JPH0583059B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a method of laminating a plurality of thermoplastic sheet materials such as prepreg sheets when laminating and press-molding the sheets.

(Prior art) In recent years, thermoplastic sheet materials such as prepreg sheets containing glass fibers and carbon fibers have been pressed using molds, etc. in order to reduce the weight and simplify assembly of parts for automobiles, etc. Molded products are now being used.

When such sheet materials are used to mold parts that require high strength, such as bumper beams for automobiles, a plurality of sheet materials are laminated and press-formed. In this molding, each sheet material needs to be sufficiently heated and softened so that the laminated sheet materials can reliably plastically flow during press molding. Therefore, in this press molding, a plurality of sheet materials are heated and softened separately, and then laminated and molded.

Conventionally, the sheet materials described above were laminated and fed into the molding equipment manually by workers wearing gloves, but since the sheet materials were softened by heating, the workability was poor. It has been difficult to reliably laminate sheet materials and feed them into a molding device.
Further, as the size of the molded product increases, the sheet material also increases in size and weight, further reducing workability and efficiency.

Therefore, Utility Model Publication No. 58-194009 and Utility Model Publication No. 194009
Using a holding device equipped with a needle like the one seen in Publication No. 58-50987, a plurality of individually heated sheet materials are held one by one by piercing with the needle like in the order in which they are laminated, and then A method has been proposed in which the holding device is moved into the forming apparatus, and then the needle-like bodies are removed from the stacked sheet materials, thereby charging the sheet material into the forming apparatus.

However, in the above method, a plurality of sheet materials are held one by one by a single needle, which takes time and is inefficient. In addition, in order to stack and hold multiple sheet materials, it is necessary to increase the diameter of the needles to improve the strength of the needles, and increasing the diameter of the needles causes holes in the sheet materials. As the holes become larger, the fiber structure of the sheet material is disrupted, which may reduce the strength of the molded product. Furthermore, the multiple sheets of material held by the needles are softened by heating and bend under their own weight, making the holes in the sheet materials made by the needles even larger and reducing the strength of the molded product. There is.

(Problems to be Solved) The present invention eliminates such inconveniences and efficiently and reliably laminates a plurality of thermoplastic sheet materials without damaging the shape and structure of the sheet materials when laminating and molding the sheets. The purpose is to provide a method.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The method of laminating thermoplastic sheet materials of the present invention is a method of laminating a plurality of heated thermoplastic sheet materials arranged in a stacked order, and maintaining each of the sheet materials in a parallel state. a step of holding the sheet material detachably by stabbing it with a needle-like body; and either one of the needle-like body and a sheet placing means for placing the sheet material to be detached from the needle-like body below the needle-like body. a step of moving the sheet materials in the parallel direction of the sheet materials, and in the moving process, when the sheet placing means is located vertically below the sheet materials, the sheet materials are sequentially separated from the needle-like bodies in the order of stacking and placed on the sheet placing means. In the step of placing, prior to placing each of the sheet materials on the sheet placing means,
The present invention is characterized by comprising a step of vertically separating the sheet mounting means by the thickness of the sheet material.

(Function) According to the method for laminating thermoplastic sheet materials of the present invention, a plurality of heated thermoplastic sheet materials held together in a parallel state by the needle-like bodies are placed on the sheets together with the needle-like bodies. During the movement process of either one of the means, the sheets are separated from the needle-shaped body in the order of stacking, and are sequentially placed on the sheet mounting means to be stacked.

In this way, before each sheet material is sequentially stacked on the sheet mounting means, the sheet mounting means is spaced apart in the vertical direction by the thickness of the sheet material so that the falling distance of each sheet material is constant. Even when a large number of sheet materials are laminated and the thickness becomes considerably large, it is possible to stack the sheet materials at a constant height from the start of lamination to the completion of lamination. By setting the stacking height position of this sheet mounting means near the position where the sheet material is removed from the needle-shaped body, the sheet material can be prevented from rotating while falling.
It is possible to prevent stacking in an inclined state and to shorten the stacking work time.

(Example) An outline of an example of the method of laminating thermoplastic sheet materials of the present invention and the apparatus thereof will be explained with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is a side view of the present apparatus installed in the latter half of a molding line in which strip-shaped thermoplastic sheet materials are laminated and put into a press mold for molding.

This molding line is configured linearly toward the press molding die A, and a plurality of sheet materials X required for molding are placed in parallel in the order of stacking on a pallet B whose support portion is made of a net-like body. Sheet material
The metal mold A is conveyed toward the mold A in the parallel direction.
The sheet material X on the pallet B is heated to a predetermined temperature during this conveyance. The transported pallet B is then transferred onto the conveyor E of this embodiment device before the mold A, and is stopped at a predetermined position on the conveyor E.

Above the conveyor E, there is a holding device F comprising a holding means 1 for detachably holding the sheet materials X arranged in parallel on the pallet B while maintaining the parallel state, and a lifting means 2 for raising and lowering the holding means 1. is provided.

Further, the conveyor D above the conveyor E
At a side position, a sheet placing device G including a sheet placing member 3 on which the sheet material X is placed and which can be moved up and down is provided. This sheet loading device G is equipped with a moving means 4, and moves to the position where the sheet material X in the mold A is loaded, passing under the sheet material X that has been held and raised from above the pallet B by the holding device F. It's becoming like that.

Further, a box-shaped receiving tray 5 is provided at a lateral position on the mold A side of the holding device F for receiving the molded product Y formed by the mold A and attached to the upper mold A _U. The saucer 5 is detachably held by a saucer holding device 6.

The present apparatus, the general configuration of which has been explained above, holds and raises the sheet materials X arranged in stacked order on the pallet B by the holding device F, then moves the sheet loading device G toward the mold A, In this moving process, the held sheet material
It is to be placed on A _L.

In addition, in this embodiment, the sheet stacking device G on which the sheet materials The laminated sheet material X is pressed between the sheet mounting member 3 and the sheet material X. Then, the sheet placement device G moves into _the mold A together with the tray 5, and feeds the sheet _material 5, and the sheet material X is loaded and the molded product Y is taken out at the same time.

Incidentally, the conveyor E is supported on a lifter H, and is raised and lowered by this.

Next, the holding device F will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

2 and 3 are a front view and a plan view of the holding device F, respectively.

As described above, the holding device F has the holding means 1 and the elevating means 2, and the holding means 1 includes the elevating frame 9, which is movable up and down along the guide rail 8 below the main frame 7 of the holding device E. The upper surface of the elevating frame 9 is connected to a piston rod 11 of a cylinder 10, which is an elevating means 2 fixed to the center of the main frame 7 in a vertically downward direction. A cylinder 13 having two needle-shaped bodies 12, 12 at its tips is fixed to the elevating frame 9 so as to face obliquely downward. The cylinders 13 are arranged in parallel at equal intervals in the direction of the molding line by the number of sheet materials X placed in parallel on the pallet B, and on both sides with the center line of the lifting frame 9 in the direction perpendicular to this. Two of them are arranged in parallel at equal intervals. and,
As shown in the second diagram, four cylinders 13 are arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the molding line, and are arranged in opposite directions diagonally downward with the center line as a boundary, and are arranged in parallel in a V-shape. ing.

This cylinder 13 will be explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. 4 and 5 are a front view and a plan view from below of the cylinder 13, respectively.

As described above, the cylinder 13 is fixed to the lifting frame 9 diagonally downward, and the flat plate member 15 is connected to the tip of the piston rod 14. The needle-shaped bodies 12, 12 are provided on both sides of the flat plate member 15 so as to project downward in the same direction as the piston rod 14. Further, at the tip position of each needle-like body 12, a horizontal flat plate 16 is provided.
is provided extending from the lifting frame 9, and the flat plate 16 is provided with a through hole 1 so that the needle-shaped body 12 can pass therethrough.
7 is provided. Therefore, as the piston rod 14 of the cylinder 13 moves diagonally downward, the needle-shaped body 12 penetrates through the through hole 17 and projects below the flat plate 16.

