Jig for supplying resin material, resin molding device, method for supplying resin material, and method for manufacturing resin molded article

Abstract

Provided is a jig for supplying a resin material, the jig being capable of supplying the resin material to a resin molding device without leaving the resin material in a container.　The present invention comprises: a pipe part that has flexibility; a joining part that is provided at one end of the pipe part and can be joined to a container for a resin material; and an attachment part that is provided at the other end of the pipe part and can be attached to a resin accommodation part of the resin molding device. The attachment part is provided with a first slide plate part in which a first opening continuous with the interior of the pipe part is formed and a first cover plate part which is capable of relatively sliding with respect to the first slide plate part and of closing the first opening in accordance with a relative position with respect to the first slide plate part.

Description

Resin material supply jig, resin molding apparatus, resin material supply method, and resin molded product manufacturing method

[0001] The present invention relates to technologies of a resin material supply jig, a resin molding apparatus, a resin material supply method, and a resin molded product manufacturing method.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a resin molding apparatus using a powdery and granular resin material. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, when supplying a resin material to the resin molding apparatus, first, a hopper main body having a shutter is attached to the mouth of a cartridge-shaped container in which the resin material is stored. Next, the container is turned upside down with the shutter closed, and the hopper main body is attached to the resin molding apparatus. By sliding the shutter of the hopper main body in this state, the resin material can be supplied to the resin molding apparatus. By using the hopper main body having a shutter in this manner, deterioration of the working environment due to fine powder can be suppressed.

[0003] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-180792

[0004] However, when the resin material is supplied by turning the container upside down as described above, there is room for improvement in that part of the resin material may remain in the container depending on the shape of the container, the shape of the resin material, and the like.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object to be solved is to provide a resin material supply jig, a resin molding apparatus, a resin material supply method, and a resin molded product manufacturing method capable of supplying the resin material to the resin molding apparatus without leaving the resin material remaining in the container.

[0006] The problems that the present invention aims to solve are as described above, and in order to solve these problems, the resin material supply jig according to the present invention comprises a flexible tube portion, a joint portion provided at one end of the tube portion and capable of joining with a container of resin material, and a mounting portion provided at the other end of the tube portion and capable of being attached to the resin storage portion of a resin molding apparatus, wherein the mounting portion comprises a first slide plate portion having a first opening formed therein that is continuous with the inside of the tube portion, and a first cover plate portion that is slidable relative to the first slide plate portion and capable of closing the first opening depending on its relative position to the first slide plate portion.

[0007] Furthermore, the resin molding apparatus according to the present invention comprises a resin material supply jig and a resin storage section, the resin storage section comprising a main body having an input port into which resin material can be introduced, a second cover plate portion that closes the input port and has a second opening formed therein, and a second slide plate portion that is slidable relative to the second cover plate portion together with the first slide plate portion and can connect the first opening and the second opening depending on its relative position to the second cover plate portion.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for supplying resin material, which involves supplying resin material to a resin storage section of a resin molding apparatus using a resin material supply jig, and includes joining the container containing the resin material to the joint, attaching the mounting portion to the resin storage section, and opening the first opening by sliding the first slide plate portion relative to the first cover plate portion, thereby supplying the resin material from the container to the resin storage section.

[0009] Furthermore, the method for manufacturing a resin molded product according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a resin molded product using a resin molding apparatus, and includes transporting the resin material contained in the resin storage section to a mold, clamping the mold to perform resin molding, and opening the mold to unload the resin molded product.

[0010] According to the present invention, resin material can be supplied to a resin molding apparatus without leaving any resin material in the container.

[0011] A schematic plan view showing the overall configuration of a resin molding apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. A partial front cross-sectional view showing the resin storage section and the resin material supply jig. A perspective view showing the lower part of the resin storage section and the resin material supply jig. A front cross-sectional view showing the upper part of the resin storage section and the lower part of the resin material supply jig. A front cross-sectional perspective view showing the upper part of the resin storage section and the lower part of the resin material supply jig. A front cross-sectional view showing the upper part of the resin material supply jig. A perspective view showing how a container is joined to the resin material supply jig. (a) A front cross-sectional view showing the resin storage section and the resin material supply jig with the first slide plate section and the second slide plate section slid to the right. (b) A front cross-sectional view showing the resin storage section and the resin material supply jig with the first slide plate section and the second slide plate section slid to the left. A partial front cross-sectional view of the resin storage section and the resin material supply jig showing how the pipe section is bent.

