JPS6119335B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic ingot feeding device that automatically feeds ingot material during die casting or other casting.

Traditionally, when feeding ingots into a melting furnace such as a casting machine pot, workers have to handle the ingots by hand, but it is said that there is danger involved when manually throwing ingots into the melting furnace. There was an inconvenience.

For this reason, an automatic ingot supply device has been proposed that automatically supplies ingots to a melting furnace such as a casting machine pot. However, in conventional automatic ingot supply devices, the ingots are manually supplied to the ingot storage section, which requires the operator to pay attention to the ingot storage section frequently, resulting in poor work efficiency. was. In addition, when multiple melting furnaces are installed, it is necessary to monitor the consumption status of ingots in multiple ingot storage areas, but sometimes the ingot storage areas become empty and the work has to be interrupted. may occur. In order to prevent such a situation, there was a problem in that it was necessary to assign personnel to monitor and replenish the ingots.

An object of the invention is to provide an automatic ingot feeding device that automatically replenishes ingots to a charging section and supplies them to a melting furnace according to the level of the melt in a melting furnace such as a casting machine pot. It is.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic ingot feeding device that automatically replenishes ingots to a charging section and supplies them to each melting furnace in accordance with the liquid level of a plurality of melting furnaces. The purpose is to provide the following information.

In order to achieve such an object, the automatic ingot feeding device according to the first invention includes a basket for storing rollable ingots, a parts feeder for transporting the ingots in the basket, and a part feeder section and a melting part. A supply passage is disposed between the ingot and the melting furnace and is inclined so that the ingot can roll toward the melting furnace, and a metering mechanism is disposed within the supply passage, and the metering mechanism is driven by a drive signal. an input section for supplying the ingot to the melting furnace; a detector for measuring the level of the melt in the melting furnace; and a controller that outputs a drive signal for the charging section for controlling the melt level in the melting furnace to a predetermined level.

According to the above structure, the ingots are conveyed from the basket to the supply passage by the parts feeder section, and are sent to the input section while rolling on the inclined surface of the supply passage. The charging section is operated by a drive signal output from the controller in accordance with the level of the melt level in the melting furnace, and supplies a predetermined amount of ingots to the melting furnace, while also replenishing ingots from the basket. Therefore, the melting furnace is supplied with ingots commensurate with the amount of hot water consumed, so that the hot water level is always maintained at a predetermined level.

Next, the automatic ingot feeding device according to the second invention includes a basket for storing rollable ingots, a parts feeder section for transporting the ingots in the basket, and a parts feeder section connected to the parts feeder section, so that the ingots are A main supply passage inclined to allow rolling transfer, a separation passage for each melting furnace that is branched from the main supply passage and supplies the ingots to a plurality of melting furnaces, and a quantitative input disposed in each separation passage. a feeding section for supplying the ingots to each melting furnace by operating the quantitative feeding mechanism based on a drive signal; and a feeding section for supplying the ingots to each melting furnace; a detector disposed in the separation passage; and a guide mechanism for permitting or prohibiting the introduction of ingots from the main supply passage into each separation passage; a guide unit for supplying the ingots in the basket to each of the input units; a detector for measuring the level of the melt in each of the melting furnaces; is supplied to the melting furnace,
and a controller that outputs a drive signal for the charging section to control the melt level of the melting furnace to a predetermined level.

According to the above configuration, the ingots are transported from the basket to the main supply passage by the parts feeder section, and are transferred to the input section through the guide section of the separation passage corresponding to the plurality of melting furnaces while rolling on the inclined surface of the main supply passage. Sent. The charging section is driven according to the level of the melt in the melting furnace, and supplies a predetermined amount of ingots to the melting furnace. On the other hand, when ingots are supplied from the input section to the melting furnace, the guide section operates, the main supply passage and the separation passage are communicated, and the input section is replenished with ingots. Once this replenishment is complete,
The operation of the guide section is stopped again, and communication between the main supply passage and the separation passage is cut off. Therefore, each melting furnace is supplied with ingots commensurate with the amount of hot water consumed, so the hot water level is always maintained at a predetermined level, and the amount of ingots commensurate with the amount of ingots that have decreased is added to the input section. Automatically replenished.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an automatic ingot supply system that automatically supplies ball-shaped ingots to a plurality of casting machine pots. As shown in this figure, a ball-shaped ingot 1 is introduced into a basket 4 of an elevator type parts feeder section 3 from an ingot introduction chute 2, and is temporarily stored therein.

The ball ingots 1 stored in the basket 4 are carried upward by a conveyor 5 of an elevator type parts feeder section 3. The upper conveyor 5 of the parts feeder section 3 has a shelf 5A for placing ball ingots. This ball ingot mounting shelf 5A is tilted to the lower right in the figure,
When it reaches the position of the upper delivery pipe 6, it rolls out in an inclined direction due to gravity and enters the main supply passage 7 from the delivery pipe 6.

