Machine and method for compacting ceramic powder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11084184-B2
Application number	US-201716307029-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2017
Priority date	Jun 13, 2016
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

Machine and method for compacting ceramic powder; a layer of non-compacted ceramic powder is conveyed in a feed direction through a compacting device; downstream of the compacting device there is positioned a detection device which detects the density of the layer of compacted ceramic powder; the quantity of ceramic powder fed to the compacting device is varied in time as a function of what is detected by the detection device to thus regulate the density of the layer of compacted ceramic powder.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A machine for compacting ceramic powder, the machine comprising:
a compacting device, which is arranged in the area of a working station and is designed to compact the ceramic powder so as to obtain a layer of compacted ceramic powder;
a conveyor assembly to transport, in a substantially continuous manner, the ceramic powder along a first portion of a given path from an input station to the working station and the layer of compacted ceramic powder along a second portion of the given path from the working station to an output station;
a feeding assembly, which is designed to feed the ceramic powder to the conveyor assembly in the area of the input station;
a detection device, which is designed to detect a density of the layer of compacted ceramic powder and is arranged in the area of a detection station along the second portion of the given path; and
a control device to control the feeding assembly so as to vary, in time, a quantity of ceramic powder supplied by the conveyor assembly to the working station as a function of what is detected by the detection device,
wherein the conveyor assembly comprises a conveyor belt extending along the given path, from the input station and through the working station in a feeding direction,
wherein the feeding assembly is designed to feed a layer of non-compacted ceramic powder on the conveyor belt in the area of the input station and comprises a partition, which is transverse to the feeding direction and is arranged above the conveyor belt, so as to delimit an opening between the partition and the conveyor belt, whose height defines a thickness of the layer of ceramic powder,
wherein the feeding assembly comprises at least one actuator to vary the distance between the partition and the conveyor belt, and
wherein the feeding assembly comprises a plurality of actuators, which are not aligned with one another relative to the feeding direction and can be operated independently of one another, so as to vary the height of areas of the opening in a differentiated manner.

2. The machine according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyor assembly is designed to feed the layer of ceramic powder to the compacting device in a feeding direction;
the detection device is designed to detect the density of areas of the layer of compacted ceramic powder that are staggered with one another relative to the feeding direction;
the feeding assembly is designed to vary, in a differentiated manner, the thickness of the layer of ceramic powder transversely to the feeding direction; and
the control device is designed to control the feeding assembly so as to vary, in a differentiated manner, the thickness of the layer of ceramic powder transversely to the feeding direction as a function of what is detected by the detection device.

3. The machine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the compacting device is designed to exert a transverse pressure upon the layer of ceramic powder, the compacting device comprises at least two compression rollers, which are arranged on opposite sides of the conveyor belt so as to exert a pressure upon the ceramic powder in order to compact the ceramic powder itself.

4. The machine according to claim 1 , further comprising a cutting assembly to transversely cut the layer of compacted ceramic powder so as to obtain slabs, each having a portion of the layer of compacted ceramic powder, the cutting assembly being arranged along the second portion of the given path between the working station and the detection station.

5. The machine according to claim 1 , wherein the feeding assembly comprises:
a first dispensing unit, which is designed to feed a base quantity of ceramic powder to the conveyor assembly; and
a second dispensing unit, which is controlled by the control device so as to feed a further quantity of ceramic powder to the conveyor assembly in order to vary the quantity of ceramic powder supplied by the feeding assembly to the conveyor assembly as a function of what is detected by the detection device, wherein the second dispensing unit is arranged between the first dispensing unit and the working station and feeds the ceramic powder on said base quantity.

6. The machine according to claim 1 , wherein the feeding assembly comprises:
a first dispensing unit, which is designed to feed a base quantity of ceramic powder to the conveyor assembly; and
a removing unit, which is controlled by the control device so as to remove part of the quantity of ceramic powder in order to vary the quantity of ceramic powder supplied by the feeding assembly to the conveyor assembly as a function of what is detected by the detection device, wherein the removing unit is arranged between the first dispensing unit and the working station and is designed to remove ceramic powder from said layer of ceramic powder.

7. The machine according to claim 5 , wherein the first dispensing unit is controlled by the control device so as to vary the base quantity of ceramic powder as a function of what is detected by the detection device.

8. The machine according to claim 1 , wherein the actuators are arranged on the opposite side of the conveyor belt relative to the partition and are designed to deform the conveyor belt so as to change the height of said areas of the opening.

9. The machine according to claim 1 , wherein the detection device comprises a emission unit, which is designed to emit a signal towards the layer of compacted ceramic powder, and a receiving unit, which is arranged on the opposite side of the second portion of the given path relative to the emission unit and is designed to receive the signal that comes from the emission unit and has passed through the layer of compacted ceramic powder, the signal being chosen in the group consisting of: X radiation, γ (gamma) radiation, ultrasound signal and a combination thereof.

10. A line for production of ceramic articles; the line comprises at least one machine for compacting ceramic powder according to claim 1 , which is provided with a cutting assembly to transversely cut the layer of compacted ceramic powder so as to obtain slabs, each having a portion of the layer of compacted ceramic powder; and at least one baking oven to sinter the compacted ceramic powder of the slabs so as to obtain the ceramic articles.

11. A method for compacting ceramic powder; the method comprising:
a compacting step, during which the ceramic powder is compacted in the area of a working station so as to obtain a layer of compacted ceramic powder;
a conveying step, during which the ceramic powder is transported along a first portion of a given path from an input station to the working station and the layer of compacted ceramic powder is conveyed along a second portion of the given path from the working station to an output station;
a feeding step, during which the ceramic powder is fed to the input station;
a detection step, during which the density of the layer of compacted ceramic powder is detected in the area of a detection station arranged along the second portion of the given path; and
a control step, during which the quantity of ceramic powder fed through the working station is varied in time as a function of what is detected during the detection step,
wherein the conveying step is carried out by a conveyor assembly comprising a conveyor belt extending along the given path, from the input station and through the working station in a feeding direction,
wherein the feeding step is carried out by a feeding assembly, which feeds a layer of ceramic powder on the conveyor belt in the area of the input station and comprises a partition, which is transverse to the feeding direction and is arranged above the conveyor be

Assignees

• Sacmi

Inventors

• Ricci Claudio
• Scardovi Stefano

Classifications

• B28B17/00

  Details of, or accessories for, apparatus for shaping the material; Auxiliary measures taken in connection with such shaping (moulds B28B7/00; after-treatment B28B11/00; feeding or discharging B28B13/00; arrangements for embedding elements in the material B28B23/00) · CPC title

• B28B13/02

  Feeding the unshaped material to moulds or apparatus for producing shaped articles · CPC title

• B28B5/02

  on conveyors of the endless-belt or chain type (in combination with pressing rollers B28B3/12) · CPC title

• B28B3/12 Primary

  wherein one or more rollers exert pressure on the material · CPC title

• B28B17/0072

  Product control or inspection · CPC title