Hot-pressing apparatus

Abstract

This invention relates to a hot-pressing method and a hot-pressing apparatus capable of quenching a workpiece at a sufficient cooling rate. In a hot-pressing step, a hot-pressing apparatus presses and cools a workpiece at the same time. The hot-pressing apparatus includes a lower die and an upper die whose forming surfaces face each other. A top surface of the lower die is provided with a plurality of beads so that a part of the workpiece difficult to come in contact with the forming surface of the lower die and the forming surface of the upper die positioned at the bottom dead center is formed into a stepped shape.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A hot-pressing apparatus comprising a lower die having a lower forming surface, and an upper die having an upper forming surface facing the lower forming surface, which causes the lower die and the upper die to press a heated workpiece arranged therebetween, and at the same time, to keep the forming surfaces thereof in contact with a surface of the workpiece to cool the workpiece, wherein
 one of the lower die and the upper die has a protrusion which protrudes from an intermediate part, in a right-left direction, of the forming surface thereof toward the forming surface of the other, and which is continuously formed in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the right-left direction,   the other of the lower die and the upper die has a recess which is recessed from an intermediate part, in the right-left direction, of the forming surface thereof in conformity with a shape of the protrusion, and which is continuously formed in the front-rear direction,   the forming surface on which the protrusion is formed includes a top surface extending in the right-left direction at a protruding end of the protrusion, two lateral surfaces extending in a direction opposite to that in which the protrusion protrudes from both ends of the top surface in the right-left direction, and two base surfaces extending outward in the right-left direction from extending ends of the lateral surfaces, and   the top surface is formed as a bumpy surface for forming a part of the workpiece corresponding to the top surface into a stepped shape when the upper die arrives at a vicinity of a bottom dead center.   
     
     
         3 . (canceled)