GB1264525A - - Google Patents

Abstract

1,264,525. Moulding machines and processes. PETTIBONE MULLIKEN CORP. 9 June. 1969 [14 June, 1968], No. 29100/69. Heading B3F. A method of making a foundry sand article in a mould box 32 having separable sections 34 and 37 comprises positioning a sand magazine 40 adjacent to the mould box and in communication with the mould cavity, blowing sand containing a hardenable binder from the magazine into the mould cavity, separating the mould box 32 and magazine 40, positioning a gas manifold 260 adjacent to the mould box 32 and in communication with the mould cavity, blowing a gaseous hardening agent for the binder into the mould cavity and separating the mould box sections 34 and 37 for removal of the article from the mould box. Both the sand magazine 40 and the gas manifold 260 are mounted on a carriage 38 running on rails 178 and one or other may be moved into vertical alignment with the mould box 32 by means of a pneumatic cylinder 200. When the magazine 40 is in alignment with the mould box, sand is blown into the mould cavity by operation of the blow valve 44 and when the manifold 260 is in alignment with the mould box, the magazine 40 is below and may be refilled from a sand hopper 46. The mould box 32 is made up of a cope section 34, Fig. 9, and a drag section 37, Fig. 10, the latter being vertically movable by a ram assembly 30. The drag unit 37 has a mould cavity 80, a manifold cavity 74 and a closure plate 76, the two cavities being connected by vent openings 100 covered by screens 102 and openings 88 through which stripper pins 92 pass. The cope section has a mould cavity 134, sand filling and stripper pin openings 138 and vent orifices 140. A seal between the cope and drag sections is made by a resilient gasket 150 which is inflated by compressed air supplied through pipe 160. At the beginning of a moulding cycle the parts of the machine are positioned as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The piston rod 64 of the ram assembly 30 is then raised so as to raise the drag 37 until it contacts cope 34 and carries it upwardly off the cope arresting pins 124 and 126. The assembled mould box is moved upwardly and the sand blow tubes 214 of the sand magazine 40 enter the openings 138 in the cope after which the magazine is lifted into sealing engagement with the blow valve 44. After being filled with sand the mould box 32 is lowered away from the magazine 40 and the carriage 38 moved to bring the cope gas manifold and the stripper assembly 42 into vertical alignment with the mould box 32. The mould -box 32 is raised again to bring the upper surface of the cope section 34 into contact with the lower surface of the gas manifold 260, the stripper pins 274 are inserted into the openings 138 by operation of the cylinder 280 and the gaseous hardening agent blown into the mould cavity via line 266, manifold cavity 262 and openings 138 and 140. The exhaust gases leave via openings 100 and hoses 110 and are bubbled through a liquid 350 in a scrubber tank 348. The system is then purged with air, the mould box lowered so that the cope is arrested by the pins 124, 126 and the sand article stripped from the cope and drag sections by stripper pins 274 and 92 respectively the former being operated by the cylinder 280 and the latter being brought into operation when the stripper plate 84 engages the upper ends of the arresting posts 96.