DE3721690C1 - Device for producing a fuel tank - Google Patents

Abstract

In a device for producing plastic fuel tanks, with a large main vessel and a small collection vessel drawn into the contour of the main vessel, to be able to use the direct blow moulding process without external insert parts or welded-on parts, for shaping one half (31), lying so as to be outwardly open, of the collection vessel (3), a linear slide (13) and, for shaping the other half (32), lying so as to be outwardly covered, of the collection vessel (3), a rotary slide (14) are arranged, the rotary slide (14) being actuated by a movement cylinder (17) causing the rotary movement and by a clamping-force cylinder (19) effecting the complete shaping of the collection vessel (3), which clamping-force cylinder (19) can be carried along without force during the pivot movement of the rotary slide (14) and can only be forcibly activated in the last part of the closing movement of the rotary slide (14). The preferred field of application of this device is in the production of plastic fuel tanks for motor vehicles. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a device for producing a Fuel Tanks according to the preamble of claim 1.

The collection container to which the fuel suction line and the Fuel return line are connected, especially the same with a decreasing level in the main tank and the same Braking, accelerating or cornering at an early stage Vehicle, the fuel reserve, for the trouble-free Engine running, especially while avoiding intake of Air, is required.

To increase security and improve space use when installing such fuel tanks in motor vehicles aim, it has already been suggested, the collection container not more than usual from the main container protruding part, but in the bottom of the Main container and thus completely into the outside contour of the fuel tank.

In the manufacture of such fuel tanks in the blower there were difficulties in driving between  the main container and the collecting container large-scale Ma There are undercuts in the material which are in line with those in the Do not directly mold mold making conventional slide systems to let. This is especially true if the collection container ter away from a relatively narrow constriction, which Main container is located, with a curved side wall in one Bottom part runs out, which is a multiple of the narrowing has a larger area and the back of the Sam mel container from a deeply drawn connecting channel is covered to the outside. In these cases you only have so far the main container with the flow opening in the blowing process manufactured and the collection container as a prefabricated separately Item attached to the main container.

Aside from the new problems with such Production from liquid-tight welding or Blowing of inserts will arise, above all the cost-effectiveness advantage nullified, that the blowing process offers when the entire fuel tank can be generated in a single operation.

This gave rise to the object on which the invention is based, which consisted in creating a device for Fuel tanks with retracted, inside the outside contour-lying collection container in the blowing process, without Ver Use of insert or weld-on parts in one To be able to completely manufacture the work step.

This task is according to the invention solved that for molding one are open to the outside half of the collection container a linear slide and Form the other half, which is concealed from the outside of the collecting container, a rotary valve is arranged, which in stored at a fixed pivot point on a mold half and with a half-shell shaped part in the mold space is pivotable.  

According to US-PS 41 23 217 and DE-PS 11 76 829 at a device for producing a container from a tubular preform in the blowing process itself known to form a container part a linear slide or to arrange a rotary valve. However, for these characteristics no protection is desired, but only in connection with the others Features of the main claim.  

The rotary slide valve, which together with the linear slide valve Form of the collecting container is over a swivel plate with a movement cylinder which brings about the rotary movement and with one that causes the formation of the collecting container Locking force cylinder connected.

To bring about cheaper structural, geometric and The clamping force cylinder is in terms of force during the actuation of the movement cylinder from the Swivel plate can be dragged along without force and only in the last part the closing movement to form the collecting container and can be activated by force for the associated weld seam formation.

The particular advantage of the device according to the invention lies especially in the fact that fuel tanks with a collecting container drawn into the tank bottom now in Blowing process, without the use of insertion or welding sharing, extremely economical in a single operation can be produced economically. The device can be also save space on the molding device, and the Removal of the finished fuel tank is off after both load-bearing sides possible unhindered because after the extension of the Linear slide valve and after swiveling out the rotary slide valve no more parts protrude into the mold space.

An exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention is described below the drawing explained. It shows

Figure 1 is an overall view of a fuel tank produced with the device with a view of the bottom side.

Fig. 2 shows a detail of the fuel tank of Figure 1 in a larger representation.

Fig. 3 is a partial cross section of the device with the fuel tank according to Fig. 1 and

Fig. 4 shows the partial cross section of the device of FIG. 3 with the slides pivoted.

The plastic fuel tank is shown in Fig. 1 for clarity lying. In practice, it is built into the vehicle, standing on the floor behind a row of seats.

The fuel tank consists essentially of a Hauptbehäl ter 1 with a filler neck 2 , a collecting container 3 , a connecting nipple 4 for the fuel suction line and a connection nipple 5 for the fuel return line.

The collecting container 3 is completely retracted into the bottom 11 of the Hauptbe container 1 and thus enclosed in the outer contour 111 of the fuel tank. The inner connec tion of the container 3 with the main container 1 consists of a passage opening 6 ( Fig. 2). From the passage opening 6 away, the collecting container 3 with rotationally symmetrical, arch-shaped side walls 31, 32 is expanded to a base part 33 , the cross section of which is several times larger than that of the passage opening 6 .

At the bottom of the main container 1, a round leading to the collection container 3 connecting channel 7 is formed which receives the at leerendem to the fuel tank the remaining fuel from the Hauptbe container 1 and feeds the collection container. 3 The Ver connection channel 7 hides free access from the outside to the rear side wall 32 of the collecting container 3rd The front half of the collecting container 3 with its side wall 31 is freely accessible from the outside and can be shaped using a linear slide 13 .

The blow mold 8 with its mold halves 80, 81 , which join together in a mold separation 82 , is arranged on mold carriers 9, 10 . In the sense of the directional arrows 12 , the mold carriers 9, 10 and thus the mold halves 80, 81 can be moved apart and moved together.

To form the exposed half 31 of the container 3 Sammbe is the linear slide 13 in the mold half 80 and to form the concealed half 32 of the collecting container 3 , a rotary valve 14 in the mold half 81 is arranged.

The linear slide 13 contains a half-shell shaped part 130 for forming one half 31 of the collecting container 3 and a web-like part 131 for forming one half of the passage opening 6 . The retraction and extension of the linear slide 13 into the blow mold 8 takes place in the direction of the arrow 132 .

The rotary valve 14 carries an analog, half-shell shaped part 140 for molding the second half 32 of the Sam melbehälters 3 and a similar web-like part 141 to form the other half of the passage opening 6th

A pivot point 15, which is fixed on the mold half 81 , is used to mount the rotary slide valve 14 . The movement of the rotary slide bers 14 takes place via a swivel plate 16 firmly connected to it by a movement cylinder 17 , the piston 170 of which engages in the bearing 18 on the swivel plate 16 and which is supported on the mold carrier 10 .

For the generation of the high force that is required for the final formation of the collecting container 3 and, above all, for welding its two halves 31, 32 , a closing force cylinder 19 is used , which is arranged in a bracket 20 on the mold carrier 10 and the piston 190 engages in the bearing 21 on the pivot plate 16 . The clamping force cylinder 19 is held freely rotatable in a bracket bearing 22 so that it can follow the movements of the pivot plate 16 and thus the rotary slide 14 .

The device works as follows measure:  

With the blow mold 8 open and the slides 13, 14 extended , a tubular preform 23 is inserted into the blow mold 8 , closed by closing the mold halves 80, 81 and pre-blown by supplying supporting air until it assumes the approximate shape of the mold contour ( FIG. 3) . Increasing the air pressure to the final blowing pressure, the linear slide 13 is then retracted into the blow mold 8 and the rotary slide 14 is pivoted into the blow mold 8 by retracting the piston 170 of the movement cylinder 17 . The clamping force cylinder 19 is dragged by the pivot plate 16 without force. When the slider 13, 14 is retracted, the material for the collecting container 3 is pinched off from a part of the preform 23 , and in the end position of the slider 13, 14 the final formation of the collecting container 3 with the passage opening 6 and the main container 1 ( FIG. 4). In this final phase, the closing force cylinder 19 has reached its approximately horizontal working position, is then subjected to force and does the power work of closing the rotary slide valve 14 and welding the halves 31, 32 of the collecting container 3 .

After the finished fuel tank has cooled, it is removed when the slides 13, 14 are extended and the blow mold 8 is open. The swiveling rotary slide valve 14 is followed in turn by the powerless closing force cylinder 19 back into the open position ( FIG. 3).

Then a new process begins.

Claims (3)

1. Device for producing an internal combustion engine, made of plastic fuel tank, which has a main container and a smaller, completely drawn into the bottom of the main container, the fuel tank in the blowing process from a tubular preform in a closed mold in a single operation is completely produced, characterized in that a linear slide ( 13 ) for shaping one half ( 31 ) of the collecting container ( 3 ), which is open to the outside, and a twist to mold the other half ( 32 ) of the collecting container ( 3 ), which is concealed on the outside slide ( 14 ) is arranged, which is mounted at a fixed pivot point ( 15 ) on a mold half ( 81 ) and can be pivoted into the mold space ( 8 ) with a half-shell-shaped molded part ( 140 ). 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotary slide ( 14 ) via a pivot plate ( 16 ) with a rotary motion leading movement cylinder ( 17 ) and with a from the formation of the collecting container ( 3 ) effecting closing force cylinder ( 19 ) connected is. 3. Device according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the closing force cylinder ( 19 ) during the actuation of the movement cylinder ( 17 ) from the pivot plate ( 16 ) can be dragged along forcelessly and only in the last part of the closing movement to form the collecting container ( 3 ) can be activated.