FR2949206A1 - METHOD OF OVERMOLDING A SEAL ON A GLAZING USING A DOUBLE UNLOADING-LOADING STATION AND DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT THE METHOD - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for overmoulding a joint portion on at least one peripheral portion of a glazing unit, with the aid of a device comprising a pressing station and two unloading / loading stations (3, 3 ') disposed on either side of the pressing station, said device further comprising an injection unit for injecting the material forming said seal into the pressing station, two molds (5, 5') , displacement means for the displacement in two-way translation respectively of each mold (5, 5 ') of the pressing station to the unloading / loading station and vice versa, as well as opening / closing means (7, 7 ') for the opening and closing respectively of each mold (5, 5'), characterized in that said opening / closing means (7, 7 ') of at least one mold (5, 5'), and preferably the two molds, are fixed inside the, and preferably each, unloading station / cha rationally (3, 3 ').

Description

The invention relates to a method and a device for overmolding a portion of joint on at least one part of the joint. The method relates to a method for over-molding a seal on a glazing using a double unloading-loading station. peripheral part of a glazing. The device comprises a pressing station and two unloading / loading stations arranged on either side of the pressing station and further comprises an injection unit for injecting the material forming said seal into the pressing station and more precisely in the mold cavity of a mold which is positioned and kept closed in the pressing station. This device thus comprises two molds that can be opened, displacement means for displacement in two-way translation respectively of each mold from the pressing station to the unloading / loading station and vice versa, as well as opening / closing means for the opening and closing respectively of each mold The prior art knows such a method and such a device of the European patent application No. EP 528 711. It is proposed in this document to operate on the one hand pressurizing a mold enclosing a glazing unit, the injection into the mold cavity of this mold of the material forming the seal to effect the encapsulation and then the decompression of this mold and at the same time on the other hand the opening of the other mold, unloading the encapsulated glazing of this other mold and loading a pane encapsulated in this other mold. Thus, the transfer of a mold containing a glazing to be encapsulated to the pressing station is performed during the evacuation of the pressing station of the other mold containing the glazing which has just been encapsulated. Furthermore, this document proposes that the upper part of each mold opens relative to the lower part by a rotational movement along an axis which is substantially at the joint between the lower part and the upper part. The means allowing this opening are embedded with the mold and are thus moved in translation with the mold. With this method, the time of opening and closing of the mold by rotation is relatively long and the duration during which a mold is completely open and accessible is necessarily less than the duration of the injection of the material forming said seal in the other mold.

In addition, if one seeks to increase the accessibility inside each mold when it is in the open position, it is then necessary to increase the deflection of the rotational movement but on the one hand it then decreases the duration during which the mold is open and is available for unloading and loading (injection time in the other identical mold) and secondly it poses congestion problems because it is not necessary that the opening means / On-board closure hinders the pressing in the pressing station. Finally, it is necessary to size the means for moving the molds so that they are able to move the molds, but also the opening / closing means 20 embedded on each mold.

The present invention intends to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by proposing a method and a device which make it possible to improve accessibility within the mold in the open position, without reducing the duration during which the mold is open and even by increasing the duration during which the mold is open and without increasing the duration of the injection into the other mold. The object of the invention is thus, in its broadest sense, a method of overmolding a portion of joint on at least one peripheral portion of a glazing unit, with the aid of a device comprising a pressing station. and two unloading / loading stations arranged on either side of the pressing station, said device further comprising an injection unit for injecting the material forming said seal into the pressing station, two molds two displacement means, for displacement in two-way translation respectively of each mold of the pressing station to the unloading / loading station and vice versa, and opening / closing means for opening and closing respectively of each mold, characterized in that said opening / closing means of at least one mold, and preferably both molds, are fixed inside the, and preferably each, unloading / loading station. Thus, not only the opening / closing means of each mold are no longer displaced by the moving means, but in addition, the space available when the mold is open can be increased and the duration during which each mold is open can be increased. to be increased.

Preferably, the opening / closing movement of at least one mold, and preferably both molds, comprises a translational movement of a moldable part. This translation is preferably a translation in a vertical direction. This translational movement is optionally completed with a rotational movement of said openable mold part; the rotation is complementary in the sense that it is operated after the translation during the opening of the mold during the opening of the mold (or before the translation during the closing of the mold). The rotation is preferably performed along a horizontal axis.

The openable mold portion is movable by the opening / closing movement with respect to a mold base portion; all of these parts form the movable complete mold which is moved in two-way translation by the displacement means. This complete mold may comprise complementary means such as at least one drawer system. In a preferred application of the invention, a mold is open substantially for the duration of the injection of the material forming said seal in the other mold. More preferably, after the closure of a mold and during its transfer to the pressing station, as well as during its return to the unloading / loading station, the mold working part rests by gravity on the mold base portion; no mechanical or hydraulic means acts on the open mold part with respect to the mold base portion.

The invention also relates to a device for overmoulding a joint portion on at least one peripheral portion of a glazing unit for implementing the method according to the invention, said device comprising a pressing station and two unloading stations. loading arranged on either side of the pressing station, said device further comprising an injection unit (4) for injecting the material forming said seal into the pressing station, two open molds, moving means , for the displacement in two-way translation respectively of each mold of the pressing station to the unloading / loading station and vice versa, as well as opening / closing means for the opening and closing respectively of each mold, characterized in that said means for opening / closing at least one mold, and preferably both molds, are fixed inside the, and preferably respectively respectively, of each loading / loading. Each unloading / loading station is, of course, fixed in the overmolding device according to the invention. Preferably, said opening / closing means each comprise at least one actuator for the translation of a moldable working part of at least one mold, and possibly at least one actuator for the complementary rotation of said openwork mold part. at least one mold.

In a variant, the mold of an unloading / loading station is different from the mold of the other unloading / loading station. In a particularly advantageous variant, said opening / closing means of at least one mold, and preferably both molds, have a clearance between the open mold position and the closed mold position which is of the order of double the total height of the closed mold. The overmolding device according to the invention preferably comprises at least one, and preferably two, automatic (s) withdrawal / feeding system for the supply of glazing overmolding and for the removal of overmolded glazing.

It further comprises, preferably at least one, and preferably only one, downstream conveyor. In a particularly advantageous variant, at least one mold, and preferably each mold comprises at least one tray system which is embedded on the mold; which was not possible before when the opening / closing means were embedded on each mold.

Advantageously, the fact that the opening / closing means inside each unloading / loading station are fixed in the unloading / loading station makes it possible to release a useful volume at the opening which is much larger than in the solution of the patent application No. EP 528 711 and thus facilitates unloading and loading of the mold; in addition, this makes it possible to apply a greater closing force and it is then possible to use molds of larger size. Accessibility to the two parts of the mold being improved, it becomes possible to have ancillary systems on the unloading / loading stations, to perform operations prior to or after the injection. For example one can have a connection welding system on the glass before injection, a sealing system by melting a plastic insert before demolding.

Advantageously, the entire overmoulding device according to the invention can be driven and controlled by a single person; the unloading operations and then loading of a mold being operated in masked time relative to the other mold, that is to say during the automatic overmoulding in the other mold.

The details and advantageous characteristics of the invention emerge from the following nonlimiting examples, illustrated with the aid of the attached figures: FIG. 1 illustrates a view from above of the overmolding device according to the invention; FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of an unloading-loading station according to the invention; - Figure 3 illustrates a schematic sectional view of a mold in the closed position in an unloading-loading station according to the invention; Figures 4 and 5 illustrates a sectional schematic of a slide system respectively in the closed position and in the open position.

An exemplary embodiment of an overmolding device 1 according to the invention for overmoulding a joint portion on at least one peripheral portion of a glazing unit is illustrated in FIG. 1. This overmoulding device 1 comprises: 2, - two unloading / loading stations 3, 3 'arranged on either side of the pressing station 2: respectively to its left and to its right in FIG. 1, - an injection unit 4 for the injecting the material forming said gasket into the pressing station 2, located behind the pressing station; two molds 5, 5 'open, - displacement means 6, 6', for displacement in two-way transverse translation ( from left to right and vice versa, as illustrated by the double transverse arrows) respectively of each mold 5, 5 '30 of the pressing station 2 to the unloading / loading station 3, 3' and vice versa, 'opening / closing 7, 7' for opening and closing respectively of each mold 5, 5 ', these opening / closing means 7, 7' being respectively fixed inside each unloading / loading station 3, 3 '.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of a loading-unloading station 3, 3 'according to the invention. This station comprises a mold 5, 5 'in two parts: a lower mold part 50, of a height h50i disposed in a detachable manner on a transfer table 51 (or shuttle), and an upper mold part 52, a height h52i disposed in a detachable manner under a plate 53 upper. The upper mold portion 52 is openable to the lower mold portion 50 by action of the opening / closing means 7, 7 '.

The lower mold portion 50 and the upper mold portion 52 are specific to the glazing on which the seal portion is to be overmolded; these two parts of molds can be detached respectively from the transfer table 51 and the plate 53 and can thus be easily changed when the glazing on which the joint portion is to be overmolded is different. The lower mold part 50 is attached to the transfer table 51 at the beginning of a molding series and is detached from the transfer table 51 only at the end of the series, when it is desired to mold a seal on glazing of different shape.

By cons, the upper mold portion 52 is attached to the tray 53 at the beginning of the molding cycle (to open the mold), during the loading of the mold and during the closing of the mold, but once the mold is closed, the part upper mold 52 is detached from the tray 53 so that the tray 53 remains in the loading-unloading station 3, 3 'and does not enter the pressing station 2. -8- The position of the tray 53 - and by consequently, the position of the upper mold part 52 which is attached to it at the beginning of the cycle can be modified in order to: open the mold, on the one hand, to load at least one glazing to be overmolded at the beginning of the cycle; and secondly to unload the molded glass (s) at the end of the cycle, and - to close the mold before the transfer of the mold closed in the pressing station for the injection of the material to overmold. As can be seen in FIG. 2, each unloading / loading station 3, 3 'comprises opening / closing means 7, 7' which each comprise a central jack 54 with a vertical stroke for vertical translation of a part The top mold portion 52, with respect to a mold base portion, the lower mold portion 50. Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the upper mold portion 52 in the open position. The position of the plate 53 when the upper mold part 52 is in the closed position against the lower mold part 50 is illustrated by the dot-dash line. The jack 54 has a stroke such that the clearance d53 of the plate 53 makes it possible to easily load the mold, that is to say makes it possible to easily dispose at least one glazing unit, and possibly makes it possible to have accessories such as inserts or pions, manually and / or with the aid of an automaton, in the lower mold part 51, or even in the upper part of the mold. If one or more elements are loaded in the upper mold part 25, it is then obviously necessary to provide means for temporary retention of this or these elements to counter the gravity exerted on it. It is possible to provisionally retain an accessory, such as for example a seal trim, using a device for holding an insert in a vacuum mold such as that known from the French patent application No. FR 09/51953 or with a device for maintaining an insert in a mold by magnetization such as that known from the French patent application FR 09/51954. It is possible to achieve a d53 travel at least of the order of double the total height h5 of the mold (closed mold height).

In order for the translational movement to be operated in a repetitive and reliable manner, vertical guide rods 55 traverse the plate 53 and guide the plate 53 all along the vertical translation. These rods are preferably four in number, as can be seen in FIG. 1 for the unloading / loading station 3.

To complete the translation and increase the accessibility inside the mold when it is open, it is possible to have a horizontal stroke cylinder (not shown) above the central cylinder, to drive the plate 53 in rotation by relative to a horizontal axis. This will then have the effect of increasing the deflection d53 at least for a portion of the upper mold portion. The transfer table 51 comprises two horizontal rails on which the mold can translate under the effect of at least one horizontal stroke cylinder (not shown). This jack is sized to be able to translate the entire mold consisting of the lower mold part 50 and the upper mold part 52 resting on the transfer table 51, and any additional means attached to the mold; however, the opening / closing means 7, 7 'and the plate 53 can not translate through the transfer table. The two transfer tables 51, 51 'of the two unloading / loading stations 3, 3' are arranged so as not to interfere: the transfer table of each unloading / loading station makes it possible to transfer the entire this station in the central pressing station 2 and bring the mold back to its original position in the unloading / loading station.

The races c and c 'of the center respectively of the two transfer tables 51, 51' illustrated in FIG. 1 show the path respectively of each mold 5, 5 'of the unloading / loading station 3, 3' to the station of pressing 2 central and the return trip; of course, the right end of the stroke c is actually merged with the left end of the stroke c 'and these two ends are distinct in Figure 1 only for reasons of clarity. The trays 53, 53 'respectively of the two unloading / loading stations 3, 3' are not identical because the molds 5, 5 'are not identical as explained below. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the device 1 comprises at least one, and preferably two, automatic withdrawal / supply system (s) 8 for the supply of glazing to be overmoulded and for the removal of the overmoulded glazings, of which only one is shown in Figure 1 for clarity. It is a robot which is placed in front of the pressing station 2 and which is able to capture one (or more at a time) glazing (s) to overmould to position (s) in the open mold before the injection and which is capable of grasping the (or) over-molded glazing (s) to remove it (s) from the open mold after the injection. The radius of action R of each automatic withdrawal / feeding system 8 is defined between the small circle and the large circle which are centered on the automatic withdrawal / feeding system. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the device 1 comprises three conveyors: two upstream conveyors 9, 9 'respectively supplying each unloading / loading station 3, 3' with glazings to be overmolded, according to the two double rising arrows and a conveyor downstream 10 evacuating the glass molded according to the double downward arrow. Each automatic withdrawal / power system is thus able to capture one (or more at a time) glazing (s) overmoulding on the upstream conveyor associated with it to introduce it into the mold associated with it and is able to take the (or) molded glazing (s) mold associated with it to position it on the single downstream conveyor. -11- Of course, it is not excluded to use two downstream conveyors, but the use of a single is slightly more complicated to program and further reduces the cost of the device 1. The conveyors used here are endless belt conveyors but it is also possible to use for example a turntable. Of course, it is not excluded to use a single automatic withdrawal / supply system 8 capable of discharging and then loading a first mold during the injection into the second mold and discharging and then loading the second mold during injection into the second mold. the first mold, however, it is preferred to use two automatic withdrawal / feeding systems because this allows the possibility of producing two different types of glazing simultaneously.

