JPH0533655B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically taking out and aligning molded products in in-mold foam molding.

"Prior art and problems" Conventionally, pre-expanded polystyrene beads (hereinafter referred to as "pre-expanded beads") are filled into a mold, heated,
So-called in-mold foam molding, in which the molded body is removed from the mold after fusion and cooling, has been carried out fully automatically.
Furthermore, in recent years, in-mold foam molding using pre-expanded beads of polyolefin resins such as foamed polyethylene and foamed polypropylene has become popular using fully automatic molding machines.

In-mold styrene foam is widely used as cushioning materials for home appliances, fish boxes, vegetable boxes, etc. The in-mold foam molding machine (hereinafter referred to as molding machine) is designed to perform automatic molding, and therefore can be operated unattended except by a supervisor.

However, the reality is that the molded products taken out of the mold (generally allowed to fall naturally under the molding machine using protruding pins, etc.) are collected and lined up manually. There are problems in terms of efficiency.

On the other hand, attempts have been made to use industrial robots to take out and align these molded products, but
It can be applied to a wide variety of molded products, it costs too much compared to manual labor, and unlike injection molding machines, in-mold foam molding machines use water and steam, so there are problems with the durability and maintenance of the robot. Due to various reasons, it has not yet been put into practical use.

"Means for Solving the Problems" The present invention was developed as a result of intensive research in view of the above circumstances.
The object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for automatically taking out and aligning in-mold foamed products from molds, which can solve these problems all at once.

That is, the first aspect of the present invention is a method for taking out and arranging molded products from an in-mold foam molding machine. The molded product is moved to a fixed mold, the molded product is adsorbed and released, and then the molded product is housed. A method for automatically taking out and arranging foamed molded articles, which comprises moving the molded articles into a magazine rack provided with a means to prevent the foamed articles from returning, and then releasing the vacuum suction and arranging the molded articles in the magazine rack. The second aspect of the present invention is a stationary mold and a movable mold, each of which is provided with a means for holding the molded body therein and preventing backlash, which is comprised of flocking made at right angles or acute angles to the housing direction of the molded body. , a magazine rack for arranging and accommodating the molded bodies, and a vacuum suction device for vacuum suctioning the molded bodies, the vacuum suction device having one on at least one side.
equipped with more than one suction part and connected to a vacuum device,
The subject matter is an automatic take-out and alignment device for a foam molding machine, characterized in that it is configured to be movable at least vertically or horizontally.

To explain the embodiment of the present invention based on the drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the vacuum suction device enters the molding machine from below and adsorbs the molded product after molding is completed and the mold is opened. .

In the figure, 1 is a stationary mold, 2 is a movable mold, 3 is a molded body, and 4 is a vacuum suction device. The vacuum suction device 4 has a funnel-shaped suction part 5 protruding from one surface, is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) through a tube 6, and is moved by a cylinder or the like at least vertically or horizontally, preferably front and back. It is also constructed so that it can move. The molded body 3 is the suction part 5
is vacuum-adsorbed.

FIG. 2 shows the vacuum suction device 4, in which the suction unit 5 has vacuum-suctioned the molded article 3 and released it from the stationary mold 1, and has moved downward and returned to its original position.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the vacuum suction device 4 is moved to the magazine rack 6 while holding the compact 3 by suction, and the compact 3 is pushed into the magazine rack 6. 4
The vacuum is released, the pressure is returned to atmospheric pressure, and the molded body 3 is separated from the adsorption section 5.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the vacuum suction device 4, in which suction part mounting holes 7 are arranged at appropriate intervals, and suction force sufficient to suction and hold the molded body depending on the desired size of the molded body can be obtained. An appropriate number of suction parts 5 are attached so that the Mounting hole 7 where no suction part is attached is blinded by a plug (not shown)
is being done. The adhesion part of the funnel-shaped part at the tip of the suction part 5 to the molded body is made of a soft material such as soft PVC, polyurethane, rubber, etc., or by bonding a soft material to it, the vacuum suction of the molded body is ensured and facilitated. be able to.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a magazine rack used in the present invention, in which two partition plates 9, 9 are erected on a horizontal shelf board 8 at a distance approximately equal to the width of the molded body. At least one of the partition plates 9, 9 is configured so that it can be adjusted appropriately according to the size of the molded body by a partition plate adjustment device 10. In addition, the inside of the magazine rack is designed to hold the molded products stored therein so that they do not fall over and to prevent them from rolling back. The flocked hair 11 is placed at a right angle or an acute angle, that is, toward the back, and by having such a structure,
The molded products are guided only in the inner direction by the flocking 11, and do not go back toward the entrance or fall toward the entrance, and the efficiency of the alignment work can be further improved.

In the present invention, in order to leave the molded article in the mold on the side to be fixed and to easily adsorb and release it from the mold using a vacuum suction device, the mold on the side to be fixed is substantially flat, and the mold on the opposite side is It is desirable that the mold be concave (back facing mold).

"Operations and Effects" As described above, according to the present invention, the molded products are automatically and continuously taken out in the order in which they were molded and arranged in the magazine rack, which is much more effective than the conventional manual method. Not only is it possible to save a lot of labor, but also in terms of quality control, trends for each molding shot can be grasped, and the efficiency of counting and packaging work is also greatly facilitated.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 are schematic diagrams showing embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the molded product is vacuum-adsorbed by a vacuum suction device after molding is completed and the mold is opened;
The figure shows the vacuum suction device that released the compact from the mold and held it by suction, moving downward, and Figure 3 shows the vacuum suction device moving to the magazine rack while still holding the compact by suction. The molded body is shown pushed into the magazine rack. Fourth
The figure is a front view showing an example of a vacuum suction device, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view (partial) showing an example of a magazine rack. 1... Fixed side mold, 2... Moving side mold, 3...
Molded object, 4... Vacuum adsorption device, 5... Adsorption part, 6
...Magazine rack, 7...Adsorption part mounting hole,
8... Horizontal shelf board, 9... Partition plate, 10... Partition plate adjustment device, 11... Flocking.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A method for taking out and arranging molded bodies from a mold in an in-mold foam molding machine, in which a molded body is fixed by a vacuum suction device having one or more suction parts immediately after the mold is opened. Inside a magazine rack that holds the molded body and is equipped with a means for preventing backlash consisting of flocking perpendicular or at an acute angle to the direction in which the molded body is housed. 1. A method for automatically taking out and arranging foamed molded articles, which comprises moving the molded articles to a magazine rack, releasing the vacuum suction, and arranging the molded articles in the magazine rack. 2. A stationary mold and a movable mold, which hold the molded object inside and are equipped with a means to prevent backlash consisting of flocking perpendicular or acute angle to the storage direction of the molded object, are arranged and stored. The vacuum suction device is equipped with one or more suction parts on at least one side and is connected to a vacuum device, and has at least one upper and lower or An automatic take-out and alignment device for a foam molding machine, characterized in that it is configured to be movable left and right. 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the mold to which the molded body is fixed has a substantially flat surface, and the opposing mold has a concave surface.