INDUCTION HEATING MOLDING APPARATUS AND INDUCTION HEATING MOLDING METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an induction heating molding apparatus which can efficiently and separately perform the induction heating of an upper mold and a lower mold each equipped with an induction coil and an induction heating molding method using the apparatus. SOLUTION: The induction heating molding apparatus melts and molds an optical element material or the like sealed in a mold by performing the induction heating of an upper mold 1a and a lower mold 1b by applying electric current to an induction coil 2a for the upper mold and an induction coil 2b for the lower mold. In the molding apparatus, a control device 4 controls the output electric power of an inverter 3 on the basis of measured values obtained by an upper-mold temperature measurement means 6a and a lower-mold temperature measurement means 6b; and the positions of the induction coil 2a for the upper mold and the induction coil 2b for the lower mold are adjusted with an induction coil position adjustment means 7a for the upper mold and an induction coil position adjustment means 7b for the lower mold, respectively. Since adjusting the positions of the induction coils 2a and 2b can make the magnetic flux passing through the upper mold 1a different from that passing through the lower mold 1b, the temperatures of the upper mold 1a and the lower mold 1b can be independently controlled. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI