The present invention relates to a food product forming apparatus with a food forming member, which comprises a multitude of product cavities and a seal plate which sealingly cooperates with the surface of the mould drum.

A sheet-shaped mold position detection device 183 for conveying and positioning a sheet-shaped mold M on which a fine transfer pattern M1 is formed. The sheet-shaped mold position dejection device 183 includes a sheet-shaped mold position detector 191 that detects a predetermined region of the sheet-shaped mold M by detecting transmittance of light in the sheet-shaped mold M.

A lens molding apparatus (100) of the present invention includes: a mold (1) having a transfer surface (1a) for transferring a predetermined lens shape to a resin material; a mold (2) having a transfer surface (2a) for transferring a predetermined lens shape to the resin material; a support device (3) for moving the mold (1); a heating device (4) curing the resin material so as to form a lens, the resin material having been supplied between the transfer surface (1a) and the transfer surface (2a); and an ultrasonic vibrator (5) applying vibration from a side surface of the mold (1 or 2) so as to form a gap at least at a part between the transfer surface (1a or 2a) and the lens.

The prediction model includes the steps of calculating a surface area S.sub.1 of a control mold, measuring the force F.sub.1 for demolding from the control mold, determining first and second test specimens with respective surface areas S.sub.0, S.sub.0, measuring the force F.sub.0 for demolding from the first test specimen, measuring the force F.sub.0 for demolding from the second test specimen, calculating the ratio of S.sub.0 and S.sub.0 so as to define a test specimen surface area ratio R.sub.se, calculating the ratio of the force F.sub.0 for demolding from the first test specimen and F.sub.0 for demolding from the second test specimen so as to define a force ratio R.sub.fe, measuring the molding surface area S.sub.m of a mold to be measured and calculating the force F.sub.m for demolding from the mold to be measured such that F.sub.m=F.sub.1S.sub.m/S.sub.1R.sub.fe/R.sub.se.

The demoldability prediction model includes the steps of choosing a mold specimen; choosing a reference material; measuring the force F.sub.0 for demolding the reference material from the mold specimen; determining the force M.sub.0 for demolding the reference material from the control test specimen; selecting a material to be measured; determining the force M for demolding the material from the control test specimen; calculating the ratio of the forces M.sub.0 for demolding the reference material and M for demolding the material from the control test specimen so as to define a coefficient C of material impact; and calculating the force F for demolding the material such that F=CF.sub.0.

A system for taking out a molded product that does not require an operator to determine the sucking operation start time for a vacuum sucker by himself/herself by trial and error is provided. A controller includes a time interval measuring section configured to measure a time interval judging from an output from a pressure detector. The time interval measuring section measures a stable time interval since the pressure in a pipe reaches a predetermined pressure until a sucking operation start pressure is detected judging from an output from the pressure detector. The sucking operation start pressure indicates that a suction nozzle starts operation to suck up a molded product hereby the predetermined pressure is maintained. A sucking operation start time determining section of the controller determines a sucking operation start time such that a stable time interval is longer than a bias time interval, concurrently with movement control for a moving mechanism.

A demolding device that removes a thin-walled part from a mold, the thin-walled part being tubular and having a partially open wall, the demolding device including: contour units that are located in a circumferential direction of the thin-walled part and each of which includes a contact structure that contacts an outer surface of the thin-walled part and moves in a thin-walled surface outward direction extending away from the outer surface of the thin-walled part; and a puller that engages with edges of the partially open wall of the thin-walled part and that applies a load to the thin-walled part, the load including a force component acting in the circumferential direction of the thin-walled part. In response to application of the load from the puller to the thin-walled part, each of the contour units moves the contact structure to keep the contact structure in contact with the thin-walled part.