JPH0359014B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a transport arm in a glass forming apparatus configured to carry an optical glass material into and out of a heating furnace and a forming chamber while supporting it. Regarding.

[Prior Art] Generally, in a glass forming apparatus, an optical glass material is heat-softened to a moldable viscosity, and the heat-softened optical glass material is press-molded using upper and lower molds, and then annealed. In this method, a transport arm is used as a means for transporting an optical glass material into and out of a heating furnace and a molding chamber. This transfer arm is driven and operated via a drive device such as a cylinder, and the optical glass material is placed and supported on the mounting part provided at the tip of the arm part, and then transported inside the heating furnace and into molding. It is configured to be carried in and out of the room.

According to the above configuration, the optical glass material, which is the object to be formed, is placed on the transfer arm, and the transfer arm is advanced and retreated via the drive device, thereby transferring the optical glass material into the preheating furnace, the main heating furnace, and the like. It can be carried in and out of the molding chamber. Therefore, the optical glass material can be heat-treated to a moldable viscosity and the heated and softened optical glass material can be transported to the molding point in the molding chamber via the transport arm. Further, the molded product after molding can be carried out to the outside of the molding room and then subjected to an annealing treatment.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the conventional transfer arm described above has the following problems.

That is, as is known, when the optical glass material is transported to the molding point in the molding chamber via the transport arm, the central axis (axis center) of the optical glass material is aligned with the line connecting the axes of the upper and lower molds. Otherwise, efficient and good molding cannot be performed. Therefore, the stop position of the transport arm is generally adjusted so that the axes of the upper and lower molds coincide with the central axis of the optical glass material placed on the transport arm at room temperature.

However, even if you adjust as above in advance,
The optical glass material is transported into a preheating furnace and a main heating furnace, and the optical glass material is heated to a temperature above the transition point, e.g.
When heated to over 600℃, the transport arm itself that supports the optical glass material expands thermally, so it is necessary to carefully adjust the central axis of the optical glass material and the axes of the upper and lower molds. There was a problem in that the parts would shift during molding, making it impossible to perform good molding. In addition, since the transfer arm is long because it requires a large operating stroke, it is prone to bending or bending, which may cause it to touch vertically at the forming point. There was also a risk that good molding would be hindered.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and even if the transfer arm is slightly bent or thermally deformed, the central axis of the optical glass material and the upper and lower molds are always aligned. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transport arm in a glass forming apparatus whose axes coincide with each other.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The present invention provides an engagement contact portion that engages and abuts each other in the vicinity of the optical glass material placement portion and on the molding chamber side of the transport arm, and When the center axis of the optical glass material placed and supported on the part coincides with the axis of the upper and lower molds, the engaging and abutting parts are configured to engage and abut each other, and the center of the optical glass material is always The shaft is made to coincide with the axes of the upper and lower molds.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail using the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass forming apparatus 3 for forming an optical glass element (optical glass material) 2 (see FIG. 2) equipped with a transport arm 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the glass forming apparatus 3 shown in cross section in order to facilitate understanding of each configuration in the figure.

As shown in the figure, the glass molding device 3 includes a molding main body 6 equipped with upper and lower molds 4 and 5, and a mold release ring drive for releasing the molded glass lens from the upper and lower molds 4 and 5. 7 and the optical glass material 2 placed on the magazine 8 are heated in a preheating furnace 9,
It is composed of a main heating furnace (electric furnace) 10, a transport arm driving section 13 for transporting the molding point 12 in the molding chamber 11, an apparatus base 14, and the like.

The upper and lower molds 4 and 5 are erected on a lower plate 16 fixed to a table 15 on the device base 14.
It is arranged in a molding chamber 11 formed by a book support 17, a cover 18 that closes the periphery thereof, and a top plate 19. The upper mold 4 is fixed to a holder 20 fixed to the inner surface of the upper plate 19 via a mounting ring 21, and the lower mold 5 is supported via a bearing 22 mounted on a table 15 so as to be vertically movable. It is fixed to a movable shaft 23 via a mounting ring 24. Reference numerals 25 and 26 indicate heaters.

Release rings 27 and 28 are loosely fitted into the upper and lower molds 4 and 5 for releasing the glass lens after molding from the molds 4 and 5, respectively.
28 is configured so that a mold release function is exerted through upper and lower arms 29 and 30 that are moved up and down by a drive unit 7. The movable shaft 23 on which the lower die 5 is fixedly mounted is set to be vertically driven by an eccentric cam 32 which is rotationally driven via an encoder 31.

The transfer arm drive unit 13 is for driving the transfer arm 1 forward and backward, and drives the transfer arm 1 into the preheating furnace 9 and the main heating furnace via three cylinders 13a, 13b, and 13c arranged in three stages. The setting structure is such that stop control can be performed at each position of the forming point 10 and the forming point 12. Reference numeral 33 indicates a stopper for regulating the amount of operation of each cylinder 13a, 13b, 13c.

The optical glass element is mounted and supported on the magazine 8 via a gob plate 34, and the gob plate 34 on the magazine 8 is formed at the tip of the transfer arm 33 as shown in FIG. 3a. The configuration for transferring the gob plate 34 on the magazine 8, which has been transferred and supported on the gob plate support part 35, onto the gob plate support part 35 of the transport arm 1 is shown in FIGS.
Shown in c and d. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4a, a cylinder 36 for pushing up the gob plate 34 is provided below the magazine 8, and as shown in FIG. 4b, the piston rod of this cylinder 36 (Movable rod) It is set so that the gob plate 34 can be temporarily pushed up from above the magazine 8 by a push-up portion 38 at the tip of the movable rod 37. Transfer arm 1
is arranged at the upper side of the magazine 8, and is moved in the direction of the arrow 39 in FIG. The axis is the gob plate support part 3
It is set so that the entry operation is made to a position coaxial with the axis of No. 5. Then, by operating the piston rod 37 downward in the state shown in FIG. 4c, the gob plate 34 can be transferred onto the gob plate support portion 35 of the transfer arm 1, as shown in FIG. 4d. The settings are configured so that it can be done.

The magazine 8 on which a plurality of gob plates 34 are placed is sequentially conveyed from inside the supply chamber 41, and the gob plates 3 on which the glass lenses are placed after molding are completed.
The magazine 8 supporting the 4 is configured to be stored in the storage chamber 42. Each gob plate 34 on the magazine 8 is sequentially transported from inside the supply chamber 41
is first controlled to stop in the preheating furnace 9. The preheating furnace 9 heats the optical glass element 2 on the magazine 8 together with the gob plate 34 to approximately 400 mm.
This is for preheating to a temperature of about ℃.

The optical glass element 2 preheated in the preheating furnace 9 is transferred onto the transfer arm 1 by the gob plate transfer mechanism shown in FIGS. 4a, b, c, and d. Main heating furnace (electric furnace) 1 through
It is set so that it is conveyed within 0 and is controlled to stop. This heating furnace 10 is for heating the preheated optical glass element 2 at a temperature higher than the transition point, for example, at a temperature higher than 600°C, and softening the optical glass element 2 to a moldable state. It is constructed in a furnace. The reason why this heating furnace is used is that a high temperature atmosphere sufficient to heat and soften the optical glass material 2 can be obtained.

As shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, near the gob plate support part (optical glass material placement part) 35 on the transfer arm 1, there is an engagement contact part 50 disposed on the molding chamber 11 side. An engagement abutment portion 51 that comes into contact is also provided. The engagement abutment part 51 includes a taper pin 54 that fits into a fitting hole 53 formed in the stopper plate 52 on the engagement abutment part 50 side, and an abutment surface 52 of the stopper plate 52.
a and a stopper bottle 55 that comes into contact with the taper pin 54 and the stopper bolt 55.
It is fixed to a support portion 56 that projects from the transport arm 1 . As shown in FIG. 3c, the taper pin 54 has a pin body portion 54a that fits into the fitting hole 53,
It is composed of a tapered part 54b formed at the tip and a threaded part 54c screwed at the rear.
6 through a nut 57 which is screwed into the threaded portion 54c. The stopper bolt 55 is formed of a threaded rod, and is set so that its protrusion length (advancement/retraction amount) can be adjusted via a nut 58. Of course, a commonly used bolt may be used as the stopper bolt 55. Further, as shown in FIG. 3d, a contact portion 59 on the flange is integrally formed on the taper pin 54 (it does not have to be integral), and the taper pin 54 and the stopper bolt 55 are integrally formed. You can also use it as In FIGS. 3c and 3d, reference numeral 60 indicates a slot for rotational operation, and it is preferable to provide this on the stopper bolt 55 as well. Molding room 1
The engagement abutment portion 50 on the first side is composed of an L-shaped stopper plate 52 and a fitting hole 53 into which a taper pin 54 is fitted. It is fixed to the inner surface of the upper plate 19 (ceiling surface of the molding chamber 11) via 61 in a vertical state. The positional relationship between the two engaging abutting portions 50 and 51 is as follows:
When the central axis of the optical glass material 2 placed on the transfer arm 1 coincides with the axes of the upper and lower molds 4 and 5, the taper pin 54 fits into the fitting hole 53, and the stopper bolt 55 is inserted into the stopper plate 52. It is configured so that it is positioned by coming into contact with the contact surface 52a of the. Note that it is preferable to form a rounded chamfer (or a c-chamfer) on the end surface of the fitting hole 53. Reference numeral 62 indicates a hole for the bolt 61.

Next, the operation based on the above configuration will be explained.

When the gob plate 34 on which the optical glass element 2 to be molded is placed among the gob plates 34 on the magazine 8 discharged from the supply chamber 41 reaches the preheating furnace 9, the magazine 8 is stopped. The optical glass element 2 together with the gob plate 34 is preheated to about (about 400)°C.

Next, the piston rod 37 of the push-up cylinder 36 is raised to push up the gob plate 34 on the transfer arm 1, and then the first cylinder 13a is activated in the order of operation shown in FIG. 4 a, b, c, and d. Transfer the gob plate 34 onto the transport arm 1.

Next, the second cylinder 13b is actuated to advance the transfer arm 1, and it is stopped in the main heating furnace 10 to heat the optical glass element 2 to a temperature higher than the transition point, e.g.
Heat to a temperature of 600℃ or higher. Thereby, the optical glass element 2 is heated and softened to a moldable viscosity.

Next, the third cylinder 13c is operated to transport the transport arm 1 into the molding chamber 11. Transfer arm 1
stops at the position where the engagement abutment part 51 engages (fits) and abuts the engagement abutment part 50 on the molding chamber 11 side. In this state, the central axis of the optical glass element 2 placed on the transport arm 1 and the axes of the upper and lower molds 4 and 5 are reliably aligned. In particular, in this embodiment, since the engagement abutment part 51 is disposed close to the gob plate support part 35, even if the transfer arm 1 is thermally deformed and stretched in the main heating furnace 10, Since the distance between the gob plate support part 35 and the engagement abutment part 51 is short, there is almost no deformation, and therefore, the central axis of the optical glass element 2 is made to almost coincide with the axes of the upper and lower molds 4 and 5. It can be molded in any state. Furthermore, during positioning, the taper pin 54 fits into the fitting hole 53 of the stopper plate 52, so even if the transfer arm 1 shakes vertically or horizontally during operation, it can be positioned at the correct molding position. The molding can be stopped and molded, and the quality of the molded product can be improved.

According to the above configuration, the taper pin 54 and the stopper bolt 55 are provided on the transfer arm 1 side, and the stopper plate 52 having the fitting hole 53 and the contact surface 52a is provided on the molding chamber 11 side. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that a fitting hole and a contact surface may be provided on the transfer arm side, and a taper pin and a stopper bolt may be provided on the forming chamber side. Further, the stopper plate 52 may be configured to be adjustable in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, even if the transfer arm is thermally deformed, the central axis of the optical glass and the axes of the upper and lower molds can always be aligned. , it is possible to perform good molding.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass forming apparatus equipped with a transport arm according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram thereof, and FIGS. 3 a, b, c, and d are explanations of embodiments of essential parts of the present invention. Figures 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d are explanatory views of the operating state of the main parts of the present invention. 1...Transport arm, 2...Optical glass material, 4, 5
... Upper and lower forming molds, 9, 10... Heating furnace, 11... Molding chamber, 12... Molding point, 13... Drive unit, 50,
51...Engagement abutment part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a transport arm of a glass molding apparatus configured to place and support an optical glass material and carry it into and out of a predetermined position in a heating furnace and a molding chamber, the optical glass material in the transport arm part Engagement contact portions that engage and abut each other are provided near the material placement portion and on the molding chamber side, and the central axis of the optical glass material placed and supported on the transfer arm portion is the axis of the upper and lower molds. A conveying arm in a glass molding apparatus, characterized in that the engaging and abutting portions are configured to engage and abut each other when they match. 2 The engagement abutment part in the transfer arm part is composed of an engagement pin and a stopper bolt that fit and abut the engagement abutment part constituted by the engagement hole and the abutment surface part on the molding chamber side. A conveying arm in a glass forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. A transport arm in a glass forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stopper bolt is adjustable in forward and backward movement. 4. Glass molding according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fitting hole on the molding chamber side that engages with the engagement pin of the transfer arm is adjustable in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Transfer arm in the device. 5. The engagement abutment part of the transfer arm part is an engagement abutment part that has a fitting hole and a contact surface that fit and abut the engagement pin and stopper bolt on the molding chamber side. A conveying arm in a glass forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: