WO1991018840A1

WO1991018840A1 - Machine for the production of glass objects by pressing, in two or more independent synchronised pressing units

Info

Publication number: WO1991018840A1
Application number: PCT/IT1990/000086
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giovanni Rolando
Original assignee: Giovanni Rolando
Priority date: 1990-05-30
Filing date: 1990-10-19
Publication date: 1991-12-12
Also published as: IT9020472A0; IT1248831B; IT9020472A1

Abstract

Machine (10) for manufacturing glass objects by pressing, in one or more pressing units (11, 12) substantially the same, each of which comprises a horizontal discoid plate (21), rotating intermittently, on which are placed the moulds (30), a press (16) for inserting a counter-mould in a mould (30) as soon as it has received the drop of glass mixture, an actuator (53) for transferring the pressed object to the continuous conveyor (50) taking it to the heat-treatment furnace, each of said pressing units being motor-driven and provided with independent means of operation and control to make possible both their synchronised operation and their stoppage for failures, rejected material or other problems, while the other units continue to function in the normal manner.

Description

MACHINE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GLASS OBJECTS BY PRESSING, IN TWO OR MORE INDEPENDENT SYNCHRONISED PRESSING UNITS.

The invention concerns machines for pressing glass objects easily, extracted from the mould, such as glasses, cups, bowls, ashtrays and similar articles.

Machines for manufacturing glass objects by pressing are well known. The molten glass flows through a feed channel in which it is brought to a temperature giving it the right degree of viscosity to enable drops of a stable size and weight to be formed to produce objects that are all the same.

The drops of molten glass are caused to fall into the moulds of a continuous forming line, one after another, passing through a press where compression is done by a counter-mould.

At the end of the process the temperature of the object falls to a level at which the object becomes rigid.

The object can then be taken out, given heat treatment fol¬ lowed by cooling.

Output obviously depends to a great extent on the number of moulds in the continuous line, as well as on the number of those used for pressing.

Various kinds of machines have been made all substantially based on the presence of a discoid plate around whose cir¬ cumference the moulds are set, said moulds moving to the different work stations one after another. Clearly the longer the diameter of the plate, the greater the number of moulds there can be on its circumference, but said number cannot exceed that served by a single drip dis¬ tributor and a single moulding press. To increase output, therefore, machines have been built with a very large mould-carr ing plate served by two or more drip distributors and by two or more presses. There are however two main drawbacks to these machines: one is that the size of the plate greatly increases over¬ all dimensions; the other is the considerable difficul¬ ties that arise over working the larger machine, since the complexities connected with operating it are greatly af¬ fected by temperatures and pressures, by precise synchro¬ nization, by the mass of material in the various stages between fluid and solid and by the numerous movements of objects in process of formation at the various stations as well as from the plate to the conveyor.

Any irregularity in operation, inevitable breakdowns and other causes of failure obviously involve delays in pro- . duction even for long periods which lessen the advantages which such machines were designed to provide. The above invention increases productivity without caus¬ ing the troubles described, as will be related below. Subject of the invention is a machine for manufacturing glass objects, said machine comprising one or more pres- sing units . Each of said units comprises a horizontal discoid plate, rotating intermitten ly, which supports the moulds spaced at equal distances round a circumference, and comprises a press for insertion of a counter-mould in the mould as soon as the drop of glass mixture has been received, an extractor for extracting the moulded object and an actua¬ tor for transferring the moulded objects to the trays on the conveyor which carries them to the heat^*- treatment furnace .

Due to rotation of the discoid plate each mould in turn passes on to the various work stations, these being the dr ip d i s t r ibutor , the pres s wi th counter-mould , the extractor and the actuator. The various moulding units, substantial¬ ly the same, are synchronised one with another, with the drip distributor and with the conveyor to heat treatment.

The number of moulds in each pressing unit, the moulding cycle at each unit consisting of passage of one mould through each work station, speed of the conveyor to the heat-treat¬ ment furnace, distance between the trays on said conveyor, distance between the moulds on the discoid plate, are all calculated to ensure transfer of a moulded object through each phase from the mould to its place in a tray on the conveyor .

The different pressing units are motor driven and are pro¬ vided with actuators and means of operation and control, unified or independent, so that starting and stopping can be carried out simultaneously, regulation of each unit be done independently, as well as stoppage of one or more units in the event of failures, operational irregularity, rejected material and anything else while the other units continue to function normally. In a preferred type of execution there are two pressing units placed symmetrically one at each side of the glass mixture drip distributor and also symmetrical in relation to the end of the continuous conveyor carrying the objects to the heat- treatment furnace. The invention offers remarkable advantages.

Higher productivity can be achieved without thereby crea¬ ting operational difficulties and without excessive increase in the overall dimensions of the madhine. Any failures or rejects have only a limited effect on out- put as the pressing unit concerned can be stopped separately. Output can be adjusted at any time to suit specific requirements since pressing units function independen ly of each other.

Characteristics and purposes of the invention will be made still clearer by the following example of its execution illustrated by diagrammatic drawings. Fig. 1: The machine subject of the invention, seen from above.

Fig. 2: The same seen from the front, partially cut away.

The machine 10 comprises the two pressing units 11 and 12 supported by the platform 13 common to both.

Each pressing unit comprises a column 20 freely support- ing the horizontal discoid plate 21 around whose circum¬ ference are situated the moulds 30 for the glasses 15 to be manu actured .