In the device illustrated in FIG. 1, the mold 5 of the unloading / loading station 3 located to the left of the pressing station 2 is different from the mold 5 'of the unloading / loading station 3' situated to the right of the pressing station 2 because the glazing encapsulated in the mold 5 are different from the glazing encapsulated in the mold 5 '. In fact, the glazings illustrated here are fixed left and right side windows of a motor vehicle: the left fixed side windows 20 are brought into the device 1 by the upstream conveyor 9 located to the left of the pressing station 2 and the side windows fixed straight 20 'are brought into the device 1 by the upstream conveyor 9' located to the right of the pressing station 2; the left and right fixed lateral glazings 20 'are removed from the device 1 after encapsulation by the single downstream conveyor 10; the left and right fixed lateral glazings 20 'are alternately arranged, one glazing of a type after a glazing of another type on the downstream conveyor 10, respectively by an automatic withdrawal / feeding system and by the other . In FIG. 1, each can see that the left and right fixed lateral glazings 20 'are provided with a seal, respectively 21, 21' over their entire periphery.

Before the automatic withdrawal / supply system 8 takes a glazing unit on the upstream conveyor, it is possible to carry out on this glazing one or more preliminary steps, such as, for example, the application of a bonding primer in a filling station. primage 11, 11 'and positioning in a packaging station 12, 12' of an accessory such as a reinforcing insert and / or attachment or a positioning pin, which can be positioned temporarily by gluing or by a preliminary step of pre-encapsulation of this accessory. The molds 5, 5 'are large; they can have a length up to 1.5 m and a width up to 1 m for a total height h5 (closed mold), as illustrated in Figure 3, up to 60 cm with mold parts having heights h51 and h53 each of the order of 30 to 35 cm; the deflection d53 can then be of the order of 120 cm, a total height h (between the bottom of the transfer table 51 mobile only in the horizontal and the bottom of the top plate 53 in its highest position in the station of unloading / loading) can be of the order of 2 m and a total weight of the mold up to 5 tons. The pressing station 2 comprises a central jack 20 which keeps the upper mold part 52 pressed against the lower mold part 50 during the injection of my gasket material into the molding cavity of the mold as well. closed and kept closed. If the plastic injected by the injection unit 4 to form the seal is PVC, the injection pressure can then reach about 1200 bar and the pressing must then certainly oppose the opening of the mold. A force of 4000 to 5000 N can thus be applied by the central cylinder 20. In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the complete operating cycle is such that the movement from left to right of the transfer table 51 is operated substantially simultaneously with the movement from left to right of the transfer table 51 'and the right-to-left movement of the transfer table 51 is operated substantially at the same time as the right-hand movement left of the transfer table 51 '; then, the time available to unload and load the mold 5, including ancillary operations, can be substantially the time required for injection into the mold 5 'and the time available to unload and load the mold 5', including the ancillary operations, can be substantially the time required for the injection into the mold 5 considering that the time required for closing a mold is substantially the time required to generate the pressure on the other mold and that the time required to the opening of a mold is substantially the time necessary to release the pressure on the other mold. In the patent application No. EP 528 711, such a cycle can not be implemented because the opening time of a mold by rotation is necessarily longer than the time required to generate the pressure on the other mold and the closing time of a mold by rotation is necessarily longer than the time required to release the pressure on the other mold. Thanks to the invention, it is thus possible to have a duration of about 30 to 40 seconds to discharge the (or) glazing (s) of a mold, to load the following glass (s) (s) ( s) in this mold and optionally perform one or more ancillary operations while the injection is operated in the other mold.

The particular clearance between the openable mold part (here the upper part of the mold) and the molded base part (here the lower part of the mold) makes it possible to use complementary mold elements, such as for example drawers. Figures 4 and 5 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a drawer system. The mold 5 thus has a lower mold portion 50, an upper mold portion 52, and therebetween, along one edge of the seam between the lower mold portion 50 and the upper mold portion 52, a drawer 15. mobile in horizontal translation perpendicular to the edge. This drawer has an end that forms a mold cavity portion in which the seal 21 is molded. This portion of the cavity has a shape which is advanced here in the direction of the glazing 20 so that the seal 21 has a hollow substantially vis-à-vis the edge of the glazing. On the other hand, the upper mold portion 52 has a cylindrical finger 16 oriented downward, not vertically but at an angle of about 45 ° to the vertical. In closed mold position, as can be seen in FIG. 4, the must 16 is housed in a cavity 17 of the drawer 15. The cavity 17 is preferably oriented substantially in the same direction as the finger 16 and the drawer is designed so that the finger 16 comes into contact with the wall of the cavity and participates by this contact to hold the drawer in position during the pressing.

Once the mold cavity is filled with the seal material and the mold is returned to the unloading / loading station, the tray 53 is attached to the upper mold portion 52 and lifts it in a vertical motion illustrated by the double arrow pointing upwards so that the finger 16 completely leaves the cavity 17. Then, in order to disengage the recessed part of the seal, the drawer 15 is drawn in a horizontal translation movement illustrated by the double arrow pointing towards the right. The glazing 20 provided with the seal 21 can then be removed from the lower mold part 50. The present invention is described in the foregoing by way of example. It is understood that the skilled person is able to achieve different variants of the invention without departing from the scope of the patent as defined by the claims.

Claims (10)

REVENDICATIONS1. Method for overmoulding a joint portion on at least one peripheral portion of a glazing unit, using a device (1) comprising a pressing station (2) and two unloading / loading stations (3, 3 ') disposed on either side of the pressing station, said device further comprising an injection unit (4) for injecting the material forming said seal into the pressing station (2), two molds (5) , 5 '), displacement means (6, 6'), for displacement in two-way translation respectively of each mold (5, 5 ') of the pressing station to the unloading / loading station and vice versa, as well as opening / closing means (7, 7 ') for opening and closing respectively of each mold (5, 5'), characterized in that said opening / closing means (7, 7 ') of at least one mold (5, 5 '), and preferably both molds, are fixed inside the, and preferably each, unloading / loading station ent (3, 3 '). 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening / closing movement of at least one mold (5, 5 '), and preferably both molds comprises a translational movement of a moldable part of the mold , optionally supplemented with a rotational movement of said openable mold part. 3. Method according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that a mold (5) is open substantially throughout the duration of the injection of the material forming said seal in the other mold (5 '). 4. Device (1) overmolding a portion of joint on at least a peripheral portion of a glazing unit for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, said device (1) comprising a station pressing device (2) and two unloading / loading stations (3, 3 ') arranged on either side of the pressing station, said device further comprising an injection unit (4) for injecting the material forming said gasket in the pressing station (2), two molds (5, 5 ') opening, displacement means (6, 6') for the two-way translational movement respectively of each mold (5, 5 ') from the pressing station to the unloading / loading station and vice versa, as well as opening / closing means (7, 7') for opening and closing respectively of each mold (5, 5 '), characterized in that said opening / closing means (7, 7 ') of at least one mold (5, 5'), and preferably both molds, are fixed inside the, and preferably respectively respectively of, each unloading / loading station (3, 3 '). 5. Device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that said opening / closing means (7, 7 ') each comprises at least one jack (55) for the translation of a moldable part of the mold of at least one mold (5, 5 '), and possibly at least one cylinder for the complementary rotation of said moldable working part of at least one mold (5, 5'). 6. Device (1) according to claim 4 or claim 5, characterized in that the mold (5) of an unloading / loading station (3) is different from the mold (5 ') of the other unloading station / loading (3 '). 7. Device (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that said opening / closing means (7, 7 ') of at least one mold (5, 5'), and preferably of the two molds have a clearance between the open mold position and the closed mold position which is of the order of twice the total height of the closed mold. 8. Device (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that it comprises at least one, and preferably two, system (s) automatic (s) withdrawal / power supply (8) for l supply of glazing to be overmoulded and for the removal of overmoulded glazing. 9. Device (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that it comprises at least one, and preferably only one, downstream conveyor (10). 10. Device (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that at least one mold (5, 5 '), and preferably each mold (5, 5') comprises at least one drawer system (15) which is embedded on the mold (5, 5 ').