JPH0344501Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Field of industrial application] The present invention is a screw cylinder unit (hereinafter referred to as a screw cylinder unit) that can automatically replace the screw cylinder itself as a unit when changing materials, colors, etc. in an injection molding machine. (simply referred to as a screw unit).

[Prior art]

When changing materials or colors using an injection molding machine, conventionally, a purge material was supplied after use to a screw cylinder on the injection molding machine to discharge residual resin.

[The problem that the idea attempts to solve]

However, even though the purge process is performed automatically, it is necessary to stop operation of the injection molding machine for a long period of time. In particular, depending on the type or color of the resin, it may not be possible to completely discharge the residual resin, so replacing the resin on the injection molding machine has the disadvantage of drastically reducing the operation rate of the injection molding machine. It was hot.

[Purpose of invention]

This invention was developed in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to significantly reduce the downtime of injection molding machines required for material changes, color changes, etc., and to reliably improve the operating rate. The object is to enable automatic exchange of each screw unit.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention enables a screw cylinder unit provided with a connection flange at the rear and a screw drive unit of an injection molding machine provided with a connection flange at the end on the fixed platen side to be engaged and detached via mutually opposing connection flanges. The screw cylinder unit can be transferred between the injection molding machine and the unit exchange table using a unit transfer device, and the connecting flange provided on the screw drive unit allows the screw cylinder unit to be transferred to the screw drive unit. It has a clamping device that is fixed and integrated, and the connecting flanges provided on the screw cylinder unit and the connecting flanges provided on the screw drive unit each have a plurality of connecting devices that can be automatically attached and detached by engaging and detaching the connecting flanges, respectively. It is characterized by having the following.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained with reference to the illustrated embodiment. In the figure, 1 is a screw unit, which is composed of a screw, a heating cylinder, a water cooling cylinder with a hopper port, a hydraulic cylinder for opening and closing a needle valve nozzle, etc., and a screw drive side. At the end, that is, at the rear end of the water-cooled cylinder of the screw unit 1, there is a connector 2 for supplying heater power to the heating cylinder, a coupler 3 for supplying water to the water-cooled cylinder, or a hydraulic coupler 4 for connecting the hydraulic cylinder for opening and closing the needle valve nozzle. A connecting flange 6 having a male (or female) side connector and a guide pin hole 5 is provided. A hooking fitting 7 is provided on one side of the screw unit 1, and a screw shaft 8 for driving a screw having a self-locking mechanism for preventing screw removal from the connecting flange 6 is provided.
stands out.

The screw unit 1 includes a slide table 9.
The slide table 9 is placed on a pedestal 12 installed on a base frame 11 of the injection molding machine, and a vertical guide 13 is placed on the pedestal 12 installed on the base frame 11 of the injection molding machine. It is placed through the slide table 9 and can be slid in the vertical direction.

A stopper 14 for determining the lateral position of the scroll unit 1 is provided at the end of the lateral feed mechanism 10, and a lateral feed mechanism is provided on the side of the base frame 11 opposite to the side of the stopper 14. 1
Further, a cylinder 16 for determining the vertical position of the screw unit 1 is provided on the base frame 11 so as to be able to lock the slide table 9 at the unit loading position.

The unit positioning device is composed of this cylinder 16 and the stopper 14.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a screw drive unit (hereinafter simply referred to as the drive unit), which is mounted on a slide base 18 which is placed on a pedestal 12 via a vertical guide 13, similar to the slide table 9 on which the screw unit 1 is placed. The mounting is fixed. The drive unit 17 includes a connector 19 for supplying power to the heater of the heating cylinder, which can be engaged with the connection flange 6 provided on the screw unit 1 on the fixed platen 26 side, which will be described later, and a coupler 20 for supplying water to the water cooling cylinder. A connecting flange 25 having a female (or male) side connector such as a hydraulic coupler 21 and a guide pin 22 to a hydraulic cylinder for opening and closing the needle valve nozzle is provided. Further, the connecting flange 25 is provided with a hydraulic clamp device 23 for fixing the screw unit 1 and the drive unit 17 via the connecting flange 6, and a self-lock release cylinder 24. The other end of a moving cylinder 27 whose one end is attached to a fixed platen 26 is attached to the connecting flange 25, and connected to the end of a drive shaft 28 that is retracted from the end surface of the connecting flange 25 on the fixed platen 26 side. A hole 29 is provided so as to be connectable to the screw shaft 8 of the screw unit 1 by a spline mechanism.

A pedestal 30 is provided on the upper part of the connection flange 25, and on the pedestal 30 there is a resin supply hopper 32 that can be raised and lowered by a cylinder 31, and a resin supply hopper 32 that is substantially orthogonal to the sliding direction and that can be selected at the upper part of the hopper 32. Slide body 33 having a plurality of through holes communicating with each other
and a slide base 34 having a built-in cylinder capable of horizontally sliding the slide body 33;
A resin-air separation device 36 such as a cyclone with a filter or a separation hopper is installed in each of the through holes 3 and communicated with the resin tank through a resin supply hose 35.

Reference numeral 37 denotes a self-propelled trolley type unit exchange table, and the unit exchange table 37 has two upper and lower horizontal feed mechanisms 38,
39 is provided, and stoppers 41 and 42 for stopping the unit are provided at the ends of the mechanisms 38 and 39, and on the side of the unit exchange table 37 opposite to the stoppers 41 and 42. is provided with a cross-feeding mechanism 43 that can selectively match the cross-feeding mechanisms 38 and 39, and the unit exchange table 37 is further provided with a snake chain having a hook 44, a chain guide 45, and a chain drive motor 46. The ends of the snake chain and chain guide 45 can be raised so that the unit exchange table 37 can be moved without interfering with the injection molding machine.

Horizontal feed mechanism 1 provided on the slide table 9
0 and the transverse feed mechanism 4 provided on the unit exchange table 37
3, 38 or 39 and the transverse feed mechanism 15 provided on the base frame 11 are provided so that they can be connected to each other within the same plane, and the slide table 9 and the unit exchange table 37 are connected to the respective transverse feed mechanisms 10 and 43, 38 or 39. The position where the cross-feeding mechanism 15 of the base frame 11 matches is set as the loading/unloading position when replacing the unit. Each horizontal feed mechanism 10, 15, 38, 39, 4
3 is a roller 4 between parallel guide rails 47.
The screw unit 1 is slidably engaged between guide rails 47 by legs 1a provided at the bottom of the unit, and is supported by rollers 48. A unit transfer device 49 is constituted by the transverse feed mechanism 10, 15, 43, 38 or 39 and the moving device (snake chain, chain guide 45, motor 46).

[Effect]

When replacing the used screw unit 1 with a new screw unit 1' after completion of injection molding, the process is automatically performed by a control device (not shown) according to the following steps.

(1) The screw unit 1 is moved by the moving cylinder 27.
While connected to the drive unit 17, move it backwards to the screw unit replacement loading/unloading position,
Therefore, the slide table 9 is moved by the cylinder 16.
The screw unit 1 is positioned through.

(2) The resin supply hopper 32 is raised from the resin supply port of the screw unit 1 by the cylinder 31 and separated.

(3) By pulling out the self-lock release pin 24' provided on the cylinder 24 from the connection flange 6, the self-lock mechanism built in the connection flange 6 is activated, and the screw shaft 8 of the screw unit 1 is self-locked. Prevent it from coming out.

(4) Loosen the hydraulic clamp device 23 to release the clamp on the connecting flange 6 of the screw unit 1, and then move the drive unit 17 backward by the moving cylinder 27.

The screw unit 1 is positioned by the cylinder 16 and the guide rail 47 of the traverse feed mechanism 10, and when the drive unit 17 is separated, the screw shaft 8 comes off from the drive shaft 28, and the connectors 2 and 19, the couplers 3 and 20 , couplers 4 and 2
1 is automatically disconnected, and the guide pin 22 is removed from the guide hole 5.

(5) Connect the hook 44 of the snake chain for loading and unloading the unit provided on the unit exchange table 37 to the hook 7 of the screw unit 1, and carry it out to the unit exchange table 37 using the snake chain.

