Resin molding device and resin molded article manufacturing method

Abstract

The present invention is a resin molding device 100 that accurately measures the temperature distribution of a surface of a cavity 2C in a contactless manner, has a lower mold 2 having the cavity 2C and an upper mold 3 disposed facing the lower mold 2, and performs resin molding by clamping together the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3. The resin molding device 100 comprises: a coating member supply unit 7 that supplies the lower mold 2 with a sheet-like or film-like coating member 6 having a higher emissivity than the lower mold 2; a suction mechanism 5 that holds the coating member 6 on a surface of the cavity 2C by suction; and a thermographic camera 8 that acquires a thermographic image showing the temperature distribution of the coating member 6 when the coating member 6 is held by suction on the surface of the cavity 2C by the suction mechanism 5.

Description

Resin Molding Apparatus and Method for Manufacturing Resin Molded Product

[0001] The present invention relates to a resin molding apparatus and a method for manufacturing a resin molded product.

[0002] For example, in the resin molding apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the uniformity of the temperature of the cavity surface is required to uniformly melt the resin material in the cavity.

[0003] Conventionally, in order to confirm whether the temperature of the cavity surface is uniform, a contact thermometer is brought into contact with a plurality of locations on the cavity surface to measure their temperatures.

[0004] However, in order to measure the temperatures at a plurality of locations with a contact thermometer, it is necessary to measure multiple times or use a plurality of contact thermometers, which takes time and costs. Also, even if the temperatures at a plurality of locations are measured, it is impossible to accurately grasp the temperature distribution of the entire cavity surface. Furthermore, since it is necessary to bring the contact thermometer into contact with the cavity surface, there is a risk of damaging the cavity surface. In addition, the measured value changes depending on the contact condition of the contact thermometer, making it difficult to accurately measure the temperature of the cavity surface.

[0005] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020 - 82534

[0006] On the other hand, as a method for non - contact measurement of the temperature of the cavity surface, it is conceivable to use a thermographic camera.

[0007] However, since the mold in which the cavity is formed is made of a metal material with a low emissivity, the intensity of the infrared rays emitted by the mold is weak. Furthermore, the fluctuation range of the intensity of the infrared rays that varies according to the temperature of the mold is also small. Therefore, when using a general - purpose thermographic camera that cannot finely detect the intensity of infrared rays, it is difficult to accurately measure the temperature distribution of the cavity surface by directly photographing the mold.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the main problem is to accurately measure the temperature distribution of the cavity surface non - contact even when using a general - purpose thermographic camera.

[0009] In other words, the resin molding apparatus according to the present invention comprises a first mold having a cavity and a second mold positioned opposite the first mold, and is a resin molding apparatus that performs resin molding by clamping the first mold and the second mold, and is characterized by comprising: a covering member supply unit that supplies a sheet-like or film-like covering member with an emissivity higher than that of the first mold to the first mold; an adsorption mechanism that adsorbs the covering member onto the cavity surface; and a thermographic camera that acquires a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the covering member while the covering member is adsorbed onto the cavity surface by the adsorption mechanism.

[0010] According to the present invention configured in this way, even when using a general-purpose thermographic camera, the temperature distribution of the cavity surface can be accurately measured non-contact.

[0011] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a resin molding apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a resin molding module according to the same embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing a method for acquiring a thermographic image in the same embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing a method for acquiring a thermographic image in a modified embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing a method for acquiring a thermographic image in a modified embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing a method for acquiring a thermographic image in a modified embodiment.

[0012] Next, the technology according to the present invention will be described in more detail with examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following technologies.

[0013] The resin molding apparatus of Technology 1 according to the present invention comprises a first mold having a cavity and a second mold positioned opposite the first mold, and is a resin molding apparatus that clamps the first mold and the second mold together to form a resin, and is characterized by comprising: a covering member supply unit that supplies a sheet-like or film-like covering member with an emissivity higher than that of the first mold to the first mold; an adsorption mechanism that adsorbs the covering member onto the cavity surface; and a thermographic camera that acquires a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the covering member while the covering member is adsorbed onto the cavity surface by the adsorption mechanism. Here, emissivity is defined as "radiant exitance of an object" / "radiant exitance of a blackbody at the same temperature as the object". Radiant exitance is the radiant flux per unit area of ​​a radiation source radiated from a planar radiation source into hemispherical space. A blackbody is an imaginary object that completely absorbs electromagnetic waves incident from the outside across all wavelengths and can also radiate heat, with the radiant exitance of a blackbody being the upper limit.

[0014] With this resin molding apparatus, a coating material having a higher emissivity than the emissivity of the first mold in which the cavity is formed is adsorbed onto the cavity surface. Therefore, the temperature of the coating material adsorbed onto the cavity surface is substantially the same as the temperature of the cavity surface. Furthermore, since the emissivity of the coating material is higher than that of the first mold, the intensity of the infrared radiation emitted by the coating material is stronger than that emitted by the first mold, and the intensity of the infrared radiation emitted by the coating material fluctuates greatly depending on the temperature of the coating material, i.e., the temperature of the first mold. As a result, even when using a general-purpose thermographic camera that cannot finely detect the intensity of infrared radiation, it is possible to obtain a thermographic image of the coating material corresponding to the temperature distribution of the cavity surface, and the temperature distribution of the cavity surface can be accurately measured. In addition, since the temperature distribution of the cavity surface can be measured non-contact, various problems associated with using conventional contact thermometers can be resolved at once.

[0015] Some resin molding apparatuses place a release film on the cavity surface to improve the release properties of the resin molded product. To effectively utilize this release film and accurately measure the temperature distribution of the cavity surface without contact, the resin molding apparatus of Technology 2 according to the present invention preferably has, in addition to the configuration of Technology 1 described above, a release film as the covering member, and the thermographic camera acquires a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the release film.

[0016] Some resin molding apparatuses transport a release film on which resin material is placed to a first mold, and then place the release film together with the resin material on the cavity surface. In this configuration, before the first and second molds are clamped, it is difficult to obtain a thermographic image of the release film because the resin material is on top of the release film. For this reason, in addition to the configuration of the resin molding apparatus of Technology 3 according to the present invention, it is desirable that the thermographic camera acquires a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the used release film adsorbed on the surface of the cavity after resin molding. With this configuration, since there is no resin material on the release film, a thermographic image of the used release film can be acquired, and the temperature distribution of the cavity surface can be accurately measured non-contact.

[0017] The resin molding apparatus of Technology 4 according to the present invention, in addition to the configuration of Technology 3 described above, further comprises a transport unit for transporting objects to be transported relative to the first mold or the second mold, the thermographic camera is provided in the transport unit, and it is desirable to acquire a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the used release film during the period when the transport unit is located between the first mold and the second mold. When the transport unit transports objects relative to the first mold or the second mold, there is always a period when the transport unit is located between the first mold and the second mold. With the configuration of Technology 4, the temperature distribution of the used release film can be measured during the period when the transport unit is located between the first mold and the second mold, thus suppressing a decrease in the production efficiency of resin molded products due to the measurement of temperature distribution. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a dedicated moving mechanism for the thermographic camera, the complexity and size of the apparatus configuration can be suppressed. Furthermore, transporting an object to Type 1 or Type 2 means at least one of the following: transporting an object from Type 1 or Type 2, or transporting an object to Type 1 or Type 2.

[0018] In addition to the configuration of the resin molding apparatus of Technology 5 according to the present invention, it is desirable that the object transport unit transports the resin molded product to the first mold or the second mold. With this configuration, the temperature distribution of the used release film can be efficiently measured during the period in which the resin molded product is being transported to the first mold or the second mold.

[0019] The resin molding apparatus of Technology 6 according to the present invention further comprises a mold clamping mechanism for clamping the first mold and the second mold, in addition to the configuration of any one of the above technologies 1 to 3, wherein the first mold is configured to be movable outward from the mold clamping mechanism, and it is desirable that the thermographic camera acquires a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the coating member adsorbed on the cavity surface when the first mold has moved outward from the mold clamping mechanism. With this configuration, the temperature distribution of the coating member adsorbed on the cavity surface can be measured even when the space between the opened first mold and the second mold is narrow. Furthermore, the temperature distribution of the coating member adsorbed on the cavity surface can be measured from above the first mold that has moved outward, and the temperature distribution of the cavity surface can be accurately measured. For example, when the first mold and the second mold are facing each other in the vertical direction, the first mold is located inside the mold clamping mechanism. When the first mold and the second mold are not facing each other in the vertical direction, the second mold is located outside the mold clamping mechanism.

[0020] The method for manufacturing a resin molded product according to Technology 7 of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a resin molded product using any one of the resin molding apparatuses of Technologies 1 to 6 described above, characterized in that a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the coating member adsorbed on the cavity surface is acquired, and the first mold and the second mold are clamped together to manufacture the resin molded product. With this method for manufacturing a resin molded product, the temperature distribution on the cavity surface can be confirmed, thereby improving the quality of the resin molded product.

[0021] <An Embodiment of the Present Embodiment> An embodiment of the resin molding apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, all of the following figures are schematic representations that have been appropriately omitted or exaggerated for the sake of clarity. The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are appropriately omitted.

[0022] <Overall Configuration of the Resin Molding Apparatus> The resin molding apparatus 100 of this embodiment performs resin molding using a compression molding method. The resin molding apparatus 100 manufactures a resin molded product P by using a resin material J to encapsulate a substrate W, which is a molded object on which electronic components Wx are fixed on one surface, with resin. Hereinafter, the molded object (substrate W) before resin molding will be referred to as "pre-molding substrate W," and the molded object (substrate W) after resin molding will be referred to as "molded substrate W" or "resin molded product P."

[0023] Here, the substrate W is, for example, rectangular in plan view, and examples of substrate W include metal substrates, resin substrates, glass substrates, ceramic substrates, circuit boards, semiconductor substrates, lead frames, silicon wafers, glass wafers, etc. In addition, the substrate W may be a carrier without wiring. Furthermore, the substrate W may have other shapes, such as a circle, in plan view.

[0024] Examples of resin materials J include powdered resins (including granular resins) and liquid resins. Examples of electronic components Wx include semiconductor chips, resistors, capacitors, and other electronic elements, or electronic components in which at least one of these electronic elements is encapsulated in resin.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, the resin molding apparatus 100 comprises a substrate supply and storage module A, two resin molding modules B, and a resin material supply module C as its components. Each component (each module A to C) is detachable and interchangeable with respect to the other component.

[0026] The substrate supply and storage module A includes a substrate receiving section 11 for receiving unmolded substrates W from the outside, a substrate storage section 12 for storing molded substrates W (resin molded products P), a transport mechanism 13 for transporting the unmolded substrates W and resin molded products P, and a transfer mechanism 14, such as a transport robot, for transferring the unmolded substrates W and resin molded products P to the transport mechanism 13.

[0027] The transport mechanism 13 transports the unmolded substrate W from the substrate supply / storage module A to the resin molding module B, and transports the resin molded product P from the resin molding module B to the substrate supply / storage module A. The transfer mechanism 14 transfers the unmolded substrate W from the substrate receiving section 11 to the transport mechanism 13, and transfers the resin molded product P from the transport mechanism 13 to the substrate storage section 12.

[0028] Each resin molding module B includes a lower mold 2, which is a first mold having a cavity 2C; an upper mold 3, which is a second mold positioned opposite the lower mold 2 and holding the substrate W; and a mold clamping mechanism 4 for clamping the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3. The specific configuration will be described later.

[0029] The resin material supply module C includes a movable table 15, a resin material storage unit 16 placed on the movable table 15, a resin material input mechanism 17 that weighs the resin material J and puts the weighed resin material J into the resin material storage unit 16, and a resin material transport mechanism 18 that transports the resin material storage unit 16 and supplies the resin material J to the cavity 2C of the lower mold 2. The resin material storage unit 16 includes a release film F and a frame 161 placed on the release film F. Putting the resin material J into the resin material storage unit 16 means putting the resin material J onto the release film F within the frame 161.

[0030] The moving table 15 moves within the resin material supply module C between the resin material input position by the resin material input mechanism 17 and the transfer position for handing over the resin material storage unit 16 to the resin material transport mechanism 18. The resin material transport mechanism 18 transports the resin material storage unit 16 containing the resin material J from the resin material supply module C to the resin molding module B, and then transports the resin material storage unit 16 after supplying the resin material J from the resin molding module B back to the resin material supply module C.

[0031] <Specific Configuration of Resin Molding Module B> Next, the specific configuration of resin molding module B in this embodiment will be described below.

[0032] As described above, the resin molding module B, as shown in Figure 2, includes a lower mold 2 in which a cavity 2C is formed, an upper mold 3 that holds the substrate W, and a mold clamping mechanism 4 to which the lower mold 2 and upper mold 3 are attached and which clamps the lower mold 2 and upper mold 3.

[0033] The mold clamping mechanism 4 includes an upper fixed platen 41 to which the upper mold 3 is attached, a movable platen 42 to which the lower mold 2 is attached, and a drive mechanism 43 for moving the movable platen 42 up and down.

[0034] The upper fixed plate 41 has the upper mold 3 attached to its lower surface and is fixed to the upper ends of multiple support columns 45 so as to face the movable plate 42.

[0035] The movable platen 42 has the lower mold 2 attached to its upper surface and is supported so as to be able to move up and down by a plurality of support columns 45 that are erected on the lower fixed platen 44. In addition, two plate-shaped members with faces facing each other may be used instead of the plurality of support columns 45.

[0036] The drive mechanism 43 is provided between the movable platen 42 and the lower fixed platen 44, and moves the movable platen 42 up and down to clamp the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3. The drive mechanism 43 in this embodiment is a linear motion type that moves the movable platen 42 up and down using a ball screw mechanism 431 that converts rotation of a servo motor or the like into linear motion, but it may also be a link type that transmits power from a power source such as a servo motor to the movable platen 42 using a link mechanism such as a toggle link.

[0037] An upper mold holding section 46 is provided between the upper mold 3 and the upper fixing plate 41. This upper mold holding section 46 includes a heater plate 461 which is an upper mold heating section that heats the upper mold 3, a heat insulating member 462 provided on the upper surface of the heater plate 461, a side wall member 463 provided on the lower surface of the heater plate 461 that surrounds the periphery of the upper mold 3, and a sealing member 464 provided at the lower end of the side wall member 463.

[0038] Here, the heater plate 461, which is the upper heating section, has one or more cartridge heaters built into it. The heater plate 461 is also equipped with an upper temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature of the heater plate 461. The temperature of the heater plate 461 is then adjusted by a control unit such as a control device CTL (described later) so that the temperature detected by the upper temperature sensor becomes the first set temperature.

[0039] On the other hand, a lower mold holding section 47 is provided between the lower mold 2 and the movable platen 42. This lower mold holding section 47 includes a heater plate 471 which is a lower mold heating section that heats the lower mold 2, a heat insulating member 472 provided on the lower surface of the heater plate 471, a side wall member 473 provided on the upper surface of the heater plate 471 that surrounds the lower mold 2, and a sealing member 474 provided at the upper end of the side wall member 473.

[0040] Here, the heater plate 471, which is the lower heating section, has one or more cartridge heaters built into it. The heater plate 471 is also equipped with a lower temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature of the heater plate 471. The temperature of the heater plate 471 is then adjusted by a control unit such as a control device CTL (described later) so that the temperature detected by the lower temperature sensor becomes a second set temperature.

[0041] During mold clamping by the drive mechanism 43, the sealing member 464 of the upper mold holding section 46 and the sealing member 474 of the lower mold holding section 47 come into close contact, sealing the space housing the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 from the outside air. Alternatively, the configuration may be configured without either the sealing member 464 or the sealing member 474.

[0042] As shown in Figure 2, the lower mold 2 has a cavity 2C formed therein for housing the electronic components Wx and resin material J mounted on the substrate W. Specifically, the lower mold 2 has a bottom surface member 201 that forms the bottom surface of the cavity 2C, and a frame-shaped side surface member 202 that surrounds the bottom surface member 201. The cavity 2C is formed by the upper surface of the bottom surface member 201 and the inner circumferential surface of the side surface member 202.

[0043] The side member 202 is provided so as to be vertically movable relative to the bottom member 201. Specifically, the side member 202 is supported by a plurality of elastic members 204 such as coil springs with respect to the base plate 203 of the lower mold 2. As the plurality of elastic members 204 expand and contract, the side member 202 moves vertically relative to the bottom member 201. Further, the lower mold 2 is covered with a release film F in order to improve the releasability of the resin molded product P.

[0044] And, the lower mold 2 is provided with a suction mechanism 5 for sucking the release film F onto the surface of the cavity 2C. Here, the surface of the cavity 2C is the upper surface of the bottom member 201 forming the cavity 2C and the inner peripheral surface of the side member 202.

[0045] This suction mechanism 5 has a suction port 51 formed on the upper surface of the side member 202 of the lower mold 2 and a suction flow path 52 formed inside the side member 202 and connected to the suction port 51. Also, a suction port 53 is formed between the bottom member 201 and the side member 202 so as to surround the bottom member 201, and a suction flow path 54 is connected to the suction port 53. These suction flow paths 52 and 54 are connected to an external suction device (not shown). By this suction mechanism 5, the release film F adheres closely to the entire surface of the cavity 2C.

[0046] Also, an air vent (not shown) may be provided on the upper surface of the side member 202 (the contact surface between the side member 202 and the substrate W) for discharging air or gas.

[0047] The upper mold 3 adsorbs and holds the back surface of the substrate W (the surface on which the electronic component Wx is not fixed). A suction port (not shown) is formed on the lower surface of the upper mold 3, and a suction flow path (not shown) connected to the suction port is formed inside the upper mold 3. This suction flow path is connected to an external suction device (not shown).

[0048] <Measurement of the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C> And, the resin molding apparatus 100 of the present embodiment has a configuration for measuring the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C.

[0049] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the resin molding apparatus 100 includes a coating material supply unit 7 that supplies a sheet-like or film-like coating material 6 with a higher emissivity than the lower mold 2 to the lower mold 2, and a thermographic camera 8 that acquires a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the coating material 6 mounted on the lower mold 2.

[0050] The covering member 6 in this embodiment is a release film F that is adsorbed onto the surface of the cavity 2C. This release film F is made of a heat-resistant resin. The emissivity of this release film F is, for example, 0.8 or more, and its thickness is, for example, 50 μm to 100 μm. The emissivity of the lower mold 2 (specifically the metal bottom member 201 and side member 202) is, for example, 0.25 or less.

[0051] In this embodiment, the coating member supply unit 7 is configured using a resin material transport mechanism 18. As a result, the coating member supply unit 7 supplies the release film F (coating member 6) on which the resin material J is placed to the lower mold 2.

[0052] The thermographic camera 8 is an infrared camera that receives infrared light emitted from the covering material 6 (in this case, the release film F) that is the object to be photographed, and acquires a thermographic image showing the temperature distribution of the covering material 6.

[0053] The thermographic camera 8 of this embodiment acquires a thermographic image showing the temperature distribution on the surface of the release film F while the release film F is adsorbed onto the surface of the cavity 2C by the adsorption mechanism 5. Here, since the release film F is adsorbed onto and in close contact with the surface of the cavity 2C, the temperature distribution of the release film F is substantially the same as the temperature distribution of the surface of the cavity 2C.

[0054] Here, since the resin material J is supplied to the cavity 2C of the lower mold 2 together with the release film F, it is not possible to measure the temperature distribution of the release film F before the mold is clamped. For this reason, the thermographic camera 8 of this embodiment measures the temperature distribution by acquiring a thermographic image of the used release film F adsorbed on the surface of the cavity 2C in the lower mold 2 after the mold has been opened following resin molding. After resin molding, when the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 are opened, the resin molded product P is adsorbed and held in the upper mold 3, and the used release film F is adsorbed and held in the lower mold 2.

[0055] In this embodiment, the thermographic camera 8 is installed in the transport mechanism 13 that loads the unmolded substrate W into the upper mold 3 and unloads the resin molded product P from the upper mold 3. In other words, the thermographic camera 8 is configured to move together with the transport mechanism 13 relative to the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3.

[0056] The thermographic camera 8 then acquires a thermographic image of the used release film F adsorbed onto the surface of the cavity 2C of the lower mold 2 and measures the temperature distribution when the resin molded product P is unloaded by the transport mechanism 13 (this may be before or after the resin molded product P is received from the upper mold 3), or when the unmolded substrate W is loaded (this may be before or after the unmolded substrate W is handed over to the upper mold 3). The thermographic image can be displayed on a display (not shown) provided on the resin molding apparatus 100 or on a display (not shown) connected to the resin molding apparatus 100 by wire or wireless.

[0057] Here, the thermographic camera 8 may be configured to scan and image the entire used release film F while the transport mechanism 13 is moving, or it may be configured to image the entire used release film F when the transport mechanism 13 is temporarily stopped.

[0058] <Resin Molding Operation of Resin Molding Apparatus 100> Next, an example of the operation of the resin molding apparatus 100 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 3. The operation shown below is performed by a control device CTL provided in the substrate supply and storage module A controlling each part of the resin molding apparatus 100. The control device CTL is a dedicated or general-purpose computer having a CPU, internal memory, input / output interface, AD converter, etc.

[0059] (1) In the substrate supply and storage module A of the pre-molding substrate supply process, the transfer mechanism 14 transfers the pre-molding substrate W from the substrate receiving section 11 to the transport mechanism 13 located at a predetermined standby position. The transport mechanism 13 then transports the pre-molding substrate W to the resin molding module B and transfers the pre-molding substrate W to the upper mold 3 with the mold open. After that, the transport mechanism 13 returns to the predetermined standby position.

[0060] (2) Resin material supply process In the resin material supply module C, the resin material supply unit 21 supplies resin material J to the resin material storage unit 16. As a result, the resin material J is supplied onto the release film F inside the frame 161. Subsequently, the resin material transport mechanism 18 transports the resin material storage unit 16 to the resin molding module B and supplies the resin material J together with the release film F to the cavity 2C of the opened lower mold 2. Then, the resin material transport mechanism 18 returns to a predetermined standby position. From the moment the resin material J is supplied to the cavity 2C, the resin material J is heated by the lower mold 2.

[0061] (3) Resin molding process After the above process, in the resin molding module B, the clamping mechanism 4 clamps the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 with a predetermined clamping pressure. As a result, the substrate W and the resin material J are heated by the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3. The resin material J is thermosetting. When the resin material J is heated, the viscosity of the resin material J decreases temporarily, and the resin material J melts. As a result, the cavity 2C is filled with the molten resin. After that, the molten resin hardens. After a predetermined time has elapsed since the clamping (for example, the hardening time of the resin material J), the clamping mechanism 4 lowers the lower mold 2 and opens the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3. The covering member 6 has heat resistance to at least the melting temperature at which the resin material J melts, and the first and second set temperatures mentioned above. Therefore, regardless of whether the temperature of the covering member 6 is the melting temperature, the first set temperature, or the second set temperature, the physical properties of the covering member 6 are maintained.

[0062] (4) Process for unloading molded substrates In the process for unloading molded substrates, the transport mechanism 13 moves to the resin molding module B and receives the resin molded product P from the upper mold 3 which has been opened. The transport mechanism 13 then moves to the substrate supply and storage module A. After that, the transfer mechanism 14 transfers the resin molded product P from the transport mechanism 13 to the substrate storage section 12 for storage.

[0063] In this embodiment, a thermographic camera 8 is provided on the transport mechanism 13. When the transport mechanism 13 enters the space between the opened lower mold 2 and upper mold 3, the thermographic camera 8 acquires a thermographic image of the used release film F located in the lower mold 2. In other words, a thermographic image of the used release film F is acquired during the period when the transport mechanism 13 is positioned between the lower mold 2 and upper mold 3, and the temperature distribution of the surface of the cavity 2C is measured.

[0064] (5) Used release film recovery process In the used release film recovery process, the resin material transport mechanism 18 recovers the used release film F from the lower mold 2 after the mold has been opened. The resin material transport mechanism 18 that has recovered the used release film F moves to the resin material supply module C and disposes of the used release film F in the waste section.

[0065] <Effects of this embodiment> According to the resin molding apparatus 100 of this embodiment, a release film F, which is a covering member 6 having a higher emissivity than the lower mold 2 in which the cavity 2C is formed, is adsorbed onto the surface of the cavity 2C. Therefore, the temperature of the covering member 6 adsorbed onto the surface of the cavity 2C is substantially the same as the surface temperature of the cavity 2C. Furthermore, since the emissivity of the covering member 6 is higher than that of the lower mold 2, specifically the emissivity of the material constituting the surface of the cavity 2C, the intensity of the infrared radiation emitted by the covering member 6 is stronger than the intensity of the infrared radiation emitted by the lower mold 2, and fluctuates greatly depending on the temperature of the covering member 6, i.e., the surface temperature of the cavity 2C. As a result, even when a general-purpose thermographic camera that cannot finely detect the intensity of infrared radiation is used as the thermographic camera 8, a thermographic image of the release film F corresponding to the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C can be obtained, and the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C can be accurately measured non-contact. Furthermore, since the temperature distribution on the surface of cavity 2C can be measured non-contactually, it can eliminate all the problems associated with using conventional contact thermometers.

[0066] <Other Modified Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0067] For example, as shown in Figure 4, the lower mold 2, in which the cavity 2C is formed, may be configured to be movable outward from the clamping mechanism 4. Specifically, in a plan view, the lower mold 2 may be configured to be movable outward from the movable platen 42 of the clamping mechanism 4. In this case, the lower mold 2 may be configured to move outward from the movable platen 42 together with the lower mold holder 47, or it may be configured to move outward from the movable platen 42 independently of the lower mold holder 47. Furthermore, the lower mold 2, which has moved outward from the clamping mechanism 4, may be supplied with a release film F on which the resin material J is placed, or the used release film F may be collected.

[0068] In a plan view, when the lower mold 2 is located outside the movable platen 42, the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 do not overlap, and the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 do not face each other in the vertical direction. In a plan view, when the lower mold 2 is located inside the movable platen 42, the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 overlap, and the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 face each other in the vertical direction.

[0069] In this case, the thermographic camera 8 acquires a thermographic image of the coating material 6 (used release film F) adsorbed on the surface of the cavity 2C when the lower mold 2 has moved outward from the mold clamping mechanism 4, and measures the temperature distribution. The thermographic camera 8 is configured to image the lower mold 2, which has moved outward, from above. In this case, the thermographic camera 8 may be fixed to an upper fixing plate 41 or the like.

[0070] Alternatively, in the pre-molding stage, a release film F without the resin material J on it may be supplied to the lower mold 2, and a thermographic image of the release film F may be acquired while the release film F is adsorbed onto the surface of the cavity 2C to measure the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C. The release film F without the resin material J on it can be supplied to the lower mold 2 by the resin material transport mechanism 18 of the above embodiment.

[0071] Furthermore, instead of the release film F, a sheet-like or film-like covering member 6 may be supplied to the lower mold 2, and a thermographic image of the covering member 6 may be acquired to measure the temperature distribution. In this case, the resin molding apparatus 100 will have a covering member supply unit separate from the resin material transport mechanism 18. The covering member 6 is preferably a non-metallic material such as resin with an emissivity of 0.8 or higher. The thickness of the covering member 6 should be such that it adheres closely to the surface of the cavity 2C during adsorption, and is preferably, for example, 50 μm to 100 μm.

[0072] With respect to infrared radiation, it is preferable that the reflectance of the covering member 6 is smaller than that of the surface of the lower mold 2, specifically the cavity 2C. In some cases, a glossy metal is used as the material constituting the surface of the cavity 2C. In this case, the reflectance of infrared radiation reflected by the surface of the cavity 2C is high. When a heat source is present near the metal, the heat source emits infrared radiation, and the emitted infrared radiation is reflected by the metal. When a heat source is present near the metal, and the thermographic camera 8 directly photographs the metal, the infrared radiation reflected by the metal enters the lens of the thermographic camera 8. With respect to the temperature distribution measured using the thermographic camera 8, the infrared radiation reflected by the metal acts as noise. When the surface of the cavity 2C is covered with a covering member 6 with low reflectance, the intensity of the infrared radiation reflected by the covering member 6 is weak, so the noise included in the temperature distribution measured using the thermographic camera 8 is small.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the thermographic camera 8 is provided on the transport mechanism 13, but it may also be provided on the resin material transport mechanism 18. When the thermographic camera 8 is provided on the resin material transport mechanism 18, it is conceivable to acquire a thermographic image of the used release film F while the resin material transport mechanism 18 is recovering the used release film F. Specifically, the thermographic camera 8 acquires a thermographic image of the used release film F in its state of adsorption on the surface of the cavity 2C, and then the used release film F is recovered.

[0074] Furthermore, the thermographic camera 8 may be installed in a moving mechanism other than the transport mechanism 13 and the resin material transport mechanism 18. This moving mechanism enters between the opened upper mold 3 and the lower mold 2. The timing of entering between the opened lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 can be either before or after the resin molded product P is transported, as long as the used release film F is adsorbed to the cavity 2C.

[0075] Furthermore, in a configuration where the lower mold 2 does not move outside the mold clamping mechanism 4, the thermographic camera 8 may be fixed in a position where a thermographic image of the covering member 6 adsorbed to the surface of the cavity 2C can be acquired.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the release film F on which the resin material J is placed is supplied to the lower mold 2 by the resin material transport mechanism 18. However, the resin material J and the release film F may be supplied to the lower mold 2 separately. In this case, before supplying the resin material J to the cavity 2C, a thermographic image of the release film F adsorbed on the surface of the cavity 2C can be obtained to measure the temperature distribution. Alternatively, a thermographic image of the used release film F after resin molding can be obtained to measure the temperature distribution.

[0077] Here, a so-called roll-to-roll release film supply mechanism can be considered as a method for supplying the release film F to the lower die 2. This release film supply mechanism has a feed roller that sends the rolled release film F to the lower die 2, and a take-up roller that takes up the used release film F that has passed through the lower die 2. One or more transport rollers for transporting the release film F are provided between the feed roller and the take-up roller. Another method for supplying the release film F to the lower die 2 can be considered as a pre-cut release film supply mechanism. This release film supply mechanism supplies the release film to the lower die 2 after it has been cut to a predetermined size in advance.

[0078] Furthermore, the resin molding apparatus 100 may have an abnormality determination unit that determines abnormalities in the temperature distribution based on the thermographic image captured by the thermographic camera 8. The abnormality determination unit may be implemented by a function of the control device CTL, or by a computer separate from the control device CTL. For example, the abnormality determination unit can determine an abnormality in the temperature distribution from the difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature of the cavity region in the thermographic image. The abnormality determination unit can also determine whether the temperature distribution of the cavity region in the thermographic image falls within a predetermined temperature range (for example, 175°C ± 3°C). One example of an action taken when the abnormality determination unit determines that the temperature distribution of the cavity region does not fall within the predetermined temperature range is to wait until the temperature distribution of the cavity region falls within the predetermined temperature range. A second example of this action is that, based on the determination result by the abnormality determination unit, the control device CTL adjusts the aforementioned second set temperature for the heater plate 471, which is the lower mold heating unit.

