METHOD AND VASTAGUE PACKING HANDLING MACHINE Field of the Invention This invention relates to casting processes and apparatus, including but not limited to apparatus and methods of handling of rod or core packing. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Internal combustion engines include motor crankcases having a plurality of cylinders. The cylinders contain pistons whose reciprocating motion due to the combustion events can be transferred through a crankshaft to produce a torque output from the engine. Often, engine crankcases are made of molten metal, and include integrally formed passages there for the transfer of various fluids from one location of the engine to another. Fluids typically transferred through the passages in an engine include coolant, air, fuel, oil, and so on. Known methods of manufacturing engine components include melting the metal components. A typical engine component is melted by having one or more internal passages formed there, and then typically it is terminated using various machining operations. The molten components are typically formed by pouring molten metal into a mold. The mold has an internal surface that forms an external shape
desired from a part when the molten metal solidifies. The internal characteristics are usually formed by cores, typically substantially made of sand or other suitable material, which are placed inside the mold before pouring the molten metal. Typical cores include one or more interlock portions that are assembled into a packing of shanks or cores. The packing of rods is placed inside a mold half in what will be the internal cavity of the finished mold assembly. Manipulating the packing of stems for placement in the mold half is a delicate operation, primarily due to the fragility of the packing of stems. In a typical manufacturing location, a single mold can form more than an internal cavity to melt multiple engine components by metal pouring operation. This means that a single mold can receive multiple rod packages before the pouring operation is performed. Often, the stem seals are damaged during placement in the mold, producing relatively high percentages of material to be discarded. This and other issues can be avoided as follows. Brief Description of the Invention A plurality of fasteners are connected to a frame of
a machine. Each fastener includes a propulsion portion that includes a driven gear, an arrow portion that connects to the drive portion and has an elongated shape with a center line, and a head portion that is connected to one end of the portion of arrow that is in front of the propulsion portion. The head portion extends by passing an outer dimension of the arrow portion. At least one actuator is connected to at least one drive shaft through at least one joint including at least one drive gear. The at least one drive gear meshes with the driven gear of the fastener such that a movement of the actuator is in turn transferred to the drive shaft, to the driving gear, to the driven gear, and finally to the fastener such that the fastener rotates about the center line . BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a sketch view of a mold half having three rod packages disposed therein. FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of a set of known fasteners engaging a packing of rods. FIGURE 3 is a sketch view of a known stem package having recesses. FIGURE 4 is a sketch view of a package of
Improved stems that have much shallower recesses according to the invention. FIGURE 5 and FIGURE 6 are cross-sectional views of a fastener when engaging and disengaging a packing of shanks according to the invention FIGURE 7 is an exploded sketch view of a propelling mechanism for a fastener according to the invention. FIGURE 8 is a sketch view of a machine that is arranged to engage multiple rod packages using fasteners according to the invention. FIGURE 9 is a flowchart for a method of handling package of shanks with a machine according to the invention. Description of a Preferred Modality The following describes an apparatus for, and the method of manipulation of rod packing for placement in mold cavities for the casting of metal components having internal passages. A known rod packing manipulation apparatus is shown in FIGURE 1 to FIGURE 3 for comparison. A mold half 100 that is part of a partially assembled mold assembly (not shown) is presented in FIGURE 1. The mold half 100 is shown as containing three
packages 102 of rods positioned within a cavity 104 of the mold half 100. The mold half 100 is a lower half of a mold assembly. An upper half of the mold assembly (not shown) is typically placed on the mold half 100 to complete and seal the cavity 104 around the stem packages 102 in preparation for casting. When the mold assembly is assembled, the molten metal is poured through a mouth cavity 106 that is formed in the mold half 100. The liquid metal that fills the mouth cavity 106 flows through a feed passage 108, passes a slag filter 110, and into the cavity 104 to surround the mold packs 102 and fill the cavity 104. A plurality of wells 112 is formed in the mold half 100 between and around each of the rod packages 102 which are disposed therein. Each of the plurality of wells 112 is filled with molten metal during a pouring operation. The metal portions left after the metal in the mold assembly has solidified, which can weigh approximately 75 lbs. (43 kg.) Are not part of the components that are manufactured and removed during a finishing operation. The metal bars that are left over after the metal portions have been removed can typically be recycled. It is desirable to minimize the amount of metal