The screw unit 1 is moved horizontally from the top of the slide table 9 by the horizontal transport mechanisms 10, 15, 43, and 39, and is stored in the lower stage of the lifting table 40 of the unit exchange table 37.

(6) Lower the lifting table 40 and place the new preheated screw unit 1' placed on the upper stage on the hook 4 of the snake chain for loading/unloading the unit.
4 to carry it onto the slide table 9.

The screw unit 1' is positioned by a stopper 14 received at the end of the transverse feed mechanism 10.

(7) The drive unit 17 is advanced by the movable cinder 27, and the screw shaft 8 and the drive shaft 28 are moved by the guide action caused by the engagement of the guide pin 22 and the guide hole 5.
At the same time, the connectors 2 and 19, the couplers 3 and 20, and the couplers 4 and 21 are automatically connected.

(8) Integrate the screw unit 1' with the drive unit 17 using the hydraulic clamp device 23.

(9) By inserting the pin 24' of the cylinder 24, the self-locking mechanism built into the connecting flange 6 is activated, and the self-locking mechanism that prevents the screw shaft 8 from coming off is released.

(10) The resin supply hopper 32 is lowered by the cylinder 31 and connected to the resin supply port of the screw unit 1'.

The locking of the slide table 9 by the cylinder 16 is released.

(11) The screw unit 1' can thereby be moved together with the drive unit 17 by the moving cylinder 27, and the next injection molding can be carried out.

Although this embodiment shows the unit exchange table 37 equipped with an elevating table 40, it is not limited to this elevating table 40. For example, as shown in FIG. One unit exchange stand 50 may be provided for each, and new and old units may be placed thereon. Further, although the unit exchange tables 37 and 50 are of a self-propelled cart type, they may be of a fixed type. in this case,
The new and old units are placed on the unit exchange table using a known overhead crane (not shown), and then transported from the unit exchange table.

In addition, the unit moving device in the unit transfer device 49 includes a snake chain and a chain guide 4.
5 and the motor 46, but may be replaced with a cylinder, for example.

[Effect of idea]

As described above, according to the present invention, the screw cylinder unit can be removed from the molding machine main body after molding is completed, the connecting tool can be separated, the screw cylinder unit can be carried out, and a new screw cylinder unit can be inserted into the molding machine main body. The structure is suitable for carrying in, centering and installing, and connecting connectors automatically and unattended in a short time, so when changing materials or colors, the screw cylinder unit can be replaced and connected in a short time. Since the machine can be restarted, its operating rate can be greatly improved, and even though it is a unit replacement system, it has the effect of contributing to labor savings.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an example of the device of the present invention;
Figures 3, 4 are A, B in Figure 1, respectively.
They are a front view, a right side view, and a left side view as viewed in the direction of arrow C. FIG. 5 is a right side view showing another example of the device of the present invention. 1...Screw unit, 6...Connection flange, 7...Hook fitting, 8...Screw shaft, 9...
Slide table, 14...stopper, 16...
...Cylinder, 17...Screw drive unit, 1
8...Slide base, 23...Hydraulic clamp device, 24...Cylinder, 25...Connection flange,
28... Drive shaft, 29... Connection hole, 37... Unit exchange number, 49... Unit transfer device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A screw cylinder unit provided with a connection flange at the rear part and a screw drive unit of an injection molding machine provided with a connection flange at the end on the fixed platen side can be connected and detached via connection flanges facing each other, and the screw cylinder unit The unit is positioned at its exchange loading/unloading position via a unit positioning device, and the unit transfer device allows mutual transfer between the injection molding machine and the unit exchange table, and the connection provided on the screw drive unit The flange has a clamping device that fixes and integrates the screw cylinder unit with the screw drive unit,
Further, the screw cylinder unit is characterized in that the connecting flange provided on the screw cylinder unit and the connecting flange provided on the screw driving unit are each provided with a plurality of connecting tools that can be automatically attached and detached by engaging and disengaging the connecting flanges. Automatic cylinder unit replacement device.