JP2001138033A - Apparatus for pouring molten metal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a molten metal pouring apparatus which can pour a prescribed quantity of molten metal into a mold at a prescribed pouring speed with a simple constitution. SOLUTION: A cylinder part 7 in a molten metal feeding-out part 3 and a molten metal storing part 2a in a molten metal holding part 2 are connected with a flowing-in side passage 6, and when a shut-off valve 6c is opened, the molten metal can be made to flow quietly into the cylinder part 7 with the action of gravity. A spouting side passage 10 erected up from a communicating space 7a at the lower part of the cylinder part 7 is formed so as to extend downward through a position at higher than the molten metal surface level when the prescribed quantity of molten metal is made to flow in the cylinder. Then after closing the shut-off valve 6c, a piston body 8 pushed down at a prescribed speed with a driving device 9 and the prescribed quantity of molten metal is spouted from a spouting hole 10a.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a molten metal (molten metal).
Pouring device for pouring into a mold cavity.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In casting, a pouring method in which a molten metal is poured into a mold cavity by utilizing gravity acting on the molten metal is widely used. Then, the series of operations from extracting the molten metal from the ladle with a ladle and pouring it into the mold is replaced with automation by replacing conventional manual work with robot work.
Attempts have been made to save labor.

[0003]

According to the teaching in which the operation of a skilled worker is imitated by a robot, there is an advantage that individual differences among workers can be eliminated. However, the robot has a difficulty in the delicate tilting operation when tilting the ladle, and it is not possible to appropriately control the pouring speed and the pouring amount while watching the situation like a skilled worker. Also, in a system using a ladle, the exposed hot water surface is easily oxidized.

[0004] An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide a pouring apparatus capable of pouring a predetermined amount of molten metal at a predetermined speed into a mold.

[0005]

This problem is solved by a pouring device having the structure described in each of the claims. In the pouring device according to the first aspect, after the molten metal in the molten metal holding portion flows into the cylinder portion through the inflow side passage, the shutoff valve is closed, and subsequently, the molten metal is pushed out from the discharge port by the operation of the piston body. . At this time, by controlling the driving of the piston body by the driving means, the discharge amount and the discharge speed can be controlled. In this device, the piston body only performs the pushing operation, and is not for sucking the molten metal into the cylinder portion. Therefore, the pump structure is correspondingly simple and is suitable as a molten metal delivery mechanism.

It is preferable that the discharge-side passage is formed so as to extend downward at a molten metal level when a predetermined amount of molten metal flows into the cylinder, that is, at a position higher than the molten metal level of the molten metal holding part. With this configuration, the molten metal flowing into the cylinder portion stops at the same level as the molten metal surface level of the molten metal holding portion, so that there is no need to provide a valve on the discharge side. In addition, since it is not necessary to forcibly suck the molten metal into the cylinder portion, the structure is simple, a failure hardly occurs, and stable operation can be expected.

Further, in the pouring apparatus of the present invention, since the inside of the cylinder is maintained in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas by the gas supply means, it is possible to prevent the surface of the molten metal from being oxidized by contacting the atmosphere. Can be.

A pouring apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the pouring apparatus having the structure according to the first or second aspect, further comprising a melting means for melting the metal and a transfer means for sequentially transferring the mold. In addition, the entire apparatus can be configured compactly, and is suitable for constructing an automated system for performing a fixed-quantity pouring by installing the apparatus on a casting line. In addition, since the discharge amount can be easily and accurately controlled by controlling the driving of the piston body, it can flexibly cope with a casting line in which various types of molds are flown, which contributes to an improvement in productivity. it can.

The pouring device of claim 4 is characterized in that the cylinder is heated by the heating means. That is,
Since the temperature of the molten metal accommodated in the cylinder can be maintained, the quality of the molten metal is maintained.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front sectional view illustrating a pouring device, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. As shown in both figures, the pouring device 1 includes a molten metal holding unit 2 and a molten metal sending unit 3.
Are directly connected via a connecting portion having an inflow-side passage.

The molten metal holding portion 2 stores a predetermined amount of molten metal (molten metal) in a hot water storage container 2a formed mainly of an insulated refractory, and is provided with a flange 2c at an end of an outlet side passage 2b. Further, there is provided a degassing device 2d for removing gas in the molten metal to prevent casting defects. The hot water storage container 2a is lined with an appropriate material. In the case of this example, the molten metal holding section 2 is, for example, a melting furnace having a melting means of an induction heating method, and is capable of charging an ingot at an appropriate timing to maintain the molten metal level in the hot water storage container 2a substantially constant. It is equipped with an input means that can be used.

The molten metal delivery section 3 is composed of an outer cylinder 4 for keeping the temperature of the molten metal delivery section warm, and an inner cylinder 5 in the outer cylinder 4 which constitutes a cylinder of a piston pump for delivering the molten metal.
It is configured in a heavy cylindrical shape. A heat gas inlet 4a and an exhaust port 4b are provided in the outer cylinder 4 formed mainly of a heat insulating material, and the heat gas of the burner 4c as a heating means is provided.
Space (gas passage) 4d between both cylinders from hot gas inlet 4a
After heating the outer cylindrical body 4 and the inner cylindrical body 5 to be discharged from the exhaust port 4b.

In the inner cylinder 5, the inflow-side passage 6, the cylinder portion 7, and the discharge-side passage 10 are integrally formed. The distal end of the inflow-side passage 6 extends to the outside of the outer cylindrical body 4, and the inflow-side passage 6 and the outlet-side passage 2 b are connected by connecting the flange 6 a provided at the distal end to the flange 2 c. . The weir 6b and the shutoff valve 6c
Are provided to regulate the flow of hot water by the weir 6b and prevent the molten metal from entering the cylinder portion 7 to some extent.
The shut-off valve 6c has a structure in which the valve rod 6d is moved up and down by the cylinder mechanism 6e to open and close the communication hole 6f, so that it is difficult for the valve to break down.

The rear end side of the inflow-side passage 6 is connected to a communication space 7a which communicates with the cylinder portion 7 at a lower portion of the inner cylinder 5, and the vertical cylindrical cylinder portion 7 extending upward from the communication space 7a The piston body 8 is inserted, and the piston body 8 is connected via a rod 8a to a driving device 9 (also referred to as driving means), which will be described later, provided on an upper portion of the molten metal delivery section 3. In addition, it is preferable that the lower end surface of the piston body 8 is formed of a plurality of piston bush members, and the piston bush member is configured to be position-adjustable in a direction in which the piston diameter increases. That is, it is economical because the use time until the worn piston body 8 is replaced can be extended.

The discharge side passage 1 is provided in the communication space 7a.
0 is also connected. The discharge-side passage 10 rises from the lower portion of the inner cylinder 5 in a state where the discharge-side passage 10 communicates with the cylinder 7 via the communication space 7a. Is formed so as to extend downward through a position slightly higher than the level of the molten metal in the molten metal holding portion 2, and has a discharge port 10a at the tip. It should be noted that the molten metal sending section 3 may be integrally formed with the molten metal holding section (or melting furnace) described above. Then, the pouring system can be simplified and energy can be saved.

Next, the driving device 9 will be described.
The driving device 9 is a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the piston body 8 using a ball screw structure. That is, the rod 8a is a screw rod, and the lower end of the rod 8a is connected to the piston body 8 and the upper end is connected to the slide body 9a. The slide body 9a is formed so as to be able to move up and down along a guide rail 9b erected on the upper surface of the molten metal delivery section 3 while supporting the rod 8a so as not to rotate around the axis. On the other hand, a nut 9c screwed to the threaded rod of the rod 8a is rotatably supported by a support member 9d, and the nut 8c is rotated by a motor (servo motor) 9f via a belt 9e, so that the rod 8a It moves up and down with the body 8. The above-described lifting mechanism may employ a rack and pinion or an appropriate actuator other than the ball screw.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 6g denotes an inclined passage for returning the molten metal overflowing on the piston body 8 to the inflow side of the cylinder portion 7. The upper end surface (back surface) of the piston body 8 is inclined in the same direction as the inclined passage 6g so that the molten metal flows easily. That is, the level at which the inclined passage 6g just sinks into the molten metal is the maximum molten metal level. Reference numeral 11 denotes a pipe of gas supply means for supplying an inert gas, specifically, nitrogen gas, to the upper space of the cylinder section 7, and reference numeral 11a denotes a valve provided in the middle. A mold transfer line is provided below the discharge port 10a, and the mold M transferred by a conveyor or the like is positioned at a predetermined position. In this case, the discharge port 10a is fixed,
It is also possible to make it movable so as to correspond to the difference in the position of the gate for each mold.

Incidentally, the inside of the inner cylindrical body 5 which comes into contact with the molten metal has excellent heat resistance, abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance and thermal shock resistance.
The lining is made of a material having low thermal expansion. For this lining, in addition to the above-mentioned properties, a material that can be easily processed and formed, for example, a composite material of carbon fiber and metal can be suitably used.

Next, the operation of the pouring device 1 will be described. The pouring operation (method) is roughly divided into a melting step of melting a metal (in this example, an aluminum alloy) to obtain a molten metal,
Maintaining the molten metal at a predetermined temperature and a predetermined level;
The method includes a molten metal sending step in which a fixed amount of molten metal that has flowed into the cylinder portion is pushed out by a piston body, and a transfer step in which a mold is loaded and unloaded under a discharge port. This will be described in the following order.

