Patent ID: 8985187
Filing Date: 2015-03-24
Classification: B22D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An auto-closer apparatus for centering and closing cope and drag mold halves of sand mold, said apparatus comprising: a positioning station having a planar platform adapted to support a sand mold half while centering; the positioning station having a first set of opposing arms moveable toward and away from each other, the arms being moveable over a range sufficient to contact first opposing exterior surfaces of the sand mold half, to cause the sand mold half to move and become centered along a first centerline between the first set of opposing arms; the positioning station having a second set of opposing arms moveable toward and away from each other, the arms being moveable over a range sufficient to contact second opposing exterior surfaces of the sand mold half, to cause the sand mold half to move and become centered along a second centerline between the second set of opposing arms, the second centerline being substantially orthogonal to the first centerline; a gripping structure having two opposing and inwardly facing pads each mounted for rotation about a common axis on separate axles, whereby the pads remain in a fixed angular relationship to one another throughout rotational movement; each pad having plural individual compressible fingers pointing inwardly towards the opposite pad and adapted to grip a sand mold half by engaging the surface of the sand mold half; each pad having a fixed fulcrum structure pointing inwardly towards the opposite pad and being disposed in line with the common axis, with the individual compressible fingers being disposed radially outwardly from the fulcrum structure; a first actuator coupled to the gripping structure that moves the gripping structure inwardly and outwardly along the common axis, over a sufficient range whereby inward movement brings the compressible fingers and fulcrum structure in contact with the surface of the sand mold half, and whereby outward movement releases the compressible fingers and fulcrum structure from contact with the surface of the sand mold half; a second actuator coupled to the gripping structure that moves the gripping structure closer to and farther from the platform of the positioning station over range sufficient to lift a sand mold half when gripped by said gripping structure a distance away from the platform sufficient to place a second sand mold half on the platform.