U.S. patent number 3,765,640 [Application Number 05/275,247] was granted by the patent office on 1973-10-16 for semi-automatic dynamically balanced gravity casting machine.
Invention is credited to Louis Saccoccio.
United States Patent |
3,765,640 |
Saccoccio |
October 16, 1973 |
SEMI-AUTOMATIC DYNAMICALLY BALANCED GRAVITY CASTING MACHINE
Abstract
The machine is designed to handle brass molds of the type
heretofore operated by hand. A flat rectangular base is provided
with end walls which are pivotally mounted so that the machine is
dynamically balanced to easily pivot the machine with little
effort. A pair of rectangular plates are mounted on edge with
opposed faces. One plate is fixed and the other plate is movable.
One half of a mold is mounted on each plate face. The plates are
water cooled to cool the mold elements mounted thereon. A pneumatic
cylinder is provided with a piston rod which operates the movable
plate. The cylinder is controlled by a manually operable valve
toward the front of the base. By moving the valve handle, the
operator can move the movable plate toward the fixed plate to close
the mold. Movement in the opposite direction will open the mold. In
closed position, the operator ladles molten metal into the mold
gate at the top to fill the mold and gate. The control handle is
grasped and the operator lifts the handle causing the entire
machine to pivot and tilt 90.degree.. This dumps the excess molten
metal from the mold gate. The machine is pivoted back to horizontal
and the mold is opened. An auxilary plate is slidable mounted
behind the movable plate and carries a plurality of knockout pins
which are designed to enter openings in the movable plate and mold.
The pin plate is held in withdrawn position by springs when the
mold is closed. However, when the mold is opened, the movable plate
backs into the pin plate to cause the pins to dislodge the molded
article from the mold.
Inventors: |
Saccoccio; Louis (Cranston,
RI) |
Family
ID: |
23051471 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/275,247 |
Filed: |
July 26, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
249/68; 249/137;
249/161 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B22D
15/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B22D
15/00 (20060101); B22D 15/04 (20060101); B22d
033/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;249/68,137,161 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Baldwin; Robert D.
Claims
I claim:
1. A mold machine comprising spaced vertical supports, a bearing
mounted on each support, a rectangular base having vertical end
portions, a pivot pin extending laterally from each end portion
into each of said bearings to pivotally suspend said base, a fixed
plate mounted on said base, a movable plate on said base slidable
toward and away from said fixed plate, a mold having one part
mounted on said fixed plate and the other part mounted on said
movable plate, means for moving said movable plate toward said
fixed plate to close said mold and for moving said movable plate
away from said fixed plate to open said mold, said means comprising
a pneumatic cylinder mounted on said base, a piston rod extending
from said cylinder and attached to said movable plate, a control
valve mounted at the front of said base for controlling said
cylinder, and a manually operable handle extending from said valve,
said machine being dynamically balanced between said support
bearings, said mold having an upper gate for filling said mold with
molten metal, said machine being pivotable 90.degree. to dump the
excess metal from said gate, whereby said dynamically balanced
machine may be pivoted by manually pushing on said control
handle.
2. A mold machine as in claim 1, wherein said fixed and movable
plates are provided with circuitous channels therethrough, and
means for circulating cooling water through the channels.
3. A mold machine as in claim 1, wherein said mold is provided with
means for limiting the pivoting action of said machine to
90.degree..
4. A mold machine as in claim 1, wherein said movable plate and
mold are provided with knockout openings, knockout pins adapted to
enter said openings to dislodge the article being molded, and means
for pushing said pins into said openings on opening of said mold,
said means including an auxiliary plate mounted behind said movable
plate, said knockout pins extending from said auxiliary plate, a
plurality of spings to withdraw said auxiliary plate and pins from
said movable plate when said mold is in closed position, and a stop
member for limiting the rearward movement of said auxiliary plate
and push said pins into said movable plate and mold when said mold
is being opened.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Brass molds for comparatively small articles molded with "sludge"
metal are usually operated by hand. The two mold parts are locked
together and held by a handle, usually of thick wood, in a pouring
position with one hand. The other hand is used to ladle the hot
melt into the gate of the mold. The mold handle is then used to
lift the mold to a suitable position over a receptacle and then
twist to invert the mold and dump the excess metal from the gate. A
tool is now inserted to pry the mold parts apart and remove the
molded article. If the mold is a little large and heavy, the
operator must work slowly with frequent rests. Often, a larger mold
requires the use of two hands for lifting and twisting.
The entire process is slow and tedious. It is extremely tiring so
that an operator cannot work at any great production speeds. In
molding small articles such as belt buckles, the mold is small and
can be readily handled in the conventional manner. However, the
larger molds are heavy and clumsy to handle and are the subject of
the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The machine of the present invention is designed for the effortless
handling of the larger, heavier molds, permitting faster operation
over extended periods without tiring the operator. First of all,
the entire unit is mounted on a base which is dynamically pivotally
mounted so that the entire machine can be pivoted through a
90.degree. turn with little effort.
A pair of water cooled plates are mounted with a mold part on each
plate in opposed relation one to the other. One plate is fixed and
the other plate is horizontally movable toward and away from the
fixed plate. A pneumatic cylinder is used to operate the movable
plate. A control valve is provided with an extending handle which
can be moved horizontally to operate the valve and cylinder. With
the molds in closed position, the operator ladles the molten metal
into the gate of the mold, filling the mold and gate. The operator
then lifts the handle causing the entire machine to pivot through
90.degree. away from the operator, dumping the excess metal from
the mold gate. The metal within the mold is almost instantly
solidified by the cooling action of the water cooled plates on
which the molds are mounted. The operator now tilts the machine
back to the horizontal and actuates the valve to open the mold by
sliding the movable plate away from the fixed plate. Knockout pins
are so positioned that when the mold is opened the pins enter the
movable plate to help separate the mold parts and remove the
article being molded.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings,
FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a mold machine embodying my present
invention with the mold in closed position;
FIG. 2 is an end view of the same taken from the left end in FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is a front elevation as in FIG. 1 with the mold in open
position;
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the machine tilted
90.degree. ;
FIG. 5 is a section through the closed mold showing the position of
the molten metal in the cavity and gate;
FIG. 6 is a view as in FIG. 5 with the machine in tilted position
emptying the mold gate; and
FIG. 7 is a section through one of the plates showing the
circulation of the cooling water.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a suitable support (not shown) is
provided with spaced vertical blocks 10 and 11. Mounted on each
supporting block is a bearing support 12 having an adjustable
bearing 13 mounted thereon. The machine is mounted on a rectangular
base 14 having vertical end plates 15 at each end. A pivot pin 16
extends from each plate 15 and into the bearing 13 to pivotally
suspend the base 14 from the bearings 13.
Now viewing the right position of the base 14 in FIGS. 1 and 3, I
provide a vertically positioned plate 17 mounted in a fixed
position transversely of the base 14. The plate 17 is braced by a
plate 18 mounted between the plates 17 and the adjacent end plate
15 at right angles to both plates. The plate 17 is provided with a
circuitous channel or opening 19, see FIG. 7, having a lower inlet
at 20 and an upper outlet at 21 for the circulation of cold water
to cool the plate 17.
Mounted on the left face, FIG. 1, of the plate 17, is one half 22
of a brass mold. The mold 22 is provided with a conventional mold
cavity 23 and gate 24, see FIGS. 5 and 6. At the left of the base
14, FIG. 1, a vertical supporting plate 25 is rigidly braced by a
plate 26 similar to the plate 18 at the other end and positioned
between the plate 25 and the adjacent end plate 15.
Horizontally mounted on the plate 25 is a pneumatic cylinder 27
controlled by a manually operable valve 28. The pneumatic power
supply enters the valve 28 through line 29 and is distributed to
the rear of the cylinder 27 through the line 30 and to the front
through the line 31. The control handle 32 is horizontally movable
to actuate the valve and cylinder and move the piston rod 33 to the
right or left.
The plate 17 is provided with four pins 34, one adjacent each
corner, which extend at right angles to the left in FIG. 1. A plate
35 is slidably mounted on the pins 34 for movement toward or away
from the plate 17. The plate 35 is also circulated with a cooling
water system in the same manner as the plate 17 as shown in FIG. 7.
Water enters the lower inlet 36 and leaves at the upper outlet 37.
The other half 38 of the brass mold is mounted on the plate 35
opposed to the half 22. The plate 35 is a movable plate and is
coupled to the piston rod 33 for reciprocating therewith.
Now viewing FIGS. 1 and 3, the plate 35 and mold section 38 are
provided with a plurality of horizontal openings 39 in which the
knockout pins 40 are slidable. The pins 40 are mounted on a plate
41 also slidable on the pins 34. The plate 41 is normally pulled to
the left, FIGS. 1 and 3, by a plurality of springs 42 extending
from the plate 41 to the fixed plate 25. A stop member 43 mounted
on the piston rod 33 limits the movement of the plate 41 to the
left. Extending horizontally from the plate 25 are a plurality of
knockout rods 44.
Now, with the parts assembled as hereinabove described, the
operator moves the handle 32 to the right. This causes the piston
rod 33 to move the plate 35 to the right closing the mold parts 22
and 38. Note that in this position, FIG. 1, the plate 41 is drawn
away from the plate 35 and the knockout pins 40 are withdrawn.
The operator now ladles molten metal into the mold gate 24, see
FIG. 5, filling the mold cavity 23 and the gate 24. The cooling
effect of the water circulating through the plates 17 and 35 causes
the metal to quickly solidify within the mold but to remain molten
because of the bulky quantity at the gate. The operator now grasps
the handle 32 and pulls vertically so that the entire machine
pivots 90.degree. from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position
shown in FIG. 4. This dumps the molten metal from the gate 24 into
any suitable receptacle. The excess metal in the gate is thus
quickly removed. The back of the machine is provided with a stop
plate 45 extending vertically from the base 14. As the base is
pivoted by the operator, the plate 45 will contact the top portion
46 of the support (not shown) to limit the turning movement of the
machine to 90.degree. as shown in FIG. 4.
The operator now swings the machine back to the horizontal position
shown in FIG. 2 and moves the handle 32 to the left. The piston
moves to the left, carrying the plate 35 and opening the mold. The
plate 41 contacts the rods 44 in its rearward movement thus holding
the plate 41 against the action of the springs 42. As the plate 35
moves to the left, the pins 40 slide into the openings 39 to knock
the molded article from the mold.
The operator now again closes the mold and repeats the entire
operation. The movement of the mold parts is completely controlled
by the operator at the handle 32. The tilting of the machine
requires little effort in view of the dynamic balancing of the
machine. Thus the operator can keep up a steady production pace
with a larger mold without tiring. The manual handling of the mold
has been eliminated.
The device is simple in construction and can be easily modified to
allow for any size and shape of mold. Other advantages of the
present invention will be readily apparent to a person skilled in
the art.
* * * * *