Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Toru Kai

Akiyoshi Nagano

Tetsuya Fujii

Toshihiko Mori

Norihisa Kubo

Kouichi Kato

A vacuum forming process, and an apparatus for carrying out the same, for imparting a predetermined shape to a sheet material. The process includes the steps of placing a thermally softened sheet material onto a molding surface of a mold and evacuating air remaining between the molding surface of the mold and the sheet material, thereby bringing the sheet material into a close contact with the molding surface of the surface of the mold. The vacuum forming process and apparatus is adapted for giving a predetermined shape to a sheet material having a low elongation ratio. In particular, when giving a predetermined shape to the sheet material, part of the sheet material is pressed with a pressing member against the molding surface of the mold, a peripheral portion of the sheet material is held with a holding member, and holding forces exerted by a plurality of holding portions of the holding member are varied in order to control movement amounts of the sheet material resulting from a pressing force of the pressing member. In this manner, a predetermined shape can be given to a sheet material without causing wrinkles thereto, even when the sheet material has a low elongation ratio.

Process and apparatus for vacuum forming

A resin molding apparatus which can produce a molded resin article having neither a runner nor a gate portion thereon. The resin molding apparatus comprises a pouring pot including a pot having a heating member provided therein, and a piston member disposed for up and down movement within the pot and having a lifted position in which the piston member defines part of a mold cavity. Since the appratus has no runner or gate portion therein, the necessity of a high injecting force to be applied to a metal mold and hence of a high mold clamping force can be eliminated and the overall size of the apparatus can be reduced.

Resin molding apparatus

A method and apparatus for automatically attaching clips to a weather strip for an automobile. The clip attaching apparatus comprises a guide rail for supporting an elogated weather strip with a plurality of clip holes arranged in the axial direction thereof and guiding said weather strip in the axial direction thereof, a transport means for causing said weather strip to move and stop along said guide rail, a hole detection means disposed along said guide rail for detection a hole of the weather strip, a clip insertion means for inserting a clip into a hole of said weather strip, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the various means. Thus the operations for attaching clips can be completely automated.

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Inazawa, Japan

Toru Kai