JPH0366137B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention automatically cuts, conveys, and loads strip-shaped materials into multiple molding machines, and automatically produces molded products after pressure vulcanization. This article relates to automatic molding equipment for elastomer molded products that can perform mold release, take-out, and collection.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, for example, boots and the like have been molded using ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM) as follows (see FIG. 6). In the illustrated example, there is one transfer molding machine 5, but in reality, a plurality of machines are arranged in parallel via the frame 64.

The belt-shaped material prepared by kneading and extrusion is cut into required lengths to obtain chip-shaped materials. At this time,
Because EPDM is sticky, it is usually kept cool in a cold storage room.

The operator puts the chip-shaped material into a container and transports it to the molding machine 5 in the required amount, and operates the rotary actuator 81 to insert the material loading section chute 6 whose tip is above the pot (material loading section) 7. Place one piece at a time by hand. The material is loaded from the chute 6 into the pot 7 using a photoelectric switch 86.
will be confirmed.

The molding machine is closed and the mold is vulcanized under pressure.

After the mold is closed, the molded product is processed using rotary actuator 8.
1 is activated to rotate the take-out jig 82 above the molded product, and after taking out the molded product, it returns to its original position and is discharged into the container 84 via the receiving chute 85. The discharge of the molded product into the receiving container 84 is confirmed by a photoelectric switch 86. Receiving container 84
Molded products accumulated in the molded parts are periodically collected by workers.

<Problems to be solved by the invention> However, in the conventional molding equipment described above, the material supply and molded product collection are performed manually in batches, which increases the number of man-hours, and when the material is adhesive such as EPDM, , required a special cold room.

<Means for solving the problems> In order to solve the above problems, the present inventors
As a result of intensive development efforts, we came up with an automatic molding equipment for elastomer molded products with the following configuration.

A group of molding machines in which a plurality of molding machines are arranged in parallel, each equipped with a jig for taking out the molded product; a material cutting means for cutting an elastomer strip material to obtain chip-shaped material; and a material conveyor for transporting the chip-shaped material to the molding machine. an automatic material supply device comprising means, a loading means for loading the transported chip-shaped material into the material loading section of the molding machine, and a traveling means for traveling and stopping the loading means to the molding machine in an open state; A molded product automatic comprising a molded product receiving chute disposed at the takeout jig product drop position of each molding machine, a conveyance duct communicating with each of the receiving chute, and a blower connected to the base side of the conveyance duct. The material cutting means includes forcibly driven scissors, and a forced feed roller and a material receiving chute respectively disposed above and below the scissors, and the material conveying means includes: It consists of a material feeding hose connected to the material receiving chute and a blower connected to the feeding side end of the material feeding hose, and the material loading means is rotatably connected to the feeding side end of the material feeding hose. It is characterized by comprising a connected loading chute and a drive member for forcibly rotating the loading chute by a predetermined angle.

<Example> Hereinafter, one example of the present invention will be described based on the illustrated example.

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view showing an example of automatic molding equipment for elastomer molded products of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial sectional front view showing an example of the cutting means of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a material loading means of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an example of a molding machine to which the present invention is applied in a mold open state, and FIG. 6 is a conventional elastomer molded product. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing an example of molding equipment.

Note that since FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram, there are some parts that do not necessarily match the concrete diagrams 2 to 6.
A plurality of molding machines are arranged in parallel, and each molding machine is equipped with a molded product take-out jig, and the following automatic material supply device A and the following automatic molded product collection device B are attached.

(A) The automatic material supply device includes a material cutting means 3 for cutting an elastomer strip material 1a to obtain chip-like material, a material conveying means 4 for transporting the chip-like material 1b to a transfer molding machine 5, and a material conveying means 4 for conveying the chip-like material 1b to a transfer molding machine 5. a material loading means 9 for loading the chip-shaped material 1b into the material loading part (pot) 7 of the molding machine 5;
and a traveling means 10 for causing the material loading means 9 to travel to and stop the molding machine 5 in the mold open state.

The cutting means 3 is provided with a cooling storage means 11 in this embodiment. This cooling storage means 11 consists of a cooling water tank 12 and a cooler 13.

The material cutting means 3 includes forcibly driven scissors 15.
It consists of scissors 15, a forced feed roller 16, and a material receiving chute 17, which are arranged above and below, respectively. In the scissors 15, the rear ends of the pair of operation parts are coupled in a rotating pair to the tips of a pair of links 20, 20 which are pivotally supported by a connecting pin 19 at the tip of the slider 18, so that the slider 18 can move forward and backward. It opens and closes accordingly. At this time, the material of the scissors 15 is desirably made of ceramics (ex. zirconia type) from the viewpoint of preventing the elastomer material from sticking and the durability of the blade. The slider 18 is guided by a rail 22 provided on the lower surface of the top plate of the pedestal 21, and the air cylinder 23
It is said that it is possible to move back and forth. Also,
A stopper plate 24 is coupled to the lower surface of the slider 18, and corresponds to the advance and retreat of the slider 18.
That is, in response to opening and closing of the scissors 15, the stopper plate 24
moves forward and backward into the material receiving chute 17. A photoelectric switch 25 is disposed at a height directly above the stopper plate 24 of the material receiving chute 17, and a signal from the photoelectric switch 25 is input to the control section to stop the motor 26 that drives the forced feed roller 16 and to stop the slider. The air cylinder 23 driven by the air cylinder 18 is operated.

In addition, the cooling storage means 11 and the forced feed roller 1
6, a large guide roller 28 is arranged. Further, a guide bush 30 is disposed on the lower surface of the top plate of the pedestal 21, directly above the blade portion of the scissors 15.

The material conveying means 4 includes a material feeding hose 31 connected to the lower end opening of the material receiving chute 17.
is connected to the inlet end of the material feed hose 31, and a gate valve 33 is connected to the tip (ventilation port) of the blower pipe 32.
It consists of a blower 35 equipped with. At the tip (feeding end) of the material feed hose 31 is an optical fiber switch 3 whose response is faster than other photoelectric switches.
9 is attached to confirm the passage of material. Further, it is desirable to use a material feed hose 31 whose inner surface is coated with urethane to prevent material from sticking. The gate valve 33 is opened and closed by an air cylinder 34.
The air cylinder 34 is operated by a signal from the photoelectric switch 25 via the control section.

The material loading means 9 includes a loading chute 4 rotatably connected to the delivery side end of the material feeding hose 31.
1, and a drive member 43 for forcibly rotating the loading chute 41 by a predetermined angle. Drive member 43
consists of a pinion 45 coaxially fixed to the base of the loading chute 41, a rack 46 that engages with the pinion 45, and an air cylinder 47 that moves the rack 46 forward and backward. The material loading means 9 is self-propelled by a traveling means 10 having the following configuration so as to be able to load materials into each pot 7 of a plurality of transfer molding machines 5.

That is, the lower base 4 is located on the material loading means 9 side.
A main sprocket 50 and sub sprockets 51, 51 are attached to both sides of the main sprocket 50 via the main sprocket 8 and frame 49, and the main sprocket 50 is rotated forward and backward by a motor 52, and a guide catch 53 is attached. It is being On the other hand, a roller chain 55 and a guide rail 56 are fixed along the front side of the molding machines 5, 5..., and the sprockets 50, 5...
1 and the roller chain 55, and the guide catch 53 and the guide rail 56, the material loading means 9 can move freely left and right along the front side of the molding machines 5, 5... In addition, the left and right movement of the loading means 9 is performed by counting mold opening signals (usually based on molding time completion signals) sent from each molding machine in the control section.
This is done by inputting a forward/reverse rotation signal to the motor 52. The material loading means 9 is stopped at a fixed position by a micro switch 54 provided in each molding machine 5. The basic structure of the molding machine 5 is the same as that of a general transfer molding machine, in which an upper frame 61 and a lower frame 58 are connected by two tie rods 63, a plunger 65 is fixed to the upper frame 61, and Below the plunger 65 is a floating plate 66, and below the floating plate 66 is a movable plate 67, which is guided by a tie rod 63 and held slidably. The above floating board 6
6 has a pot 7 fixed to its upper side, an upper mold 68 fixed to its lower side, and a lower mold 69 fixed to a movable platen 67. A core 72 connected to an ejector pin 71 is attached to the center of the lower die 69. Further, the movable platen 67 is connected to the piston rod 7 of the hydraulic cylinder 74 fixed to the lower frame 62.
It is connected with 5. Coil springs 77 and 78 are installed between the upper frame 61 and the floating plate 66, and between the floating plate 66 and the movable plate 67 via tie rods 63 and 63, respectively.

The molding machine 5 is further equipped with a take-out jig 82 which is rotated by a rotary actuator 81 operated by air. This actuator 81 is adapted to be moved up and down by an air cylinder 84. Then, the take-out jig 81 allows compressed air to flow between the core 72 and the molded product 2 while the molded product 2 is vacuum-adsorbed, as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-35461, for example. A device having a mechanism for generating a repulsive force between the molded product 2 and the core 72 and releasing the mold is used.

(B) The molded product automatic collection device is a molded product receiving chute 8 disposed at the forward rotating position of the take-out jig 82 in each molding machine 5, that is, the position where the molded product falls.
5. It consists of a conveyance duct 36 that communicates each receiving chute 85, and a blower 35 connected to the base side of the conveyance duct 36. Although the blower may be separate from the one in the material supply device, in this embodiment, the blower pipe 32 of the blower 35 of the material supply device is branched and connected to the conveyance duct 36 via an air hose 37, so that the blower is always Air can be blown into the product transport duct 36. This receiving chute 85 is equipped with a photoelectric switch 86 to check if the product has fallen, and if the product does not fall,
A fall failure warning is now issued by means of a lamp display, etc.

Next, how the above embodiment is used will be explained.

Molding machine 5 in the open state after taking out the molded product
The control unit searches for this using a signal sent from the molding machine 5, and inputs a control signal to the self-propelled motor 52 of the traveling means 10 so that the material loading means 9 moves to the molding machine 5.

The material loading means 9 moves to the molding machine 5,
If it stops at the fixed position, press the micro switch 54.
The control unit receives the signal, operates the air cylinder 47, rotates the loading chute 41 by a predetermined angle via the rack 46 and pinion 45,
The outlet of the loading chute 41 is located directly above the pot 7.

Next, the motor 26 of the forced feed roller 16 of the material cutting means 3 is driven to move the strip material 1a a certain distance (that is, until it comes into contact with the stopper plate 24).
let Then, the control unit receives an off signal from the photoelectric switch 25 and operates the air cylinder 23, and the slider 18 moves back, causing the links 20, 2 to move.
0, the scissors 15 are closed and the strip material 1a is cut. At the same time, the stopper plate 24 also retreats, so that the chip-shaped material 1b falls inside the material receiving chute 17. At this time, the control section receives an ON signal from the photoelectric switch 25, operates the air cylinder 34, and opens the gate valve 33. Since the blower 35 is continuously operated, the chip-shaped material 1b passes through the material feeding hose 31 of the material conveying means 4, is fed into the loading chute 41 of the material loading means 9, and is further fed into the pot 7 of the molding machine 5. is loaded into.

This material loading is performed by the fiber optic switch 39.
is detected, the air cylinder 47 is activated by a signal from the control section, the loading chute 41 escapes from above the floating platen 66 and returns to the normal position, and then the hydraulic cylinder 74 is activated and the movable platen 67 rises. The mold is closed (pressurized state). After maintaining this state for a certain period of time (usually 2 to 3 minutes), the hydraulic cylinder 74 is activated, the movable platen 67 is lowered, the mold is opened, and the molded product 2 is ejected while being held in the core 72. . The take-out jig 82 is
The rotary actuator 81 rotates to the position directly above the core 72, and the air cylinder 83
The molded product 2 is lowered by the operation of the actuator 81, and then, after being released from the mold, it is raised to take out the molded product 2, returned to its original position by the operation of the actuator 81, and dropped into the molded product receiving chute 85. Molded product receiving chute 85
The molded product 2 that has fallen into the interior is transported inside the molded product transport duct 36 by the air constantly pumped from the blower 35, and is automatically collected into a container or the like placed at the end position of the molded product transport duct 36. be done.

By repeating the above, the strip material 1a is cut and automatically supplied to a plurality of parallel molding machines 5, and the molded products 2 are also automatically taken out and automatically collected.

Of course, the apparatus of the present invention can also be applied when the molding machine is a compression molding machine.

Further, the device of the present invention may be implemented in various forms without departing from the scope of the claims.

For example, if the elastomer material is not sticky, the cooling storage means 11 is not required. Furthermore, when cutting the material with the loading chute 41 rotated above the pot 7 as in the above usage mode, the gate valve 33 is not necessary; 7
When rotating upward, use the gate valve 33.
Although it is inevitable, the gate valve 33 may be arranged at the rear of the material receiving chute 17 (provided that the material does not have adhesive properties). Further, the driving member of the loading chute 41 is not limited to the rack and pinion type, but may of course be a rotary actuator similar to the take-out jig. Alternatively, the band-shaped rubber material may be directly supplied from an extruder through an accumulator or the like.

<Operations and Effects of the Invention> The automatic forming equipment for elastomer molded products of the present invention includes a group of molding machines in which a plurality of machines are arranged in parallel, each equipped with a jig for taking out the molded product, and a group of molding machines that cut an elastomer strip material into chips. A material cutting means for obtaining the material, a material conveying means for conveying the chip-like material to the molding machine, a loading means for loading the conveyed chip-like material into the material loading section of the forming machine, and a mold opening means for the loading means. an automatic feeding device for elastomer material consisting of a traveling means that travels to and stops the molding machine; and a molded product receiving chute disposed at the molded product falling position of the take-out jig of each molding machine, communicating with each of the receiving chute. The material cutting means includes forcibly driven scissors and a pair of scissors above and below the scissors. The material means comprises a forced feed roller and a material receiving chute, respectively arranged, and the material means includes a material feeding hose connected to the material receiving chute, and a blower connected to the inlet end of the material feeding hose. The material loading means is characterized by comprising a loading chute rotatably connected to the delivery side end of the material feeding hose, and a drive member forcibly rotating the loading chute by a predetermined angle. , Cutting of elastomer strip material, transfer of chip-like material, transportation to compression molding machine,
Furthermore, loading the material into the loading section and collecting the molded products can be performed automatically without human intervention, making it possible to fully automate the molding of elastomer molded products. Also,
Even if the elastomer material is adhesive like EPDM, large-scale equipment such as a cold storage room is not required, and a cooling water tank equipped with a simple cooler is sufficient.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view showing an example of automatic molding equipment for elastomer molded products of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial sectional front view showing an example of the cutting means of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of an example of the cutting means of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example, FIG. 4 is an end view taken along the line -- in FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing an example of molding equipment. 1a... Band-shaped material, 1b... Chip-shaped material, 3
...Material cutting means, 4...Material conveying means, 5...
(transfer) molding machine, 7... pot (material loading section), 9... material loading means, 10... traveling means,
15...scissors, 16...forced feed roller, 17...
Material receiving chute, 31...Material feeding hose, 3
5... Blower, 36... Molded product conveyance duct, 41
... Loading chute, 43 ... Drive member, 45 ...
Pinion, 46...Rack, 85... Molded product receiving chute.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A group of molding machines in which a plurality of molding machines are arranged in parallel, each of which is equipped with a jig for taking out a molded product; a material cutting means for cutting an elastomer strip material to obtain a chip-like material; A material conveying means for conveying the material to a molding machine, a loading means for loading the conveyed chip-like material into a material loading section of the molding machine, and a traveling means for traveling and stopping the loading means to the molding machine in an open state. a material automatic supply device, a molded product receiving chute disposed at the molded product falling position of the take-out jig of each of the molding machines, a conveyance duct that communicates each of the receiving chute, and a connection to the base side of the conveyance duct. an automatic molded product collection device comprising a blower, the material cutting means comprising forcibly driven scissors, and a forced feed roller and a material receiving chute disposed above and below the scissors, respectively. The material conveying means includes a material feeding hose connected to the material receiving chute and a blower connected to the feeding side end of the material feeding hose, and the material loading means includes a material feeding hose connected to the material receiving chute. a loading chute rotatably connected to the delivery end of the
An automatic molding equipment for elastomer molded products, comprising: a drive member that forcibly rotates the loading chute by a predetermined angle.