Metallic mold structure, transfer molding apparatus, transfer molding method, and optical member forming apparatus
A transfer molding method includes supplying melted resin to a first metallic mold, conveying the first metallic mold onto which the resin was supplied to a position opposing a second metallic mold, performing transfer molding by sandwiching the resin between the two metallic molds, and cooling the resin after performing transfer molding. The performing transfer molding includes discharging residual air that remains in a recess via a groove portion.
1. A metallic mold structure comprising:
a transfer molding unit that performs transfer molding on front and rear surfaces of resin that has been melted and supplied to the transfer molding unit,
wherein the transfer molding unit includes:
a cylindrical first transfer member that performs transfer molding on the front surface of the resin; and
a cylindrical second transfer member that performs transfer molding on the rear surface of the resin, and
wherein at least one of the first and second transfer members rotates in a first circumferential direction, and includes:
a recess formed on a transfer face; and
at least one groove portion that is connected to the recess,
wherein the recess extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first circumferential direction such that the recess is longer in the second direction than the first circumferential direction,
wherein the at least one groove portion extends in the first circumferential direction such that the at least one groove portion is longer in the first circumferential direction than the second direction,
wherein the recess is configured to remove air from the recess as the resin is fed into the recess, and
wherein the recess is surrounded by a vertical face, a bottom face, and an inclined face, and a plurality of arc-shaped regions are on the inclined face, and a plurality of protruding portions extend in a radial direction on lower halves of the arc-shaped regions.
2. The metallic mold structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein the groove portion has a depth that is greater than or equal to the depth of the recess.
3. The metallic mold structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one of the first and second transfer member has a supplementary groove portion that is formed along one end of the at least one groove portion so as to be in communication with the recess, and
wherein the supplementary groove portion is connected to the recess via the at least one groove portion.
4. The metallic mold structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first transfer member is constituted by a first transfer roller that can be driven so as to rotate and is arranged at a predetermined interval from a guide roller, and the second transfer member is constituted by a second transfer roller that is arranged at a predetermined interval from the first transfer roller and can be driven so as to rotate.
5. A transfer molding apparatus including the metallic mold structure according to claim 1 .
6. The metallic mold structure according to claim 2 ,
wherein the at least one of the first and second transfer member has a supplementary groove portion that is formed along one end of the at least one groove portion so as to be in communication with the recess, and
wherein the supplementary groove portion is connected to the recess via the at least one groove portion.
7. The metallic mold structure according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first transfer member is constituted by a first transfer roller that can be driven so as to rotate and is arranged at a predetermined interval from a guide roller, and the second transfer member is constituted by a second transfer roller that is arranged at a predetermined interval from the first transfer roller and can be driven so as to rotate.
8. The metallic mold structure according to claim 3 ,
wherein the first transfer member is constituted by a first transfer roller that can be driven so as to rotate and is arranged at a predetermined interval from a guide roller, and the second transfer member is constituted by a second transfer roller that is arranged at a predetermined interval from the first transfer roller and can be driven so as to rotate.
9. A transfer molding method comprising:
supplying melted resin to a cylindrical first metallic mold that rotates in a first circumferential direction;
disposing the first metallic mold onto which the resin was supplied to a position opposing a cylindrical second metallic mold, wherein at least one of the first and second metallic molds comprises a recess extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first circumferential direction such that the recess is longer in the second direction than the first circumferential direction;
performing transfer molding by sandwiching the resin between the first and second metallic molds; and
wherein, the performing transfer molding comprises discharging residual air that remains in the recess via a groove portion that extends in the first circumferential direction such that the groove portion is longer in the first circumferential direction than the second direction, and
wherein the recess is surrounded by a vertical face, a bottom face, and an inclined face, and a plurality of arc-shaped regions are on the inclined face, and a plurality of protruding portions extend in a radial direction on lower halves of the arc-shaped regions.
10. The transfer molding method according to claim 9 ,
wherein the groove portion has a depth that is greater than or equal to the depth of the recess.
11. The transfer molding method according to claim 9 ,
wherein the performing transfer molding comprises flowing a portion of the melted resin out to a groove portion for molding a non-product portion.
12. The transfer molding method according to claim 10 ,
wherein the performing transfer molding comprises flowing a portion of the melted resin out to a groove portion for molding a non-product portion.