# Patent

## Title
Method of loading and unloading a mold on a foam plastics molding machine

## Abstract

On a foam plastics molding machine, a molding unit, defined by a mold and an interface frame equipped with a number or quantity of plastic molding material and operating fluid inlets, is loaded into a raised window in a fixed frame of the machine by positioning the molding unit in a fixed position on a trolley; positioning the trolley astride a fixed platform; raising the platform so that vertical ribs on the interface frame slideably engage corresponding vertical guides forming part of the machine and on a level with the window; connecting the guides to the ribs; and moving the guides towards the window.

## Background
PRIORITY CLAIM
This application is a national stage application of PCT/IB2011/001584, filed on Jul. 8, 2011, which claims the benefit of and priority to Italian Patent Application No. TO2010A000594, filed on Jul. 8, 2010, the entire contents of which are each incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND
In certain foam plastics molding, a machine, as described for example in the Applicant's EP-A-0 968 805, is known comprising a fixed frame with a window, higher than the machine supporting surface, for receiving the mold; and the mold, comprising two interlocked half-molds, is loaded onto the machine in a loading sequence comprising:

    
    
        a first step of setting up and connecting a machine-mold interface frame to the mold to form a molding unit, which comprises the mold and interface frame, and has a number or quantity of plastic molding material and operating fluid inlets;
        a second step of advancing the molding unit towards the fixed frame;
        a third step of lifting the molding unit to window level; and
        a fourth step of loading the molding unit into a work position physically and functionally engaging the fixed frame at the window, and in which the molding unit is locked to the fixed frame.
    
    


In the work position, the mold is connected automatically to feed lines supplying granular plastic material and operating fluids, such as compressed air and steam.
In the work position, the half-molds are made movable with respect to each other by locking a first half-mold, connected to the feed lines, to a fixed frame of the machine at the window; locking a second half-mold to a movable frame of the machine facing the window; making the two half-molds free to move with respect to each other; and moving the movable frame to and from the fixed frame in a given operating sequence.
One of the main problems of known molding machines of the above type is loading the molding unit accurately onto a lift movable vertically on the machine to perform the third step described above.
In this connection, it should be appreciated that a molding unit can weigh several tons, is always off-balanced (when suspended, is always tilted with respect to the vertical), and, when attached to the lift, assumes with respect to the machine a precise final work position which, except for the movements of the molding unit on the machine at the third and fourth steps, remains substantially unchanged throughout the operating cycle of the machine. Attaching the molding unit to the lift therefore involves an indefinite number (varying from one unit to another) of setting and balancing operations, which are not only time-consuming, but must be performed with the machine off, and, in the case of medium production runs, may cut the output capacity of the machine by as much as half.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure relates to a method of loading and unloading a mold on a foam plastics molding machine.
It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a method of loading and unloading a mold on a foam plastics molding machine, configured to eliminate certain of the above described drawbacks.
According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of loading and unloading a mold on a foam plastics molding machine comprising a fixed frame having a window for receiving the mold and located at a higher level than the supporting surface of the machine, wherein loading the mold onto the machine comprising: a first step of setting up and connecting to the mold an interface frame interfacing the machine and the mold, to form a molding unit, which comprises the mold and relative interface frame, and has a number of plastic molding material and operating fluid inlets; a second step of advancing the molding unit towards the fixed frame; a third step of lifting the molding unit to the level of the window; and a fourth step of loading the molding unit into a work position physically and functionally engaging the fixed frame at the window; and locking the molding unit to the fixed frame by a locking device; wherein the second step comprises the sub-steps of: positioning the molding unit in a given fixed first position on the bed of a trolley; and moving the trolley into a position astride a platform defining a horizontal supporting surface for the bed of the trolley; and the third step comprises lifting the molding unit resting on the trolley, and comprises the sub-steps of: raising the platform, so that vertical ribs on the interface frame, which is positioned in the given first position on the trolley, slideably engage corresponding vertical guides on the machine, locking the ribs to the relative guides by a locking device, when the molding unit is positioned coaxial with the window; and releasing the molding unit on the guides by lowering the platform and the trolley to detach the trolley from the molding unit.
Additional features and advantages are described in, and will be apparent from the following Detailed Description and the figures.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows a view in perspective, with parts removed for clarity, of a foam plastics molding machine implementing the method according to the present disclosure;
FIGS. 2 and 3 show two, respectively front and rear, views in perspective, with parts removed for clarity, of the FIG. 1 machine in a different operating configuration;
FIG. 4 shows a larger-scale first detail of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 shows an exploded view in perspective of a second detail of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 6 and 7 show respective larger-scale details of the FIG. 1 machine.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the example embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7, number 1 in FIG. 5 indicates as a whole a molding unit comprising a mold 2, in turn comprising two facing half-molds 3 and 4 defining a chamber 5 for molding foam plastic material. Molding unit 1 also comprises a frame 6 connected integrally to half-mold 3 by a number or quantity of tubular stays 7, and in turn comprising a first number or quantity of top front connectors 8 connected to molding chamber 5 by part of tubular stays 7 to feed plastic molding material into molding chamber 5; and a second number or quantity of lateral front connectors 9 (seen in FIGS. 1 and 3) connected to molding chamber 5 by a further part of tubular stays 7 to feed operating fluids (compressed air, water, etc.) into molding chamber 5.
Frame 6 comprises a plate 10, which faces half-mold 3, is connected to half-mold 3 by tubular stays 7, is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis 11 of mold 2, and comprises, on the opposite side to that facing half-mold 3, a number or quantity of reinforcing cross members 12 positioned, like axis 11, substantially horizontally in use; a number or quantity of reinforcing wings 13 perpendicular to cross members 12 and to axis 11, and positioned substantially vertically in use; and two ribs 14 parallel to wings 13 and extending along respective lateral edges of plate 10.
Close to its lateral edge positioned at the top and horizontally in use, plate 10 is fitted with a wing 15, which extends between ribs 14, is perpendicular to plate 10 and ribs 14, and supports top front connectors 8 on a bracket 16. A variation (not shown) has two or more brackets 16, each fitted with a respective number or quantity of top front connectors 8. Lateral front connectors 9 (as seen in FIG. 3) on the other hand are located on the outer surface of one of ribs 14, and communicate with a number or quantity of through holes 17 formed in rib 14, at a minimum distance D from the free edge of rib 14.
Finally, molding unit 1 comprises a number or quantity of lock pins 18 projecting, parallel to axis 11, from the opposite side of half-mold 4 to that facing half-mold 3.
Frame 6 forms an interface connecting mold 2 to a molding machine 19. In other words, mold 2 is totally generic, and frame 6 is specially designed or configured for machine 19 to connect mold 2 to machine 19.
As shown in FIG. 1, machine 19 comprises an intermediate portal 20 arranged vertically and comprising two uprights 21 connected by a top cross member 22 and an intermediate cross member 23. Together with top portions of uprights 21, cross members 22 and 23 define a substantially rectangular window 24, which has a horizontal axis 25 perpendicular to portal 20, and is located a given or designated height H above a supporting surface of machine 19, hereinafter referred to as the floor.
Machine 19 also comprises two boxes 26, each of which rests on the floor, projects rearwards from a respective upright 21 in a direction perpendicular to portal 20 and parallel to axis 25, and defines, with the other box 26 and the floor, a passage 27 housing, in a fixed position, a platform 28 for lifting molding unit 1 from a lowered position on the floor to a raised position at height H. Platform 28 is narrower than passage 27 so as to define, between itself and boxes 26, two aisles of given or designated width on the floor.
Portal 20 and boxes 26 define a fixed frame 29 of machine 19, which also comprises a movable frame 30, in turn comprising two pairs of double-acting hydraulic cylinders 31 fitted to portal 20 and arranged at the four edges of a parallelogram coaxial with axis 25. More specifically, at the intersections with top cross member 22 and intermediate cross member 23, each upright 21 is fitted through with the fixed intermediate sleeves of a respective pair of hydraulic cylinders 31; and each hydraulic cylinder 31 in each pair has a through piston 32, the rear end of which, located over relative box 26, is connected to the rear end of the other piston 32 by a substantially vertical rod 33 parallel to upright 21. The front ends of all four pistons 32 are connected to respective corners of a rectangular plate 34 coaxial with axis 25, and which in use is connected releasably in known manner (not shown) to half-mold 4 utilizing pins 18.
Movable frame 30 also comprises a transfer device 35 movable with pistons 32, in a work direction 36 parallel to axis 25, between a withdrawn position, in which transfer device 35 receives and supports molding unit 1, and a forward position, in which transfer device 35 releases molding unit 1 onto fixed frame 29 at window 24.
For each rod 33, transfer device 35 comprises two brackets 37 connected rigidly to rod 33, between and parallel to relative pistons 32, and extending from rod 33 towards portal 20; and a vertical guide 38, which is integral with the free ends of relative brackets 37, is parallel to rod 33, and has a U-shaped cross section defining a longitudinal groove with its concavity facing portal 20, of a depth at most equal to distance D, and of a width approximating but no less than the thickness of ribs 14. Guides 38 are arranged symmetrically with respect to axis 25 and are at least the same length as ribs 14; and the longitudinal axes of their grooves are spaced apart by the same distance as that between the intermediate planes of ribs 14.
Each guide 38 is fitted at each end with an electromechanical locking device 39 comprising a conical bolt 40 (as seen in FIG. 7) crosswise to axis 25 and which moves through the longitudinal groove of relative guide 38 to engage a respective through hole 41 in relative rib 14 and lock molding unit 1 to relative guide 38.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, platform 28 comprises a flat base resting on and fixed to the floor; a top plate 43 with a top supporting surface 44; and a hydraulically extendible accordion frame 45 for moving plate 43 between a lowered position resting on base 42, and a raised position substantially on a level with the bottom ends of guides 38, and for keeping supporting surface 44 perpendicular to guides 38 (i.e., horizontal) at all times.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, molding machine 19 also comprises a trolley 46 comprising a bed 47 of constant thickness, fitted on top with lateral and longitudinal locators 48, which cooperate with and define the position of a specific molding unit 1 on trolley 46. Bed 47 is fitted underneath with at least four wheels 49—at least two of which are castors—high enough so that the top surface of bed 47 is higher than supporting surface 44 when plate 43 is in the lowered position.
Bed 47 is wider than platform 28 and narrower than passage 27, and is configured to straddle platform 28, with wheels 49 resting on the floor inside the lateral aisles defined by platform 28 inside passage 27.
Molding machine 19 can be loaded selectively with a number or quantity of molds similar to mold 2 described, provided each is fitted with a respective interface frame 6. In various embodiments, frames 6 vary from one mold to another as regards the number or quantity and arrangement of tubular stays 7, but are identical in terms of overall size, the location and size of ribs 14, and the location of top and lateral front connectors 8 and 9, to ensure correct fitment of molding unit 1 to molding machine 19.
When not in use, each molding unit 1 is stored on a respective trolley 46 specific to and forming an integral part of molding unit 1. It should be appreciated that trolley 46 virtually defines a locating and loading dock for respective molding unit 1, and its locators are positioned with respect to bed 47 so that, by simply positioning trolley 46 astride platform 28, with its front edge contacting a fixed locator 50 (FIG. 3) on top plate 43 of platform 28, ribs 14 can be positioned directly beneath and perfectly or substantially aligned with respective guides 38.
When not in use, each molding unit 1 is stored, not only on its own trolley 46, but also ready for use (i.e., with top and lateral front connectors 8 and 9 connected by lines 51 (FIG. 1) to molding chamber 5).
When not in use and, as explained below, also during part of the step of loading molding unit 1 onto molding machine 19, half-molds 3 and 4 are locked integrally to each other by screw fasteners 52 (FIG. 1) fitted through plate 10 and removable from the outside.
To prepare molding machine 19 to produce a given or designated part, the corresponding molding unit 1 is withdrawn, on respective trolley 46, from the store; and trolley 46, still resting on the floor, is positioned astride the lowered platform 28 and resting against locator 50.
As stated, when trolley 46 is in this position and transfer device 35 is in the withdrawn position, ribs 14 of frame 6 are positioned directly beneath and aligned with respective guides 38.
On molding machine 19, substantially all of the time-consuming work to balance and set molding unit 1 (which accounts for roughly 9/10 of mold changeover time) is therefore performed “off the machine” (i.e., while molding machine 19 is operating with another mold).
Platform 28 is then activated to vertically lift top plate 43 together with molding unit 1 and trolley 46, so the free rear edges of ribs 14 slide along guides 38. Because top plate 43 keeps ribs 14 perfectly or substantially parallel to guides 38, and remains parallel to itself and perpendicular to guides 38 throughout the whole of its upward movement, ribs 14 slide accurately along guides 38 up to height H (i.e., until they are stopped), based on a position signal from position sensors (not shown), in a position in which holes 41 in ribs 14 are aligned with bolts 40 of relative locking devices 39, which are then activated to lock molding unit 1 to transfer device 35. At this point, platform 28 can be lowered to release molding unit 1 onto transfer device 35, and to lower trolley 46 onto the floor.
At this point, hydraulic cylinders 31 are activated to move movable frame 30 in work direction 36, and so move transfer device 35 into the forward position and at the same time detach plate 34 from portal 20. When transfer device 35 is in the forward position, molding unit 1, with mold 2 still closed and locked by fasteners 52, is in an intermediate position, in which it is not yet physically and functionally connected to molding machine 19, but simply extends through window 24, with top front connectors 8 positioned facing and substantially contacting outlets 53 of granular plastic material tanks 54 fitted to top cross member 22 of portal 20, and with lateral front connectors 9 positioned facing and substantially contacting operating fluid outlets 55 on one of uprights 21 of portal 20. In this intermediate position, molding unit 1 can safely be released by transfer device 35 onto fixed frame 29 by withdrawing bolts 40.
Molding unit 1 is moved in work direction 36 into its final position, connected physically and functionally to molding machine 19, by activating a locking device 56 fitted to portal 20 and comprising two horizontal bars 57. These are fitted to top and intermediate cross members 22 and 23, along the top and bottom edges of window 24 respectively, are moved to and from each other by hydraulic jacks, and each have a beveled lateral edge 58 (FIG. 6) which, when bar 57 is moved towards the other bar 57 into a closed position and molding unit 1 is in the intermediate position, cooperates with a respective beveled surface 59 on frame 6 to move molding unit 1 into its final forward position, and at the same time lock molding unit 1 to portal 20 and connect top front connectors 8 to outlets 53, and lateral front connectors 9 to outlets 55.
Next, hydraulic cylinders 31 are activated to restore transfer device 35 to the withdrawn position, by detaching guides 38 transversely from ribs 14, and moving plate 34 towards mold 2 to connect plate 34 in known manner to half-mold 4 utilizing pins 18.
At this point, fasteners 52 are removed, and molding machine 19 is ready to operate.
Molding unit 1 is unloaded off molding machine 19 by performing the above operations in reverse, the only difference being that, in this case, molding unit 1 is moved from its final position, connected to molding machine 19, to its intermediate position by bolts 40, which, being conical, can engage holes 41 in ribs 14 even when molding unit 1 is in the final forward position, and, as they advance inside holes 41, restore molding unit 1 to is intermediate position connected to transfer device 35.
Molding unit 1 is connected and disconnected in two stages, as described above, to ensure smooth, accurate connection and disconnection to and from molding machine 19.
Certain of the advantages of the method of loading and unloading a mold 2 on a machine such as molding machine 19 will be clear from the above description.
Firstly, mold 2 is loaded and unloaded fully automatically, with no or minimal adjustment needed to the position or balance of mold 2 as it moves to and from molding machine 19, and above all as it moves vertically inside molding machine 19.
Secondly, trolley 46, together with frame 6, forms an integral part of mold 2, and, except when mold 2 is handed over to transfer device 35, supports it safely at all times, thus safeguarding against damage to mold 2 by shock or stress as it is being handled. It is molding machine 19 itself which simultaneously receives mold 2 and trolley 46, unloads mold 2 off trolley 46, loads mold 2 onto trolley 46, maintains trolley 46 in a precise position throughout the time mold 2 is detached from trolley 46, and provides for simultaneously unloading mold 2 and trolley 46.
Besides improving safety, the above advantages also drastically reduce mold changeover time, which normally takes at least one work shift using conventional methods, but can be done is less than half an hour using the method described by way of example. For a relatively high-speed machine, such as molding machine 19, operating on average two work days with no mold changeover, this substantially amounts to doubling output.
Close analysis of the loading and unloading method described shows the above advantages originate from:

    
    
        using trolley 46—with molding unit 1 set beforehand in a fixed position on it—to roll molding unit 1, on the floor, into a predetermined position with respect to molding machine 19; and
        using platform 28 to lift and lower molding unit 1 between the floor and height H.
    
    


It should be appreciated that it is trolley 46 that allows or enables molding unit 1 to be fully set off the machine; and it is platform 28 which, once trolley 46 is set to hold molding unit 1 in the set position on bed 47, with axis 11 positioned parallel to the bottom surface of bed 47, provides for:

    
    
        substantially eliminating any errors, and the time taken to adjust them, in the position of mold 2 caused by defects on the floor or trolley 46, by simply detaching trolley 46 from the floor together with molding unit 1; and
        lifting and lowering trolley 46 and molding unit 1 simultaneously.
    
    


Clearly, changes may be made to the system and method as described herein without, however, departing from the scope of the accompanying Claims and without diminishing its intended advantages. It should thus be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.

## Claims

1. A method of loading a mold on a foam plastics molding machine, said method comprising:
setting up and connecting an interface frame having a plurality of vertical ribs to the mold to form a molding unit including the mold, the interface frame, and a quantity of plastic molding material and operating fluid inlets;
(ii) advancing the molding unit towards a fixed frame of the foam plastics molding machine by:
(a) positioning the molding unit in a designated fixed first position on a bed of a trolley, said designated fixed first position being defined by a plurality of locators on the trolley, said locators being specific to the molding unit, and
(b) moving the trolley into a position astride a platform defining a horizontal supporting surface for the bed of the trolley, wherein when the trolley is in the position astride the platform: a front edge of the trolley contacts a locator on a top plate of the platform, and the plurality of vertical ribs of the interface frame are respectively aligned with a plurality of corresponding vertical guides on the foam plastics molding machine;

(iii) lifting the molding unit positions on the trolley to a level of a window of the fixed frame of the foam plastics molding machine by:
(a) raising the platform with the molding unit positioned in the designated fixed first position on the bed of the trolley such that the plurality of vertical ribs on the interface frame slidably engage the plurality of corresponding vertical guides on the foam plastics molding machine,
(b) when the molding unit is positioned coaxial with the window, locking the plurality of ribs to the plurality of guides using a first locking device, wherein the window is configured to receive the mold and is located at a higher level than a supporting surface of the foam plastics molding machine, and
(c) releasing the molding unit on the plurality of guides by lowering the platform and the trolley to detach the trolley from the molding unit;

(iv) loading the molding unit into a work position to physically and functionally engage the fixed frame at the window; and
(v) locking the molding unit to the fixed frame by a second locking device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, when positioned astride the platform, the trolley is positioned with respect to the platform in a designated second position defined by a plurality of locators on the platform, said designated first and second positions combining to define, at all times as the mold is loaded onto the foam plastics molding machine, a predetermined position of the molding unit with respect to the foam plastics molding machine.

3. The method of claim 1, which includes locking the molding unit to the guides and releasing the molding unit from the guides such that the molding unit is supported by the fixed frame.

4. The method of claim 3, which includes locking the molding unit to the plurality of guides by the first locking device, and moving the plurality of guides towards the window in a horizontal work direction.

5. The method of claim 4, which includes releasing the molding unit from the plurality of guides by releasing the first locking device and further moving the molding unit forward in the work direction into said work position.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said further movement is produced by activating the second locking device and gradually engaging the molding unit.

7. A method of loading and unloading a mold on a foam plastics molding machine, said method comprising:
loading the mold onto the foam plastics molding machine by:
(i) setting up and connecting an interface frame having a plurality of vertical ribs to the mold to form a molding unit including the mold, the interface frame, and a quantity of plastic molding material and operating fluid inlets,
(ii) advancing the molding unit towards a fixed frame of the foam plastics molding machine by:
(a) positioning the molding unit in a designated fixed first position on a bed of a trolley, said designated fixed first position being defined by a plurality of locators on the trolley, said locators being specific to the molding unit, and
(b) moving the trolley into a position astride a platform defining a horizontal supporting surface for the bed of the trolley, wherein when the trolley is in the position astride the platform: a front edge of the trolley contacts a locator on a top plate of the platform, and the plurality of vertical ribs of the interface frame are respectively aligned with a plurality of corresponding vertical guides on the foam plastics molding machine,

(iii) lifting the molding unit positions on the trolley to a level of a window of the fixed frame of the foam plastics molding machine by:
(a) raising the platform with the molding unit positioned in the designated fixed first position on the bed of the trolley such that the plurality of vertical ribs on the interface frame slidably engage the plurality of corresponding vertical guides on the foam plastics molding machine,
(b) when the molding unit is positioned coaxial with the window, locking the plurality of ribs to the plurality of guides using a first locking device, wherein the window is configured to receive the mold and is located at a higher level than a supporting surface of the foam plastics molding machine, and
(c) releasing the molding unit on the plurality of guides by lowering the platform and the trolley to detach the trolley from the molding unit,

(iv) loading the molding unit into a work position to physically and functionally engage the fixed frame at the window, and
(v) locking the molding unit to the fixed frame by a second locking device; and

unloading the mold off the foam plastics molding machine by detaching the molding unit from the work position by releasing the second locking device, and activating the first locking device which gradually engages the molding unit to lock the molding unit to the plurality of guides.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, when positioned astride the platform, the trolley is positioned with respect to the platform in a designated second position defined by a plurality of locators on the platform, said designated first and second positions combining to define, at all times as the mold is loaded onto the foam plastics molding machine, a predetermined position of the molding unit with respect to the foam plastics molding machine.

9. The method of claim 7, which includes locking the molding unit to the guides and releasing the molding unit from the guides such that the molding unit is supported by the fixed frame.

10. The method of claim 9, which includes locking the molding unit to the plurality of guides by the first locking device, and moving the plurality of guides towards the window in a horizontal work direction.

11. The method of claim 10, which includes releasing the molding unit from the plurality of guides by releasing the first locking device and further moving the molding unit forward in the work direction into said work position.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said further movement is produced by activating the second locking device and gradually engaging the molding unit.