Method for manufacturing panel body and method for manufacturing heat insulating panel

Abstract

Provided are a method for manufacturing a large-sized panel body that is resistant to bending, and a method for manufacturing a heat insulating panel, in which ease of manufacture is improved while the thickness of a plate material is reduced.　An air conditioning panel (10) is formed in a panel shape having sides of 60 cm or more, and is used to obtain an air conditioning effect, and the method for manufacturing the air conditioning panel (10) includes: preparing two plate materials (11) having a thickness of 0.8 mm or less; forming a large number of protruding portions (13) on at least one of the two plate materials (11); providing a powder for forming a wick layer (14) at a location including the large number of protruding portions (13), and then removing the powder from the locations corresponding to the large number of protruding portions (13); after the removal, heating the plate material (11) to form the wick layer (14); and combining the two plate materials (11) including the plate material (11) on which the wick layer (14) is formed and welding the large number of protruding portions (13).

Description

Method for manufacturing panel body and method for manufacturing heat insulating panel

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a panel body and a method for manufacturing a heat insulating panel.

[0002] Conventionally, a panel-shaped heat exchanger has been proposed in which the outer peripheral portions of two plate materials are welded and the central portions of the two plate materials are welded so as to form a polka dot pattern, and the space between the plate materials is pressurized with a gas or the like to form an internal space (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, a heat pipe configured in a planar shape has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Such a planar heat pipe is made small, such as being provided inside a smartphone.

[0003] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 3458917 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-023167

[0004] Here, the applicant of the present application is considering making the inside of the panel-shaped heat exchanger described in Patent Document 1 vacuum and introducing a refrigerant to use it as a panel body capable of exhibiting an air conditioning function. From the viewpoint of efficiently using the internal refrigerant, a wick layer is formed on the inner surface of such a panel body. In addition, from the viewpoint of weight reduction, it is preferable that the two plate materials are as thin as possible, for example, having a thickness of 0.8 mm or less.

[0005] However, when the thickness of the plate material is set to 0.8 mm or less for a panel body capable of exhibiting an air conditioning function, since the inside is vacuumed, it becomes difficult to withstand external pressure. Therefore, the applicant of the present application is considering providing a large number of contact structures (convex portions) between one plate material and the other plate material, such as the polka dot pattern portion described in Patent Document 1, in a panel body with a thin plate material, and is considering forming the convex portions densely as the plate material is thinner.

[0006] On the other hand, when forming a wick layer inside a panel body capable of exhibiting an air conditioning function, there is a problem that it is difficult to form the wick layer so as to avoid the densely formed convex portions. Therefore, from the viewpoint of manufacturing productivity, it can be said that it is preferable to form a wick layer over substantially the entire inner surface of the plate material. [[ID=Z19]]

[0007] However, if a wick layer is formed over almost the entire inner surface of the plate material, the wick layer will interfere with the welding of the protrusions. Here, for small items such as the heat pipe described in Patent Document 2, there is no problem even if the protrusions are not welded, but for large panel bodies with sides of 60 cm or more, if the protrusions are not welded, the protrusions will shift and the air conditioning panel will easily bend. This problem is not limited to cases where a wick layer is formed using capillary action, but is also common when forming a powder-fixed layer on the inner surface of the plate material, such as when a simple uneven surface is formed using powder.

[0008] The present invention was made to solve these problems, and its objective is to provide a method for manufacturing a panel body that is large and resistant to bending, while also improving manufacturability and reducing the thickness of the plate material, as well as a method for manufacturing an insulating panel.

[0009] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a panel body formed in a panel shape having sides of 60 cm or more, comprising: a preparation step of preparing two plate materials with a thickness of 0.8 mm or less; an embossing step of embossing at least one of the two plate materials prepared in the preparation step to form a number of protrusions; a powder installation step of providing powder for forming a powder fixing layer in the portions of the embossed plate material including the number of protrusions; a powder removal step of removing the powder from the portions of the powder provided in the powder installation step that correspond to the number of protrusions; a powder fixing layer forming step of heating the plate material from which the powder has been removed in the powder removal step to melt the remaining powder to form the powder fixing layer; and a welding step of combining the two plate materials, including the plate material on which the powder fixing layer has been formed in the powder fixing layer forming step, and welding the number of protrusions.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a panel body formed in a panel shape having sides of 60 cm or more, comprising: a preparation step of preparing two plate materials with a thickness of 0.8 mm or less; a powder fixing layer formation step of forming a powder fixing layer by thermal spraying conductive powder onto at least one of the two plate materials prepared in the preparation step; and a welding step of combining the two plate materials, including the plate material on which the powder fixing layer has been formed in the powder fixing layer formation step, and performing electric resistance welding at multiple locations on the plate materials, wherein an embossing process is performed prior to the welding step to form a number of protrusions at the multiple locations to be welded in the welding step, or an internal space is formed by applying pressure between the two plate materials that have been welded at multiple locations in the welding step.

[0011] These devices share a common technical feature: they both involve applying powder to the areas corresponding to numerous protrusions.

[0012] Furthermore, the method for manufacturing an insulating panel according to the present invention comprises: a channel forming step of forming a channel that connects the internal spaces of the two hollow bodies, and an insulating body forming step of forming an insulating body between the two hollow bodies, wherein at least one of the two hollow bodies having an internal space is an air conditioning panel for obtaining an air conditioning effect manufactured by the method for manufacturing a panel described above.

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a panel body that is large and resistant to bending, while reducing the thickness of the plate material and improving manufacturability, as well as a method for manufacturing an insulating panel.

[0014] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an insulating panel manufactured by the insulating panel manufacturing method according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an insulating panel manufactured by the insulating panel manufacturing method according to the first embodiment. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of an insulating panel according to this embodiment. Figure 4 is a process diagram showing the insulating panel manufacturing method according to the first embodiment. Figure 5 is an end view showing an example of the mold configuration in the mold section shown in Figure 4, where (a) shows the first state and (b) shows the second state. Figure 6 is a perspective view showing details of the powder coating section shown in Figure 4. Figure 7 is a perspective view showing details of the welded section shown in Figure 4. Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the welding process performed by the first and second seam welding machines shown in Figure 7. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the flow path to be installed in the flow path installation process. Figure 10 is a process diagram showing the insulating panel manufacturing method according to the second embodiment, showing the first example. Figure 11 is a process diagram showing the insulating panel manufacturing method according to the second embodiment, showing the second example.

[0015] The present invention will be described below in accordance with preferred embodiments. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, in the embodiments shown below, some illustrations and descriptions of certain components are omitted. It goes without saying that, regarding the details of the omitted technologies, publicly known or well-known technologies are applied as appropriate, to the extent that they do not contradict the content described below.

[0016] Figures 1 and 2 are configuration diagrams showing an insulating panel manufactured by the insulating panel manufacturing method according to the first embodiment, with Figure 1 being a perspective view and Figure 2 being a cross-sectional view. The insulating panel 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is composed of two air conditioning panels (panel bodies) 10, an insulating body 20, and a flow path 30.

[0017] The air conditioning panel 10 is a hollow body formed by processing two plate materials 11 to create an internal space IS, and then welding the edges 12 together. The internal space IS is, for example, evacuated to a reduced pressure state. The air conditioning panel 10 is a large structure with a long side of at least 60 cm. The two plate materials 11 each have a thickness of 0.8 mm or less, making the air conditioning panel 10 lightweight.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the air conditioning panel 10 has numerous protrusions 13 formed on both of its plate materials 11. The numerous protrusions 13 are formed on the two plate materials 11 facing each other, and the tops of the protrusions 13 are in contact with each other. As a result, the two plate materials 11 are separated in the internal space IS by the height of two sets of protrusions 13. Furthermore, because the tops of the protrusions 13 are in contact with each other, the air conditioning panel 10, with its vacuum-filled internal space IS, is more resistant to external pressure. In Figures 1 and 2, 32 protrusions 13 are formed, but in reality, since the plate materials 11 of the air conditioning panel 10 are thin and have a large structure, a much larger number will be formed. Specifically, in an air conditioning panel 10 with a width of 930 mm and a length of 2000 mm, for example, several thousand protrusions 13 are formed on each plate material 11.

[0019] In this embodiment, the air conditioning panel 10 has numerous protrusions 13 formed on both of the two plate materials 11, but it is not limited to this, and the numerous protrusions 13 may be formed on only one of the plate materials 11, while the other plate material 11 is flat.

[0020] These two air conditioning panels 10 are configured to allow refrigerant to flow through two flow paths 30. The two air conditioning panels 10 are configured to allow heat from one air conditioning panel 10 to be released from the other air conditioning panel 10 through the flow of refrigerant. In addition, an insulating material 20 is provided between the two air conditioning panels 10 to ensure thermal insulation. As a result, the insulating material 20 prevents heat from passing through from the other side to the one side, and allows heat from one side to pass through to the other side through the refrigerant circulation.

[0021] In this type of heat transfer, one of the two air conditioning panels 10 functions as an evaporator E, and the other functions as a condenser C. More specifically, the liquid refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator E due to heat from one side. As a result, the space S1 facing the air conditioning panel 10 on one side is cooled by the loss of heat from evaporation. Meanwhile, the evaporated refrigerant, or vapor refrigerant, reaches the condenser C through the first channel 31. In the condenser C, the vapor refrigerant liquefies into liquid refrigerant due to heat from the space S2 facing the other air conditioning panel 10. The heat of condensation released when the vapor refrigerant liquefies is discarded to the space S2. The liquefied liquid refrigerant then returns to the evaporator E through the second channel 32. Thus, the insulated panel 1 allows heat from one side to flow to the other side.

[0022] Here, at least one of the air conditioning panels 10 on the evaporator E side has a wick layer (powder fixing layer) 14 formed on it (the panel 11 furthest from the condenser C) from the viewpoint of promoting the evaporation of liquid refrigerant. The wick layer 14 draws up and holds the liquid refrigerant stored on the lower side of the evaporator E by capillary action. With such a wick layer 14, the evaporation area of ​​the evaporator E expands along the height direction, enabling efficient evaporation in the height direction.

[0023] In this embodiment, the air conditioning panel 10 has a large structure. Therefore, if the protrusions 13 are not welded to the opposing plate material 11 (protrusions 13), the tops of the protrusions 13 will shift, causing the air conditioning panel 10 to bend. As a result, it becomes difficult to use it in vertical surfaces, and its use as a building material becomes difficult.

[0024] Therefore, in this embodiment, the tops of the numerous protrusions 13 of the air conditioning panel 10 are welded together. Here, a wick layer 14 is formed on the air conditioning panel 10 on the evaporator E side, but in this embodiment, the wick layer 14 is formed so as to avoid the tops of the protrusions 13.

[0025] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the thermal insulation panel 1 according to this embodiment. The thermal insulation panel 1 may have a structure that is long in one direction, for example, by connecting the panels shown in Figures 1 and 2. Here, the air conditioning panel 10 needs to be divided into predetermined size sections in order to circulate the refrigerant. For this reason, in order to manufacture a long thermal insulation panel 1, it is necessary to divide the air conditioning panel 10 into sections of a certain size and weld them together. Such welded sections are called section forming sections 15. By dividing the thermal insulation panel 1 into sections of a certain size with section forming sections 15, it is possible to have a long structure in one direction while still allowing refrigerant circulation. Note that section forming sections 15 are also formed in the thermal insulation panel 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2.

[0026] The method for manufacturing such an insulating panel 1 will be described below. Figure 4 is a process diagram showing the method for manufacturing the insulating panel 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the manufacturing apparatus for the insulating panel 1 includes a sheet material supply unit 100, a mold unit 200, a powder coating unit 300, a powder removal unit 400, a heating unit 500, a welding unit 600, and an insulating layer forming unit 700.

[0027] The sheet material supply unit 100 is configured, for example, with four uncoilers. The coils wound around the uncoilers constitute long sheet materials 11, which are continuously supplied as if being unwound from the uncoilers. In particular, the long sheet materials 11 supplied from the sheet material supply unit 100 have a thickness of 0.8 mm or less. The preparation step involves preparing at least two such sheet materials 11, that is, two uncoilers around which coils have been wound.

[0028] The mold unit 200 performs an embossing process on the four sheet materials 11 supplied by the four uncoilers. This mold unit 200 forms a number of protrusions 13 at equal intervals in the planar direction of the sheet materials 11.

[0029] Figure 5 is an end view showing an example of the mold configuration in the mold section 200 shown in Figure 4, where (a) shows the first state and (b) shows the second state. As shown in Figure 5, the mold section 200 comprises a first die set 210 and a second die set 220 configured in five stages, and a movable part 230.

[0030] The first die set 210 is equipped with first to fifth layer molds 211 to 215, and one long sheet material 11 is supplied between each layer mold 211 to 215. The sheet material 11 supplied between each layer is pressed, for example, from the fifth layer mold 215 toward the first layer mold 211 to form various shapes. The second die set 220 is also equipped with first to fifth layer molds 221 to 225, and one long sheet material 11 that has passed through the first die set 210 is supplied between each layer mold 221 to 225. The second die set 220 also forms various shapes on the sheet material 11 by pressing it from the fifth layer mold 225 toward the first layer mold 221. In particular, the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 are pressed simultaneously by the same press machine.

[0031] Here, the first die set 210 includes a trapezoidal processing section 210a and a flow path opening section 210b. As described above, the air conditioning panel 10 needs to be divided into predetermined sizes in order to circulate the refrigerant. For this reason, it is necessary to form a welded section that extends in the width direction of the long plate material 11 each time the long plate material 11 flows a certain distance. Therefore, the trapezoidal processing section 210a of the first die set 210 is press-formed into a trapezoidal shape in order to form a welded section that will become the partition forming section 15. Although both plate materials 11 are press-formed into a trapezoidal shape in the air conditioning panel 10 shown in Figures 1 to 3, as shown in Figure 5, only one of the plate materials 11 may be press-formed into a trapezoidal shape.

[0032] Furthermore, the flow path opening section 210b is provided with a hole for connecting the flow path 30 between the air conditioning panels 10. The hole is formed by cutting out, for example, a rectangular shape adjacent to the partition forming section 15.

[0033] Specifically, the first die set 210 is provided with a trapezoidal protrusion 213a1 that protrudes downward on the lower surface of the third layer mold 213 and a trapezoidal protrusion 213a2 that protrudes upward on the upper surface. Furthermore, the second layer mold 212 and the fourth layer mold 214 are provided with trapezoidal recesses 212b and 214b, respectively, at positions opposite to the trapezoidal protrusions 213a1 and 213a2 of the third layer mold 213, which match the shape of the trapezoidal protrusions 213a1 and 213a2. As a result, trapezoidal portions for forming welding sections that will become partitioned sections 15 are created on the second plate material 11b and the third plate material 11c of the four long plate materials 11 (hereinafter referred to as reference numerals 11a to 11d from the bottom). Furthermore, since the trapezoidal protrusions 213a1, 213a2 and trapezoidal recesses 212b, 214b are formed continuously in the width direction of the plate material 11 (i.e., the depth direction in Figure 5), the trapezoidal parts are also continuous in the width direction.

[0034] Furthermore, the first die set 210 has hollowing projections 213c and 214c on the lower surfaces of the third layer mold 213 and the fourth layer mold 214, respectively, for forming holes. Also, on the upper surfaces of the second layer mold 212 and the third layer mold 213, which face the hollowing projections 213c and 214c, there are member receiving sections 212d and 213d for discarding the hollowed-out members. Here, the hollowing projections 213c and 214c and the member receiving sections 212d and 213d are not continuous in the width direction of the plate material 11 but are scattered. As a result, of the four long plate materials 11, holes are formed in the second plate material 11b and the third plate material 11c at positions adjacent to the partition forming section 15.

[0035] Furthermore, the second die set 220 is equipped with an embossing section 220a. The embossing section 220a is for forming a number of protrusions 13. Specifically, two rows of protrusions 221a, 223a1, 223a2, and 225a are formed on the upper surface of the first layer mold 221, the lower and upper surfaces of the third layer mold 223, and the lower surface of the fifth layer mold 225, aligned in the direction of supplying the sheet material 11. A large number of these two rows of protrusions 221a, 223a1, 223a2, and 225a are formed in the width direction of the sheet material 11, for example, 35 in one row. Also, two rows of recesses 222b1, 222b2, 224b1, and 224b2 are formed on the lower and upper surfaces of the second layer mold 222, and the lower and upper surfaces of the fourth layer mold 224, aligned in the direction of supplying the sheet material 11. Numerous two rows of recesses 222b1, 222b2, 224b1, and 224b2 are also formed in the width direction of the plate material 11, for example, 35 in a row. As a result, 70 protrusions 13 are formed on the four long plate materials 11a to 11d each time the second die set 220 operates.

[0036] Furthermore, the movable part 230 is a wedge-shaped component that tapers from the second die set 220 towards the first die set 210. The base of this movable part 230 is attached to the third layer mold 223 of the second die set 220, and the tip is engaged with the wedge recess 213e of the third layer mold 213 of the first die set 210. The wedge recess 213e is a recess shaped to conform to the wedge shape of the movable part 230. Furthermore, the third layer mold 213 has a lower mold 213f and an upper mold 213g that can move up and down. The lower mold 213f has a trapezoidal protrusion 213a1 and a hollowed-out protrusion 213c. The upper mold 213g has a trapezoidal protrusion 213a2 and a component receiving portion 213d.

[0037] Here, the mold section 200 according to this embodiment includes a drive section 240. The drive section 240 adjusts the distance between at least the first die set 210 and the second die set 220. The drive section 240 includes a linear gear section 241 that extends in the conveying direction (supply direction) of the sheet metal 11, a worm gear 242 whose teeth match those of the linear gear section 241, and a motor section 243 that rotates the worm gear 242. The worm gear 242 is a rotary ball spline gear utilizing a ball spline structure and is movable along the rotation axis 242a.

[0038] In this drive unit 240, the worm gear 242 is connected to the first die set 210, and the first die set 210 can be moved along the transport direction according to the position of the worm gear 242 on the linear gear portion 241. Therefore, by driving the motor unit 243 to change the position of the worm gear 242, the distance between the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 can be adjusted.

[0039] Here, the first state shown in Figure 5(a) represents a state in which the distance between the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 has been shortened. On the other hand, the second state shown in Figure 5(b) represents a state in which the distance between the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 has been lengthened.

[0040] As shown in Figure 5(b), when the distance between the two increases, the amount of biting of the tip side of the movable part 230 into the third layer mold 213 of the first die set 210 decreases. As a result, the lower mold 213f of the third layer mold 213 moves slightly upward, and the upper mold 213g of the third layer mold 213 moves slightly downward. This causes the trapezoidal protrusions 213a1, 213a2, the hollowed-out protrusion 213c, and the member receiving part 213d to retract, and even when the first die set 210 performs a press operation, neither the trapezoidal parts nor the holes are formed. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 5(a), when the distance between the two decreases, the amount of biting of the tip side of the movable part 230 increases, the lower mold 213f of the third layer mold 213 moves slightly downward, and the upper mold 213g of the third layer mold 213 moves slightly upward. As a result, the trapezoidal protrusions 213a1, 213a2, the hollowed-out protrusion 213c, and the member receiving portion 213d protrude, and when the first die set 210 performs a pressing operation, the trapezoidal portion and the hole are formed.

[0041] Thus, the mold unit 200 is configured to switch between a state in which trapezoidal parts and holes are formed and a state in which they are not formed by adjusting the distance between the first die set 210 and the second die set 220. Specifically, let's assume that the protrusions 13 are formed at a pitch of 25 mm in the supply direction of the sheet material 11, and that trapezoidal parts and holes are formed every 2 m. In this case, the mold unit 200 presses 37 times in the state shown in Figure 5(b) and then drives the drive unit 240 to press once in the state shown in Figure 5(a). This makes it possible to form a large number of protrusions 13 while also forming trapezoidal parts and holes every 2 m.

[0042] Although not shown in the illustration, the mold section 200 also performs Z-folding on the side. As shown in Figure 1, the air conditioning panel 10 has a Z-fold section 16 formed on the side. It is preferable that the Z-folding is performed in the first die set 210 of the mold section 200.

[0043] Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the drive unit 240 of the mold unit 200 includes a pinion gear 244 such that the teeth mesh with the straight gear part 241. Therefore, the straight gear part 241 functions as a so-called rack gear. The straight gear part 241 is connected to the second die set 220. Therefore, by rotating the pinion gear 244, the entire first die set 210 and the second die set 220 can be moved. As a result, for example, the first die set 210 and the second die set 220 can be moved in the conveying direction in accordance with the conveying speed of the plate material 11, and press working can also be performed during this movement. Thus, it is not necessary to convey the plate material 11 in a step-by-step manner, and press working can be performed on the continuously conveyed plate material 11, further improving productivity.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 4 again, the plate materials 11a to 11d that have passed through the mold unit 200 are supplied to the powder coating unit 300. The powder coating unit 300 performs a powder installation process of providing powder to the first and fourth plate materials 11a and 11d that have been embossed. The powder becomes the wick layer 14 by being heated in the heating unit 500 at the subsequent stage of the powder coating unit 300.

[0045] Further, in the present embodiment, the powder coating unit 300 sprays powder onto the region including the numerous convex portions 13 formed by embossing. Therefore, powder is also provided on the tops of the respective convex portions 13. Here, in the present embodiment, the powder coating unit 300 uses electrostatic coating when providing powder to the plate material 11. The powder is, for example, alumina powder with an average particle diameter of 50 μm or more mixed with about 10% of low melting point glass frit with an average particle shape of 10 μm or less. Ceramics and glass such as alumina have little conductivity. Therefore, such powder has little conductivity and is charged for electrostatic powder coating.

[0046] More specifically, assume a case where partition forming portions 15 are formed every 2 m on a coiled long stainless steel plate with a plate thickness of 0.3 mm and a plate width of 930 mm. Also, assume that the convex portions 13 have a frustum of a cone shape with a pitch of 25 mm, a bottom diameter of 15 mm, a top diameter of 8 mm, and a height of 3 mm. Here, excluding the Z-fold portions 16 on both side portions with a width of 20 mm at both ends of the plate width, it is necessary to provide powder in order to form the wick layer 14 on the remaining 890 mm wide portion. Also, excluding the partition forming portions 15, the powder installation area is a region with a width of 890 mm and a length of 1925 mm in the length direction. The powder coating portion 300 performs electrostatic coating on such a region (region excluding the edge portion 12). Also, due to performing such electrostatic coating, powder is also provided on the top portion with a diameter of 8 mm of the convex portion 13.

[0047] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing details of the powder coating portion 300 shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 6, for the sake of illustration, each plate material 11 that has passed through the mold portion 200 is shown in a flat plate shape. Also, for the sake of illustration, the illustration of reference numerals is omitted for some of the same configurations.

[0048] The powder coating portion 300 shown in FIG. 6 includes a powder spraying portion 310, a masking plate portion 320, and a masking belt portion 330. The powder coating portion 300 sprays powder by the powder spraying portion 310 at locations including a large number of convex portions 13, but performs masking by the masking plate portion 320 and the masking belt portion 330 so that powder is not provided at locations corresponding to the partition forming portions 15 and the Z-fold portions 16.

[0049] The powder spraying portion 310 sprays powder onto the first plate material 11a from above the first plate material 11a and also sprays powder onto the fourth plate material 11d from below the fourth plate material 11d.

[0050] The masking plate portion 320 includes an endless belt 321, a large number of plate-like masking plates 322 attached along the outer peripheral side of the endless belt 321, a driving portion 323, and a cleaning portion 324. Such a masking plate portion 320 is provided on both sides in the width direction of the first plate material 11a and the fourth plate material 11d.

[0051] The endless belt 321 of the masking plate section 320 is wrapped between two pulleys that are spaced apart in the conveying direction of the sheet material 11. Therefore, the direction of operation of the endless belt 321 is generally aligned with the conveying direction of the sheet material 11. In addition, since the numerous masking plates 322 are provided on the outer circumference of the endless belt 321, they are arranged to cover the positions of the Z-folds 16 on both sides of the first sheet material 11a from above, and to cover the positions of the Z-folds 16 on both sides of the fourth sheet material 11d from below. The drive unit 323 rotates the endless belt 321. The cleaning unit 324 blows away powder adhering to the numerous masking plates 322 by sending compressed air to them.

[0052] The powder spraying unit 310 performs electrostatic powder coating while the endless belt 321 is rotated by the drive unit 323 of the masking plate unit 320. As a result, the numerous masking plates 322 provided along the outer circumference of the endless belt 321 prevent powder from being deposited in the area corresponding to the Z-fold 16. At this time, powder adheres to the masking plates 322. However, because the endless belt 321 is rotating, the masking plates 322 with powder attached reach the cleaning unit 324, where the powder is removed, and then they move back to the area corresponding to the Z-fold 16 to prevent powder from being deposited again.

[0053] The masking belt section 330 also includes an endless belt 331, a drive unit 333, and a cleaning unit 334. The endless belt 331 of the masking belt section 330 is wrapped around two pulleys that are aligned in the width direction of the first plate material 11a and the fourth plate material 11d. At least one of the two pulleys is a rotatable drive unit 333. Each plate material 11a and 11d is conveyed so as to pass inside the endless belt 331. The cleaning unit 334 blows off powder adhering to the endless belt 331 by sending compressed air to it.

[0054] The powder spraying unit 310 performs electrostatic coating of powder while the endless belt 331 is rotated by the drive unit 333 of the masking belt unit 330. This prevents powder from being placed in areas corresponding to the partitioning unit 15 by the endless belt 331. At this time, powder adheres to the endless belt 331. However, as the endless belt 331 rotates, the parts to which the powder has adhered reach the cleaning unit 334 and the powder is removed.

[0055] Furthermore, the powder coating section 300 can also be configured to move the powder spraying section 310 and the masking belt section 330 in accordance with the conveying speed of the sheet material 11. This allows for continuous masking of the sheet material 11 without having to convey it in a step-by-step manner. The masking plate section 320, depending on the number of masking plates 322, preferably has a mechanism to move in accordance with the conveying speed of the sheet material 11 when the number of masking plates 322 is small.

[0056] Refer to Figure 4 again. The plate materials 11a to 11d that have passed through the powder coating section 300 are supplied to the powder removal section 400. The powder removal section 400 performs a powder removal process to remove powder from the areas corresponding to the numerous protrusions 13 of the first and fourth plate materials 11a and 11d. The powder removal section 400 may remove the powder from the tops of the numerous protrusions 13 using compressed air, or it may remove the powder by scraping it off by bringing a cleaning plate into contact with the tops of the numerous protrusions 13. In particular, in this embodiment, although the powder is present on the first and fourth plate materials 11a and 11d, it is only attached to the extent of electrostatic force or intermolecular force, so it can be easily removed by these removal configurations.

[0057] The plate materials 11a to 11d that have passed through the powder removal section 400 are supplied to the heating section 500. The heating section 500 is configured, for example, as a tunnel furnace, and heats the first and fourth plate materials 11a and 11d to perform a wick layer formation process (powder fixed layer formation process) in which the powder is melted and a wick layer 14 is formed. Here, the powder at the tops of the numerous protrusions 13 is removed in the powder removal section 400, leaving the powder in other parts. In this state, heating is performed, for example, by the tunnel furnace, so that the wick layer 14 is formed, excluding the tops of the numerous protrusions 13. When the powder is as described above, the heating section 500 is heated to approximately the melting point of the low-melting-point glass. As a result, the low-melting-point glass wets and spreads across the surfaces of both the alumina powder and the plate material 11. After that, the plate material 11 is cooled, for example, in a room temperature environment. As a result, the low-melting-point glass solidifies and the alumina powder is fixed as the wick layer 14.

[0058] The plate materials 11a to 11d that have passed through the heating section 500 are supplied to the welding section 600. The welding section 600 performs a welding process in which the first plate material 11a and the second plate material 11b, and the third plate material 11c and the fourth plate material 11d are combined and the tops of the numerous protrusions 13 are welded together.

[0059] Figure 7 is a perspective view showing details of the welded section 600 shown in Figure 4. For illustrative purposes, in Figure 7, each plate material 11 is shown as a flat plate. As shown in Figure 7, the welded section 600 comprises a plurality of spot welding machines 610, a first seam welding machine 620, and a second seam welding machine 630.

[0060] Multiple spot welding machines 610 weld the tops of numerous protrusions 13 to the mating plate material 11. The multiple spot welding machines 610 are arranged in a line in the width direction of the plate material 11, positioned on the lower side of the first plate material 11a and the upper side of the second plate material 11b, and on the lower side of the third plate material 11c and the upper side of the fourth plate material 11d, to weld two plates 11 from both sides. In the first embodiment, the multiple spot welding machines 610 are, for example, laser welding machines.

[0061] Here, the multiple spot welding machines 610 are configured to weld some of the numerous protrusions 13, leaving the remaining protrusions 13 unwelded. To perform this type of welding, the number of spot welding machines 610 is less than the number of numerous protrusions 13 formed in the width direction. For example, if 35 numerous protrusions 13 are formed in the width direction, seven spot welding machines 610 are provided in the width direction at intervals of, for example, 125 mm. This improves manufacturability in the welding process by reducing the number of welds in areas that have little impact on the curvature of the air conditioning panel 10. It is also possible to arrange laser welding machines at a relatively practical interval of 125 mm.

[0062] Furthermore, the first seam welding machine 620 performs welding on the side portion of the plate material 11 that will become the Z-fold portion 16. This first seam welding machine 620 also welds two plates 11 from both sides.

[0063] The second seam welding machine 630 performs welding on the areas that will become partitioned sections 15 of the plate material 11. The second seam welding machine 630 is configured so that the welding area can move in the width direction, and it welds two plates 11 from both sides. In particular, the second seam welding machine 630 performs welding on one partitioned section 15 while moving back and forth.

[0064] Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the welding process performed by the first seam welding machine 620 and the second seam welding machine 630 shown in Figure 7. As shown in Figure 8, the Z-fold portion 16 of the two plate materials 11 is welded by the first seam welding machine 620. Furthermore, the second seam welding machine 630 performs two substantially parallel welds in the compartment forming portion 15. In other words, the second seam welding machine 630 performs double-line welding on one compartment forming portion 15. Note that the distance between the double lines is assumed to be 20 mm, for example, but it is not limited to 20 mm as long as it is 10 cm or less.

[0065] As a result, in order to manufacture the air conditioning panel 10, only the section between the two welds needs to be cut, and compared to the case where only one weld is performed on the compartment forming section 15, the amount of wasted plate material 11 is reduced. In other words, in the case of single-line welding, if the compartment forming section 15 is cut adjacent to the single-line welded section, a hollow body can be manufactured on one side, but the internal space IS on the other side will be left open. However, in the case of double-line welding, by cutting between the two welds, the internal space IS is not left open on either side, which contributes to reducing the amount of wasted plate material 11.

[0066] Here, as shown in Figure 7, it is preferable that the spot welding machine 610 and the second seam welding machine 630 be movable along the conveying direction of the plate material 11, and that welding be performed while moving them in accordance with the conveying speed of the plate material 11. This allows welding to be performed by the spot welding machine 610 and the second seam welding machine 630 while continuously supplying the plate material 11, rather than supplying it piece by piece, thereby further improving manufacturability.

[0067] Refer to Figure 4 again. The plate materials 11a to 11d that have passed through the welded section 600 undergo a channel installation process (channel formation process), a foam installation process (insulation body formation process), and a foaming process (insulation body formation process) in the insulation layer formation section 700. These processes may be performed after cutting has been carried out between the double lines of the compartment formation section 15.

[0068] First, in the flow path installation process, the flow path 30 is installed using the hole formed by the flow path opening 210b of the mold part 200 shown in Figure 5. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the flow path 30 installed in the flow path installation process. The hole formed by the flow path opening 210b of the mold part 200 is substantially rectangular in shape. The flow path 30 comprises two opposing rectangular plates 30a (only one is shown in Figure 9), a pipe section 30b connecting them, and a small tube 30c formed in the pipe section 30b.

[0069] The two plates 30a are shaped to match the shape of the hole. The pipe section 30b connects the internal spaces IS of the two air conditioning panels 10 and is for the flow of refrigerant. The small pipe 30c is used for evacuating the internal space IS and sealing in the refrigerant, and is sealed after these operations are completed. Such a flow path 30 is installed in the flow path installation process. Vacuuming and refrigerant sealing may also be performed in the flow path installation process, but is not limited to this. For example, in a later process, the insulating body 20 may be provided so that the tip of the small pipe 30c is exposed from the insulating body 20, and vacuuming and refrigerant sealing may be performed using the small pipe 30c with its exposed tip.

[0070] Furthermore, when electrically resistance welding the two plates 30a to the second and third plate materials 11b and 11c, the channel installation process may be performed before the second and third plate materials 11b and 11c are superimposed on the first and fourth plate materials 11a and 11d, respectively. For this reason, the channel installation process may be performed, for example, during the process of transport from the mold section 200 to the powder coating section 300. By installing the channel 30 at such a timing, the second and third plate materials 11b and 11c can be transported while maintaining a stable distance between them using the channel 30.

[0071] Refer to Figure 4 again. The foam installation process and the foaming process are processes for forming the insulation body 20. In the foam installation process, the raw material 21 of the foamed insulation material is injected between the two air conditioning panels 10. In the foaming process, the injected raw material 21 of the foamed insulation material is foamed. Foaming is carried out by various methods such as gas, heating, and chemicals. Alternatively, in the foam installation process, a material pre-mixed with gas to foam at the installation stage, such as spray foamed polyurethane foam, may be injected, and the foaming process may simply involve waiting for time to pass. In this way, the insulation panel 1 is manufactured.

[0072] In this way, according to the manufacturing method of the air conditioning panel 10 according to the first embodiment, two plate materials 11 with a thickness of 0.8 mm or less are used, and while a large number of protrusions 13 are formed, powder is provided on the numerous protrusions 13 in a removable manner. Furthermore, in this method, after removing the powder on the protrusions 13, a wick layer 14 is formed by heating and melting, and then the numerous protrusions 13 are welded. As a result, even in large structures with sides of 60 cm or more, bending is less likely to occur by welding the numerous protrusions 13. Also, there is no need to provide powder in a way that avoids the numerous protrusions 13. Therefore, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method for an air conditioning panel 10 that is large and less prone to bending, while reducing the thickness of the plate material 11 and improving manufacturability.

[0073] Furthermore, since this manufacturing method applies powder to areas containing numerous protrusions 13 by electrostatic coating, it is possible to apply powder to areas containing numerous protrusions 13 in a manner that is easy to remove while suppressing the possibility of the powder being dispersed by wind or the like.

[0074] Furthermore, the welding process involves welding only some of the numerous protrusions 13, leaving the remaining protrusions 13 unwelded. This reduces the number of welds in areas where the effects of bending are minimal, improving manufacturability. For example, in the case of laser welding, the laser heads can be arranged within a practical range for welding.

[0075] Furthermore, according to the manufacturing method of the heat-insulating panel 1 according to the first embodiment, at least one of the hollow bodies is the air conditioning panel 10, the two hollow bodies are connected by a flow path 30, and a heat insulating body 20 is provided in between, thus providing a manufacturing method of the heat-insulating panel 1 using the air conditioning panel 10.

[0076] Next, a second embodiment will be described. The manufacturing method of the air conditioning panel 10 and the heat insulation panel 1 according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, but some steps are different. The differences from the first embodiment will be explained below.

[0077] Figure 10 is a first process diagram showing a method for manufacturing the heat-insulating panel 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, the manufacturing apparatus for the heat-insulating panel 1 in the second embodiment includes a sheet material supply unit 100, a thermal spraying unit 800, a mold unit 200, a welding unit 600, and a heat-insulating layer forming unit 700.

[0078] The sheet material supply unit 100 is the same as that of the first embodiment. The preparation step is the process of preparing the sheet material 11 for this sheet material supply unit 100.

[0079] The thermal spraying section 800 performs thermal spraying in the same area as the powder coating section 300 shown in the first embodiment. This thermal spraying section 800 sprays conductive powder onto at least one of the two plate materials 11. This forms a wick layer 14. In other words, the thermal spraying section 800 performs the wick layer formation process. Note that the conductive powder is not limited to metal powder as long as it is conductive.

[0080] Furthermore, it is preferable that the conductive powder has the same composition as the plate material 11. This is because galvanic corrosion can be avoided when water is used as a refrigerant. If the plate material 11 is a stainless steel plate, then the sprayed powder is also stainless steel. Two methods are known for spraying stainless steel with high productivity: plasma spraying and arc spraying. Plasma spraying uses powdered stainless steel as the material, while arc spraying uses wire-shaped stainless steel as the material. Plasma spraying tends to be costly and requires commercial gases such as argon, but it has the advantage of making it easier to adjust the raw material composition to have excellent high-temperature oxidation properties, for example, by adjusting the amounts of chromium, aluminum, and silicon that make up the stainless steel.

[0081] Furthermore, it is preferable not to perform thermal spraying on the edges 12 of the plate material 11, that is, the areas that will become Z-folds 16 and trapezoidal shapes (partitioning areas 15) in the later mold section 200. For this reason, it is preferable to mask these areas in the thermal sprayed section 800 using the same configuration as the powder coated section 300.

[0082] The sheet metal 11 that has passed through the thermal spray section 800 is supplied to the mold section 200. The mold section 200 is the same as that of the first embodiment. This mold section 200 performs embossing of numerous protrusions 13, formation of Z-fold sections 16, and formation of trapezoidal sections that form partitioned sections 15. Note that the arrangement of the thermal spray section 800 and the mold section 200 may be reversed.

[0083] Next, the plate material 11 is supplied to the welding section 600. The welding section 600 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. In this welding section 600, a number of protrusions 13 (an example of a number of locations on the plate material 11) are welded by a number of spot welding machines 610. Here, a wick layer 14 is formed on the tops of the numerous protrusions 13. However, since this wick layer 14 is made of conductive powder, the tops can be welded by electric resistance welding.

[0084] In particular, the conductive powder in the wick layer 14 can be an obstacle to airtight welding at the edges 12 of the air conditioning panel 10. However, welding intended to prevent bending of the air conditioning panel 10 is possible to a reasonable extent even if the conductive powder is present on the tops of numerous protrusions 13. That is, the wick layer 14 will be somewhat interposed at the welded area, resulting in the presence of pores, but this does not pose a particular problem when the internal space IS is used under reduced pressure.

[0085] Subsequently, the plate material 11 that has passed through the welded section 600 undergoes a channel installation process, a foam installation process, and a foaming process in the heat insulation layer forming section 700, similar to the first embodiment, to manufacture the heat insulation panel 1. Cutting is performed as appropriate. Furthermore, the channel installation process may be performed prior to the wick layer formation process by the thermal spray section 800 or the welded section 600 or the welding process, provided that holes for installing the channel 30 have been formed in the mold section 200.

[0086] Here, among the plate materials 11 prepared in the plate material supply unit 100, it is preferable that at least the plate material 11 on which the wick layer 14 is formed has a surface roughness Ra of 2 μm or more. In order to perform thermal spraying smoothly in the thermal spray unit 800, it is necessary to perform a roughening treatment in advance, but by preparing plate materials 11 with a surface roughness Ra of 2 μm or more, the roughening treatment becomes unnecessary. Note that the surface roughness Ra of the plate material 11 does not have to be 2 μm or more, and a roughening treatment such as sandblasting may be performed.

[0087] Furthermore, similar to the first embodiment, it is preferable to perform partial welding on the welded portion 600, where some of the protrusions 13 are welded and the remaining protrusions 13 are not welded. This is because it improves manufacturability.

[0088] Figure 11 is a second process diagram showing a method for manufacturing the heat-insulating panel 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 11, in the second embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus for the heat-insulating panel 1 may be configured to include a plate material supply unit 100, a thermal spraying unit 800, a welding unit 600, a pressurizing unit 900, and a heat-insulating layer forming unit 700.

[0089] The sheet material supply unit 100 and the thermal spray unit 800 are the same as those described with reference to Figure 10. Furthermore, it is preferable to prepare a sheet material 11 to be thermal sprayed that has a surface roughness Ra of 2 μm or more in advance.

[0090] The welded section 600 is formed by combining two plate materials 11, each containing a plate material 11 on which a wick layer 14 has been formed by thermal spraying 800, and performing electric resistance welding at numerous locations on the plate material 11. In this case, the plate material 11 is not mold-processed and is flat. Therefore, the multiple spot welding machines 610 of the welded section 600 will perform electric resistance welding at locations that will become numerous protrusions 13 in the future. The first seam welding machine 620 and the second seam welding machine 630 are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0091] The plate material 11 that has passed through the welded section 600 is supplied to the pressurizing section 900. The pressurizing section 900 applies pressure between the two plate materials 11, which have been welded at numerous points in the welded section 600, to form an internal space IS. Here, since the two plate materials 11 are welded at numerous points, the welded areas maintain contact even under pressure, forming numerous protrusions 13. As a result, a hollow body for the air conditioning panel 10, as shown in Figure 2, is manufactured.

[0092] Subsequently, the plate material 11 undergoes a channel installation process, a foam installation process, and a foaming process in the heat insulation layer forming section 700, similar to the first embodiment, to manufacture the heat insulation panel 1. Cutting is performed as appropriate. The holes for installing the channel 30 are formed at an appropriate timing. Therefore, if the holes are formed immediately after the plate material 11 is supplied from the uncoiler, the channel installation process may be performed prior to the wick layer formation process and pressurization process by the thermal spraying section 800 and the pressurizing section 900.

[0093] In this way, according to the manufacturing method of the air conditioning panel 10 according to the second embodiment, two plate materials 11 with a thickness of 0.8 mm or less are used, a conductive powder is sprayed to form a wick layer 14, and electric resistance welding is performed on the wick layer 14. For this reason, even if a wick layer 14 is formed at a welding location, since the wick layer 14 is composed of a conductive powder, electric resistance welding is possible and welding can be performed. As a result, even with a large structure having sides of 60 cm or more, bending can be made less likely by welding at many locations. Furthermore, there is no need to provide powder to avoid the numerous welding locations. Therefore, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method for an air conditioning panel 10 that is large and less prone to bending, while reducing the thickness of the plate material 11 and improving manufacturability.

[0094] Furthermore, the plate material 11 on which the wick layer 14 is formed has a surface roughness Ra of 2 μm or more. Therefore, for example, it is not necessary to perform a roughening treatment in advance in order to carry out thermal spraying smoothly, and manufacturability can be further improved.

[0095] Furthermore, in the welding process, welding is performed only on the remaining protrusions 13, without welding on some of the numerous protrusions 13. This allows for improved manufacturability, similar to the first embodiment.

[0096] Furthermore, according to the manufacturing method of the heat-insulating panel 1 according to the second embodiment, a manufacturing method of the heat-insulating panel 1 using the air conditioning panel 10 can be provided, similar to the first embodiment.

[0097] Although the present invention has been described above based on embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, technologies from different embodiments may be combined, or known or well-known technologies may be combined to the extent possible.

[0098] For example, in the above embodiment, the flow path 30 is separate for the vapor refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant, but it is not limited to separate flow paths; it may be a common flow path through which both vapor refrigerant and liquid refrigerant can flow. Furthermore, it is preferable that the flow path 30 be equipped with a check valve, a temperature-sensing valve, or the like, as needed.

[0099] Furthermore, while the powder coating section 300 is subjected to electrostatic coating, it is not limited to this method, and may simply involve spraying powder without utilizing electrostatic or intermolecular forces.

[0100] Furthermore, although the above embodiment uses foam to form the heat insulating body 20, the invention is not limited to this, and the heat insulating body 20 may be provided by other methods, such as placing a pre-molded heat insulating body 20 between two hollow bodies.

[0101] Furthermore, although the above example describes the pressing direction of the mold section 200 as being from the fifth layer molds 215, 225 toward the first layer molds 211, 221, it is not limited to this and may be in the opposite direction. Also, the mold section 200 may press by clamping from above and below. In this case, the positions of the third layer molds 213, 223 can be kept in a substantially fixed state, making it easier to ensure the operability of the movable part 230.

[0102] In the above embodiment, the manufacturing method of the air conditioning panel 10 was described as an example of a panel body manufacturing method, but it is not limited to this. For example, the air conditioning panel 10 shown in Figure 1 can be used as a vapor chamber on its own and can be used as a heat dissipation panel. In addition, in the above embodiment, the wick layer 14 may be used as a heat exchanger with an uneven surface (powder fixed layer) that is not intended to utilize capillary action but simply to increase the surface area or turbulence effect in order to improve heat exchange efficiency. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, silica gel powder may be used instead of alumina powder, and a resin (a general low-melting-point resin such as acrylic resin) may be used instead of low-melting-point glass to form an uneven surface (an adsorbent layer that adsorbs water vapor and is a powder fixed layer) with silica gel, and it may be used as a total heat exchanger.

[0103] 1: Insulation panel 10: Air conditioning panel (panel body) 11: Plate material 13: Numerous protrusions 14: Wick layer (powder fixing layer) 20: Insulation body 30: Flow channel 100: Plate material supply section 200: Mold section 300: Powder coating section 400: Powder removal section 500: Heating section 600: Welding section 700: Insulation layer formation section 800: Thermal spraying section 900: Pressurization section IS: Internal space

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a panel body formed in a panel shape having sides of 60 cm or more, comprising: a preparation step of preparing two plate materials with a thickness of 0.8 mm or less; an embossing step of embossing at least one of the two plate materials prepared in the preparation step to form a number of protrusions; a powder placement step of providing powder for forming a powder fixing layer on the plate material embossed in the embossing step, including the number of protrusions; a powder removal step of removing the powder from the powder provided in the powder placement step, specifically the powder on the portion of the powder corresponding to the number of protrusions; a powder fixing layer forming step of heating the plate material from which the powder has been removed in the powder removal step to melt the remaining powder and form the powder fixing layer; and a welding step of combining the two plate materials, including the plate material on which the powder fixing layer has been formed, and welding the number of protrusions.

2. The method for manufacturing a panel body according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the powder installation step, the powder for forming the powder fixing layer is applied to the locations including the numerous protrusions by electrostatic coating.

3. The method for manufacturing a panel body according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the welding process, welding is performed on some of the numerous protrusions, and the remaining protrusions are not welded.

4. A method for manufacturing a panel body formed in a panel shape having sides of 60 cm or more, comprising: a preparation step of preparing two plate materials with a thickness of 0.8 mm or less; a powder fixing layer forming step of forming a powder fixing layer by thermal spraying conductive powder onto at least one of the two plate materials prepared in the preparation step; and a welding step of combining the two plate materials, including the plate material on which the powder fixing layer has been formed in the powder fixing layer forming step, and performing electric resistance welding at multiple locations on the plate materials, wherein an embossing process is performed prior to the welding step to form a number of protrusions at the multiple locations to be welded in the welding step, or an internal space is formed by applying pressure between the two plate materials that have been welded at multiple locations in the welding step.

5. The method for manufacturing a panel body according to claim 4, characterized in that, in the preparation step, at least the plate material on which the powder fixing layer is formed is prepared having a surface roughness Ra of 2 μm or more.

6. The method for manufacturing a panel body according to claim 4, wherein the welding step is performed on the numerous protrusions formed by embossing, and in the welding step, welding is performed on some of the numerous protrusions, and the remaining protrusions are not welded.

7. A method for manufacturing an insulating panel, comprising: a channel forming step of forming a channel that connects the internal spaces of the two hollow bodies, and a channel forming step of forming an insulating body between the two hollow bodies, wherein at least one of the two hollow bodies is an air conditioning panel for obtaining an air conditioning effect manufactured by the method for manufacturing a panel body described in claim 1; and a thermal insulating body forming step of forming an insulating body between the two hollow bodies.

Images