The plate 21 is driven by an electric motor 22 by means of the clutch 23 and mechanism 24. The motor shaft is connected to the clutch shaft by pulleys 25 and 26 and by the belt 27.

On the shaft connecting the clutch to the mechanism 24 , the shunt 28 is mounted for connection to the distributor 29 that drives the various master cylinders controlling the machine and especially the pressing device, extractor and other parts.

The base 14 protects the bottom end of the column. The press 16 is placed on the platform 13 and comprises columns 35 and 36 connected at the top to column 20 by means of an arm 37 supporting the master cylinder 38 which operates the piston 39 fixed to the counter-mould 31. The cage 40 round the piston supports the head 41 on which the springs 42 act to close the moulds 30.

Nearby the press 16, at a certain height, the terminal 43 of channel 44 supplies drops of glass mixture through two distributing means 45 and 46 connected to the vertical tubes 47 and 48 whose outlets lie on top of the circular trajectory through which the moulds 30 pass. Near the discoid plates 2] is the terminal 51 of the con¬ veyor 50 with trays 52 to receive the pressed glass objects and carry them into the heat- treatment furnace.

The positions of devices 53 coincide with those of the plates 21, said devices comprising the master cylinder 54 and pis¬ ton 55 with pincers (the pincers are not shown in the draw¬ ings for simplicity) to transfer the objects 15,pressed by the moulds 30 onto the trays 52.

Due to intermittent rotation of plates 21, the moulds 30 pass continually, one after another, to the stations coinci¬ ding with the positions of the distributing means 45 and 46, of the counter-mould 31, the extractors (not seen in the draw ings) and of the pincers in the pick-up devices 53, stopping for time needed to allow the following phenomena to take place simultaneously in the adjacent moulds 30: a drop of glass mixture deposited in a mould 30, pressing of said drop in the mould, extraction of the moulded object, transfer of an extracted object onto the tray on the conveyor.

As the drawings show, the two units are motor-driven and are operated independently; it is thus possible to stop one of them separately and so also the drop distributor and the de¬ vice for transfer onto the conveyor for heat treatment; in- dependent control of the two units is therefore also possi¬ ble in the event of irregular functioning, rejected material or other trouble.

The machine is of course also designed for combined and syn¬ chronised operation by means of a single control system and adequate regulation.

Claims

1. Machine (10) for manufacture of glass objects ( 15) by means of pressing, comprising fixed distributing devices (45) (46) of drops of glass mixture, means for pressing the objects (15) and a continuous conveyor (50) for carrying the moulded objects ( 15) to the hea -treatment furnace, characterized in that the means for moulding the objects con¬ sist of two or more pressing units (11) (12) each comprising a horizontal discoid plate (21), intermittently rotating, round whose circumference the moulds (30) are placed at equal distances, a press ( 16) for insertion of a counter-mould (31) in a mould (30),one after another,as soon as the drop of glass mixture has been received, an extractor for extracting the moulded object, an actuator (53) for transferring the moulded object ( 15) from the mould (30) to one of the trays (52) on the conveyor (50*), the moulds (30) passing one at a time to the different work stations, namely the drop distri¬ butor, the press ( 16), the extractor and actuator (53).

2. Machine ( 10) for manufacturing glass objects ( 15), as in claim 1 , characterized in that the various pressing unite (11) ( 12) are synchronised with each other, with the drop distributor and with the conveyor (50) to the heat-treatment furnace.

3. Machine ( 10) for manufacturing glass objects (15) as in claim 1 , characterized in that the various pressing units ( 11) (12) are equidistant from the line of trays (52) on the conveyor (50) leading to the heat-treatment furnace.

4. Machine (10) for manufacturing glass objects (15) as in claim I , characterized in that the various pressing units (11) (12) are substantially the same.

5. Machine ( 10) for manufacturing glass objects ( 15) as in claim 1 , characterized in that the various pressing units ( 11) ( 12) are connected by a single base ( 13).

6. Machine ( 10) for manufacturing glass objects ( 15) as in claim I , characterized in that the number of moulds (30) in each pressing unit ( 11) ( 12) , the pressing cycle of each unit ( 11) (12) involving passage of a mould (30) to each work station, the speed of the conveyor (50) moving to the heat treatment furnace, the distance between the trays (52) on said conveyor, the distance between the moulds (30) placed on the discoid plate (21) are all calculated to ensure trans¬ fer through each phase of the moulded object ( 15) right to the conveyor (50) which carries it to the heat-treatment furnace .

7. Machine (10) for manufacturing glass objects ( 15) as in claim 1 , characterized in that the various moulding units ( 11) ( 12) are motor-driven and are provided with actuators (53) and with independent means of operation and control to ensure both simultaneous operation of said units( l l) ( 12) and in¬ dependent regulation of each one, as well as stoppage of one or more of said units on account of failures, irregu- larities, waste material or anything else, while the others continue to function normally.

8. Machine ( 10) for manufacturing glass objects ( 15) as in claim 1 , characterized in that the various pressing units (11) ( 12) have a unified control device for simultaneous starting and stopping.

9. Machine ( 10) for manufacturing glass objects ( 15) as in claim 1 , characterized in that there are two pressing units (11) ( 12).

10. Machine ( 10) for manufacturing glass objects (15) as in claim 1 , characterized in that the two pressing units (11) (12) are symmetrically placed one on each side of the distributor of drops of glass mixture and also symmetrical with the end of the continuous conveyor (50) ring passing inside the heat-treatment furnace.

The whole being substantially as described and explained and made for the specified purposes.