Equipment for manufacturing jewelry

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing a personal ornament, the apparatus comprising: a magazine holding part in which a material magazine holding a rolled metal sheet material is disposed; a material feeding part that repeatedly carries out a process of conveying the metal sheet material forward from the material magazine and suspending the conveying; a die part having a die used to stamp the metal sheet material conveyed from the material feeding part into a prescribed shape; a machining part that works to bend a metal part formed by being stamped by the die part; and a guide part which is provided between the material feeding part and the die part and which causes the metal sheet material conveyed from the material feeding part to be flattened before being sent onto the die part, wherein the guide part includes: a width regulating part that regulates the width direction of the metal sheet material; a thickness regulating part that regulates the thickness direction of the metal sheet material; and a sloped part which is provided on the entrance side of the guide part for the metal sheet material and which is for narrowing the clearance in the thickness direction provided by the thickness regulating part, proceeding from upstream to downstream in the conveyance direction of the metal sheet material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing personal ornaments, and more particularly to an apparatus for manufacturing personal ornaments using cup chains.

Background Art

[0002] As one type of jewelry, there are personal ornaments such as cup chain (so-called tennis chain) type necklaces and bracelets. A cup chain is formed by connecting metal cups into a chain shape and incorporating jewels into the cups.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a tennis-type chain for jewelry and a method for manufacturing the same. According to this manufacturing method, a link that can be easily manufactured by using an automatic machine can be obtained. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a personal ornament in which a decorative body such as jewelry is attached without impairing its original beauty, and the attached decorative body is unlikely to fall off.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] To manufacture cup chains, a roll of metal sheet material is fed into a die, and metal cup parts are punched out from the sheet material by the die. These metal parts are then bent into a cup shape to form a three-dimensional shape, and then connected in a chain. In a cup chain manufacturing machine, the metal sheet material is sequentially fed from a material magazine to the die, punched out at predetermined timings, and the process from bending into a cup shape to connecting into a chain can be performed automatically. However, in such a cup chain manufacturing machine, if the metal sheet material is bent or distorted when it is sequentially fed from the material magazine to the die at predetermined timings, the metal sheet material cannot be fed stably, which can hinder continuous operation and lead to a decrease in punching accuracy.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a jewelry manufacturing apparatus that can stably feed roll-shaped metal sheet material into a mold. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a manufacturing apparatus for jewelry that forms a cup chain by processing a roll of metal sheet material, comprising: a magazine holding section that houses a material magazine for holding a roll of metal sheet material; a material feeding section located downstream of the magazine holding section that repeatedly feeds the metal sheet material sequentially from the material magazine and stops the conveyance; a mold section located downstream of the material feeding section and having a die for punching out the metal sheet material conveyed from the material feeding section into a predetermined shape; a processing section located downstream of the mold section that bends the metal parts formed by punching out in the mold section; and a guide section provided between the material feeding section and the mold section that flattens the metal sheet material conveyed from the material feeding section and sends it to the mold section, wherein the guide section has a thickness restricting section that restricts the thickness direction of the metal sheet material, and the thickness restricting section includes a slope section for narrowing the clearance in the thickness direction by the thickness restricting section from the upper side to the lower side in the conveyance direction of the metal sheet material.

[0008] With this configuration, when metal sheets are sequentially fed from the magazine holder to the mold, the rolled metal sheets are flattened by the guide. Furthermore, as the metal sheets pass through the slope of the guide, their thickness is gradually restricted, and they are sent to the mold in a state where any bending or distortion has been corrected.

[0009] In the above-described apparatus for manufacturing jewelry, it is preferable that the slope section be provided on the entrance side of the guide section for the metal plate material. This increases the clearance on the entrance side of the metal plate material, making it easier to feed the metal plate material into the guide section.

[0010] In the above-described jewelry manufacturing apparatus, the thickness regulating section is preferably provided on the exit side of the metal sheet material in the guide section and further includes a flat section for maintaining a constant clearance in the thickness direction on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the slope section. As a result, the metal sheet material whose thickness direction is regulated in the slope section is straightened by the flat section and stably supplied to the mold section.

[0011] In the above-described apparatus for manufacturing jewelry, it is preferable that the clearance in the thickness direction on the downstream side of the slope section in the direction of transport is 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of the clearance in the thickness direction on the upstream side in the direction of transport. This allows for a larger clearance on the upstream side of the slope section in the direction of transport, making it easy to feed the metal sheet material into the guide section. As the material progresses along the slope section, the clearance is restricted to 1 / 3 to 1 / 2, gradually restricting the thickness direction of the metal sheet material while suppressing an increase in the transport resistance of the metal sheet material.

[0012] In the above-described jewelry manufacturing apparatus, it is preferable that the guide section further includes a width restricting section that restricts the width direction of the metal sheet material. This allows the metal sheet material to be supplied stably to the mold section by restricting both the height and width directions of the metal sheet material.

[0013] In the above-described jewelry manufacturing apparatus, the material feeding section may have pads that grip both sides of a metal sheet, and may repeatedly grip the metal sheet with the pads, feed the metal sheet forward while gripped by the pads, and release the grip from the pads in synchronization with the timing of punching out the metal sheet in the die section. When feeding a metal sheet by repeatedly gripping and releasing it with the pads, bending and distortion are likely to occur in the metal sheet during feeding. Even in such a material feeding section, the thickness direction of the metal material is restricted by a guide section provided in a subsequent stage, so that the metal sheet can be fed to the die section in a state where bending and distortion are eliminated. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a jewelry manufacturing apparatus that can stably feed roll-shaped metal sheet material into a mold. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a jewelry manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a jewelry manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] Figures 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating the material feeding mechanism from the material magazine. [Figure 4] Figures 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams illustrating the configuration of the guide section. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the state of the guide section guiding the metal plate material. [Figure 6] Figures 6A and 6B illustrate a method for manufacturing a cup chain. [Figure 7] Figures 7A and 7B illustrate a method for manufacturing a cup chain. [Figure 8] Figure 8 illustrates an example of an accessory using a cup chain. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same members, and the description of members that have been described once will be omitted as appropriate.

[0017] (Configuration of Jewelry Manufacturing Apparatus) Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the jewelry manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the jewelry manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The jewelry manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is an apparatus for automatically manufacturing cup chains 200 by processing rolled metal sheet material 100. The manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a magazine holding unit 10, a material feeding unit 20, a mold unit 30, a processing unit 40, a guide unit 50, and a product receiving unit 60.

[0018] The magazine holding unit 10 is a portion that holds a material magazine 11 that holds a metal sheet material 100 of a predetermined width in a rolled shape. As the metal sheet material 100 used as the material for the cup chain 200, gold (such as 18K gold), silver, platinum, or the like is used. The width of the metal sheet material 100 is, for example, 10 mm or 11.5 mm, and the thickness is, for example, 0.2 mm. The material magazine 11 is provided with the elongated metal sheet material 100 wound around a reel. The magazine holding unit 10 is provided outside the main body 2 of the manufacturing apparatus 1 to facilitate replacement of the material magazine 11.

[0019] The material feeding unit 20 is disposed downstream of the magazine holding unit 10, and has a drive mechanism that feeds the metal sheet material 100 to the mold unit 30 by repeating conveyance of sequentially feeding the metal sheet material 100 from the material magazine 11 and stopping the conveyance. The mold unit 30 is disposed downstream of the material feeding unit 20, and has a mold 31 for punching the metal sheet material 100 into a predetermined shape. By punching the metal sheet material 100 with the mold 31, a metal component 150 for constituting one cup 160 of the cup chain 200 is formed.

[0020] The processing unit 40 is located downstream of the die unit 30 and is responsible for bending and processing the metal parts 150 formed by punching out in the die unit 30. The metal parts 150 punched out from the metal sheet material 100 by the die 31 are flat, and the processing unit 40 processes these flat metal parts 150 by bending or welding them to form three-dimensional cups 160. In addition to forming the cups 160, the processing unit 40 also automatically processes multiple cups 160 to form a chain. The finished cup chain 200 is sent to the product receiving unit 60 located on the outside of the main body 2.

[0021] In such a manufacturing apparatus 1, a guide section 50 is provided between the material feeding section 20 and the mold section 30. The guide section 50 is a part that guides the sequential feeding of the metal sheet material 100 so that the metal sheet material 100 conveyed from the material feeding section 20 is flattened and sent to the mold section 30. Details of the guide section 50 will be described later.

[0022] (Material magazine and material feeding unit) Figures 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating the material feeding section from the material magazine. Figure 3A shows a state in which a pair of pads 21 are separated from the metal plate material 100, and Figure 3B shows a state in which the pair of pads 21 are gripping the metal plate material 100. The metal plate material 100, pulled out from the material magazine 11 of the magazine holding unit 10, is pre-loaded into the material feeding unit 20. The material feeding unit 20 is equipped with, for example, a pair of pads 21. The pair of pads 21 are capable of gripping the metal plate material 100 from above and below. The pair of pads 21 perform gripping, moving, and releasing operations by a drive mechanism (not shown) of the material feeding unit 20.

[0023] The material feeding unit 20 moves the pair of pads 21 in a forward feeding direction while gripping the metal sheet material 100 with the pair of pads 21, thereby drawing the metal sheet material 100 from the material magazine 11 and feeding it to the subsequent die unit 30 (conveying direction D). After feeding a predetermined amount of metal sheet material 100 at a predetermined timing, the gripping by the pair of pads 21 is released as shown in Figure 3A, and the pair of pads 21 are returned to their original positions. The material feeding unit 20 repeats this gripping and forward feeding of the metal sheet material 100 by the pair of pads 21, and the release of the gripping and return to the original positions, in accordance with the timing of punching by the die 31. As a result, the forward feeding of the metal sheet material 100 in the conveying direction D and punching by the die 31 are performed continuously, and metal parts 150 are sequentially punched out from the metal sheet material 100.

[0024] (Guide section) Figures 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams illustrating the configuration of the guide section. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the state of the guide portion guiding the metal plate material. The guide section 50 guides the metal sheet material 100 as it is sequentially fed from the material feeding section 20 to the mold section 30, ensuring that the metal sheet material 100 is stably fed into the mold section 30. For example, since the metal sheet material 100 is held in a roll shape in the material magazine 11, it retains its roll shape (bend) when pulled out. Also, in a mechanism that sequentially feeds the metal sheet material 100 by repeatedly gripping and releasing it with a pair of pads 21, as described in the material feeding section 20 above, the metal sheet material 100 is pulled while being gripped by the pair of pads 21, making it prone to bending and distortion due to the force received from the pads 21. In particular, if the metal sheet material 100 is made of a soft precious metal such as gold, the bending and distortion tend to be greater. The guide section 50 corrects such bending and distortion in the metal sheet material 100, flattening it to an extent that does not affect the sequential feeding, and then feeds it into the mold section 30.

[0025] In this embodiment, the guide section 50 has a thickness restricting section 51 that restricts the thickness direction of the metal plate material 100. The thickness restricting section 51 is provided on the inlet 50a side of the guide section 50 for the metal plate material 100 and includes a slope section 511 for narrowing the clearance in the thickness direction from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction D of the metal plate material 100. The guide section 50 has a structure through which the metal plate material 100 passes, and the thickness restricting section 51 that restricts the thickness direction of the metal plate material 100 is provided in the cylindrical internal space.

[0026] The slope section 511 is provided in the area from the entrance 50a side of the guide section 50 to the downstream side in the conveying direction D, up to a distance X1. The slope section 511 has a gradient that gradually rises from the entrance 50a of the guide section 50 to a distance X1. The height clearance of the space in the area where the slope section 511 is provided is at a height Z1 on the entrance 50a side and gradually narrows to a height Z2 on the downstream side in the conveying direction D.

[0027] The thickness regulating section 51 has a flat section 512 provided on the exit 50b side of the slope section 511 in the guide section 50. The flat section 512 is a part that maintains a constant clearance in the thickness direction on the downstream side of the slope section 511 in the transport direction D. In this embodiment, the flat section 512 is provided in the region of the guide section 50 at a distance X2 after a distance X1. When the metal sheet material 100 is sequentially fed from the magazine holding section 10 to the mold section 30, the metal sheet material 100 fed into the guide section 50 reaches the slope section 511 first. In the slope section 511, the clearance in the height direction gradually narrows in the transport direction D. Therefore, for example, as shown in Figure 5, even if the metal sheet material 100 is bent (wavy, etc.) or distorted on the entrance 50a side of the guide section 50, when the metal sheet material 100 is passed through the slope section 511, the height direction of the metal sheet material 100 is regulated, and the bend or distortion is corrected.

[0028] In this case, since the slope portion 511 of the guide portion 50 is provided on the entrance 50a side, the clearance on the entrance 50a side is larger, and the metal plate material 100 can be easily fed into the guide portion 50. In addition, as the metal plate material 100 passes through the slope portion 511, the clearance in the height direction of the metal plate material 100 is gradually narrowed, and any bending or distortion of the metal plate material 100 is corrected.

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4B, the guide section 50 is further provided with a width restricting section 52 that restricts the width direction of the metal plate material 100. The width direction position of the metal plate material 100 fed into the guide section 50 is restricted by the width restricting section 52.

[0030] The guide section 50 corrects any bending or distortion of the roll-shaped metal sheet material 100, and the width regulating section 52 also regulates the position of the metal sheet material 100 in the width direction. As a result, the metal sheet material 100 can be supplied from the guide section 50 to the mold section 30 in a stable state.

[0031] Here, it is preferable that the height Z2, which is the clearance in the thickness direction on the downstream side of the slope section 511 in the transport direction D, is between 1 / 3 and 1 / 2 of the height Z1, which is the clearance in the thickness direction on the upstream side of the transport direction D. As a result, a larger clearance is provided on the upstream side of the slope section 511 in the transport direction D, allowing the metal plate material 100 to be easily fed into the guide section 50. As the material moves along the slope section 511, the clearance is restricted to between 1 / 3 and 1 / 2, gradually restricting the thickness direction of the metal plate material 100.

[0032] As a specific example, if the thickness of the metal plate 100 is 0.2 mm, the height Z1 on the inlet 50a side of the slope section 511 is 1.8 mm, and the height Z2 on the outlet 50b side is 0.7 mm. Therefore, when a 0.2 mm thick metal plate 100 is fed into the guide section 50, the clearance between the top and bottom of the metal plate 100 and the guide section 50 on the outlet 50b side will be 0.25 mm. The bending and distortion of the metal plate 100 in the height direction will fall within this range. In addition, the inclination of the slope section 511 is about 5 to 7 degrees. By setting the inclination to this degree, it is possible to straighten the metal plate 100 while sufficiently suppressing the increase in transport resistance that occurs when the bending and distortion of the metal plate 100 fed into the guide section 50 is corrected by the slope section 511.

[0033] (How to manufacture cup chains) Next, we will explain the manufacturing method of the cup chain. Figures 6A to 7B illustrate a method for manufacturing a cup chain. First, as shown in Figure 6A, a long metal sheet 100 is punched out. That is, using the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the metal sheet 100 is sequentially fed from the material magazine 11 to the die 31 and punched out. The sequential feeding is performed at predetermined timings by the material feeding unit 20. The metal sheet 100, which has been sequentially fed to the die 31 in the die unit 30, is continuously punched out by the die 31 as it is sequentially fed. A metal part 150 is formed by punching out the metal sheet 100. As shown in Figure 6B, the metal part 150 is a flat plate-shaped part obtained by punching the metal sheet 100 into a predetermined shape.

[0034] Metal parts 150 punched out from the metal sheet material 100 are sent from the die section 30 to the processing section 40. In the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the transport of metal parts 150 from the die section 30 to the processing section 40 is performed automatically in accordance with the timing of the sequential feeding of the metal sheet material 100. In the processing section 40, the metal parts 150 transported from the die section 30 are bent one by one to form the three-dimensional box-shaped cups 160 shown in Figure 7A. When forming the cups 160, they are bent into a box shape while being connected to the previously formed cups 160. This forms a cup chain 200 as shown in Figure 7B. The processing section 40 sequentially connects the next cup 160 to the cup 160 at the end of the cup chain 200. Therefore, in the manufacturing apparatus 1, the sequential feeding of the metal sheet material 100, punching, forming the cups 160, and connecting to the cup chain 200 are repeated, continuously forming the cup chain 200 and discharging it to the product receiving section 60.

