阅读说明：本技术 一种复合材料真空模压成型设备及工艺 (Vacuum compression molding equipment and process for composite material ) 是由 杨国明 崔峰波 蒋斌兵 章建忠 冉文华 张志坚 于 2021-08-06 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种复合材料真空模压成型设备及工艺,所述复合材料真空模压成型设备包括机架、上模具、下模具、驱动装置、真空系统和温控系统,所述下模具和所述驱动装置均固定在所述机架上,所述上模具与所述驱动装置的输出端连接、且位于所述下模具的上方,在所述驱动装置的驱动下,所述上模具与所述下模具对齐且密闭接触；所述真空系统与所述上模具和/或所述下模具的模腔相连通；所述温控系统的输出端与所述上模具和所述下模具连接,被配置为控制所述上模具和所述下模具的温度。本方案能够实现真空和模压的一体化自动成型,利用驱动装置实现上模具和下模具之间的开合,利用真空系统进行抽真空,大幅降低人工劳动强度,保证真空度。(The invention provides a composite material vacuum compression molding device and a process, wherein the composite material vacuum compression molding device comprises a rack, an upper die, a lower die, a driving device, a vacuum system and a temperature control system, wherein the lower die and the driving device are fixed on the rack; the vacuum system is communicated with the die cavity of the upper die and/or the lower die; the output end of the temperature control system is connected with the upper die and the lower die and is configured to control the temperature of the upper die and the lower die. This scheme can realize the integration automatic molding of vacuum and mould pressing, utilizes drive arrangement to realize opening and shutting between mould and the bed die, utilizes vacuum system to carry out the evacuation, reduces artifical intensity of labour by a wide margin, guarantees the vacuum.)

1. The composite material vacuum compression molding equipment is characterized by comprising a rack (1), an upper mold (2), a lower mold (3), a driving device (4), a vacuum system (5) and a temperature control system (6), wherein the lower mold (3) and the driving device (4) are fixed on the rack (1), the upper mold (2) is connected with the output end of the driving device (4) and is positioned above the lower mold (3), and under the driving of the driving device (4), the upper mold (2) is aligned with and in close contact with the lower mold (3); the vacuum system (5) is communicated with the die cavity of the upper die (2) and/or the lower die (3); the output end of the temperature control system (6) is connected with the upper die (2) and the lower die (3) and is configured to control the temperature of the upper die (2) and the lower die (3).

2. A composite vacuum press molding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the composite vacuum press molding apparatus further comprises a control system (7), the drive means (4), the vacuum system (5) and the temperature control system (6) being in signal connection with the control system (7).

3. A composite vacuum press molding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the temperature control system (6) comprises an upper heating block (61) and a lower heating block (62), wherein the upper heating block (61) is provided on the upper mold (2) and the lower heating block (62) is provided on the lower mold (3).

4. A composite vacuum press molding apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the temperature control system (6) further comprises an upper insulating layer and a lower insulating layer, the upper insulating layer being disposed on the upper mold (2) and covering the upper heating block (61); the lower heat-insulating layer is arranged on the lower die (3) and covers the lower heating block (62).

5. A composite vacuum press molding apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the temperature control system (6) further comprises a heating device (63), the heating device (63) being connected to the upper heating block (61) and the lower heating block (62).

6. A composite material vacuum press molding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper mold (2) is provided with at least one gate (21), the gate (21) being in communication with the mold cavity of the upper mold (2).

7. A composite vacuum press molding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper mold (2) is provided with a glue outlet (22), and the glue outlet (22) is located at the middle of the upper surface of the upper mold (2) and is communicated with the mold cavity of the upper mold (2).

8. A composite vacuum moulding apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the vacuum system (5) comprises a vacuum pump (51), the vacuum pump (51) being in communication with the glue outlet (22) of the upper mould (2).

9. A composite vacuum press moulding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that a sealing arrangement is provided between the upper mould (2) and the lower mould (3).

10. A composite vacuum compression moulding process, wherein the composite vacuum compression moulding process is carried out by a composite vacuum compression moulding apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of composite material forming, in particular to a vacuum compression molding device and a vacuum compression molding process for a composite material.

Background

The traditional vacuum forming mode of the composite material mainly comprises the steps of vacuumizing and resin refilling after prepreg is sealed by utilizing a vacuum bag, and the problems of more consumables and uneven product surface exist in the mode. Technical personnel change the vacuum forming mode into the mode of going on in the metal mold that can seal through the extension to the mould application, lay prepreg in advance in the mould, and the mode of rethread vacuum infusion resin is moulded, and the maneuverability of this kind of mode is very strong, and the fashioned product resin content is stable, but mould weight is great, adopts the mode of screwing up the screw to realize airtight, and intensity of labour is big, can't realize the constant temperature operation moreover.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to solving the problems described above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a composite vacuum compression molding apparatus and process that solves any of the above problems. Specifically, the invention provides composite material vacuum compression molding equipment and a composite material vacuum compression molding process, which can reduce the labor intensity of workers, ensure the vacuum degree of a mold and realize constant-temperature operation.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the invention provides composite material vacuum compression molding equipment which comprises a rack, an upper die, a lower die, a driving device, a vacuum system and a temperature control system, wherein the lower die and the driving device are both fixed on the rack, the upper die is connected with an output end of the driving device and is positioned above the lower die, and the upper die and the lower die are aligned and in airtight contact under the driving of the driving device; the vacuum system is communicated with the die cavity of the upper die and/or the lower die; the output end of the temperature control system is connected with the upper die and the lower die and is configured to control the temperature of the upper die and the lower die.

The composite material vacuum compression molding equipment further comprises a control system, and the driving device, the vacuum system and the temperature control system are in signal connection with the control system.

The temperature control system comprises an upper heating block and a lower heating block, wherein the upper heating block is arranged on the upper die, and the lower heating block is arranged on the lower die.

The temperature control system further comprises an upper heat insulation layer and a lower heat insulation layer, wherein the upper heat insulation layer is arranged on the upper die and covers the upper heating block; the lower heat-insulating layer is arranged on the lower die and covers the lower heating block.

The temperature control system further comprises a heating device, and the heating device is connected with the upper heating block and the lower heating block.

The upper die is provided with at least one pouring gate, and the pouring gate is communicated with the die cavity of the upper die.

The upper die is provided with a glue outlet, and the glue outlet is positioned in the middle of the upper surface of the upper die and communicated with the die cavity of the upper die.

The vacuum system comprises a vacuum pump, and the vacuum pump is communicated with the glue outlet of the upper mold.

And a sealing structure is arranged between the upper die and the lower die.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a composite vacuum compression moulding process carried out by a composite vacuum compression moulding apparatus as described above.

The technical scheme provided by the invention can realize the integrated automatic forming of vacuum and mould pressing, the opening and closing between the upper mould and the lower mould are realized by using the driving device, and the vacuum system is used for vacuumizing, so that the manual labor intensity is greatly reduced, and the vacuum degree is ensured; meanwhile, the temperature control system is utilized to keep the upper die and the lower die at constant temperature, so that the product forming quality is ensured.

Other characteristic features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings, like reference numerals are used to indicate like elements. The drawings in the following description are directed to some, but not all embodiments of the invention. For a person skilled in the art, other figures can be derived from these figures without inventive effort.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a schematic construction of a composite material vacuum compression molding apparatus of the present invention;

fig. 2 schematically shows a position of the heating device;

fig. 3 schematically shows a top view of the upper mold.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all, embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention. It should be noted that the embodiments and features of the embodiments in the present application may be arbitrarily combined with each other without conflict.

The invention provides a composite material vacuum compression molding device and a process, wherein a driving device is utilized to drive an upper die to move up and down relative to a lower die, so that the airtightness between the upper die and the lower die is effectively ensured, the manual operation is reduced, and the manual labor intensity is reduced; a vacuum system is utilized to vacuumize the space between the closed upper die and the closed lower die, so that the vacuum degree between the upper die and the lower die is effectively ensured; meanwhile, the temperature control system is used for respectively heating and controlling the temperature of the upper die and the lower die, so that the constant temperature of the vacuum die pressing environment is ensured, and the product forming quality is effectively ensured.

The vacuum compression molding apparatus and process for composite materials provided by the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a composite material vacuum compression molding apparatus of the present invention, and referring to fig. 1, the composite material vacuum compression molding apparatus includes a frame 1, an upper mold 2, a lower mold 3, a driving device 4, a vacuum system 5, and a temperature control system 6. Wherein, the lower die 3 and the driving device 4 are both fixed on the frame 1, and the upper die 2 is connected with the output end of the driving device 4 and is positioned above the lower die 3. The upper mold 2 moves up and down relative to the lower mold 3 under the drive of the drive device 4, and the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 are opened and closed. When the driving device 4 drives the upper mold 2 to descend to be closed with the lower mold 3, the upper mold 2 is aligned with and in close contact with the lower mold 3. Utilize drive arrangement 4 can effectively guarantee the smoothness nature that upper die 2 removed and go up the leakproofness between mould 2 and the bed die 3, reduce the amount of labour, reduce artifical intensity of labour by a wide margin. For example, the driving device 4 may be a hydraulic driving device.

The vacuum system 5 is communicated with the mold cavity of the upper mold 2 and/or the lower mold 3, and is used for extracting air in the mold cavity of the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 after the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 are closed, so that a vacuum state is formed between the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3.

The output end of the temperature control system 6 is connected with the upper die 2 and the lower die 3, and is configured to control the temperature of the upper die 2 and the lower die 3, so that the upper die 2 and the lower die 3 are in a constant temperature state in the production process, and the product quality is ensured.

In order to improve the automation degree of the production process, the composite material vacuum compression molding equipment further comprises a control system 7, the driving device 4, the vacuum system 5 and the temperature control system 6 are in signal connection with the control system 7, and the control system 7 controls the driving device 4, the vacuum system 5 and the temperature control system 6 to operate in order according to a preset program, so that the automatic control of the production process is realized, and the production efficiency is improved.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the control system 7 comprises an operation interface and further comprises a display interface 71. The display interface 71 can display the operating states and related parameters of the driving device 4, the vacuum system 5 and the temperature control system 6 in real time, for example, can display the pressure currently applied to the upper mold 2 by the driving device 4, the vacuum rate between the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 by the vacuum system 5, the temperature currently reached by the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 controlled by the temperature control system 6, and the like.

In an alternative embodiment, the temperature control system 6 comprises an upper heating block 61 and a lower heating block 62, wherein the upper heating block 61 is disposed on the upper mold 2 and is used for heating the upper mold 2 and controlling the temperature of the upper mold 2; the lower heating block 62 is disposed on the lower mold 3 and used for heating the lower mold 3 and controlling the temperature of the lower mold 3.

In an optional embodiment, the temperature control system 6 further includes an upper insulating layer and a lower insulating layer, which are respectively used for insulating heat and heat of the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3, reducing heat loss, ensuring heating effect and efficiency, saving energy, and reducing consumption. Wherein, the upper heat-insulating layer is arranged on the upper die 2 and covered with the upper heating block 61, so as to effectively reduce the heat loss of the upper heating block 61; the lower heat-insulating layer is arranged on the lower die 3 and covers the lower heating block 62, so that heat loss of the lower heating block 62 is reduced.

In an alternative embodiment, the temperature control system 6 further includes a heating device 63, and the heating device 63 is connected to the upper heating block 61 and the lower heating block 62, and heats the upper heating block 61 and the lower heating block 62 to control the temperature change of the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3.

In an alternative embodiment, the heating device 63 may be an oil bath or a water bath. Fig. 2 shows a schematic position diagram of the heating device 63, taking the way that the heating device 63 is heated by oil bath as an example, a pipeline is laid on the upper heating block 61 and the lower heating block 62, hot oil is continuously introduced into the pipeline, the temperature of the upper heating block 61 and the lower heating block 62 is controlled by the oil bath, and the temperature of the upper heating block 61 and the lower heating block 62 is increased and conducted to the upper die 2 and the lower die 3 by the flowing hot oil, so that the upper die 2 and the lower die 3 reach and maintain the temperature requirement of product molding. The heating mode of the oil bath or the water bath has the advantages of high liquid boiling point and quick heat conduction, and is more suitable for curing processes of most types of thermosetting resins.

Fig. 3 is a schematic top view of a specific embodiment of the upper mold 2, and referring to fig. 2, at least one gate 21 is disposed on the upper mold 2, the gate 21 is communicated with a mold cavity of the upper mold 2, and glue is poured between the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 through the gate 21.

In order to ensure the smoothness and uniformity of glue solution filling, the upper die 2 is provided with a glue outlet 22, and the glue outlet 22 is communicated with the die cavity of the upper die 2. In the process of filling the glue solution, a closed space is formed between the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3, and therefore, the glue outlet 22 needs to be arranged so as to determine whether the glue solution is sufficiently filled between the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3. When the mold cavity between the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 is filled with the glue solution, the glue solution is continuously poured, and the glue solution overflows from the glue outlet 22.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, a sprue 21 is provided at each of four corners of the upper mold 2 for communicating the cavity to impregnate the prepreg; the glue outlet 22 is located in the middle of the upper surface of the upper die 2 and is communicated with the die cavity of the upper die 2, so that the glue outlet 22 is prevented from being blocked by prepreg, and meanwhile, the completeness of prepreg impregnation is guaranteed.