[0079] Furthermore, the resin molding module B may have a configuration in which two or more molding dies are arranged vertically, in addition to having one molding die consisting of a lower die 2 and an upper die 3, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. In this case, the configuration may have multiple thermographic cameras 8 corresponding to the lower die 2 of each of the multiple molding dies, or it may have a configuration in which one thermographic camera 8 is common to all of the lower dies 2.

[0080] For example, as shown in Figure 5, if the transport mechanism 13 has a configuration in which each of the upper and lower molds has a substrate transport section 131, it is conceivable to provide a thermographic camera 8 in each of these substrate transport sections 131. This makes it possible to simultaneously measure the temperature distribution of the surface of the cavity 2C of the lower mold 2 of each of the multiple molds.

[0081] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, if at least the lower mold 2 of each of the two upper and lower molds is configured to be movable outward from the mold clamping mechanism 4, it is conceivable to sequentially move each of the lower molds 2 outward and image the lower molds 2 that have moved outward with a common thermographic camera 8. This makes it possible to measure the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C of each of the lower molds 2 of the multiple molds.

[0082] Furthermore, although the cavity 2C was formed in the lower mold 2 in the above embodiment, the cavity may also be formed in the upper mold 3. In this case, the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C of the upper mold 3 can be measured by acquiring a thermographic image of the covering member 6 while the covering member 6, such as a release film F, is adsorbed onto the cavity of the upper mold 3.

[0083] Furthermore, even if no cavity is formed in the upper mold 3, the temperature distribution of the mold surface of the upper mold 3 can be measured by acquiring a thermographic image of the covering member 6 while the covering member 6 is adsorbed onto the mold surface of the upper mold 3 (the surface facing the lower mold 2). Similarly, even if no cavity is formed in the lower mold 2, the temperature distribution of the mold surface of the lower mold 2 can be measured by acquiring a thermographic image of the covering member 6 while the covering member 6 is adsorbed onto the mold surface of the lower mold 2 (the surface facing the upper mold 3). In these cases, the covering member 6 may be in the form of a film, such as a release film F, or it may be in the form of a sheet, such as a dummy substrate like a glass epoxy substrate. When using a glass epoxy substrate as the covering member 6, it is conceivable that it should have a thickness of about 0.3 mm so that it is substantially the same temperature as the mold surface.

[0084] The resin molding apparatus in the above embodiment was of the compression molding type, but it may also be of the transfer type.

[0085] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from its spirit.

[0086] According to the present invention, the temperature distribution on the surface of cavity 2C can be accurately measured non-contact.

[0087] 100... Resin molding apparatus P... Resin molded product J... Resin material F... Release film 2... Lower mold (first mold) 2C... Cavity 3... Upper mold (second mold) 4... Mold clamping mechanism 13... Conveying mechanism (conveying object conveying section) 18... Resin material conveying mechanism 5... Suction mechanism 6... Coating member 7... Coating member supply section 8... Thermographic camera

Claims

A resin molding apparatus comprising a first mold having a cavity and a second mold positioned opposite the first mold, wherein the first mold and the second mold are clamped together to perform resin molding, A covering material supply unit that supplies a sheet-like or film-like covering material with a higher emissivity than the first type to the first type, An adsorption mechanism for adsorbing the covering member onto the surface of the cavity, A resin molding apparatus comprising: a thermographic camera that acquires a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the coating member while the coating member is adsorbed onto the surface of the cavity by the adsorption mechanism; and the apparatus comprising: 　 The resin molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the covering member is a release film. 　 The resin molding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the thermographic camera acquires a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the used release film adsorbed on the surface of the cavity after resin molding. 　 The first or second type further comprises a transport unit for transporting objects to be transported, The resin molding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the thermographic camera is provided in the object transport unit, and acquires a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the used release film during the period when the object transport unit is located between the first mold and the second mold. 　 The resin molding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the object transport unit transports a resin molded product to the first mold or the second mold. 　 The system further comprises a mold clamping mechanism for clamping the first and second types, The first type is configured to be movable outward from the clamping mechanism, The resin molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the thermographic camera acquires a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the coating member adsorbed on the surface of the cavity when the first mold has moved outward from the mold clamping mechanism. 　 A method for manufacturing a resin molded product using a resin molding apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 6, A thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the coating material adsorbed on the surface of the cavity is obtained. A method for manufacturing a resin molded product, comprising clamping the first mold and the second mold together to produce the resin molded product.

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