JP5221195B2 - Casting apparatus, casting system and method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention, Casting apparatus, a casting system and method, and more particularly, the casting apparatus of aluminum alloy using a sand mold, to a casting system and method.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the conventional low pressure casting method uses a low pressure casting apparatus 100 including a mold 102 and a low pressure casting furnace 110, and the mold 102 includes an upper mold 102A and a lower mold 102B. And a cavity 104 is provided. The sand mold 102 is formed with a gate 104 </ b> A communicating with the cavity 104. The gate 104A also serves as a feeder in the conventional sand casting method. The low-pressure casting furnace 110 includes a base 114 and a heater 122 inside the furnace body 112, and a crucible 116 is installed on the base 114. When pressure is applied to the molten metal 118 stored in the crucible 116 by an air pressure control device (not shown) connected to a pipe 124 provided on the side surface of the furnace body 112, the hot water pipe 120 and the gate 104A are used. , And pushed up into the cavity 104. The molten metal replenishment by pressurization is continued until the molten metal 118 in the cavity 104 is completely solidified. After solidification, the pressure is released and the casting is separated from the mold 102.

Further, in Patent Document 1 below, for low pressure casting, an insertion hole for inserting a blocking pin is provided at a side position of a pouring gate in a mold sand mold in which a casting cavity is defined downstream of the pouring gate through a feeder cavity. A sand mold and a casting method and apparatus are disclosed in which a molten metal is poured into the mold, and then the pouring gate is shut off and the sand mold for low-pressure casting is rotated 180 degrees and sent out to solidify the molten metal. Has been.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-14120

  However, the above background art has the following disadvantages. First, in the conventional low-pressure casting technique shown in FIG. 5, the entire process from fixing the mold on the casting furnace to cooling and taking out the product is performed at that location, and pressurization is not continued until the casting is solidified. In addition, since it is not possible to proceed to the next step, there is a disadvantage that the cycle time is long and the productivity is low. In addition, when a sand mold is used as a mold, the sand mold has a poor heat conduction, so that the solidification time becomes long. In the case of a large casting, the tendency becomes particularly remarkable, and the productivity is greatly reduced. Next, the technique described in Patent Document 1 has a disadvantage in that the cycle time is shortened while the mold is rotated 180 degrees to make the structure complicated and increase the number of manufacturing steps. In addition, in the case of a large size, there is a disadvantage that it cannot be reversed or is difficult. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide the hot water required when it is inverted so as to be embedded in the lower mold, and its position, size, number, etc. are greatly restricted, and the effect of the hot water is not sufficient. There is also an inconvenience.

The present invention has focused on the above points, and its object is to provide high quality castings efficiently you manufacturing Casting apparatus, the casting systems and methods.

To achieve the above object, Casting apparatus of the present invention, there is provided a casting apparatus of aluminum alloy, and the upper mold feeder head accommodating portion made of metal is erected upwardly communicating with the cavity, communicating with said cavity sand mold comprising a lower mold having a sprue to be downward is provided below the sand mold, by applying pressure to the molten aluminum alloy in the crucible, cast you pouring through the pouring gate to said cavity In the furnace, the hot water heating means for heating the hot water in the hot water container housing portion by an induction heating coil provided on the outer periphery of the hot water housing portion , the lower mold is orthogonal to the pouring direction of the molten metal The gate includes a shut-off plate that can be opened and closed, and a drive mechanism that slides the shut-off plate . 1st to transport Conveying means, the sand mold that is poured into the cavity by the casting furnace, with heating at the feeder heating means, characterized by comprising a second conveying means, for unloading from the casting furnace.

One of the main forms is characterized in that the feeder heating means also serves as a preheating means for preheating the feeder housing portion before pouring into the cavity by the casting furnace . In another form, the hot water heating means includes power control means for supplying power to the induction heating coil, and the casting furnace includes air pressure control means for applying pressure to the molten metal surface in the crucible. Sometimes, there is provided a drive mechanism for the gate shut-off means, the power supply control means, and a control means for controlling the drive of the air pressure control means .

The casting system of the present invention includes a molding station that forms a sand mold composed of the upper mold and the lower mold, attaches the feeder housing part and the blocking plate to the sand mold, and the casting apparatus according to any one of the above. A pouring station for pouring the molten aluminum alloy in the crucible into the sand mold cavity sent from the modeling station by the first conveying means, and the pouring by the second conveying means. The sand mold sent from the station is cooled, and the molten metal in the molten metal container is heated by the molten metal heating means, and the cooling station is replenished with the molten metal in the cavity, and the second conveying means A separation / casting station that separates the cast material formed by solidification of the molten metal from the sand mold sent from Characterized by comprising.

Casting method of this invention, the sand mold and the upper mold feeder head accommodating portion made of metal is erected upwardly communicating with the cavity, a sprue communicating with the cavity is made of a lower die provided below the casting the molten aluminum alloy to a pouring to that casting method from the furnace, a sand mold before pouring, by the first transfer means, the step of conveying the casting furnace, with open the sprue, the casting furnace Note by applying pressure to the molten aluminum alloy in the crucible, the step of pouring the molten metal into the cavity and the feeder receptacle from said casting furnace, after infusion hot water process, the inside of the lower die of the melt A step of blocking the gate by means of a blocking plate that slides in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the molten metal, a step of unloading the sand mold after blocking the molten metal in the step from the casting furnace by the second conveying means, the second Casting by conveying means The riser of the feeder housing portion of the unloading sand mold from while heated by the induction heating coil provided on the outer periphery of the pressing water accommodating portion, the step of melt in the cavity is cooled to be solidified, after solidification Separating the casting from the sand mold.

One of the main forms, before before Symbol pouring process, characterized in that it comprises a step, to preheat the feeder housing portion. The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

The present invention includes an upper mold feeder head accommodating portion made of metal is erected upwardly communicating with the cavity, the sand mold sprue communicating consists lower die provided below the cavity, the first transfer means In this state, the molten metal of aluminum alloy in the crucible of the casting furnace is pressurized, and the molten metal is poured from the casting furnace into the cavity and the feeder housing part. Then, after pouring, the pouring gate is blocked by the pouring gate blocking means, unloaded from the casting furnace by the second conveying means , and the hot water in the hot water holding section is provided by an induction heating coil provided on the outer periphery of the hot water holding section. While controlling the directional solidification by heating, the molten metal in the cavity was cooled until solidified. For this reason, it has the characteristics of sand mold casting and low pressure casting, and the effect that a high-quality cast product can be manufactured efficiently is obtained.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail based on examples.

  First, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 (A) is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a low-pressure casting system using the low-pressure casting apparatus of this embodiment, and FIG. 1 (B) is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the low-pressure casting apparatus. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing the gate shut-off mechanism of the present embodiment, where FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the state before shut-off, FIG. 2B is an external perspective view showing the shut-off plate, and FIG. It is sectional drawing of the principal part which shows a back mode. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration example of the low-pressure casting system of the present embodiment. The low-pressure casting apparatus of the present invention is a hybrid-type low-pressure casting apparatus that combines low-pressure casting with conventional furan self-hardening sand mold casting, and solves the decrease in productivity that occurs when sand mold casting is applied to low-pressure casting. .

  As shown in FIG. 1 (A) and FIG. 3, the low-pressure casting manufacturing system of this embodiment includes a molding station SA, a pouring station SB, a cooling (or solidification control) station SC, and a brushing / casting finishing station SD. In addition, the pouring station SB is configured around the low-pressure casting apparatus 10. The low-pressure casting apparatus 10 includes a sand mold 20 and a low-pressure casting furnace 50 as shown in FIG. The sand mold 20 is composed of an upper mold 20A having a cavity 22A and a lower mold 20B having a cavity 22B, and a cavity 22 of a product part is formed by the cavities 22A and 22B.

  Above the upper mold 20 </ b> A, a substantially cylindrical feeder sleeve (a feeder pipe) 26 that is in communication with the cavity 22 through a connection port 23 is erected. The feeder sleeve 26 is made of a refractory material such as ceramic or a metal. Further, a high frequency coil 40 for heating the feeder is provided on the outer periphery of the feeder sleeve 26, and the high frequency coil 40 is connected to the high frequency inverter power supply controller 44 shown in FIG. It is connected. The high frequency inverter power supply control device 44 is connected to the control device 46 and performs heating control.

  On the other hand, a storage part 28 and a passage 30 connected to the storage part 28 are formed below the lower mold 20B through a gate 24. A blocking plate 32 for switching opening and closing of the pouring gate 24 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 28 so as to be slidable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the pouring direction. As shown in FIG. 2 (B), the blocking plate 32 has an opening 34 that can communicate with the gate 24, and as shown in FIG. 2 (A), a rod 36 that can reciprocate in the passage 30 is provided. It is connected to the drive cylinder 38 via. The drive cylinder 38 is also connected to the control device 46, and the gate 24 is opened and closed at a predetermined timing. Specifically, while pouring from the low-pressure casting furnace 50 described later, as shown in FIG. 2 (A), the blocking plate 32 is pulled toward the drive cylinder 38 so that the opening 34 and the gate 24 communicate with each other. When the state is maintained and the pouring is completed, as shown in FIG. 2C, the drive cylinder 38 is driven, and the blocking plate 32 is moved to a position where the opening 34 does not overlap the pouring gate 24. .

  Next, the low-pressure casting furnace 50 is disposed below the sand mold 20, and a crucible 56 for storing the molten metal 58 is installed on a table 54 provided on the inner bottom surface of the furnace body 52. ing. In this embodiment, a molten aluminum alloy is used as the molten metal 58. Inside the crucible 56, a hot water supply pipe 60 for pumping the molten metal 58 is arranged in a substantially vertical direction. The hot water supply pipe 60 is provided with an opening 62 provided on the upper surface of the furnace body 52 and the pouring gate 24. It is possible to communicate with the cavity 22 of the sand mold 20 via. A plurality of heaters 64 connected to the control device 46 are provided inside the furnace body 52 so that the molten state of the molten metal 58 can be maintained. Further, a pipe 66 connected to the automatic pouring air pressure control device 68 shown in FIG. 3 is provided at an appropriate position on the side surface of the furnace body 52. The automatic pouring air pressure control device 68 applies a low pressure to the molten metal surface of the crucible 56 to push up and inject the molten metal 58. The automatic pouring air pressure control device 68 is connected to the control device 46, and pressure pouring conditions and melting conditions are set. Such a pouring technique using the low-pressure casting furnace 50 is known.

  The low pressure casting apparatus 10 having the above configuration is installed in the pouring station SB. As shown in FIG. 3, a sand mold 20 is sent to the pouring station SB by a conveyor 14 provided on the gantry 12, and further, a sand mold 20 after pouring is fed by a conveyor 18 provided on the gantry 16. Is carried out from the pouring station SB and moves through the cooling station SC.

  Next, an aluminum alloy casting procedure according to this embodiment will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 3, in the molding station SA, the sand mold 20 including the upper mold 20 </ b> A and the lower mold 20 </ b> B is formed, and the feeder sleeve 26 and the blocking plate 32 are attached to the sand mold 20. At this time, the position of the blocking plate 32 is adjusted by the drive cylinder 38 so that the positions of the gate 24 and the opening 34 of the sand mold 20 are aligned as shown in FIG. The sand mold 20 is sent to the pouring station SB by the conveyor 14 and placed on the low-pressure casting furnace 50, and the high-frequency coil 40 is mounted on the outer periphery of the feeder sleeve 26.

  In the pouring station SB, a molten aluminum alloy 58 melted by a melting device (not shown) is stored in the crucible 56 while being heated by the heater 64 so as not to solidify. When the sand mold 20 is set at a position where the pouring gate 24 and the hot water supply pipe 60 coincide with each other, the molten metal surface of the crucible 56 is pressurized by the automatic pouring pneumatic pressure control device 68, and the molten metal 58 is It passes through the pipe 60, the opening 34 of the blocking plate 32, and the gate 24 and is pushed up to the cavity 22 which is a product part. Then, when the molten metal 58 fills the cavity 22 and is poured to a predetermined position of the molten metal sleeve 26, as shown in FIG. 2C, the drive cylinder 38 prevents the opening 34 and the gate 24 from overlapping. The blocking plate 32 is slid.

  After the pouring and shutting down of the pouring gate as described above, the sand mold 20 is sent to the cooling station SC. At the same time, the high frequency coil 40 mounted on the hot water supply sleeve 26 is fed with power from the high frequency inverter power supply control device 44. Is started. In the present embodiment, the feeder sleeve 26 is made of metal in order to cast an aluminum alloy. For this reason, the metal feeder sleeve 26 is induction-heated by the high-frequency coil 40, and the feeder is indirectly heated by the heat of the feeder sleeve 26. The sand mold 20 is conveyed by the conveyor 18, but heating of the hot metal by the high-frequency coil 40, that is, replenishment of the molten metal 58 is continued until the molten metal 58 in the cavity 22 is completely solidified. Then, when the molten metal 58 in the cavity 22 is solidified to become a casting material 70, it is sent to the brushing / casting finishing station SD. In the ballasting / casting finishing station SD, the casting material 70 is separated from the sand mold 20, and finishing such as excision of the plan portion by the cutting device 72 and deburring by the polishing device 74 is performed. By making the continuous casting line in this way, the productivity is improved, and the casting cycle time can be shortened to about 1/2 to 1/10 as compared with the case of combining conventional sand casting and low pressure casting.

Thus, according to the first embodiment, there are the following effects.
(1) By providing a mechanism for blocking the gate of the sand mold 20, the sand mold 20 after pouring can be moved from the low-pressure casting furnace 50, and the molten metal 58 in the cavity 22 is connected to the feeder sleeve 26 of the sand mold 20 after the movement. Since the molten metal is replenished by heating with the high-frequency coil 40 until it solidifies, a high-quality cast product can be produced efficiently.
(2) Molding, pouring, cooling, brushing, casting and finishing are made into a continuous line so that the work can be done in a multi-station, enabling a high cycle.
(3) The feeder sleeve 26 can be freely installed at an optimum position, and the feeder is heated to keep the feeder temperature high, so that a high feeder effect is obtained.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the Example mentioned above, A various change can be added in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention. For example, the following are also included.
(1) The shapes and dimensions shown in the above embodiments are examples, and may be appropriately changed as necessary. For example, in the first embodiment, the feeder sleeve 26 is used as the feeder housing portion, but this is also an example, and is not limited to the sleeve shape, and can be appropriately changed as long as the same effect is obtained. It is.
(2) The configuration of the low-pressure casting furnace 50 is also an example, and the design may be changed as needed as long as the same effect is obtained.

  (3) The gate shut-off mechanism using the shut-off plate 32 is also an example, and if it has the same effect, the design can be changed as necessary. For example, as in the example shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, a storage portion 28A for storing the shielding plate 32A is provided below the lower mold 20B, and the shielding plate 32A and the drive cylinder 38 are connected by a rod 36. You may make it connect. In this case, while pouring from the low pressure casting furnace 50, as shown in FIG. 4A, the gate 24 is opened by drawing the blocking plate 32A toward the drive cylinder 38, and the pouring is completed. As shown in FIG. 4C, the driving cylinder 38 is driven, and the blocking plate 32A is moved so as to close the gate 24.

  (4) The hot water heating mechanism using the high-frequency coil 40 is also an example, and the design can be appropriately changed as necessary as long as the same effect is obtained. For example, in the first embodiment, the iron feeder sleeve 26 made of iron is indirectly heated by the high frequency coil 40 to indirectly heat the feeder of the aluminum alloy. However, when casting iron, The hot metal sleeve 26 may be made of ceramic, and the molten iron itself may be directly heated by induction. Further, it is possible to use a mechanism that directly heats the feeder by using arc discharge, a heater, or a heat generating material, or the feeder sleeve 26 itself may be exothermic. Among these methods, heating using the high-frequency coil 40 is convenient from the viewpoint of temperature controllability.

  (5) In the first embodiment, the hot metal sleeve 26 is heated by the high-frequency coil 40 when cooling at the cooling station SC after pouring at the pouring station SB. This is also an example. For example, when the high frequency coil 40 is attached to the hot water sleeve 26 at the hot water pouring station SB, the high frequency coil 40 and the high frequency inverter power supply control device 44 are connected as shown by a dotted line in FIG. May be preheated. By performing preheating, the molten metal state can be maintained without cooling the feeder, so that the quality of the cast product can be improved. Note that the same effect can be obtained by performing preheating when a feeder housing portion other than the feeder sleeve 26 is used or when a heating mechanism other than the high-frequency coil 40 is used.

(6) The system configuration shown in the above embodiment is merely an example, and may be changed as appropriate. For example, in the embodiment, the control device 46 is provided, but this is also an example, and the control device 46 may be provided as necessary.
(7) In the low pressure casting apparatus and method of the present invention, an aluminum alloy is a suitable application example, but it can be applied to various other known casting metals in general.

According to the present invention, a sand mold composed of an upper mold in which a metal feeder housing portion communicating with the cavity is erected upward, and a lower mold in which a metal gate communicating with the cavity is provided below is provided . In a state where the molten metal is conveyed to the casting furnace by the conveying means and the pouring gate is opened , pressure is applied to the molten aluminum alloy in the crucible of the casting furnace, and the molten metal is poured from the casting furnace into the cavity and the feeder housing part. Then, after pouring, the pouring gate is shut off by the pouring gate shutting means, unloaded from the casting furnace by the second transport means , and the directional solidification after pouring the pouring gate is performed by the induction heating coil provided on the outer periphery of the feeder housing portion. While controlling, cooling was performed until the molten metal in the cavity solidified. For this reason, it is applicable to the use of the low-pressure casting for manufacturing a high quality cast product efficiently.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows Example 1 of this invention, (A) is the schematic diagram which simplifies and shows the whole structure of a low pressure casting system, (B) is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a low pressure casting apparatus. It is a figure which shows the gate shut off mechanism of the said Example 1, (A) is sectional drawing of the principal part which shows the mode before interruption | blocking, (B) is an external appearance perspective view which shows the interruption | blocking board, (C) is a state after interruption | blocking It is sectional drawing of the principal part which shows. It is a figure which shows the detailed structural example of the low pressure casting system of the said Example 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the gate shutoff mechanism of the other Example of this invention, (A) is sectional drawing of the principal part which shows the mode before interruption | blocking, (B) is an external appearance perspective view which shows the interruption | blocking board, (C) is interruption | blocking It is sectional drawing of the principal part which shows a back mode. It is a figure which shows an example of background art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10: Low-pressure casting apparatus 12, 16: Stand 14, 18: Conveyor 20: Sand mold 20A: Upper mold 20B: Lower mold 22: Cavity 22A, 22B: Cavity part 23: Connection port 24: Spout 26: Feeding sleeve pipe)
28, 28A: Storage section 30: Passage 32, 32A: Blocking plate 34: Opening 36: Rod 38: Drive cylinder 40: High frequency coil 42: Wiring 44: High frequency inverter power supply control device 46: Control device 50: Low pressure casting furnace 52: Furnace body 54: stand 56: crucible 58: molten metal 60: hot water supply pipe 62: opening 64: heater 66: pipe 68: automatic pouring air pressure control device 70: casting material 72: cutting device 74: polishing device 100: low pressure casting device 102: Mold 102A: Upper mold 102B: Lower mold 104: Cavity 104A: Pouring gate 110: Low pressure casting furnace 112: Furnace body 114: Stand 116: Crucible 118: Molten metal 120: Hot water supply pipe 122: Heater 124: Pipe SA: Molding station SB: Pouring station SC: Cooling (solidification control) station SD: Dispersion / casting station

Claims (6)

An aluminum alloy casting device,
A sand mold comprising an upper mold in which a metal feeder housing portion communicating with the cavity is erected upward, and a lower mold having a pouring gate communicating with the cavity below;
Sand type is provided below, by applying pressure to the molten aluminum alloy in the crucible, Casting furnace you pouring through the pouring gate to said cavity,
A hot-water heating means for heating the hot-water in the hot-water container housing by an induction heating coil provided on the outer periphery of the hot-water container ,
The lower mold is slidably accommodated in a direction perpendicular to the pouring direction of the molten metal, and includes a shut-off plate that can open and close the pouring gate, and a drive mechanism that slides the shut-off plate , A gate shut-off means for switching between opening and closing
First conveying means for conveying the sand mold to the casting furnace;
Second conveying means for carrying out the sand mold poured into the cavity by the casting furnace from the casting furnace while being heated by the feeder heating means;
Casting device you comprising the. The feeder heating means, before before pouring into the cavity by listening forming furnace, the feeder housing part according to claim 1 Symbol placement of Casting apparatus characterized by also serves as a preheating means for preheating the. The feeder heating means includes power control means for supplying power to the induction heating coil;
When the casting furnace includes pneumatic control means for applying pressure to the molten metal surface in the crucible,
A control mechanism for controlling driving of the gate shut-off means, the power supply control means, and the pneumatic control means;
The casting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a casting apparatus is provided. A molding station that forms a sand mold composed of the upper mold and the lower mold, and attaches the feeder housing part and the blocking plate to the sand mold;
A casting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: a molten aluminum alloy in the crucible is poured into a sand mold cavity sent from the modeling station by the first conveying means. A hot water pouring station,
A cooling station that cools the sand mold sent from the pouring station by the second conveying means, heats the molten metal in the hot water container by the hot water heating means, and replenishes the cavity with molten metal,
The second transfer means separates the casting material formed by the solidification of the molten metal from the sand mold sent from the cooling station, and performs a finishing / casting station for finishing.
A casting system characterized by comprising: Molten aluminum alloy is poured from a casting furnace into a sand mold consisting of an upper mold with a metal feeder containing the metal communicating with the cavity standing upward and a lower mold with a pouring hole communicating with the cavity below. a to that casting method of hot water,
Transporting the sand mold before pouring to the casting furnace by the first transport means;
Pouring molten metal from the casting furnace into the cavity and the feeder housing part by applying pressure to the molten aluminum alloy in the crucible of the casting furnace with the gate open.
After the pouring step, a step of blocking the pouring gate by a blocking plate that slides in the lower mold in a direction perpendicular to the pouring direction of the molten metal ,
A step of unloading the sand mold after shutting off the gate in the step from the casting furnace by a second conveying means;
The molten metal in the cavity is solidified while heating the molten metal in the sand-type molten metal storage part carried out of the casting furnace by the second conveying means by an induction heating coil provided on the outer periphery of the molten metal storage part. Cooling until
Separating the solidified casting from the sand mold,
Production method cast you comprising a. A step of pre-heating the hot water container before the pouring step;
Production method cast according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises a.

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