JPS63209823A - Foam molding machine with automatically extracting aligner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable the unmanned operation of a foam molding machine by installing a device sucking or detaching a molded form to an endlessly turned conveyor and combining a vertically movable molded form laminating aligner. CONSTITUTION:Suction pads 13 are shifted to fixed positions between a fixing side mold 2 and a moving side mold 3 by a conveyor 15. Molded forms 1 are released from the fixing side mold 2 by ejector pins 6, and sucked to the suction pads 13. The conveyor 15 is displaced horizontally just above a plate base 22 for a molded-form elevator, and turned and stopped. The molded forms 1 are superposed onto previously laminated molded forms by the downward movement of the suction pads 13. The close adhesion and contact of the suction pads 13 and the molded forms 1 are released. Laminating molded forms are shifted onto a conveyor 21 from the upper section of a plate base 22 by a shifter 20. Accordingly, automatic extracting aligning operation becomes possible by an unmanned manner.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to an in-mold foam molding machine (hereinafter abbreviated as "molding machine") and automatic ejection alignment a! of molded products. The present invention relates to a molding system that enables unmanned operation from molding to taking out molded products and aligning processes by combining a molding machine (hereinafter referred to as an aligning machine).

"Prior Art and Problems" Conventionally, in-mold foam molding (hereinafter referred to as molding) has been produced using pre-expanded particles (hereinafter referred to as pre-expanded particles) of polystyrene, polyolefin, etc. In the above-mentioned molding method, the general method is to fill a mold with precipitated particles, heat and fuse them, cool them, and then take them out from the mold to obtain a molded product. The number of molded products molded by this method is very large.For example, if the molding cycle is 3 minutes and 6 molded products/shot are produced, each molded product is removed from the molding machine, aligned, and stacked at a speed of 30 seconds. It becomes a calculation. Recently, with the spread of industrial robots, there has been considerable consideration for their adoption in this field, but the environment around molding machines emits water and steam, making it an environment where precision machines such as industrial robots can be installed. Moreover, even if it were installed, a considerable amount of effort and expense would be required for maintenance. Also, since the molded product is extremely soft, it is easily dented or scratched if a small amount of force is applied, and because it is a foamed molded product, it is high despite its light weight. There are many technical difficulties, such as the fact that mechanical operation is not easy.Therefore, in today's society where automation is progressing, there is a need for a molding machine with an automatic alignment machine that can be operated fully automatically and unmanned. However, no technology has yet been proposed that satisfies this requirement.

In order to meet the above-mentioned needs, the present inventor has developed an automatic take-out and alignment method and device for a foam molding machine, and has previously filed a patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 114319/1983).

The above-mentioned application combines a conventional horizontal molding machine and an alignment machine, and although it is an epoch-making device that allows for significant labor savings, it still has the following problems.

(a) The movement of the take-out machine is so-called L-shaped and complicated.

(b) Since the machine is usually installed directly below the molding machine, the mechanical sliding parts are exposed to drainage water, causing problems such as rusting and poor lubrication, which adversely affects the life of the machine.

(C) Maintenance work is also difficult because it is installed directly below the molding machine.

(d) When releasing the mold from the mold, there are cases where trouble occurs when the mold is deviated from the set holding position and aligned due to the influence of gravity.

(e) Because the molded products taken out by vacuum suction are pushed into the trough and aligned, it is difficult to take out and align a large number of molded products with a mold arranged in reverse 64-tier rows due to restrictions due to the shape and arrangement of the trough. .

"Means for Solving the Problems" The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its feature is that the molding machine combined with the automatic alignment machine is of a vertical type. This enables smooth operation of the molded product take-out machine groove and solves the above-mentioned problems.

That is, the present invention provides a molded product take-out and stacking device that includes a vertical foam molding machine equipped with a vacuum device, a horizontal movement device, and a device that adsorbs or desorbs molded products by activating or releasing the vacuum on an endlessly rotating conveyor. A foam molding machine with an automatic take-out and alignment device is characterized in that it is combined with a molded product stacking and aligning device that stacks and aligns molded products and moves up and down.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on drawings showing implementation B of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows the state immediately before the molding operation is completed, the mold opening is completed, and the molded product is removed from the mold.

In the figure, a molded product (1) is held in a stationary mold (2). The fixed mold (2) is fixed by the fixed die plate (4), and the fixed mold (2) includes:
The feeder (7) for filling raw materials and the molded product are placed in the fixed side mold (
2) Eject bin (6) used when releasing from the mold
is provided. In some cases, a feeder with a bottle that functions as both a feeder and an eject pin may be used. The feeder (7) is connected by a hose to a hopper (8) for receiving supply of raw materials.

This hopper (8) can be a normal square type, a vertical cylindrical type, a pressurized type hopper, or the like.

The stationary die plate (4) is provided on the upper side, and is connected and fixed to the molding machine frame (12) via the movable die plate (5) provided on the lower side by means of tie bars (9). The moving side mold (
3) is fixed. The movable Goui plate is connected to the mold opening/closing cylinder (10), and the mold opening/closing cylinder (
The mold can be opened and closed by moving 10). On the other hand, the driving hydraulic system for the mold opening/closing cylinder (10) is not shown. The molding machine is equipped with a vacuum device (11), and also includes drain valves on the fixed side and moving side, a raw material filling hose for a feeder, an air tube, etc., but these are not shown.

As for the molding method, a conventional known method is used.

That is, after the mold is closed, the hopper (8) and feeder (7) are operated in the crabbing or no-cracking state to fill the molded product chamber ( (not shown).

Pressurized hopper (8) or vacuum device (11) depending on the situation
You can also use After filling, the heating operation is completed by heating on both sides by supplying steam from the fixed side and/or reverse heating by supplying steam from the movable side, and then heating on both sides by supplying steam from both sides. Regarding cooling, after heat fusing, a small amount of water cooling is performed, and then a vacuum device is activated to perform vacuum evaporation cooling. This cooling method is a known method. The reason for adopting this vacuum evaporative cooling method is that the amount of cooling water generated is very small, so when the mold is first opened, the cooling water that falls from the upper stationary mold to the lower movable mold is This has the advantage that it does not occur and is convenient for the life of the molding equipment and the working environment.Secondly, since the moisture content of the molded product is low, there is no need for a drying process, and the molded product can be packaged immediately after being aligned. After the cooling operation is completed, the mold is opened and released, and the molded product (1) is taken out from the molding machine.

The mechanism for automatically taking out and arranging the molded products will be explained with reference to Fig. 1.The molded product (1) that has been heated and cooled remains in the stationary mold (2) after the mold is opened. A suction cup (13) having a vacuum batt is suitable for releasing the molds 1), taking them out and arranging them. This suction cup (13
) is provided on the suction cup conveyor (15). This suction cup conveyor (15) has a fixed mold (2) and a movable mold (3).
) is supported by a conveyor rail (17) so as to be horizontally movable between the molded product lifting device (19) and is driven by a conveyor cylinder (18).

The suction cup (13) is connected to a vacuum device, and although not shown, is automatically operated. Further, this suction cup conveyor (15) is of an endless rotary conveyor type so that the direction of the suction cup (13) can be changed by 180°C.

The molded product lifting device (19) is equipped with a molded product (
A flat plate stand (22) is provided so that the molded products 1) can be stacked, and the maximum height surface of the stacked molded products (1) is held by suction by a suction cup (13). A level meter (not shown) is provided so that the articles (1) can be maintained at optimal positions for stacking, and the molded article lifting device (19) moves up and down in accordance with the level meter.

The molded product (
When 1) reaches a predetermined height, the laminated product moving device (
20) is operated to move the molded product (1) to the laminated molded product conveyor (21).

The operation of the above apparatus will be specifically explained step by step with reference to FIG. 2 (however, other than the main names are omitted).

FIG. 2(A) shows the starting state as the first step, and the molding operation has been completed and the mold has been opened.

The molded product (1) remains in the stationary mold (2). The suction cup (13) is outside the mold.

FIG. 2(B) shows the second step, in which the suction cup (13) is moved by the suction cup conveyor (15) and the fixed side mold (2
) and the movable mold (3).

