HEATING APPARATUS AND METHOD, FOR PRESS FORMING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To heat the whole region of the material to be worked before press forming to a uniform temperature in a short time without depending on the planar shape thereof. SOLUTION: Two heating plates 10, 12 as rectangular parallelepipeds are oppositely arranged so as to be made close to and apart from each other. Just before the press forming of the material 14 to be worked, large current is caused to flow through the respective heating plates 10, 12 via electrodes 20A, 20B, 22A and 22B, and the heating plates 10, 12 are uniformly heated to a temperature higher than the heating schedule temperature of the material 14 to be worked by about 50 to 100°C. Successively, the material 14 to be worked is placed between the heating plates 10, 12; the heating plates 10, 12 are made close so as to be tightly stuck to both the sides in the whole region of the material 14 to be worked, resulting in sandwiching the same, and while a small pressure is applied to the extent that the material 14 to be worked is not deformed, the material 14 to be worked is heated for a fixed time. The heating plates 10, 12 may be heated by induction heating or heating with an electric wire heater. COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT