THERMOFORMING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR EXCHANGING MOLD OF THERMOFORMING APPARATUS

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To curtail a working time for exchanging a mold by facilitating the exchange of the mold in a thermoforming apparatus for molding a sheet by using the mold while the sheet is heated with a hot plate. SOLUTION: The thermoforming apparatus has: a sheet conveying mechanism 10 conveying the sheet S1 in a prescribed conveyance direction D1 passing through a prescribed molding position L1; the hot plate 30 arranged on one surface side of the sheet S1 located at the molding position L1; and the mold 40 which is arranged at a molding position L2 on the mold side to be the other surface side of the sheet S1 located at the molding position L1 and in which a molding surface 41a facing the hot plate is formed. Further, there are installed a molding mechanism 20 which molds the sheet S1 in accordance with the shape of the molding surface while heating the sheet S1 by making the hot plate 30 and the mold 40 approach each other when the sheet S1 is conveyed to the molding position L1 and a mold drawing mechanism 60 which makes the mold 40 be able to be drawn in a prescribed drawing direction D2 different from the conveyance direction D1 of the sheet from the mold side molding position L2. COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT