JP2003311781A - Mold changing device of injection molder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic mold changing apparatus, with which molds can be changed in a short period of time. <P>SOLUTION: This mold changing apparatus is equipped with a stationary mold holder 10 for holding a stationary mold and a movable mold holder 20 for holding a movable mold. Both the mold holders respectively have mold housing parts having opening parts towards at least one side direction normal to the mold clamping direction of an injection molder, guide parts for guiding each mold from its opening part to its mold housing part and locking means 50 for locking each mold to its mold housing part. Further, the mold changing device has opening widths corresponding to the opening parts of both the mold holders and is equipped with a mold stocker 30 capable of storing a plurality of the molds and a mold transferring means for transferring the molds through the opening parts between the mold stocker and the mold housing parts of both the mold holders. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mold changing device for an injection molding machine, and more particularly to a mold changing device for an injection molding machine suitable for automatically changing a cassette type mold.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the diversification of injection molding items, a so-called cassette mold has been prepared, which is mainly composed of components forming a cavity required for molding as an injection mold. By exchanging only a relatively small and lightweight cassette-type die, the work is simplified and the exchange time is shortened.

As such a cassette type mold exchanging device, for example, a device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-124952 is known. This is because the molded product take-out unit equipped with a grip for taking out the molded product from the molding position of the molding machine and the molded product take-out unit can be moved between the molding position and the external position of the molding machine. A unit moving mechanism to be mounted and a mold exchanging unit that is mounted on the unit moving mechanism so as to be movable between a molding position and an external position and has a grip portion for exchanging a molding die are provided.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional mold exchanging device, at the time of exchanging the mold,
The mold moving unit is moved to the molding position by the unit moving mechanism, the molding mold is held and pulled out by the gripping part, and then the mold replacement unit is moved to the outside position to carry the mold to the outside position. Then, after the new mold is gripped by the grip of the mold exchanging unit, the unit moving mechanism moves the mold to the molding position, and the mold is set at the molding position. There has been a problem that a mold setup time of at least 1 to 2 minutes is required for the final setting of the mold.

An object of the present invention is to solve the conventional problems described above and to provide a mold exchanging device capable of exchanging molds within a time period in which the setup time is further shortened.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mold exchanging device capable of promptly exchanging a mold and shortening a molding cycle stop time accompanying the change.

[0007]

One mode of a mold exchanging device for an injection molding machine according to the present invention that achieves the above object is to provide a fixed side mold holder for holding a fixed side mold and a movable side mold. A mold exchanging device for an injection molding machine, comprising: a movable mold holder for holding; and a mold exchanging device for automatically exchanging a mold for both mold holders, wherein both mold holders are the molds of the injection molding machine. A mold housing part having an opening in at least one side direction orthogonal to the tightening direction, a guide part for guiding the mold from the opening part to the mold housing part, and the mold in the mold housing part. A mold stocker having locking means for locking and having an opening width corresponding to the openings of the mold holders, and capable of accommodating a plurality of molds; the mold stocker and the molds; Through the opening between the mold holder and the mold accommodating portion Characterized in that it comprises a movable mold moving means Kikin type.

The mold includes a fixed mold including a fixed mold plate, a movable mold plate having a molding cavity, a receiving plate for supporting the movable mold plate, and the molding cavity. And a movable-side mold configured to have an ejector mechanism for removing a molded product from the fixed-side mold plate and the movable-side mold plate, which are connected to each other via a locating pin so as to be separable from each other. Yes, a hook is attached to the mold attaching / detaching hand of the mold moving means and one of the fixed-side mold plate and the movable-side mold plate, and the mold stocker slides horizontally or vertically. It is characterized in that the mold attaching / detaching hand and the mold are connected or removed.

Further, the locking means has a groove formed in a side portion of the fixed-side mold plate and the movable-side mold plate, and a head is exposed in the mold accommodating portion so that the head can be fitted into the groove. Pins slidably provided on both mold holders,
And a pull-in mechanism which is provided on the outside of each of the mold holders and which fixes the mold by pulling in the pin to bring the side face into close contact with the mold accommodating portion.

Further, the retraction mechanism movably supports a clamp device attached to a slide block holding the pin on a fixed spacer fixed to the mold holder, and the fixed spacer is operated during the operation of the clamp device. Is configured to move the slide block outward with the end face of the clamp as a fulcrum of the clamp to pull in the pin.

Further, the mold stocker is characterized in that a mold temperature adjusting heater is provided in a mold accommodating portion.