The holding device F configured in this way holds the above-mentioned needle-shaped body 12 by piercing the sheet material X, and one sheet material is held by the needle-like body 12 of the cylinder 13. When holding the sheet material X, each cylinder 13 is held vertically below the four cylinders 13 when each of the sheet materials The cylinder 10 lowers the flat plate 16 together with the lifting frame 9, and the flat plate 16 is moved to the fourth position.
As shown by the imaginary lines in the figure, each needle-shaped body 12 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the sheet material X, and then each needle-shaped body 12 is simultaneously projected from the through hole 17 of the flat plate 16 by the cylinder 13 and pierces the sheet material X. In this way, each sheet material X is pierced by the needle-shaped bodies 12 of the four cylinders 13, and is then raised by the cylinders 10 together with the lifting frame 9 and supported as shown in phantom lines in FIG. At this time, since the four cylinders 13 are arranged in a V-shape as described above, the sheet material X does not fall off from the needle-shaped body 12. In addition, in this holding state, the sheet material
6, the needle-shaped body 12 can be easily extracted from the sheet material X. If the needle-like body 12 is heated at this time, the needle-like body 12 can be more easily pulled out from the sheet material X, and it is also possible to prevent a part of the sheet material X from adhering to the needle-like body 12. .

Next, the mutual operation of the conveyor E and the holding device F when the sheet material X is held by the holding device F from above the pallet B on the conveyor E will be explained with reference to FIG. 1 mentioned above.

The conveyor E is driven in the loading direction and the unloading direction by a motor 19 fixed on the frame 18, and a lifter H supporting the frame 18
It is raised and lowered by The lifter H includes arms 20, 20 connected in an X shape, and the arm 2
0 and 20 are rotatable around their transverse axes 21, and their upper ends are connected to the frame 18 of the conveyor D. The lower end of one of the arms 20, 20 is connected to the piston rod 23 of the cylinder 22.
The cylinder 22 connects the arm 2 to
The lower end portions of conveyors 0 and 20 are opened and closed, thereby raising and lowering the conveyor D.

The pallet B conveyed on the conveyor D is transferred onto the conveyor E while the conveyor E is in an ascending state. At this time, the conveyor E is being driven in the loading direction, and the pallet B is moved on the conveyor E until it is located below the holding device F. Next, a horizontal backing plate 26, which is moved up and down along guide rails 25, 25 by a cylinder 24 fixed on the frame 18 of the conveyor E, moves the pallet B.
Sheet material
The sheet material X is supported by a holding device F
It is designed so that it can be easily pierced with the needle-like body 12.

Thereafter, as described above, the holding device F is operated, and the sheet materials X on the pallet B are held by the needle-like bodies 12 and lifted all at once. The empty pallet B, in which the sheet material X is held by the holding device F, is transferred to the lifter H along with the conveyor E.
Then, the conveyor E is driven in the unloading direction and the pallet B is lowered by the conveyor D.
The sheet material X is transferred onto the lower conveyor I and transported to a position where the sheet material X is placed on the pallet B.

Next, the sheet mounting device G will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the sheet placement device G, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are a sectional view taken along the line AA and BB, respectively.

In FIGS. 6 to 8, reference numeral 4 denotes a moving means for moving the main frame 29 of the sheet placement device G into the mold A along the conveyance rail 28 by a conveyance motor 27, and 30 refers to a moving means for moving the sheet placement member 3 into the main frame. 2
9, guide shafts 31, 3 provided in the direction of the molding line.
1, a cylinder for moving the sheet placement member 3; 32, a lifting motor for lifting and lowering the sheet placement member 3; and 33, a cylinder fitted to the guide shafts 31, 31 and coupled to tubular bodies 34, 34 movable along the guide shafts 31; subframe. Reference numerals 35a and 35b are guide plates that guide the sheet material X placed on the sheet placement member 3.

The conveyance motor 27 is fixed to both sides of the main frame 29, and a pinion gear 37 at the tip of a rotary drive shaft 36 engages with rack rails 38 provided on both sides of the main frame 29 toward the mold A. It's on. Therefore, the transport motor 2
7 is driven, the main frame 29 moves on the transport rail 28 together with the transport motor 27.

