JP2004314156A - Feeder for powder molding device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a box, which constitutes a feeder, usable in an optimum mode corresponding to an objective molding, even if the box is a common feeder. <P>SOLUTION: In a feeder 1 for a powder molding device which advances and retreats on a die table 5 to charge a powder raw material 7 inside into a die cavity 3 from a bottom face opening, the bottom face opening is partitioned to a plurality of small openings 19. Further, closing members 10 (10A etc.), which are detachably fitted to the small openings that are the small openings 19 but are separated from the opening width of the cavity 3 and close the small openings, are provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a feeder that is used in a powder molding apparatus and moves forward and backward on a die table to fill a die cavity with raw material powder.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The powder molding apparatus includes a die table having die holes, upper and lower punches, a powder supply feeder, and the like. The feeder puts the raw material powder inside through a hose or the like from a hopper, and is advanced and retracted on a die table by a driving means, thereby filling the inner raw material powder into the die cavity from a bottom opening. There are two types of feeders: a container with a bottom opening and a supply port on the upper side (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-10395, etc.) and a frame with a top and bottom opening (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-52254, etc.). Advancing and retreating on the cavity is controlled by driving means such as an actuator.
[0003]
In the powder filling structure using the feeder as described above, the supply state of the raw material powder may be unstable and the cavity may not be filled as designed. As this remedy, configurations as exemplified in the following documents 1 to 3 are known. The main part of Document 1 is to prevent uneven filling due to uneven distribution of powder when the feeder advances and retreats by attaching a plurality of inclined partition plates in the feeder and dividing the feeder in the longitudinal direction. The main part of Document 2 is to increase the speed of powder filling by attaching a piezoelectric vibrator to a feeder and applying vibration to the powder. The main part of Document 3 is to improve the powder supply state by releasing the air inside by providing an air vent hole in the upper wall of the feeder.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-24635 (FIGS. 1-5)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-10-118794 (FIGS. 1 to 6 and the like)
[Patent Document 3]
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-27 (Figs. 1 to 3)
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-mentioned powder compacting apparatus, various compacts having different sizes and shapes are targeted, and the amount of powder to be filled into the cavity, that is, the amount of powder charged at one time is different depending on the target compact. Further, the feeder is incorporated as a part of the powder molding apparatus, and is connected to the above-mentioned hopper via a hose or the like or connected to the above-mentioned driving means. For this reason, as a powder compacting apparatus, a compact compact may be molded using a relatively large feeder adapted to a large compact. In such an embodiment, the feeder contains more raw powder than necessary and moves forward and backward, which is wasteful in terms of energy, and the amount of the raw powder in the feeder leaking out in the process of moving forward and backward on the die table increases. In addition, segregation of the raw material powder easily occurs in the feeder. These problems can be solved by replacing the feeder with a feeder that matches the size of the target compact. However, when preparing a feeder for each target compact, the cost is high, and the feeder and the driving means described above must be used. Consolidation must be performed, which increases costs and man-hours. The present invention solves the above problems, even in the case of a common feeder, so that it can be used in an optimal mode according to the target molded body, less likely to segregate the raw material powder in the feeder, It is intended to further improve the powder filling property.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is, as specified in the example of FIG. 1, a powder molding apparatus which advances and retreats on a die table 5 and fills an inner raw material powder 7 into a die cavity 3 from a bottom opening. In the feeder 1, the bottom opening is divided into a plurality of small openings 19, and the plurality of small openings are removably attached to the small openings separated from the opening width of the die cavity 3 to close the small openings. It is characterized by having a closing member 10 (10A or the like).
Further, in the feeder 1 for a powder molding apparatus for moving back and forth on the die table 5 and filling the inner material powder 7 into the die cavity 3 from the bottom opening, the bottom opening is formed by a plurality of small openings 19. And is detachably attached to one or more small openings selected from among the plurality of small openings that pass over the die cavity 3 to substantially prevent the passage of the raw material powder 7. In addition, a ventilation member 10C (10A, 10B, etc.) that allows ventilation from below to above is provided.
[0007]
(Devised points etc.) The above inventions are characterized in that the feeder is configured as a set with a closing member and a ventilation member, the bottom opening of the feeder is divided into a plurality of small openings, and that the closing member and the ventilation member are separated. They are common in that they can be attached to and detached from the small opening. According to the first aspect of the present invention, for example, in a mode in which the target compact is small and the feeder is larger than the opening width of the die cavity of the powder molding apparatus, the small openings separated from the opening width of the die cavity among the plurality of small openings. By mounting a closing member on the bottom surface, it is possible to form a bottom opening with a number of small openings corresponding to the die cavity. For this reason, in this structure, even with the common feeder, the optimal powder storage internal volume according to the opening width of the target molded body and the die cavity is set to suppress the problem mentioned above, that is, to suppress the energy to advance and retreat, It is possible to suppress the amount of the raw material powder in the feeder leaking out in the process of moving back and forth on the die table and to prevent segregation of the raw material powder in the feeder.
On the other hand, in claim 2, for example, in a mode in which the target molded body is large or the opening width of the die cavity is large, one or more of the plurality of small openings are selected from among the small openings passing over the die cavity. By attaching a ventilation member to the small opening, it is possible to release gas in the die cavity. For this reason, in this structure, even if it is a common feeder, the powder filling property can be favorably maintained by providing the ventilation member. In addition, when the ventilation member is formed of the porous body, the long tube, or the like described in claim 4, the ventilation member can also serve as the closing member.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1A and 1B are schematic cross-sectional views showing a feeder and an operation example thereof. FIG. 1A is a diagram in a state where raw material powder is not inserted, FIG. 1B is a diagram in a state where raw material powder is stored, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which has been moved onto a die cavity. 2A and 2B show an example of the structure of a main part of the feeder. 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams showing three examples of the ventilation member and / or the closing member. FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic views for explaining an example of use of a ventilation member and a closing member. FIGS. 5A and 5B are configuration diagrams showing another example of the feeder.
[0009]
(Relation with powder molding apparatus) The feeder 1 according to the invention is used in a powder molding apparatus 2 for producing a green compact. As schematically illustrated in FIG. 1C, the powder molding apparatus 2 includes, for example, a die 4 having a die hole, a die table 5 supporting the die 4, and upper and lower punches (reference numerals in the drawing). 6 is a lower punch), a hopper for supplying the raw material powder 7 to the feeder 1, a driving means for moving the feeder 1 back and forth, and the like. In this example, the die cavity 3 is formed by the die hole of the die 4 and the lower punch 6. Then, the feeder 1 replenishes the raw material powder 7 through the hose or the like from the hopper side at the retreat position of FIG. It is moved to the forward position of c), that is, above the die cavity 3 of the die table 5. At the forward position, the raw material powder 7 in the feeder 1 is dropped into the die cavity 3 from the bottom opening and filled. Thereafter, the feeder 1 is moved to the retreat position again. The raw material powder 7 filled in the die cavity 3 is formed into a predetermined shape by a double pressing method using the upper and lower punches 6 or the like, or a single pressing method using one of the upper and lower punches. As described above, the relationship between the feeder 1 and the powder molding device 2 is the same as in the related art.
[0010]
(Basic structure of powder box) The feeder structure may be any as long as it can accommodate the above-described raw material powder and fill the die cavity 3 from the bottom opening. Therefore, morphologically, the lower box 11 and the upper box 12 are detachably connected as shown in FIG. 1, the upper and lower boxes 11 and 12 are integrated, and as shown in the example of FIG. For example, a configuration in which the mounting portion 14 is open to the top and receives the hopper 8 may be provided. Here, in the feeder 1 of FIG. 1, the lower box 11 and the upper box 12 are integrated by detachable connecting means such as bolts and nuts. Reference numerals 11a and 12a are connecting flanges. The lower box 11 has a connection part 15 and the like which is open upward and is connected to the driving means. The upper box 12 secures a predetermined space between the lower box 11 and the supply port 16 provided on one side and connected to a hose extending from a hopper (not shown), and a ventilation hole 17 provided in the center of the upper wall. Etc. On the other hand, in the feeder 1 of FIG. 5, the box body 13 and the hopper 8 are provided so as to be overlapped, and the connecting portion 15 provided on the corresponding side wall of the box body 13 and connected to the driving means and the It has a stopper 13a and the like that are provided accordingly. In the feeder 1, the hopper 8 is received by the receiver 14 at the forward position (a), and the lower opening of the hopper 8 and the upper opening of the box body 13 overlap at the retracted position (b). The powder 7 is replenished from the hopper 8. The present invention is suitably applied to the lower box 11, the box body 13, and the like constituting the feeder 1 as described above.
[0011]
(Main part) FIG. 2A is a view of the lower box 11 of FIG. 1 and the box body 13 of FIG. 5 viewed from below, and FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of a part thereof. The lower box 11 and the box body 13 are formed in a substantially lattice-like or honeycomb-like manner by a large number of partition walls 18 having an inner space extending vertically and horizontally. It is configured. For this reason, each small opening 19 has the same shape and penetrates vertically. The partition wall 18 is provided with an engagement groove 18 a corresponding to the small opening 19. The engaging groove 18a is formed as a concave portion or a concave groove at the upper end surface of the partition wall 18 and in the middle of each side of the rectangular side defining each small opening 19. The engagement groove 18a may be provided on the lower end surface side of the partition wall 18. And in this structure, it has the closing member 10 corresponding to the small opening 19, and the ventilation members 10A-10C of FIG.
[0012]
The closing member 10 and the ventilation members 10A to 10C are inserted into the upper and lower cylindrical shapes of the small opening 19, and are engaged with the engaging grooves 18a when inserted into the small opening 19 so as not to drop. It is the same in having the collision part 10a. Here, the closing member 10 is in the form of a column made of resin, and has the engaging projection 10a formed facing the upper end side surface. The material may be a steel material such as a metal. The ventilation member 10A in FIG. 3 is a porous body having air permeability, and has an outer shape substantially similar to that of the closing member 10. In this mode, it is preferable that the air permeability is enhanced in the up-down direction, and it can also be used as the closing member. The ventilation member 10B is a cylindrical body (see FIG. 5) provided with a small hole 10b on the upper end surface, and its outer shape is substantially the same as the closing member 10 except for the small hole 10b. The small hole 10b has such a diameter that the raw material powder does not pass through a large amount. The material is resin, but steel such as metal may be used. On the other hand, the ventilation member 10C is a simple pipe-shaped long tube made of resin or steel material, and is longer than the height of the upper and lower cylinders of the small opening 19. In other words, the upper end surface of the ventilation member 10C is inserted into the small opening 19 through the engagement between the engagement protrusion 10a and the engagement groove 18a, as shown in the example of FIG. Is set to a length protruding above the raw material powder 7 in the feeder. For this reason, in this embodiment, it can be used as the closing member as well as the ventilation member 10A.
[0013]
(Operation) Next, how to use the closing member 10 and the ventilation members 10A to 10C will be described. In the usage example of FIG. 1, the bottom opening area of the feeder 1 is larger than the opening width of the die cavity 3. Of the plurality of small openings 19, the closing members 10 (10 </ b> A) ), And a ventilation member 10C is mounted in one to three small openings 19 at the middle between the left and right. In this feeder structure, when the closing member 10 (10A) or the ventilation member 10C detaches the connecting means of the upper and lower boxes 11, 12 and inserts it into the corresponding small opening 19 from above, the engaging groove 18a and the engaging protrusion are formed. It is mounted via engagement with the part 10a. On the other hand, in the example of use of FIG. Is provided with a ventilation member 10B. In this feeder structure, the closing member 10 (10A) or the ventilation member 10B can be inserted into the corresponding small opening 19 and easily mounted simply by keeping the box body 13 away from the hopper 8 as shown in FIG. Can be. However, the ventilation member 10C of a long tube cannot be used.
[0014]
The example of use in FIG. 4A is a mode in which the opening width of the die cavity 3 is relatively large, the portion where the closing member 10 (10A) is mounted is indicated by oblique lines, and the ventilation member 10B is mounted. Are indicated by five small holes. In this embodiment, the raw material powder in the feeder cannot fall from the closing member 10 (10A), but falls from the white small opening 19 in the figure. Further, the raw material powder slightly falls from the small hole 10b of the ventilation member 10B, but does not fill the inside of the cylinder. That is, as can be inferred from FIG. 5, the raw material powder 7 slightly enters the cylindrical body through the small holes 10 b of the ventilation member 10 B, but the entered powder is removed when located in the die cavity 3. The ventilation member 10B (ventilation members 10A and 10C) reliably discharges the air in the die cavity 3 to the upper part of the feeder 1 in the process of dropping the raw material powder into the die cavity 3 and performing filling. As a filling mode, smooth filling can be maintained, and the raw material powder is hardly disturbed by air, so that powder segregation can be prevented.
[0015]
The use example of FIG. 4B is a mode in which the opening width of the die cavity 3 is relatively small. The unnecessary small opening 19 is closed by attaching the obstruction closing member 10 (10A) indicated by oblique lines. The number of small openings 19 required for the above is reduced. Thereby, the powder accommodating region in the feeder 1 is narrow. The ventilation member 10B (the ventilation members 10A and 10C) is mounted at an appropriate location according to the condition of the die cavity 3 and the raw material powder. As described above, in the present invention, the actual area of the bottom opening of the feeder 1 (the lower box 11 or the box body 13) can be changed by the closing member 10 (or 10A or 10C). The existing feeder 1 can be used as an optimum mode suitable for the molded body without newly manufacturing the feeder 1 itself when molding the body. At the same time, segregation of the raw material powder can be prevented by easily adding the ventilation members 10A to 10B and removing air when the raw material powder is filled in the die cavity 3. Of course, structurally, since the bottom opening of the feeder 1 is divided by the plurality of small openings 19, the raw material powder contained therein is easily dispersed, so that segregation of the powder is less likely to occur.
[0016]
In the above-described embodiment, the small opening 19 (the same as the closing member and the ventilation member to be attached / detached here) has a rectangular cross section, but may have other shapes. In this case, if the inner angle is an acute angle such as a triangular cross section, powder flow is likely to be impaired, so it is preferable to use a polygon such as a pentagon or a hexagon. Such a polygon increases the internal angle and facilitates powder flow, so that the cross-sectional area of the small opening 19 can be reduced, the segregation preventing effect is excellent, and the powder accommodating area is designed finely. be able to. It is necessary that the small opening 19 does not impair the fluidity of the various raw material powders, and from this point, the cross-sectional area is preferably about 0.5 to 5 cm 2.
[0017]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the feeder for a powder molding apparatus of the present invention, the optimal state according to the size of the target molded body and the like is achieved by the closing member in the case of claim 1 and by the ventilation member in the case of claim 2. That is, it can be used as a dedicated feeder corresponding to the target molded body. This makes it possible to easily solve the problems mentioned above with minimum cost, suppress leakage of the raw material powder during the advancing and retreating process, reduce the possibility of segregation of the raw material powder in the feeder, and improve the powder filling property. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing the operation of a feeder to which the invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a main part of the feeder of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an additional member constituting the feeder.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of using the additional member.
FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing another configuration example of the feeder.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... feeder (16 is supply port)
2 ... powder molding apparatus 3 ... die cavity 4 ... die 5 ... die table 6 ... lower punch 7 ... raw material powder 10 ... closing member (10a is an engagement projection)
10A to 10C: ventilation member (10a is an engagement protrusion)
10b ... small holes 11, 12 ... upper and lower boxes 13 ... box body 17 ... vent holes 18 ... partition walls (18a is an engaging groove as an engaging and disengaging portion)
19 ... Small opening

Claims (4)

In a feeder for a powder molding apparatus that moves back and forth on a die table and fills the inner material powder into a die cavity from a bottom opening,
The bottom opening is divided into a plurality of small openings, and a closing member that is detachably attached to the small opening that is separated from the opening width of the die cavity among the plurality of small openings and closes the small opening is provided. A feeder for a powder molding apparatus, characterized in that: In a feeder for a powder molding apparatus that moves back and forth on a die table and fills the inner material powder into a die cavity from a bottom opening,
The bottom opening is divided into a plurality of small openings, and the plurality of small openings are detachably attached to one or more small openings selected from the small openings passing over the die cavity, and the raw material powder is provided. Characterized in that the feeder is provided with a ventilation member for substantially preventing the passage of air through and allowing air to flow upward from below. 3. The plurality of small openings according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of small openings are partitioned in a substantially honeycomb shape in a feeder, and an engaging / disengaging portion with respect to the closing member or the ventilation member is formed at an upper end or a lower end of the partition wall. There is a feeder for powder molding equipment. 3. The powder molding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the ventilation member is any one of a porous body, a cylindrical body having a small hole on an upper end surface, and a long tubular body having an upper end surface protruding above raw material powder in a feeder. 4. Feeder.

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