FIG. 2(C) shows the third step, and shows that the suction cup (13) has moved to the position of the molded product (1) in the stationary mold (2). The tip of suction 1 (13) is a molded product (
1) is not closely related.

In other words, if the tip surfaces come into close contact at this point, the molded product will be damaged, so use the suction cup (13) to maintain a slight gap.
The moving distance is set in advance.

From this point on, the suction cup (13) starts to be vacuumed.

Figure 2 (D) shows the fourth step, in which the molded product (1) is extruded from the stationary mold (2) by the eject pin (6) and moved to the suction cup (13). .

Figure 2 (E) shows the fifth step, where the suction cup conveyor (
15) is horizontally moved from inside the molding machine to a predetermined position outside the molding machine, and at the same time, the molded product (1) and the suction cup (13) are also horizontally moved.

FIG. 2(F) shows the sixth step, in which the mold of the molding machine is closed and the next cycle of molding is started. On the other hand, the molded product (1) is held by vacuum suction on the suction cup (13).
is stopped at a fixed position directly above the stacked molded products (1') by the rotation of the suction cup conveyor (15), and the suction cup conveyor (15)
(13) Due to the downward movement, the molded products that have already been stacked (
1'). At this point, the vacuum is cut off and pressurized air is supplied to the suction cup (13), so that the close contact between the suction cup (13) and the molded article (1) is broken.

Figure 2 (G) shows the seventh step, where the suction cup (13) has rotated and returned to its initial position, and the molded product (1)
2 shows a state in which stacking of the molded products on the flat plate table (22) of the molded product lifting device has finished, and molding continues on the molding machine.

FIG. 2(H) shows the eighth step, in which the laminated molded products are stacked and arranged in a predetermined number, so the laminated molded product moving device (
20), the molded product is transferred from the flat plate table (22) onto the laminated molded product conveyor (21), and the next molded product is placed on the flat plate table (22) of the molded product lifting device, ready to be placed therein. It shows that it is completed.

By repeating steps 1 to 8 above,
Unattended automatic take-out and alignment operation is possible.

In the present invention, in the automatic take-out alignment process, a phototube type sensor is provided to monitor whether the molded product has been released from the mold at the time of release, and a vacuum gauge is provided at an appropriate location on the suction cup to check the pressure. Automatically monitors the unloading of molded products, and installs a phototube type or contact type limit switch at each moving position of the automatic unloading and alignment device to automatically monitor the operation.
If an abnormality occurs, it can be safely dealt with by transmitting an abnormality warning device and/or stopping the device.

Molding machines can be broadly categorized into the following three types of automatic monitoring devices.

The first is automatic monitoring and stopping of the utility status. Utility status refers to the supplied primary side and used secondary side voltage, air pressure, steam pressure, water pressure, vacuum pressure, and oil pressure. In this case, the molding machine can issue an alarm and/or stop operating.

The second is automatic monitoring of filling defects and abnormality notification.

When a filling failure occurs, mold release pressure failure and bottle press cracking occur, resulting in mold release failure, which is the most troublesome problem to deal with. In the case of incomplete filling, for example, during normal heating, it takes 1.5 kg/aJ to reach a vapor pressure of 0.5 kg/aJ on the fixed side.
If the heating time is 20 seconds, the heating time will take 20 seconds or more in the case of a filling failure, so this can be dealt with by automatically monitoring the relationship between the mold pressure and the time to reach the set pressure.

In this way, when the time for the steam pressure in the mold to reach a predetermined pressure is longer than the set value during one-sided heating and/or reverse one-sided heating by steam supply, an alarm can be issued and/or the system can be automatically stopped. This can be handled by

The third is automatic monitoring of steam heating. Occasionally occurs due to abnormal mold leakage or disconnection of the steam line. This can also be handled by automatically monitoring the relationship with the set pressure arrival time.

In the present invention, it is also possible to add a mold loading/unloading function to a conveyor that includes a horizontal movement device and rotates endlessly.
This makes it possible to streamline the mold replacement work. To explain a specific example, a suction cup conveyor (15
), the fixed side mold (2) and the movable side mold (3) are connected with a connection clamp (not shown) and the mold is installed. In this case, the molds (2) and (3) are placed on the conveyor using a lift, etc., the conveyor is made vertically movable, the conveyor is moved downward, the molds are placed, and then the molds are placed on the conveyor. A method is adopted in which the mold is moved upward to the mold exchange position. Also, when placing the mold on the conveyor, it is possible to place the mold directly on the suction cup of the conveyor! ! You can leave it there! ! The suction cup may be removed during installation, or other means may be used to facilitate the installation.

After installing the mold on the conveyor, move the mold horizontally between the gou plates (4) and (5), and first connect the fixed mold (2) to the fixed gou plate (4) with the clamp ( (not shown), the conveyor is moved horizontally from between the goo plates, the movable goo plate (5) is moved upward, and the movable mold (3) is moved horizontally from between the goo plates (not shown).
5) by fixing with clamps and removing the connecting clamps of both the upper and lower molds, the mold installation is completed.

Note that the feeder and eject bin are attached to the stationary mold in advance. In addition, commercially available one-touch connection type hoses and compressed air tubes are used for the feeder, and water, steam, and drain pipes are installed on the Goui plate, making it easy to attach the mold to the Goui plate. It has a structure that can be connected to.

``Function/Effect J As mentioned above, an automatic take-out device that combines a vertical molding machine equipped with a vacuum device with a suction device and a horizontally moving endless conveyor, a laminate molded product lifting device, and a laminate product moving device,
By integrating an alignment machine that combines a conveyor and adding an automatic monitoring device, unmanned operation of the molding machine is possible, and all molded product take-out and alignment operations that were previously done manually can now be taken out automatically. Since the sorting machine will handle the processing, the driver's cab will only have to perform monitoring work. Compared to conventional machines, mold replacement on a molding machine adopting the system of the present invention used to take about 3 hours for large machines, but now it can be done in about 0.5 hours. Its usefulness is extremely great.

"Examples" The present invention will be described below with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples, but the present invention is not limited by these in any way.

EXAMPLES AND COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES Using the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the results shown in FIGS.
A container was molded using polystyrene beads according to the process described in Table 1 under the conditions shown in Table 1.

At the same time, for comparison, molding was carried out in the same manner using a conventional molding machine and by the conventional method of taking out and aligning the molded products obtained.

As is clear from Table 1, the molding time of the molding machine according to the present invention is slightly longer than that of the conventional molding machine (due to the longer operating time of the automatic molded product unloading machine), but the number of operating personnel is The number of man-hours required for mold replacement has been reduced tremendously, resulting in significant labor savings.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 (A)
-(H) are explanatory diagrams of each step when implementing the present invention. 1... Molded product 2... Fixed side mold 3... Movable side mold 4... Fixed side goo plate 5... Moving side goo plate 6... Eject pin 7... Feeder 8 ・・Homper 9...Tie bar 10...Mold opening/closing cylinder 11...Vacuum device 12...Molding machine mount 13...Suction cup 14...Suction cup sleeve 15...Suction cup Conveyor 16... Conveyor stand 17... Conveyor rail 18... Conveyor cylinder 19... Molded product lifting device 20... Laminated molded product moving device 21... Laminated molded product conveyor 22...・・Flat plate stand

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A molded product in which a vertical foam molding machine equipped with a vacuum device is equipped with a device that has a horizontal movement device and that adsorbs or desorbs the molded product by activating or releasing the vacuum on an endlessly rotating conveyor. A foam molding machine equipped with an automatic take-out and alignment device, characterized in that it combines a take-out and stacking device and a molded product stack and alignment device that stacks and aligns molded products and moves up and down. 2. When the voltage, air pressure, steam pressure, water pressure, vacuum pressure, and oil pressure of the supplied primary side and the used secondary side are below the set value, and one-sided heating and/or reverse one-sided heating by steam supply Foam molding with an automatic take-out and alignment device according to claim 1, which issues an alarm and/or automatically stops when the time for steam pressure in the mold to reach a predetermined pressure is longer than a set value. Machine. 3. A foam molding machine with an automatic take-out and alignment device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a mold carrying-in/out function is added to an endlessly rotating conveyor having a horizontal movement device.