JP2003112255A - Apparatus and method for supplying molten metal, and die-casting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a die-casting machine provided with an apparatus for melting and supplying a required amount of metallic material for every casting in casting equipment which continuously carries out the casting. SOLUTION: An apparatus for supplying a molten metal is provided with a hopper 61 to store the metallic material M, a cylinder 71 which is connected to the supply port 61a of the hopper 61 and constitutes a transportation route where the metallic material M is supplied by the self-weight from the hopper 61 through the supply port 61a, a screw 72 which is inserted into the cylinder 71 and sends out the metallic material M of the amount corresponding to the rotation to a buffer part 80, a level detector 64 which detects the height of the surface of the metallic material M stored in the hopper 61, and a material replenishment apparatus 850 which replenishes the metallic material M in the hopper 61 so as to maintain the height of the surface of the metallic material M stored in the hopper 61 within the range of a predetermined height on the basis of the height detected by the level detector 64.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a molten metal supply apparatus and method applied to a casting apparatus such as a die casting machine, and a die casting machine provided with this molten metal supply apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A die casting machine is, for example, a pair of a fixed die and a movable die, a fixed die plate and a movable die plate which respectively hold the fixed die and the movable die, and a tie bar which is extended to form a fixed die. It is equipped with a mold clamping device for clamping the moving mold, an injection device for injecting molten metal into a cavity formed between the fixed mold and the moving mold, a hot water supply device for supplying molten metal to the injection device, and the like. There is. In such a die casting machine, while the fixed mold and the movable mold are clamped by the mold clamping device, the molten metal is supplied to the sleeve of the injection device by the hot water supply device, and the plunger fitted to the sleeve is driven. Thus, a die cast product is cast by injecting and filling molten metal into the mold cavity. The molten metal is supplied to the sleeve of the injection device by, for example, pumping a sufficient amount of metal material previously melted in a melting furnace using a ladle to pump the amount required for casting,
This is carried out by carrying this to the hot water supply port of the sleeve.

[0003]

By the way, when the molten metal is supplied by the above method, the melting furnace melts a large amount of metal and thus has a large surface area. Therefore, the thermal efficiency due to the release of heat to the atmosphere is high. However, there is a disadvantage that the cost required for melting the metal material increases due to the decrease in temperature and the need to control the temperature in the molten state at all times. Further, there is a disadvantage that the molten metal may be scattered during the transportation of the molten metal by the ladle, and the environment of the site where the die cast product is manufactured is likely to be deteriorated. Further, when not all the metal melted in the melting furnace is used for casting, there is a disadvantage that the electric power cost required for melting is wasted. Furthermore, when the metal material is melted and transported in the atmosphere,
There is also a disadvantage that the quality of the die-cast product is likely to be deteriorated because it easily solidifies due to the dissipation of heat and easily oxidizes.

On the other hand, a technique of melting a sufficient amount of a metal material required for one casting and supplying it to the sleeve instead of melting a sufficient amount of the metal material in the above-mentioned melting furnace is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-38867. It is disclosed in the publication. According to the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-38867, powdery or granular metal materials are supplied into a plurality of crucibles, which are melted by induction heating and conveyed to a hot water supply port of a die casting machine for injection. It is a thing. However, in the above technique, since the metal material is melted and conveyed in the atmosphere, the time in which the metal material is exposed to the atmosphere is long, the molten metal is easily solidified, and easily oxidized. Therefore, a film is formed on the surface of the molten metal, and this film remains in the crucible, so that the amount of the molten metal supplied to the die casting machine tends to vary.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is a melting apparatus capable of melting and supplying a necessary amount of metal material for each casting in a casting apparatus for continuously casting. A metal supply device and method thereof are provided. Another object of the present invention is to provide a die casting machine to which the above molten metal supply device is applied.

[0006]

A molten metal supply apparatus of the present invention is a molten metal supply apparatus for melting and supplying a metal material to a casting apparatus for each casting, and the molten metal supply apparatus is provided at a predetermined position with respect to the casting apparatus. The apparatus has a melting means for melting the arranged metal material and supplying it to the casting apparatus, and a material supplying means for measuring and supplying a granular or powdery metal material to the melting means for each casting. The means is in communication with the storage container for storing the metal material, and is connected to the supply port at the lower end of the storage container, and the metal material is supplied from the storage container by its own weight through the supply port. And a screw member that is inserted into the transport path and sends out an amount of the metal material according to the rotation amount toward the melting means.
Based on the level detection means for detecting the height of the surface of the metal material accumulated in the accumulation container, and the height detected by the level detection means, the height of the surface of the metal material accumulated in the accumulation container is And a material replenishing means for replenishing the storage container with a metal material so as to maintain the height within a predetermined range.

[0007] Preferably, the level detecting means has a level detecting sensor provided on a lid covering an upper end opening of the accumulating container, and the level detecting sensor and a surface of a metal material accumulated in the accumulating container. To detect the distance.

More preferably, the apparatus further comprises gas supply means for supplying an inert gas into the storage container, and the detection section of the level detection sensor is provided so as to face the introduction path of the inert gas. ing.

More preferably, the material supplying means holds the metal material sent from the conveying path according to the rotation amount of the screw member so as to be releasable until it can be supplied to the melting means. And an introducing pipe section connecting the temporary holding section and the melting means so as to guide the metal material released from the temporary holding section and falling by its own weight to the melting means.

According to the molten metal supply method of the present invention, the required amount of granular or powdery metal material is supplied for each casting to the melting means arranged at a predetermined position with respect to the casting apparatus, and the melting means is supplied. A method for supplying a molten metal, which is supplied to the casting apparatus by melting the metallic material supplied by the method, wherein the measuring of the metallic material communicates with the melting means through a supply port at a lower end portion of a storage container accumulating the metallic material. The metal material is supplied to the carrying path by its own weight, and the metal material supplied to the carrying path is delivered to the melting means by controlling the rotation amount of the screw member inserted in the carrying path. The metal material is supplied from the storage container to the transport path while the height of the metal material stored in the storage container is maintained within a predetermined range.

The die casting machine of the present invention melts in a cavity formed between a mold clamping device that holds a pair of molds, opens and closes and clamps the molds, and the molds that have been clamped. A die casting machine having an injection device for injecting and filling a metal material, and a molten metal supply device for injecting a molten metal into a hot water supply port of a sleeve of the injection device,
The melting metal supply device melts a metal material arranged at a predetermined position with respect to the sleeve of the injection device to supply the metal material to the sleeve, and a metal in the form of particles or powder for each casting in the melting device. A material supply means for measuring and supplying the material, wherein the material supply means communicates with a storage container for storing a metal material and the melting means, and a supply port at a lower end portion of the storage container. A screw which is connected to the metal material and is fed from the storage container by its own weight through the supply port, and a screw which is inserted into the transport path and sends the metal material in an amount corresponding to the rotation amount toward the melting means. A member, level detection means for detecting the height of the surface of the metal material accumulated in the accumulation container, and based on the height detected by the level detection means, the surface of the metal material accumulated in the accumulation container height And a material replenishing means for replenishing the metallic material to the storage container so as to maintain the height of the predetermined range.

In the present invention, the metal material accumulated in the accumulating container is metered and supplied to the melting means in a desired amount, melted by the melting means and supplied to the casting apparatus. In order to supply an accurate amount of molten metal to the casting equipment, it is necessary to accurately weigh the metallic material stored in the storage container. Therefore, in the present invention, the height of the surface of the metal material accumulated in the storage container is detected, and the storage container is replenished with the metal material so as to be maintained at a height within a predetermined range. When the height of the surface of the metal material accumulated in the storage container is maintained within a predetermined range, the load acting on the metal material existing near the supply port at the lower end of the storage container becomes substantially constant, and the metal material is transported. The amount of the metallic material delivered from the road according to the amount of rotation of the screw member is stabilized, and accurate measurement is performed.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a top view showing the configuration of a die casting machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the die casting machine 1 includes a mold clamping device 100, an injection device 200, and a molten metal supply device 2. The mold clamping device 100 includes a fixed die plate 110, a movable die plate 120, and a link housing 130 which are respectively installed on the base frame BF. Fixed die plate 110
Is fixed on the base frame BF, and the fixed die 101 is attached to the fixed die plate 110. Contact plates 111, 112, and 113, which will be described later, are provided on the back side of the fixed die plate 110.

The movable die plate 120 is provided on the base frame BF so as to face the fixed die plate 110, and is movable in the mold opening / closing direction indicated by arrows A1 and A2. A moving die 102 that forms a cavity C with the fixed die 101 is attached to the moving die plate 120.

The link housing 130 is installed on the base frame BF.
0 is fixed die plate 1 by four tie bars 150
It is connected with 10. The tie bar 150 has an end portion on the fixed die plate 110 side fixed to the fixed die plate 110 and penetrates the movable die plate 120. Also,
A thread portion (not shown) is formed at an end portion of the tie bar 150 on the link housing 130 side, and a nut member (not shown) rotatably held by the link housing 130 is screwed into the thread portion. By rotating the four nut members in synchronization, the link housing 130 can move along the tie bar 150. On the back surface side of the link housing 130, the four nut members are rotated in synchronization, so that the link housing 13
A drive mechanism 131 for adjusting the position of 0 is provided.
The drive mechanism 131 drives a toggle mechanism 140 described later, in addition to adjusting the position of the link housing 130.

The link mechanism 130 includes a first link 141 and a second link 142.
0 is provided. Although not shown, the first link 141 and the second link 142 are provided in two sets up and down, the first link 141 is a linear link, and the second link 142 is an angled link.
One end of the first link 141 has a movable die plate 120.
Is rotatably connected to the second link 142 and the other end is rotatably connected to the second link 142. The second link 142 is rotatably connected to the first link 141, and is also rotatably connected to a link housing 130 and a moving member (not shown) movably provided in the mold opening / closing directions A1 and A2. A screw shaft (not shown) rotated by a servomotor included in the drive mechanism 131 is screwed into the moving member (not shown). The toggle mechanism 140 operates by directly moving a moving member (not shown) by the driving mechanism 131, and moves the moving die plate 120 in the mold opening / closing direction A1 or A2. In addition, the fixed mold 101 and the movable mold 102 are clamped in a state where the first link 141 and the second link 142 are completely extended linearly and self-locked.

The injection device 200 is a fixed mold 1 that is clamped.
The molten metal is injected and filled in the cavity C formed between 01 and the moving mold 102. Injection into cavity C,
A solid casting of the molten metal results in a die cast product. The injection device 200 includes a cylindrical sleeve 20 provided on the back side of the fixed die plate 110.
6, a plunger tip 205 fitted to the inner circumference of the sleeve 206, a plunger rod 204 having one end connected to the plunger tip 205, and a plunger rod 2
A cylinder device 201 that expands and contracts a piston rod 202 connected to the other end of the cylinder 04.

The sleeve 206 communicates with the above-mentioned cavity C. The sleeve 206 has a hot water supply port 206a, through which molten metal is supplied from a molten metal supply device 2 described later. The cylinder device 201 has a built-in piston, and a piston rod 202 and a plunger rod 2 connected to the piston.
04 and 04 are connected by a coupling 203.
The cylinder device 201 is hydraulically driven.

The plunger tip 205 is connected to the plunger rod 204, and moves in the sleeve 206 when the cylinder device 201 is driven. The plunger tip 205 moves toward the fixed mold 101 side in the sleeve 206 to which the molten metal is supplied, so that the molten metal is injected and filled in the cavity C.

The molten metal supply device 2 melts the material supply mechanism unit 51 for supplying a required amount of metal material for each casting, and the metal material supplied from the material supply mechanism unit 51 for each casting, and the melted metal. The melting mechanism unit 11 for injecting the material into the hot water supply port 206a of the sleeve 206 is provided. Dissolution mechanism 1
1 and the material supply mechanism 51 are connected to each other, and these are provided on the movable plate 5. Two guide rails 6 are installed on the upper surface of the movable plate 5.
The guide rail 6 is arranged in the direction along the tube axis of the sleeve 206 described above. The molten metal supply device 2 is movable along the guide rail 6 in the directions of arrows C1 and C2.

The movable plate 5 is installed on the support base 3. On the frame of the support base 3, two guide rails 4 are installed along a direction orthogonal to the tube axis of the sleeve 206 described above. The movable plate 5 is movable along the guide rail 4 on the support base 3 in the directions of arrows B1 and B2. Therefore, the molten metal supply device 2 is movable in the directions of arrows C1 and C2 and the directions of arrows B1 and B2.

FIG. 2 shows the molten metal supply device 2 shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which is moved to the back side of the fixed die plate 110. When casting is performed in the die casting machine 1, the molten metal supply device 2 is moved to the fixed die plate 110 from the fixed die plate 110 in a state where the melting mechanism portion 11 of the molten metal supply device 2 shown in FIG. Lock in place.

Specifically, the molten metal supply device 2 is connected to the arrow B.
1 to move the melting mechanism 11 to the contact plates 111, 11 provided on the back surface of the fixed die plate 110.
After reaching the position opposite to Nos. 2 and 113, the molten metal supply device 2 is moved in the direction of the arrow C2 to contact the contact plate 11.
Each side surface of the dissolution mechanism section 11 is pressed against 1, 112, 113.

The contact plate 112 is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis of the sleeve 206, and the contact plates 111 and 1 adjacent to the contact plate 112 are arranged.
13 are inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the contact plate 112. Contact plates 111, 112, 11
By pressing the melting mechanism section 11 against 3, the positioning of the molten metal supply device 2 with respect to the fixed die plate 110 is performed.

Fixed die plate 1 of molten metal supply device 2
Fixing to 10 is performed by a pushing rod 30 shown in FIG. The length of the pushing rod 30 can be adjusted, and one end of the pushing rod 30 is pivotally connected to the frame of the molten metal supply device 2. The pushing rod 30 is oriented along the tube axis direction of the sleeve 206, and the other end of the pushing rod 30 is connected to the injection device 200.
The other end of the pushing rod 30 is pressed against the frame FL by facing the frame FL on the side and adjusting the length. As a result, the movement of the molten metal supply device 2 is restricted, and the molten metal supply device 2 is fixed to the back surface of the fixed die plate 110.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a concrete structure of the molten metal supply apparatus 2 described above, and is a view including a sectional view in a part of the molten metal supply apparatus 2 viewed from the back side of the fixed die plate 110. Is. As shown in FIG. 3, the base frame BF of the mold clamping device 100 includes a support base 50 installed on a base BS.
0, and the fixed die plate 110 is arranged at a predetermined height from the base BS.

On the other hand, the upper surface of the supporting table 3 on which the molten metal supplying device 2 is installed is located higher than the upper surface of the supporting table 500 of the base frame BF, and as described above, the guide rail 4 is attached to the supporting table 3. Is installed. The support base 3 has
The stairs 60 for ascending and descending the support table 3 in order to perform various operations on the molten metal supply apparatus 2 on the support table 3.
0 is set. A handrail 601 is provided on this staircase 600.
Is provided.

In FIG. 3, the molten metal supply device 2 is on the rear side of the fixed die plate 110 and is on the sleeve 206.
In addition to the above-mentioned melting mechanism section 11 arranged immediately above and the material supply mechanism section 51 connected to this melting mechanism section 11,
It has a capacitor housing part 300 installed below the material supply mechanism part 51, and a control device 400 installed below the support base 3 for performing various controls of the molten metal supply device 2.

Material Supply Mechanism Section FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a specific structure of the material supply mechanism section 51. The material supply mechanism unit 51 includes a storage unit 60, a weighing unit 70, a buffer unit 80, and an introduction unit 90.

The accumulating portion 60 accumulates the metal material before being melted and supplied to the sleeve 206. This storage unit 60 is
A hopper 61 and a lid 62 are provided. The hopper 61 is
It has a conical outer shape and has a space for housing the metal material M therein. The upper end of the hopper 61 has a circular opening, and the lower end has a supply port 61a for feeding the metal material M. In addition, the hopper 61 is attached to a support member 69c fixed to the upper surface of the case 300c of the capacitor housing portion 300.
Fixing members 69a, 6 for fixing the outer circumference of the lower end of the hopper 61
It is fixed by 9c.

The metal material M accumulated in the hopper 61 is, for example, an aluminum alloy, a magnesium alloy, or the like, which is a metal used for casting and has an elongated granular shape. The grain length is preferably about 2 to 7 mm, for example. The use of the granular metal material M makes it easier to accurately measure a relatively small amount of metal material, as compared with, for example, the case of cutting an ingot-shaped metal material. Also, when the metal material used for casting is granular, the surface of the material is always oxidized, so even if a granular metal material is used, if the grain length is made too small, the quality during melting will be poor. If the particle length is too small and the grain length is too large, accurate measurement becomes difficult.
Therefore, it is preferable to set the grain length in the above range.

The lid 62 has a peripheral wall portion 63 on the outer peripheral edge of a circular metal plate, and the peripheral wall portion 63 is fitted on the outer periphery of the upper end of the hopper 61 to cover the opening of the upper end of the hopper 61. A ring-shaped seal member 62a is provided on the inner periphery of the peripheral wall portion 63 of the lid 62 to seal between the outer peripheral surface of the upper end of the hopper 61 and the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 63. The opening at the upper end of the hopper 61 is sealed by the sealing member 62a.

At a substantially central portion of the lid 62, a level detector 64 is provided.
And a gas introduction pipe 65. The level detector 64 is connected to the sensor amplifier 67, and detects the distance L between the level detector 64 and the upper surface of the metal material M housed in the hopper 61 in a non-contact manner, and outputs a detection signal to the sensor amplifier 67, for example. To 67. As the level detector 64, for example, a length measuring sensor using light, ultrasonic waves, or the like can be used. The sensor amplifier 67 is connected to the control device 400 described above, amplifies the detection signal of the level detector 64, calculates the distance L based on the amplified signal, and outputs this to the control device 400. Control device 400
Then, the remaining amount of the metal material M stored in the hopper 61 is determined based on the distance L. When the control device 400 determines that the inside of the hopper 61 is empty, it outputs an alarm, for example.

The gas introduction pipe 65 guides an inert gas G such as nitrogen gas or argon gas supplied from a gas supply source 66 provided outside the hopper 61 into the hopper 61. The inert gas G is supplied into the hopper 61 in order to prevent the metal material M contained in the hopper 61 from being oxidized. The inert gas G supplied into the hopper 61 is supplied to the metering unit 70 and the buffer unit 80 through the supply port 61a at the bottom of the hopper 61.
And is introduced into the introduction unit 90.

The weighing section 70 has a supply port 61a of the hopper 61.
A required amount of the metal material M sent out by its own weight is weighed and sent to the buffer section 80. This weighing unit 70
Is a cylinder 71 supported substantially horizontally by the support member 69c and the screw 7 inserted in the cylinder 71.
2 and.

The cylinder 71 has a supply port 61 of the hopper 61.
It has an opening 71a for communicating a with the inside of the cylinder 71. The metal material M is supplied into the cylinder 71 from the hopper 61 through the opening 71a.

The screw 72 is a rotary shaft 7 having a circular cross section.
3 and a coil spring 74 fitted and fixed to the outer circumference of the rotary shaft 73. The rotating shaft 73 is
A tip portion projects from the cylinder 71, and the tip portion is rotatably supported by a bearing BR provided in the buffer portion 80. The rear end of the rotary shaft 73 is rotatably held by a bearing BR held by a support member 69c via a flange member 77, and is connected to a rotary shaft 76a of a servo motor 76 via a coupling. Has been done. The end of the cylinder 71 is sealed by the flange member 77 and the bearing BR held by the flange member 77.

The coil spring 74 is, for example, a wire material made of metal such as iron formed into a spiral shape at a substantially constant pitch, and has an inner diameter that fits the outer diameter of the rotating shaft 73. . Both ends of this coil spring 74 are
For example, it is fixed to the rotary shaft 73 by welding.

The reason why the screw 72 is constructed as described above is that the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced as compared with the case where a screw is manufactured by cutting a bar material to form a spiral groove. Is.

The servo motor 76 is fixed to the support member 69c and is connected to the servo driver 79.
The servo driver 79 receives the control command 79s from the control device 400 and controls the rotation of the servo motor 76.

When the screw 72 is rotated in a predetermined direction, the metal material M supplied into the cylinder 71 is conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow J in FIG. 4, and is delivered to the buffer portion 80 through the opening of the tip of the cylinder 71. This screw 7
The carry amount of 2 is determined according to the rotation amount of the screw 72.

Therefore, in the weighing unit 70, the control device 4
00 is a servo driver 79 for issuing a control command for instructing the rotation of the screw 72 that conveys the amount of the metal material M required for casting.
Measurement is performed by outputting to.

The buffer section 80 temporarily holds the metallic material sent from the measuring section 70. This buffer section 8
Reference numeral 0 denotes a cylindrical member 81 connected to the support member 69c by a connecting member 78, an air cylinder 82 for expanding and contracting the piston rod 83 inserted in the cylindrical member 81, and a valve body connected to the tip of the piston rod 83. 84.

The cylindrical member 81 has an accommodation space 81s for accommodating the metal material M sent out from the measuring section 70 therein. The opening on the upper end side is closed by the closing member 85, and the inside of the opening 81a on the lower end side is formed. The valve seat surface 81 of the valve body 84 around the circumference
b.

The air cylinder 82 is fixed to the closing member 85, and the piston rod 83 of the air cylinder 82 is inserted into the cylindrical member 81 through the through hole 85a formed in the closing member 85. The air cylinder 82 is connected to an air source 87 via a control valve 86.

The control valve 86 is the control device 400 described above.
In response to the control command from, the supply of the compressed air supplied from the air source 87 to the air cylinder 82 is controlled, and the piston rod 83 is driven in the directions of arrows K1 and K2.

The valve element 84 is made of a conical member and has a tapered surface 84a that matches the valve seat surface 81b. The taper surface 84a of the valve element 84 is seated on the valve seat surface 81b when the piston rod 83 moves up in the direction of arrow K1 by the driving of the air cylinder 82. Thereby, the cylindrical member 8
The opening 81a on the lower end side of 1 is closed. When the metal material M is supplied from the measuring unit 70 in a state where the opening 81a on the lower end side of the cylindrical member 81 is closed, the metal material M falls from the tip of the cylinder 71 into the accommodation space 81s, and the metal material M It is held in the accommodation space 81s. Tapered surface 84 of valve body 84
When the piston rod 83 descends in the direction of arrow K2, a is separated from the valve seat surface 81b, and a gap is formed between the tapered surface 84a and the valve seat surface 81b. In the state where the metal material M is held in the accommodation space 81s, the metal material M falls downward of the cylindrical member 81 by its own weight through this gap.

The introduction section 90 has an introduction tube 91 for guiding the metal material released from the buffer section 80 and falling by its own weight into the melting mechanism section 11. The introduction pipe 91 is connected to the lower end of the cylindrical member 81 by, for example, welding, and the connection between the lower end of the cylindrical member 81 and the introduction pipe 91 is sealed. Further, the introduction pipe 91 is arranged obliquely vertically downward and guides the metal material M falling from the buffer section 80 directly to a container in the melting mechanism section 11 described later.

As described above, the material supply mechanism section 5
The transport path of the metal material M of the storage unit 60, the measuring unit 70, the buffer unit 80, and the introduction unit 90 of No. 1 is sealed from the outside, and the inert gas G is supplied from the storage unit 60 to allow the metal material M to pass through. Are measured and transported under an inert gas atmosphere.

Dissolution Mechanism Section FIG. 5 is a view of the dissolution mechanism section 11 seen from above, FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the dissolution mechanism section 11 shown in FIG. 5 taken along the line EE, and FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the melting mechanism section 11 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the melting mechanism unit 11 includes a closed chamber 320 provided on the base plate 325.
The base plate 325 has a flange portion 325a connected to a predetermined portion of the capacitor housing portion 300 described above by a fastening means such as a bolt.

As shown in FIG. 6, the closed chamber 320 includes a base plate 325, a side plate 320a fixed to the base plate 325 by welding, and an upper plate 320b fixed to the upper end of the side plate 320a by welding. A substantially closed space 3 which is basically constructed and is surrounded by a base plate 325, side plates 320a and an upper plate 320b.
22. As shown in FIG. 6, the closed chamber 320 is provided with the sleeve 2 in a state in which it is arranged at a predetermined position on the back surface of the fixed die plate 110 of the die casting machine 1.
It is arranged directly above the hot water supply port 206a of 06.

The base plate 325, the side plate 320a and the upper plate 320b are made of a highly heat resistant material having a melting point higher than that of the metal material M. Examples of these materials include stainless steel. Also,
The surfaces of the base plate 325, the side plate 320a, and the upper plate 320b are surface-treated by hot-dip aluminum plating.

The above-mentioned introduction pipe 91 is connected to the side plate 320a by welding, and the inside of the introduction pipe 91 and the closed space 322 of the closed chamber 320 communicate with each other. Introductory pipe 91
The connecting portion between the side plate 320a and the side plate 320a is sealed.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the closed chamber 320,
A container 330, a shielding lid 360, and a shutter member 370 are provided. A melting coil 350 is provided below the closed chamber 320. Furthermore, the closed chamber 32
A heating device 380 is installed on the upper plate 321 of No. 0.

The container 330 is arranged at a position capable of accommodating the metal material M guided by the introduction pipe 91 and falling into the closed chamber 320. The container 330 has an open upper end,
A cup-shaped accommodating portion 330a capable of accommodating the metal material M,
A pouring part 33 extending laterally continuously from the accommodating part 330a
It has 0b.

The container 330 is made of an electrically insulating and highly heat resistant material. Examples of the material for forming the container 330 include ceramics. Container 33
A coating material is applied to the inner peripheral surface of No. 0 to prevent the adherence of molten metal. Examples of the anti-adhesive agent include paints containing materials such as boron nitride, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide and the like. Since this paint peels off as the metal in the container 330 is repeatedly melted, it is necessary to apply the paint periodically.

The lower portion of the container 330a of the container 330 is opened through the opening 324 formed in the base plate 325,
It projects below the base plate 325.

The melting coil 350 surrounds the portion of the container 330 protruding below the base plate 325,
It is attached to the base plate 325. Melting coil 3
Reference numeral 50 is a pipe material 351 made of a copper alloy formed into a spiral shape. Cooling water CW is supplied to the inside of the pipe material 351. The periphery of the melting coil 350 is covered with an electric insulating member 353 such as ceramics. The electric insulating member 353 is formed into a truncated cone shape capable of sealing the opening 324 formed in the base plate 325 of the closed chamber 320. A cover 352 that covers and holds the periphery of the electrical insulating member 353 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 325 with bolts. By fixing the cover 352 to the lower surface of the base plate 325, the opening 324 of the base plate 325 is sealed by the electrically insulating member 353.

The melting coil 350 has, for example, several tens kHz when the metal material M contained in the container 330 is melted.
A high-frequency current of about a degree is supplied, and an induction current is induced in the metal material M. The Joule heat of this induced current heats and melts the metal material M. By supplying a high frequency current to the melting coil 350, the opening 32 of the base plate 325 is formed.
Induced current can be induced along the circumference of 4.
Therefore, a part of the periphery of the opening 324 of the base plate 325 is formed of an insulating material such as ceramics so as to block the induced current.

The container 330 is supported by the rotating shaft 392, and can be tilted in the direction of arrow K by rotating the rotating shaft 392 from the arrangement shown in FIG. The rotating shaft 392 is formed of a metal having high heat resistance such as stainless steel. On the other hand, the pouring part 3 of the container 330 of the base plate 325
The hot water supply port 2 of the sleeve 206 is provided on the lower side of the front end of 30b.
An opening 323 is formed so as to be located directly above 06a. The metal material M melted in the container 330 is poured into the sleeve 206 through the opening 323 and the hot water supply port 206a when the container 330 is tilted by the rotation of the rotating shaft 392.

As shown in FIG. 7, the container 330 and the rotating shaft 392 are connected via a support 390. The support 390 holds the pouring portion 330b side of the container 330, and the fitting member 391 is connected to the end of the support 390. The fitting member 391 is made of highly heat resistant metal such as stainless steel.

The fitting member 391 has, for example, a polygonal fitting hole such as a hexagon, and the rotary shaft 39 is provided in this fitting hole.
The second end portion 392a is fitted. The cross section of the tip portion 392a is a polygon that matches the fitting hole of the fitting member 391. The fitting member 391 is not fastened to the rotary shaft 392, and is removed by moving in the axial direction from the tip of the rotary shaft 392. That is, the container 330 can be removed from the rotation shaft 392 by moving it in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 392. The container 3 has such a configuration.
This is for facilitating the removal of the container 330 from the rotation shaft 392 when the above-mentioned paint is applied to 30 or when the container 330 is replaced due to damage or the like. Further, if the container 330 and the rotating shaft 392 are connected using a fastening member such as a bolt, the bolt may not be released due to the influence of heat.

Remove the container 330 from the rotary shaft 392,
An opening 326 is formed in the side plate 320a of the closed chamber 320 so as to be taken out of the closed chamber 320, as shown in FIG. A lid plate 320c for opening and closing the opening 326 is attached to the outside of the opening 326. The lid plate 320c is made of the same material as the side plate 320a. As shown in FIG. 8, the cover plate 320c has two elongated holes 320d formed at the upper end. These elongated holes 320d are locked to pins 320p provided so as to project from the surface of the side plate 320a of the closed chamber 320. That is, the lid plate 320c is not fastened to the side plate 320a. Therefore, at the time of maintenance, the lid plate 320c can be safely and easily removed even if the closed chamber 320 has a high temperature.

On the other hand, the outer surface of the lid plate 320c is pressed against the contact plate 113 of the fixed die plate 110 with the closed chamber 320 installed on the back surface of the fixed die plate 110. As a result, the cover plate 320c is opened 32
It is fixed at 6.

A seal member is provided on the surface of the cover plate 320c or around the opening 326 to seal the space between the cover plate 320c and the opening 326. Lid plate 320c
By providing the sealing member between the cover plate 320c and the periphery of the opening 326, when the cover plate 320c is pressed against the contact plate 113, the cover plate 320c and the opening 326 are sealed. As the sealing member, for example, a member having heat resistance such as glass fiber cloth is used.

Since the container 330 is not fixed in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 392, it is necessary to regulate the movement of the container 330 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 392. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, a contact pin 399 is provided on the side plate 320a near the container 330 in a direction that is coaxial with the rotation shaft 392 and faces the rotation shaft 392. The contact pin 399 is removably inserted into a through hole formed in the side plate 320a, and the cover plate 3
By attaching 20c to the opening 326, the structure is immovable. Open the cover plate 320c with the opening 326.
The tip of the contact pin 399 is attached to the container 33.
By abutting 0, the axial movement of the rotation shaft 392 of the container 330 is restricted. The contact pin 399 can be pulled out by removing the cover plate 320c. After pulling out the contact pin 399, the container 330 is attached to the rotary shaft 39.
When pulled out in the axial direction of 2, the container 3 is opened through the opening 326.
The 30 can be taken out of the closed chamber 320.

As shown in FIG. 7, the rotary shaft 392 has a rear end portion protruding outside the sealed chamber 320, and a side plate 320.
It is rotatably supported by a bearing 393 fixed to the outside of a. The bearing 393 is, for example, a sliding bearing made of alumina or ceramics. Rotating shaft 392
Is connected to a servomotor 395 fixed to the outside of the closed chamber 320 via a gear train.

FIG. 9 shows a rotary shaft 392 and a servo motor 39.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a connection relationship with No. 5. As shown in FIG. 9, the rotary shaft 392 and the servo motor 395 are connected by a gear train 394 including a gear 394a connected to the shaft end of the rotary shaft 392 and a gear 394b connected to the output shaft 395a of the servo motor 395. Has been done. By the gear train 394, the rotation shaft 392 and the output shaft 395 of the servo motor 395
By connecting with a, heat conduction from the rotary shaft 392 to the servo motor 395 can be suppressed. That is, the contact area between the tooth flanks of the gear 394a and the gear 394b is sufficiently small, and the contact area between the rotary shaft 392 and the output shaft 395a is sufficiently smaller than that in the case where they are connected by a coupling.
Therefore, heat conduction from the rotary shaft 392 to the output shaft 395a can be suppressed, and damage to the servo motor 395 due to heat can be prevented. Further, in the transmission mechanism using a chain, a sprocket, and the like, a mechanical transmission error increases due to a temperature rise, but the gear train 394 hardly causes a transmission error even if the temperature rises. Therefore, the container 330 can be positioned at an accurate position. The gear 39
Ratio of the number of teeth Z2 of 4b and the number of teeth Z1 of the gear 394a Z2 /
Z1 is set to 1 or less.

The servo motor 395 is connected to the servo driver 396, as shown in FIG. The servo driver 396 is connected to the control device 400, and receives a control command from the control device 400 to control the rotation speed and the rotation position of the servo motor 395. That is, the control device 400 controls the inclination speed and the inclination posture of the container 330.

The heating device 380 heats the atmosphere in the closed chamber 320, the container 330 and the closed chamber 320 itself to promote the melting of the metal material M in the container 330 by induction heating, and the metal melted in the container 330. It is provided to suppress heat release from the material M and prevent solidification. The heating temperature of the heating device 380 is about the melting point of the metal material M or higher. As shown in FIG. 6, the heating device 380 is fixed to the upper plate 321 so as to cover the opening 321 formed in the upper plate 321 of the closed chamber 320. The heating device 380 has a flat plate-shaped resistance heating body 382 held in a case 381 and a heating wire 383 embedded in the resistance heating body 382.

The heating wire 383 is connected to an AC power source 386 via a connection terminal 385 as shown in FIG. The AC power supply 386 is connected to the control device 400 and supplies an alternating current to the heating wire 383 in response to a command from the control device. It is also possible to use a DC power supply instead of the AC power supply 386.

The resistance heating element 382 is arranged above the container 330, and the lower surface of the resistance heating element 382 is substantially parallel to the opening of the container 330. The resistance heating element 382 generates heat when electric current is supplied to the heating wire 383. When the resistance heating element 382 generates heat, the container 330, the closed chamber 32
The atmosphere in 0 and the closed chamber 320 itself are heated.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the heating device 3
At 80, a thermometer 375 and a gas supply pipe 376 are provided. The thermometer 375 is used for the housing portion 33 of the container 330.
0a and through the through hole 382h penetrating the resistance heating element 382, the temperature of the metal material M melted in the housing portion 330a of the container 330 is detected in a non-contact manner. A radiation thermometer is used as the thermometer 375. The radiation thermometer receives infrared rays emitted from the molten metal material M through the through holes 382h and detects the amount of the infrared rays. In the present embodiment, a case where a radiation thermometer is used as the thermometer 375 will be described, but other thermometers such as thermocouples can be used.

The thermometer 375 is connected to the sensor amplifier 391 as shown in FIG.
Amplifies the detection signal of the thermometer 375 and detects the temperature of the metal material M based on this signal. Further, the sensor amplifier 391 is connected to the control device 400 and outputs the detected temperature to the control device 400. The control device 400 controls the current supply to the melting coil 350, for example, based on the input detected temperature. For example, when the detected temperature reaches the set temperature, the current to the melting coil 350 is cut off, and when the detected temperature does not reach the set temperature, the current supply amount to the melting coil 350 is continued or Control such as increasing.

The gas supply pipe 376, as shown in FIG.
Through the inside of the resistance heating element 382, the above-mentioned thermometer 375
Is communicated with the through hole 382h. As shown in FIG. 5, a gas supply source 377 is connected to the gas supply pipe 376. The gas supply source 377 supplies, for example, an inert gas G such as argon gas or nitrogen gas. The inert gas G supplied from the gas supply source 377 is introduced into the sealed chamber 320 through the gas supply pipe 376. The inert gas G prevents the metal material M dissolved in the container 330 from being oxidized. Further, the inert gas G is supplied at a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure in order to prevent the air from flowing into the closed chamber 320.

The structure in which the inert gas G is supplied into the closed chamber 320 through the through hole 382h for the thermometer 375 is that the metal dissolved in the container 320 evaporates and adheres to the detection surface of the thermometer 375. This is to prevent this. That is, since the inert gas G is blown out from the through hole 382h toward the container 330 side, the evaporated metal is absorbed in the through hole 3
Can not enter into 82h.

As shown in FIG. 7, the shielding lid 360 is arranged in the vicinity of the container 330 and is fixed to the rotating shaft 361. The rotation of the rotating shaft 361 opens and closes the opening of the container 330. When a high frequency current is passed through the melting coil 350 while the granular metal material M is supplied to the container 330, an induced current flows through the metal material M. On the other hand, the melting coil 35
Due to the electromagnetic force generated between the magnetic field generated by 0 and the induced current flowing in the metal material M, the granular metal material M violently moves and tries to be ejected from the container 330. Therefore, when the metal material M is induction-heated in the container 330,
The container 330 is shielded by the shield lid 360, and the metal material M
Are prevented from squirting out of the container 330. The shield lid 36
Since a space is formed between the horizontal plate 360a of 0 and the housing portion 330a of the container 330, the granular metal material M can move in this space. Therefore, the shield lid 360
Has a shape projecting into the accommodating portion 330a so that the space between the horizontal plate 360a and the accommodating portion 330a is as narrow as possible and the movement of the metal material M in the container 330 is restricted as much as possible. It is also possible.

As shown in FIG. 6, the shielding lid 360 includes a horizontal plate 360a made of a flat plate member for covering the upper portion of the housing portion 330a of the container 330, and a horizontal plate 360a at one end of the horizontal plate 360a. And a vertical plate 360b made of a flat plate member for blocking the gap between the pouring part 330b and the containing part 330a. Shield lid 3
The horizontal plate 360a and the vertical plate 360b of 60 are made of a highly heat-resistant material such as ceramics.

The rotary shaft 361 that supports the shielding lid 360 is
As shown in FIG. 7, it is rotatably supported by a slide bearing 362 fixed to the side plate 320a. Plain bearing 3
62 is made of a highly heat-resistant material such as alumina or ceramics. In addition, the closed chamber 32 of the rotary shaft 361
A gear 342 is connected to the end portion on the side protruding from 0. The gear 342 meshes with a gear 341 connected to the output shaft 340a of the rotary actuator 340 fixed to the base plate 325. As shown in FIG. 5, the rotary actuator 340 is connected to the pneumatic pressure source 337 via the control valve 336. Control valve 336
Receives the control command from the control device 400, and receives the pneumatic rotary actuator 340 from the pneumatic pressure source 337.
Control the supply to. As a result, the rotary actuator 340 is rotationally controlled.

Shutter member 370 opens and closes opening 323 located directly above hot water supply port 206a of sleeve 206. That is, the shutter member 370 closes the opening 323 and prevents air from flowing into the sealed chamber 320 when the metal material M is melted in the container 330. The shutter member 370 is
When the metal material M melted in the container 330 is supplied to the hot water supply port 206a of the sleeve 206, the opening 323 is opened to secure the flow path of the metal material M.

As shown in FIG. 7, the shutter member 370 is supported by the tip of the connecting rod 371. The connecting rod 371 is attached to the base plate 3 by the slide bearing 387.
It is movably supported in a direction parallel to 25. The rear end of the connecting rod 371 is connected to the piston rod 372a of the air cylinder 372. Air cylinder 372
Is connected to an air source 374 via a control valve 373, as shown in FIG. The control valve 373 receives the control command from the control device 400 and receives the air source 37.
4 to control the supply of compressed air to the air cylinder 372. As a result, the piston rod 372a of the air cylinder 372 expands and contracts.

When the piston rod 372a contracts, the shutter member 370 opens the opening 323, and when the piston rod 372a extends, the shutter member 37 extends.
0 closes the opening 323. When the shutter member 370 closes the opening 323, the shutter member 370 is provided with a pressing member 3 provided at a position facing the shutter member 370.
Abut 89. The shutter member 3 of the pressing member 389
The surface that abuts 70 is an inclined surface, and the inclined surface presses the shutter member 370 toward the opening 323 side. The shutter member 3 is pressed by the pressing member 389.
By pressing 70 toward the opening 323 side, the opening 323 is sufficiently sealed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the connection relationship between the capacitor housed in the capacitor housing unit 300 and the melting coil 350. As shown in FIG. 10, the capacitor 302 is installed in the case 301 of the capacitor housing portion 300.

The capacitor 302 is a capacitor that is connected in parallel with the melting coil 350 to form a resonance circuit. This capacitor 302 is, for example,
The capacitor has a relatively large capacity of about 13 μF, and has a larger size than the melting coil 350.

The case 301 is installed under the material supply mechanism section 51. In the material supply mechanism unit 51, the metal material M is supplied to the container 330 of the melting mechanism unit 11 by dropping the metal material M by its own weight. Therefore, it is necessary to install the material supply mechanism section 51 at a position higher than the melting mechanism section 11. As a result, a space is formed below the material supply mechanism section 51. Capacitor 3 in this space
02 is installed, and the capacitor 302 is the melting coil 35.
It is adjacent to 0.

At the connection terminal 303 of the capacitor 302,
Two rigid copper plates 304 and 305 are connected to each other, and the copper plates 304 and 305 and the capacitor 302 are connected.
And are electrically connected to. Copper plates 304 and 305
Are arranged in parallel and extend from the case 301 to a position close to the melting coil 350. On the surfaces of the copper plates 304 and 305, a pipe material 351 made of a copper alloy that constitutes the melting coil 350 is brazed. Thereby, the melting coil 350 and the copper plate 3
04 and 305 are integrally connected. Also,
Capacitor 302 and melting coil 350 are electrically coupled by copper plates 304 and 305.

Cooling water CW is supplied from a cooling water supply source 310 from one end of the pipe material 351 brazed to the copper plates 304 and 305, and this cooling water CW circulates through the pipe material 351 and flows out from the other end. . The cooling water CW is supplied to the pipe material 351 in order to prevent the pipe material 351 from being melted due to the temperature rise of the dissolution mechanism section 11.

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the supply system of the high frequency current to the melting coil 350. As shown in FIG. 11, the melting coil 350 is connected in parallel with the capacitor 302, so that the resonance circuit 3
Make up twelve. An inverter 314, a smoothing reactor 315, a rectifier circuit 316, and an AC power supply 317 are connected to the resonance circuit 312.

The AC power supply 317 supplies an AC current to the rectifier circuit 316. The rectifier circuit 316 rectifies the AC current supplied from the AC power supply 317, and smoothes the reactor 315.
Supply to. The smoothing reactor 315 has a rectifying circuit 316.
Smoothes the ripple contained in the DC current supplied from
It is supplied to the inverter 314.

The inverter 314 is a smooth reactor 31.
The current supplied from No. 5 is converted into an alternating current having a required frequency and supplied to the resonance circuit 312. In addition, the inverter 314
Is connected to the control device 400,
The operation is controlled in accordance with the control command from. The control device 400 uses, for example, the resonance circuit 3 based on the temperature of the molten metal in the container 330 detected by the thermometer 375.
Control the supply of alternating current to 12.

In the resonance circuit 312, in order to stably and efficiently dissolve the granular metal material M supplied to the container 330, the oscillated frequency is required to be as stable as possible. To be done. The frequency oscillated by the resonance circuit 312 is determined by the melting coil 350 and the capacitor 3
If the inductance between 0 and 02 fluctuates, it fluctuates sensitively. If the frequency oscillated by the resonance circuit 312 varies,
The penetration depth of the induced current induced in the metal material M into the metal material M fluctuates, the temperature of the metal material M does not rise stably, and the time required for melting the metal material M is increased for each casting. Vary. For example, when the melting coil 350 and the capacitor 302 are connected by a twisted pair cable, the melting coil 3 is deformed due to the deformation of the twisted pair cable.
The inductance between the capacitor 50 and the capacitor 302 easily fluctuates.

In this embodiment, the melting coil 350 and the capacitor 302 are brought close to each other, and the melting coil 350 and the capacitor 302 are connected by the copper plates 304 and 305, whereby the inductance between the melting coil 350 and the capacitor 302 is reduced. Of the resonance circuit 31
The frequency oscillated by 2 can be stabilized. When the melting coil 350 and the capacitor 302 are separated from each other, the melting coil 350 and the capacitor 302 are separated from each other by the copper plate 30.
In reality, it is difficult to connect them with 4, 305, but in the present embodiment, the melting coil 350 and the capacitor 3 are connected.
Since it has a structure that can minimize the distance to 02, it is possible to connect by the copper plates 304 and 305.

Next, an example of the operation of the molten metal supply apparatus 2 having the above structure will be described with reference to FIGS.
The operation of the molten metal supply device 2 is controlled by the control device 400. First, the inert gas G is supplied from the gas introduction pipe 65 to the hopper 60 to which the granular metal material M has been supplied, and the metal material M is placed in the atmosphere of the inert gas G. Further, the inert gas G is supplied from the gas supply pipe 376 of the dissolution mechanism section 11 to make the inside of the sealed chamber 320 an atmosphere of the inert gas G. Further, an electric current is supplied to the heating device 380, and the container 3
30, the closed chamber 320, and the atmosphere in the closed chamber 320 are heated to about the melting point of the metal material M or higher.

From this state, the measuring section 70 of the material supply mechanism section 51 is operated to measure the amount of the metal material M required for casting and send it to the buffer section 80.

Next, in a state where the weighed metal material M is held in the buffer section 80, after the metal material M can be supplied to the container 330, the valve body 84 is lowered and the metal material M is dropped. Let After the drop of the metal material M is completed, the valve body 84 is raised to open the opening 81 of the buffer portion 80.
The introduction pipe 91 side of the closed chamber 320 is closed by closing a.

Metal material M dropped from the buffer section 80
Is guided to the introduction pipe 91 as shown in FIG.
It falls into the accommodating portion 330a of 30.

Then, after the supply of the metal material M to the container 330 is completed, as shown in FIG. 13, the shielding lid 360 is driven to shield the opening of the container 330. The container 33
After the supply of the metal material M to 0 is completed, the measurement for the next casting is started, and the new metal material M is sent to the buffer section 80 again.

After the opening of the container 330 is shielded by the shield lid 360, a high frequency current is supplied to the melting coil 350. The high frequency current supplied to the melting coil 350 is, for example, about 50 kHz.

When a high frequency current is supplied to the melting coil 350, an induced current is induced in the metal material M, and the metal material M
Is heated. At this time, as described above, the metallic material M violently moves due to the electromagnetic force and tries to be ejected from the container 330, but the metallic material M is not scattered from the container 330 by the shielding lid 360. If induction heating is continued in this state, as shown in FIG. 14, the metal material M is melted and becomes a metal melt ML.

Next, after a high-frequency current is supplied to the melting coil 350, when a predetermined time elapses, that is, when the metal material M is melted and is no longer scattered from the container 330, as shown in FIG. Open the lid 360. The reason why the shield lid 360 is opened is to detect the temperature of the molten metal ML.

After the shield lid 360 is opened, when the temperature of the molten metal ML in the container 330 is detected by the thermometer 375, the current supply to the melting coil 350 is controlled based on the detected temperature. . For example, molten metal ML
When the temperature of 1 reaches a predetermined temperature, the current supply to the melting coil 350 is cut off. When the temperature of the molten metal ML does not reach a predetermined temperature, the melting coil 35
The current supply to 0 is continued or the current supply amount is increased.

Next, after the electric current supply to the melting coil 350 is cut off, the shutter member 370 is moved to open the opening 323. After opening the opening 323, the container 330 is tilted as shown in FIG.

When tilting the container 330, the container 33
The tilt speed and tilt attitude of 0 are controlled. Container 3
The tilting speed and tilting attitude are controlled so that all the molten metal ML in 30 is poured into the sleeve 206 with certainty.
For example, when inclining the container 330, the container 330 is rotated at a relatively low speed so that the molten metal ML in the container 330 does not scatter, and after the container 330 is inclined to some extent, the container 330 is rotated at a relatively high speed. Then, the container 330 is again rotated at a relatively low speed before reaching the predetermined tilted posture as shown in FIG. The metal melt ML remaining in the container 330 is poured into the sleeve 206 by slowly rotating the container 330 at a relatively low speed before reaching the predetermined tilted posture.

When the molten metal ML is injected into the sleeve 206, the plunger tip 205 of the injection device 200 is driven to inject and fill the cavity C with the molten metal ML. When the container 330 reaches the predetermined tilted posture, the sleeve 20
After the injection of the molten metal ML into the container 6 is completed, the container 33
0 is returned to the normal posture. After returning the container 330 to the normal posture, when the metal material M can be supplied to the container 330, the metal material M is supplied again from the buffer unit 80 to the container 330, and the same operation as above is performed. I do.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the die casting machine 1, the molten metal ML is supplied to the sleeve 206 by the above-described operation, so that die casting products are continuously cast in a constant cycle. be able to. Further, according to the present embodiment, since the granular metal material M is accurately measured in advance and melted, it is possible to supply the metal melt ML required for casting of the die cast product without excess or deficiency, and as a result, The quality can be improved. Further, according to the present embodiment, since the metal material is supplied and melted in the inert gas atmosphere, the metal material is less likely to be oxidized and the quality of the die cast product can be improved.

Further, according to the present embodiment, by enclosing the container 330 with the closed chamber 320 and heating the atmosphere in the closed chamber 320, the melting rate of the metal material can be improved and a fast casting cycle can be dealt with. . Further, according to the present embodiment, the container 330 is surrounded by the closed chamber 320, and
By heating the atmosphere inside, solidification of the melted metal material can be prevented, and as a result, the quality of the product can be improved.

Further, according to the present embodiment, a current having a stable frequency can be stably supplied to the melting coil 350.
The metal material can be efficiently melted by induction heating, the time required for melting can be shortened, and the time required for melting can be suppressed from varying between castings.
Further, according to the present embodiment, when the molten metal ML melted in the container 330 is poured into the sleeve 206, the container 33
Since the rotational speed control and the rotational position control of 0 are possible, the molten metal ML can be surely poured into the sleeve 206. Further, since the rotational position of the container 330 can be accurately controlled, even if the volume of the closed chamber 320 is made as small as possible, the collision between the container 330 and the closed chamber 320 can be reliably prevented.

Further, since the rotation position and rotation speed of the container 330 can be controlled accurately, it is possible to adjust the amount of the molten metal ML to be injected from the container 330 into the sleeve 206. For example, by controlling the rotational position of the container 330 so that a part of the molten metal ML always remains in the container 330, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of violent motion of the granular metal material at the start of induction heating. You can

Further, according to the present embodiment, from the state where the melting mechanism section 11 of the molten metal supply device 2 is arranged on the back surface of the fixed die plate 110, the melting mechanism section 11 is moved to a position separated from the fixed die plate 110. It is movable. Therefore, it is possible to easily maintain the container 330 and the like in the closed chamber 320 of the dissolution mechanism section 11.

Second Embodiment FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing the structure of a material supply mechanism section in a molten metal supply apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the molten metal supply apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that of the first embodiment described above except the material supply mechanism section. Further, in the configuration of the material supply mechanism unit 800 according to the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the material supply mechanism unit 51 according to the first embodiment described above.

In order to supply an accurate amount of molten metal ML to the sleeve 206 of the die casting machine 1, it is necessary to accurately measure the metal material M in the measuring section 70. On the other hand, the metal material M is supplied to the inside of the cylinder 71 forming the transport path of the metal material M of the weighing unit 70 by the weight of the metal material M through the supply port 61 a of the hopper 61.
The force acting on the metal material M existing in the vicinity of 1a changes according to the amount of the metal material M accumulated in the hopper 61.
When the force acting on the metal material M existing in the vicinity of the supply port 61a changes, a measurement error occurs even if the rotation amount of the screw 72 is the same, and the amount of the metal material M sent to the buffer unit 80 may vary. There is a nature.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, a material replenishing device 850 is newly provided, and the height (distance L) of the surface of the metal material M detected by the level detector 64.
Based on the above, the hopper 6 is controlled so that the height of the surface of the metal material M accumulated in the hopper 61 is maintained within a predetermined range.
The metal material M is replenished from inside the material replenishing device 850.

The material replenishing device 850 includes a sensor amplifier 67.
The distance L between the level detector 64 and the surface of the accumulated metal material M is acquired from the signal 67s output from the. The distance L indicates the current height of the surface of the accumulated metallic material M. On the other hand, the material replenishing device 850 holds a preset height range (a height within a predetermined range from the level detector 64) of the surface of the accumulated metal material M,
This set height range is compared with the distance L, and if the current accumulated surface height of the metal material M is lower than the set height range, the surface height of the metal material M is set to the set height. The metal material M in an amount corresponding to the difference so that it falls within the range,
This is supplied into the hopper 61 through the supply pipe 851 connected to the lid 62.

With such a structure, even if the metal material M is delivered by the weighing unit 70 and the surface height of the metal material M accumulated in the hopper 61 is lowered, the metal material M is newly stored in the hopper 61. The material M is replenished, and the height of the surface of the metal material M is maintained within the set height range. As a result, the force acting on the metal material M existing in the vicinity of the supply port 61a of the hopper 61 is always kept substantially constant, so that the weighing unit 70 is prevented from generating a weighing error.

In addition to the above structure, in the material supply mechanism section 800 shown in FIG.
2, the level detector 64 is inserted from the upper end side of the introduction pipe 810.
And it is sealed. The side surface of the introduction pipe 810 is connected to the gas supply source 66, and the inert gas G supplied into the introduction pipe 810 is supplied into the hopper 61 through the inside of the introduction pipe 810.

The detection surface 64f of the level detector 64 faces the flow path of the inert gas G in the introduction pipe 810. Since the granular or powdery metal material M is supplied into the hopper 61, the dust of the fine metal material M may be in a state of flying, and the dust of the metal material M of the level detector 64. If it adheres to the detection surface 64f, the detection accuracy of the level detector 64 may decrease, but the detection surface 64f of the level detector 64 is exposed to the flow path of the inert gas G in the introduction pipe 810. This makes it difficult for the dust of the metal material M to adhere to the detection surface 64f.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to various embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.
In the above-described embodiment, the case of a so-called cold chamber die casting machine was described as the casting apparatus, but the present invention is also applicable to other types of die casting machines, sand mold casting machines, gravity mold casting machines, low pressure casting machines, etc. Is.

[0118]

According to the present invention, a required amount of metal material can be more accurately weighed, melted and supplied to a casting apparatus for continuously casting each casting. Further, according to the present invention, the melting time of the metal material can be shortened, and it becomes possible to suppress the deterioration of the quality of the cast product due to the solidification and the oxidation of the melted metal material before being supplied to the casting apparatus.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view showing a configuration of a die casting machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state where the molten metal supply device 2 shown in FIG. 1 is moved to the back side of a fixed die plate 100.

3 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of the molten metal supply device 2, and is a diagram including a sectional view in a part of the molten metal supply device 2 viewed from the back side of the fixed die plate 110. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a specific configuration of a material supply mechanism section 51.

FIG. 5 is a view of the melting mechanism section 11 seen from above.

6 is a cross-sectional view of the melting mechanism section 11 shown in FIG. 5 taken along the line EE.

7 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the melting mechanism section 11 shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a structure of a cover plate 320c for opening and closing an opening 326.

9 is a diagram showing a connection relationship between a rotary shaft 392 and a servo motor 395. FIG.

10 is a diagram showing a connection relationship between a capacitor housed in a capacitor housing unit 300 and a melting coil 350. FIG.

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a supply system of a high frequency current to a melting coil 350.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an operation procedure of the molten metal supply device 2.

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining the operation procedure of the molten metal supply device 2 following FIG.

FIG. 14 is a view for explaining an operation procedure of the molten metal supply device 2 following FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a view for explaining the operation procedure of the molten metal supply device 2 following FIG.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a material supply mechanism section according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Die casting machine 2 ... Molten metal supply device 51,800 ... Material supply unit 60 ... Storage unit 70 ... Weighing unit 80 ... buffer section 90 ... Introduction 91 ... Introduction tube 100 ... Mold clamping device 110 ... Fixed die plate 120 ... Moving die plate 130 ... Link housing 300 ... Capacitor housing 320 ... Closed chamber 330 ... container 350 ... Coil for melting 360 ... Shielding lid 370 ... Shutter member 375 ... Thermometer 376 ... Gas supply pipe 380 ... Heating device 400 ... Control device 500 ... Support stand 850 ... Material replenishing device 930 ... Gas heating device

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A molten metal supply apparatus for melting and supplying a metal material to a casting apparatus for each casting, wherein a metal material arranged at a predetermined position with respect to the casting apparatus is melted and then supplied to the casting apparatus. It has a melting means for supplying and a material supplying means for measuring and supplying a granular or powdery metal material to the melting means for each casting, and the material supplying means is a storage container for accumulating the metal material. A communication path that is in communication with the dissolution means and that is connected to a supply port at the lower end of the storage container, and a metal material is supplied from the storage container by its own weight through the supply port; A screw member that sends out an amount of metal material corresponding to the amount of rotation toward the melting means, level detection means that detects the height of the surface of the metal material accumulated in the accumulation container, and detection of the level detection means Based on height Then, a molten metal supply device having a material replenishing means for replenishing the metal material in the storage container so that the height of the surface of the metal material stored in the storage container is maintained within a predetermined range. 2. The level detecting means has a level detecting sensor provided on a lid covering an upper end opening of the storage container,
The molten metal supply device according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the level detection sensor and the surface of the metal material accumulated in the accumulation container is detected. 3. A gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas into the storage container, wherein the detection section of the level detection sensor is provided so as to face the introduction path of the inert gas. Item 3. A molten metal supply device according to item 2. 4. The material supply means, a temporary holding portion for releasably holding the metal material sent from the transport path according to the rotation amount of the screw member until the metal material can be supplied to the melting means, The introduction pipe part which connects the said temporary holding part and the said melting | dissolution means so that the metal material released from a temporary holding part and falling by the dead weight may be guide | induced to the said melting means. Molten metal supply device. 5. The melting means melts the container placed at a predetermined position with respect to the casting apparatus, a closed chamber surrounding the circumference of the container, and a metal material contained in the container by induction heating. Induction heating means, tilting means for inclining the attitude of the container to inject the melted metal material into the casting apparatus from the opening of the container, and the melted metal material flowing out by changing the attitude of the container An opening / closing means for opening / closing an injection port formed in the bottom plate of the closed chamber for injecting into a casting apparatus.
The molten metal supply apparatus according to any one of to 4. 6. A mold clamping device which holds a pair of molds, opens and closes and molds the molds, and injects a molten metal material into a cavity formed between the molds that have been clamped, A die casting machine having an injection device for filling and a molten metal supply device for injecting molten metal into a hot water supply port of the sleeve of the injection device, wherein the molten metal supply device has a predetermined size with respect to the sleeve of the injection device. A melting means for melting and supplying the metal material arranged at the position to the sleeve, and a material supplying means for measuring and supplying a granular or powdery metal material for each casting to the melting means, The material supply means is connected to a storage container for storing a metal material and the dissolution means, and is connected to a supply port at a lower end of the storage container, and the metal material is charged by its own weight through the supply port to the storage container. Sourced from And a screw member that is inserted into the conveyance path and sends out a metal material in an amount corresponding to the rotation amount toward the melting means, and a height of the surface of the metal material accumulated in the accumulation container. Based on the level detecting means for detecting, and the height detected by the level detecting means, the accumulation container so that the height of the surface of the metal material accumulated in the accumulation container is maintained within a predetermined range. A die casting machine having a material replenishing means for replenishing a metal material. 7. A required amount of granular or powdery metal material is metered and supplied for each casting to a melting means arranged at a predetermined position with respect to a casting device, and the metal material supplied by the melting means is supplied. A method for supplying a molten metal which is melted and supplied to the casting apparatus, wherein the metal material is measured by its own weight to a conveying path communicating with the melting means through a supply port at a lower end portion of a storage container in which the metal material is accumulated. Then, the metal material supplied to the transport path is controlled by controlling the rotation amount of the screw member inserted in the transport path to deliver a desired amount of the metal material toward the melting means. The method of supplying the metal material from the above to the transport path is performed while maintaining the height of the metal material accumulated in the accumulation container within a predetermined range. 8. The height of the metal material accumulated in the accumulation container is detected, and the height of the metal material accumulated in the accumulation container is set within a predetermined range based on the detected height. The method for supplying molten metal according to claim 7, wherein the metal material is replenished so as to be maintained. 9. The molten metal supply method according to claim 8, wherein the height detection of the metal material accumulated in the accumulation container is performed in a non-contact manner.