In order to ensure the tightness between the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 and simplify the structure of the apparatus, the vacuum system 5 can directly vacuumize the space between the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 through the glue outlet 22. Referring to fig. 1 and 2 together, the vacuum system 5 includes a vacuum pump 51, and an air exhaust port of the vacuum pump 51 is communicated with the glue outlet 22 of the upper mold 2. The vacuum pump 51 may be a rotary vane vacuum pump, for example.

In order to further ensure the tightness after the upper die 2 and the lower die 3 are closed, a sealing structure is arranged between the upper die 2 and the lower die 3.

In an alternative embodiment, a sealing groove is provided on the upper surface of the lower mold 3, and a sealing ring, such as a rubber sealing ring, is embedded in the sealing groove. The width of this seal groove is less than or equal to the diameter of sealing washer, and the degree of depth of seal groove is less than the diameter of sealing washer, effectively guarantees the sealing performance between mould 2 and the bed die 3 through the sealing washer, guarantees the sealed effect of the die cavity of mould 2 and bed die 3.

In an optional embodiment, the driving device 4 further includes a pressure plate, and the pressure plate is fixedly connected to the upper die 2 to ensure uniformity of force for driving the upper die 2 to press down by the driving device 4, so as to ensure circumferential sealing performance between the upper die 2 and the lower die 3, and further ensure product forming quality.

Illustratively, the upper heating block 61 is housed between the platen and the upper mold 2.

The invention also provides a composite material vacuum compression molding process which is adapted to the composite material vacuum compression molding equipment and is realized by the composite material vacuum compression molding equipment.

In an alternative embodiment, the composite vacuum compression molding process comprises the steps of:

preheating a mould: starting a temperature control system 6 to preheat the upper die 2 and the lower die 3; for example, a first preset temperature of the temperature control system 6 is input at the terminal of the control system 7, the temperature control system 6 is started, and the upper heating block 61 and the lower heating block 62 are both controlled to be heated to the first preset temperature, so that the upper die 2 and the lower die 3 are preheated;

the first preset temperature is mainly used for ensuring the fluidity of the glue solution in the mold filling process, so that the wettability of the glue solution on the prepreg is ensured. The viscosity difference of different glue solutions is large, and a specific temperature value needs to be set according to the viscosity characteristics of the glue solutions (the glue solution viscosity value of 100 and the wetting effect of 200cP are superior). Generally, the first preset temperature is set to 40-50 ℃ for most glue solutions.

Laying a prepreg: after the upper die 2 and the lower die 3 are preheated, laying prepreg on the lower die 3;

placing a gasket and then pressing: laying a gasket with the required thickness on the lower die 3, starting the driving device 4 to drive the upper die 2 to press downwards, and selecting continuous pressure maintaining;

vacuumizing and filling glue: communicating each pouring gate 21 of the upper die 2 with a pouring pipeline, communicating the glue outlet 22 with the vacuum system 5, starting the vacuum system 5 to vacuumize the space between the upper die 2 and the lower die 3, and then pouring glue solution between the upper die 2 and the lower die 3 through each pouring gate 21;

heating and curing: setting a second preset temperature of the temperature control system 6 according to the curing requirement of the glue solution, heating the upper die 2 and the lower die 3 at the second preset temperature, and preserving heat for a preset time to fully mold the glue solution; then, the driving device 4 is started to drive the upper die 2 to ascend, and the product can be taken out.

The second preset temperature is mainly determined according to a curing system of the glue solution, and the curing temperature and the curing time of different glue solution curing systems are completely different.

It should be noted that the above control processes can be automatically performed in sequence according to a preset program by the control system 7.

Compared with the prior art, the upper die 2 can be continuously maintained in pressure by adopting the driving device through punching holes on the periphery of the die and sealing the die by screwing the bolts, so that the manual operation is reduced, the manual labor intensity is reduced, and the pressure numerical control is realized; moreover, the constant-temperature operation of the upper die 2 and the lower die 3 is realized, the heating and curing can be uniformly carried out on line, the product quality is effectively guaranteed, and the production efficiency is improved.

The above-described aspects may be implemented individually or in various combinations, and such variations are within the scope of the present invention.

It is noted that, herein, relational terms such as first and second, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Also, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising an …" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above examples are only for illustrating the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not limited thereto. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be equivalently replaced; and such modifications or substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the corresponding technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.