US3200449A - Contour squeeze molding machine - Google Patents

Description

CONTOUR SQUEEZE MOLDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 22. 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. EDMOND K. HATCH FIG 2 5mm, a "mulls ATTORNEYS g- 7, 1965 E. K. HATCH 3,200,449

CONTOUR SQUEEZE MOLDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 22, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. @N EDMOND K. HATCH BY HG q, Uhfllin, milky (Wally ATTORNEYS Aug. 17, 1965 E. K. HATCH 3,200,449

CONTOUR SQUEEZE MOLDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 22. 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG 8 FIG 7 I22 35 us '2' H5 6 W 7 I09 Ufa-n8 n3 "3-- I 50 35 '7 n9 I20 86 "8 we 9 98 n2 FIG 6 as m v v v FIG 5 INVENTOR. EDMOND K. HATCH OIIIZIIIIL IIUIQH ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,200,449 CONTOUR SQUEEZE MDLDING MACHINE Edmond K. Hatch, Brecksville, Ohio, assignor to The Osborn Manufacturing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Dec. 22, 1961, Ser. No. 161,459 22 Claims. (Cl. 2220) This invention relates generally, as indicated, to a contour squeeze molding machine and more particularly to a versatile foundry molding machine for rapidly producing a variety of foundry sand molds.

In foundry molding for casting finish requirements, it has been found desirable to employ a higher grade or facing sand adjacent the pattern and a molding sand in the remainder of the mold. Accordingly, a facing sand is placed directly against the pattern and the remainder of the flask confining the mold is filled with a different grade molding sand. In the high speed automatic production of molds, a properly layered sand charge to provide a facing for the mold is, of course, diificult to obtain. Moreover, in machine foundry molding, foundry molds are produced at such rapid rates it becomes desirable to provide a machine thatis able to produce such layered foundry molds while yet employing a variety of patterns. Accordingly, a machine wherein the pattern can quickly and readily be changed and one in which a corresponding squeeze board can also readily be changed is highly to be desired.

It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide a foundry molding machine adapted for high speed automatic operation which will produce layered sand molds.

It is a further important object to provide a foundry molding machine which will automatically form a sand charge having different grades of sand therein to be positioned in a mold box with one of the grades of sand therein disposed against the pattern.

Another important object is the provision of a molding machine which will quickly and easily supply a facing and molding sand to a foundry mold box properly positioned.

It is another object to provide a foundry molding ma chine wherein selected squeeze boards may be positioned in operative sand squeezing position Without interrupting the cycle of operation of the machine.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail a certain illustrative embodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of but one of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary transverse section of a molding machine in accordance with the present invention taken substantially on the line 1--1 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the molding machine;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the molding machine partially broken away and in section;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevation of the carriage assembly;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail view illustrating the carriage latching mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a somewhat diagrammatic vertical section illustrating the formation of the mold box; and

3,266,449: Patented Aug. 17, 1965 FIG. 8 is a similar vertical section illustrating the sand being squeezed in such mold box by the selected squeeze board.

Referring now to the annexed drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 4, it will be seen that the illustrated embodiment comprises a base I mounted in a pit 2 in a foundry floor 3 with a further slightly deeper pit 4 within such pit 2 accommodating the blind ends of clamp piston-cylinder assemblies 5 and 6. The machine includes four column frame members 7, 8, 9 and 10, which may be of the square section tubular configuration illustrated more clearly in FIG. 4 and these columns support the various components of the machine.

Mounted on the top of such column members 7 through 10 is a head 12 of suitable plate framing which includes two molding sand hoppers 13 and 14 into which a suitable grade of molding sandmay be dumped by an overhead conveyor system or the like. Respective cut-off plates 15 and 16 at the bottom of the molding sand hoppers are actuated by piston- cylinder assemblies 17 and 18, respectively, mounted on pairs of brackets 19 and 20. Each of the cut-off plates 15 and 16 is provided with flanged edge portions which ride on roller bar conveyors, the plate 15 riding on conveyors 21 and 22, and the plate 16 riding on conveyors 23 and 24. (Note FIG. 3.) The roller conveyors 21 and 24 are mounted on brackets extending between the columns 9 and 10, and 7 and 8 respectively whereas the center roller conveyors 22 and 23 are mounted on a central frame member 26 depending from the center of head 12 between the hoppers 13 and 14. It can now be seen that molding sand placed within such hoppers will drop upon the cut-off plates 15 and 16 in their closed position to form a charge of molding sand.

Laterally adjacent and laterally aligned with the molding sand hoppers 13 and 14 there is mounted on the head 12 by brackets 29 facing sand hoppers 3i) and 31 which may be loaded with a suitable grade of facing sand through an overhead conveyor system or the like. Cut-off plates 34 and 35 for the facing sand hoppers 30 and 31 respectively each include a louvered sand box as shown at 36 and 37, respectively. Such sand boxes are substantially centrally disposed from the ends of the cut-off plates so that when the respective sand box is beneath the molding sand hopper, the plate will extend beneath the respective facing sand hopper to cut off the sand there-in. When the cut-off plates 34 and 35 are actuated by pairs of piston- cylinder assemblies 38, 39 and 40, 41 respectively to move the boxes 36 and 37 beneath the facing sand hoppers 30 and 31, such cut-off plates will extend rearwardly as shown at 42 sufficiently far to close chutes or boxes 43 also mounted on the head 12 extending in vertical alignment beneath the molding sand hoppers 13 and 14. The respective cut-off plates and sand boxes ride on roller bar conveyors 45, 46 and 47, 48. The roller bar conveyors 45 and 48, like the conveyors 21 and 24, may be mounted on the columns 9 and 10 and 7 and 8 respectively. The center roller bar conveyors 46 and 47 may be mounted on the depending frame member 26. Cover plates 49 and 50 extend between the conveyors 45, 46 and 47, 48 respectively adjacent the facing sand hoppers 30 and 31. Such mounting may preferably be obtained by heavy-duty adjusting screws indicated at 51. These screws, which carry the roller bar conveyors 45 through 48 and accordingly the cut-off plates 34 and 35, the facing sand boxes 36 and 37, the appurtenant louvers and cylinders, etc. serve to increase or decrease the volume of the molding sand added to the charge by raising or lowering the cut-off plates 34 and 35 with respect to the cut-off plates 15 and 16. There will be four such heavy-duty adjusting screws 51 for each cut- olf plate 34 and 35. It is noted that alteration of the volume of molding sand by adjustment of the screws 51 raises and lowers the cutoff plates 34 and 35 with respect to the facing sand hoppers 30 and 31 which are mounted on the head 12, but this does not affect the volume of facing sand dropping into the louvered sand boxes 36 and 37.

Having seen how the volume of the molding sand can be controlled in the sand charge, adjusting screws 52, which control the vertical distance between the louvered bottom frame 53 of the boxes 36 and 37, extend from the plates 34 and 35 to the frames 53 and are effective to control the depth of the relatively shallow boxes 36 and 37. The louvers for the respective boxes 36 and 37 are operated by piston-cylinder assemblies 54 and 55 respectively which are supported beneath the end portions 42 of the cut-off plates by brackets 56 or the like. Accordingly, screws 52 control the volume of the facing sand deposited in boxes 36 and 37 simply by controlling the depth of such boxes and the screws 51 control the volume of the molding sand charge.

It can now be seen that the illustrated machine is in reality two machines in one. Copes and drags may be made by the machine in side-by-side fashion with the cope and drag flasks being shuttled into the machine together in tandem in the direction of the arrow B in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. Such cope and drag flasks thus may be shuttled into the machine on suitable conveyors indicated generally at 57 externally of the machine. The finished half sand molds may be ejected from the machine in the direction of the arrow X on a suitable external conveyor 58 which is, of course, aligned with the entrance conveyor 57, both of which are aligned with roller bar conveyors 59 and 60 secured by suitable mounting brackets between the columns 9, 7 and 10, 8 respectively. As seen in FIG. 3, the cope molding machine may be the unit on the left and the drag molding machine may be the unit on the right. Suitable latch and stop mechanisms may be provided properly to center the cope and drag flasks in the respective molding machine. Upset frames 61 and 62, marginally dimensioned to correspond to the cope and drag flasks respectively, are each mounted on pairs of pistoncylinder assemblies 63 and 64, on opposite sides thereof, respectively, there being four such piston-cylinder assemblies for each upset frame 61 and 62. These piston-cylinder assemblies may be mounted on brackets on the roller conveyors 59 and 60 which are, of course, secured to the columns of the machine frame. The rods of such piston- cylinder assemblies 63 and 64 are fastened through brackets 65 and 66 respectively to the upset frames 61 and 62. The piston- cylinder assemblies 63 and 64 will preferably be pneumatic and air will be supplied under pressure to the rod ends of such piston-cylinder assemblies which will tend to maintain the rods and pistons thereof in a lowermost position. Accordingly, the air in cylinders 63 and 64 tends to maintain the fill frames resiliently in their lowermost position.

Each of the vertically extending clamp squeeze pistoncylinder assemblies and 6 is provided with a table as shown respectively at 68 and 69 which are supported on the respective rods of such piston-cylinder assemblies extending through flexible boots as shown at 70 and 71. Guide rods 72 extending down through the base into the pit 4 may be employed with each squeeze piston-cylinder assembly to keep the respective tables from rotating about the axes of such piston-cylinder assemblies. Patterns 73 and 74 may be placed upon the tables 68 and 69 respectively, such patterns including pattern plates 75 and 76 respectively. As is evident in FIG. 3, such pattern plates extend beyond the side marginal edges of the tables 68 and 69 so that as the piston-cylinder assemblies 5 and 6 lower the tables, such patterns will marginally rest upon roller conveyor sections 77, 78, 79 and 80, continued lowering of such tables lifting the pattern plates from the pin-bushing connections therewith. The roller conveyor 77 may be mounted between the columns 9 and and the conveyor section 80 between the columns 7 and 8. The conveyor sections 78 and 79 are preferably mounted on a pedestal 81 in the center of base 1 and it can readily be seen that when the tables are lowered sufficiently, the patterns and pattern plates can quickly and easily be rolled out of the machine to be replaced by others when desired.

Positioned vertically between the flask conveyors and the upset frames and the louvered boxes 36 and 37 are four roller conveyor sections 83, S4, and 86 which extend substantially parallel to the roller bar conveyors 45 through 48 but normal to the conveyors 59 and 60. The conveyor 83 is mounted on the columns 9 and 10, the conveyors 84 and 85 are mounted on the lower end of the depending frame member 26, and the conveyor 86 is mounted between the columns 7 and 8. These long roller conveyor sections are joined at one end by an upstanding stop bar'88 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 4. As seen perhaps more clearly in FIG. 4, the pair of roller conveyor sections 83 and 84 for the cope molding machine portion carries a squeeze board 90, a sand chute 91, a further squeeze board 92, and a carriage 93 supporting piston-cylinder assembly 94. Similarly, the roller conveyor sections 85 and 86 for the drag molding portion of the machine carry squeeze board 95, sand chute 96, squeeze board 97, the carriage 93 supporting pistoncylinder assembly 99. Thus each of the pairs of roller conveyor sections carries an actuating cylinder and two alternatively employable squeeze boards with a sand fill chute in the middle thereof. The rods and 101 of the piston- cylinder assemblies 94 and 99 respectively, are pivotally connected to brackets 102 and 103 on the respective sand-chutes 91 and 96. The sand chutes are then interconnected to the squeeze heads 90, 92 and'95, 97 bythe links indicated at 104. The squeeze heads and the sand chutes are all provided with top flanges overlying therollers of the conveyor sections 83 through 86 and the frame of the machine is provided with enlarged rigid portions shown at 105, 106, 107 and 108 which overlie such flanges of the selected squeeze head when in operative position. Thus a rigid frame back-up is provided for the squeeze head precluding vertical elevation thereof. It is noted that the frame enlargements 106 and 107 are mounted on the center frame member 26 whereas the enlarged portions and 108 are mounted on the columns 9, 10 and 7, 8 respectively. Each of the carriages 93 and 98 is provided with two piston-cylinder operated latch mechanisms indicated generally at- 106, 107 and 108, 109 respectively. (Note FIG. 4.) Since each of the latch mechanisms 106 through 109 are substantially identical in form, the opposed latch members of-each pair being allochirally identical in form, only the latch member 109 on the carriage 98 will be described in detail.

Referring now additionally to FIGS. 5 and 6, it will be seen that the carriage 98 includes a U-shape edge portion 111 which encloses the conveyor bar 86 and which provides a shoulder riding on the rollers 112 on such conveyor bar. The latching mechanism 109 is mounted on the edge of the carriage and includes an actuatingpiston-cylinder assembly 113, the rod 114 of which is pivotally connected to a latching member 115. Such latching member is pivoted as indicated at- 116 to a stanchion 117 mounted on the carriage. A locking pin 118 is pivoted intermediately of the latching member and fits within an opening-119 in the carriage and extends through such opening to engage within pin hole 120 in the conveyor bar 86. Thus when the piston-cylinder assembly 113 is in its retracted position, the latching member 115 will be pivoted downwardly about the pivot 116 and the pin 118 will be inserted through the aperture 119into the pinhole 120. In this manner, the carriage 109 will be locked with respect to the conveyor bar 86. Conversely whenthe piston-cylinder assembly 113 is extended, the locking pin 118 will be pulled out of the pin hole 120 and the-carriage will be free to move with respect to the conveyor bar. As the locking pin is pulled out, the tip 121 of the latching member 115 engages Within a notched cleat 122 on the end of the facing sand cutoff plate 35. Accordingly in the relative position of the parts shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, for example, if the pistoncylinder assemblies 113 of each of the latching mechanisms 106 through 169 are extended, the carriages then become latched to the facing sand cut-off plates 34 and 35 for movement therewith, the extension of such pistoncylinder assemblies releasing the lock pins 118 from engagement with the pin hole receptacles in the conveyor bars 83 through 86. Thus extension of the pistoncylinder assemblies 38 through 41 not only causes movement of the cut-off plates 34 and 35 to the phantom line position of the box 37 beneath the facing sand chute 31 as indicated at 124, but also moves the carriages 93 and 98 and the appurtenant squeeze heads and sand chutes to the phantom line position indicated at 125 in FIGS. 1 and 6, for example. When the carriages have thus been moved, .the piston-cylinder assemblies 113 may be retracted and the locking pins 118 will be caused to engage in pin holes 126 in the conveyor bars 83 through 86. In this manner, the carriages are then latched in the alternate position.

The carriages 93 and 98 may be provided with central humps indicated generally at 130 in FIG. 5 and such piston- cylinder assemblies 94 and 99 may be pivotally mounted to such carriages beneath the respective humps as shown at 131 and 132 respectively. It can now be seen that when the carriages 93 and 98 are properly anchored by the locking pins 118 in the selected position, they can move one of the squeeze boards into the central squeeze position, the selected squeeze board then altermating in the operative position with the center sand chute. The length of the rods 100 and 101 will be properly chosen to move the entire assembly a distance equal to the distance between the center of the chute and the centers of the squeeze heads, the squeeze heads being symmetrically arranged with respect to the center chutes.

It is then possible to shift the carriages and thus the squeeze board actuating cylinders to either of two stations by latching the cylinders to the facing sand cutoff plates 34 and 35. In the phantom line position 125, for example, the carriage cylinders can alternate the fill chutes and the squeeze boards 90 and 95. In the full line position, the carriage cylinders can alternate the fill chutes and the squeeze boards 92 and 97. It will, however, be understood that the shift of the squeeze boards is not necessarily done each cycle, but only when the operator desires, as when changing patterns by lowering the tables to place the patterns on the conveyor rollers 77 through 85.

Operation With the parts in the relative positions shown in FIG. 1 and with molding sand within the hoppers 13 and 14 and facing sand within the hoppers 30 and 31, the pistoncylinder assemblies 38 through 41 are extended to move the louvered boxes 36 and 37 beneath the facing sand hoppers 3t) and 31. Facing sand then falls into each of the relatively shallow boxes to form a layer of facing sand which will be a few inches thick. Such sand falls through the centrally disposed opening in the cut-off plates. It will, of course, be understood that the extension of the piston-cylinder assemblies 38 through 41 may also be employed to move the carriages to the alternate position indicated at 125 in phantom lines so as to employ, for example, the squeeze head 95 instead of the squeeze head 97. When the piston-cylinder assemblies 38 through 41 are retracted, they, of course, may also be employed to return the carriages to their full line position. Retraction of the cut-off plate 35 returns the box 37 to its full line position directly beneath the molding sand hopper 14 and it will be understood that the box is now filled with the facing sand to the top of the cut-off plate 35. Retraction of the piston-cylinder assembly 18 opens the mold- 6 ing sand cut-off plate and drops a charge of molding sand onto the bottom layer of facing sand in the container formed by boxes 43 and 37. When the charge is completed, the cut-off plate 16 is returned to its cut-off position. There is now provided a layered charge of sand in the chute 43, the bottom layer being facing sand within the box 37. While the sand charges for the cope and drag portions of the machine are being formed, cope and drag flasks will be moved into the machine from the conveyor 57 onto the conveyor sections 59 and 6t) and suitable stops will hold such flasks in the proper horizontal position vertically aligned with the squeeze piston-cylinder assemblies 5 and 6. The sand fill chute 96 is placed in the proper position by the extension or retraction as the case may be of the carriage cylinder 99. When the flasks are in proper position, a limit switch or the like will serve to energize hydraulic fluid systems or the like to cause the piston-cylinder assemblies 5 and 6 to elevate the tables 63 and 69. Continued elevation of such tables causes the pattern plates to engage the flasks and lift the flasks from the conveyors 59 and 60 into engagement with the upset frames 61 and 62. When the upset frames have thus been engaged by the top of the flask, the mold box has then been assembled, such mold box including the fill frame, flask and the pattern plate closing the bottom of the flask. This relative position of the parts of the machine is indicated in FIG. 7. When this assembled condition of the mold box has been obtained, a limit switch or the like may be employed to deenergize the further elevation of the table. The halting of such further elevation may then signal the piston-cylinder assemblies 54 and 55 to open the louvers 53 of the boxes 36 and 37 and the layered sand charge then drops into the completed mold box as indicated in FIG. 7.

At this time, if the operator has selected the squeeze head 95, for example, the carriage will have been positioned in the phantom line position indicated at 125 so that in order to position the chute 96 centrally beneath the molding sand hopper 14, the rod 101 of piston-cylinder assembly 99 will have to be extended. Then by retract ing such rod, the squeeze head will be positioned directly above the mold box as seen in FIG. 8. It is noted that the chutes 91 and 96 may be provided with depending strike-off plates 140 and 141 which will remove excessive sand heaped above the fill frames 61 and 62. When the squeeze head 95 is in proper position, a limit switch or the like will signal the hydraulic squeeze system again further to elevate the piston-cylinder assemblies 5 and 6. It is noted that the marginal dimensions of the squeeze heads are chosen to fit closely down within the fill frames 61 and 62 so that in effect the fill frames will telescope over the squeeze heads. Since the squeeze heads are backed by the rigid portions 105 through 108 of the machine frame, it will be seen that the sand S within the mold box will then be squeezed against a relatively fixed squeeze head. Whereas contoured rigid squeeze heads are illustrated, it will be understood that squeeze heads employing flexible diaphragms or many piston-cylinder assemblies may equally well be employed as, for example, those illustrated in the copending application of Edmond K. Hatch and Leon F. Miller, Serial No. 127,616, filed July 28, 1961, entitled Squeeze Molding Machine. These heads may, of course, quickly and simply be substituted one for the other by removing the links 104.

As seen in FIG. 8, as the clamp or squeeze pistoncylinder assemblies 5 and 6 continue the upward elevation of the tables, the sand S within the mold boxes will be compacted between the patterns and the squeeze boards. The further elevation of the table will cause the rods of the piston- cylinder assemblies 63 and 64 to extend since such cylinders are fixed whereas the fill frames will be lifted by the elevation of the table. When the pressure in the hydraulic squeeze system reaches a predetermined maximum, the piston-cylinder assemblies may be caused to lower the table which will telescope the fill frame out of the squeeze head 95 and continued lowering of the tables separates the fill frames from the flasks which are maintained on top of such flasks by the air under pressure in the piston- cylinder assemblies 63 and 64. Further continued lowering will cause the flasks to rest upon the rollers of conveyors 59 and 60 and further lowering will draw the pattern from the mold.

While this occurs, the piston-cylinders 38 through 41 again shuttle the sand boxes 36 and 37 beneath the facing sand hoppers 30 and 31 to have deposited therein a layer of facing sand and retraction of such piston-cylinder assemblies will again place the box beneath the molding sand chutes and retraction of the piston- cylinder assemblies 17 and 18 will place a charge of molding sand on top of the facing sand. The charges of sand are then ready for the next cycle of operation. When the tables have been lowered beneath the conveyors 59 and 60, the completed sand molds will then be shuttled from the machine on the conveyor 58 as shown at 145.

A limit switch or the like will halt the tables in the position shown in PEG. 3, for example, but this limit switch can readily be overridden to lower further the tables to deposit the pattern plates on the rollers 77 through 89 so that they can be shuttled out of the machine and replaced by other patterns of a different configuration. Similarly, the piston-cylinder assemblies 38 through 41 may be employed to place the carriages 93 and 98 in either of the alternate positions and the pistoncylinder assemblies 113 may be employed both to lock and unlock such carriages with respect to the conveyor members 83 through 86 and to latch such carriages to the facing sand cut-off plates 34 and 35 for movement therewith.

It can now be seen that there is provided a foundry molding machine which will produce a sand foundry mold having a layer of facing sand indicated at 146 in FIG. 3 with the remainder of the mold comprising molding sand shown at 147. A more versatile machine is thus provided which can meet casting finish requirements necessitating the use of a separate facing sand. It will, of course, be understood that the facing sand need not be added to the sand charge and that the entire charge may be composed of molding sand from the hopper 14.

Not only can a pattern quickly be changed increasing the versatility of the machine, but the operator can quickly select the squeeze head or board to be employed with the selected pattern. If desired, the production of the various molds for the foundry may be programmed and suitable patterns and squeeze boards may be automatically placed in the machine at the completion of the proper number of molds for the particular pattern previously programmed. It is thus apparent that a highly versatile foundry molding machine is provided which can quickly accommodate many pattern changes and casting finish requirements necessitating the use of facing sand.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

I, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A foundry molding machine comprising a base, upstanding columns, a head supported on said columns, said head including a molding sand reservoir and a facing sand reservoir, transfer means mounted to shuttle between said molding and facing sand reservoirs to form a sand charge for said molding machine comprised of a layer of molding sand and a layer of facing sand, clamp means to assemble a flask and pattern plate to form a mold box beneath said assembled sand charge, means responsive to the assemblage of such mold box to dump such sand charge from said transfer means into such mold box, means laterally to shift a squeeze head into operative position between said transfer means and mold box, said squeeze head being marginally dimensioned to fit within the top of such mold box whereupon further elevation of said clamp means will be operative to squeeze the layered sand charge in such mold box against said squeeze head.

2. A machine as set forth in claim 1 including an alternative squeeze head connected to said first mentioned squeeze head, and means operative selectively in response to the shuttling movement of said transfer means to place said alternative squeeze head in operative position.

3. A machine as set forth in claim 1 including pattern shuttling means operative to lift such pattern from said clamp means as said clamp means is lowered to facilitate pattern changes.

4. A machine as set forth in claim 1 including a composite carriage mounted for shuttling movement between said transfer means and clamp means, said composite carriage including alternative squeeze heads separated by a sand chute, and means to shuttle the selected squeeze head and said sand chute into operative position above said clamp means.

5. A machine as set forth in claim 4 wherein said means to shuttle the selected squeeze head into operative position comprises a piston-cylinder assembly, said piston-cylinder assembly being mounted on a cylinder carriage forming part of said composite carriage, and means to lock said cylinder carriage in alternative positions whereat said piston-cylinder assembly will be op erative to shuttle the respective selected squeeze head into operative position.

6. A machine as set forth in claim 5 wherein said cylinder carriage includes piston-cylinder operated latch means operative both to interconnect said cylinder carriage with said transfer means for movement therewith and to latch said cylinder carriage in said alternative positions.

7. A foundry molding machine comprising a rectangular base, column members extending vertically from the corners of said base and supporting a rectangular head thereon, a pair of vertically extending clamp pistons in said rectangular base, and means to shuttle cope and drag flasks or the like longitudinally into said machine to be aligned with said clamp piston-cylinder assemblies, molding sand reservoir means in said head vertically aligned with said piston-cylinder assemblies, facing sand reservoir means laterally adjacent said molding sand reservoir means, transfer means for each verticaliy extending clamp piston-cylinder assembly, and means mounting said transfer means for lateral shuttling movement to and from positions beneath the respective molding sand reservoirs and facing sand reservoirs to form a layered sand charge of facing and molding sand in vertical alignment with the respective vertically extending clamp piston-cylinder assemblies and the respective cope and drag flasks, fill frame means mounted on said flask shuttling means in vertical alignment with the respective vertically extending clamp piston-cylinder assemblies, table means on said vertically extending clamp pistoncylinder assemblies adapted to support cope and drag patterns, means operative to energize said vertically extending clamp piston-cylinde assemblies to raise said table means to engage the cope and drag flasks respectively lifting the same from said flask conveyor shuttling means and to engage said upset frames, a pair of carriage means mounted for lateral shuttling movement between said upset frames and said transfer means, said carriage means including a sand chute and squeeze head, means operative to dump such sand charges from said transfer means through said sand chute into such cope and drag flasks, and means laterally to shift said carriage means to replace said sand chute with said squeeze head whereupon further elevation of said vertically extending clamp piston-cylinder assemblies will be operative to squeeze 9 the sand thus placed in such flasks against said squeeze heads.

8. A machine as set forth in claim 7 including interconnectedalternative squeeze heads on each said carriage means, and means operative selectively in response to movement of said transfer means to place said alternative squeeze heads in operative position.

9. A machine as set forth in claim 7 including pattern shuttling means extending laterally through said machine, and means responsive to lowering of said vertically extending clamp piston-cylinder assemblies to place such patterns on said pattern shuttling means for removal from the machine.

10. In a foundry molding machine, a molding sand reservoir, a molding sand cut-01f plate at the bottom of said molding sand reservoir, a sand box extending beneath said molding sand reservoir, and a second cut-off plate at the bottom of said box, said second cut-off plate including a shallow box, a facing sand reservoir, said second cut-off plate extending across the bottom of said facing sand reservoir, means operative to shuttle said second cut-off plate and said shallow box therein from beneath said sand box and said molding sand reservoir to beneath said facing sand reservoir, whereby said shallow box is positioned beneath said facing sand reservoir to be filled with facing sand, and then to be returned beneath said molding sand reservoir to be backed by a charge of molding sand when said molding sand cut-off plate is opened.

11. A machine as set forth in claim 10 including means to adjust the volume of molding sand placed in such charge.

12. A machine as set forth in claim 10 including means to adjust the volume of facing sand placed in such charge.

13. A molding machine as set forth in claim 10 including means to raise and lower said second cut-oft plate with respect to said molding sand cut-off plate to control the volume of molding sand placed in such charge, and means to control the depth of said shallow box to control the volume of facing sand placed in such charge.

14. In a foundry molding machine having a vertically extending clamp piston with a table mounted thereon adapted to support a pattern or the like, means operative to elevate said clamp piston and thus said table to engage a flask or the like to form a mold box, a sand chute mounted for horizontal shuttling movement above such mold box having selectively employable squeeze heads on either side thereof, and means operative to replace said sand chute with the selected one of said squeeze heads after such mold box has been filled with sand through said sand chute.

15. A machine as set forth in claim 14 wherein said means operative to replace said sand chute with the selected squeeze head comprises a piston-cylinder assembly, the rod of which is connected to said sand chute, said piston-cylinder assembly being mounted on a cylinder carriage, and means operative to shift said cylinder carriage to alternative positions whereby said pistoncylinder assembly will be operative to place the selected one of said squeeze heads in operative position.