[0035] Figure 8 illustrates an example of an accessory using a cup chain. In this embodiment, a cup chain 200 is manufactured using the manufacturing apparatus 1, and an ornament 500 is completed by assembling decorative elements 300 such as gemstones into each cup 160. The decorative elements 300 are held in place by the claws 161 while assembled into the cups 160. Here, the decorative elements 300 include gemstones, artificial gemstones, precious stones, imitation gemstones, and other types of gemstones. Examples of ornaments 500 using the cup chain 200 include bracelets, necklaces, earrings, brooches, and watch bands.

[0036] As described above, according to this embodiment, the roll-shaped metal sheet material 100 can be stably fed into the mold 31, thereby preventing supply problems of the metal sheet material 100 and enabling the continuous formation of the cup chain 200.

[0037] Although this embodiment and its application examples have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these examples. For example, in the above embodiment, the thickness regulating portion 51 has a flat portion 512 on the exit 50b side of the metal plate material 100 in the guide portion, but the present invention is not limited to this example. In other embodiments of the present invention, a slope portion may be provided over the entire length of the metal plate material in the guide portion from the entrance side to the exit side, or a flat portion may be provided on the entrance side and exit side of the metal plate material in the guide portion with the slope portion in between. Furthermore, the shapes of the metal parts 150 and cups 160 punched out from the metal sheet 100 are just examples, and other shapes are also acceptable. Furthermore, any additions, deletions, or design modifications made to the aforementioned embodiments or their application examples by those skilled in the art, or any combination of the features of each embodiment, are also included within the scope of the present invention, as long as they retain the essence of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1...Manufacturing equipment, 2...Main body, 10...Magazine holder, 11...Material magazine, 20...Material feeding unit, 21...Pad, 30...Mold unit, 31...Mold, 40...Processing unit, 50...Guide unit, 50a...Inlet, 50b...Outlet, 51...Thickness regulating unit, 52...Width regulating unit, 60...Product receiving unit, 100...Metal sheet material, 150...Metal parts, 160...Cup, 161...Claw, 200...Cup chain, 300...Decorative body, 500...Jewelry, 511...Slope unit, 512...Flat unit, D...Conveying direction, X1...Distance, X2...Distance, Z1...Height, Z2...Height

Claims

1. A manufacturing apparatus for jewelry that processes rolled metal sheet material to form a cup chain, A magazine holding section for arranging a material magazine that holds roll-shaped metal sheet material, A material feeding unit is positioned downstream of the magazine holding unit and repeatedly feeds the metal sheet material sequentially from the material magazine and stops the feeding process. A die section is located downstream of the material feeding section and has a die that punches out the metal sheet material conveyed from the material feeding section into a predetermined shape. A processing unit is located downstream of the mold section and bends the metal parts formed by punching out in the mold section, A guide section is provided between the material feeding section and the mold section, and flattens the metal sheet material conveyed from the material feeding section before sending it to the mold section. Equipped with, The guide portion has a thickness restricting portion that restricts the thickness direction of the metal plate material, The thickness restricting portion includes a slope portion for narrowing the clearance in the thickness direction by the thickness restricting portion from the upper side to the lower side in the conveying direction of the metal plate material. A device for manufacturing jewelry.

2. The slope portion is provided on the entrance side of the metal plate material in the guide portion. The apparatus for manufacturing jewelry according to claim 1.

3. The thickness regulating portion is provided on the exit side of the metal plate material in the guide portion and further includes a flat portion for maintaining a constant clearance in the thickness direction on the downstream side of the slope portion in the conveying direction. The apparatus for manufacturing jewelry according to claim 2.

4. The clearance in the thickness direction on the downstream side of the slope portion in the conveying direction is 1 / 3 or more and 1 / 2 or less of the clearance in the thickness direction on the upstream side in the conveying direction. An apparatus for manufacturing jewelry according to claim 2 or claim 3.

5. The guide portion further includes a width restricting portion that restricts the width direction of the metal plate material. An apparatus for manufacturing jewelry according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The material feeding unit has pads that clamp the front and back sides of the metal sheet material, and in synchronization with the timing of punching out the metal sheet material in the die unit, it repeatedly clamps the metal sheet material with the pads, feeds the metal sheet material forward while it is clamped with the pads, and releases the clamping with the pads. An apparatus for manufacturing jewelry according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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