Further, the mold stocker is provided with a plurality of sets of two side plates which are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other by the opening width and form a mold accommodating portion therebetween, and the mold moving means is provided with the mold stocker. The mold is slidably moved between the mold storage part and the mold storage parts of both the mold holders.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an automatic mold exchanging device for an injection molding machine according to the present invention, in which a fixed side mold holder 10 for holding a fixed side mold and a movable side mold are held. A movable mold holder 20, a mold stocker 30 capable of accommodating a plurality of molds, and a mold can be moved between the mold stocker 30 and the fixed mold holder 10 and the movable mold holder 20. The mold moving device 40 and the lock device 50 that locks the mold to the fixed-side mold holder 10 and the movable-side mold holder 20 are provided, and the molds can be automatically replaced.

First, the cassette mold 100 used in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The cassette-type mold 100 includes a stationary mold including a stationary mold plate 102, a movable mold plate 104 having a molding cavity formed therein, and a receiving plate 10 supporting the movable mold plate 104.
6 and a movable mold including an ejector mechanism 110 for removing a molded product from a molding cavity,
The fixed-side mold plate 102 and the movable-side mold plate 104 are connected to each other via a locate pin 103 (see FIG. 2) so that they can be contacted and separated from each other. The ejector mechanism 110 includes an ejector pin 112 for ejecting a molded product after mold opening, and the ejector pin 11
The ejector plate 114 to which 2 is fixed, the guide connecting pin 116 and the connecting pin 1 which are provided on the ejector plate 114 in parallel with the ejector pin 112.
Return springs 118 provided on the outer circumference of any one of 16
Is equipped with.

Further, on the front side of the movable side mold plate 104, that is, on the opening side of the movable side mold holder 20, a hook 120 capable of engaging with a hook of a mold attaching / detaching hand of a mold moving means described later is bolted. It is fixed by 122. Further, on one side surface of the fixed-side mold plate 102 and the movable-side mold plate 104, a cross-section T that opens to the rear side of each of the fixed-side mold plate 102 and extends to the respective middle abdominal parts and constitutes a part of locking means described later. V-shaped grooves 130a and 130b are formed.

The stationary mold holder 10 is guided by a tie bar T so as to be movable with respect to a stationary platen (not shown) of the injection molding machine, and has an opening 11 in at least one side direction orthogonal to the mold clamping direction. It has a mold accommodating portion 12. A step portion 13 as a guide portion for guiding the mold from the opening 11 to the mold housing portion 12 is formed on both side walls 14 of the mold housing portion 12. Further, the fixed-side mold holder 10 has a locking device 50 (which will be collectively described later in relation to the movable-side mold holder) that locks the mold in the mold accommodating portion 12.

The movable die holder 20 is movably guided by the tie bar T by a movable platen (not shown) of the injection molding machine, and has an opening 21 in at least one side direction orthogonal to the die clamping direction. It has a mold container 22. A step portion 23 as a guide portion for guiding the mold from the opening portion 21 to the mold housing portion 22 is formed on both side walls 24 of the mold housing portion 22. The movable mold holder 2
In 0, an accommodating space 24 is provided below the stepped portion 23 for accommodating a cassette mold described later. Like the fixed mold holder 10, the movable mold holder 20 has a lock device 50 that locks the mold in the mold accommodating portion 22.

Therefore, the lock device 50 will be described. The lock device 50 has the same structure in the fixed side mold holder 10 and the movable side mold holder 20, and is different only in that they are arranged upside down. Therefore, the locking device 50 for the stationary mold holder 10 will be described as a representative. When it is necessary to distinguish between the two, the suffix "a" is added to the reference numeral for the locking device for the fixed-side mold holder 10, and the suffix "a" is added for the locking device for the movable-side mold holder 20. b ”is used.

As shown in FIG. 5, the locking device 50 has a groove 130 having a T-shaped cross section formed on a side portion of the fixed mold plate 102 and a head having a substantially T-shaped cross section. Is exposed in the mold accommodating portion 12 so that it can be fitted to the fixed mold holder 1
0 is slidably provided on the fixed side die holder 10 and the fixed side die holder 10, and the retracted pin 52 is retracted to fix the fixed side die plate 102 of the die 100 to the die accommodating portion 12.
And a retracting mechanism for fixing the side surfaces in close contact with each other. The cross-sectional shape of the groove 130 and the head portion of the lead-in pin 52 is not limited to the substantially T-shape illustrated here, as long as the head portion is fitted in the groove and the force is transmitted. For example, a dovetail groove shape or the like may be used.

The retracting mechanism is a rectangular parallelepiped slide block 54 having a through hole through which a retracting pin 52 having an enlarged diameter portion is inserted, a pneumatic clamp device 55 in which an operating claw is operated by a built-in air cylinder, and It is mainly composed of a fixed spacer 58 which holds the slide block 54 and the pneumatic clamp device 55 in a slidable manner. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the pneumatic clamp device 55 is screwed to the slide block 54 through which the retracting pin 52 is inserted, and the retracting pin 52 is inserted.
After being inserted into the fixed-side mold holder 10, the fixed spacer 58 is fixed to the fixed-side mold holder 10 with a screw 59. When the pneumatic clamp device 55 operates in this state, the operating claw 56 of the pneumatic clamp device 55 moves the slide block 54 together with the pneumatic clamp device 55 to the outside by using the end surface of the fixed spacer 58 as a fulcrum of the clamp. 52 is configured to be retracted (see FIG. 5).
reference).

Here, in order to explain the mold locking (clamping) operation, as shown in the enlarged view of the mold clamping mechanism of FIG. 6, the groove 130a of the fixed side mold plate 102 (the groove of the movable side mold plate 104). 130b) with the retracting pin 52a fitted, the pneumatic clamp device 55a closes and operates, and the operating claw 5
6a pushes the end surface of the fixed spacer 58a, so that the slide block 54a, the pneumatic clamp device 55a fixed to the slide block 54a, and the pull-in pin 52a inserted into the slide block 54a are fixed to the fixed side mold holder 10 (movable side mold). Only the clamp margin 60 is pulled to the outside with respect to the holder 20). At this time, since the fitting gap between the head of the pull-in pin 52 and the groove 130 is set smaller than the clamp allowance 60, the fixed-side mold plate 102 (movable-side mold plate 104) is fixed to the fixed-side mold holder 10 ( The movable side die holder 20) is closely fixed to the side surface by the reaction force of the pneumatic clamp device 55.

Further, the mold is unlocked (unclamp).
The operation is performed by opening and operating the pneumatic clamp device 55. When the pneumatic clamp device 55 is opened and operated, the pressing of the end surface of the fixed spacer 58 by the operation claw 56 is released, and the reaction force that pulls the pull-in pin 52 to the outside disappears, so that the fixed-side mold plate 102 (movable-side mold plate 104 ) Is released from the fixed side mold holder 10 (movable side mold holder 20) and can be removed through the opening.

Next, the mold stocker 30 for housing the mold will be described. Mold stocker 30 in the present embodiment
Are spaced apart from the base 32 with an opening width corresponding to the opening 11 of the fixed-side mold holder 10 and the opening 21 of the movable-side mold holder 20. A plurality of sets of two side plates 36, 36 (see FIG. 2).
In the embodiment of FIG. And
On the inner walls of the side plates 36, 36, at the intermediate stop position of the movable mold holder 20 that brings the cassette mold 100 into the mold closed state, the step portion 13 of the fixed mold holder 10 and the movable mold holder 20 are fixed. A fixed-side mold step 37 and a movable-side step 38 are formed at positions aligned with the step 23, respectively. Further, a rod-shaped cartridge-type heater 39 for mold temperature adjustment is embedded above the fixed-side mold step portion 37 so as to be adjacent to the fixed-side mold plate 102 as the fixed-side mold.

The base 32 of the mold stocker 30 is the table 4 of the air slide mechanism 40 as a part of the mold moving means.
It is attached to 2. It should be noted that in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mold stockers 30 are arranged in parallel on the base 32.
It is provided in pairs.

Further, the die moving means is the die stocker 3
0 of the mold housing portion 34, the mold housing portion 12 of the fixed mold holder 10 and the mold housing portion 2 of the movable mold holder 20.
2 has an air cylinder mechanism 44 that slides and moves the cassette mold 100.
In the mold attaching / detaching hand 46 at the tip of the piston rod of 4,
The hook 12 fixed to the front side of the movable side mold plate 104 described above.
A hook 48 capable of engaging with 0 is fixed by a bolt 49 (see FIG. 7).

Regarding the automatic die change operation according to the embodiment of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, a control procedure performed by a control device (not shown) will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This will be described with reference to FIG.

When the molding cycle in step S1 is stopped, the movable mold holder 20 is lowered by the lowering operation of the movable platen by a mold clamping cylinder (not shown) to open the mold. FIG. 2 is a view showing a stop position after completion of the molding, that is, a molding machine origin position where the movable platen is lowered. At the origin position of the molding machine, the ejector mechanism 110 of the cassette mold 100 is operated by a cylinder device (not shown), and the molded product is projected from the molding cavity. Therefore, in step S2, a molded product take-out hand (not shown) is advanced to take out the product.

Simultaneously with the advance of the molded product take-out hand, the advance of the detachable hand 46 is started in step S3. After the removal of the molded product and the advance of the detachable hand 46 in steps S2 and S3 are completed, in step S4, the movable mold holder 20 brings the cassette mold 100 into the mold closed state by a mold clamping cylinder (not shown). It is moved up to the intermediate stop position. Therefore, when the movable side mold plate 104 moves to the intermediate stop position, the downward hook 48 of the detachable hand 46 and the upward hook 120 attached to the movable side mold plate 104 are engaged with each other.

Therefore, in step S5, the unclamping operation of the die is performed, the pneumatic clamp device 55 is opened and actuated, and the fixed side mold plate 102 and the movable side mold plate 104 and the fixed side mold holder 10 and the movable side. Mold holder 20
The lock (lock) with and is released. And step S
6, the air cylinder mechanism 44 is actuated and the attaching / detaching hand 46 is retracted to cause the cassette mold 100 to move.
The fixed-side mold plate 102 and the movable-side mold plate 104 are aligned with the step part 13 of the fixed-side mold holder 10, respectively.
It is smoothly slid on the movable-side mold step 38 aligned with the step 23 and is stored in the mold stocker 30. At this time, the fixed mold plate 102 and the movable mold plate 104 are in a mold closed state, the locate pin 103 is fitted in the positioning hole, and the cassette mold 100 does not move integrally as a unit.

Next, in step S7, the molds are replaced. That is, the air slide mechanism 40 is operated, and the base 32 is moved laterally together with the table 42 as shown in FIG. At this time, the hook 48 of the detachable hand 46 is disengaged from the hook 120 of the movable side mold plate 104 before the replacement, and the movable side mold 1 of the replacement mold stocker 30 is released.
No. 04 hook 120 is engaged. In this state, in step S, the air cylinder mechanism 44 is operated and the detachable hand 46 is advanced. At this time, the cassette-type mold 100 in the replacement mold stocker 30 is arranged in the fixed-side mold 13 in the step portion 13 of the fixed-side mold holder 10, as opposed to the case where the detachable hand 46 is retracted. The fixed-side mold holder 10 and the movable-side mold holder 20 are smoothly slid on the movable-side mold step 38 that is aligned with the mold step 37 and the step 23 of the movable-side mold holder 20. It is accommodated in the mold accommodating parts 12 and 22. When the cassette type mold 100 slides toward the mold accommodating portions 12 and 22, the head of the retracting pin 52 fits into the grooves 130a and 130b in the side portions of the fixed-side mold plate 102 and the movable-side mold plate 104. Matching is as described above.

Although the air slide mechanism 40 which is slidable in the left and right direction is used in the above-mentioned embodiment, as another embodiment, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to equip the air cylinder mechanism 80 that can be operated in the vertical direction and to perform the vertical movement for die replacement. In this case, the hook of the detachable hand and the hook 120 on the die side are engaged and disengaged by the above-described relative movement in the vertical direction.
It goes without saying that the hook should have a lateral opening. Here, instead of the air slide mechanism, for example, A
A slide mechanism using a C servo motor and a ball screw, a slide cam mechanism, a slide mechanism using a linear motor, a slide mechanism using a rack gear and a pinion gear, and a slide mechanism using a hydraulic cylinder may be used.

Next, in step S9, the mold clamping operation described above is performed. That is, the cassette mold 1
After the completion of inserting 00 into the mold accommodating parts 12 and 22 is confirmed, the fixed side mold plate 102 and the movable side mold plate 104 are movable with the fixed side mold holder 10 by closing the pneumatic clamp device 55. It is fixed to the side mold holder 20.

After the die clamp is completed, in step S10, the movable side platen is lowered by the lowering operation of the movable side platen by the mold clamping cylinder of the molding machine. Retreat to the point position. At this time, the attachment / detachment hand 46 is retracted in step S12 after the engagement of the hook 48 of the attachment / detachment hand 46 and the hook 120 of the movable side mold plate 104 is released by the operation of the delay timer in step S11.

Upon completion of the backward movement of the attaching / detaching hand 46, the process proceeds to step S13 to start the molding cycle. That is, as the movable platen is raised by the mold clamping cylinder, the molding machine reaches the mold clamping state, and injection molding is performed through the injection nozzle (not shown) connected to the fixed mold plate 102. The cassette mold 100 replaced at this time
Since the temperature rise is completed by the cartridge heater 39 of the mold stocker 30, the molding can be started immediately after the mold clamping.

As shown in FIG. 10, the number of mounted molds of the mold stocker of the mold exchanging apparatus according to the present invention can be set by installing a plurality of sets according to the space so that a large number of molds can be mounted. . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, four sets of side plates are provided in parallel on the base 32 of the mold stocker 30. According to this aspect, a large number of types of molds are held in the mold stocker, and the molds are automatically replaced according to the program in the control device, and the various types of parts are automatically molded in a predetermined quantity. be able to.

According to the present embodiment, the connection between the mold and the detachable hand and the release thereof are achieved only by the relative sliding movements in both the left and right direction and the up and down direction. It is not necessary to equip a special clamp / unclamp mechanism for the above, and both can be connected and disconnected in a short time, and the time required for replacement can be significantly shortened.

[0038]

As is apparent from the above description, by using the mold exchanging device according to the present invention, the mold exchanging of the injection molding machine can be performed in a shorter time than the conventional case.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a mold exchanging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of die attachment to the die exchanging device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a mold clamping (locking) mechanism of the mold exchanging device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a cassette-type mold used in the mold exchanging device of the present invention, (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a mold clamp (lock) mechanism of the mold exchanging device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the mold clamping mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view for explaining the engagement between the attachment / detachment hook and the die hook.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining a mold exchanging operation of the mold exchanging device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an outline of a mold exchanging device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an outline of a mold exchanging device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for a mold replacement operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Fixed side mold holder 11 openings 12 Mold storage 20 Movable mold holder 21 opening 22 Mold storage 30 Mold stocker 32 foundation 34 Mold storage 36 Side plate 37 Fixed Side Mold Step 38 Step part for movable mold 39 heater 40 Air slide mechanism 42 tables 44 Air cylinder mechanism 44 46 Hand for attaching and detaching mold 46 48 hooks 50 locking device 52 retractable pin 52 54 slide block 54 55 Pneumatic clamp device 58 Fixed spacer 100 cassette mold 100 102 Fixed side template 102 103 locate pin 103 104 Movable template 130 (130a, 130b) groove

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An injection molding method, comprising: a fixed-side mold holder for holding a fixed-side mold; and a movable-side mold holder for holding a movable-side mold, wherein the molds are automatically exchanged for both mold holders. A mold exchanging device for a machine, wherein the mold holders each include a mold accommodating portion having an opening in at least one side direction orthogonal to a mold clamping direction of the injection molding machine, and the mold from the opening. It has a guide part for guiding the mold to the mold accommodating part and a locking means for locking the mold in the mold accommodating part, and further has an opening width corresponding to the openings of the mold holders. And a mold stocker capable of accommodating a plurality of molds, and a mold capable of moving the mold through the opening between the mold stocker and the mold accommodating portions of the mold holders. A mold exchanging device for an injection molding machine, comprising: 2. The mold comprises: a stationary mold including a stationary mold plate; and a movable mold plate having a molding cavity formed therein.
It comprises a receiving plate that supports the movable side mold plate, and a movable side mold that includes an ejector mechanism that removes a molded product from the molding cavity, and the fixed side mold plate and the movable side mold plate are locating pins. Is a cassette-type mold that is detachably connected via a hook, and a hook is attached to the mold attaching / detaching hand of the mold moving means and one of the fixed-side mold plate and the movable-side mold plate. 2. The die attaching / detaching hand and the die are connected or detached by sliding the die stocker in the left-right direction or the up-down direction. Mold changing device for injection molding machine. 3. The lock means includes a groove formed in a side portion of the fixed-side mold plate and the movable-side mold plate, and a head is exposed in the mold accommodating portion so that the head can be fitted into the groove. Pins slidably provided on both mold holders, respectively, and pins provided on the outer sides of the mold holders, respectively, and the pins are retracted to fix the mold to the mold accommodating portion with its side surfaces in close contact with each other. The mold changing device of the injection molding machine according to claim 2, further comprising a retracting mechanism. 4. The retraction mechanism movably supports a clamp device attached to a slide block holding the pin on a fixed spacer fixed to the mold holder, and the fixed spacer is operated when the clamp device operates. The die changing device of the injection molding machine according to claim 3, wherein the slide block is moved outward with the end face of the pin as a fulcrum of the clamp to pull in the pin. 5. The mold exchanging device for an injection molding machine according to claim 1, wherein the mold stocker is provided with a mold temperature adjusting heater in a storage part of the mold. 6. The mold stocker is provided with a plurality of sets of two side plates which are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other by the opening width and form a mold housing portion therebetween, and the mold moving means is provided for the mold stocker. The mold is slidably moved between the mold accommodating portion and the mold accommodating portions of the mold holders.
6. A mold exchanging device for an injection molding machine according to any one of 5 to 6.