16. In a foundry molding machine, a horizontally extending support, a sand chute mounted on said support, squeeze heads mounted on said support on each side of said sand chute, and means operative to reciprocate said sand chute and the selected squeeze head into operative sand filling and sand squeezing positions above a mold box or the like.

17. The machine as set forth in claim 16 including a sand reservoir, a sand box mounted beneath said reservoir for horizontal shuttling movement, and means releasably interconnecting said sand box and squeeze heads operative selectively to shift with said sand box the selected squeeze head into operative position.

18. In a foundry molding machine, an upstanding frame, a sand reservoir supported on said upstanding frame, a sand box mounted beneath said sand reservoir for movement from a sand filling to a sand dumping position, track means beneath said sand box supporting a plurality of squeeze heads and a sand chute, and means operative to shift said sand chute and the selected squeeze head to sand filling and squeezing positions respectively.

19. A machine as set forth in claim 18 including means operative releasably to latch said chute and squeeze heads to said sand box for movement therewith along said track means operatively to position a selected one of said squeeze heads.

20. A latch mechanism for interconnecting components of a foundry molding machine or the like comprising a first shiftable component, a second shiftable component riding on a fixed member; a latch member pivoted to said second shiftable component, a piston-cylinder assembly for pivoting said latch member selectively into engagement with said first shiftable component to latch said first and second components together for movement as a unit, and lock means operative in response to the disengagement of said latch member to lock said second component to said fixed member.

21. A latch mechanism as set forth in claim 20 wherein said lock means comprises a locking pin pivoted to said latch member for movement therewith.

22. The method of forming a foundry mold which comprises placing a first layer of facing material of uniform depth such as fine sand in the bottom of a container, placing a second layer of relatively coarse molding sand upon such layer of facing sand, opening the bottom of such container to discharge both such layers simultaneously by gravity into a mold box against a pattern therein, and mechanically squeezing the contents of such box against such pattern to form a foundry mold having such fine facing material in contact with such pattern.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 618,080 1/99 Farwell 22-46 666,875 l/Ol Reeves 74-480 77 8,329 12/04 Pipher 22-46 2,599,262 6/52 Kvederis 22-20 2,626,053 1/ 5 3 McIlvaine 22-35 2,686,345 8/54 Young 22-35 2,787,465 4/57 De LaMatte 74-40 2,951,270 9/60 Taccone 22-35 2,956,317 10/60 Peasley 22-46 2,968,846 1/ 61 Miller 22-41 2,988,789 6/ 61 Taccone 22-42 OTHER REFERENCES Foundry Core Practice, by H. W. Dietert, published by American Foundrymens Soc., 1950, pages 117-118.

WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner.

MARCUS U. LYONS, ROBERT F. WHITE, MICHAEL V. BRINDISI, Examiners.

Claims (1)

1. A FOUNDRY MOLDING MACHINE COMPRISING A BASE, UPSTANDING COLUMNS, A HEAD SUPPORTED ON SAID COLUMNS, SAID HEAD INCLUDING A MOLDING SAND RESERVOIR AND A FACING SAND RESERVOIR, TRANSFER MEANS MOUNTED TO SHUTTLE BETWEEN SAID MOLDING AND FACING SAND RESERVOIRS TO FORM A SAND CHARGE FOR SAID MOLDING MACHINE COMPRISED OF A LAYER OF MOLDING SAND AND ALAYER OF FACING SAND, CLAMP MEANS TO ASSEMBLE A FLASK AND PATTEREN PLATE TO FORM A MOLD BOX BENEATH SAID ASSEMBLED SAID CHARGE, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE ASSEMBLAGE OF SUCH MOLD BOX TO DUMP SUCH SAND CHARGE FROM SAID TRANSFER MEANS INTO SUCH MOLD BOX, MEANS LATERALLY TO SHIFT A SQUEEZE HEAD INTO OPERATIVE POSITION BETWEEN SAID TRANSFER MEANS AND MOLD BOX, SAID SQUEEZE HEAD BEING MARGINALLY DIMENSIONED TO FIT WITHIN THE TOP OF SUCH MOLD BOX WHEREUPON FURTHER

Images