First, the metal (ingot) in the hot water storage container 2a is melted by melting means to obtain a predetermined amount of molten metal. On the other hand, the molten metal delivery section 3 is heated by the burner 4c so as to compensate for the heat radiation, and the driving device 9 is operated to move the piston body 8
Is lifted up. In addition, while operating the degassing device 2d, the valve 11a is opened and nitrogen gas is sent to the cylinder portion 7 to prevent oxidation of the molten metal. In addition, a predetermined amount of molten metal separately melted in a melting furnace is stored in a hot water storage container 2a
You can also put it in.

At this stage, since the shut-off valve 6c is normally closed, the valve rod 6d is separated from the edge of the communication hole 6f by the operation of the cylinder mechanism 6e as shown in FIG. It opens to make the inflow side passage 6 communicate with the communication space 7a. Then, the molten metal flows into the cylinder portion 7 and the discharge-side passage 10 through the inflow-side passage 6 by the action of gravity, and the surface level of the molten metal is leveled and becomes constant. Actually, since the volume of the hot water storage container 2a is much larger than the volume of the cylinder portion 7, the surface level of the hot water storage container 2a is hardly reduced. In this way, it is not necessary to perform a suction operation like a general pump, and the molten metal naturally flows into the cylinder by the action of gravity.

Next, the shut-off valve 6c is closed by operating the cylinder mechanism 6e. Subsequently, the drive unit 9 is operated to push down the piston body 8. A predetermined amount of molten metal in the cylinder portion 7 is displaced according to the movement of the piston body 8, and is poured into the mold cavity from the discharge port 10 a through the discharge side passage 10. At this time, the lowering speed of the piston body 8 can be arbitrarily and smoothly controlled by controlling the rotation speed of the driving means, specifically, the servomotor 9f. Position), that is, the pouring amount can be specified. The discharge water quantity Q per unit time is the cylinder sectional area A
(Q = AV).

When a fixed amount of liquid has been discharged (dispensed), the drive unit 9 is operated to raise the piston body 8 to the top dead center. Then, the shut-off valve 6c is gradually opened to transfer the molten metal to the cylinder unit 7. Allow the water to flow naturally and be ready for the next pouring operation. When the level of the molten metal in the hot water storage container 2a decreases, the level of the molten metal is maintained substantially constant by, for example, charging an ingot. Then, the mold transfer line transfers the mold to the next process, and carries the subsequent mold to a predetermined position. Thereafter, the above operation is repeated, and the pouring operation is continuously performed.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention,
With a relatively simple pouring device, a predetermined amount of molten metal can be poured into the mold at a predetermined speed, so that casting quality is improved. In addition, the pouring device and, consequently, the casting line can be made compact, so that productivity is improved. It is planned.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view illustrating a pouring device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the operation of the pouring device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pouring device 2 Molten metal holding part 3 Molten metal sending part 6 Inflow side passage 6c Shut-off valve 7 Cylinder part 8 Piston body 9 Driving device (driving means) 10 Discharge side passage 10a Discharge port

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kinsaku Harada 4F, Matsushita 4F, Kano Baba, Chiaki-cho, Ichinomiya-shi, Aichi (reference) 4E014 LA10 LA17 LA18 NA03

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A molten metal holding portion for holding a molten metal, which is communicated with the molten metal holding portion through an inflow-side passage having a shutoff valve, and the shutoff valve is opened so that the molten metal flowing from the molten metal holding portion can be accommodated. A cylinder portion; a discharge-side passage extending from the cylinder portion; a piston body for pushing molten metal in the cylinder portion from a discharge port of the discharge-side passage in a state where the inflow-side passage is closed by the shutoff valve; A pouring device comprising: driving means for pushing a body; 2. The pouring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising gas supply means for supplying an inert gas into said cylinder portion. 3. A melting means for melting the metal, a molten metal holding section for holding the molten metal obtained by the melting means, and a shutoff valve communicating with the molten metal holding section through an inflow side passage having a shutoff valve. A cylinder portion capable of storing the molten metal flowing from the molten metal holding portion by opening, gas supply means for supplying an inert gas into the cylinder portion, a discharge side passage extending from the cylinder portion, and the inflow side passage being A piston body capable of pushing out the molten metal in the cylinder portion and being pushed out of the discharge port of the discharge side passage while being closed by the shutoff valve; a driving means for pushing the piston body; and a lower position of the discharge port And a transfer means for sequentially transferring the mold to the pouring device. 4. The pouring device according to claim 1, further comprising a heating means for heating the cylinder portion.