The sheet placement member 3 is a combination of rear end portions of a plurality of long and thin pins 39 arranged horizontally at equal intervals in a direction perpendicular to the molding line, and the center portion of the rear end portion is connected to the 7, it is connected to a ball screw 40 provided at the front part of the subframe 33 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. A pulley 41 is coupled to the upper end of the ball screw 40, and the pulley 41 is connected to the subframe 3 via a belt 42.
3 is connected to a pulley 44 at the upper end of a rotary drive shaft 43 of the lift motor 32 fixed to the rear of the lift motor 3. Therefore, the ball screw 40 is rotated by the drive of the lifting motor 32, and the sheet mounting member 3 is raised and lowered along the guide rails 45 provided vertically at the front portions of both sides of the subframe 33. . In FIG. 7, the sheet placing member 3 shown by a solid line shows a lowered state, and the sheet placing member 3 shown by a phantom line shows a raised state.

The lower center portion of the subframe 33 is connected to a piston rod 46 of the cylinder 30 fixed to the center of the rear portion of the main frame 29. As the piston rod 46 moves in its axial direction, the subframe 33 moves, and together with this, the sheet mounting member 3 moves horizontally in the direction of the forming line. The sheet placement member 3 shown in solid line in FIG. 8 moves rearward to the position shown in phantom line.

The guide plate 35a is fixed in the vertical direction to a frame 47 provided at a position above the rear part of the sheet mounting member 3 in a direction perpendicular to the forming line,
A plurality of them are arranged in parallel on the frame 47 at equal intervals. Further, the guide plates 35b are fixed in the vertical direction to a rotating shaft 48 provided in parallel with the frame 47 at an upper position in front of the sheet placement member 3, and a plurality of guide plates 35b are arranged in parallel at positions facing the guide plates 35a. The upper ends of both guide plates 35a and 35b are bent in opposite directions. The frame 47 has its both sides connected to the rear end of a rack 51 that is engaged with the lower part of a pinion gear 50 of a rotary cylinder 49 fixed to the main frame 29 at positions on both sides of the sheet placement member 3. ing. Further, the rotating shaft 48 is rotatably supported by an intermediate member 53 whose both ends are connected to the front end of a rack 52 that engages with the upper part of a pinion gear 50 of a rotary cylinder 49.

Therefore, the guide plates 35a and 35b move in opposite directions together with the racks 51 and 52 by the rotation of the rotary cylinder 49, and the distance between the guide plates 35a and 35b is set so that the distance between the guide plates 35a and 35b is equal to The width can be changed depending on the width of the sheet material X to be placed. Further, the rotation shaft 48 is connected to a rotation drive shaft 55 of a rotary cylinder 54 fixed to an intermediate member 53.
The guide plate 35b is rotated by the rotary cylinder 54, and the guide plate 35b is accordingly tilted.

Incidentally, two support rods 56 vertically provided on the main frame 29 at front and back positions on both sides of the sheet placement member 3 are for supporting the saucer 5, and will be described later. .

The sheet material X is placed on the sheet mounting member G explained above.
When placing the guide plates 35a, 35
With the width between b matched to the width of sheet material X,
Sheet materials X are sequentially dropped from above the sheet placement member 3 and placed on the sheet placement member 3 while being guided by the guide plates 35a and 35b. At this time, the sheet placing member 3 is raised and lowered as described above to keep the height of the sheet material X constant. Therefore, as the sheet materials X are stacked on the sheet placing member 3, the sorting placing member 3 is lowered. Also, when placing the guide plate 3
By tilting 5b, the sheet material
is easily guided by the guide plates 35a and 35b and placed securely on the sheet placement member 3.

Next, the saucer 5 and saucer holding device 6 will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. Figures 9 and 10
The figures are a front view and a side view of the saucer 5 and the saucer holding device 6, respectively.

The saucer 5 is formed into a long box shape in a direction perpendicular to the molding line, and one side thereof is open.
The rear portion of the tray is detachably held by a saucer holding device 6. The main frame 57 of the saucer holding device is fixed to the end of the main frame 7 of the holding device F on the mold A side, and the saucer 5 is provided on both sides of the front surface of the main frame 57 in a vertical direction.
A lifting cylinder 59 that moves up and down along lines 8 and 58.
and a swing cylinder 60 that swings the receiving tray 5 in a direction in which the open end of the receiving tray 5 descends.

The lifting cylinder 59 is vertically fixed to the lower surface of the front part of the main frame 57 at a position slightly to the side of the center line of the saucer 5, and its piston rod 61
is a sub-frame 6 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the saucer 5.
It is connected to the center of the lower surface of 2. A swing frame 63 is disposed in front of the sub-frame 62 in the longitudinal direction of the saucer 5, and the center of the back surface of the swing frame 63 is connected to a swing shaft protruding from the center of the front surface of the sub-frame 62. 64 so as to be rotatable. The swing cylinder 60 has its rear part connected to one side of the subframe 59 so as to be rotatable around a shaft 65, and its piston rod 66 connects to an intermediate member 67 provided at the center of the lower surface of the swing frame 63. is rotatably connected around a shaft 68. Further, pins 69a and 69b are provided upwardly in the upper and lower positions of both sides of the swinging frame 63, respectively, and these pins 69a and 69b are connected to the through holes 71 of the rear projections 70a and 70b of the saucer 5, respectively.
a, 71b, thereby holding the saucer 5 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

Therefore, this saucer 5 is raised and lowered together with the swing frame 63 as the subframe 62 is raised and lowered by the raising and lowering cylinder 59. Further, the swing cylinder 60 allows the swing frame 63 to rotate around the swing shaft 6.
4, the saucer 5 is also swung.

In addition, a protrusion 73 having a through hole 72 into which the upper end of the support rod 56 erected in the sheet placement device F can be inserted is provided at the front and rear of the tray 5. When the tray 5 is placed on the sheet placement device F, the sheet placement device is placed vertically below the tray 5 held by the tray holding device 6 as described above, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. G is positioned, and in this state, the tray 5 is lowered by the lifting cylinder 59 and the upper end of the support rod 56 is inserted into the through hole 72, whereby the tray 5 is supported by the support rod 56. Thereafter, the subframe 62 is moved by the lifting cylinder 59.
The swing frame 63 is further lowered, the pins 69a and 69b of the subframe 62 are pulled out from the protrusions 70a and 70b of the saucer 5, and the saucer holding device 6 is separated from the saucer 5.

Furthermore, a pressing member 74 is provided on the lower surface of the saucer 5 so as to face downward. This pressing member 74
is for pressing the sheet materials X stacked on the sheet mounting device G to remove gaps between the sheet materials X. and laminated sheet material X
When pressing the sheet material
4 and is pressed, thereby eliminating gaps between the sheet materials X and preventing air from being drawn in during press molding and damaging the strength of the molded product Y. In order to press the sheet material X in this manner, the tray 5 is relatively heavy.

The mutual operations of the holding device F, the sheet placing device G, and the tray 5 described above will be explained with reference to FIG. 1 mentioned above.

The sheet materials X arranged in parallel on the pallet B are held by the holding device F from above the pallet B as described above and raised, and are held in parallel as shown by the imaginary lines. Next, the sheet placing device G moves the lower side of the sheet material X from the conveyor C side toward the mold A using its moving means 4. At this time, the sheet placement member 3 is raised as shown by the solid line. The movement of the sheet placement device G is temporarily stopped each time the sheet placement member 3 is located vertically below each sheet material Shape 1
2 and falls, and the guide plate 35
a, 35b and is placed on the sheet placement member 3. In this way, the sheet materials X are successively separated from the needle-like bodies 12 and stacked on the sheet placement member 3. Also, at this time, the sheet placement member 3
is gradually lowered each time the sheet materials X are stacked, so that the height of each sheet material X is the same.

Next, the sheet placing device G on which all the sheet materials Ru. At the time of the stop, the tray 5 is lowered by the tray holding device 6, supported by the support rod 56 of the sheet placing device, and separated from the tray holding device 6. Next, the sheet placing member 3 is raised toward the pressing member 74 of the receiving tray 5, whereby the stacked sheet materials X are pressed as described above, the gaps between the sheet materials X are removed, and after the pressing The sheet placement member 3 is lowered again.

