JP-2026075458-A - Processing apparatus and manufacturing method

Abstract

[Problem] This disclosure provides a processing apparatus and manufacturing method that can suppress the retention of air bubbles in the workpiece while also suppressing relative positional misalignment between the upper and lower dies. [Solution] The processing apparatus according to the present disclosure is a processing apparatus 1 for press processing a workpiece W, comprising: a lower die 10 on which the workpiece W is placed; an upper die 20 which presses the workpiece W together with the lower die 10 and has a curved shape that is convex in the direction of pressurization; and a plurality of positioning mechanisms 50 provided on the upper die 20 and the lower die 10 respectively for positioning the upper die 20 relative to the lower die 10, wherein the upper die 20 transitions from a curved shape to a flat shape as the pressurization force increases from a state of line contact with the workpiece W at the position closest to the workpiece W, and at least one of the positioning mechanisms 50 is provided on the extension of the contact line L. [Selection Diagram] Figure 1

Inventors

• 植松 聡

Assignees

• トヨタ自動車株式会社

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20241022

Claims (5)

1. A processing device for press-forming a workpiece, A lower mold on which the workpiece is placed, An upper mold, which has a curved shape that is convex in the direction of pressure, pressurizes the workpiece together with the lower mold, The upper mold and the lower mold are each provided with a plurality of positioning mechanisms for positioning the upper mold relative to the lower mold, The upper mold, at the position closest to the workpiece, transitions from a state of line contact with the workpiece to a flat shape as the pressing force increases. At least one of the positioning mechanisms is provided on the extension of the contact line, Processing equipment.
2. The positioning mechanism is, Either the upper mold or the lower mold is a guide pin. The other side is a guide hole. The processing apparatus according to claim 1.
3. The contact line extends along the shorter direction of the workpiece. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.
4. The workpiece is a resin sheet having air bubbles. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.
5. A manufacturing method for press-forming a workpiece, The steps include: bringing the upper mold, which has a curved shape that is convex in the direction of pressure, into line contact with the workpiece placed on the lower mold; The step of transitioning the upper mold from the curved shape to the flat shape is provided. In the step of making contact between the lines, the upper mold is positioned relative to the lower mold by a positioning mechanism provided on the extension of the contact line. Manufacturing method.

Description

This disclosure relates to a processing apparatus and a manufacturing method. For example, when press-forming workpieces such as resin sheets or workpieces consisting of resin sheets and substrates, there is a risk of air bubbles remaining within the workpiece. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for pushing out air bubbles within a workpiece by pressing a curved elastic resin plate, i.e., an upper die, against the workpiece in a way that curves the elastic resin plate from one end to the other. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-174932 Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1.Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the process by which the upper mold according to Embodiment 1 transitions from a curved shape to a flat shape.Figure 3 is a plan view showing the lower mold and workpiece according to Embodiment 1.Figure 4 is a plan view showing another example of the lower mold and workpiece according to Embodiment 1.Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1.Figure 6 is a flowchart of the manufacturing method according to Embodiment 1. The following describes specific embodiments of this disclosure in detail with reference to the drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, for clarity, the following descriptions and drawings have been simplified as appropriate. (Embodiment 1) <Configuration of the processing equipment> First, the processing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1. Processing apparatus 1 is a press processing apparatus for press processing a workpiece W. More specifically, processing apparatus 1 can press process a workpiece W containing air bubbles while suitably pushing the air bubbles out of the workpiece W. A specific example of workpiece W is a resin sheet made by impregnating reinforcing fibers with matrix resin, used as a separator for fuel cells. If a separator with many air bubbles remains in the fuel cell, the fuel cell's power generation efficiency may decrease. Therefore, in press working, the processing apparatus 1 needs to suppress the retention of air bubbles within the resin sheet, which is workpiece W. Note that workpiece W is not limited to resin sheets used as separators; it may also be other resin sheets containing air bubbles, or electronic components with air bubbles between the resin sheet and the substrate. In the following explanation, the x, y, and z three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system will be used as appropriate. The x, y, and z directions are parallel to the respective sides of the workpiece W in a horizontal state. In this embodiment 1, the short side of the workpiece W is the x direction, the long side is the y direction, and the thickness direction is the z direction. Furthermore, in the following explanation, the z direction is considered the vertical direction, and the xy plane is considered the horizontal plane. Of course, the z direction may be inclined from the vertical direction, and the xy plane may also be inclined from the horizontal plane. As shown in Figure 1, the processing apparatus 1 comprises a lower die 10, an upper die 20, a base plate 30, a lifter 40, and a positioning mechanism 50. The lower die 10 is the base on which the workpiece W is placed. A processing surface for press-forming the workpiece W is formed on the upper surface (+z direction side) of the lower die 10. The upper die 20 is provided on the processing apparatus 1 so as to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction (z direction). The upper die 20 comprises a spring plate 21 and a die member 22. The spring plate 21 is a curved plate that is convex in the downward direction (-z direction), which is the direction of pressure. The mold member 22, together with the lower mold 10, clamps the workpiece W and presses the workpiece W, thereby press-working the workpiece W. A processing surface for press-working the workpiece W is formed on the lower surface (-z direction side) of the mold member 22. The mold member 22 is fastened to the spring plate 21 by fastening bolts 23. Therefore, similar to the spring plate 21, the mold member 22 also has a curved shape that is convex in the downward direction (-z direction). As described above, the upper mold 20 has a curved shape that is convex downward (in the -z direction) due to the spring plate 21. The base plate 30 is located above the upper mold 20 (on the +z direction side). The base plate 30 moves up and down (z direction) by a drive source (not shown). The upper mold 20 is suspended from the base plate 30 by suspension bolts 24. Therefore, when the base plate 30 moves up and down, the upper mold 20 also moves up and down (z direction) in the same way as the base plate 30. Here, with reference to Figures 2