This main supply passage 7 is inclined so as to be gradually lowered from the delivery pipe 6, and is formed to return into the basket 4 via a return passage 8. The main supply passage 7 and return passage 8 are made of a resin material and are formed from a pipe or a U-shaped chute. In this way, the ball-shaped ingots 1 can be rolled from the main supply channel 7 into the return channel 8 by means of an incline and returned to the basket 4.

A plurality (three in the figure) of separation passages 9 are connected in the middle of the main supply passage 7 toward the pot of the casting machine. The lower end opening of each separation passage is located below the molten metal level 11 of the casting machine pot 10.

Further, in the middle of each separation passage 9, a charging section 12 is provided for supplying ball ingots to a casting machine pot 10. The charging section 12 is comprised of an escape 13 serving as a metering mechanism for supplying a predetermined amount of ball ingots into the casting machine pot 10, and a fluid cylinder 17 for operating the escape. As shown in FIG. 2, this escape 13 is swingable around point A, and has a pair of upper and lower stoppers 14 and 15 that protrude into the separation passage 9 at a distance of one ball ingot. We are prepared. These upper and lower stoppers 14,
15 selectively protrudes into the separation passage 9 by swinging of the escape 13 to prevent the ball ingot 1 from falling. The escape 13 has an arm 16 that protrudes rightward in the figure, and this arm 16
The tip of the rod is connected to the actuating rod 18 of the fluid cylinder 17. The fluid cylinder 17 is supplied to the valve 2 from the working fluid source 21 by the operation of the fluid pump 20.
2, it is adapted to be driven by a working fluid supplied thereto.

The valve 22 is controlled by a signal from a controller 23. This controller 23 receives an injection number signal from a counter 25 that detects the number of injections of the die casting machine 24 that uses hot water from the casting machine pot 10, and a hot water signal that detects the upper and lower limits of the molten metal level in the casting machine pot 10. Detection signals from surface position detectors 26 and 27 are input, and the opening and closing of the valve 22 is controlled based on these input signals.

The control condition by the controller 23 is that the amount of hot water consumed in the pot 10 by the die casting machine 24 is detected as the number of injections by the counter 25, and when the hot water consumption reaches a specified value, the escape 13 is activated to control the casting machine pot. A ball ingot is supplied into the hot water tank 10 so that the hot water level 11 is kept constant. In addition, the hot water level position detector 26,
The detection signal from the die casting machine 27 indicates the level 1 of the hot water level in the pot 10 regardless of the number of injections from the die casting machine 24.
1 is input to the controller 23 in order to control it within a certain range. In this way, the liquid level 11 in the pot 10 is maintained approximately constant.

Further, at a branch part of the separation passage 9 branched from the main supply passage 7, there is a guide part 30 for controlling the number of ingots temporarily stored in the separation passage 9 to be constant.
is provided. This guide section is connected to the main supply passage 7
It consists of a guide mechanism for permitting or prohibiting the introduction of the ball ingot 1 into the separation passage 9, and a fluid cylinder for operating the guide mechanism. The guide mechanism includes a first stopper 31 protruding into the main supply passage 7 at a position immediately downstream of the branching part;
It has a second stopper 32 that projects into the separation passage 9. The first and second stoppers 31, 32 are linked together and connected to an actuating rod 34 of a fluid cylinder 33. Due to the operation of this fluid cylinder 33, the first and second stoppers 31, 32
selectively protrudes into or retreats from the main supply passage 7 and the separation passage 9, and transfers the ball ingots 1 fed through the main supply passage 7 to the separation passage 9.
and the downstream side of the main supply passage 7.

The fluid cylinder 33 is connected to the working fluid source 21 via a valve 35, and is adapted to be supplied with working fluid by operation of the fluid pump 20. The valve 35 is, for example, an electromagnetic valve, and a level switch 36 such as a limit switch.
It is designed to be activated by a signal from the The level switch 36 is provided at an upper position within the separation passage 9, and detects the amount of ball ingots 1 temporarily stored within the separation passage 9. Thus, when the ball ingot 1 is filled up to the mounting position of the level switch 36, the level switch 36 comes into contact with the ball ingot 1 in the uppermost position and detects this. At this time, the actuating rod 34 of the fluid cylinder 33 is moved to the right in the figure,
The second stopper 32 projects into the separation passage 9, while the first stopper 31 is retracted from the main supply passage 7. Thereby, the ball ingot 1 sent from the upstream side is not guided into the separation passage 9, but is guided to the main supply passage on the downstream side.
Although the illustrated example shows one ball ingot 1 placed on the second stopper 32,
This is not necessarily necessary.

Further, when the number of ball ingots 1 temporarily stored in the separation passage 9 becomes less than a predetermined number, this is detected by the level switch 36, the valve 35 is operated, and the operating rod 34 of the fluid cylinder 33 is moved back. This causes the first stopper 31 to protrude into the main supply passage 7 and the second stopper 32 to be retracted from the separation passage 9. Therefore, the ball ingots 1 fed through the main supply passage 7 are guided into the separation passage 9. In this case, fluid cylinder 3
In order to ensure that the first stopper 31 moves forward and backward in conjunction with the operation of the first stopper 31, a tension spring 38 may be provided.

Next, the operation of the apparatus of the above embodiment will be explained.

The ball ingot 1 rolled out from the elevator-type parts feeder section 3 through the delivery pipe 6 into the main supply passage 7 is moved into the passage 8 due to the inclination of the main supply passage 7.
When the inside of the separation passage 9 is not filled with a predetermined number of ball ingots, the first stopper 31 protrudes into the main supply passage 7 in each separation passage 9 during which the ball ingots are rolled in the direction by gravity. , the ball ingot 1 hits this stopper 31 and is guided into the separation passage 9. When the separation passage 9 is filled with a desired number of ball ingots 1, the second stopper 32 projects into the separation passage 9, and the ball ingots 1 are restricted from being guided into the separation passage 9. In this case, the first stopper 31 that had been protruding into the main supply passage 7 is retracted, so that the first stopper 31 passes through that separation passage 9 and reaches the next separation passage, filling this separation passage. In this way, the ball ingots 1 sequentially fill each separation passage, and the remaining ball ingots are returned to the basket 4 through the return passage 8.

In each separation passage 9, the escape 13 is actuated by the fluid cylinder 17 in accordance with a command from the controller 23 so that the level of molten metal in the casting machine pot 10 becomes constant, and an appropriate amount of ball ingots 1 are delivered to the casting machine pot. It is supplied falling within 10 minutes. The number of ingots that have been dropped and supplied are replenished by the interconnected operation of the first stopper 31 and the second stopper 32 of the guide section 30. Therefore, the ball ingot supply capacity of the elevator type parts feeder 3 must exceed the ingot consumption of each die casting machine 24.

Although the above embodiment relates to a case where there are a plurality of casting machine pots, the invention can also be applied to a case where there is only one casting machine pot, as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the supply passage 7A from the parts feeder section 3 is configured to directly reach the casting machine pot 10.

In the above embodiment, the ingot is spherical, but the ingot is not necessarily limited to a spherical shape as long as it can roll smoothly within each supply passage.

As described above, according to the first invention, the charging section is driven according to the melt level of the melting furnace to control the supply of ingots to the melting furnace, and while maintaining the melt level at a predetermined level, the charging section is Since the ingot is always automatically fed from the ingot storage section, the die casting process can be fully automated, improving workability, productivity, and safety. Furthermore, by changing the size of the ingot to match the product size or the size of the casting machine pot, you can automatically feed the appropriate amount of ingots into the pot, making it easier to control the water temperature and fill the pot. It is also possible to appropriately control the capacity.

Further, according to the second invention, the melt level of the plurality of melting furnaces is individually controlled, and at the same time, ingots are automatically replenished into the charging section of each melting furnace, so that die casting of a large quantity of the same type or a small quantity of various types can be performed. It can be applied to product production processes, and in addition to the effects of the first invention, labor savings can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of an automatic ingot feeding apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view including a partial circuit diagram showing the main parts of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing the main parts of the second embodiment. 1...Ingot, 3...Parts feeder, 7
...Main supply passage, 7A...Supply passage, 8...Return passage, 9...Separation passage, 10...Casting machine pot (melting furnace), 12...Input section, 13...Escape (quantity injection mechanism) , 23... controller, 24... die casting machine, 26, 27... hot water level position detector, 30... guide section, 31, 32... first and second stopper (guide mechanism), 36... Level switch.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A basket for storing rollable ingots, a parts feeder section for transporting the ingots in the basket, and a parts feeder section disposed between the parts feeder section and a melting furnace, and a part feeder section disposed between the parts feeder section and a melting furnace, and a part feeder section for transporting the ingots in the basket. The ingot has a supply passage inclined so that the ingot can roll, and a metering mechanism disposed in the supply passage, and the metering mechanism is operated based on a drive signal to supply the ingot to the melting furnace. a detector for measuring the level of the melt in the melting furnace, and supplying the ingot to the melting furnace based on the level position signal from the detector and controlling the level of the melt in the melting furnace to a predetermined level. An automatic ingot feeding device comprising: a controller that outputs a drive signal for the feeding section for feeding the ingot; 2. A basket for storing rollable ingots, a parts feeder section for transporting the ingots in the basket, a main supply passage connected to the parts feeder section and inclined so that the ingots can be rolled, and The melting furnace has a separation passage for each melting furnace which is branched from the supply passage and supplies the ingots to a plurality of latent melting furnaces, and a fixed quantity feeding mechanism arranged in each separation passage, and the fixed quantity feeding mechanism is controlled based on a drive signal. an input section for supplying the ingots to each melting furnace; a detector disposed in each separation passage for measuring the amount of ingots temporarily stored in the input section; A guide mechanism is provided for permitting or prohibiting the introduction of ingots from the passage into each separation passage, and the guide mechanism is operated based on an ingot level signal from the detector to transfer the ingots in the basket to each of the respective input passages. An information department that supplies supplies to the department;
a detector that measures the level of the melt in each of the melting furnaces;
A controller for supplying the ingot to the melting furnace based on the hot water level position signal from the detector and outputting a driving signal for the charging section for controlling the hot water level in the melting furnace to a predetermined level. Automatic feeding device for ingots.