Press apparatus

A press apparatus capable of hot pressing and cold pressing for a product, comprising:

• an upper heating plate;
• a lower heating plate, the upper and lower heating plates being arranged in a vertical direction to hot-press the product therebetween;
• a fixed platen to which the upper heating plate is fixed;
• a movable platen to which the lower heating plate is fixed;
• a movable platen driving unit configured to move the movable platen along the vertical direction with respect to the fixed platen;
• an upper cooling plate;
• a lower cooling plate, the upper and lower cooling plates being arranged in the vertical direction to cold-press the product therebetween;
• a cooling plate driving unit configured to move the upper and lower cooling plates in a horizontal direction between a first position for the cold pressing that is located between the upper and lower heating plates and a second position for the hot pressing that is located apart from the upper and lower heating plates in the horizontal direction;
• and
• a product transfer unit configured to transfer the product between the first position and a third position that is located at an opposite side of the second position with respect to the first position,
• wherein the product transfer unit includes two product transfer mechanisms such that a product before pressing is transferred from the third position to the first position while a product after pressing is transferred from the first position to the third position;
• a first section substantially kept in a vacuum state, in which the fixed platen, the movable platen, the upper and lower heating plates, the upper and lower cooling plates and the cooling plate driving mechanism are placed;
• a second section separated from the first section by an inner door;
• a barometrical pressure changing unit configured to change a barometrical pressure in the second section between an atmosphere pressure and a vacuum state;
• and
• a control unit configured to control the barometrical pressure changing unit, the inner door, and the product transfer mechanism, and
• wherein, when the product is placed in at least one of the first and second sections, the control device controls the barometrical pressure changing unit to depressurize the second section substantially to a vacuum state, the inner door to open, the product transfer mechanism to transfer the product between the first and second sections through the inner door, and then, the inner door to close.