[0012] <Overall Configuration of Resin Molding Apparatus 1> First, the configuration of the resin molding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described using Figure 1. The resin molding apparatus 1 is used to encapsulate electronic elements such as semiconductor chips in resin and to manufacture resin molded products. In particular, this embodiment illustrates a resin molding apparatus 1 that performs resin molding (transfer molding) using the transfer molding method.

[0013] The resin molding apparatus 1 comprises a supply module 10, a resin molding module 20, and a discharge module 30 as its components. Each component is detachable and interchangeable with respect to the other components.

[0014] <Supply Module 10> The supply module 10 supplies a lead frame 2, which is a type of substrate, and a resin tablet T to the resin molding module 20. Electronic elements are fixed to the lead frame 2 supplied by the supply module 10. The lead frame 2 is resin-molded by resin sealing the electronic elements. In this embodiment, the lead frame 2 is shown as an example of a substrate, but various other substrates (glass epoxy substrates, ceramic substrates, resin substrates, metal substrates, etc.) can be used in addition to the lead frame 2. The supply module 10 mainly comprises a frame delivery unit 11, a frame supply unit 13, a resin material supply mechanism 14, a resin housing unit 40, a resin material supply jig 100, and a control unit 18. The supply module 10 also includes an input device (not shown) that serves as a user interface device.

[0015] The frame delivery unit 11 sends the lead frames 2, which are housed in an in-magazine unit (not shown) and are not yet molded by resin, to the frame supply unit 13. The frame supply unit 13 receives the lead frames 2 from the frame delivery unit 11, aligns the received lead frames 2 appropriately, and hands them over to the loader 17, which will be described later.

[0016] The resin material supply mechanism 14 supplies resin tablets T, which are resin materials formed in a roughly cylindrical shape, to the loader 17. The resin material supply mechanism 14 can receive a plurality of resin tablets T housed in the resin storage section 40 (see Figure 2, etc.), align the plurality of resin tablets T, and hand them over to the loader 17. The resin tablets T can be supplied to the resin storage section 40 using a resin material supply jig 100 (see Figure 2, etc.). The specific configurations of the resin storage section 40 and the resin material supply jig 100 will be described later.

[0017] The control unit 18 controls the operation of each module of the resin molding apparatus 1. The control unit 18 controls the operation of the supply module 10, the resin molding module 20, and the discharge module 30. Furthermore, the operation of each module can be arbitrarily changed (adjusted) using the control unit 18.

[0018] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the control unit 18 is provided on the supply module 10, but it is also possible to provide the control unit 18 on other modules. Furthermore, it is possible to provide multiple control units 18. For example, it is possible to provide a control unit 18 for each module or device and individually control the operation of each module, etc., while coordinating their operation with each other.

[0019] <Resin Molding Module 20> The resin molding module 20 resin-moldes the lead frame 2 by resin-encapsulating electronic elements fixed to the lead frame 2. In this embodiment, two resin molding modules 20 are arranged side by side. Note that there may be one resin molding module 20 or three or more. By performing resin molding of the lead frame 2 in parallel using multiple resin molding modules 20, the manufacturing efficiency of the resin molded product can be improved. The resin molding module 20 mainly comprises a molding mechanism 21.

[0020] The molding mechanism 21 mainly comprises a molding die and a mold clamping mechanism 24.

[0021] The mold uses molten resin material to resin-encapsulate the electronic elements fixed to the lead frame 2. The mold comprises multiple molds arranged vertically, namely an upper mold (not shown) and a lower mold 23.

[0022] The mold clamping mechanism 24 clamps and opens the molding die by moving the lower die 23 up and down.

[0023] <Unloading Module 30> The unloading module 30 receives the resin-molded lead frame 2 from the resin molding module 20 and unloads it. The unloading module 30 mainly comprises a substrate housing section 32. The substrate housing section 32 houses the resin-molded lead frame 2.

[0024] <Loader 17> A loader 17 is provided in the supply module 10 and the resin molding module 20. The loader 17 transports the lead frame 2 and resin tablet T received from the frame supply unit 13 and the resin material supply mechanism 14 to the resin molding module 20. The loader 17 can move within the supply module 10 and the resin molding module 20 along rails (not shown).

[0025] <Unloader 31> An unloader 31 is provided in the resin molding module 20 and the unloading module 30. The unloader 31 holds the resin-molded lead frame 2 and unloads it to the substrate housing section 32. The unloader 31 can move within the resin molding module 20 and the unloading module 30 along rails (not shown).

[0026] <Method for Manufacturing Resin Molded Products> The following describes a method for manufacturing resin molded products using the resin molding apparatus 1 configured as described above. The control unit 18 can manufacture resin molded products by controlling the operation of each unit of the resin molding apparatus 1.

[0027] First, the frame delivery unit 11 of the supply module 10 sends two lead frames 2, which are not yet molded by resin, to the frame supply unit 13. The frame supply unit 13 aligns the two lead frames 2 that it received from the frame delivery unit 11.

[0028] Next, the loader 17 holds the two lead frames 2 of the frame supply unit 13 and the multiple resin tablets T of the resin material supply mechanism 14. The loader 17 transports the held lead frames 2 and resin tablets T to the lower mold 23 of the resin molding module 20. The loader 17 places the lead frames 2 on the lower mold 23 and places the resin tablets T in the pot 23a of the lower mold 23. The resin tablets T are thermosetting resins. When the resin tablets T are heated, their temperature rises. As a result, the resin tablets T become molten resin material and then harden. The upper and lower molds 23 are heated to a predetermined temperature, for example, 175 degrees Celsius. Therefore, when the resin tablets T are placed in the pot 23a, they are heated by the lower mold 23 and become molten resin material.

[0029] Next, the lower mold 23 is raised by the clamping mechanism 24, and the mold is clamped. In this state, the plunger (not shown) injects the molten resin material present in the pot 23a. As a result, the molten resin material fills the cavity of the mold. The filled resin material is continuously heated. After a certain period of time (curing time) has elapsed since the filling is completed, the resin material hardens, and the electronic elements fixed to the lead frame 2 are resin-encapsulated, and a resin molded product (resin-molded lead frame 2) can be obtained.

[0030] Next, the lower mold 23 is lowered by the mold clamping mechanism 24, and the mold is opened. After that, the resin-molded lead frame 2 is unloaded from the resin molding module 20 by the unloader 31.

[0031] Next, the resin-molded lead frame 2 is transferred to the unloading module 30 by the unloader 31. The unloader 31 then places the resin-molded lead frame 2 into the substrate housing section 32.

[0032] <Configuration of the resin storage section 40> Next, the configuration of the resin storage section 40 will be explained using Figures 2 to 5.

[0033] In the following explanation, the directions indicated by arrows U, D, L, R, F, and B in the diagram will be defined as the upward, downward, left, right, forward, and backward directions, respectively.

[0034] The resin storage section 40 houses the resin tablets T to be supplied to the resin material supply mechanism 14. The resin storage section 40 mainly comprises a main body section 41, a mounting plate section 42, a second cover plate section 43, a second sliding plate section 44, and a cover member 45, etc.

[0035] The main body 41 shown in Figures 2 to 4 is a component capable of housing resin tablets T. The main body 41 is formed in a hollow shape. An input port 41a opening upwards is formed on the upper surface of the main body 41. Resin tablets T can be inserted into the main body 41 through the input port 41a. An output port 41b opening downwards is formed on the lower surface of the main body 41. Resin tablets T housed in the main body 41 can be supplied to the resin material supply mechanism 14 (see Figure 1) through the output port 41b. The output port 41b can be opened and closed using a shutter (not shown). Inside the main body 41, an inclined plate portion 41c is provided to guide the resin tablets T from the input port 41a to the output port 41b.

[0036] The mounting plate portion 42 shown in Figures 2 to 5 is capable of supporting a resin material supply jig 100. The mounting plate portion 42 is formed in a plate shape. The mounting plate portion 42 is positioned generally horizontally so as to close off the right side portion of the input opening 41a of the main body portion 41. A protrusion 42a (see Figures 3 and 4) that projects upward is formed on the upper surface of the mounting plate portion 42. Two protrusions 42a are formed side by side on the upper surface of the mounting plate portion 42, one in front of the other. The shape, number, and arrangement of the protrusions 42a are not particularly limited.

[0037] The second cover plate portion 43 shown in Figures 2, 4, and 5 closes the left side portion of the input opening 41a of the main body portion 41. The second cover plate portion 43 is formed in a plate shape. The second cover plate portion 43 is positioned generally horizontally from the mounting plate portion 42 toward the left. A second opening 43a is formed in the second cover plate portion 43. The second opening 43a is formed to penetrate the second cover plate portion 43 in the vertical direction. The second opening 43a is formed near the right end of the second cover plate portion 43.

[0038] The second slide plate portion 44 shown in Figures 2 to 5 is slidable relative to the second cover plate portion 43. The second slide plate portion 44 is formed in a plate shape. The second slide plate portion 44 is positioned generally horizontally above the second cover plate portion 43. The second slide plate portion 44 is appropriately supported so that it can slide in the left-right direction. A second engagement portion 44a (see Figures 4 and 5) is formed on the second slide plate portion 44. The second engagement portion 44a is formed on the right end of the upper surface of the second slide plate portion 44. The second engagement portion 44a is formed to have appropriate irregularities. The second engagement portion 44a is formed in a shape that can engage with the first engagement portion 152b of the resin material supply jig 100.

[0039] When the second slide plate portion 44 is slid to the right relative to the second cover plate portion 43 (to a position that overlaps vertically with the second opening 43a of the second cover plate portion 43), it can close the second opening 43a of the second cover plate portion 43 from above. When the second slide plate portion 44 is slid to the left relative to the second cover plate portion 43 (to a position that does not overlap vertically with the second opening 43a of the second cover plate portion 43), it can open the second opening 43a of the second cover plate portion 43.

[0040] The cover member 45 shown in Figures 3 to 5 covers the upper part of the main body 41. The cover member 45 is formed in a plate shape. The cover member 45 is positioned generally horizontally so as to cover the upper part (input opening 41a) of the main body 41 from above. The cover member 45 has an opening 45a and a notch 45b formed therein.

[0041] The opening 45a is formed so as to penetrate the cover member 45 in the vertical direction. The opening 45a is formed in the right portion of the cover member 45 (the position overlapping the mounting plate portion 42 in the vertical direction). The opening 45a is formed in a shape (in the present embodiment, a rectangular shape in plan view) that allows the mounting portion 150 of the resin material supply jig 100 to pass vertically therethrough. The cutout portion 45b is a portion formed by cutting the left end portion of the opening 45a leftward.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, the resin accommodating portion 40 configured as described above can be taken in and out of the supply module 10 through the opening formed in the side surface 10a of the supply module 10. With the resin accommodating portion 40 pulled out from the supply module 10, the resin tablet T can be charged into the resin accommodating portion 40 using the resin material supply jig 100. Further, by opening the discharge port 41b in a state where the resin accommodating portion 40 is pushed into the supply module 10, the resin tablet T can be supplied to the resin material supply mechanism 14 (see FIG. 1).

[0043] <Configuration of Resin Material Supply Jig 100> Next, the configuration of the resin material supply jig 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7.

[0044] The resin material supply jig 100 is for supplying the resin tablet T to the resin accommodating portion 40. The resin material supply jig 100 mainly includes a joining portion 110, a first connection portion 120, a pipe portion 130, a second connection portion 140, a mounting portion 150, a grip portion 160, and the like.

[0045] The joining portion 110 shown in FIG. 6 can be joined to the container 3 for the resin tablet T. Note that the container 3 is for pre-accommodating the resin material (resin tablet T) used for resin molding. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a cylindrical container 3 having a bottom portion is used. The container 3 is provided with a mouth portion 3a having an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the main body portion. The joining portion 110 is formed in a shape capable of covering the mouth portion 3a of the container 3. Specifically, the joining portion 110 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a bottom surface.

[0046] The joint part 110 is formed to be capable of joining with the mouth part 3a of the container 3. Specifically, the joint part 110 can be fitted and fixed to the mouth part 3a of the cylindrically formed container 3. For example, the joint part 110 can be joined to the container 3 by screwing a threaded portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth part 3a into a threaded portion formed on the inner peripheral surface. In a state where the mouth part 3a of the container 3 is joined to the joint part 110, the interior of the container 3 and the interior of the pipe part 130 are connected via the hole part 111 of the joint part 110.

[0047] Note that the joining method between the container 3 and the joint part 110 is not limited to the method using a threaded portion, and joining can also be performed by various other methods (for example, press-fitting). The joint part 110 is formed with a hole part 111 penetrating the bottom surface. The hole part 111 is formed to have an inner diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the mouth part 3a of the container 3, for example.

[0048] The joint part 110 configured in this manner can be formed by processing a lid member for closing the mouth part 3a of the container 3, for example. Specifically, by forming the hole part 111 so as to penetrate the bottom surface of the lid member used for the container 3, the resulting member can be used as the joint part 110.

[0049] The first connection part 120 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6 connects the joint part 110 and the pipe part 130. The first connection part 120 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The joint part 110 is fitted and fixed to the upper portion of the first connection part 120. The band part 161 of the grip part 160 is wound around the upper portion of the first connection part 120 from the outside. Thereby, the first connection part 120 and the joint part 110 are more reliably fixed.

[0050] The upper portion of the pipe part 130 is fitted and fixed to the lower portion of the first connection part 120. Specifically, the pipe part 130 can be fixed to the first connection part 120 by screwing a threaded portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe part 130 into a threaded portion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the first connection part 120.

[0051] The tubular section 130 shown in Figures 2 to 6 guides the resin tablet T inside the container 3 to the resin storage section 40. The tubular section 130 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The tubular section 130 is flexible. One end (upper end) of the tubular section 130 is fixed to the first connecting section 120. The other end (lower end) of the tubular section 130 is fixed to the second connecting section 140.

[0052] The second connecting portion 140 shown in Figures 2 and 4 connects the pipe portion 130 and the mounting portion 150 (joint portion 151). The second connecting portion 140 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The lower part of the pipe portion 130 is fitted and fixed to the upper part of the second connecting portion 140. Specifically, the pipe portion 130 can be fixed to the second connecting portion 140 by screwing the threaded portion formed on the outer surface of the pipe portion 130 into the threaded portion formed on the inner surface of the second connecting portion 140.

[0053] The joint portion 151 is fitted and secured to the lower part of the second connecting portion 140. A band 141 is wrapped around the lower part of the second connecting portion 140 from the outside. This ensures that the second connecting portion 140 and the joint portion 151 are more securely fixed together.

[0054] The mounting portion 150 shown in Figures 2 to 5 is attachable to the resin housing portion 40. The mounting portion 150 mainly comprises a joint portion 151, a first slide plate portion 152, a slide gripping portion 153, a first cover plate portion 154, and a guide portion 155, etc.

[0055] The joint portion 151 shown in Figures 4 and 5 is to which the second connecting portion 140 is connected. The joint portion 151 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The lower end of the joint portion 151 is fixed to the upper surface of the first sliding plate portion 152. The upper part of the joint portion 151 is fixed to the lower part of the second connecting portion 140.

[0056] The first slide plate portion 152 is slidable relative to the first cover plate portion 154. The first slide plate portion 152 is formed in a plate shape. The first slide plate portion 152 is arranged generally horizontally. The first slide plate portion 152 is guided by a guide portion 155 so that it can slide in the left-right direction. The first slide plate portion 152 has a first opening 152a and a first engaging portion 152b formed therein.

[0057] The first opening 152a is formed to penetrate the first slide plate portion 152 in the vertical direction. The first opening 152a is formed in a position opposite the joint portion 151 in the vertical direction. As a result, the first opening 152a is continuous with the inside of the pipe portion 130 via the joint portion 151 and the second connecting portion 140.

[0058] The first engaging portion 152b is formed at the left end of the lower surface of the first sliding plate portion 152. The first engaging portion 152b is formed to have appropriate irregularities. The first engaging portion 152b is formed in a shape that can engage with the second engaging portion 44a of the resin housing portion 40.

[0059] When the first sliding plate portion 152 is slid to the right relative to the first cover plate portion 154 (to a position where the first opening 152a overlaps with the first cover plate portion 154 in the vertical direction), the first opening 152a is closed from below by the first cover plate portion 154. When the first sliding plate portion 152 is slid to the left relative to the first cover plate portion 154 (to a position where the first opening 152a does not overlap with the first cover plate portion 154 in the vertical direction), the first opening 152a is open.

[0060] The sliding grip portion 153 shown in Figures 2 to 5 is designed to be gripped by an operator. The sliding grip portion 153 is gripped, for example, when sliding the first sliding plate portion 152. The sliding grip portion 153 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The sliding grip portion 153 is positioned with its longitudinal direction oriented vertically. The lower end of the sliding grip portion 153 is fixed to the rear of the upper surface of the first sliding plate portion 152.

[0061] The first cover plate portion 154 shown in Figures 4 and 5 is capable of closing the first opening 152a of the first slide plate portion 152 from below. The first cover plate portion 154 is formed in a plate shape. The first cover plate portion 154 is positioned generally horizontally below the first slide plate portion 152. A recess 154a is formed on the lower surface of the first cover plate portion 154 (see Figure 7). The recess 154a is formed in a position corresponding to the protrusion 42a formed on the mounting plate portion 42 (see Figure 3). The recess 154a is one embodiment of the positioning portion according to the present invention.

[0062] The guide portion 155 shown in Figures 2 to 5 guides the first slide plate portion 152 in the left-right direction. The guide portion 155 is fixed to both the front and rear sides of the first cover plate portion 154. The guide portion 155 is positioned to sandwich the first slide plate portion 152 from the front and rear directions. This allows the guide portion 155 to guide the first slide plate portion 152 to slide along the left-right direction.

[0063] The gripping portion 160 shown in Figures 2 and 6 is designed to be gripped by an operator. The gripping portion 160 is used, for example, when transporting a resin material supply jig 100. The gripping portion 160 is formed in a shape that is easy for an operator to grip (in this embodiment, it is annular in plan view). The gripping portion 160 is provided with a band portion 161. The gripping portion 160 is fixed to the first connecting portion 120 by wrapping the band portion 161 around the first connecting portion 120. Note that the sliding gripping portion 153 and the gripping portion 160 are embodiments of the gripping portion according to the present invention.

[0064] <Method for supplying resin material> Next, a method for supplying resin tablets T to the resin storage section 40 using a resin material supply jig 100 will be described.

[0065] When supplying resin tablets T to the resin storage section 40, first, as shown in Figure 7, the container 3 containing the resin tablets T is joined to the resin material supply jig 100. Specifically, first, the lid member of the container 3 containing the resin tablets T is removed, and the opening 3a is opened. Next, the resin material supply jig 100 is inverted so that the first connection part 120 (joint part 110) faces downward, and the joint part 110 is joined to the opening 3a of the container 3. At this time, the first opening 152a of the first slide plate part 152 of the resin material supply jig 100 is closed by the first cover plate part 154 (as shown in Figure 4). Therefore, resin dust does not scatter to the outside from inside the container 3 joined to the resin material supply jig 100.

[0066] Next, the resin material supply jig 100, to which the container 3 is joined, is transported to the vicinity of the resin storage section 40. At this time, the worker can easily carry the resin material supply jig 100 by gripping the gripping section 160.

[0067] Next, as shown in Figures 2 to 5, the resin material supply jig 100 is attached to the resin storage section 40. Specifically, first, the resin storage section 40 is pulled out from the side 10a of the supply module 10. Next, the resin material supply jig 100 is inverted so that the mounting section 150 faces downward. At this time, the opening 3a of the container 3 faces downward, so the resin tablets T contained in the container 3 fall into the tube section 130 of the resin material supply jig 100 through the opening 3a. Next, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the mounting section 150 is placed on the mounting plate section 42 of the resin storage section 40. At this time, the mounting section 150 is placed on the mounting plate section 42 through the opening 45a of the cover member 45. Furthermore, by inserting the protrusion 42a of the mounting plate portion 42 into the recess 154a (see Figure 7) of the first cover plate portion 154, the mounting portion 150 can be positioned relative to the resin housing portion 40.

[0068] At this time, the second engaging portion 44a formed on the second slide plate portion 44 and the first engaging portion 152b formed on the first slide plate portion 152 engage with each other. As a result, the first slide plate portion 152 and the second slide plate portion 44 can slide together from side to side.

[0069] Next, as shown in Figure 8(b), the first slide plate portion 152 and the second slide plate portion 44 are slid to the left. At this time, the pipe portion 130 fixed to the first slide plate portion 152 also slides to the left. When the first slide plate portion 152 slides to the left, it moves so as to slide under the cover member 45 (see Figures 3, 5, etc.). In this state, the upward movement of the first slide plate portion 152 is restricted by the cover member 45, so that the mounting portion 150 (resin material supply jig 100) does not fall out of the resin housing portion 40. Note that the pipe portion 130 moves inside the notch portion 45b formed in the cover member 45, so the pipe portion 130 and the cover member 45 do not interfere with each other.

[0070] As shown in Figure 8(b), when the second opening 43a of the second cover plate portion 43 and the first opening 152a of the first slide plate portion 152 overlap in the vertical direction, the internal spaces of the tube portion 130 and the resin storage portion 40 are connected. As a result, the resin tablet T in the tube portion 130 is fed into the resin storage portion 40.

[0071] Furthermore, since the pipe section 130 is flexible, as shown in Figure 9, the operator can bend the pipe section 130 to tilt or vibrate the container 3. This allows any resin tablets T remaining in the container 3 to fall out and be reliably supplied to the resin storage section 40.

[0072] After the resin tablets T in the container 3 and the tube section 130 are placed into the resin storage section 40, the first slide plate section 152 and the second slide plate section 44 are slid to the right, as shown in Figure 8(a). As a result, the second opening 43a of the second cover plate section 43 is closed from above by the second slide plate section 44, and the first opening 152a of the first slide plate section 152 is closed from below by the first cover plate section 154. In this state, the mounting section 150 (resin material supply jig 100) is lifted and removed from the resin storage section 40.

[0073] Subsequently, the resin storage section 40 is pushed against the side surface 10a of the supply module 10, and the supply of resin material to the resin storage section 40 is completed.

[0074] As described above, except when the resin tablet T is fed from the resin material supply jig 100 into the resin storage section 40 (see Figure 8(b)), the second opening 43a of the resin storage section 40 and the first opening 152a of the resin material supply jig 100 are closed by the second slide plate section 44 and the first cover plate section 154, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to prevent resin dust adhering to the inside of the container 3, pipe section 130, resin storage section 40, etc. from scattering into the work environment.

[0075] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, when the resin tablet T is placed into the resin storage section 40, the container 3 can be tilted or vibrated by bending the tube section 130. This prevents the resin tablet T from remaining inside the container 3 and the tube section 130.

[0076] Furthermore, in order to reliably discharge the resin tablets T from the container 3, it is necessary to tilt the container 3 at a certain angle. For this reason, the pipe section 130 needs to bend when the resin material supply jig 100 is attached to the resin storage section 40, and it is desirable that it has a certain degree of flexibility. Specifically, the angle between the direction in which the upper end of the pipe section 130 (the end on the first connection section 120 side) is facing and the direction in which the lower end of the pipe section 130 (the end on the second connection section 140 side) is facing (up and down in the example of Figure 9) is defined as α (see Figure 9). When the pipe section 130 is bent to discharge the resin tablets T from the container 3, it is desirable that the angle α is greater than or equal to a certain angle. This certain angle can be appropriately set according to the shape, dimensions, and weight of the resin tablets T, the material and dimensions of the pipe section 130, etc. Furthermore, it is preferable to use polyvinyl chloride, metal, plastic, etc. as the material of the pipe section 130. Furthermore, it is preferable to set the diameter of the pipe section 130 to 100 mm or more. Furthermore, it is preferable that the length of the pipe section 130 be set to 300 mm or more.

[0077] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which a lid member used for the container 3 is used as the joint 110 for joining the pipe portion 130 and the container 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, various configurations can be adopted as the joint 110 that enable the container 3 to be joined to the pipe portion 130.

[0078] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pipe section 130 and the joint section 110 and mounting section 150 are connected by a configuration in which the pipe section 130 is fixed to the first connecting section 120 and the second connecting section 140 by screws, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the pipe section 130 and the first connecting section 120 and the second connecting section 140 can also be fixed by fastening them with a band or the like.

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example was shown in which a cylindrical container 3 having a bottom is used as a container for housing the resin tablets T, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to use containers, bags, etc. of various other shapes as containers for housing the resin tablets T.

[0080] Furthermore, although a resin tablet T was exemplified as an example of a resin material in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and various forms of resin materials can be used. For example, the present invention can also use a resin material in the form of powder or granules.

[0081] Furthermore, although this embodiment illustrates a resin molding apparatus 1 utilizing the transfer molding method, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to other types of resin molding apparatuses (for example, compression-type resin molding apparatuses).

[0082] <Note> The resin material supply jig 100 of the first aspect of this disclosure comprises: a flexible tube portion 130; a joint portion 110 provided at one end of the tube portion 130 and capable of joining with a container 3 of resin material (resin tablet T); and a mounting portion 150 provided at the other end of the tube portion 130 and capable of being attached to a resin storage portion 40 of a resin molding apparatus 1. The mounting portion 150 comprises: a first slide plate portion 152 having a first opening 152a that is continuous with the inside of the tube portion 130; and a first cover plate portion 154 that is slidable relative to the first slide plate portion 152 and capable of closing the first opening 152a depending on its relative position to the first slide plate portion 152. According to the resin material supply jig 100 of the first aspect of this disclosure, resin material can be supplied to the resin molding apparatus 1 without leaving any resin material in the container 3. Specifically, because the pipe section 130 is flexible, the container 3 connected to the resin storage section 40 via the resin material supply jig 100 can be tilted or shaken. This ensures that any resin material remaining in the container 3 is reliably dispensed into the resin storage section 40.

[0083] In the resin material supply jig 100 with a second side conforming to the first side, the joint portion 110 is made of a lid member that can be attached to the mouth portion 3a of the container 3 to close the mouth portion 3a, and the lid member has a hole portion 111 that connects the inside of the container 3 to the inside of the pipe portion 130. According to the resin material supply jig 100 with a second side conforming to the first side, a joint portion 110 that can be properly attached to the container 3 can be formed. Furthermore, by utilizing the lid member of the container 3, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0084] In a resin material supply jig 100 with a third side corresponding to the first or second side, the first cover plate portion 154 is provided with a positioning portion (recess 154a) that can be positioned relative to the resin storage portion 40. According to the resin material supply jig 100 with a third side of the present disclosure, the resin material supply jig 100 can be properly attached to the resin storage portion 40.

[0085] The fourth side resin material supply jig 100, which conforms to any of the first to third sides, is provided in a portion that is slidable with respect to the first cover plate portion 154 together with the first slide plate portion 152, and is equipped with a gripping portion (sliding gripping portion 153) that can be gripped. The fourth side resin material supply jig 100 of this disclosure makes it easier to feed resin material into the resin storage portion 40 using the resin material supply jig 100.

[0086] The fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the resin molding apparatus 1, comprises a resin material supply jig 100 from any of the first to fourth aspects, and the resin storage section 40, wherein the resin storage section 40 comprises a main body 41 having an input port 41a into which resin material can be introduced, a second cover plate 43 that closes the input port 41a and has a second opening 43a formed therein, and a second slide plate 44 that is slidable relative to the second cover plate 43 together with the first slide plate 152, and that can connect the first opening 152a and the second opening 43a depending on its relative position to the second cover plate 43. According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the resin molding apparatus 1 can be supplied with resin material without leaving any resin material in the container 3. Furthermore, since the second slide plate portion 44 can be slid together with the first slide plate portion 152 of the resin material supply jig 100, the process of loading resin material from the container 3 into the resin storage portion 40 can be carried out efficiently.

[0087] The sixth aspect of the present disclosure is a method for supplying resin material, which involves supplying resin material to a resin storage section 40 of a resin molding apparatus 1 using a resin material supply jig 100 from any of the first to fourth aspects, and includes: joining the container 3 containing the resin material to the joint 110; attaching the mounting portion 150 to the resin storage section 40; and opening the first opening 152a by sliding the first slide plate portion 152 relative to the first cover plate portion 154, thereby supplying the resin material from the container 3 to the resin storage section 40. According to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the resin material can be supplied to the resin molding apparatus 1 without leaving any resin material in the container 3.

[0088] The seventh aspect of this disclosure is a method for manufacturing a resin molded product using the fifth aspect of the resin molding apparatus 1, which includes: transporting the resin material contained in the resin storage section 40 to a mold; clamping the mold to perform resin molding; and opening the mold to unload the resin molded product. According to the method for manufacturing a resin molded product of the seventh aspect of this disclosure, the resin material can be supplied to the resin molding apparatus 1 without leaving any resin material in the container 3.

[0089] 1 Resin molding apparatus 3 Container 3a Mouth 40 Resin storage section 41 Main body 41a Input port 43 Second cover plate section 43a Second opening 44 Second slide plate section 100 Resin material supply jig 110 Joint section 111 Hole section 130 Pipe section 150 Mounting section 152 First slide plate section 152a First opening 153 Slide grip section 154 First cover plate section 154a Recess 160 Grip section

Claims

1. A resin material supply jig comprising: a flexible tube portion; a joint portion provided at one end of the tube portion and capable of joining to a container of resin material; and a mounting portion provided at the other end of the tube portion and capable of being attached to the resin storage portion of a resin molding device, wherein the mounting portion comprises: a first slide plate portion having a first opening formed therein that is continuous with the interior of the tube portion; and a first cover plate portion that is slidable relative to the first slide plate portion and capable of closing the first opening depending on its relative position to the first slide plate portion.

2. The joint portion is composed of a lid member that can be attached to the mouth of the container to close the mouth, and the lid member has a hole formed therein that connects the inside of the container to the inside of the tube portion, the resin material supply jig according to claim 1.

3. The resin material supply jig according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first cover plate portion is equipped with a positioning portion that can be positioned relative to the resin storage portion.

4. A resin material supply jig according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a gripping portion provided in a portion that is slidable with respect to the first cover plate portion together with the first slide plate portion, and capable of gripping.

5. A resin molding apparatus comprising: a resin material supply jig according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and a resin storage section, wherein the resin storage section comprises: a main body having an input port into which resin material can be introduced; a second cover plate section that closes the input port and has a second opening formed therein; and a second slide plate section that is slidable together with the first slide plate section relative to the second cover plate section and can connect the first opening and the second opening depending on its relative position to the second cover plate section.

6. A method for supplying resin material to a resin storage section of a resin molding apparatus using a resin material supply jig according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising: joining the container containing the resin material to the joint; attaching the mounting portion to the resin storage section; and opening the first opening by sliding the first slide plate portion relative to the first cover plate portion, thereby supplying the resin material from the container to the resin storage section.

7. A method for manufacturing a resin molded product using the resin molding apparatus described in claim 5, comprising: transporting a resin material contained in the resin storage section to a mold; clamping the mold to perform resin molding; and opening the mold to unload the resin molded product.

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