JP2002063235A - Molding receiving order/ordering system and manufacture of molding - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a resin molding receiving order/ordering system enabling any user to order resin moldings to a trader satisfying required conditions and capable of automatically determining a molding condition capable of reducing the generation ratio of defective moldings and providing a molding method suited to production for the small numbers of moldings of many kinds without using metal molds. SOLUTION: A computer capable of accessing orderers and plants is provided with a data base recording data concerned with manufacture in the plants and a plant optimum to order conditions is retrieved. In order to reduce defective moldings, molding conditions are determined by utilizing numerical analysis. A rapid prototyping system is provided to the order of production of the small numbers of moldings of many kinds as a molding method.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a molded article ordering system and a molded article manufacturing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, an orderer of a resin molded product or the like has shown the specifications of the molded product to several vendors, and has each of the vendors make an estimate while consulting with each other to determine a supplier. In the manufacturing process, molding conditions of a molded product are often determined by experience and intuition, and molding conditions using a numerical analysis technique such as CAE are often determined after a problem occurs. In addition, when the amount of the molded product is small, using a molding method using a mold requires a large cost.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-1104 discloses an order receiving / ordering system for machining using a network.
The one described in JP-A-51 is known. Regarding the efficiency of processing and transactions using a network, a processing management system for a dyed product described in Japanese Patent No. 2864943 and a sewing processing management system described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-27440 are known. .

[0004]

However, none of the above-mentioned systems relating to machining, dyeing and sewing can select a processing company according to desired conditions. Further, even if it is applied to ordering of molded products, there is a lack of a part relating to determination of molding conditions peculiar to the production of molded products, and it is almost impossible to adopt the system as an ordering system for molded products such as resin. In addition, in the production of molded products, there are large differences in delivery date, cost, and quality among the vendors, so it has not been easy for the orderer to find a vendor that meets the desired conditions.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to enable any user to easily order a molded product, and to easily select a supplier close to desired conditions from many traders or factories. It is to provide an ordering system.

Further, it is essential to determine the molding conditions so that molding defects do not occur, in order to shorten the delivery time and reduce costs. It is effective to use a numerical analysis technology such as CAE for this decision, but the introduction of the numerical analysis technology itself is costly and requires a certain amount of experience to master it. Not in.

Accordingly, a second object of the present invention is to provide a user with a built-in numerical analysis technique in advance, which is automatically processed only by performing a simple input to find appropriate conditions without being conscious of numerical analysis. It is to provide a goods ordering system.

[0008] In addition, although the production of various types of molded products has been progressing in small quantities, most molding methods require a mold.
In the case of small quantities, the only option was to mold at high cost or to use alternatives. Furthermore, the process of manufacturing the mold has caused a delay in the delivery date.

Therefore, a third object of the present invention is to provide a molding machine which can easily obtain a molded product under optimum conditions as described above, does not require a mold, and is suitable for multi-kind small-quantity production. An object of the present invention is to provide a molded article ordering system that can utilize the law.

It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a molded product by receiving an order for the production of a molded product from an orderer using the molded product ordering system and manufacturing the molded product.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided, in accordance with the present invention, a molded article manufacturer's side used by a molded article manufacturer who manages a molded article ordering terminal and a molded article factory. A molded article ordering system including an ordering server computer accessible to a terminal via a network, each comprising: (a) a factory database storing data relating to the production of molded articles at the factory; and (b) the orderer side. A specification input means for receiving specification data of a molded product from a terminal, and (c) decoding a process required for manufacturing a molded product from the specification data, calling the factory database,
A factory selecting means for automatically selecting a factory that meets the conditions of the specification data; (d) a provisional ordering means for creating order data from the specification data, placing a provisional order for each factory, and updating a factory database; E) Estimation data for ordering conditions is received from the molded article manufacturer's terminal that manages the tentatively ordered factory, and quote information based on the estimation data is transmitted to the orderer's terminal, and approval data is sent from the orderer's terminal. Approval receiving means for receiving; (f) molding condition determining means for automatically determining a material to be used and molding conditions using the specification data; and (g) final order means for formal order to the molded article manufacturer's terminal. (H) work state updating means for receiving data on the work state from the molded article manufacturer side terminal and recording this in a factory database;
A change condition input means for inputting data of a change or an improvement point to the molding condition determining means in order to re-determine a new material and a molding condition from the orderer terminal or the manufacturer terminal; D) A molded product ordering system, comprising: a work status check means for checking progress of a manufacturing work from the orderer side terminal.

Further, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the factory selecting means decodes a process necessary for manufacturing a molded article from the specification data, calls a factory database, and reads the molded article described in the specification data. Providing a molded product ordering system characterized in that it is a means to search in each process for a factory that can decode the process required for manufacturing and at least has appropriate capabilities for delivery date, cost and / or quality Is done.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(Ii) The factory database records at least the types, molding conditions and quantities that can be contracted by the factory, and records the progress of the work after the start of the manufacturing work. Provided.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(B) The factory database records a capability value obtained by quantifying the level of the capability of the factory with respect to the delivery date and cost of the product based on past results and surveys, and further updates immediately when there is a change. , A molded product ordering system is provided.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(F) The molding condition determining means includes at least a purpose of use,
It has a molding database that stores commonly used materials and used molding conditions for each use condition and shape data, and uses it to determine the used materials and molding conditions from the specification data. Is provided.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(G) The molding condition determination means uses a numerical calculation based on usage data to determine a molding failure phenomenon, a material to be used in which a product defect is unlikely to occur, and molding conditions, and a molded product ordering system is provided. You.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an order for a molded product is received using any one of the molded product ordering systems, and the molded product is manufactured based on the determined specifications. To manufacture molded products.

Further, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a molded article, wherein the molded article is manufactured by a rapid prototyping system.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a molded product is manufactured by accessing any one of the molded product ordering / ordering systems using an orderer-side terminal. A manufacturing method is provided.

Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network terminal device configured to be accessible as an orderer terminal or a molded product manufacturer terminal to any molded product ordering system. You.

In the present invention, the molded article is injection molded,
Blow molding, extrusion molding, compression / transfer molding,
It may be manufactured using any molding method such as reinforced plastic molding, foam molding, thermoforming, and thixomolding, and the specification data is data comprising at least delivery date, cost, quantity, and shape data. Further, it may include the required quality such as mechanical and chemical properties and other specifications of the molded product.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking a resin molding ordering system as an example, a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and a resin molding in an ordering server shown in FIG. A description will be given with reference to the schematic configuration diagram of the product ordering mechanism and the flowchart of the embodiment shown in FIG. Here, FIG.
Is arranged so as to roughly match the procedure for executing the molded article ordering system of the present invention, but does not prescribe the order of execution, and can be executed in accordance with the actual situation. .

In the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, a resin molded product orderer side terminal 10, an order receiving server 20, and terminals (molded product manufacturer side) 41, 42 of a resin molded product manufacturing factory network, Central processing unit (CPU); internal and external storage devices; input devices such as reading devices such as keyboards and recording media; display or output devices such as printers and CRTs; input / output interfaces such as communication modems and terminal adapters Use a computer equipped with They are connected to each other via a network such as the Internet so that they are mutually accessible. The resin molded article orderer side terminal 10 inputs the data of the molded article, changes the inputted data, or receives an order, the price,
Used to receive and confirm receipt condition data such as delivery date. It is also used to use the molding condition determining means 27, to confirm the progress of the production during the production of molded products, and to directly access the factory where the production is performed.
Each of the terminals 10, 41, and 42 has installed therein software that operates so that each terminal can access the ordering / ordering system of the present embodiment.

The order server 20 has means as shown in FIG.

The data transmitting / receiving means 21 receives data from a molded article orderer terminal and a molded article manufacturer terminal via a network, and transmits data from the ordering server to each terminal.

The specification input means 22 transmits the specification data of the molded product inputted from the orderer terminal 10 to the data transmission / reception means 21.
To create molded article specification data that can be ordered with respect to the terminal 41. The specification data includes, for example, the orderer's location, desired delivery date, cost, shape data, required quality such as mechanical properties, and the required number.

The factory database 23 stores the location of each factory,
The types of products that can be contracted, molding conditions, and quantities are recorded, and performance values that quantify the level of the factory's capabilities with respect to product delivery dates and costs are recorded from past results and surveys. It also records how far the ordered work has progressed.

The factory selecting means 24 decodes a necessary manufacturing process from the specification data, accesses the factory database 23, and selects a factory having an appropriate execution capability for a desired condition indicated in the specification data for each process. And determine as the supplier.

The tentative ordering means and the actual ordering means 25 create order data and tentatively order the factory determined by the factory selecting means 24. At the same time, the factory database 23 is updated to secure a production slot of the selected factory. After the approval of the ordering party, the order is also made. These two means may be provided separately. The order data includes at least the specification data at the time of the provisional order, and at least the specification data and the molding conditions at the time of the actual order.

The molding database 26 records empirical knowledge such as commonly used materials and molding conditions to be used for each purpose of use, use conditions, and shape data.

