Flaskless molding machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10906092-B2
Application number	US-201716301797-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2017
Priority date	May 17, 2016
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

A flaskless molding machine includes: an upper flask; a lower flask; an upper sand tank; an upper plate attached to a lower end of the upper sand tank; a first lower sand tank; a second lower sand tank; a lower plate attached to an upper end of the second lower sand tank; a drive unit performing squeezing using the upper plate and the lower plate; an adjustment drive unit moving the first lower sand tank; a first detector detecting a height position of the first lower sand tank; a second detector detecting a height position of the second lower sand tank; and a control unit operating the drive unit and the adjustment drive unit so that the height positions of the first communication port and the second communication port coincide with each other, based on detection results of the first detector and the second detector.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flaskless molding machine forming a flaskless upper mold and lower mold, comprising:
an upper flask;
a lower flask disposed below the upper flask and capable of clamping a match plate with the upper flask;
an upper sand tank disposed above the upper flask, communicating with a compressed air source, being open at a lower end thereof, and internally storing mold sand;
an upper plate attached to a lower end of the upper sand tank, with at least one supply port being formed in the upper plate, the supply port allowing the upper sand tank to communicate with an inside of the upper flask;
a first lower sand tank communicating with a compressed air source, internally storing mold sand, and having a first communication port for discharging the stored mold sand;
a second lower sand tank disposed below the lower flask, being open at an upper end thereof, having a second communication port capable of communicating with the first communication port of the first lower sand tank, and storing the mold sand supplied from the first lower sand tank and to be supplied into the lower flask;
a lower plate attached to an upper end of the second lower sand tank, with at least one supply port being formed in the lower plate, the supply port allowing the second lower sand tank to communicate with an inside of the lower flask;
a drive unit configured to move the second lower sand tank in a vertical direction, and allowing the upper plate and the lower plate to perform squeezing;
an adjustment drive unit configured to move the first lower sand tank in the vertical direction;
a first detector configured to detect a height position of the first lower sand tank;
a second detector configured to detect a height position of the second lower sand tank; and
a control unit configured to operate the drive unit and the adjustment drive unit so that the height positions of the first communication port and the second communication port coincide with each other, based on detection results of the first detector and the second detector.

2. The flaskless molding machine according to claim 1 ,
wherein an upper molding space for molding the upper mold is formed by the upper plate, the upper flask and the match plate, and the upper molding space is filled with the mold sand stored in the upper sand tank, through the upper plate, and
a lower molding space for molding the lower mold is formed by the lower plate attached to the second lower sand tank moved by the drive unit to a predetermined height, the lower flask and the match plate, a height of the first communication port of the first lower sand tank is adjusted by the adjustment drive unit to a communication position of the second communication port of the second lower sand tank to supply the mold sand stored in the first lower sand tank to the second lower sand tank, and the lower molding space is filled with the mold sand stored in the second lower sand tank, through the lower plate, and
in a state where the upper molding space and the lower molding space are filled with the mold sand, the drive unit moves the second lower sand tank upward to perform squeezing between the upper plate and the lower plate.

3. The flaskless molding machine according to claim 2 , further comprising a lower filling frame,
wherein the lower molding space is formed by the lower plate, the lower flask, the lower filling frame and the match plate.

4. The flaskless molding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the upper sand tank and the first lower sand tank are provided with permeation members each having a plurality of pores on an inner surface thereof, the pores allowing compressed air to flow.

5. The flaskless molding machine according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage unit configured to store the height position of the first lower sand tank detected by the first detector at completion of a last squeeze and the height position of the second lower sand tank detected by the second detector at the completion of the last squeeze, as a last molding result,
wherein the control unit determines the height position of the first lower sand tank and the height position of the second lower sand tank at a next sand filling time, based on the last molding result stored in the storage unit.

6. The flaskless molding machine according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a third detector configured to detect a height position of the upper flask; and
a fifth detector configured to detect a height position of the lower filling frame,
wherein the upper plate has a fixed height position, and
the control unit recognizes the thickness of the upper mold at a completion of squeeze based on the height position of the upper flask detected by the third detector at the completion of squeeze, and recognizes the thickness of the lower mold at the completion of squeeze based on the height position of the lower plate and the height position of the lower filling frame detected by the second detector and the fifth detector at the completion of squeeze, and
determines the height position of the upper flask, the height position of the lower plate, the height position of the lower filling frame, the height position of the first lower sand tank, and the height position of the second lower sand tank at next sand filling time, based on the recognized thicknesses of the upper mold and the lower mold.

7. The flaskless molding machine according to claim 6 ,
wherein the third detector comprises:
a magnet attached to the upper flask or a member moving together with the upper flask; and
a detection portion attached to a fixed frame, consisting of a longitudinal member extending in the vertical direction, and configured to detect a magnetic field caused with the magnet.

8. The flaskless molding machine according to claim 6 ,
wherein the fifth detector comprises:
a magnet attached to the lower filling frame or a member moving together with the lower filling frame; and
a detection portion attached to a fixed frame, consisting of a longitudinal member extending in the vertical direction, and configured to detect a magnetic field caused with the magnet.

9. The flaskless molding machine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first detector comprises:
a magnet attached to the first lower sand tank or a member moving together with the first lower sand tank; and
a detection portion attached to a fixed frame, consisting of a longitudinal member extending in the vertical direction, and configured to detect a magnetic field caused with the magnet.

10. The flaskless molding machine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second detector comprises:
a magnet attached to the second lower sand tank or a member moving together with the second lower sand tank; and
a detection portion attached to a fixed frame, consisting of a longitudinal member extending in the vertical direction, and configured to detect a magnetic field caused with the magnet.

11. The flaskless molding machine according to claim 2 , wherein the upper sand tank and the first lower sand tank are provided with permeation members each having a plurality of pores on an inner surface thereof, the pores allowing compressed air to flow.

12. The flaskless molding machine according to claim 3 , wherein the upper sand tank and the first lower sand tank are provided with permeation members each having a plurality of pores on an inner surface thereof, the pores allowing compressed air to flow.

13. The flaskless molding machine according to claim 2 , further comprising a storage unit configured to store the height position of the first lower sand tank detected by the first detector at completion of a last

Assignees

• Sintokogio Ltd

Inventors

• Sakaguchi Koichi
• Terabe Tokiya
• Fujita Tatsumi

Classifications

• B22C15/08

  involving pneumatic or hydraulic mechanisms · CPC title

• B22C15/06

  involving mechanical gearings, e.g. crank gears (B22C15/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B22C15/02

  Compacting by pressing devices only · CPC title

• B22C19/04

  Controlling devices specially designed for moulding machines · CPC title

• B22C11/00 Primary

  Moulding machines characterised by the relative arrangement of the parts of same · CPC title