Vacuum press apparatus and method

A vacuum press apparatus comprising:

• an upper pressing part comprising upper frame having an upper hollow portion formed in a middle portion thereof and an upper diaphragm mounted on the upper frame to cover the upper hollow portion;
• a lower pressing part comprising lower frame having a lower hollow portion formed in a middle portion thereof and a lower diaphragm mounted on the lower frame to cover the lower hollow portion;
• an airtightness-maintaining member mounted between the upper frame of the upper pressing part and the lower frame of the lower pressing part;
• a processing space formed between the upper and lower diaphragms and maintained in an airtight state by the upper frame of the upper pressing part, the lower frame of the lower pressing part, the airtightness-maintaining member, and the upper and lower diaphragms;
• a vacuum-pressing operation part mounted so as to communicate with the processing space;
• a cooling part mounted adjacent to the upper diaphragm of the upper pressing part;
• an upper ascending/descending cooling operation space formed between the upper diaphragm of the upper pressing part and the cooling part;
• an upper ascending/descending operation part mounted so as to communicate with the upper ascending/descending cooling operation space;
• a heating part mounted adjacent to the lower diaphragm of the lower pressing part;
• a lower ascending/descending heating operation space formed between the lower diaphragm of the lower pressing part and the heating part;
• and
• a lower ascending/descending operation part mounted so as to communicate with the lower ascending/descending heating operation space,
• wherein at least a portion of the cooling part is accommodated in the upper hollow portion and blocks an upper end of the upper hollow portion, thereby the upper ascending/descending cooling operation space being formed by the upper diaphragm, the upper frame of the upper pressing part, and the cooling part, and
• wherein at least a portion of the heating part is accommodated in the lower hollow portion and blocks a lower end of the lower hollow portion, thereby the lower ascending/descending heating operation space being formed by the lower diaphragm, the lower frame of the lower pressing part, and the heating part.

A vacuum press method comprising:

• a loading process of placing a workpiece to be processed in an internal airtight processing space formed by an upper pressing part having an upper frame with an upper hollow portion and an upper diaphragm covering the upper hollow portion and a lower pressing part having a lower frame with a lower hollow portion and a lower diaphragm covering the lower hollow portion, wherein the internal airtight processing space is formed between the upper diaphragm and the lower diaphragm;
• a heating and pressing process of bringing the workpiece into close contact with a heating part provided adjacent to the upper pressing part and discharging air in the processing space to an outside in a heated state of the workpiece to heat and vacuum-press the workpiece using the diaphragms of the upper and lower pressing parts;
• a cooling and pressing process of bringing the workpiece, having undergone the heating and pressing process, into close contact with a cooling part provided adjacent to the lower pressing part to cool and vacuum-press the workpiece;
• and
• an unloading process of, after the cooling and pressing process, introducing external air into the processing space to generate an atmospheric pressure in the processing space and separating the upper and lower pressing parts from each other to withdraw the workpiece to an outside,
• wherein at least a portion of the heating part is accommodated in the upper hollow portion and blocks an upper end of the upper hollow portion, thereby an upper ascending/descending heating operation space being formed by the upper diaphragm, the upper frame of the upper pressing part and the heating part,
• wherein the upper ascending/descending heating operation space is decreased in the heating and pressing process,
• wherein at least a portion of the cooling part is accommodated in the lower hollow portion and blocks a lower end of the lower hollow portion, thereby a lower ascending/descending cooling operation space being formed by the lower diaphragm, the lower frame of the lower pressing part and the cooling part, and
• wherein the lower ascending/descending cooling operation space is decreased in the cooling and pressing process.