example of the first guide section) 16: Tapered guide (an example of the second guide section) 16a: Tapered surface (an example of an inclined surface) 16b: Vertical surface 18: Undercut (an example of the first regulatory section) I: initial position P: Compression position W: Chip molded product

Claims

1. A frame-shaped first type in which a material containing chips and a binder is filled, The second type moves toward the first type, Equipped with, The aforementioned Type 1 is, The bottom on which the material is placed, A sliding portion slides on the bottom portion in a first direction, which is toward the inside of the frame-shaped first mold, from the initial position where the material is placed on the bottom portion to the compression position where the material is compressed, A first guide section that guides the aforementioned slide section, It has, The first guide portion includes a first restricting portion that restricts movement of the sliding portion in a second direction, which is the direction away from the bottom portion. The sliding portion includes an opposing surface facing the first restricting portion, and the opposing surface includes an R-shaped surface. The first restricting portion is in surface contact with the R-shaped surface. Molding mold.

2. The first type is made of a metallic material, At least the first restricting portion and the opposing surface are formed with a high-hardness layer that is harder than the metal material. The molding die according to claim 1.

3. The first type has a second guide portion that guides the second type in the first direction, The second guide portion includes an inclined surface that slopes toward the bottom as it approaches the first direction, and a vertical surface perpendicular to the bottom. The molding die according to claim 1.

4. The first regulating portion has the R-shaped surface that is directed downward toward the bottom. The molding die according to claim 1.

5. The system further includes a second restricting portion that restricts the movement of the sliding portion in the direction opposite to the first direction at the compression position, The second restricting section comprises a slide lock provided on the second type side and a locking wall provided on the slide section, When the slide portion is in the compression position and the second type moves toward the first type, the slide lock comes into contact with the lock wall. A mold according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The material is placed into the mold according to claim 1, A method for manufacturing a chip molded product, comprising compressing the material using the slide portion and the second mold, There are multiple slide parts, and at least one of the slide parts reaches the compression position later than the other slide parts. A method for manufacturing chip molded products.

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