JP2024135645A - Tape application device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a tape application device that can feed the leading end of a tape between an application head and a workpiece without any problems. [Solution] The device comprises a tape transport section 9 that transports tape A to be applied to a receiving surface 5a, an application head 10 that applies tape A to the receiving surface 5a while pressing the tape A transported from the tape transport section 9, and a tape support section 20 that supports the underside of tape A transported from the tape transport section 9 to the application head 10, the tape support section 20 having a thin line section 21 that extends in the transport direction of tape A, and the thin line section 21 supports tape A. [Selected Figure] Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a tape application device that produces fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) molded products by applying a tape containing fiber bundles to a surface.

It is known that fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) molded products of desired shapes can be produced by attaching fiber bundles such as carbon fiber to the surface of a workpiece.

There are various methods for manufacturing FRP molded products, such as the ATL (Auto Tape Layup) method and the AFP (Auto Fiber Placement) method, but these methods are not strictly distinct. In this specification, the methods in which fiber bundles are pressed and attached to the surface to be attached are collectively referred to as the ATL method, and the equipment used for this is referred to as a fiber bundle attachment device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a construction method for implementing the ATL method. In this construction method, as shown in FIG. 9, a tape application device is disclosed in which a fiber bundle, generally called prepreg tape or UD tape, which is formed into a tape shape by impregnating it with resin in advance (tape A), is transported from a feeder 101 of an ATL head to an application head 102, and is applied to the application surface 105a of a workpiece 105 while being heated and pressurized.

In a tape application device such as that shown in Patent Document 1, adhesive may be used to apply tape A to the application surface 105a. In this case, adhesive S is applied by adhesive application unit 103 to the surface of the fiber bundle facing the application surface, i.e., the underside, so that the adhesive S is applied between the application surface 105a and the tape A. Furthermore, when adhesive application unit 103 is provided in this manner, heating means 104 may also be provided downstream of adhesive application unit 103 in the transport direction of tape A to heat the adhesive S applied to tape A and trigger the hardening of adhesive S.

JP 2018-149729 A

Here, in the standby state before starting the application operation of tape A to the workpiece 105, if tape A sags due to its own weight before the tip of tape A reaches the application head 102 as shown in FIG. 10, there is a risk that tape A cannot be fed between the application head 102 and the application surface 105a when application starts. In particular, when adhesive S is applied to tape A, the weight of tape A increases, raising the problem of a high possibility that tape A cannot be fed between the application head 102 and the application surface 105a.

In consideration of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a tape application device that can easily feed the tip of the tape between the application head and the workpiece.

To solve the above problems, the tape application device of the present invention comprises a tape transport section that transports the tape to be applied to a surface to be applied, an application head that applies the tape to the surface to be applied while pressing the tape transported from the tape transport section, and a tape support section that supports the underside of the tape transported from the tape transport section to the application head, and the tape support section has a thin line section that extends in the tape transport direction, and the thin line section supports the tape.

The tape application device of the present invention has a tape support section that supports the tape from below while it is being transported from the tape transport section to the application head, preventing the leading end of the tape from sagging. In addition, because the tape is supported by thin wire sections extending in the tape transport direction, the position at which the tape contacts the tape support section in the width direction of the tape as it is transported is always the same, and the area of the underside of the tape that contacts the tape support section can be relatively small.

The thin wire portion may also be a filament.

This makes it easy to form thin wires.

It is also preferable to further include a treatment agent application section located between the tape transport section and the tape support section, which applies a treatment agent to the underside of the tape.

In such a case, the portion of the underside of the tape that comes into contact with the tape support of the present invention is limited to a very small portion, which reduces the removal of the treatment agent from the underside of the tape due to contact with the tape support.

In addition, an opening is formed around the thin line portion, and it is preferable to further have a heating means at a position facing the tape across the tape support portion, which applies thermal energy to the treatment agent to dry the treatment agent.

This allows the tape support section to support the tape at the position where the heating means is located without impeding the application of thermal energy by the heating means to the treatment agent on the tape.

In order to solve the above problems, the tape application device of the present invention includes a tape transport section that transports the tape to be applied to a surface to be applied, an application head that applies the tape to the surface to be applied while pressing the tape transported from the tape transport section, and a tape support section that supports the underside of the tape transported from the tape transport section to the application head, and the tape support section has a set of multiple support points that are aligned in the tape transport direction, and the support points support the tape.

The tape application device of the present invention has a tape support section that supports the tape from below while it is being transported from the tape transport section to the application head, preventing the leading end of the tape from sagging. In addition, because the support points are aligned in the tape transport direction, the position of contact with the tape support section in the width direction of the tape is always the same as the tape is transported, and the area of the underside of the tape that comes into contact with the tape support section can be relatively small.

The tape application device of the present invention allows the tip of the tape to be fed between the application head and the workpiece without any problems.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a tape application device of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing details of an ATL head in one embodiment of the present invention. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating details of a tape support portion in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing how a fiber bundle is picked up in the tape application device of the embodiment. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing how the leading edge of the tape is transported to the application head in the ATL head in this embodiment. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing how the leading edge of the tape is transported to the application head in the ATL head in this embodiment. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a tape support portion in another embodiment of the present invention. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a tape support portion in still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional ATL head. 1 is a diagram showing a problem in a conventional ATL head.

The tape application device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of a tape application device 1 according to an embodiment. The tape application device 1 includes an articulated robot 2, an ATL head 3 attached to the tip of the arm 2a of the articulated robot 2, a tape transport means 4 for supplying and transporting tape A to the ATL head 3, a mounting table 13 for placing tape A, and a work table 6 for holding a work 5.

In this embodiment, the workpiece 5 is, for example, an injection-molded product of thermoplastic resin, and its surface is reinforced by applying tape A made of carbon fiber. The shape of the workpiece 5, and the position and length at which tape A is applied are predetermined by design.

In addition, in this embodiment, tape A is impregnated with resin to prevent the carbon fibers from falling apart, and has a strip-like shape. In this embodiment, the longitudinal and transverse dimensions of tape A are, for example, 500 mm and 25 mm, respectively.

A commercially available general-purpose industrial robot can be used as the articulated robot 2. The ATL head 3 is attached to the tip of the arm 2a of the articulated robot 2.

Figure 2 shows the details of the ATL head 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ATL head 3 has an adhesive application section 7, a heating means 8, a feeder 9, and an application head 10. The adhesive application section 7 applies adhesive S to the surface (i.e., the underside) of the tape A fed from the feeder 9 to the application head 10 that faces the workpiece 5, and the heating means 8 heats it. The application head 10 presses the tape A with the heated thermosetting adhesive S against the application surface 5a of the workpiece 5, thereby applying the tape A to the workpiece 5.

A tape support section 20 that holds the underside of tape A is provided between the feeder 9 and the application head 10. In particular, in this embodiment, the tape support section 20 is provided between the transport path of tape A and the heating means 8. This tape support section 20 supports tape A from below, thereby preventing tape A from sagging under its own weight before the tip of tape A reaches the application head 10.

The adhesive application section 7 is one form of the treatment agent application section in this description, and is connected to the application head 10 via a connecting plate (also called a connecting means) not shown, and is located between the feeder 9 and the heating means 8 in the feed path of the tape A. The adhesive application section 7 has a discharge port at a position facing the tape, and as the tape A passes above the adhesive application section 7, adhesive S is discharged from this discharge port, thereby applying the adhesive S to the underside of the tape A.

The adhesive S is the treatment agent in this description. The adhesive S is a thermosetting adhesive, and examples of such adhesives include epoxy, urethane, and polyester types. Among these, epoxy-based thermosetting adhesives, for example, have the property that an exothermic reaction occurs when the temperature rises to a certain temperature, and the curing reaction is accelerated by the heat of the reaction itself.

The heating means 8 is connected to the application head 10 via a connecting plate (not shown) and is located between the adhesive application section 7 and the application head 10 in the delivery path of the fiber bundle A.

The heating means 8 is equipped with an optical system (not shown) including a reflector and lenses, and heats the thermosetting adhesive applied to the fiber bundle A in a non-contact manner using radiant energy in front of the application head 10, prior to the pressing and pasting operation by the application head 10.

A non-contact temperature sensor (not shown) is attached to the case of the heating means 8. This temperature sensor measures the temperature of the fiber bundle A, and based on this measurement, a control unit (not shown) controls the output of the heating means 8, so that the temperature of the fiber bundle A (the temperature of the thermosetting adhesive) is maintained at a predetermined temperature that is optimal for bonding. In this embodiment, the heating means 8 heats the object by radiant energy, and the temperature can be controlled more easily than, for example, a hot air method.

The feeder 9 is a device for transporting tape A in the ATL head 3, and is also referred to as the tape transport section in this description. The feeder 9 is connected to the application head 10 via a connecting plate (not shown), and holds the strip of tape A between a pair of rollers. The rollers are driven to rotate, thereby feeding the tape A toward the pressure roller 10a of the application head 10.

The application head 10 is configured with a pressure roller 10a attached to a base portion 10c via a roller support portion 10b. The pressure roller 10a presses the tape A against the application surface 5a, and a cylinder portion 10d, which is an air cylinder that applies pressure to the pressure roller 10a, is disposed within the roller support portion 10b.

The tape support portion 20 is a member that holds the underside of the tape A, and is connected to the application head 10 via a connecting plate (not shown).

Details of the tape support part 20 in this embodiment are shown in Figure 3. Figure 3(a) is a top view of the tape support part 20, and Figure 3(b) is a front view of the tape support part 20.

The tape support section 20 has a support wire 21, which is a filament extending in the transport direction of the tape A, and this support wire 21 comes into contact with the tape A. In this embodiment, the support wire 21 is a metal wire, but it may also be made of fiber.

The two support wires 21 are arranged side by side in the width direction of the tape A (short side direction, Y-axis direction in FIG. 3(a)), and these two support wires 21 support the tape A from below so that it is stable.

Both ends of the support wire 21 are wound around shafts 22, and the two shafts 22 are held by shaft holders 23 provided outside the transport area of tape A in the width direction of tape A. At least one of the shafts 22 can be rotated and fixed relative to the shaft holder 23, and the tension of the support wire 21 can be adjusted by rotating the shaft 22.

Then, by adjusting the tension of the support wire 21, the support wire 21 is tensioned straight without bending, and in this state, both shafts 22 are fixed to the shaft holding portion 23. By keeping the support wire 21 tensioned straight in this way, the tape A can be supported by the entire support wire 21 stretched between both shafts 22.

In addition, in this embodiment, a thin wire-shaped component that supports tape A, such as the straight support wire 21, is also referred to as a thin wire portion in this description.

The support wire 21 is wound around the shafts 22 so that the support wire 21 stretched between the two shafts 22 faces the tape A, as shown in FIG. 3(b). This causes the support wire 21 to protrude toward the tape A beyond the shafts 22 by an amount equal to the thickness of the support wire 21. This results in a configuration in which the tape A does not touch the shafts 22, and only the support wire 21 supports the tape A.

In addition, in the tape support section 20 of this embodiment, as described above, two support wires 21 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the transport direction of tape A, and are stretched straight with both ends wound around a shaft 22, and the shaft 22 is fixed to a shaft holding section 23 provided outside the transport area of tape A. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the two support wires 21 are surrounded by openings, and a state is created in which only the support wires 21 are present in the heating area of tape A by the heating means 8 shown by hatching in FIG. 3(a).

The tape transport means 4 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of a loading platform 13 on which strip-shaped tape A cut to a predetermined length is loaded, a pickup hand 14 that picks up the tape A one by one from the loading platform 13, and gantry shafts 15 and 16 that move the pickup hand 14 vertically and horizontally.

The pickup hand 14 has multiple vacuum suction chucks 14a, which pick up the tapes A loaded on the mounting table 13 one by one.

The workpiece 5 to which the tape A is applied has various shapes (three-dimensional shapes). Therefore, in the ATL head 3, in order to keep the pressure state of the pressure roller 10a against the tape A constant, the attitude (tilt) of the ATL head 3 is controlled so that the pressure roller 10a presses against the applied surface 5a of the workpiece 5 from a direction perpendicular to the tangent direction of the applied surface 5a (normal direction). For example, the attitude control of the ATL head 3 with respect to the workpiece 5 is performed based on the three-dimensional design data of the workpiece 5.

Here, the adhesive application unit 7, heating means 8, feeder 9, application head 10, and tape support unit 20 are connected to a common connecting plate, so that their relative positions are fixed and linked. As a result, even when the application head 10 (pressure roller 10a) changes its position to follow the shape of the application surface 5a while applying tape A, it is possible to maintain a predetermined relative distance between the adhesive application unit 7, tape support unit 20, and heating means 8 and the tape A sent from the feeder 9 to the pressure roller 10a. Therefore, application of adhesive S by the adhesive application unit 7 and heating of adhesive S by the heating means 8 can be performed in parallel with application of tape A.

Next, the tape application operation of the tape application device 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when the tape application device 1 starts, the gantry shafts 15 and 16 operate, and the pickup hand 14 picks up one piece of tape A on the mounting table 13, as shown in FIG. 3. At this time, the vacuum chuck 14a adsorbs and picks up the tape A with both ends (at least one end) of the tape A protruding in the length direction beyond both ends of the pickup hand 14.

Next, the pickup hand 14 moves to the transfer position. At the transfer position, the pickup hand 14 transfers the tape A held by it to the feeder 9 in the ATL head 3. The transfer position may be within the common area of the movable area of the pickup hand 14 by the gantry shafts 15 and 16 and the movable area of the ATL head 3 by the articulated robot 2, and there are no particular limitations on the position.

At the transfer position, the articulated robot 2 operates so that one end of the tape A held by the pickup hand 14 is slightly inserted into the upper insertion opening (not shown) of the feeder 9 inside the ATL head 3, and the feeder 9 performs a bowing motion.

When one end of tape A is inserted into the feeder 9 by a specified length, the vacuum chuck 14a is released and tape A is handed over to the ATL head 3. At the same time, the feeder 9 operates to transport tape A to a specified standby position.

Next, the articulated robot 2 operates, and the ATL head 3 moves to the application start position. The articulated robot 2 then operates, and the pressure roller 10a is pressed against the application surface 5a.

At this time, the feeder 9 operates in synchronization with the timing at which the pressure roller 10a comes into contact with the surface to be affixed 5a, and the tape A is transported so that the leading edge of the tape A is sandwiched between the pressure roller 10a and the surface to be affixed 5a.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the adhesive applicator 7 operates to apply adhesive S to the underside of the tape A being transported by the feeder 9 to the pressure roller 10a. Then, the heating means 8 heats the adhesive S applied to the tape A.

Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the ATL head 3 moves and swings over the application surface 5a of the workpiece 5 along the application path of the tape A, applying the tape A to the application surface 5a. During this time, the feeder 9 is in operation, transporting and supplying the tape A. Also, the adhesive spraying unit 7 applies the adhesive S to the tape A.

When the tape A has been applied to the receiving surface 5a up to its rear end, the operation of the adhesive spraying unit 7 stops, and the operation of the articulated robot 2 releases the pressure roller 10a from pressing the receiving surface 5a, completing the application of one piece of tape A.

The same operation is then repeated, and tape A is adhered to the receiving surface 5a.

Figures 5 and 6 show how the ATL head 3 in this embodiment transports the leading end of tape A to the pressure roller 10a of the application head 10.

As shown in FIG. 5, the leading end of tape A fed by feeder 9 first passes through adhesive coating section 7 and heads toward heating means 8. Adhesive coating section 7 starts discharging adhesive S onto the underside of tape A at least from the point when the leading end of tape A passes through the adhesive S discharge port. This forms a coating of adhesive S from the leading end of tape A.

The tip of tape A coated with adhesive S passes above heating means 8 and heads toward pressure roller 10a. At this time, heating means 8 is in operation, and thermal energy is imparted to adhesive S that has passed above heating means 8, initiating an exothermic reaction.

In this embodiment, a tape support 20 is provided between the heating means 8 and tape A. Therefore, the tip of tape A is sent to the pressure roller 10a while being supported by the tape support 20 from below at the position of the heating means 8, which is relatively close to the pressure roller 10a. As a result, the tip of tape A reaches a standby position near the pressure roller 10a as shown in FIG. 6 without sagging under its own weight, and a standby state for application to the work 5 is formed. This allows the tip of tape A to be sent between the pressure roller 10a and the work 5 without any problems when application begins.

In addition, the support wire 21 that supports the tape A extends in the transport direction of the tape A. Therefore, even if the tape A slides on the support wire 21 as it is transported, the position in the width direction of the tape A where it comes into contact with the support wire 21 is always the same and is limited to a very small portion. As a result, even if a treatment agent such as adhesive S is applied to the underside of the tape A as in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the removal of the treatment agent from the underside of the tape A due to contact with the tape support portion 20.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, an opening is formed around the support wire 21 in the tape support section 20. This allows the thermal energy emitted from the heating means 8 to reach the tape A almost unhindered by the tape support section 20. Therefore, the tape support section 20 can support the tape A at the position of the heating means 8 without hindering the application of thermal energy to the treatment agent on the tape A by the heating means 8.

In addition, by arranging the tape support unit 20 at the position where the heating means 8 is arranged in this manner, the length of the transport path of the tape A between the feeder 9 and the application head 10 is shortened compared to a configuration in which the tape support unit 20 and the heating means 8 are aligned in the transport direction of the tape A, and the ATL head 3 can be made more compact. This reduces the load on the gantry and robot for operating the ATL head 3, and also makes it possible to miniaturize the entire tape application device 1.

The above tape application device makes it possible to feed the tip of the tape between the application head and the workpiece without any problems.

The tape application device is not limited to the above-described form, and may be of other forms within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above description, the thin line portion supporting the tape A is formed by a support wire 21 that is a filament, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of thin plate portions 25 may be provided, and the end faces of the thin plate portions 25 may be thin line portions extending in the transport direction of the tape A.

In addition, the tape A in the tape support section 20 does not have to be supported by a thin wire portion. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a support pin 26 may support the tape A, and the support points of the multiple support pins 26 may form a group aligned in the transport direction of the tape A.

In addition, in the above explanation, the treatment agent is an adhesive, but it is not limited to this and can also be, for example, a primer (undercoat agent).

In the above explanation, the part of the application head 10 that comes into contact with the workpiece is the pressure roller 10a, but this is not limited to this and may also be, for example, a pressure shoe.

In addition, in the above description, a gantry structure is used for the tape transport means 4, but in another embodiment, a multi-joint robot may be used instead of the gantry structure.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a multi-joint robot 2 is used as the drive device for the ATL head 3, but in other embodiments, a gantry structure may be used instead of the multi-joint robot.

When a gantry structure is used, the movement control of the ATL head 3 in the X, Y and Z axis directions can be performed stably. In addition, the rigidity of the ATL head 3 can be increased, the pressing force of the ATL head 3 can be increased, and further, the footprint of the tape application device 1 (in other words, the volume occupied by the entire device, including its operating range) can be reduced.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Tape application device 2 Articulated robot 2a Arm 3 ATL head 4 Fiber bundle transport means 5 Work 5a Tape application surface 6 Work table 7 Adhesive application section (treatment agent application section)
8 Heating means 9 Feeder (tape transport section)
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Application head 10a Pressure roller 10b Roller support portion 10c Base portion 10d Cylinder portion 13 Placement table 14 Pick-up hand 14a Vacuum suction chuck 15 Gantry shaft 16 Gantry shaft 20 Tape support portion 21 Support wire 22 Shaft 23 Shaft holding portion 25 Thin plate portion 26 Support pin 101 Feeder 102 Application head 103 Adhesive application portion 104 Heating means 105 Work 105a Surface to be applied A Fiber bundle (tape)
S Adhesive

Claims (5)

a tape transport unit that transports a tape to be attached to a surface;
an application head that applies pressure to the tape conveyed from the tape conveying unit while applying the tape to the surface to be applied;
a tape support section that supports a bottom surface of the tape being transported from the tape transport section to the application head;
Equipped with
A tape application device, wherein the tape support portion has a thin line portion extending in a tape transport direction, the thin line portion supporting the tape. The tape application device according to claim 1, characterized in that the thin line portion is a filament. The tape application device according to claim 1, further comprising a treatment agent application section located between the tape transport section and the tape support section, which applies a treatment agent to the underside of the tape. The tape application device according to claim 1, further comprising a heating means for drying the treatment agent by applying thermal energy to the treatment agent at a position facing the tape across the tape support portion, and an opening is formed around the thin line portion. a tape transport unit that transports a tape to be attached to a surface;
an application head that applies pressure to the tape conveyed from the tape conveying unit while applying the tape to the surface to be applied;
a tape support section that supports a bottom surface of the tape being transported from the tape transport section to the application head;
Equipped with
A tape application device, characterized in that the tape support portion has a set of a plurality of support points aligned in a tape transport direction, the support points supporting the tape.

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