Continuous press-molding apparatus, molded article, and continuous press-molding method

Abstract

The present invention provides a pressing apparatus or the like capable of suppressing damage to a press-molding target sheet material during press-molding. A continuous press-molding apparatus (1) comprises: a shaping mold (20) provided with an upper shaping mold (21) having a first upper press face which includes one of a recessed shape and a projection shape that fits the recessed shape and with a lower shaping mold (22) having a first lower press face which includes the other of the recessed shape and the projection shape; a positioning mold (30) provided with an upper positioning mold (31) having a second upper press face corresponding to the first upper press face and with a lower positioning mold (32) having a second lower press face corresponding to the first lower press face; and a conveyance device (50) that conveys a press-molding target sheet material M. In the continuous press-molding apparatus, mold clamping of the positioning mold and mold clamping of the shaping mold are continuously performed in the stated order.

Description

Continuous press molding device, molded product, and continuous press molding method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a continuous press molding apparatus, a molded product, and a continuous press molding method.

[0002] A press device is known that places a preheated sheet material to be press-molded (e.g., a thermoplastic resin sheet) between an upper mold having a press surface including a concave-convex shape and a lower mold having a press surface including a convex shape that fits into the concave shape and a concave shape that the convex shape fits into, and performs press molding in which the press surface of the upper mold and the press surface of the lower mold sandwich and pressurize the sheet material to be press-molded placed between them, thereby forming a molded product with a series of alternating concave-convex shapes corresponding to the press surface of the upper mold and the press surface of the lower mold (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-156012

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, when an FRP sheet material (e.g., prepreg, laminate plate, stampable sheet) is used as the sheet material to be press-molded, the FRP sheet material reinforced with reinforcing fibers hardly stretches, so when the (plural) convex shapes on the press surface of the upper mold simultaneously press the FRP sheet material into the (plural) concave shapes on the press surface of the lower mold (i.e., when the molds are closed), the FRP sheet material present between the concave shapes on the press surface of the lower mold (between the convex shapes on the press surface of the upper mold) is pulled, posing a problem of concern that the FRP sheet material may be damaged.

[0005] Other objects and novel features will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0006] A continuous press-forming apparatus according to one embodiment comprises a shaping die including an upper shaping die having a first upper press surface including one of a concave shape and a convex shape that fits into the concave shape, and a lower shaping die having a first lower press surface including the other of the concave shape and the convex shape; a positioning die including an upper positioning die having a second upper press surface corresponding to the first upper press surface, and a lower positioning die having a second lower press surface corresponding to the first lower press surface; and a conveying device that conveys a sheet material to be press-formed, wherein the shaping die and the positioning die are arranged in this order along a conveying direction of the sheet material to be press-formed, and clamping of the shaping die is performed such that the first upper press surface of the upper shaping die and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping die sandwich a preheated portion of the sheet material to be press-formed that is arranged therebetween. The clamping of the positioning dies is carried out by sandwiching and applying pressure between the second upper press surface of the upper positioning die and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning die, and the clamping of the positioning dies is carried out by clamping and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material placed between them, which has been shaped by the shaping die, and the conveying device conveys the press-molded sheet material so that each time each die is opened, the pre-heated portion of the press-molded sheet material is placed between the first upper press surface of the upper shaping die and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping die, and the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material is placed between the second upper press surface of the upper positioning die and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning die, and clamping of the positioning dies and clamping of the shaping dies are carried out successively in this order.

[0007] According to the embodiment, it is possible to provide a continuous press-forming apparatus and a formed product that can suppress damage to a sheet material to be press-formed during press-forming.

[0008] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous press molding apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a molded product molded (manufactured) by the continuous press molding apparatus 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a configuration example of a mold clamping mechanism 100. FIG. 4 is a top view of a conveying device 50. FIG. 5 is a system configuration diagram of a control device 60. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an operation example of the continuous press molding apparatus 1. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing how a molded product having a continuous alternating concave-convex shape (see FIG. 2) is manufactured by press-molding the press-molded sheet material M with each of the dies 10, 20, 30, and 40 every time the press-molded sheet material M is conveyed a predetermined distance (e.g., one pitch). FIG. 8 is a diagram showing how a molded product having a continuous alternating concave-convex shape (see FIG. 2) is manufactured by press-molding the press-molded sheet material M with each of the dies 10, 20, 30, and 40 every time the press-molded sheet material M is conveyed a predetermined distance (e.g., one pitch). 14 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a molded product (see FIG. 2) having a continuous alternating concave and convex shape is manufactured by press-molding the press-molded sheet material M with each mold 10, 20, 30, 40 every time the press-molded sheet material M is conveyed a predetermined distance (e.g., one pitch). FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a molded product (see FIG. 2) having a continuous alternating concave and convex shape is manufactured by press-molding the press-molded sheet material M with each mold 10, 20, 30, 40 every time the press-molded sheet material M is conveyed a predetermined distance (e.g., one pitch). FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a molded product (see FIG. 2) having a continuous alternating concave and convex shape is manufactured by press-molding the press-molded sheet material M with each mold 10, 20, 30, 40 every time the press-molded sheet material M is conveyed a predetermined distance (e.g., one pitch). FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the convex shape of the upper shaping mold, upper positioning mold, and upper cooling mold, and the concave shape of the lower shaping mold, lower positioning mold, and lower cooling mold. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the press-molded sheet material M. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a continuous press-molding apparatus 1A according to a second embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a continuous press-molding apparatus 1B according to a third embodiment. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIV-XIV of FIG. 13. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a continuous press-molding apparatus 1C according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the height position of each upper mold. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing specific examples of the height positions of the upper dies; 10B are diagrams showing specific examples of the height positions of the upper dies; 10C are diagrams showing modified examples of the sheet material M to be press-molded;

[0009] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, a first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, for clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings have been simplified as appropriate. <Overall Configuration of Press Apparatus> First, the overall configuration of a press apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous press molding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a molded product molded (manufactured) by the continuous press molding apparatus 1.

[0010] The continuous press-molding apparatus 1 is an apparatus for producing a molded product (see FIG. 2) having a series of alternating concave and convex shapes by press-molding the press-molded sheet material M with each of the molds 10, 20, 30, and 40 each time the sheet material M is transferred (transported) a predetermined distance (e.g., one pitch). The distance P1 (see FIG. 2) between the concave shapes of the molded product corresponds to the distance P2 (see FIG. 1) in the X-axis direction between the convex shapes of each mold. Hereinafter, these distances P1 and P2 will be referred to as one pitch. One pitch is, for example, 50 mm.

[0011] The press-molding target sheet material M is, for example, an FRP sheet material. FPR stands for fiber-reinforced plastics. This plastic may be a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin. That is, the press-molding target sheet material M may be an FRP sheet material made of a thermoplastic resin or an FRP sheet material made of a thermosetting resin. Examples of FRP sheet materials include prepregs, laminates, and stampable sheets. The press-molding target sheet material M may be cut to a predetermined length, or may be drawn from a roll of the press-molding target sheet material M. Furthermore, the press-molding target sheet material M may be a single sheet or multiple sheets stacked together.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the continuous press molding device 1 includes a preheating mold 10, a shaping mold 20, a positioning mold 30, a cooling mold 40, a conveying device 50, a control device 60 (omitted in Figure 1), and a mold clamping mechanism 100 (omitted in Figure 1).

[0013] For ease of explanation, the X, Y, and Z axes are defined below as shown in Figure 1 etc. The X axis extends in the conveying direction (horizontal direction) of the sheet material M to be press-formed. The Y axis extends in a direction (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the X axis. The Z axis extends in a direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the XY plane.

[0014] The preheating mold 10 includes an upper preheating mold 11 and a lower preheating mold 12. Similarly, the shaping mold 20 includes an upper shaping mold 21 and a lower shaping mold 22. Similarly, the positioning mold 30 includes an upper positioning mold 31 and a lower positioning mold 32. Similarly, the cooling mold 40 includes an upper cooling mold 41 and a lower cooling mold 42.

[0015] The upper dies (upper shaping die 21, upper positioning die 31, upper cooling die 41) are attached to the underside of the upper platen 70A (movable platen). Similarly, the lower dies (lower shaping die 22, lower positioning die 32, lower cooling die 42) are attached to the upper side of the lower platen 70B (fixed platen). Specific examples of the attachment structure of the upper and lower dies will be described later.

[0016] A gap (clearance) G1 (see FIG. 1 ) exists between the shaping mold 20 (upper shaping mold 21 and lower shaping mold 22) and the positioning mold 30 (upper positioning mold 31 and lower positioning mold 32). Similarly, a gap (clearance) G2 (see FIG. 1 ) exists between the positioning mold 30 (upper positioning mold 31 and lower positioning mold 32) and the cooling mold 40 (upper cooling mold 41 and lower cooling mold 42). It is preferable that the gaps G1 and G2 are as short as possible, for example, 1 mm.

[0017] Length L of the positioning die 30 in the X-axis direction ３０_X is the length L of the shaping mold 20 in the X-axis direction ２０_X The length L of the cooling mold 40 in the X-axis direction is shorter than ４０_X is the length L of the shaping mold 20 in the X-axis direction ２０_X is the same as

[0018] In this way, by making the lengths of the dies 20, 30, and 40 in the X-axis direction different, it becomes possible to pressurize the portions of the press-molded sheet material M corresponding to the gaps G1 and G2 in one of the processes (see FIGS. 9A to 9D). The lengths of the dies 10, 20, 30, and 40 in the Y-axis direction correspond to the width of the press-molded sheet material M.

[0019] Length L of the preheating mold 10 in the X-axis direction １０_X is the length L of the shaping mold 20 in the X-axis direction ２０_X This is longer. Therefore, as described below, when the press-molding target sheet material M is transferred (transported) one pitch at a time (see FIGS. 9A to 9D), the preheating mold 10 heats and presses the same portion of the press-molding target sheet material M multiple times, allowing for a longer heating time for the press-molding target sheet material M. Furthermore, because the preheating heats the portion of the press-molding target sheet material M without dropping it below the intended molding temperature, molding defects such as wrinkles and voids that tend to occur due to insufficient molding temperature can be suppressed. As a result, the internal quality of the press-molding target sheet material M is improved. For example, defects such as voids inside the press-molding target sheet material M can be eliminated or reduced.

[0020] <Configuration of Preheating Mold 10> As shown in Fig. 1 , the preheating mold 10 includes an upper preheating mold 11 and a lower preheating mold 12. The preheating mold 10 is placed on a lower mold platen 70B (fixed platen). The upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 is a plane parallel to the XY plane. Similarly, the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 is a plane parallel to the XY plane. At least one of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower preheating mold 12 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device (e.g., an electric heater 13; see Fig. 7 ). The heating device may be built into the preheating mold 10 or may be provided external to the preheating mold 10.

[0021] <Example of Clamping Operation of Preheating Mold 10> Clamping of the preheating mold 10 is performed by the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 sandwiching and pressuring a portion of the press-molded sheet material M located therebetween. This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 14 (a solenoid valve for adjusting the air supply amount provided midway through the air supply path connected to the air cylinder; see FIG. 7 ) connected to the upper preheating mold 11 to lower the upper preheating mold 11. At this time, because the preheating mold 10 is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heating device, the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 sandwich and heat and pressurize the portion of the press-molded sheet material M located therebetween with a predetermined pressure. Hereinafter, the portion of the press-molded sheet material M preheated in this manner will be referred to as the preheated portion of the press-molded sheet material M. On the other hand, the preheating mold 10 is opened by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 14 (a solenoid valve for adjusting the amount of air supply provided midway in the air supply passage connected to the air cylinder; see FIG. 7 ) connected to the upper preheating mold 11, thereby lifting the upper preheating mold 11.

[0022] <Configuration of the shaping mold 20> As shown in FIG. 1 , the shaping mold 20 includes an upper shaping mold 21 having an upper press surface (an example of a first upper press surface of the present disclosure) including a convex shape 21c that is convex in the -Z direction, and a lower shaping mold 22 having a lower press surface (an example of a first lower press surface of the present disclosure) including a concave shape 22c into which the convex shape 21c fits. The upper press surface of the upper shaping mold 21 includes planes 21a and 21b parallel to the XY plane and the convex shape 21c that is convex in the -Z direction. The convex shape 21c has, for example, a convex shape whose cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) is an inverted trapezoid (see FIG. 1 ). The planes 21a and 21b and the convex shape 21c extend in the Y-axis direction. On the other hand, the press surface of the lower shaping mold 22 includes planes 22a and 22b parallel to the XY plane and the concave shape 22c into which the convex shape 21c fits. The flat surfaces 22a, 22b and the recessed shape 22c extend in the Y-axis direction. At least one of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower shaping mold 22 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device (e.g., an electric heater 23; see FIG. 7 ). The predetermined temperature is lower than that of the upper pre-heating mold 11. The heating device may be built into the shaping mold 20 or may be provided outside the shaping mold 20.

[0023] <Attachment Structure of the Shaping Mold 20> The upper shaping mold 21 is attached in a fixed state to the lower surface side of the upper mold platen 70A. Specifically, it is attached as follows.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, a mounting plate 82A and a heat insulating plate 83A are arranged in this order from top to bottom between the upper shaping mold 21 and the upper mold platen 70A.

[0026] As will be described later, the upper platen 70A is raised and lowered in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by a clamping mechanism 100. The mounting plate 82A is fixed to the upper platen 70A with its upper surface in surface contact with the lower surface of the upper platen 70A. The two are fixed together by, for example, bolts (not shown).

[0027] On the other hand, the upper shaping mold 21 is fixed to the mounting plate 82A with an insulating plate 83A sandwiched between its upper surface and the lower surface of the mounting plate 82A. The two are fixed by, for example, bolts B2. Reference numeral 84 denotes a knock pin for accurately fixing the upper shaping mold 21 to the mounting plate 82A.

[0028] As described above, the upper shaping mold 21 is attached in a fixed state to the upper mold platen 70A side.

[0029] On the other hand, the lower shaping mold 22 is attached in a fixed state to the upper surface side of the lower mold platen 70B. Specifically, it is attached as follows.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, a mounting plate 82B and a heat insulating plate 83B are arranged in this order from bottom to top between the lower shaping mold 22 and the lower mold platen 70B.

[0031] The mounting plate 82B is fixed to the lower platen 70B with its lower surface in surface contact with the upper surface of the lower platen 70B, and they are fixed together by, for example, bolts (not shown).

[0032] On the other hand, the lower shaping mold 22 is fixed to the mounting plate 82B with an insulating plate 83B sandwiched between its lower surface and the upper surface of the mounting plate 82B. The two are fixed by, for example, bolts B4. Reference numeral 85 denotes a knock pin for accurately fixing the lower shaping mold 22 to the mounting plate 82B.

[0033] <Example of clamping operation of shaping mold 20> Clamping of the shaping mold 20 is performed by the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 sandwiching and pressurizing the preheated portion (portion preheated by the preheating mold 10) of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between them. As will be described later, this is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and lowering the upper platen 70A on which the upper shaping mold 21 is attached.

[0034] At this time, since the shaping mold 20 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 sandwich the preheated portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between them, and heat and press it with a predetermined pressure. The predetermined pressure is higher than that of the preheating mold 10.

[0035] At this time, the preheated portion of the press-molded sheet material M is pressed into the concave shape 22c on the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22 by the convex shape 21c on the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21. As a result, a shape (concave shape) corresponding to the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping die 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping die 22 is formed in the preheated portion of the press-molded sheet material M. Hereinafter, the portion of the press-molded sheet material M shaped in this manner will be referred to as the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material M. Meanwhile, the mold opening of the shaping die 20 is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and raising the upper platen 70A to which the upper shaping die 21 is attached.

[0036] <Configuration of the Positioning Die 30> As shown in FIG. 1 , the positioning die 30 includes an upper positioning die 31 having an upper press surface (an example of the second upper press surface of the present disclosure) corresponding to the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21, and a lower positioning die 32 having a lower press surface (an example of the second lower press surface of the present disclosure) corresponding to the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22. The upper press surface of the upper positioning die 31 has a shape similar to that of the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21, and includes planes 31a and 31b parallel to the XY plane and a convex shape 31c convex in the -Z direction. The convex shape 31c has a shape similar to that of the convex shape 21c, and is, for example, a convex shape whose cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) is an inverted trapezoid (see FIG. 1 ). The planes 31a and 31b and the convex shape 31c extend in the Y-axis direction. On the other hand, the lower press surface of the lower positioning mold 32 has the same shape as the lower press surface of the lower shaping mold 22, and includes flat surfaces 32a and 32b parallel to the XY plane and a concave shape 32c into which the convex shape 31c fits. The flat surfaces 32a and 32b and the concave shape 32c extend in the Y-axis direction. The positioning mold 30 is at a lower temperature than the shaping mold 20.

[0037] <Mounting Structure of Positioning Die 30> The upper positioning die 31 is mounted on the underside of the upper die platen 70A so as to be movable in a direction (Z-axis direction) toward and away from the upper die platen 70A. Specifically, it is mounted as follows.

[0038] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 1. The cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Fig. 1 is the same as Fig. 4.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 4, a mounting plate 82A and a heat insulating plate 83A are arranged in this order from top to bottom between the upper positioning mold 31 and the upper mold plate 70A.

[0040] As will be described later, the upper platen 70A is raised and lowered in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by a clamping mechanism 100. The mounting plate 82A is fixed to the upper platen 70A with its upper surface in surface contact with the lower surface of the upper platen 70A. The two are fixed together by, for example, bolts (not shown).

[0041] The upper positioning mold 31 is attached to the underside of the upper mold plate 70A so as to be movable in the direction of approaching and moving away from the upper mold plate 70A (Z-axis direction) by screwing a bolt 94 inserted into a through hole H1 formed in the mounting plate 82A and a through hole H2 formed in the insulating plate 83A at its top (see the enlarged view within the rectangle C1 in Figure 4).

[0042] The through-hole H1 formed in the mounting plate 82A includes a large-diameter hole H1a formed in the upper part in the thickness direction of the mounting plate 82A and a small-diameter hole H1b formed in the lower part in the thickness direction of the mounting plate 82A. A step portion 95 is formed between the large-diameter hole H1a and the small-diameter hole H1b.

[0043] The head 94a of the bolt 94 is inserted into the large diameter hole H1a, while the shaft 94b of the bolt 94 is inserted into the small diameter hole H1b and the through hole H2.

[0044] The diameter of the large diameter hole H1a is slightly larger than the diameter of the head 94a of the bolt 94. Similarly, the diameters of the small diameter hole H1b and the through hole H2 are slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft 94b of the bolt 94. Therefore, the upper positioning die 31 is movable in the direction (Z-axis direction) toward and away from the upper die platen 70A.

[0045] The upper positioning die 31 moves downward (in the -Z direction) relative to the upper platen 70A due to its own weight, etc., but further downward movement is restricted when the heads 94a of the bolts 94 engage with the stepped portions 95. In this state, a gap G3 (see FIG. 4) is formed between the heat insulating plate 83A and the upper positioning die 31. The upper positioning die 31 can move in a direction (in the Z-axis direction) toward and away from the upper platen 70A within the range of this gap G3.

[0046] As described above, the upper positioning die 31 is attached to the lower surface side of the upper die platen 70A so as to be movable in the direction (Z-axis direction) in which it approaches and moves away from the upper die platen 70A.

[0047] An elastic body 96 is provided between the upper positioning die 31 and the upper platen 70A (see FIGS. 1 and 4). The elastic body 96 is elastically deformed when the upper positioning die 31 moves in a direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper platen 70A, and biases the upper positioning die 31 toward the lower positioning die 32. The elastic body 96 is, for example, a coil spring.

[0048] On the other hand, the lower positioning die 32 is attached in a fixed state to the upper surface side of the lower die platen 70B. Specifically, it is attached as follows.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 4, a mounting plate 82B and a heat insulating plate 83B are arranged in this order from bottom to top between the lower positioning mold 32 and the lower mold platen 70B.

[0050] The mounting plate 82B is fixed to the lower platen 70B with its lower surface in surface contact with the upper surface of the lower platen 70B, and they are fixed together by, for example, bolts (not shown).

[0051] On the other hand, the lower positioning mold 32 is fixed to the mounting plate 82B with a heat insulating plate 83B sandwiched between the lower surface of the lower positioning mold 32 and the upper surface of the mounting plate 82B. The two are fixed together by, for example, bolts (not shown).

[0052] <Example of clamping operation of positioning die 30> Clamping of the positioning die 30 is performed by the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning die 31 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning die 32 sandwiching and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded (the portion shaped by the shaping die 20) placed between them. As will be described later, this is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and lowering the upper die platen 70A on which the upper positioning die 31 is attached.

[0053] At this time, the lower positioning die 32 pushes up the upper positioning die 31 in the +Z direction. This causes the upper positioning die 31 to move in a direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper platen 70A, which causes the elastic body 96 (elastic body 96 (see FIG. 1) arranged between the upper positioning die 31 and the upper platen 70A; hereinafter, also referred to as elastic body 96A) to elastically deform, and the upper positioning die 31 is urged toward the lower positioning die 32 by this elastically deformed elastic body 96A. The elastic body 96A is an example of a first elastic body of the present disclosure.

[0054] Therefore, clamping of the positioning mold 30 is carried out between the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31, which is urged toward the lower positioning mold 32 by the elastic body 96A, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32.

[0055] At this time, since the positioning die 30 is at a lower temperature than the shaping die 20, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning die 31 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning die 32, which are biased toward the lower positioning die 32 by the elastic body 96A, sandwich the shaping portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed between them and cool and pressurize it at a predetermined pressure. Note that this predetermined pressure can be changed to any pressure by using an elastic body with a different spring constant as the elastic body 96A.

[0056] At this time, the shaped portion (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M is pressed into the concave shape 32c on the lower press surface of the lower positioning die 32, and the convex shape 31c on the upper press surface of the upper positioning die 31 is pressed into the shaped portion (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M. This positions the press-molded sheet material M. This positioning allows concave shapes to be accurately formed in the press-molded sheet material M at one pitch at a time. In addition, the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material M is cooled and pressurized. Then, by lowering the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material M to below the resin solidification temperature while pressurizing it, molding defects such as wrinkles and voids that tend to occur due to insufficient pressure can be suppressed. This prevents a decrease in the quality of the molded product.

[0057] On the other hand, the positioning mold 30 is opened by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and raise the upper mold plate 70A on which the upper positioning mold 31 is attached.

[0058] <Configuration of Cooling Mold 40> As shown in FIG. 1 , the cooling mold 40 includes an upper cooling mold 41 having an upper press surface (an example of the third upper press surface of the present disclosure) corresponding to the upper press surface of the upper shaping mold 21, and a lower cooling mold 42 having a lower press surface (an example of the third lower press surface of the present disclosure) corresponding to the lower press surface of the lower shaping mold 22. The upper press surface of the upper cooling mold 41 has a shape similar to that of the upper press surface of the upper shaping mold 21, and includes planes 41a and 41b parallel to the XY plane and a convex shape 41c convex in the -Z direction. The convex shape 41c has a shape similar to that of the convex shape 21c, and is, for example, a convex shape whose cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) is an inverted trapezoid (see FIG. 1 ). The planes 41a and 41b and the convex shape 41c extend in the Y-axis direction. On the other hand, the press surface of the lower cooling mold 42 has the same shape as the press surface of the lower shaping mold 22, and includes flat surfaces 42a and 42b parallel to the XY plane and a concave shape 42c into which the convex shape 41c fits. The flat surfaces 42a and 42b and the concave shape 42c extend in the Y-axis direction. Unlike the shaping mold 20, the cooling mold 40 is not heated by a heating device and is at room temperature.

[0059] <Mounting structure of cooling mold 40> Similar to the upper positioning mold 31, the upper cooling mold 41 is mounted on the underside of the upper mold platen 70A so as to be movable in a direction (Z-axis direction) toward and away from the upper mold platen 70A. This mounting structure is similar to that of the upper positioning mold 31, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Meanwhile, similar to the lower positioning mold 32, the lower cooling mold 42 is mounted in a fixed state on the upper side of the lower mold platen 70B. This mounting structure is similar to that of the lower positioning mold 32, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0060] <Example of clamping operation of cooling die 40> Clamping of the cooling die 40 is performed by the upper press surface of the upper cooling die 41 and the lower press surface of the lower cooling die 42 sandwiching and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning die 30) that is placed between them. As will be described later, this is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and lowering the upper die platen 70A on which the upper cooling die 41 is attached.

[0061] At that time, the lower cooling mold 42 pushes up the upper cooling mold 41 in the +Z direction. This causes the upper cooling mold 41 to move in a direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper platen 70A, which elastically deforms the elastic body 96 (elastic body 96 (see FIG. 1) arranged between the upper cooling mold 41 and the upper platen 70A; hereinafter, also referred to as elastic body 96B), and the upper cooling mold 41 is urged toward the lower cooling mold 42 by this elastically deformed elastic body 96B. The elastic body 96B is elastically deformed by the movement of the upper cooling mold 41 in the direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper platen 70A, and urges the upper cooling mold 41 toward the lower cooling mold 42. The elastic body 96B is an example of a second elastic body of the present disclosure.

[0062] Therefore, the clamping of the cooling mold 40 is carried out between the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41, which is urged toward the lower cooling mold 42 by the elastic body 96B, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 42a, 42b and concave shape 42c) of the lower cooling mold 42.

[0063] At this time, because the cooling mold 40 is at room temperature, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 42a, 42b and concave shape 42c) of the lower cooling mold 42, which are urged toward the lower cooling mold 42 by the elastic body 96B, sandwich the shaped portion of the sheet material M to be press-molded (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning mold 30) placed between them, and cool and pressurize it at a predetermined pressure. Note that this predetermined pressure can be changed to any pressure by using an elastic body with a different spring constant as the elastic body 96B.

[0064] At this time, the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material M (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning die 30) (concave shape) is pressed into the concave shape 42c on the lower press surface of the lower cooling die 42, and the convex shape 41c on the upper press surface of the upper cooling die 41 is pressed into the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material M (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning die 30) (concave shape). As a result, the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material M (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning die 30) is cooled and pressurized. As a result, it is further cooled and pressurized compared to immediately after being pressed by the positioning die 30. Therefore, by reliably pressing the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material M down to below the solidification temperature of the resin, molding defects such as wrinkles and voids that tend to occur due to insufficient pressurization can be suppressed, and a decrease in the quality of the molded product can be suppressed.

[0065] On the other hand, the cooling mold 40 is opened by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and raise the upper mold platen 70A on which the upper cooling mold 41 is attached.

[0066] <Configuration of Mold Clamping Mechanism> The mold clamping mechanism 100 is a mechanism that moves the upper platen 70A, to which the upper dies (upper shaping die 21, upper positioning die 31, upper cooling die 41) are attached, in a direction toward or away from the lower platen 70B (Z-axis direction), i.e., a mechanism that raises and lowers the upper platen 70A in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The mold clamping mechanism 100 may have any configuration as long as it is a mechanism that raises and lowers the upper platen 70A in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). For example, the mold clamping mechanism 100 may be a mechanism that uses an electric motor as a drive source, a mechanism that uses a hydraulic cylinder as a drive source, or other mechanisms. The mold clamping mechanism 100 is an example of a first mold clamping mechanism of the present disclosure.

[0067] Hereinafter, as an example, a mold clamping mechanism 100 using an electric motor as a drive source will be described. Fig. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the mold clamping mechanism 100. Note that the conveying device 50 is omitted from Fig. 5.

[0068] 5, the mold clamping mechanism 100 includes a ball screw 101 connected to the upper platen 70A, and an electric motor 102 connected to the ball screw 101. The electric motor 102 is attached to an upper fixed platen 104, which is fixed at the tip end of support columns 103 that extend in the +Z direction and have their base ends fixed to the four corners of the lower platen 70B.

[0069] <Example of Operation of Mold Clamping Mechanism> In the mold clamping mechanism 100, the control device 60 controls the electric motor 102 to rotate (forward and reverse) the ball screw 101, thereby moving the upper platen 70A, to which the upper dies (upper shaping die 21, upper positioning die 31, upper cooling die 41) are attached, in a direction toward or away from the lower platen 70B (Z-axis direction). In other words, the upper platen 70A is raised and lowered in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). At that time, the upper platen 70A is raised and lowered while remaining parallel to the lower platen 70B.

[0070] For example, the upper platen 70A is lowered by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 in the forward direction, thereby causing the upper dies (upper shaping die 21, upper positioning die 31, upper cooling die 41) attached to the upper platen 70A to also lower, and clamping is performed between the upper platen 70A and the lower dies (lower shaping die 22, lower positioning die 32, lower cooling die 42).

[0071] <Height position of the upper press surface of each upper mold> The height positions of the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31, and the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 are set so that when the mold clamping mechanism 100 moves the upper mold platen 70A in a direction approaching the lower mold platen 70B, the positioning mold 30 is clamped and the shaping mold 20 is clamped in this order, and the positioning mold 30 is clamped and the cooling mold 40 is clamped simultaneously or in this order.

[0072] 16A to 16D show specific examples of the height positions of the upper dies.

[0073] 16A, before the respective dies are clamped (clamping of the shaping die 20, clamping of the positioning die 30, and clamping of the cooling die 40), it is desirable that the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning die 31 be located below the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping die 21 and the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling die 41. This can be achieved, for example, by adjusting the gap G3 (see FIG. 4) of the upper positioning die 31.

[0074] In this case, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 may be located lower than the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 (see FIG. 16A). Conversely, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 may be located lower than the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 (see FIG. 16B). Furthermore, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 may be located at the same height (see FIG. 16C). In addition, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31 and the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 may be located at the same height position (see Figure 16D).

[0075] When the height positions of the molds are set as described above (see FIGS. 16A to 16D), the upper mold platen 70A is lowered as described above, whereby the clamping of the positioning mold 30 and the clamping of the shaping mold 20 are carried out in this order. In other words, the clamping of the positioning mold 30 and the clamping of the shaping mold 20 are not carried out simultaneously, but at different times.

[0076] By clamping the positioning mold 30 and the shaping mold 20 at different times in this manner, the following advantages are obtained.

[0077] That is, when the positioning mold 30 and the shaping mold 20 are clamped simultaneously, the press-molded sheet material M (for example, an FRP sheet material reinforced with reinforcing fibers) hardly stretches, and therefore, as in the above-mentioned prior art document, the convex shapes (plural) on the press surfaces of the upper molds (upper shaping mold 21, upper positioning mold 31) "simultaneously" press the press-molded sheet material M into the concave shapes (plural) on the press surfaces of the lower molds (lower shaping mold 22, lower positioning mold 32). As a result, the press-molded sheet material M present between the concave shapes on the press surface of the lower mold (between the convex shapes on the press surface of the upper mold) is pulled, which poses a problem of concern that the press-molded sheet material M (molded product) may be damaged.

[0078] In contrast, by clamping the positioning die 30 and the shaping die 20 in this order, that is, by clamping them at different times, the convex shapes (plural) on the press surfaces of the upper dies (upper shaping die 21, upper positioning die 31) will press the press-molded sheet material M into the concave shapes (plural) on the press surfaces of the lower dies (lower shaping die 22, lower positioning die 32) at "different times." This prevents the press-molded sheet material M present between the concave shapes on the press surface of the lower die (between the convex shapes on the press surface of the upper die) from being pulled, which has the advantage of preventing damage to the press-molded sheet material M (molded product).

[0079] Meanwhile, the upper platen 70A rises as a result of the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to reversely rotate the ball screw 101. This also raises the upper dies (upper shaping die 21, upper positioning die 31, upper cooling die 41) attached to the upper platen 70A, thereby clamping the positioning die 30, clamping the cooling die 40, and opening the shaping die 20.

[0080] <Configuration of the conveying device> As shown in Fig. 1, the conveying device (transfer mechanism) 50 is a device that conveys (transfers) the press-molding target sheet material M. The conveying device 50 is installed on a lower mold platen 70B (fixed platen). The conveying devices 50 are provided at two locations, one upstream (upstream in the conveying direction of the press-molding target sheet material M) and one downstream (downstream in the conveying direction of the press-molding target sheet material M) with respect to the mold group (preheating mold 10, shaping mold 20, positioning mold 30, cooling mold 40). Hereinafter, the conveying device 50 provided on the upstream side will be referred to as conveying device 50A, and the conveying device 50 provided on the downstream side will be referred to as conveying device 50B.

[0081] The conveying device 50 (50A, 50B) includes a gripping mechanism 51 that grips and releases the sheet material M to be press-molded, and a moving mechanism 52 that moves the gripping mechanism 51 in the X direction.

[0082] FIG. 6 is a top view of the transport device 50. As shown in FIG.

[0083] As shown in Fig. 6, the gripping mechanisms 51 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the sheet material M to be press-molded. As shown in Fig. 1, the gripping mechanism 51 includes a pair of upper and lower fixed gripping portions 51a and movable gripping portions 51b, and an air cylinder 51c connected to the movable gripping portion 51b. An air supply path (not shown) that supplies air to the air cylinder 51c is connected to the air cylinder 51c, and an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supplied is provided midway along the air supply path.

[0084] The moving mechanism 52 includes a slider 52a on which the gripping mechanism 51 is placed. The slider 52a is slidably attached to a guide rail (not shown) extending in the X-axis direction. The moving mechanism 52 also includes a ball screw (not shown) connected to the slider 52a and extending in the X-axis direction, and an electric motor 53 (e.g., a servo motor; see FIG. 7 ) connected to the ball screw.

[0085] <Example of Operation of Conveying Device 50> Hereinafter, an example of operation of the conveying device 50A provided on the upstream side will be mainly described.

[0086] First, the gripping mechanism 51 grips the press-molding target sheet material M. Specifically, the movable gripping portion 51b rises, and the movable gripping portion 51b lifts both widthwise ends of the press-molding target sheet material M in the +Z direction and presses both widthwise ends of the lifted press-molding target sheet material M against the upper fixed gripping portion 51a. As a result, the gripping mechanism 51 grips both widthwise ends of the press-molding target sheet material M by sandwiching them from above and below. This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 51c connected to the movable gripping portion 51b (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the air supply amount provided midway in an air supply path connected to the air cylinder 51c).

[0087] Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51 gripping the press-molded sheet material M as described above, a predetermined distance in the +X direction. This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling an electric motor (e.g., a servo motor) connected to a ball screw connected to the slider 52a so that it rotates in the positive direction. The predetermined distance is, for example, the distance P2 in the X-axis direction between the convex shapes of each mold (see FIG. 1), i.e., one pitch.

[0088] Next, the gripping mechanism 51 releases its grip on the press-molded sheet material M. Specifically, the movable gripping portion 51b descends. This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 51c connected to the movable gripping portion 51b (the electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supply provided midway in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder 51c).

[0089] Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51 that has released its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, in the −X direction, and returns it to the initial position before conveyance. This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor (for example, a servo motor) connected to the ball screw connected to the slider 52a so that it rotates in the reverse direction, for example.

[0090] In each of the above stages, both ends in the width direction of the sheet material M to be press-molded are disposed between the movable gripping portion 51b and the fixed gripping portion 51a.

[0091] The above has mainly explained an example of the operation of the conveying device 50A provided on the upstream side, but the conveying device 50B provided on the downstream side is also controlled to perform the same operation at the same timing as the conveying device 50A provided on the upstream side.

[0092] <Control device 60> Fig. 7 is a system configuration diagram of the control device 60. The control device 60 includes a processor, RAM, ROM, etc., which are not shown. As shown in Fig. 7, the control device 60 is electrically connected to an electric heater 13 for heating the preheating mold 10, an air cylinder 14 for raising and lowering the upper preheating mold 11 (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supplied provided in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder 14), an electric heater 23 for heating the shaping mold 20, an air cylinder 51c for driving the gripping mechanism 51 (movable gripping portion 51b) (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supplied provided in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder 51c), an electric motor 53 for driving the moving mechanism 52 (slider 52a), and an electric motor 102 for driving the mold clamping mechanism 100.

[0093] The processor is, for example, a CPU. There may be one processor or multiple processors. For example, the processor executes a program read from the ROM to the RAM to function as a control means for controlling the electric heater 13 for heating the preheating mold 10, the air cylinder 14 for raising and lowering the upper preheating mold 11 (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supplied provided in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder 14), the electric heater 23 for heating the shaping mold 20, the air cylinder 51c for driving the gripping mechanism 51 (movable gripping portion 51b) (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supplied provided in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder 51c), the electric motor 53 for driving the moving mechanism 52 (slider 52a), the electric motor 102 for driving the mold clamping mechanism 100, etc.

[0094] <Example of Operation of Continuous Press-Molding Apparatus 1> With reference to Figures 8 and 9A to 9D, an example of operation of the continuous press-molding apparatus 1 will be described. Note that the conveying device 50 is omitted from Figure 9.

[0095] Fig. 8 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the continuous press-molding apparatus 1. Figs. 9A to 9D are diagrams showing how a molded product having a series of alternating concave and convex shapes (see Fig. 2) is produced by press-molding the press-molded sheet material M with each of the dies 10, 20, 30, and 40, every time the press-molded sheet material M is conveyed a predetermined distance (for example, one pitch).

[0096] First, a portion of the press-molding target sheet material M is placed between the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower preheating mold 12 (step S10). This is achieved by a conveying device 50A provided upstream. Specifically, first, the gripping mechanism 51 grips the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51 gripping the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, a predetermined distance in the +X direction. Next, the gripping mechanism 51 releases its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51, which has released its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, in the -X direction, returning it to its initial position before conveyance. In this manner, a portion p1 of the press-molding target sheet material M is placed between the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower preheating mold 12 (see FIG. 9A).

[0097] Next, the preheating mold 10 is clamped (step S11). The preheating mold 10 is clamped by sandwiching and pressurizing the portion p1 of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed between the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12. At this time, since the preheating mold 10 has been heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 clamp and heat and press the portion p1 of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed between them at a predetermined pressure.

[0098] Next, the preheating mold 10 is opened (step S12). This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder connected to the upper preheating mold 11 (the electromagnetic valve for adjusting the air supply amount provided midway in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder) to raise the upper preheating mold 11.

[0099] Next, the press-molding target sheet material M is conveyed by one pitch (step S13). This is achieved by the conveying device 50A provided upstream. Specifically, first, the gripping mechanism 51 grips the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51 gripping the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, by one pitch P2 (see FIG. 1) in the +X direction. Next, the gripping mechanism 51 releases its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51, which has released its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, in the -X direction, returning it to its initial position before conveyance. In this way, the portion p1 (preheated portion) of the press-molding target sheet material M is positioned between the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower shaping mold 22 (see FIG. 9B). Furthermore, a portion p2 of the sheet material M to be press-molded is disposed between the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower preheating mold 12 (see FIG. 9B).

[0100] Next, the respective molds are clamped (step S14). That is, the preheating mold 10 and the shaping mold 20 are clamped.

[0101] The preheating mold 10 is clamped by sandwiching and pressurizing a portion p2 of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12. At this time, since the preheating mold 10 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 sandwich and heat and pressurize the portion p2 of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between them, at a predetermined pressure.

[0102] Meanwhile, the shaping mold 20 is clamped by the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 sandwiching and pressuring the portion p1 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed therebetween. This is performed by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and lowering the upper platen 70A to which the upper shaping mold 21 is attached. At this time, since the shaping mold 20 is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heating device, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 sandwich and heat and pressurize the portion p1 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed therebetween with a predetermined pressure.

[0103] At this time, the portion p1 (preheated portion) of the press-molded sheet material M is pressed into the concave shape 22c of the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22 by the convex shape 21c of the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21. As a result, a shape (concave shape) corresponding to the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21 (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) and the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22 (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) is formed in the portion p1 (preheated portion) of the press-molded sheet material M.

[0104] Next, the molds are opened (step S15). That is, the preheating mold 10 and the shaping mold 20 are opened.

[0105] The preheating mold 10 is opened by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder connected to the upper preheating mold 11 (the electromagnetic valve for adjusting the air supply amount provided midway in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder) to raise the upper preheating mold 11.

[0106] On the other hand, the shaping mold 20 is opened by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and raise the upper platen 70A on which the upper shaping mold 21 is attached.

[0107] Next, the press-molding target sheet material M is conveyed by one pitch (step S16). This is achieved by the conveying device 50A provided upstream. Specifically, first, the gripping mechanism 51 grips the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51 gripping the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, by one pitch P2 (see FIG. 1) in the +X direction. Next, the gripping mechanism 51 releases its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51, which has released its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, in the -X direction, returning it to its initial position before conveyance. In this manner, the portion p1 (shape portion) of the press-molding target sheet material M is positioned between the upper positioning die 31 and the lower positioning die 32 (see FIG. 9C). Furthermore, a portion p2 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded is disposed between the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower shaping mold 22 (see FIG. 9C ). Further, a portion p3 of the sheet material M to be press-molded is disposed between the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower preheating mold 12 (see FIG. 9C ).

[0108] Next, the molds are clamped (step S17). That is, the preheating mold 10, the shaping mold 20, and the positioning mold 30 are clamped.

[0109] The preheating mold 10 is clamped by sandwiching and pressurizing a portion p3 of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12. At this time, since the preheating mold 10 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 sandwich and heat and pressurize the portion p3 of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between them, at a predetermined pressure.

[0110] On the other hand, the clamping of the positioning mold 30 and the clamping of the shaping mold 20 are carried out in this order by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and lowering the upper mold plate 70A on which the upper positioning mold 31 and the upper shaping mold 21 are attached.

[0111] Specifically, the clamping of the positioning mold 30 is carried out by clamping and applying pressure to the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32, which sandwich and pressurize the portion p1 (shaped portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded that is placed between them.

[0112] At this time, the lower positioning die 32 pushes up the upper positioning die 31 in the +Z direction, which causes the upper positioning die 31 to move in a direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper platen 70A, thereby elastically deforming the elastic body 96A disposed between the upper positioning die 31 and the upper platen 70A, and the upper positioning die 31 is urged toward the lower positioning die 32 by the elastically deformed elastic body 96A.

[0113] Therefore, clamping of the positioning mold 30 is carried out between the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31, which is urged toward the lower positioning mold 32 by the elastic body 96A, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32.

[0114] At this time, since the positioning mold 30 is at a lower temperature than the shaping mold 20, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31, which is biased toward the lower positioning mold 32 by the elastic body 96A, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32 sandwich the portion p1 (shaping portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded that is placed between them, and cool and pressurize it at a predetermined pressure.

[0115] At this time, portion p1 (shaping portion) (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M is pressed into the concave shape 32c of the lower press surface of the lower positioning die 32, and the convex shape 31c of the upper press surface of the upper positioning die 31 is pressed into portion p1 (shaping portion) (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M. This positions the press-molded sheet material M. This positioning allows concave shapes to be accurately formed in the press-molded sheet material M at one pitch at a time. In addition, portion p1 (shaping portion) of the press-molded sheet material M is cooled and pressurized. This, as described above, makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the quality of the molded product.

[0116] On the other hand, the shaping mold 20 is clamped by the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 sandwiching and pressurizing the portion p2 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed therebetween. At this time, since the shaping mold 20 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 sandwich and heat and pressurize the portion p2 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed therebetween with a predetermined pressure.

[0117] At this time, the portion p2 (preheated portion) of the press-molded sheet material M is pressed into the concave shape 22c of the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22 by the convex shape 21c of the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21. As a result, a shape (concave shape) corresponding to the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21 (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) and the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22 (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) is formed in the portion p2 (preheated portion) of the press-molded sheet material M.

[0118] Next, the molds are opened (step S18). That is, the preheating mold 10, the shaping mold 20, and the positioning mold 30 are opened. This is the same as step S15, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0119] Next, the press-molding target sheet material M is conveyed by one pitch (step S19). This is achieved by the conveying device 50A provided upstream. Specifically, first, the gripping mechanism 51 grips the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51 gripping the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, by one pitch P2 (see FIG. 1) in the +X direction. Next, the gripping mechanism 51 releases its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M. Next, the moving mechanism 52 slides the slider 52a, on which the gripping mechanism 51, which has released its grip on the press-molding target sheet material M as described above, in the -X direction, returning it to its initial position before conveyance. In this manner, the portion p1 of the press-molding target sheet material M (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning die 30) is positioned between the upper cooling die 41 and the lower cooling die 42 (see FIG. 9D). Furthermore, a portion p2 (shaping portion) of the press-molding target sheet material M is disposed between the upper positioning die 31 and the lower positioning die 32 (see FIG. 9D). Further, a portion p3 (preheating portion) of the press-molding target sheet material M is disposed between the upper shaping die 21 and the lower shaping die 22 (see FIG. 9D). Furthermore, a portion p4 of the press-molding target sheet material M is disposed between the upper preheating die 11 and the lower preheating die 12 (see FIG. 9D).

[0120] Next, the molds are clamped (step S20). That is, the preheating mold 10, the shaping mold 20, the positioning mold 30, and the cooling mold 40 are clamped.

[0121] The preheating mold 10 is clamped by sandwiching and pressurizing a portion p4 of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12. At this time, since the preheating mold 10 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface 11a of the upper preheating mold 11 and the lower press surface 11b of the lower preheating mold 12 sandwich and heat and pressurize the portion p4 of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is placed between them, at a predetermined pressure.

[0122] On the other hand, the clamping of the positioning mold 30, the clamping of the cooling mold 40 and the clamping of the shaping mold 20 are carried out in this order by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 and lowering the upper mold plate 70A on which the upper positioning mold 31, the upper cooling mold 41 and the upper shaping mold 21 are attached.

[0123] Specifically, the clamping of the positioning mold 30 is carried out by clamping and applying pressure to the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32, which sandwich and pressurize the portion p2 (shaped portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded that is placed between them.

[0124] At this time, the lower positioning die 32 pushes up the upper positioning die 31 in the +Z direction, which causes the upper positioning die 31 to move in a direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper platen 70A, thereby elastically deforming the elastic body 96A disposed between the upper positioning die 31 and the upper platen 70A, and the upper positioning die 31 is urged toward the lower positioning die 32 by the elastically deformed elastic body 96A.

[0125] Therefore, clamping of the positioning mold 30 is carried out between the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31, which is urged toward the lower positioning mold 32 by the elastic body 96A, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32.

[0126] At this time, since the positioning mold 30 is at a lower temperature than the shaping mold 20, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning mold 31, which is biased toward the lower positioning mold 32 by the elastic body 96A, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning mold 32 sandwich the portion p2 (shaping portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded that is placed between them, and cool and pressurize it at a predetermined pressure.

[0127] At this time, portion p2 (shaping portion) (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M is pressed into the concave shape 32c of the lower press surface of the lower positioning die 32, and the convex shape 31c of the upper press surface of the upper positioning die 31 is pressed into portion p2 (shaping portion) (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M. This positions the press-molded sheet material M. This positioning allows concave shapes to be accurately formed in the press-molded sheet material M at one pitch at a time. In addition, portion p2 (shaping portion) of the press-molded sheet material M is cooled and pressurized. This, as described above, makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the quality of the molded product.

[0128] On the other hand, the clamping of the cooling mold 40 is carried out by clamping and applying pressure to the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 42a, 42b and concave shape 42c) of the lower cooling mold 42, which sandwich and pressurize the portion p1 (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning mold 30) of the sheet material M to be press-molded that is placed between them.

[0129] At this time, the lower cooling mold 42 pushes up the upper cooling mold 41 in the +Z direction. This causes the upper cooling mold 41 to move in a direction (+Z direction) approaching the upper mold platen 70A, which causes the elastic body 96B (see FIG. 1) arranged between the upper cooling mold 41 and the upper mold platen 70A to elastically deform, and the upper cooling mold 41 is urged toward the lower cooling mold 42 by this elastically deformed elastic body 96B.

[0130] Therefore, the clamping of the cooling mold 40 is carried out between the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41, which is urged toward the lower cooling mold 42 by the elastic body 96B, and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 42a, 42b and concave shape 42c) of the lower cooling mold 42.

[0131] At this time, since the cooling mold 40 is at room temperature, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the lower cooling mold 42 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 42a, 42b and concave shape 42c) of the lower cooling mold 42, which are forced toward the lower cooling mold 42 by the elastic body 96B, sandwich the portion p1 (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning mold 30) of the sheet material M to be press-molded that is placed between them and cool and pressurize it at a predetermined pressure.

[0132] At this time, portion p1 (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning die 30) (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M is pressed into the concave shape 42c of the lower press surface of the lower cooling die 42, and the convex shape 41c of the upper press surface of the upper cooling die 41 is pressed into portion p1 (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning die 30) (concave shape) of the press-molded sheet material M. This causes portion p1 (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning die 30) of the press-molded sheet material M to be cooled and pressurized. As a result, as described above, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the quality of the molded product.

[0133] On the other hand, the shaping mold 20 is clamped by the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 sandwiching and pressurizing the portion p3 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed therebetween. At this time, since the shaping mold 20 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating device, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) of the lower shaping mold 22 sandwich and heat and pressurize the portion p3 (preheated portion) of the sheet material M to be press-molded placed therebetween with a predetermined pressure.

[0134] At this time, the portion p3 (preheated portion) of the press-molded sheet material M is pressed into the concave shape 22c of the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22 by the convex shape 21c of the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21. As a result, a shape (concave shape) corresponding to the upper press surface of the upper shaping die 21 (flat surfaces 21a, 21b and convex shape 21c) and the lower press surface of the lower shaping die 22 (flat surfaces 22a, 22b and concave shape 22c) is formed in the portion p3 (preheated portion) of the press-molded sheet material M.

[0135] Next, the molds are opened (step S21). That is, the preheating mold 10, the shaping mold 20, the positioning mold 30, and the cooling mold 40 are opened. This is the same as step S15, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0136] Thereafter, the processes of steps S19 to S21 are repeatedly executed. At that time, each time the molds (preheating mold 10, shaping mold 20, positioning mold 30, and cooling mold 40) are opened (step S21), the conveying device 50 conveys the press-molding target sheet material M so that a preheated portion of the press-molding target sheet material M is disposed between the upper press surface of the upper shaping mold 21 and the lower press surface of the lower shaping mold 22, a shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material M is disposed between the upper press surface of the upper positioning mold 31 and the lower press surface of the lower positioning mold 32, and a shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material M (the shaped portion pressurized by the positioning mold 30) is disposed between the upper press surface of the upper cooling mold 41 and the lower press surface of the lower cooling mold 42 (step S19).

[0137] In this manner, the clamping of the positioning mold 30, the clamping of the cooling mold 40, the clamping of the shaping mold 20 (step S20), and the opening of each mold (positioning mold 30, cooling mold 40, and shaping mold 20) (step S21) are carried out repeatedly and continuously in this order.

[0138] This allows the production of a molded product with a series of alternating concave and convex shapes (see FIG. 2). The press-molded sheet material M (the molded product with a series of alternating concave and convex shapes) produced as described above is eventually placed between the movable gripper 51b and the fixed gripper 51a of the conveying device 50B provided downstream (see FIG. 1). The conveying device 50B performs the same operations as the conveying device 50A provided upstream, at the same timing, on the press-molded sheet material M (the molded product with a series of alternating concave and convex shapes) placed between the movable gripper 51b and the fixed gripper 51a.

[0139] As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a press device that can suppress damage to a sheet to be formed during press forming.

[0140] This is because the clamping of the positioning mold 30, the clamping of the cooling mold 40, and the clamping of the shaping mold 20 are performed in this order, that is, at different timings.

[0141] The invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described above based on the first embodiment, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the first embodiment already described, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

[0142] For example, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the upper shaping die 21 having an upper press surface including the convex shape 21c is used as the upper shaping die, and the lower shaping die 22 having a lower press surface including the concave shape 22c into which the convex shape 21c fits is used as the lower shaping die, but this is not limited to this. Conversely, it is also possible to use the upper shaping die 21 having an upper press surface including the concave shape 22c into which the convex shape 21c fits as the upper shaping die, and the lower shaping die 22 having a lower press surface including the convex shape 21c as the lower shaping die. The same applies to the upper positioning die and the lower positioning die, and the upper cooling die and the lower cooling die.

[0143] In the above embodiment, the conveying device 50 including the gripping mechanism 51 and the moving mechanism 52 is used as the conveying device, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, other mechanisms (e.g., a robot arm) may be used as the conveying device. Furthermore, the conveying device may be omitted, and the sheet material M to be press-molded may be manually conveyed by an operator.

[0144] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the upper platen 70A to which each upper mold (upper shaping mold 21, upper positioning mold 31, upper cooling mold 41) is attached is a movable platen, and the lower platen 70B to which each lower mold (lower shaping mold 22, lower positioning mold 32, lower cooling mold 42) is attached is a fixed platen, and the mold clamping mechanism 100 is a mechanism that moves the upper platen 70A (movable platen) in a direction toward and away from the lower platen 70B (Z-axis direction), that is, a mechanism that raises and lowers the upper platen 70A in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), but this is not limited to this. Conversely, the upper platen 70A to which each upper mold (upper shaping mold 21, upper positioning mold 31, upper cooling mold 41) is attached may be used as a fixed platen, and the lower platen 70B to which each lower mold (lower shaping mold 22, lower positioning mold 32, lower cooling mold 42) is attached may be used as a movable platen, and the mold clamping mechanism 100 may be a mechanism that moves the lower platen 70B (movable platen) in a direction toward and away from the upper platen 70A (Z-axis direction), i.e., a mechanism that raises and lowers the lower platen 70B in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

[0145] FIG. 10 shows modified examples of the convex shapes of the upper shaping mold, upper positioning mold, and upper cooling mold, and the concave shapes of the lower shaping mold, lower positioning mold, and lower cooling mold.

[0146] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the convex shapes of the upper shaping mold 21, the upper positioning mold 31, and the upper cooling mold 41 have a cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) that is an inverted trapezoid (see FIG. 1 ), but this is not limiting. For example, as shown in FIG. 10 , the convex shapes of the upper shaping mold 21, the upper positioning mold 31, and the upper cooling mold 41 may have a cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) that is a quadratic curve that is downwardly convex, or other convex cross-sectional shapes.

[0147] Similarly, although an example has been described in which the concave shapes of the lower shaping mold 22, the lower positioning mold 32, and the lower cooling mold 42 are each formed in a cross section (cross section taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) that corresponds to a convex inverted trapezoidal shape (see FIG. 1), the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the concave shapes of the lower shaping mold 22, the lower positioning mold 32, and the lower cooling mold 42 may each be formed in a cross section (cross section taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane) that corresponds to a convex shape of a quadratic curve that is convex downward, or may be formed in another cross section.

[0148] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 is located below the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper shaping mold 21 before the shaping mold 20, the positioning mold 30 and the cooling mold 40 are clamped, but this is not limited to this. Conversely, the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper shaping mold 21 may be located below the upper press surface (flat surfaces 41a, 41b and convex shape 41c) of the upper cooling mold 41 before the shaping mold 20, the positioning mold 30 and the cooling mold 40 are clamped. In this way, by lowering the upper mold plate 70A on which each upper mold (upper shaping mold 21, upper positioning mold 31, upper cooling mold 41) is attached, the clamping of the positioning mold 30, the clamping of the shaping mold 20, and the clamping of the cooling mold 40 can be performed in that order.

[0149] Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, an example has been described in which a press-molding target sheet material M having nothing attached to its front and back surfaces is used, but this is not limited thereto. For example, to facilitate release from the mold, a press-molding target sheet material M having a release material F1 attached to its front and back surfaces may be used, as shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 shows a modified example of the press-molding target sheet material M. The release material F1 is a release film (e.g., a polyimide film). Note that the release material F1 attached to the molded product (see FIG. 2) is removed at a predetermined timing. Note that, to facilitate release from the mold, a release agent may be applied to the press surface of each mold instead of a release film.

[0150] Furthermore, a glass cloth layer (a thin layer such as a glass fiber layer) or a resin-impregnated glass prepreg may be disposed between the front surface of the press-molded sheet material M and the release film, or between the back surface of the press-molded sheet material M and the release film. This allows for the production of a molded product with a highly insulating, continuous, alternating concave-convex shape, with glass cloth layers fused to the front and back surfaces. The glass cloth layer (glass fiber layer) is attached to the press-molded sheet material M by the heat and pressure of each mold, causing the molten resin on the press-molded sheet material M to penetrate into the glass cloth layer (glass fiber layer). In other words, if the basis weight (weight per square meter) is sufficiently light compared to the molded product (FRP molded product), the molded product can be formed simply by the penetration of the resin inherent in the FRP material, without the need for additional resin. The release material attached to the molded product (see FIG. 2) is removed at a predetermined timing.

[0151] <Second embodiment> Next, the overall configuration of a press apparatus according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous press-molding apparatus 1A according to a second embodiment.

[0152] 12, the continuous press molding apparatus 1A differs from the continuous press molding apparatus 1 of embodiment 1 (see FIG. 1) in that the cooling mold 40 is omitted. Otherwise, the continuous press molding apparatus 1A has the same configuration as the continuous press molding apparatus 1 of embodiment 1.

[0153] An example of operation of the continuous press-molding apparatus 1A is similar to the example of operation of the continuous press-molding apparatus 1 of embodiment 1 (FIGS. 8 and 9A to 9D), and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0154] According to the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a press device that can suppress damage to the sheet to be formed during press forming.

[0155] <Embodiment 3> Next, the overall configuration of a press apparatus according to embodiment 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous press-molding apparatus 1B according to embodiment 3. Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV of Fig. 13.

[0156] 13, the continuous press molding apparatus 1B differs from the continuous press molding apparatus 1 of embodiment 1 (see FIG. 1) in that the upper positioning die 31 is not attached to the upper platen 70A, and in that it is equipped with a die clamping mechanism 200 (an example of a third die clamping mechanism of the present disclosure) that clamps the positioning die 30 by moving the upper positioning die 31 in a direction toward or away from the lower positioning die 32. Otherwise, the continuous press molding apparatus 1B has the same configuration as the continuous press molding apparatus 1 of embodiment 1.

[0157] <Configuration of mold clamping mechanism 200> The mold clamping mechanism 200 is a mechanism that moves the upper positioning mold 31 in a direction toward and away from the lower positioning mold 32, i.e., a mechanism that raises and lowers the upper positioning mold 31 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The mold clamping mechanism 200 may have any configuration as long as it is a mechanism that raises and lowers the upper positioning mold 31 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). For example, the mold clamping mechanism 200 may be a mechanism that uses an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder as a drive source, a mechanism that uses an electric motor as a drive source, or any other mechanism.

[0158] As an example, a mold clamping mechanism 200 using an air cylinder as a drive source will be described below. FIG. 14 shows an example of the configuration of the mold clamping mechanism 200.

[0159] 14, the mold clamping mechanism 200 includes air cylinders 201 provided on both sides of the sheet material M to be press-molded in the width direction (Y-axis direction), and a mold support plate 202 provided on a rod 201a of the air cylinder 201. The air cylinders 201 are installed on a lower mold platen 70B (fixed platen). The upper positioning mold 31 is attached in a fixed state to the underside of the mold support plate 202.

[0160] <Example of Operation of the Clamping Mechanism 200> Clamping of the positioning die 30 is performed by the upper press surface (flat surfaces 31a, 31b and convex shape 31c) of the upper positioning die 31 and the lower press surface (flat surfaces 32a, 32b and concave shape 32c) of the lower positioning die 32 sandwiching and pressurizing the shaped portion (the portion shaped by the shaping die 20) of the sheet material M to be press-molded, which is disposed between them. This is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 201 (a solenoid valve for adjusting the air supply amount provided midway in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder; not shown) to lower the upper positioning die 31. On the other hand, opening of the positioning die 30 is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 201 (a solenoid valve for adjusting the air supply amount provided midway in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder; not shown) to raise the upper positioning die 31.

[0161] An example of the operation of the continuous press-molding apparatus 1B is similar to the example of the operation of the continuous press-molding apparatus 1 of the first embodiment (FIG. 8, and FIGS. 9A to 9D).

[0162] That is, the clamping of each mold in step S17, that is, the clamping of the positioning mold 30 and the clamping of the shaping mold 20, are carried out in this order.

[0163] Specifically, in step S17, clamping of the positioning mold 30 is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 201 (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supply provided midway in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder; not shown) to lower the upper positioning mold 31. On the other hand, in step S17, clamping of the shaping mold 20 is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 to lower the upper platen 70A to which the upper shaping mold 21 is attached.

[0164] Similarly, the clamping of each mold in step S20, that is, clamping of the positioning mold 30, clamping of the cooling mold 40, and clamping of the shaping mold 20, are carried out in this order.

[0165] Specifically, in step S20, clamping of the positioning mold 30 is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the air cylinder 201 (an electromagnetic valve for adjusting the amount of air supply provided midway in the air supply path connected to the air cylinder; not shown) to lower the upper positioning mold 31. On the other hand, in step S20, clamping of the cooling mold 40 and the shaping mold 20 is achieved by the control device 60 controlling the electric motor 102 to rotate the ball screw 101 to lower the upper platen 70A on which the cooling mold 40 and the upper shaping mold 21 are attached.

[0166] According to the third embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a press device that can suppress damage to the sheet to be formed during press forming.

[0167] <Fourth embodiment> Next, the overall configuration of a press apparatus according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous press-molding apparatus 1C according to a fourth embodiment.

[0168] 15, the continuous press molding apparatus 1C differs from the continuous press molding apparatus 1B of the third embodiment (see FIG. 13) in that the cooling mold 40 is omitted. Otherwise, the continuous press molding apparatus 1C has the same configuration as the continuous press molding apparatus 1B of the third embodiment.

[0169] An example of the operation of the continuous press molding apparatus 1C is similar to the example of the operation of the continuous press molding apparatus 1B of embodiment 3 (FIGS. 8 and 9A to 9D), and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Note that the mold clamping mechanism 100 of embodiment 4 is an example of the second mold clamping mechanism of the present disclosure.

[0170] According to the fourth embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a press device that can suppress damage to the sheet to be formed during press forming.

[0171] The invention made by the inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiments, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments already described, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

[0172] For example, in the above-described first to fourth embodiments, an example has been described in which a press-molding target sheet material M having no attachment to its front or back surface has been used, but this is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, a press-molding target sheet material M having a metal foil F2 attached to at least one of its front and back surfaces may be used. FIG. 17 shows a modified example of the press-molding target sheet material M. The metal foil F2 is, for example, copper foil, but other metal foils may also be used. In this way, peeling from the mold (peeling of the press-molding target sheet material M) can be easily performed without using a release agent. Furthermore, a molded product having a continuous alternating concave and convex shape with the metal foil F2 attached to its front and back surfaces can be manufactured. Furthermore, the surface is electrically conductive via the metal foil F2, performing functions such as connecting a ground wire. Furthermore, thermal conductivity is improved.

[0173] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-091149, filed on June 5, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

[0174] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Pressing device 10...Preheating mold 11...Upper preheating mold 11a, 11b...Press surface 12...Lower preheating mold 13...Electric heater 14...Air cylinder 20...Shaping mold 21...Upper shaping mold 21a, 21b...Flat surface 21c...Convex shape 22...Lower shaping mold 22a, 22b...Flat surface 22c...Concave shape 23...Electric heater 30...Positioning mold 31...Upper positioning mold 31a, 31b...Flat surface 31c...Convex shape 32...Lower positioning mold 32a, 32b...Flat surface 32c...Concave shape 40...Cooling mold 41...Upper cooling mold 41a, 41b...Flat surface 41c...Convex shape 42...Lower cooling mold 42a, 42b...Flat surface 42c...Concave shape 50, 50A, 50B...Conveying device 51...Gripping mechanism DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 51a...Fixed gripping portion 51b...Movable gripping portion 51c...Air cylinder 52...Moving mechanism 52a...Slider 53...Electric motor 60...Control device 70A...Upper platen 70B...Lower platen 82A...Mounting plate 82B...Mounting plate 83A, 83B...Insulating plate 94...Bolt 94a...Head portion 94b...Shaft portion 95...Step portion 96, 96A, 96B...Elastic body 100...Mold clamping mechanism 101...Ball screw 102...Electric motor 103...Support 104...Upper fixed platen B2, B4...Bolt F1...Mold release material F2...Metal foil G1 to G3...Gap H1...Through hole H1a...Large diameter hole H1b...Small diameter hole M...Sheet material to be press-molded p1 to p4...Part

Claims

1. A forming die comprising an upper forming die having a first upper press surface including one of a concave shape and a convex shape that fits into the concave shape, and a lower forming die having a first lower press surface including the other of the concave shape and the convex shape; a positioning die having an upper positioning die having a second upper press surface corresponding to the first upper press surface, and a lower positioning die having a second lower press surface corresponding to the first lower press surface; and a conveying device that conveys a sheet material to be press-molded, wherein the forming die and the positioning die are arranged in this order along the conveying direction of the sheet material to be press-molded, and the forming die is clamped by the first upper press surface of the upper forming die and the first lower press surface of the lower forming die sandwiching and applying pressure to a preheated portion of the sheet material to be press-molded that is arranged between them, the clamping of the positioning dies is carried out by the second upper press surface of the upper positioning die and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning die sandwiching and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material placed between them, which has been shaped by the shaping die; the conveying device conveys the press-molded sheet material so that, each time each die is opened, the pre-heated portion of the press-molded sheet material is placed between the first upper press surface of the upper shaping die and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping die, and the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material is placed between the second upper press surface of the upper positioning die and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning die; and a continuous press molding device in which clamping of the positioning dies and clamping of the shaping dies are carried out continuously in this order.

2. A press-forming machine further comprising a first clamping mechanism that moves one of the upper and lower platens in a direction toward and away from the other, and a first elastic body that is arranged between the upper positioning die and the upper platen, wherein the upper shaping die is attached in a fixed state to the upper platen, the upper positioning die is attached to the upper platen so as to be movable in a direction toward and away from the upper platen, the lower shaping die and the lower positioning die are attached in a fixed state to the lower platen, the first elastic body elastically deforms as the upper positioning die moves in a direction toward the upper platen, and urges the upper positioning die toward the lower positioning die, and the clamping of the positioning die is performed by the second upper press surface of the upper positioning die and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning die that are urged toward the lower positioning die by the first elastic body clamping and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the sheet material to be press-formed that is arranged between them, A continuous press molding apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the height positions of the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold are set so that the clamping of the positioning mold and the clamping of the shaping mold are performed in this order by the first mold clamping mechanism moving one of the upper mold platen and the lower mold platen in a direction approaching the other.

3. A continuous press molding device as described in claim 1, comprising: a second clamping mechanism that clamps the shaping molds by moving one of the upper shaping mold and the lower shaping mold in a direction toward or away from the other; and a third clamping mechanism that clamps the positioning molds by moving one of the upper positioning mold and the lower positioning mold in a direction toward or away from the other.

4. The apparatus further comprises a cooling mold comprising an upper cooling mold having a third upper press surface corresponding to the first upper press surface and a lower cooling mold having a third lower press surface corresponding to the first lower press surface, wherein the shaping mold, the positioning mold, and the cooling mold are arranged in this order along the conveying direction of the sheet material to be press-molded, and the clamping of the cooling mold is carried out by the third upper press surface of the upper cooling mold and the third lower press surface of the lower cooling mold sandwiching and applying pressure to the shaping portion of the sheet material to be press-molded that has been pressurized by the positioning mold that is arranged between them, 2. The continuous press molding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conveying device conveys the press-molded sheet material so that, each time each mold is opened, a preheated portion of the press-molded sheet material is positioned between the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping mold, the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material is positioned between the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold, and the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material pressed by the positioning mold is positioned between the third upper press surface of the upper cooling mold and the third upper press surface of the lower cooling mold.

5. A continuous press molding device as described in claim 4, wherein the clamping of the positioning die and the clamping of the shaping die are carried out in this order, and the clamping of the positioning die and the clamping of the upper cooling die are carried out simultaneously or in this order.

6. A mold clamping mechanism further comprising: a first mold clamping mechanism that moves one of the upper and lower mold plates in a direction toward or away from the other; a first elastic body that is arranged between the upper positioning mold and the upper mold platen; and a second elastic body that is arranged between the upper cooling mold and the upper mold platen, wherein the upper shaping mold is attached in a fixed state to the upper mold platen, the upper positioning mold is attached to the upper mold platen so as to be movable in a direction toward or away from the upper mold platen, the upper cooling mold is attached to the upper mold platen so as to be movable in a direction toward or away from the upper mold platen, the lower shaping mold, the upper positioning mold, and the lower cooling mold are attached in a fixed state to the lower mold platen, the first elastic body elastically deforms when the upper positioning mold moves in a direction toward or away from the upper mold platen, and urges the upper positioning mold toward the lower positioning mold, and the second elastic body elastically deforms when the upper cooling mold moves in a direction toward or away from the upper mold platen, and urges the upper cooling mold toward the lower cooling mold, The clamping of the positioning mold is performed by the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold, which are urged toward the lower positioning mold by the first elastic body, sandwiching and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material placed between them, and the clamping of the cooling mold is performed by the third upper press surface of the upper cooling mold and the third lower press surface of the lower cooling mold, which are urged toward the lower cooling mold by the second elastic body, sandwiching and applying pressure to the shaped portion of the press-molded sheet material placed between them, which has been pressed by the positioning mold, and The height positions of the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold, the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold, and the third upper press surface of the cooling mold are set so that the clamping of the positioning mold and the clamping of the shaping mold are performed in this order by the first mold clamping mechanism moving one of the upper mold platen and the lower mold platen in a direction approaching the other, and so that the clamping of the positioning mold and the clamping of the cooling mold are performed simultaneously or in this order.

7. A mold clamping mechanism further comprising: a first mold clamping mechanism that moves one of the upper platen and the lower platen in a direction toward or away from the other; a second elastic body that is disposed between the upper cooling mold and the upper platen; and a third mold clamping mechanism that clamps the positioning mold by moving one of the upper positioning mold and the lower positioning mold in a direction toward or away from the other, wherein the upper shaping mold is attached in a fixed state to the upper platen; the upper cooling mold is attached to the upper platen so as to be movable in a direction toward or away from the upper platen; the lower shaping mold, the upper positioning mold, and the lower cooling mold are attached in a fixed state to the lower platen; and the second elastic body is elastically deformed by the upper cooling mold moving in a direction toward the upper platen, and urges the upper cooling mold toward the lower cooling mold, The clamping of the cooling mold is performed by the third upper press surface of the upper cooling mold and the third lower press surface of the lower cooling mold, which are urged toward the lower cooling mold by the second elastic body, sandwiching and pressurizing the shaped portion of the sheet material to be press-molded that is pressurized by the positioning mold placed between them, the first clamping mechanism clamping the shaping mold and the cooling mold by moving one of the upper platen and the lower platen in a direction toward or away from the other, the clamping of the positioning mold and the clamping of the shaping mold are performed in this order, and the clamping of the positioning mold and the clamping of the cooling mold are performed simultaneously or in this order.A continuous press molding apparatus as described in claim 4.

8. A continuous press molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein release films are attached to the front and back surfaces of the sheet material to be press molded.

9. A continuous press molding apparatus as described in claim 8, wherein a glass cloth layer is disposed between the front surface of the sheet material to be press-molded and the release film, and / or between the back surface of the sheet material to be press-molded and the release film.

10. A molded product in which alternating, continuous concave and convex shapes are formed by performing press molding on a sheet material to be press-molded, and a glass cloth layer is attached to at least one of the front and back surfaces of the molded product.

11. A continuous press-molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a metal foil is attached to at least one of the front and back surfaces of the sheet material to be press-molded.

12. A molded product in which alternating, continuous concave and convex shapes are formed by performing press molding on a sheet material to be press-molded, and in which metal foil is attached to at least one of the front and back surfaces of the molded product.

13. A continuous press molding method in a continuous press molding device comprising: an upper shaping die having a first upper press surface including one of a concave shape and a convex shape that fits into the concave shape, and a lower shaping die having a first lower press surface including the other of the concave shape and the convex shape; a positioning die having an upper positioning die having a second upper press surface corresponding to the first upper press surface, and a lower positioning die having a second lower press surface corresponding to the first lower press surface; and a conveying device that conveys a sheet material to be press-molded, wherein the shaping die and the positioning die are arranged in this order along the conveying direction of the sheet material to be press-molded, a press-molding target sheet material transporting step in which the transport device transports the press-molding target sheet material so that, each time each mold is opened, a preheated portion of the press-molding target sheet material is positioned between the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping mold, and a shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material shaped by the shaping mold is positioned between the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold; a positioning mold clamping step in which the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold sandwich and pressurize the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material positioned therebetween; a shaping mold clamping step in which the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping mold sandwich and pressurize the preheated preheated portion of the press-molding target sheet material positioned therebetween; and a mold opening step in which each mold is opened.

14. A continuous press molding method according to claim 13, wherein the positioning mold clamping step and the shaping mold clamping step are carried out in this order.

15. A continuous press-forming method in a continuous press-forming device comprising: an upper shaping die having a first upper press surface including one of a concave shape and a convex shape that fits into the concave shape, and a lower shaping die having a first lower press surface including the other of the concave shape and the convex shape; a positioning die having an upper positioning die having a second upper press surface corresponding to the first upper press surface, and a lower positioning die having a second lower press surface corresponding to the first lower press surface; a cooling die having an upper cooling die having a third upper press surface corresponding to the first upper press surface, and a lower cooling die having a third lower press surface corresponding to the first lower press surface; and a conveying device that conveys a sheet material to be press-formed, wherein the shaping die, positioning die, and cooling die are arranged in this order along the conveying direction of the sheet material to be press-formed, a press-molding target sheet material conveying process in which the conveying device conveys the press-molding target sheet material so that, each time each mold opening is performed, a preheated portion of the press-molding target sheet material is disposed between the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping mold, a shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material shaped by the shaping mold is disposed between the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold, and the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material pressed by the positioning mold is disposed between the third upper press surface of the upper cooling mold and the third upper press surface of the lower cooling mold; and a positioning mold clamping process in which the second upper press surface of the upper positioning mold and the second lower press surface of the lower positioning mold clamp and pressurize the shaped portion of the press-molding target sheet material disposed therebetween. A continuous press molding method comprising: a shaping mold clamping process in which the first upper press surface of the upper shaping mold and the first lower press surface of the lower shaping mold sandwich and pressurize a preheated portion of the sheet material to be press-molded placed therebetween; a cooling mold clamping process in which the third upper press surface of the upper cooling mold and the third lower press surface of the lower cooling mold sandwich and pressurize the shaped portion of the sheet material to be pressurized by the positioning mold placed therebetween; and a mold opening process in which each mold is opened.

16. A continuous press molding method as described in claim 15, wherein the positioning mold clamping process and the shaping mold clamping process are carried out in this order, and the positioning mold clamping process and the upper cooling mold clamping process are carried out simultaneously or in this order.

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