which is poured into each mold assembly during the casting operation, and it is also desirable to minimize the amount of metal that is not used in the components that are manufactured. This amount of metal that is not used by the components each of the plurality of wells 112 fills depends on the size and volume of the wells 112. The wells 112 that are typically used are large enough to accommodate the fasteners 200 that engage each packing 102 of rods when handling each package 102 of rods for and during the deposition in the mold half 100 or any other operation. Each fastener 200 is typically connected to a decanter machine 202, and is capable of pivotal movement with respect to the machine 202. The fasteners 200 are typically used in pairs in a configuration by means of which each set of fasteners 200 engages in opposite fashion a section of the stem package 102, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIGURE 2. The counter configuration of the fasteners 200 is necessary to avoid imparting shear loads onto the section of the stem package 102 that is being that can damage the package 102 of breakable stems. Even so, it has often been observed that the compressive loads imparted on the packing of shanks by fasteners can cause damage and rupture
in the packing of rods, which in turn increases the percentages of material discarded in the manufacturing processes. The cross section of FIGURE. 2 shows each fastener 200 with solid lines in an engaged position, and in dotted lines in a disengaged position, for example, when the stem packing 102 has been deposited in the cavity 104 of the mold half 100 and the machine 202 retracts upwards. Each fastener 200 has a head portion 204 which engages the stem pack 102 in a recess portion 206 thereof that is formed along a region of the stem pack 102 that lies downward while the stem pack 102 is resting in mold half 100. A sketch view of a typical stem package 102 is shown in FIGURE 3. The stem package 102 is presented from a perspective of the bottom surface 300 or from a perspective visible by the mold half 100 while the bottom seal packing 102 stems are being lowered into the cavity 104. The stem packing 102 has a plurality of legs 302 of common height but of various configurations that come into contact with a bottom surface of the cavity 104 of the mold half 100 while the packing of offshoots is deposited there. A height of
legs 302 determines a thickness of metal along the bottom surface 300 of the stem pack 102 after the component has been molded and hardened. Also visible is the plurality of recess portions 206 that are arranged to accept the fasteners 200. There are four recess portions 206 in the stem pack 102 shown, but other numbers for larger stem packings may be used. The four recess portions 206 are arranged in two opposing pairs for the reasons described. After a component has formed around the stem packing 102, each of the four recess regions 206 has been filled with solidified molten metal and adds unnecessary weight to the component. It is desirable to decrease such a "deadweight" in the components that are manufactured. The issues described so far, and other issues, can advantageously be avoided as described below. A sketch view of an improved stem package 402 is shown in FIGURE 4. Stem packing 402 includes legs 404 that are similar to legs 302 of stem packing 102 shown in FIGURE 3. Legs 404 are projected from a bottom surface 405 of the stem package 402. Stem packing 402 also includes a plurality or recess portions 406 that at least partially extend around the surface 405 of
bottom to form a plurality of indentations 408. Compared to typical recess portions 206, the recess portions 406 of this embodiment are advantageously less and much shallower to reduce the amount of unnecessary metal in the finished part. Detailed views in cross section of improved stem packing 402 during deposition in an improved mold half 500 by the use of an improved fastener 502 that is attached to a decanter 504 are shown in FIGURE 5 and in FIGURE 6. The improved fastener 502 includes a elongated shaft 506 which is connected to the machine 504 at one end, and has a head portion 508 which is connected to the shaft 506 at another end and projecting laterally therefrom. The fastener 502 is advantageously capable of rotating by at least 90 degrees with respect to the machine 504, and because it does not rotate on an axis, it advantageously requires a small pressure area with which it engages and decouples with the stem packing 402 . During the deposition of the stem packing 402 in the mold half 500, the fastener 502 is rotated such that the head portion 508 projects from the shaft 506 in a direction toward the stem packing 402. Stem packing 402 in this position is disposed around at least a portion of the fastener 502, with the axis of the fastener 502 disposed at
less partially within one of the recess portions 406, and the head portion 508 of the fastener 502 disposed in contact with the indentations 408 in the bottom surface 405 of the stem packing 402. After the stem packing 402 has been deposited in the mold half 500, it is disengaged from the stem packing 402 by rotating about the main axis of the shaft 506 such that the head portion 502 moves around and away from its respective recess 406. . After the fastener 502 has rotated approximately 90 degrees or otherwise enough so that the head portion 508 releases the recess 406, the machine 504 lifts and pulls the fasteners 502 out of the mold half 500. Because the fasteners 502 require less volume within which the stem packing 402 is engaged, compared to the pivoting fasteners 200 shown in FIGURE 2, a plurality of wells 512 formed in the mold half 500 is considerably smaller and it has considerably less volume than the wells 112 described above. This smaller volume is advantageous because it considerably reduces the amount of metal that will have to be removed after the casting operation is completed, and reduces the waste material that would need to be recycled. In addition, the lack of compressive force on the stem packing 402 considerably reduces the
percentage of material discarded from components in the manufacturing process. A sketch-wise assembly view of a propeller mechanism 700 that can be used to operate each of the fasteners 502 and that is included in the machine 504 is shown in FIGURE 7. The fastener 502 includes a portion 702 of the fastener and a portion 704 propulsion. The portion 702 of the fastener, as described above, includes the shaft 506 and the head 508, and is what projects from the machine 504. The propulsion portion includes a first stop 706 which is connected coaxially to one end of the shaft 506 at the front of the head 508. A bearing 708 is connected coaxially with the first stop 706, and a second stop 710 is connected coaxially in series with the bearing 708. A circular gear or a pinion 712 is connected to the second stop 710. The pinion 712 has a plurality of teeth formed therein which are disposed along a periphery of the pinion 712, and are constructed to engage with a plurality of teeth formed in a linear gear or rack 714. When the machine 504 is completely assembled and is operating, the pinion 712 meshes with the rack 714. The rack 714 is connected to a drive shaft 716. The drive shaft 716 is operatively connected to an actuator 718 which is capable of cranking. absar that axis 716 moves
reciprocally with respect to the fastener 502. The actuator 718 can be any type of actuator capable of selective movement. For example, the actuator 718 may be a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, an electric motor or a linear solenoid, and so on. The reciprocal movement of the shaft 716 causes the rotation of the fastener 502 due to the engagement between the rack 714 and pinion 712. A sketch view of one embodiment for a portion of the machine 504 is shown in FIGURE 8. The machine 504 includes a frame 800 having four sleeves 802 attached thereto. Each sleeve 802 forms an opening 804 that slidably engages a post (not shown) that allows the machine 504 to selectively move along the post, in any direction, during operation. A plate 806 of the equipment is connected to the frame 800. The plate 806 has many different components mounted thereto, and also serves as a platform for connecting various actuators and other components (not shown) that are used during the operation of the machine 504 This mode of the 504 machine is configured to manipulate three rod packages at the same time. Therefore, many of the components that are connected on the plate 806 are generally arranged in sets of three, but other arrangements can be used. Plate 806 includes three pluralities of fasteners
808. Each plurality of fasteners 808 comprises three fasteners each that surrounds one of three seats of the stem package 810. During the operation of the machine 504, anywhere from one to three stem packages can be engaged in one or more of the three seats 810. Each packing of rods can be retained by the machine 504 by the gear to the three corresponding holders 808 as described above. There are additional features or components connected to the plate 806 that facilitate the retention and alignment of the rod packages. A plurality of retainers 812 are connected to the plate 806. Each of the retainers 812 includes a peg that selectively extends and retracts such that a packing of rods disposed within a seat 810 is pushed out of each seat 810 and against the seats. Corresponding fasteners 808 for stability during transport. In the embodiment shown, there is a retainer 810 corresponding to each seat 810, for a total of three retainers 812, but more retainers 812 may be used. A plurality of alignment posts 814 is connected to the plate 806. The alignment posts 814 are arranged to align each package of stems that is transported to the respective fasteners 808 and to the seat 810. Posts 814
of alignment are arranged in two sets per seat 810, and are disposed adjacent an outer perimeter of the plate 806. During the operation of the machine 504 at times when one or more packing of rods are engaged with one or more sets of fasteners 808, each alignment post 814 may contact and / or be in close proximity to a respective stem package. Other components, such as actuator (s) (not shown) or joints (not shown) can also be connected or associated with plate 806. These other components are constructed to selectively control movement or fasteners 808, retainers 812 , and / or the movement of the frame 800. The present invention can be incorporated into other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described modalities should be considered in all concepts only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention, therefore, is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that fall within the meaning and range of the equivalence of the claims must be within its scope.