The molding condition determining means 27 can execute a molding simulation, and creates molding conditions from specification data by using the molding database 26 together.

The change condition input means 28 is used to use the molding condition determination means 27 when the orderer or the manufacturer calculates the molding condition change.

The approval receiving means 29 receives an estimate from the factory after the provisional order and sends it to the orderer. Also, it receives final order approval data from the orderer.

Data update means, work state update means 30
Updates the molding database 26 and accumulates past data, and enables the manufacturer to record changes in the order acceptance status and work progress status of each factory in the factory database 23.

The work state confirming means 31 enables the orderer to access the factory database 23 and confirm the progress of the work.

The resin molded product manufacturing factory network 40 is a network connecting factories capable of performing operations required for resin molded product manufacturing.

Terminals at each factory (terminals of the molded product manufacturer)
Reference numerals 41 and 42 are used when receiving order data, updating the order acceptance status of the own factory, recording the progress of work, and accessing the order server 20 for using the molding condition determination means 27.

Next, the operation of the system will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S100, the orderer accesses the ordering server 20 via the network using the orderer's terminal 10 and causes the specification input means 22 to display a reception screen.

In step S200, the orderer of the molded product prepares and transmits at least data for determining the shape and dimensions. This data is preferably CAD data, but a sketch or the like can be accepted. In the case of a sketch or the like, a step of creating a drawing is added to the manufacturing process in step S300. Enter the usage data according to the flow chart, enter the desired delivery date, cost, quality, their priority, required quantity, application, use environment, etc., and what kind of data is required when ordering the molded product Specification data can be created without knowing the At this time, by accessing the data of the molding database 26, if there is no resin that satisfies the requirements such as the strength and the usable temperature, the fact that the acceptance is refused is notified to the orderer side terminal and the instruction is waited. In that case, the specification of the resin closest to the requirement is displayed. Further, even if the shape and dimensions cannot be molded by the registered molding method, the orderer terminal is notified of the refusal of acceptance and waits for an instruction. In these cases, it is displayed which condition of the item should be changed to enable the reception.

In step S300, specification input means 2
2 accesses the molding database 26 and executes step S
In step 200, a generally used molding method is determined based on the use and shape of the molded product input to the specification data, and a necessary manufacturing process is determined to complete the specification data. Next, the data of the factory database 23 is accessed to search for the availability of the factory in each process. If a factory satisfying the desired delivery date cannot be detected, the fact of rejection is notified to the orderer's terminal and an instruction is awaited. In this case, in step S301,
The orderer inputs whether or not to make an order reservation. For order reservation, when an empty factory is found, the ordering server 20 notifies the orderer. If an order is reserved, or if a factory that satisfies the desired delivery date can be detected from the beginning, step S400 and subsequent steps are performed after approval. In this step, the orderer terminates the access to the ordering server 20.

In step S400, order receiving server 2
0 is a factory selecting means 24 which determines a factory which has an appropriate execution capability for desired conditions and has no cost from the factory data in each process. Here, it is possible to select a plurality of factories for each process. For the determination, the distance data from the location of the orderer to each factory calculated by the factory selection means 24 and the data stored in the factory database 23 such as the amount, type, and time of acceptable work of each factory. The factory capacity value obtained by quantifying the level of the capacity with respect to the cost and quality of each factory is used. To quantify this capability, it is preferable to collect and use information on the costs and time required for production by manufacturing past products and benchmark molded products, for example, molded products that require complex shapes and precision. .

In step S500, the order receiving server 2
In the case of 0, the molding condition of the ordered molded product is determined by using the molding condition determining means 27. The molding condition determining means 27 has the following algorithm using a molding simulation. 1. Access the molding database 26 and adopt general molding conditions as initial molding conditions. 2. Perform molding simulation and determine whether molding is possible or not. 3. If there is a problem, change the molding conditions and return to 2. 4. Structural analysis is performed on objects with known loads and restraint conditions to determine the strength. 5. If strength is insufficient, change molding conditions, increase wall thickness,
Return to 2 or 4 after adding ribs.

Here, as for the iterative calculations of 3, 5, molding conditions satisfying the target conditions are efficiently obtained by utilizing the optimization calculation.

In step S600, the temporary ordering means and the final ordering means 25 create temporary ordering data and transmit the temporary ordering data to the manufacturer via the network. The temporary order data preferably includes the molding conditions calculated in the process, but does not have to include the molding conditions. Step S500 may be performed after step S600, but at this time, molding condition data is often not included in the tentative order data. The manufacturer receives the data at the molded product manufacturer's terminals 41 and 42.

At the same time, in step S601, the ordering server 20 updates the factory database 23 by the factory selecting means 24, and temporarily secures a production frame of the factory where the process is performed.

In step S700, the manufacturer sends the estimate data to the ordering server 20 via the network at the molded article manufacturer's terminals 41 and 42. The order receiving server 20 receives the data using the approval receiving unit 29.

In step S800, the order receiving / sending server 20 transmits the estimate data to the orderer via the network by the approval receiving means 29. The estimate data includes at least the cost, the delivery date, and the manufacturer responsible for each process. The orderer receives the estimate data at the orderer-side terminal 10, and then sends approval data describing whether or not the order is accepted to the ordering server via the network. The order receiving server 20 receives the approval data by the approval receiving means 29 and confirms it.

If the sender does not approve, the factory database 23 is updated by the data updating means and the work state updating means 30 in step S801 to release the temporary reservation of the factory. The temporary reservation may be canceled if the approval is not received within a predetermined period.

In step S900, the manufacturer starts working. The manufacturer accesses the ordering server 20 with the work progress data at the molded product manufacturer's terminals 41 and 42 and records it in the factory database 23 using the data updating means and the work state updating means 30.

If a problem has occurred in molding in step S1000, the manufacturer determines whether or not molding conditions need to be changed.

If it is desired to change the molding conditions, in step S1100, the manufacturer sets the molded product manufacturer's terminal 41,
The order server 20 is accessed at 42, the problem and the condition to be changed are input by the change condition input means 28, and the molding condition is determined again by the molding condition determination means 27.

In step S1200, the orderer accesses the order server 20 via the network using the orderer terminal 10 and uses the work state confirmation means 31 to check the progress of the work recorded in the factory database 23. Confirm.

Hereinafter, preferred modes of use of the present invention will be specifically described.

The orderer registers information such as an address and a telephone number in order to use the molded article ordering system as described above, and receives a user ID and a password.

For example, in order to place an order for a microwave oven door made of resin, the ordering server is accessed via the Internet using a browser. After the access, the specification input screen of the molded product is displayed. Enter the molding method as injection molding, the microwave oven in home appliances as the molded product category, the door as the part, and the color as gray. Next one month after the desired delivery date, the price is 70
Input as 0 yen / piece or less and the order quantity is 1000 pieces.

The ordering server decodes from the molding method data of the specification data that the steps of mold production and injection molding are necessary. Also, the delivery date of the mold to the mold factory is determined from the desired delivery date of the molded product. In addition, generally used resins are searched from the molded product category and site data, and the cheapest manufacturer is selected as the used resin. After that, the ordering factory is searched. In this search, the ordering server selects a factory that is short from the orderer's address and has the highest total of delivery date, cost, and quality capability value.

The orderer confirms that there is a receiving factory, and saves the CAD data of the microwave oven door in a designated directory in the ordering server. This completes the input from the orderer, and the specification data is completed by the data and CAD data input by the orderer so far.

The order receiving server calculates molding conditions, necessary molding machine specifications and the like from the retrieved specification data by CAE technology, and creates order data together with the specification data. The order data of the mold factory includes contact information of the molding factory, and the order data of the molding factory includes data of contact information of the mold factory. After the order data is completed, it is sent to the mold factory and molding factory. At this time, the database is updated to temporarily hold the production frame of the factory.

After receiving the order data, both factories confirm whether the order can be received, estimate the wage, and send the estimated delivery date to the order server by e-mail. The ordering server sends the final estimate data, which includes the total cost and the resin material cost and the server usage fee, and the total cost and the estimated delivery date of the molded product to the orderer by e-mail.

After receiving the e-mail for the final quote, the orderer returns the e-mail to the ordering server to confirm and approve the contents, and transfers the fee to the designated bank account.

After confirming the e-mail from the orderer and the transfer of the fee, the ordering server notifies the die factory and the molding factory by e-mail to start the work.

Manufacturing starts with a mold, and after the mold is created, it is delivered to a molding factory through an existing distribution route. After the mold arrives, the molding plant starts manufacturing the molded product.

During the operation, the orderer accesses the ordering server to check the progress of the operation.

After the molded product is completed, the molding plant delivers the molded product to the orderer using the existing distribution route.

It should be noted that a rapid prototyping system that does not use a mold may be used for molding. This case is particularly effective when the required number is small. As a typical rapid prototyping system, there is an optical molding system as described in Advanced molding technology P357-368 (edited by the Society of Plastics Molding and Processing, published by Sigma Publishing).

[0067]

According to the resin molded product ordering system of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. Effect on molded article orderers 1. Any user can place an order with a company that meets the desired conditions. 2. So-called small office home office (SOH
O) can be ordered from a single terminal, from product production to sales. 3. Having a production facility that is online with little investment. 4. No capital investment for each model change. Effects on Persons with Ordering Server 1. Orders for products can be made without necessarily having manufacturing equipment. 2. In the case of a material maker, there is a high possibility that the company's material can be used as the material used. Effects on factories in the factory network Information sharing 2. Joint orders for projects that cannot be made at a single factory. 3. Discovery on a New Business Partner Network Further, in the present invention, the following effects can be obtained by using a rapid prototyping system as a method for manufacturing a resin molded product. 1. Products can be manufactured inexpensively from one product, and can be customized individually. 2. Molding is possible if there is only shape data such as CAD data. 3. Resin molded products can be manufactured from one with lower cost and shorter delivery time than the molding method using a mold. 4. If there is shape data, it will be enough to make a product after receiving an order, eliminating the need for inventory.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a resin molded product ordering mechanism in an ordering server.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Resin molded product orderer side terminal 20 Ordering server 21 Data transmission / reception means 22 Specification input means 23 Factory database 24 Factory selection means 25 Temporary ordering / final ordering means 26 Molding database 27 Molding condition determining means 28 Change condition inputting means 29 Approval Reception means 30 Data update means / work state update means 31 Work state confirmation means 40 Resin molded product factory network 41 Terminal of factory using rapid prototyping for molded product production 42 Terminal of molded product production factory

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A molded article receiving apparatus including an ordering server computer accessible via a network to a molded article orderer terminal and a molded article manufacturer side terminal used by a molded article manufacturer managing a molded article factory. (B) a factory database in which data relating to the production of molded articles in the factory is stored; (b) specification input means for receiving specification data of molded articles from the orderer-side terminal; A factory selecting means for decoding a process required for manufacturing a molded article from the specification data, calling up the factory database, and automatically selecting a factory which meets the conditions of the specification data; and (d) ordering data from the specification data. Create and place a temporary order at each factory and update the factory database. (E) Issue from the molded product manufacturer's terminal that manages the temporarily ordered factory. Approval accepting means for accepting estimate data for the conditions, transmitting estimate information based on the estimate data to the orderer side terminal, and receiving approval data from the orderer side terminal; and (f) material used by using the specification data. Molding condition determining means for automatically determining molding conditions; (g) book ordering means for formal ordering to the molded article manufacturer side terminal; and (h) data relating to the working state from the molded article manufacturer side terminal. A work state update means for receiving and recording this in a factory database; and (iii) a change to the molding condition determining means for redetermining a new material and molding conditions from the orderer terminal or the manufacturer terminal. Or (iii) a change condition input means for inputting data of improvement points, and (u) a work state check means for checking progress of the manufacturing work from the orderer side terminal. Characterized by a molded product ordering system. 2. The factory selecting means can decode a process necessary for manufacturing a molded product from the specification data, and then call a factory database to decode a process required for manufacturing a molded product described in the specification data. 2. The molded article ordering system according to claim 1, wherein said means is a means for searching in each step for a factory that has a capacity that is appropriate for at least delivery date, cost and / or quality. (3) The factory database records at least the types, molding conditions and quantities that can be contracted by the factory, and records the progress of the work after the start of the manufacturing work. The molded product ordering system according to claim 1. (4) The factory database records, based on past results and surveys, a numerical value of the factory's capacity with respect to the product's delivery date and cost, and updates it immediately if any change is made. The molded product ordering system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: 5. The molding condition determining means has a molding database for storing generally used materials and used molding conditions at least for each purpose of use, use conditions and shape data. The molded product ordering system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the used material and molding conditions are determined from the specification data. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said molding condition determining means determines a material to be used and a molding condition in which a molding failure phenomenon and a product defect are unlikely to occur, by using a numerical calculation based on usage data. 6. The molded product ordering system according to any one of items 1 to 5. 7. A method for manufacturing a molded product, comprising receiving an order for a molded product using the molded product ordering system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and manufacturing the molded product based on the determined specifications. Method. 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the molded article is manufactured by a rapid prototyping system. 9. A method for manufacturing a molded product, comprising accessing the molded product ordering / ordering system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 using an orderer-side terminal to manufacture the molded product. 10. A network terminal device configured to be able to access the molded product ordering / ordering system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 as an orderer side terminal or a molded product manufacturer side terminal.