Thereafter, the sheet placing device G moves into the mold A together with the receiving tray 5, and is stopped at a position where the sheet material X is introduced. When stopped, the sheet placement member 3 is retracted by the cylinder 30 along the lower surface of the sheet material X until it is separated from it. At this time, guide plates 35a and 35b are provided on the sides of the sheet material X.
Because of the contact, the sheet material X does not move together with the sheet placement member 3, and when the sheet placement member 3 separates from the bottom surface of the sheet material
Guide plate 35a is placed at the loading position on the lower mold A _L ,
35b.

On the other hand, the molded product Y that has already been molded earlier is detached from the upper mold A _U and falls onto the saucer 5.
The molded product Y is placed inside.

Input the sheet material X laminated in this way,
After holding the molded product Y, the sheet mounting device G moves to a position where the tray 5 is placed thereon, and at this position, the tray 5 is again held by the tray holding device 6 and is removed from the sheet loading device G. After that, the sheet loading device G moves to the initial position on the conveyor D side,
The tray 5 is swung as described above, and the molded product Y is dispensed from the open end of the tray 5. Also, mold A
The sheet material X introduced into the mold is press-molded by the mold A.

As explained above, in this embodiment, when stacking the sheet material X on the sheet stacking device G, the sheet stacking device G is moved relative to the holding device F that holds the sheet material Although the material X was stacked, it is of course possible to stack the sheet materials X by stopping the sheet placement device G and moving the holding device F. Furthermore, when stacking the sheet materials X, the sheet placing device G was temporarily stopped each time it was located vertically below each sheet material You may.

(Effect) As is clear from the above description, according to the method for laminating thermoplastic sheet materials of the present invention, a plurality of sheet materials arranged in parallel in the stacking order are held together by needle-shaped bodies, and the needle-shaped bodies and the sheet In the process of moving either one of the sheet materials in the parallel direction of the sheet materials, the sheet materials are separated from the needle-shaped body in the order of stacking and are stacked one after another on the sheet loading means, so that the sheet materials can be stacked in a short time. This allows for efficient and reliable lamination.

In addition, before each sheet material is sequentially stacked on the sheet loading means, the sheet loading means is spaced apart by the thickness of the sheet material so that the falling distance of each sheet material is constant. The stacking height position of the materials can be kept constant, and the sheet materials can be stacked near the position where the sheet materials are separated from the needle-shaped body. Therefore, the sheet materials can be prevented from rotating, tilting, and falling. In addition to being able to reliably stack the layers, it is also possible to shorten the stacking work time, speeding up the process of moving the mounting means, and improving the overall work efficiency.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a side view of this implementation device, Figures 2 and 3.
The figures are a front view, a top view, and a fourth view of the holding device E, respectively.
5 and 5 are respectively a front view and a plan view from below of the cylinder 13 equipped with the needle-shaped body 12, FIG. 6 is a plan view of the sheet placement device F, and FIGS. The sectional view taken along the line AA, the sectional view taken along the line BB, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are a front view and a side view of the tray 5 and the tray holding device 6, respectively. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Holding means, 2... Lifting means, 3... Sheet mounting means, 4... Moving means, 12... Needle-like object,
B: Pallet, X: Plastic sheet material.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A method of laminating a plurality of heated thermoplastic sheet materials that are arranged in a laminated order, the steps of maintaining each of the sheet materials in a parallel state and holding the sheets removably by piercing them with a needle-like object; A step of moving either one of the sheet mounting means for placing the sheet material to be separated from the needle-like body below the needle-like body and the needle-like body in the parallel direction of the sheet material, and in the moving process, the sheet material is The sheet material is sequentially removed from the needle-like body in the order of stacking when the mounting means is located vertically below the sheet material and placed on the sheet mounting means, the sheet material being placed on the sheet mounting means. 1. A method for laminating thermoplastic sheet materials, comprising the step of vertically separating the sheet placement means by the thickness of the sheet material prior to placement on the placement device.