EP0040570A1 - Machine for the manufacture of moulded products, particularly of concrete - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A machine for manufacturing molded products, made more especially from concrete, of the type comprising a molding assembly (3) mounted for pivoting about a horizontal axis (2), this assembly comprising at least one mold (4) and a counterweight (16) ; means for causing the molding assembly to pivot between a horizontal loading position in which the mold is turned upwardly and a horizontal unloading position in which the mold is turned downwardly ; means (18) for maintaining, during pivoting of the molding assembly, a stripping plate (25) against the product contained in the mold ; and means (28) for receiving the stripping plate with a molded product resting thereon, these means being situated under the molding assembly when this latter is in its unloading position ; characterized in that the reception means (28) are provided for lowering and placing the stripping plate (25) on the front section of a discharge track (14) in the path of ejection means (35) moveable alternately along said front section under the control of the counterweight (16) to which they are connected by a mechanical junction (39), the ejection means being downstream of the front section of the discharge track when the molding assembly (3) is in its loading position and upstream of said front section when the molding assembly is in its unloading position.

Description

The present invention relates to a machine for manufacturing molded products, in particular concrete.

The machines for the industrial manufacture of molded concrete products are currently all designed for the production of very large series. They often have very large dimensions and generally require the construction of special workshops for their installation. They are also very expensive, both for purchase and maintenance.

Nowadays, small and medium-sized businesses can. it is difficult to envisage the acquisition of these machines which are unsuitable for multi-purpose manufacturing and short series and which represent such an important investment that their purchase risks upsetting the commercial and financial structure of the company.

The present invention proposes to remedy these drawbacks and, to do this, it relates to a machine which is characterized in that it comprises on the same frame: a molding assembly comprising at least one mold; means for pivoting the molding assembly between a loading position in which the mold is turned upwards and an unloading position in which the mold is turned downwards; means for holding, during the pivoting of the molding assembly, a mold release plate against the product contained in the mold; an evacuation route, the front section of which is in the zone situated under the molding assembly when the latter is in the unloading position; means for lowering the demolding plate with the molded product and depositing it on the discharge path, these means coming into action when the molding assembly is in its unloading position; and, ejection means for pushing the plate along the evacuation path, these means being movable parallel to the evacuation path, between an advanced position in which they are downstream of the anterior section of the evacuation path evacuation when the molding assembly is in its loading position and a retracted position in which they are upstream of said anterior section when the molding assembly is in its unloading position.

This machine has a space-saving structure and can therefore be installed in an already existing manufacturing workshop. Its movements are also continuous and linked, which allows high production rates. It is also suitable for versatile manufacturing and small series, the molds it uses can be installed quickly and with a limited number of settings. Finally, its purchase and maintenance cost is low, so that small and medium-sized businesses can acquire it without significantly disrupting their financial situation.

Preferably, the molding assembly is pivotally mounted around an axis along one of its lateral faces. It thus suffices it to a li- b _e limited space for movement between its positions of loading and unloading. It is also closely associated with the evacuation route, which makes it possible to produce the machine with a compact and space-saving structure.

Advantageously; the molding assembly extends horizontally when it is in its loading and unloading positions, which are located on either side of its pivot axis and offset by 180 ° relative to the other..

The filling of where the molds can thus be carried out automatically, for example from a hopper situated above the molding assembly when the latter is in the loading position. Similarly, demolding can be carried out at its turn automatically since the molding assembly is completely returned when it is in its unloading position.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the molding assembly comprises a counterweight mounted at the free end of a support fixed on its lateral face which is bordered by its pivot axis, this counterweight having an elongated body and extending perpendicular to said pivot axis.

It is easy to see that the counterweight facilitates pivoting of the molding assembly and that it allows the use of means which, to control this pivoting, can be of low power. Energy consumption can therefore be reduced significantly.

According to the embodiment mentioned above, the means for holding the release plate are moreover constituted by an arm articulated on the support of the counterweight, and by a jack for moving the arm between an active position in which it presses against the plate and an inactive position in which it is distant from the plate, the jack bearing on the counterweight.

Maintaining the plate against the product contained in the mold can thus be ensured in a simple and safe manner. It suffices in fact to actuate the jack so that the arm firmly immobilizes this plate against the molded product and therefore prevents the latter from accidentally escaping from the mold during the pivoting of the molding assembly.

As for the evacuation route, it consists of longitudinal members supporting rollers, these longitudinal members extending perpendicular to the pivot axis of the molding assembly and providing between them a sufficiently wide interval to allow passage to the counterweight during pivoting of the molding assembly.

On the other hand, the means for lowering the demolding plate consist of two horizontal knives carried by vertically displaceable supports, these knives being situated in planes parallel to those of the longitudinal members of the evacuation route and being movable between a high position in which they are in contact with the plate when the molding assembly is in its unloading position and a low position in which they are at a height lower than that of the rollers.

It suffices of course to vary the height of the supports progressively so that the extraction of the product from the mold and the removal of the demoulding plate on the evacuation route are carried out gently. This operation could for example be carried out simply by means of a jack or a counterbalance balancing system.

Finally, the ejection means are constituted by two parallel arms which can be moved alternately along the anterior section of the evacuation route and carrying at their rear end a cleat rising above the rollers.

Thus, when the ejection means move from their retracted position to their advanced position, the tabs can come to bear against the upstream transverse side of the release plate in order to drive the latter along the track d 'evacuation.

Preferably, the two arms are provided with rollers resting on guide rails parallel to the longitudinal members and providing between them a sufficiently wide interval. To allow passage to the counterweight during the pivoting of the molding assembly, these two arms being articulated each in the vicinity of their cleat on a link arm itself articulated on the counterweight.

The control of the ejection means, which is here provided by means of the counterweight, is therefore always synchronized with the pivoting of the molding assembly.

• - la figure 1 est une vue en élévation d'une machine conforme à l'invention, l'ensemble de moulage de cette machine étant en position de chargement tandis qu'une plaque de démoulage est maintenue contre le produit se trou- . vant dans le moule ;
• - la figure 2 est une vue en coupe effectuée selon la ligne II-II de la figure 1 ;
• - la figure 3 est une vue en élévation de la machine visible sur la figure 1 mais dont l'ensemble de moulage vient de parvenir dans sa position de déchargement ;
• - la figure 4 est une vue analogue à la figure 3 mais représentant la plaque de démoulage après sa descente sur la voie d'évacuation ; et
• - la figure 5 représente la machine alors que son ensemble de moulage retourne à sa position de chargement.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below by way of nonlimiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• - Figure 1 is an elevational view of a machine according to the invention, the molding assembly of this machine being in the loading position while a release plate is held against the product is. in the mold;
• - Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of Figure 1;
• - Figure 3 is an elevational view of the machine visible in Figure 1 but whose molding assembly has just arrived in its position unloading;
• - Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the release plate after its descent on the evacuation route; and
• - Figure 5 shows the machine while its molding assembly returns to its loading position.

The machine that can be seen in the drawings is designed for the production of molded reinforced concrete products or not and is more particularly intended for the manufacture of elements for fences such as posts and plates. It comprises a frame consisting essentially of vertical uprights 1a, 1b, 1c arranged in two parallel rows and facing two by two. The uprights 1b are located substantially equidistant from the uprights 1a and 1c and are provided at their upper part with bearings (not shown) on which the ends of a horizontal shaft 2 are connected in a manner known per se to the 'output shaft of an electric or other motor intended to rotate it alternately 180 ° in each direction. The shaft 2 is fixed along one of the side faces of a molding assembly 3 and allows the latter to pivot between a loading position (visible in FIG. 1) in which it rests on the uprights 1a and an unloading position (visible in Figures 3 and 4) in which it is completely turned over and rests on the uprights 1c.

The molding assembly comprises a mold 4 fixed on a vibrating plate 5 carrying a vibrator 6 on its underside, this plate resting on a chassis 7 by means of silent-blocks 8.

When the molding assembly is in its loading position, it extends horizontally and rests on the uprights 1a which are connected at their upper part by crosspieces not visible in the drawings for the sake of clarity thereof. Its mold 4 is then turned upwards and is located below a concrete hopper 10 provided with a retractable hatch 11 closing off its outlet 12.

When the molding assembly is in its unloading position, it still extends horizontally but rests on the uprights 1c by means of two other lugs 13 projecting from the longitudinal faces of its vibrating plate 5. In this case, its mold is turned downwards and overhangs the anterior section of an evacuation route 14 which will be described below.

On its lateral face which is bordered by the shaft 2, the molding assembly carries a support 15 at the free end of which is fixed an elongate counterweight 16. This is perpendicular to the support 15 which is itself perpendicular to the aforementioned side face of the molding assembly.

The support 15 serves as a base for two parallel plates 17 on which is articulated the small branch of an L-shaped arm 18, the axis of articulation tion 19 of this branch being parallel to the shaft 2 and slightly higher than the latter when the molding assembly is in its loading position. In the vicinity of its free end, the small branch of the arm 18 is articulated on the rod 20 of a jack 21 whose cylinder 22 is articulated in turn on a yoke fixed to the upper end of the counterweight. When the jack 21 is actuated, the arm 18 can thus pivot around the axis 19 between an active position (shown in solid lines in FIG. 1) in which its large branch projects above the molding assembly , parallel to the mold 4, and an inactive position (shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1) in which its large branch is brought back above the support 15.

On the other hand, the large branch of the arm 18 carries on its face turned towards the molding assembly, studs 23 ending in rubber pads 24 intended to come to rest against a demoulding plate 25 which is put in place on the mold after pouring the concrete but before the molding assembly pivots towards its unloading position.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 2, it will also be noted that the evacuation path 14 is essentially constituted by four horizontal beams 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d carrying rollers 27 on their upper face. These beams, which are perpendicular to the shaft 2 and situated at the same height, are formed here by U-shaped profiles whose branches are turned towards the longitudinal axis of the track 14.

It should also be noted in Figure 2 that the beams 26b and 26c provide between them a central space large enough to allow passage to the counterweight 16 when the molding assembly pivots between its loading and unloading positions.

In the part of its frame located between the uprights. 1b and 1c, the machine comprises two horizontal knives 28 carried by vertical supports 29 slidably mounted in guide sleeves 30 fixed on the side members 26a and 26d. In the example shown, the supports 29 are connected at their lower end by a connecting bar 31 which is articulated on a connecting rod 32 pivotally mounted about an axis 33 provided on one of the uprights 1c. They are also vertically movable under the control of a jack 34. coupled to the connecting rod 32. Under the action of this jack, they can thus move alternately between a high position (visible in Figures 1, 3 and 5) in which they are likely to come into contact with the plate 25 when the molding assembly 3 is in its unloading position, and a low position (visible in FIG. 4) in which they are at a height lower than that of the rollers 27.

The machine according to the invention also includes ejection means 35 intended to push along the track 14 the plates 25 on which the molded products rest. These means can be moved parallel to the track 14, between an advanced position (visible in FIG. 1) in which they are downstream from the anterior section of the track 14 when the molding assembly 3 is in its loading position, and a retracted position (visible in Figures 3 and 4) in which they are upstream of said section when the molding assembly is dans.sa unloading position.

In the example shown in the drawings, the ejection means consist of two braced arms 36 forming a carriage provided with rollers 37 cooperating with the wings of the side members 26b and 26c and a rear cleat 38 rising above the rollers 27 of the track 14. These arms are each articulated on a bent link arm 39 itself articulated at the upper part of the counterweight 16..We can easily imagine that the two link arms 39 allow the arms 36 to move alternately along the front section of the track 14 during the pivoting of the molding assembly between its loading and unloading positions.

Referring in particular to FIG. 2, it will be noted that the two link arms 39 are articulated on the counterweight 16 at the ends of a crosspiece 40 fixed on the latter.

The operation of the machine according to the invention will be described below on the assumption that at the start the molding assembly 3 is in its loading position and that the arm 18 is in its position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1.

First, the hatch 11 of the concrete hopper is opened in order to pour into the mold 4 the quantity of concrete necessary for the production of a product to be produced. This quantity can be determined automatically by means of a conventional dosing device.

If the product to be manufactured must include a reinforcement, this is. of course placed in the mold before the hatch 11 opens.

The vibrator 6 is then actuated in order to distribute the concrete uniformly in the mold and to avoid the formation of internal defects in the molded product. A timer can be provided to control the shutdown of the vibrator. When the concrete is properly vibrated, we float the upper face of the molded product and a mold release plate 25 is placed on the mold 4.

The actuator 21 is then actuated so that the arm 18 comes into its active position and firmly holds the plate 25. against the mold 4.

The motor which is engaged with the shaft 2 is now actuated so that the molding assembly 3 comes into its unloading position visi ble in Figure 3. During the pivoting of the molding assembly, the counterweight 16 comes between the uprights 1b and 1a while the ejection means move from their advanced position visible in Figure 1 to their retracted position visible on Figure 3.

When the molding assembly is immobilized on the uprights 1c, the jack 21 is actuated so as to move the arm 18 from the board 25 as well as the jack 34 to lower the knives 28.

While they come in their low position, these then allow the product contained in the mold to be removed from the mold and the plate 25 to be lowered onto the front section of the track 14, as shown in FIG. 4.

The motor which is engaged with the shaft 2 is now actuated in the opposite direction, which allows the molding assembly to return to its loading position and the tabs 38 to push the plate 25 on which the molded product rests , slightly downstream of the uprights. 1c. Referring to FIG. 5, it will be noted that the ejection means 35 reach their advanced position before the counterweight 16 returns between the uprights 1b and 1c. The risks of the board 25 being struck by the counterweight are therefore completely avoided.

Finally, actuator 34 is actuated to return the knives 28 to their high position.

The machine is therefore ready to describe another operating cycle during which a new product can be produced.

It goes without saying that all the functions described above can be automated.

Claims (6)

1. Machine for manufacturing molded products, in particular concrete, of the type comprising a molding assembly mounted to pivot about a fixed horizontal axis along one of its lateral faces, this assembly comprising at least one mold and one counterweight mounted at the free end of a support projecting from its lateral face which is bordered by the horizontal axis; means for pivoting the molding assembly between a horizontal loading position in which the mold is turned upwards and a horizontal unloading position in which the mold is turned down; means for holding, during the pivoting of the molding assembly, a mold release plate against the product contained in the mold; means for lowering the mold release plate with the molded product resting thereon, these means being actuated when the molding assembly is in its unloading position; and ejection means displaceable in translation to push the lowered plate along an evacuation path, characterized in that the means for holding the demolding plate (25) against the product contained in the mold (4) are constituted by an L-shaped arm (18) articulated on the support (17) of the counterweight (16) and capable of pivoting, under the control of a jack (21) bearing on the counterweight, between an active position in which it s 'presses against the plate and an inactive position in which it is distant from the plate. 2. Machine for manufacturing molded products, in particular concrete, of the type comprising a molding assembly mounted to pivot about a fixed horizontal axis along one of its lateral faces, this assembly comprising at least one mold and one counterweight mounted at the free end of a support projecting from its lateral face which is bordered by the horizontal axis; means for pivoting the molding assembly between a horizontal loading position in which the mold is turned upwards and a horizontal unloading position in which the mold is turned down; means for holding, during the pivoting of the molding assembly, a mold release plate against the product contained in the mold; means for lowering the mold release plate with the molded product resting thereon, these means being actuated when the molding assembly is in its unloading position; and ejection means displaceable in translation to push the lowered plate along an evacuation route, characterized in that the evacuation route (14) comprises a front section advancing in the zone situated under the molding assembly (3) when it is in its unloading position, and is constituted by horizontal beams (26a, 26b, 26c, 26d) extending perpendicularly ment to the pivot axis (2) of the molding assembly, these longitudinal members carrying rollers (27) on their upper face and delimiting between them a space large enough to allow passage to the counterweight (16) during pivoting of the molding assembly. 3. Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the means for lowering the release plate (25) consist of two horizontal knives (28) carried by vertical supports (29) passing between the side members (26a, 26b; 26c , 26d) of the front section of the evacuation path (14), these knives defining between them a space large enough to allow passage to the counterweight (16) during the pivoting of the molding assembly (3) and being vertically movable, when the latter is in its unloading position, from a high position in which they are in contact with the plate to a low position in which they are at a height less than that of the rollers (27) of the front section of the escape route. 4. Machine according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the ejection means (35) consist of two arms (36) movable parallel to the discharge path (14), between an advanced position in which they are downstream of the front section of the evacuation route when the molding unit (3) is in its loading position and a retracted position in which they are upstream of said front section when the molding unit is in its position unloading, these arms delimiting between them a space large enough to allow passage to the counterweight (16) during the pivoting of the molding assembly and each carrying at their rear end a cleat (38) rising above the rollers (27). 5. Machine according to claim 4, characterized in that each of the arms (36) is articulated in the vicinity of its cleat (38) on a bent arm (39) itself articulated on the counterweight (16). 6. Machine according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the two arms (36) are provided with rollers (37) resting on two longitudinal members (26b, 26c) of the evacuation path (14), these longitudinal members being constituted by two U-shaped profiles whose wings face each other respectively and constitute guide rails for the rollers (37).

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