JP4117934B2 - Material feeder - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of supplying a flowable material from a raw material which is a nonflowable material, selecting a desired position and supplying the flowable material, and a supply apparatus therefor.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as this type of material supply method and material supply apparatus, those disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-25451 by the present inventor are known.
[0003]
This conventional material supply apparatus includes a cylinder provided with a nozzle for supplying a flowable material on the front end side and a raw material introduction port for introducing a raw material that is a non-flowable material on the rear end side, and an interior of the cylinder. And a rotating body that rotates inside the cylinder and a spiral fluidization gap that is provided between the cylinder and the rotating body and feeds the raw material toward the nozzle.
[0004]
According to this conventional material supply device, the raw material can be kneaded by friction between the cylinder and the rotating body to be fluidized (wide concept including thickening, plasticization, solification, etc.), so the food manufacturing field It is widely used in the field of synthetic resin molding. Ancillary mechanisms for heating, humidifying, etc. are provided to the cylinders, rotating bodies, etc., corresponding to the raw materials in each field.
[0005]
As for the conventional material supply method and material supply apparatus, as shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-25451, the raw material is formed in a continuous form (string shape), and the whole material can be freely controlled by preventing zero drop of the raw material. It is possible to change the posture and to quantify the amount of flowable material by controlling the rotation of the rotating body, and it can be incorporated into various machine tools and manufacturing equipment (hereinafter referred to as “machine tools”). It is illustrated.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Therefore, the present inventor tried to supply the raw material into the raw material introduction port of the cylinder as a pellet instead of the continuous form, but by attaching a forced introduction mechanism for forcibly introducing the raw material into the raw material introduction port, It was found that it could be introduced in all directions. In addition, since the pellet-shaped raw material and the flowable material are not continuous, it is desirable to accurately quantify the supply amount of the flowable material as compared with the case where the raw material is supplied in a string form. I also found out. In addition, when a structure such as an injection mechanism is added to the whole to try to quantify the amount of flowable material supplied from the raw material in the form of pellets, the balance with the drive unit connected to the rotating body, etc. The compactness would be impaired.
[0007]
Further, as described above, a compact form is configured when supplying the material. Therefore, by moving the cylinder, a desired moving position can be selected, and the flowable material can be supplied to the desired position. Therefore, when a desired position is selected based on the relative relationship between the semi-finished product and the mold and the cylinder, the fluid material can be directly supplied to the semi-finished product and the mold.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a material supply device for a semi-finished product, a mold or the like to a desired position even if the raw material is in a pellet form.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the material supply apparatus according to the present invention employs the following means.
[0010]
That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a material supply device that fluidizes the raw material of the non-flowable material and supplies it to the supply site on the supply side in a fixed amount, and stores the fluidized material at the tip. A cylinder provided with a material storage chamber, a rotating groove that is formed in a spiral groove on the outer peripheral surface and rotatably fitted in the cylinder, and feeds the material to the material storage chamber, and a feed path communicating with the material storage chamber And a cylindrical portion for injecting the material stored in the material storage chamber via the feed path, and connected to the cylindrical portion and slidably provided in the material storage chamber to rotate the rotating body. with a material that has been pumped into the material reservoir chamber slides in a direction away from the rotating body, the amount of material in accordance with the sliding amount is stored in the material reservoir chamber, the tip portion of the cylindrical portion of the inlet side Further comprising a nozzle provided with the flange portion to emit the material stored to slide toward the rotating member and pressed in contact with the feed site material reservoir chamber from the distal end of the cylindrical part through the sending passage It is characterized by.
[0011]
In this means, a flowable material fluidized from a non-flowable raw material such as pellets is pumped to the material storage chamber by a rotating body. By this material, the flange portion moves away from the rotating body, and by restricting this movement, a certain amount of material is stored in the material storage chamber. Thereafter, when the cylindrical portion comes into contact with a member on the injection molding side and is pushed into the rotating body, the flange portion injects the material stored in the material storage chamber from the tip of the cylindrical portion through the flow path. As a result, a certain amount of material can be injected while being metered.
[0012]
Further, the second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the tip shape of the cylindrical portion is formed into a molding shape when the material is injected and molded.
[0013]
In this means, the shape of the tip of the cylindrical portion forms the shape of a molded product formed by injecting a material, so that a part of the mold of the molded product is not necessary.
[0014]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the cylinder part is attached to the cylinder and moved to the injection site on the injection side and brought into contact therewith, and the cylinder part is pushed to the rotating body side to inject the material stored in the material storage chamber. It is characterized by comprising moving means comprising a three-dimensional robot.
[0015]
In this means, the cylinder is attached to a moving means composed of a multi-dimensional robot, and can be injection-molded by moving at a desired position by the movement of the robot.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, describing aspects of the implementation of the supply method and material supply device of the material according to the present invention have groups Dzu in FIGS. 1-7.
[0017]
In this embodiment, those suitable for use in the synthetic resin molding field are shown.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 1, this embodiment basically includes a cylinder 1, a rotating body 2, a fluidizing gap 3, a drive unit 4, a gear meshing unit 5, a feed mechanism 6, and a moving unit 7.
[0019]
The cylinder 1 has a cylindrical shape with a heating structure, and a nozzle 13 through which a fluid material P is discharged and supplied via a bracket 12 is attached to the distal end of the cylindrical main body portion 11. A raw material introduction port 14 into which a pellet-shaped raw material P ′, which is a non-flowable material, is introduced is opened at the rear end side portion. The main body 11 has a step 15 formed in the vicinity of the tip. The bracket 12 is detachably fixed to the main body portion 11 with screws 16 so that the nozzle 13 can be replaced. The nozzle 13 also constitutes a part of the feed mechanism 6 , and is formed by forming a flange portion 13 d having an arc recess 13 c at the rear end portion of the cylindrical portion 13 b surrounding the feed path 13 a through which the flowable material P flows. . The raw material introduction port 14 is provided with an introduction mechanism (not shown) for forcibly introducing the raw material P ′.
[0020]
The rotating body 2 has a screw shape having a spiral groove, and is accommodated coaxially inside the cylinder 1 so as to be rotatable.
[0021]
The fluidization gap 3 constitutes a gap passage for fluidizing the raw material P ′ and feeding it toward the nozzle 13 of the cylinder 1, and a spiral shape is formed between the spiral groove of the screw-shaped rotating body 2 and the inner surface of the cylinder 1. Is formed.
[0022]
The drive unit 4 is a drive source of the rotating body 2 and includes a main body 41 such as a servo motor and a motor shaft 42 extending from the main body 41 toward the rotating body 2. The drive unit 4 is connected and arranged in a direction orthogonal to the cylinder 1 on the rear end side of the cylinder 1.
[0023]
The gear meshing unit 5 transmits the rotation of the driving unit 4 to the rotating body 2, and a worm gear 51 fixed to the motor shaft 42 of the driving unit 4 and a worm gear 51 fixed to the rear end of the rotating unit 2. The pinion gear 52. This gear meshing part 5 contributes to connecting the rotary body 2 and the drive part 4 compactly.
[0024]
The feed mechanism 6 means a mechanism that feeds the fluid material P in a fixed amount, and therefore includes an injection mechanism, and is configured around the nozzle 13 of the cylinder 1. That is, in addition to the nozzle 13 described above, a check valve 61 provided inside the main body 11 of the cylinder 1 near the tip of the rotating body 2, and the check valve 61 put the inside of the main body 11 of the cylinder 1. It is composed of a material storage chamber 62 that partitions and stores the fluid material P in a fixed amount. The nozzle 13 is slidably connected to the material storage chamber 62 so that the volume of the material storage chamber 62 can be varied by sliding. The check valve 61 is formed in a ring plate shape, slides in the axial direction of the rotator 2 with the feed pressure of the fluid material P, and is released away from the tip of the rotator 2. 6 is slid in the axial direction of the rotary body 2 with a feed pressure of 6, and is fitted to the tip of the rotary body 2 to be closed. Therefore, the structure of the cylinder 1 can be prevented from becoming complicated due to the installation of the check valve 61 and can be easily replaced. The slide area S of the check valve 61 is regulated by the tip of the rotating body 2 and the step 15 of the main body 11 of the cylinder 1. The material storage chamber 62 is provided with a heating structure as required.
[0025]
The moving means 7 is attached to the rear end side of the cylinder 1. For example, the flange 17 of the cylinder 1 and the front end flange 71 of the multidimensional robot 7 can be integrated by a fixing means 72 such as a bolt.
[0026]
According to this embodiment, the raw material P ′ introduced into the main body 11 of the cylinder 1 from the raw material inlet 14 of the cylinder 1 is rotated by the drive unit 4 via the gear meshing unit 5. To enter the fluidization gap 3. The raw material P ′ that has entered the fluidization gap 3 is twisted between the rotating rotor 2 and the inner surface of the main body 11 of the cylinder 1, fluidized by friction, and sent to the nozzle 13 while turning. It will be. At this time, the heating structure provided in the cylinder 1 promotes fluidization (plasticization) of the raw material P ′.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 2, the fluidized material P fluidized from the raw material P ′ in the fluidization gap 3 slides open the check valve 61 of the feed mechanism 6 with the feed pressure, and the check valve 61 and the rotating body. 2 enters the material storage chamber 62 of the feed mechanism 6 from the gap a with the tip of 2 and is stored. At this time, the nozzle 13 is pushed by the fluidizing material P stored in the material storage chamber 62 and slides toward the tip. In addition, the circular arc recessed part 13c and the flange part 13d provided in the nozzle 13 enhance the responsiveness to the fluidizing material P.
[0028]
As shown in FIG. 3, the fluidized material P stored in the material storage chamber 62 of the feed mechanism 6 is ejected from the feed path 13 a of the nozzle 13 by sliding toward the rear end portion of the nozzle 13. The slide toward the rear end portion of the nozzle 13 is achieved, for example, by contact between the supply portion of the fluidized material P on the supply side and the tip portion of the cylindrical portion 13b of the nozzle 13. At this time, the volume of the material storage chamber 62 is reduced by the flange portion 13 d of the sliding nozzle 13, and the check valve 61 is rotated by the feed pressure or injection pressure of the fluidized material P pressurized by the flange portion 13 d of the nozzle 13. The front end of the body 2 is fitted and closed. Therefore, a fixed amount of fluidized material P is sent.
[0029]
The operation of the feeding mechanism 6 does not hinder the operation of the rotating body 2 because the feeding mechanism 6 is separated from the drive unit 4 and the gear meshing unit 5 of the rotating body 2.
[0030]
Such a cylinder 1 can be moved in the vertical, horizontal, and longitudinal directions as shown in FIG. 4 and rotated in a posture as shown in FIG. It becomes possible to incorporate it into a kind. In particular, the provision of the drive unit 4 enables independent operation at any position, thus increasing versatility.
[0031]
6 and 7 show application examples. In FIG. 6, the nozzle 13 of the cylinder 1 is formed in, for example, a concave shape 13 a, and a partial configuration die 91 of the auxiliary die 9 is connected to the opposite side to form a hole E that penetrates the two plate materials A and B. It is used as a hammer or a caulking machine that fills and joins the fluid material P. Further, FIG. 7 is used as a welding machine in which a heating unit 92 is connected to the nozzle 13 of the cylinder 1 and the fluid material P is poured and welded to the joint F of the two plate materials C and D.
[0032]
Further, in the assembly structure shown in FIG. 8, the plunger 8 is inserted into the rotating body 2, and a hydraulic part 81 including a piston 82 and a casing 83 is provided at the rear end of the plunger 8. It is desirable to attach the hydraulic part 81 to the handling of the gear meshing part 5, and in this case, the size can be reduced. Although not shown, when the moving means is attached, it is fixed to the piston portion or the housing.
[0033]
According to the assembly structure shown in FIG. 8, the hydraulic part 81 for the rotating body 2 and the plunger 8 can be assembled in a compact manner, and the fixed amount can be fed at the tip of the rotating body 2 in the vertical, horizontal, and front-rear directions. Even if the posture movement and the posture rotation as shown in FIG. 4 are made more complicated, it can be dealt with, and it becomes extremely easy to incorporate into a wider variety of machine tools.
[0034]
As described above, in addition to the illustrated embodiment, the fluidization gap 3 can be provided on the cylinder 1 side or on both the cylinder 1 and the rotating body 2. The raw material inlet 14 can be provided at an arbitrary position of the rear end portion in addition to the side portion of the rear end portion of the main body portion 11. Further, the auxiliary die 9 may have various shapes, mounting structures, etc. depending on the semi-finished product, the mold, and the like.
[0035]
Furthermore, even if it is used when the raw material P ′ is in a continuous form, there is no problem.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the material supply device according to the present invention, since the fluid material fluidized from the non-fluid raw material such as pellets is quantitatively fed from the tip of the rotor to the nozzle by the feed mechanism, It can be simplified and miniaturized by avoiding the placement of the drive unit, etc., and it is built into various machine tools and manufacturing equipment, and the cylinder is moved by moving means to supply fluid material to the ping point. It is also possible to modify existing machine tools and add them.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a material supply apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of FIG.
3 is an operation diagram of FIG. 2. FIG.
4 is a side view showing the posture of the use state of FIG. 1; FIG.
FIG. 5 is a side view showing the posture in another use state of FIG. 1;
6 is a side view showing the application example of FIG. 1. FIG.
7 is a side view showing another application example of FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of assembly of a drive unit for incorporation into a machine tool or the like.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cylinder 13 Nozzle 14 Raw material introduction port 2 Rotor 3 Fluidization gap 4 Drive part 5 Gear meshing part 6 Feed mechanism 61 Check valve 62 Material storage chamber 7 Moving means 8 Plunger 81 Hydraulic part 82 Piston 83 Casing P Fluidity material P '' Raw materials

Claims (3)

A material supply device that fluidizes the raw material of the non-flowable material and supplies it to the supply site on the supplied side in a fixed amount, a cylinder provided with a material storage chamber for storing the fluidized material at the tip, and
A rotating body formed with a spiral groove on the outer peripheral surface and rotatably fitted in the cylinder to pump the material to the material storage chamber;
A feed passage communicating with the material storage chamber is formed therein, a cylindrical portion for injecting the material stored in the material storage chamber through the feed passage, and the material storage chamber connected to the cylindrical portion The material storage chamber is slidable in the direction away from the rotating body by the material pumped to the material storage chamber as the rotating body rotates, and an amount of material corresponding to the sliding amount is supplied to the material storage chamber. When the tip of the cylindrical portion is pressed against the supply site on the supply side , the material is slid in a direction approaching the rotating body and the material stored in the material storage chamber is passed through the feed path. And a nozzle having a flange portion that is ejected from the tip of the cylindrical portion.   2. The material supply device according to claim 1, wherein a tip shape of the cylindrical portion is formed into a molding shape when the material is injected and molded. The cylindrical portion by abutting to move the injection site of the exit side is attached to the cylinder, the cylindrical portion from a multidimensional robot to emit the material stored in the indentation the material reservoir chamber in the rotary section The material supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving means.

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