GB2205067A - Feeding material to moulds - Google Patents

Abstract

A device 2 for feeding material to mould recesses (43) comprises a supply container (19) whose floor portion (35) has piston bores (49) and outlet nozzles (41) in communication therewith, and liftable and lowerable pistons (51) coupled to a lifting beam (22). The pistons (51) together with the piston bores (49) thus form adjustable metering devices (50). The pistons (51) are so connected to the beam (22) that they are situated entirely outside the bores (49) at the upper reversal point of their movement. The inlet opening (49') of each piston bore (49) is thus free for the unthrottled inflow of the material, which for example is a hard sugar composition. <IMAGE>

Description

POURING DEVICE The invention relates to a pouring device for the dosed pouring of flowable compositions, for example hard sugar compositions. It particularly, though not exclusively, relates to such a device which is arranged above a mould transport track in a moulding machine, with a supply container whose floor portion has piston bores and outlet nozzles in conductive communication therewith, with liftable and lowerable pistons which are connected to a lifting device, the pistons together with the piston bores forming metering devices.

Devices of this generic type are known; they serve to pour flowable compositions into mould recesses within confectionery moulding machines. In general they have a multiplicity of outlet nozzles which extend over the working breadth of the moulding machine and which are distributed in rows. The outlet nozzles correspond to the mould recesses which are also arranged in rows in pouring moulds. The pouring moulds are moved intermittently below the pouring device in synchronism with the machine and independently of the row spacing of their mould recesses, whereby each mould recess is filled with a predetermined amount of flowable composition.

Known pouring devices have a supply container in whose floor portion outlet nozzles are arranged in rows. The outlet nozzles are connected to the interior space of the supply container via metering devices. The metering devices comprise piston-cylinder units whose pistons are axially movably retained in a common lifting device and whose cylinders project in the manner of tubes out of the floor portion into the interior space of the container. Slits are arranged in the cylinders of the metering devices. With the aid of gravity the pouring composition passes through the slits into the cylinders and is subsequently forced out through the outlet nozzles by a corresponding piston movement.

In old confectionery moulding machines operating with low cycle speeds this pouring device operates completely satisfactorily. However, it is overstressed in modern high performance installations. In this connection it is notably disadvantageous that the pouring composition cannot run rapidly enough through the slits into the cylinder of the metering device.

Furthermore, in the case of highly viscous pouring compositions, such as hard sugar composition, high flow resistances occur due to the cylinders extending into the interior space of the supply container which also prevents a rapid filling of the cylinders. Thus at most only two pouring rows can be arranged adjacent one another. Since the pistons of the metering devices never leave their cylinders during their back and forth movement a further serious disadvantage results. Due to constant rubbing between the piston and cylinder wall sugar crystallizes out of the composition. This leads to increased wear and to difficulty of operation of the pouring device.

It is an object of the invention to attempt to eliminate the disadvantages mentioned above, for example in a pouring device of the type referred to, and to provide a robust, economical pouring device which is easy to operate in practice and which takes into account the requirements of high performance machines.

The applicants have found that progress towards meeting the above object can be achieved if, at the upper reversal point of their rising and falling movements, the pistons are situated wholly outside their piston bores and if the entire inlet opening of each piston bore is thus free for the on-throttled inflow of the flowable composition.

Thus, according to the present invention there is provided a pouring device for the dosed pouring of flowable compositions comprising a supply container whose floor portion has piston bores and outlet nozzles in communication therewith; liftable and lowerable pistons which are connected to a lifting device, the pistons together with the piston bores forming metering devices;and the pistons and bores being so arranged that at the upper reversal point of their rising and falling movement the pistons are situated wholly outside their respecive piston bores so that the entire inlet opening of each piston bore is free for substantially unthrottled inflow of the flowable composition.

Further features of the invention will be apparent from the description and from the claims in conjunction with the drawings.

The advantage achieved resides particularly in that, in devices embodying the present invention, the pistons of the metering devices completely leave their piston bores on the return stroke so that the completely unobstructed inlet openings of the piston bores allow an unthrottled inflow of the flowable composition.

Furthermore, the pistons outside the piston bore are constantly washed by fresh, flowable composition. In this manner, for example, a crystallizing out of sugar from flowable hard sugar composition, caused by continuous rubbing between piston and piston bore, is reliably prevented. Furthermore, the smooth, bathshaped construction of the floor portion renders possible and easy cleaning of the interior space of the container.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways and one specific embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a schematic front view of a moulding machine with the pouring device (shown in chain dotted lines) moved out laterally; and Fig. 2 shows a sectional view of the pouring device of fig 1 along the line II-II.

As may be seen in Fig. 1, the pouring device 2 of this embodiment is a component of a moulding machine 1 which is arranged above a mould transport track 3. The pouring device 2 is movably mounted on a horizontal guide 4 which is carried by two machine frames 5 and 6 of the moulding machine 1 and a lateral support 7.

Between the machine frames 5,6 extends the mould transport track 3 which supplies pouring moulds 8 to the pouring device 2 and takes them away from it. The mould transport track 3 is equipped with a left and a right slide guide 9,10 on which the pouring moulds 8 rest movably and which simultaneously guides the pouring moulds 8 laterally. The pouring moulds 8 receive a drive for their displacement from a left and a right transport chain 11,12 which act on the pouring moulds 8 with carriers arranged on them. The transport chains 11,12 are arranged in alignment below the slide guides 9,10 and are carried by chain guides 14,15. In the vicinity of the pouring device 2 the slide guides 9,10 are secured to lateral lifting devices 16,17 which have a common lifting drive 18.

The pouring device 2, which is illustrated in more detail in Fig. 2, has a supply container 19 which is secured to two lateral members 20,21 which are movably mounted on the horizontal guide 4. The upper ends of the lateral members 20,21 are constructed as pillarlike extensions and serve as vertical guides 20',21' for a lifting beam 22 which is arranged above the supply container 19 and parallel to it. Secured to the lateral members 20,21 are U-shaped bearing members 23,24 which rotatably receive a shaft 25 which extends parallel to the lifting beam 22 from one bearing member 23 to the other 24. A lever 26 on the right-hand side 28 and a bell crank 27 on the left-hand side 29 are rotationally fixedly mounted on the shaft 25. A downwardly pointing arm 30 of the bell crank 27 is coupled to a hydraulic cylinder 31 which is pivotally secured to the left-hand bearing member 23.A second arm 32 of the bell crank 27 is in alignment with the lever 26 and has, as does the lever 26, an elongate hole 33 at its front end 32'. Support rollers 34, which are secured at the end surfaces of the lifting beam 22, engage in these elongate holes 33. The substantially horizontal piston movements of the hydraulic cylinder 31 are thus diverted by the bell crank 27 and effect vertical rising and falling movements of the lifting beam 22 on its vertical guides 20',21'.

The supply container 2 itself comprises three main components: a floor portion 35, a funnel-shaped shaft 36 and a lid 37. The floor portion 35 and the shaft 36 have channels 35',36' through which a liquid heatcarrier flows. Furthermore, a common heat insulation 38 is provided on the exterior of both components. The floor portion 35, which is constructed in the shape of a bath on its upper side 39, and the shaft 36 are rigidly screwed together and sealed at their contact surfaces 35",36" by means of a peripheral seal 40. The lid 37 is releasably connected to the shaft 36 and has cut-outs 37' for filling and inserting the flowable composition. The floor portion 35 is equipped with a multiplicity of outlet nozzles 41 which are arranged on its underside 42 in rows in accordance with a predetermined pattern.These outlet nozzles 41 correpond during the pouring process with mould recesses 43 which are also arranged in rows and in accordance with the same pattern as the pouring moulds 8. The pouring device 2 shown in the exemplary embodiment has five rows 44,45,46,47,48 of outlet nozzles 41 which are arranged in the floor portion 35 at a row spacing d and which each extend over the entire working breadth d' of the moulding machine 1. The floor portion 35 also has piston bores 49 which are in conductive communication with the outlet nozzles 41. The piston bores 49 are open towards the bath-shaped upper surface 39 and are part of piston-cylinder units which serve as a metering device 50 for the outlet nozzles 41.The pistons 51 of the metering devices 50 are aligned in registry with the piston bores 49 and coaxial with them, axially movably guided and secured in the lifting beam 22 and additionally axially guided in guide bearings 52 which are arranged in the lid 37. The pistons 51 together with the lifting beam 22 perform rising and falling movements between an upper and a lower reversal point.

The pistons 51 are so secured in the lifting beam 22 that they completely expose the piston bores 49 when they are situated at the upper reversal point. For the purpose of accurate centring of the pistons 51 in the piston bores 49, principally in the inlet phase, both the inlet openings 49' of the piston bores 49 and also the lower ends 51' of the pistons 50 are provided with peripheral chamfers 53,54. Furthermore, the pistons 51 are equipped with disc-shaped stirring devices 55 which are strongly chamferred on their upper surfaces 55'.

The supply container 19 is filled with flowable composition from a main tank (not shown) via a composition line 56. Inserted in the composition line 56 is a magnetic valve (not shown) which selectively permits and stops the composition supply under the control of a level switch 57 arranged in the supply tank 19.

In operation, the pouring moulds 8 are supplied to the pouring device 2 at a cycle spacing of five d. As soon as five empty rows of mould recesses 43 are situated precisely beneath the five rows 44,45,46,47,48 of the outlet nozzles 41 the pouring mould 8 is lifted, filled and then lowered again to the transport level so that any pouring threads which may have resulted tear away.

The outlet nozzles 41 are preferably provided with nonreturn valves, thus a reduced pressure results in the piston bores 49 on the upward stroke of the pistons 51.

This effects a rapid, uniform filling of the piston bores 49. The amount pressed out by each metering device 50 can be individually varied by axial adjustment of the respective piston 51 in the lifting beam 22, whereby the depth of penetration of the piston 50 in its piston bore 49 is altered. On each rising or failing movement of the pistons 51 a stirring movement takes place simultaneously due to the stirring devices 55 arranged on the pistons 51. This guarantees a good mixing of the flowable composition so that it has overall uniform consistency and temperature.

For maintenance and test purposes the pouring device is movable on its horizontal guide 4 in an operative position laterally adjacent the moulding machine 1. A catching bath 58, which is secured between the righthand machine frame 6 and the lateral support 7, is provided for dripping flowable composition or washing medium.

Claims (4)

1. A pouring device for the dosed pouring of flowable compositions, comprising: a supply container whose floor portion has piston bores and outlet nozzles in communication therewith, liftable and lowerable pistons which are connected to a lifting device, the pistons together with the piston bores forming metering devices, and the pistons and bores being so arranged that at the upper reversal point of their rising and falling movement the pistons are situated wholly outside their respective piston bores so that the entire inlet opening of each piston bore is free for substantially unthrottled inflow of the flowable composition.

2. A pouring device as claimed in Claim 1, in which the supply container has a lid which is equipped with guide bearings for the axial guiding of the pistons.

3. A pouring device as claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2, in which the pistons are axially movably connected to the lifting device.

4. A pouring device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which each piston bore has a peripheral chamfer at its inlet opening.

4. A pouring device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which each piston bore has a peripheral chamfer at its inlet opening.

5. A pouring device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which each piston has a peripheral chamfer at its lower end.

6. A pouring device as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 5 when dependent upon Claim 2 in which the supply container is sealed with a closed lid and valves are arranged in the supply container, so that a predetermined conditioned atmosphere is produced and maintained in the free interior space above the composition.

7. A pouring device as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 5 when dependent upon Claim 2 in which the supply container is sealed with a closed lid which has seals which engage the pistons and their guide bearings in a gas tight manner, and valves being present in the upper portion of the supply container which connect the supply container to a pressurised air supply.

8. A pouring device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims in which stirring devices are provided in the supply container.

9. A pouring device as claimed in Claim 8, in which the stirring devices are thickened portions or constrictions on the pistons.

10. A pouring device as claimed in Claim 8, in which the stirring devices are discs which are secured on the pistons.

11. A pouring device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims arranged on a horizontal guide and movable on said guide into an inoperative position laterally adjacent a moulding machine.

12. A pouring device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims arranged on lateral, vertical guides and liftable on said guides into an inoperative position.

13. A moulding machine including a pouring device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims.

14. A pouring device substantially as specifically described with reference to the drawings.

15. A moulding machine substantially as specifically described with reference to the drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows CLAIMS 1. A pouring device for the dosed pouring of flowable compositions, comprising: a supply container whose floor portion has a plurality of generally cylindrical piston bores, each having an inlet opening at one end thereof and an outlet opening at the other, liftable and lowerable pistons connected to a lifting device, the pistons together with the piston bores forming metering devices, and the pistons and bores being so arranged that at the upper reversal point of their rising and falling movement the pistons are situated wholly outside their respective piston bores so that the entire inlet opening of each piston bore is free for substantially unthrottled inflow of the flowable composition.

2. A pouring device as claimed in Claim 1, in which the supply container has a lid which is equipped with guide bearings for the axial guiding of the pistons.

3. A pouring device as claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2, in which the pistons are axially movably connected to the lifting device.