JP7802413B2 - Mold cooling system for injection molding machines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mold cooling system for an injection molding machine.

An example of a mold cooling system in a conventional injection molding machine is that shown in Figures 1 to 4 of Patent Publication No. 20009-001402 (Patent Document 1).

In this conventional system, cooling water was supplied to multiple cooling water passages within the mold via multiple hoses from a cooling water supply/discharge unit connected to a cooling water supply source. The multiple hoses were connected to the side of the platen, and the platen and mold were connected by a coupling device.

However, in typical conventional systems, the multiple hoses were connected to the side of the mold, not the side of the platen. The cooling water supply/discharge unit had a valve stand (branching pipe device) that branched a single pipe from the cooling water supply source into multiple pipes (the number of hoses), and the hoses were connected to the opening/closing valves of this valve stand.

There are many different types of molds that can be attached to the platen, and the number of cooling water passages varies, but the number of hoses is set to the maximum number of cooling water passages for a large mold.When attaching a small mold with fewer cooling water passages, there are excess hoses to connect, and the opening and closing valves for these excess hoses are closed.

When using conventional hose piping to the side of a mold, connecting and disconnecting operations are performed between the fitting at the end of the hose and the fitting on the side of the mold when changing the mold. During the disconnecting operation, the hoses removed from the mold become tangled and messy, which can cause problems with the aesthetics of the factory.

In addition, during the joining process, it was necessary to select the hose fittings to be joined to the mold fittings, but the task of selecting fittings for the disorganized hoses became difficult, which could lead to incorrect joining to the mold.

That is, as shown in Figure 24, a conventional valve stand 50 consists of an inlet branch pipe device 51 and an outlet branch pipe device 52. The inlet branch pipe device 51 branches cooling water from a single cooling water supply pipe 53 into multiple hoses 54 and supplies it to the mold. The outlet branch pipe device 52 combines drainage water from the mold from multiple hoses 55 into a single drain pipe 56. One end of the hoses 54, 55 is connected to an on-off valve 57, and the other ends of the hoses 54, 55 are provided with fittings 58 that are connected to fittings on the mold.

When the mold and hoses 54, 55 are disconnected during mold replacement work, the disconnected hoses 54, 55 become tangled and messy, as shown in Figure 24. Furthermore, during the reconnection work, there is a problem in that it becomes difficult to select the fittings 58 for the messy hoses 54, 55.

International Publication No. 2009/001402

In the above-mentioned conventional injection molding machine, the mold is covered with a safety cover for safety reasons. The distance between the side of the platen and the safety cover is narrow, and the above-mentioned hose piping was carried out in this narrow space. In addition, because the valve stand was located away from the mold, it was difficult to check whether the valve was open or closed from the connection position during the connection work, and it was difficult to select a fitting for the tangled hose end.

Therefore, it is desirable to install hose piping so that the opening and closing valve can be seen from the connection work position.

However, it was extremely difficult to install hoses in this narrow space covered by a safety cover in a way that prevented incorrect connections.

The present invention aims to provide a mold cooling system for an injection molding machine that solves the above problems.

To achieve the above-mentioned objective, the present invention provides the following: Specifically, the present invention provides a mold cooling system for an injection molding machine in which cooling water is supplied from a cooling water supply source via a valve stand to multiple cooling water passages in a mold attached to a platen. The valve stand has an inlet circuit with a main inlet valve and an outlet circuit with a main outlet valve that protrude from the side of the platen toward the safety cover of the injection molding machine. The main inlet valve and main outlet valve are connected to the cooling water supply source. The inlet circuit and outlet circuit are provided with multiple on-off valves at predetermined intervals in the protruding direction, with hoses connected to the on-off valves hanging down in a blind-like pattern, and the ends of the hoses have fittings that are connected to the cooling water passages.

The inlet circuit and outlet circuit are formed in a block body provided on the side of the platen, the main inlet valve and main outlet valve are connected to the cooling water supply source and are provided in the block body, the inlet circuit and outlet circuit communicating with the opening/closing valve, main inlet valve and main outlet valve are formed within the block body, and it is preferable that an air supply valve is connected to the inlet circuit and a drain valve is connected to the outlet circuit.

It is preferable that the main inlet valve, main outlet valve, air supply valve and drain valve are provided on the underside of the block body, and that the air supply valve and multiple opening and closing valves are arranged in a straight line with a difference in height.

The main inlet valve and air supply valve are provided on the underside of the block body, the main outlet valve and drain valve are provided on the side of the block body, and the air supply valve and multiple opening and closing valves can be arranged in a straight line with a difference in height.

The air supply valve may be provided on the underside of the block body, the main inlet valve, the main outlet valve, and the drain valve may be provided on the side of the block body, and the air supply valve and the multiple on-off valves may be arranged in a straight line with a difference in height.
It is preferable that the inlet circuit and the outlet circuit are formed in a block body that is provided so that its position can be changed relative to the side surface of the platen, and that communication passages that communicate with the on-off valve, the main inlet valve, and the main outlet valve are formed within the block body, and that an air supply valve is connected to the inlet circuit and a drain valve is connected to the outlet circuit.

According to the present invention, the opening and closing valves of the valve stand, the hose joints, and the joints of the mold can be visually inspected, which has the effect of enabling the mold replacement worker to easily select the hose joint to be connected to the joints of the mold.

1 is a perspective view of an injection molding machine equipped with a mold cooling system, viewed from the opposite side of the operation side. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of part A in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a plan view of the platen according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a front view of the platen according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a side view of the platen according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above. Piping circuit diagram. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an IN circuit of the valve stand of the first embodiment. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the IN-side main air circuit of line CC of FIG. 7. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an OUT circuit of the valve stand of the first embodiment. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the OUT side main circuit of the line DD in FIG. 9; 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the drain circuit along the line EE in FIG. 9; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an IN circuit of a valve stand according to a second embodiment. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the IN side main circuit of the line JJ in FIG. 12. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the air circuit of line K-K in FIG. 12. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an OUT circuit of a valve stand according to a second embodiment. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the OUT side main circuit taken along line LL in FIG. 15. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the drain circuit along the line MM in FIG. 15; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an IN circuit of a valve stand according to a third embodiment. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing the IN side main circuit of the line PP in FIG. 18. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing the air circuit along line QQ in FIG. 18. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an OUT circuit of a valve stand according to a third embodiment. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing the OUT side main circuit of the line RR in FIG. 21. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing the drain circuit of the line SS in FIG. 21. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of hose piping of a conventional valve stand. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a front view showing a part of the fourth embodiment in cross section. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a part of the fourth embodiment in cross section. FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing a part of the fourth embodiment in cross section. 26A and 26B are enlarged views of part A, in which (a) shows the locked position and (b) shows the unlocked position. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a change in the position of the block body. This is an explanatory diagram of operation when the block body is in the 0 degree position, where (a) is a plan view with the safety door open, and (b) is a side view thereof. This is an explanatory diagram of operation at a 45-degree or 90-degree position of the block body, where (a) is a plan view with the safety door closed, and (b) is a side view thereof.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the mold cooling system for an injection molding machine is a system that cools from the inside a mold 2 that is detachably attached to an injection molding machine 1 installed in a molding factory.

The injection molding machine 1 has a fixed platen 3 and a movable platen 4, and a fixed mold 2a and a movable mold 2b are removably attached to each platen 3, 4.

The injection molding machine 1 is equipped with four guide rods 5 that guide and support the movable platen 4 so that it can move freely, a movable platen drive mechanism 6 that has a hydraulic cylinder (or drive motor) that drives the movable platen 4 toward/away from the fixed platen 3 to clamp and open the mold 2, and an injection mechanism 8 that has an injection cylinder 7 for supplying molten synthetic resin to the cavity inside the mold in the clamped state.

The platens 3 and 4 are made of magnetic steel material, have multiple magnet units (magnetic force generating mechanisms) that generate magnetic attraction force, and are configured as a magnetic clamping device that can be switched between an attraction state and a non-attraction state.

Note that the present invention is not limited to magnetic clamping devices, but may also be configured to removably fix the mold 2 to the platens 3, 4 using a hydraulic clamping device or the like.

For safety reasons, the injection molding machine 1 is provided with a safety cover 9 that covers the mold 2. The safety cover 9 is slidable laterally and can be repositioned between a position that covers the side of the mold 2 and a position that leaves the side open.

A number of cooling water passages 10 for cooling the mold 2 are formed within the mold 2 (see Figure 6). Fittings 11 are provided at the inlet (IN) and outlet (OUT) of the cooling water passages 10. These fittings 11 are provided on the side of the mold 2 facing the safety cover 9.

The mold cooling system supplies and discharges cooling water from a cooling water supply source (temperature regulator) 12 (see Figure 1) via a valve stand 13 to multiple cooling water passages 10 in the molds 2a and 2b attached to the platens 3 and 4.

The valve stand 13 has an inlet circuit 20 and an outlet circuit 21 provided on the side of the platens 3 and 4 so as to protrude from the side of the platens 3 and 4 toward the safety cover 9 of the injection molding machine (see Figure 6). A main inlet valve 18 is provided in the inlet circuit 20, and a main outlet valve 19 is provided in the outlet circuit 21. A plurality of on-off valves 15 are provided in the inlet circuit 20 and outlet circuit 21 at predetermined intervals in the protruding direction, and hoses 16 connected to the on-off valves 15 hang down in a blind-like pattern (see Figure 5). Specifically, the inlet circuit 20 and the outlet circuit 21 are formed in a block body 14 provided on the side of the platens 3 and 4.

The underside of the block body 14 has multiple on-off valves 15 and hoses 16 connected to these valves 15, hanging down. The ends of these hoses 16 have fittings 17 that connect to the cooling water passages 10 of the mold 2.

In this embodiment, the fitting 11 provided on the side of the mold 2 is a male quick coupler, and the fitting 17 at the end of the hose 16 is a female quick coupler, but this is not limited to this.

As shown in Figure 6, the block body 14 is provided with a main inlet valve 18 and a main outlet valve 19 connected to the cooling water supply source 12. Within the block body 14, an inlet circuit 20 is formed, which connects the main inlet valve 18 to the multiple on-off valves 15, and an outlet circuit 21 is formed, which connects the main outlet valve 19 to the multiple on-off valves 15. The multiple on-off valves 15 are divided into an inlet on-off valve 15a and an outlet on-off valve 15b.

The block body 14 is provided with an air supply valve 22 that communicates with the inlet circuit 20 and a drain valve 23 that communicates with the outlet circuit 21. The main inlet valve 18, main outlet valve 19, on-off valve 15, air supply valve 22, and drain valve 23 are ball valves that are opened and closed by operating a manual handle, but are not limited to this.

The circuit diagram shown in Figure 6 is for draining cooling water remaining in mold 2. The drainage method for mold 2 is as follows.

In this embodiment, the mold 2 is provided with first to fourth cooling water passages 12, and fittings 11 are provided at the inlet and outlet of each cooling water passage 12. The valve stand 13 is also provided with eight opening and closing valves 15: first to fourth inlet opening and closing valves 15a and first to fourth outlet opening and closing valves 15b.

The main inlet valve 18 and the main outlet valve 19 are both closed. The first inlet opening/closing valve 15a and the first outlet opening/closing valve 15b are opened, and the second to fourth inlet/outlet opening/closing valves 15 are both closed. The drain valve 23 is opened, and then the air supply valve 22 is opened to supply compressed air from the inlet circuit 20 to the first cooling water passage 10 of the mold 2, and the remaining water inside is recovered via the drain valve 23 to a tank or the like.

Once the recovery of the first cooling water passage 10 is complete, the remaining water in the second to fourth cooling water passages 10 is recovered sequentially using the above procedure.

Once the remaining water in all cooling water passages 10 has been collected, all fittings 11, 17 are disconnected and the mold 2 replacement work can begin.

When the couplings 11 and 17 are released as shown in Figure 5, the released hoses 16 hang down in a blind pattern at equal intervals and are neatly organized without tangling. The next time a new mold 2 is brought in, it will be easy to connect the couplings 17 of each inlet and outlet hose 16 to the inlet and outlet couplings 11 of the mold 2.

By forming the valve stand 13 from a block body 14, hose numbers (1st to 4th, etc.) can be displayed on the surface of the block body 14, preventing piping errors. Unused hoses 16 can also be identified on a circuit-by-circuit basis.

Since two communication passages 20, 21 for the inlet and outlet are formed in one block body 14, the heat retention of the cooling water is improved. Since the hose 16 is not bent, there are benefits such as less flow resistance and no pressure loss.

Figures 7 to 11 show a first embodiment of the valve stand 13. For ease of understanding, the inlet (IN) circuit is shown separately in Figure 7, and the outlet (OUT) circuit is shown separately in Figure 9.

Figures 7 and 9 (a) and (b) are side views, (c) is a bottom view, and (d) is a side view viewed from the opposite direction. The block body 14 of the valve stand 13 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The air supply valve 22 and inlet opening/closing valve 15a are screwed into the bottom surface of the block body 14. The outlet opening/closing valve 15b is attached to the lower end of a pipe 24 that hangs down from the bottom surface of the block body 14. The air supply valve 22 and the inlet and outlet opening/closing valves 15 are arranged alternately at equal intervals in a straight line. The outlet opening/closing valve 15b is arranged offset downward so as not to interfere with operation of the manual handle of the inlet opening/closing valve 15a.

By arranging the air supply valve 22 and the inlet/outlet opening/closing valves 15a, 15b in a staggered pattern in the vertical direction in this manner, the pitch of the arrangement in a straight line can be narrowed and the overall length of the block body 14 can be shortened, so that the block body 14 can be arranged in the narrow space from the side of the platens 3, 4 to the safety cover 9.

The main inlet valve 18, main outlet valve 19, and drain valve 23 are flange-mounted to the bottom surface of the block body 14. These valves 18, 19, and 23 are arranged at equal intervals on a straight line that is different from the arrangement position of the inlet and outlet opening/closing valves 15. By flange-mounting them, the spacing between them and the opening/closing valves 15 can be narrowed, allowing the width of the block body 14 to be reduced.

As shown in Figures 8, 10, and 11, the block body 14 has holes for the inlet circuit 20 and the outlet circuit 21.

12 to 17 show a second embodiment of the valve stand 13. As shown in FIG.
The inlet (IN) circuit is shown separately in Fig. 12, and the outlet (OUT) circuit is shown separately in Fig. 15. Fig. 12(a) and (b) are side views, and Fig. 12(c) is a bottom view, and Fig. 15(a) is a plan view, Fig. 15(b) is a side view, and Fig. 15(c) is a bottom view.

The arrangement of the air supply valve 22 and the inlet/outlet valves 15 is the same as in the first embodiment. The main inlet valve 18 is flange-mounted to the bottom surface of the block body 14 at a different position from the inlet/outlet valves 15.

The main outlet valve 19 and drain valve 23 differ from the first embodiment in that they are flange-mounted to the side of the block body 14.

Figures 18 to 23 show a third embodiment of the valve stand 13.

In this third embodiment, the main inlet valve 18, main outlet valve 19, and drain valve 23 are provided on the side of the block body 14, and the air supply valve 22 and inlet/outlet opening/closing valve 15 are provided on the bottom surface of the block body 14. The other configurations are substantially the same as those of the previous embodiments.

The fourth embodiment is shown in Figures 25 to 32.

In the first to third embodiments, the valve stand 13 was fixedly attached to the platens 3 and 4, which meant that when the distance from the platens 3 and 4 to the safety cover 9 was small, the valve stand 13 could not be inserted and could not be installed. This fourth embodiment solves this problem.

As shown in Figure 31, an arm 25 is attached to the fixed platen 3 so that it protrudes from its side toward the safety cover 9. As shown in Figure 26, a vertically oriented shaft 26 is fixed to this arm 25 so that it protrudes upward. The block body 14 of the valve stand 13 is attached to this shaft 26 so that it can rotate freely around its vertical axis. A locking mechanism 27 is provided between the block body 14 and the shaft 26 to restrict the rotation angle of the block body 14.

As shown in Figures 29 and 30, this locking mechanism 27 locks the block body 14 to the shaft 26 at rotational positions of 0 degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees. That is, recesses 28 are formed on the circumferential surface of the shaft 26 at the 0 degree, 45 degree, and 90 degree positions, and a ball 29 that engages with this recess 28 is provided on the block body 14. The ball 29 is biased toward the recess 28 by an elastic member 30. This locking mechanism 27 fixes the valve stand 13 to the side of the platen 3 at rotational positions of 0 degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees.

The configuration of the valve stand 13 is the same as that of the first to third embodiments, and is equipped with an opening/closing valve 15, a main inlet valve 18, a main outlet valve 19, an air supply valve 22, and a drain valve 23, etc.

Figures 31 and 32 show how to use the valve stand 13. In Figure 31, the safety door 19a of the safety cover 19 is open, and the block body 14 is locked at the 0 degree position. The tip of the block body 14 protrudes to the side beyond the safety cover 19. In this state, the fitting 17 of the hose 16 is connected to the fitting 11 of the mold 2. The opening and closing operation of the opening and closing valve 15 is also performed.

In Figure 32, the block body 14 is folded to a 45-degree or 90-degree position, and the main inlet valve 18, main outlet valve 19, air supply valve 23, or drain valve 23 is opened and closed. The safety door 19a is then closed, and molding is performed in the injection molding machine.

The locking mechanism 27 is not limited to the engagement of the recess 28 and the ball 29, but may be any mechanism capable of locking the block body 14 in a predetermined rotational position. Also, while the arm 25 is attached to the platen 3 in the example shown, it may also be possible to provide a stand directly on the ground and mount the block body on this stand so that it can rotate freely.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments and examples shown. For example, the block body 14 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped. Also, while the inlet circuit 20 and outlet circuit 21 are formed in the block body 14, the inlet circuit 20 and outlet circuit 21 may be formed from separate pipes, etc.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above description, and includes all modifications that are equivalent in meaning and scope to the claims.

In injection molding machines, resin is melted at a temperature of 200-400°C and poured into a mold, where the mold temperature is adjusted to harden the resin. The mold temperature is regulated using water heated by a temperature controller (up to 100°C) or oil (100°C or higher). This is because room-temperature water or chilled water (cooling water) is too low, and the resin can harden and clog the mold when poured into it.
Therefore, the term "cooling water" used in the claims and the specification includes temperature-controlled water heated by a temperature controller. In other words, the "cooling system" of the present invention includes a "temperature control system."

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 injection molding machine 2 mold 2a fixed mold 2b movable mold 3 fixed side platen 4 movable side platen 5 guide rod 6 movable platen drive mechanism 7 injection tube 8 injection mechanism 9 safety cover 10 cooling water passage 11 joint (mold side)
12 Cooling water supply source (temperature controller)
13 Valve stand 14 Block body 15 Opening and closing valve 15a Inlet opening and closing valve 15b Outlet opening and closing valve 16 Hose 17 Joint (hose side)
18 Main inlet valve 19 Main outlet valve 20 Inlet circuit 21 Outlet circuit 22 Air supply valve 23 Drain valve 24 Pipe 25 Arm 26 Shaft 27 Locking mechanism 28 Recess 29 Ball 30 Elastic member

Claims (6)

In a mold cooling system for an injection molding machine, cooling water is supplied from a cooling water supply source through a valve stand to a plurality of cooling water passages of a mold attached to a platen,
the valve stand has an inlet circuit having a main inlet valve and an outlet circuit having a main outlet valve, the inlet circuit and the outlet circuit protruding from a side surface of the platen toward a safety cover of the injection molding machine;
the main inlet valve and the main outlet valve are connected to the cooling water source;
a plurality of on-off valves are provided in the inlet circuit and the outlet circuit at predetermined intervals in the protruding direction, and hoses connected to the on-off valves hang down in a reed pattern;
The mold cooling system of the injection molding machine has a coupling at the end of the hose that is connected to the cooling water passage. The inlet circuit and the outlet circuit are formed in a block provided on a side surface of the platen,
A communication passage is formed in the block body, the communication passage being in communication with the on-off valve, the main inlet valve, and the main outlet valve.
2. The mold cooling system for an injection molding machine according to claim 1, wherein an air supply valve is connected to the inlet circuit, and a drain valve is connected to the outlet circuit. A mold cooling system for an injection molding machine as described in claim 2, wherein the main inlet valve, main outlet valve, air supply valve, and drain valve are provided on the underside of the block body, and the air supply valve and multiple opening and closing valves are arranged in a straight line with a difference in height. A mold cooling system for an injection molding machine as described in claim 2, wherein the main inlet valve and air supply valve are provided on the underside of the block body, the main outlet valve and drain valve are provided on the side of the block body, and the air supply valve and multiple opening and closing valves are arranged in a straight line with a difference in height. A mold cooling system for an injection molding machine as described in claim 2, wherein the air supply valve is provided on the underside of the block body, the main inlet valve, main outlet valve, and drain valve are provided on the side of the block body, and the air supply valve and multiple opening and closing valves are arranged in a straight line with a difference in height. the inlet circuit and the outlet circuit are formed in a block body that is provided so as to be movable relative to a side surface of the platen;
A communication passage is formed in the block body, the communication passage being in communication with the on-off valve, the main inlet valve, and the main outlet valve.
2. The mold cooling system for an injection molding machine according to claim 1, wherein an air supply valve is connected to the inlet circuit, and a drain valve is connected to the outlet circuit.