SYSTEM FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING PLATE-SHAPED CATALYSTS

Abstract: A system for continuously producing plate-shaped catalysts, including: a mold press machine for press-­ molding a belt-shaped catalyst into a predetermined form; a pair of means for delivering the belt-shaped catalyst, provided at the downstream side of the mold press machine and each having a grip mechanism; a cutting device provided at the downstream side of the pair of belt-shaped catalyst delivering means; means for detecting that the belt-shaped catalyst, after passing through the cutting device, has reached a predetermined position; cutting control means for operating the cutting device in response to a signal from the detecting means; grip-delivery control means; and means for performing pass of delivery of the plate-­ shaped catalyst and release of the gripping as necessary while the states of delivery and cutting of the plate-­ shaped catalyst are being monitored; whereby carrying out continuously a series of steps including press-molding, delivery and cutting the plate-shaped catalyst by a predetermined length.

Description: This invention relates to a system for producing plate-shaped catalysts, and more particularly to a system for continuously producing plate-shaped catalysts, wherein plate-shaped catalysts are continuously molded and cut by a predetermined length. In methods such as continuous punching and continuous molding of a steel belt-shaped article to be molded, generally the steps of continuous molding, continuous punching and cutting are performed without stopping the molding press. Furthermore, a system wherein a molding tool and cutting blades are unavoidably installed on machines separate from each other, there is known a continuous molding system wherein articles are cut, while the cutting blades are moved in tandem with the movements of the moving articles. As a system for continuously producing plate-shaped catalysts, there is known a process wherein a steel belt-shaped catalyst is press-worked. Thereafter, a position to be cut is detected by a detection signal from a sensor, and the steel belt-shaped catalyst is cut to a predetermined length (U.S. Patent No. 4,567,630). In this continuously producing system, the molding press is temporarily stopped in operation. Then, a plate-shaped catalyst is cut from the steel belt-shaped catalyst, and thereafter, the molding press is restarted to produce the plate-shaped catalyst. Accordingly, the step of pressing the steel belt-shaped catalyst and the step of cutting the plate-shaped catalyst from the steel belt-shaped catalyst are carried out by intermittent operations. Figs. 7a, 7b and 7c show the steps performed in the system for continuously producing the above-described plate-shaped catalysts, the system including; roll feeders 12 for feeding a steel belt-shaped catalyst 1; a top former 7 and a bottom former 8 of a molding press for molding the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 fed by the roll feeders 12, into a predetermined form; a crank mechanism 9 for operating the top former 7 and the bottom former 8 of the molding press; clamps 14 for clamping and fixing the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 thus supplied; a top cutting blade 4 and a bottom cutting blade 5, which are provided at the downstream side of the clamps 14; and a position sensor-abutting stopper 6 provided at the downstream side of the cutting blades 4 and 5. With the above-described arrangement, as shown in Fig. 7a, the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 is supplied between the top and bottom formers 7 and 8 by the roll feeders 12. This steel belt-shaped catalyst is pressed into a predetermined form by the top and bottom formers 7 and 8 of the molding press in electrical association with the crank mechanism 9. When the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 thus pressed comes into abutting contact with the position sensor 6, the clamps 14 are actuated to clamp the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 as shown in Fig. 7b, the top former 7 of the molding press stops at a top dead center 9A of the crank mechanism 9 (Refer to Fig. 4 to be illustrated hereunder), and cutting operation is carried out by the cutting blade 4, whereby the plate-shaped catalyst 2 is cut off the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 as shown in Fig. 7c. Figs. 1 and 2 are explanatory views showing the outlines of press molding of the steel belt-shaped catalyst and cutting step of the plate-shaped catalyst. The steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 is intermittently delivered from the left to right in Fig. 1 by the roll feeders 12 as shown in Figs. 7a, 7b and 7c, and successively molded by the top and bottom formers 7 and 8 of the molding press in its widthwise direction into forms A-A, B-B ( a convex shape 3a and a concave shape 3b in section), C-C, D-D (a convex shape 3c and a concave shape 3d), E-E, F-F (a convex shape 3e and a concave shape 3f in section) and G-G, H-H (a convex shape 3g and a concave shape 3h in section) as shown in Fig. 2. In short, in the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1, from the center to the opposite sides thereof, first, the convex shape 3a and the concave shape 3b, next, the convex shape 3c and the concave shape 3d, subsequently, the convex shape 3e and the concave shape 3f, and then, the convex shape 3g and the concave shape 3h are pressed, whereby the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 is pressed. Subsequently, the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 is delivered to the top cutting blade 4 and the bottom cutting blade 5 and cut into the plate-shaped catalyst 2 of the predetermined length by the top cutting blade 4 descending in response to a signal from the position sensor 6, whereby the plate-shaped catalyst 2 having a predetermined form and the predetermined length is produced. Additionally, during molding by this press, polyethylene sheets are inserted between the top surface of the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 and the top former 7 of the molding press and between the bottom surface of the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 and the bottom force 8 of the molding press, respectively, so that the top and bottom formers 7 and 8 of the molding press are not directly brought into contact with the top surface and bottom surface of the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 to protect both surfaces thereof. However, in Figs. 1 and 2, the polyethylene sheets, a mechanism for delivering the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 and the formers of the molding press are not shown for the sake of clarity of illustration. Fig. 8 shows another example of the mechanism for supplying the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1, wherein a gripper 10 and a delivery cylinder 11 are used, and Fig. 9 shows another one wherein as the similar delivering mechanism, a delivery crank 13 is provided on the crank mechanism 9 so as to operate the roll feeders 12 in association with the top former 7 of the molding press. In the embodiments shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the other parts including the clamps 14, the top and bottom cutting blades 4 and 5, and the position sensor 6 are similar to those shown in Figs. 7a to 7c. However, in all of the above-described systems, the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 is pressed to form the plate-­ shaped catalyst 2, the delivery operation is temporarily stopped and the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 is fixed by the clamps 14, cut by the top and bottom cutting blades 4 and 5, and then, the delivery molding press machine is restarted, thus presenting such disadvantages that the delivery operation has to be interrupted for each cutting step whereby the operating efficiency of the molding press is greatly lowered, so that the efficient production cannot be carried out. Furthermore, according to the conventional techniques, simple punching is carried out at a speed of the press strokes of more than 1000/min, while complicated and continuous molding is normally carried out at a speed of about 120-150/min. When cutting is performed at the above-described molding speed, with the interruption of the continuous molding operation, intervals required for position detection, stop of delivery, stop of pressing, fixing of the article, cutting, return of the cutting blades to the initial positions, restart of delivery and pressing have been 1-3 secs. Further, in the continuous molding of the plate-shaped catalysts for denitration as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,567,630, the molding operations of 120 times per minute is the maximum speed. The time interval of interrupting the press operations for the aforesaid cutting needs about 3 seconds against the molding time interval of about 7 seconds. Accumulated interrupting time intervals lower the operating efficiency by about 30%, for example. Furthermore, the molding press is abruptly stopped once every ten minutes, for example, so that brake members may be repaired. In molding the above-described steel belt-shaped catalyst 1, such a method is adopted that catalytic paste which is coated on the catalyst is prevented from adhering to the top and bottom formers 7 and 8 of the molding press. Furthermore, in molding, to make smooth the sliding of the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 between the top and bottom formers 7 and 8 of the molding press so as to facilitate molding, protective sheets like polyethylene sheets are placed above and below the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 and the steel belt-shaped catalyst 1 is delivered in this manner between the top and bottom formers 7 and 8 of the molding press step by step by a predetermined length. However, in the case where plastic sheets are used as the protective sheets, the predetermined length may or may not be obtained because the sheets are easily slidable. When the step by step feeding by the predetermined length cannot be performed, the molding operation and cutting operation are temporarily interrupted, therefore the length must be adjusted, thus presenting a problem of making the operations complicated. It is an aim of the present invention to obviate the above-­ described disadvantages of the prior art. The present invention provides a system for continuously producing plate-shaped catalysts comprising: a mold press machine having a top former and a bottom former for press-molding a belt-shaped catalyst into a predetermined form, one of the formers being connected to a crank mechanism for reciprocating the said one former towards and away from the other former; a pair of means for delivering the belt-shaped catalyst, provided at the downstream side of said mold press machine and each having a respective grip mechanism for gripping the belt-shaped catalyst; grip-delivery control means which control gripping and delivery of the belt-shaped catalyst in response to the movement of said crank mechanism, the gripping and delivery being performed by the two delivery means alternately so that when one of said pair of delivery means is performing the gripping and delivery of the belt-shaped catalyst the other is prepared for gripping and delivery, and, after the preparation is completed, the succeeding gripping and delivery operation is carried out by the other pair of delivery means; a cutting device provided at the downstream side of said pair of delivery means; means for detecting that the belt-shaped catalyst, after passing through said cutting device, has reached a predetermined position; cutting control means for operating said cutting device in response to a signal from said detecting means; and means for intermittently interrupting the operation of the said delivery means during operation of the cutting device. In accordance with the present invention a system for continuously producing plate-shaped catalysts, includes: a mold press machine for press-molding a belt-shaped catalyst into a predetermined form; a pair of means for delivering the belt-shaped catalyst, provided at the downstream side of the mold press machine and each having a grip mechanism; a cutting device provided at the downstream side of the pair of belt-shaped catalyst delivering means; means for detecting that the belt-shaped catalyst, after passing through the cutting device, has reached a predetermined position; cutting control means for operating the cutting device in response to a signal from the detecting means; grip-delivery control means, in which one of the pair of delivery means is performing grip and delivery, the other prepares grip and delivery, and, after the preparation is completed, the succeeding delivery operation is carried out by change of grips; and means for performing pass of delivery of the belt-shaped catalyst and release of the gripping as necessary while the states of delivery and cutting of the belt-shaped catalyst are being monitored; whereby carrying out continuously a series of steps including press-molding, delivery and cutting the plate-shaped catalyst by a predetermined length. With the above-described system, the time for the interruption of the press operation and the time for the restart can be saved, and the interruption for the delivery can be reduced to the utmost, so that the plate-shaped catalysts can be efficiently produced. Furthermore, the time intervals of abrupt stops of the press operations can be decreased so that the above-described system is advantageous from the viewpoint of the maintenance. The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is an explanatory view of the system continuously producing the plate-shaped catalyst of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the various portions of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an explanatory view showing the outline of the system for continuously producing the plate-shaped catalysts according to the present invention; Fig. 4 is an explanatory view showing a crank mechanism for operating the mold press machine; Figs. 5a to 5p show explanatory views of various operation positions of the devices constituting the system of the present invention; Fig. 6 shows another embodiment of the system of the present invention; and Figs. 7a to 7c, 8 and 9 are explanatory views of the conventional system for producing the plate-shaped catalyst, respectively. The continuously producing system shown in Fig. 3 principally includes: a mold press machine having a top former 7 and a bottom former 8 of a molding press; a pair of gripping mechanisms (grippers) 10a and 10b provided at the downstream side of the mold press machine; a pair of belt-shaped catalyst delivering means (delivery cylinders) 11a and 11b; a cutting device 4 provided at the downstream side of the delivery means; detecting means 6 for detecting that a belt-shaped catalyst 1, after passing through the cutting device 4, has reached a predetermined position; and cutting control means for operating the cutting device 4 in response to a signal from the detecting means 6 having a limit switch. To make the vertical movement, the top former 7 of the molding press has a crank mechanism 9. The gripper 10a is connected to the delivery cylinder 11a and the gripper 10b is connected to the delivery cylinder 11b, respectively, whereby the grippers 10a and 10b are driven by the reciprocatory movement of the cylinders 11, so that the belt-shaped catalyst 1 can be delivered step by step. More specifically, there is provided grip-delivery control means wherein a gripper 10b and delivery cylinder 11b performs gripping and delivery of the belt-shaped catalyst 1, while the other gripper 10a and delivery cylinder 11a are prepared for gripping and delivery of the belt-shaped catalyst 1, and, after the preparation is completed, the gripping and delivery operation is peformed by the gripper 10a and delivery cylinder 11a These operations are repeated until the belt-shaped catalyst moves forwards and abuts against the position sensor-abutting stopper 6. The grip-delivery control means is associated with the movement of the crank mechanism 9 of the top former 7 of the molding press as shown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 4, at the position 9C of a crank pin of the crank 9, the top former 7 of the molding press descends for pressing and a signal for releasing the grips of the grippers 10a and 10b is delivered. At the position 9D of the crank 9, gripping of the belt-shaped catalyst 1 by one of the grippers is carried out. The delivery of the belt-shaped catalyst 1 starts at the position 9E and ends at the position 9B where changing of grips is carried out. Positions 9A and 9C show a top dead center and a bottom dead center of the crank 9, respectively. Further, such control means is provided that in the case where the crank 9 is to reach the delivery start position 9E at the time of cutting of the belt-shaped catalyst by the cutting blade 4, a delivery signal for moving forward the belt-­ shaped catalyst is passed, and in the case where the crank 9 is in the position of 9E to 9B, that is in the midst of the stroke of the cylinder 11, a signal for releasing the grip is delivered so that the grippers 10 are released, and the delivery cylinders 11 are operated to dead centers of the stroke to wait for the succeeding signal. Thus a series of operations of the press molding, delivery and cutting by the predetermined length of the plate-shaped catalyst can be continuously carried out without stopping the normal works of molding press 7 and cutting device 4. A specific embodiment of the present invention will hereunder be described with reference to Figs. 5a to 5p. First, Fig. 5a shows a state where the top force 7 (or the crank 9) of the molding press is positioned at the top dead center 9A (Fig. 4). Fig. 5b shows a state where the grippers 10 are open and the crank 9 of the molding press is positioned at the bottom dead center 9C. Fig. 5c shows a state where the gripper 10b grips the belt-shaped catalyst 1 when the crank 9 is positioned at a grip position 9D (Fig. 4). Fig. 5d shows a state where the delivery is started at a delivery start position 9E of the crank 9. Fig. 5e shows a state where the top former 7 of the molding press starts to descend when the crank 9 is positioned at the top dead center 9A. Fig. 5f shows a state where the delivery of the belt-shaped catalyst is completed at a changing grip position 9B of the crank 9. Fig. 5g shows a state where the grippers 10 are open and the molding press works at the bottom dead center 9C of the crank 9. Fig. 5h shows a state where the gripper 10a grips the belt-shaped catalyst at the grip point 9D of the crank 9. Fig. 5i shows a state where the delivery is started at the delivery start position 9E of the crank 9. Fig. 5j shows a state where the molding press (top force 7) starts to descend when the crank 9 is positioned at the top dead center 9A. Fig. 5k shows a state where the tip end of the belt-shaped catalyst 1 reaches the position sensor 6 which delivers a signal for descending the top cutting blade 4, to a source for driving the cutting blade 4 to cut off the belt-shaped catalyst 1. If the tip end of the belt-shaped catalyst does not reach the position sensor 6, a series of operations starting from the state of Fig. 5b, passing through Figs. 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 5j and ending at Fig. 5m are repeated until the state shown in Fig. 5k or Fig. 5p is reached. After cutting off the belt-shaped catalyst as shown in Fig. 5k, a series of the operations shown in Figs. 5l, 5m, 5n and 5o which shows the state where the delivery of the belt-shaped catalyst is completed at the change of grip position 9B of the crank 9 are carried out until the next cutting of the belt-shaped catalyst occurs as shown in Fig. 5p. When no slip occurs between the gripper 10a or 10b and the plastic sheet placed on the both surfaces of the belt-shaped catalyst 1, the above-described operations are repeated. Whereas, when a slip or slips occur between the gripper 10a or 10b and the plastic sheet, the delivery pitch may be shifted. Further, when the belt-shaped catalyst 1 abuts against the position sensor 6 to start cutting, or during the cutting, the delivery cylinders 11 are sometimes in the midst of the stroke, which causes a problem that the belt-shaped catalyst cannot be cut off at an equal pitch or that the plate-­ shaped catalyst obtained is bent. To prevent the problem from occurring, control is performed such that the grippers 10 are released to avoid applying an excessive force to the belt-shaped catalyst, and the delivery cylinders 11 work to the stroke ends to wait for the succeeding signal. Furthermore, when the delivery start position 9E is reached during the cutting, control is performed such that a delivery start signal is passed and the top cutting blade 4 waits for the succeeding signal (after the top cutting blade 4 returns to the original position of the top dead center). Thus, in the case of the normal operations where the grip point does not slip in the delivery mechanism, cutting can be performed without stopping the delivery operation. Furthermore, when the delivery start position 9E is reached during cutting of the plate-shaped catalyst due to slip of the grip point and the like, the situation can be met by passing of the delivery. Further, when the delivery is in the midst of cutting, the situation can be met by gripper releasing, so that the operations can be continued with the vertical movement of the molding press without stopping. Furthermore, since the delivery mechanism is provided at the downstream side of the molding press, the easily deformable articles can be delivered without deforming. The resulting plate-shaped catalyst 2 having a predetermined size may be removed from the system by use of a roller conveyor, for example. Fig. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention, wherein grip feeders (gripper 10c, 10d and delivery cylinder 11c, 11d) are provided at the upstream side of the molding press 7, 8 besides the downstream side thereof, delivery of the belt-shaped catalyst 1 into the molding press is performed by the grip feeders 10c, 11c, 10d and 11d at the upstream side, and, after the belt-shaped catalyst has reached the downstream side, molding delivery is performed only by the grippers 10a, 10b and the delivery cylinders 11a, 11b at the downstream side. According to this embodiment, although the provision of the grip feeders increase the installation cost, such advantages can be attained that a molding start section can be formed to save the loss of the belt-shaped catalyst, and delivery of the catalyst into the press is carried out easily and safely. In the above embodiment, the grip feeders at the upstream side may be replaced by conventional roll feeders 12 shown in Figs. 7a-7c, or by roll feeders 12 mechanically associated with the press as shown in Fig. 9. The above-described embodiments of the present invention can provide the following advantages. (1) Cutting of the belt-shaped catalyst can be performed together with the vertical movement of the molding press without stopping of the device. (2) In the case of the normal operations where the grip point does not slip in the delivery mechanism, cutting can be performed with the delivery not being stopped, and the continuous molding with no interruption can be carried out. (3) When the delivery start point is reached during cutting, the situation can be met by passing of the delivery, and, when the delivery is in the midst of cutting, the situation can be met by releasing the gripper so that the operations can be continued with the vertical movement of the molding press not being stopped. Under the requirements of the normal operations described in Items (1) and (2), continuous molding without interruption can be carried out. However, in actuality, the timings described in Item (3) are very few. With the above-described arrangement, the press molding operating efficiency is greatly increased by 30% or more for example, and abrupt stops of the molding press are limited to an emergency case and a case of work interruption, whereby the number of accidents of brake damages is sharply decreased. The preferred embodiments of the present invention can provide a system for continuously producing plate-shaped catalysts, wherein, without interrupting the operations of a mold press machine, press molding, feeding by a predetermined length and cutting by a predetermined length can be efficiently carried out, thus improving the operation efficiency.

Claims: 1. a system for continuously producing plate-shaped catalysts comprising: a mold press machine having a top former and a bottom former for press-molding a belt-shaped catalyst into a predetermined form, one of the formers being connected to a crank mechanism for reciprocating the said one former towards and away from the other former; a pair of means for delivering the belt-shaped catalyst, provided at the downstream side of said mold press machine and each having a respective grip mechanism for gripping the belt-shaped catalyst; grip-delivery control means which control gripping and delivery of the belt-shaped catalyst in response to the movement of said crank mechanism, the gripping and delivery being performed by the two delivery means alternately so that when one of said pair of delivery means is performing the gripping and delivery of the belt-shaped catalyst the other is prepared for gripping and delivery, and, after the preparation is completed, the succeeding gripping and delivery operation is carried out by the other delivery means; a cutting device provided at the downstream side of said pair of delivery means; means for detecting that the belt-shaped catalyst, after passing through said cutting device, has reached a predetermined position; cutting control means for operating said cutting device in response to a signal from said detecting means; and means for intermittently interrupting the operation of the said delivery means during operation of the cutting device. 2. A system for continuously producing plate-shaped catalysts according to claim 1, wherein the interrupting means comprises a signal for delivery of said belt-shaped catalyst and for causing release of the gripping when the delivery of the belt-shaped catalyst is carried out during cutting of the belt-shaped catalyst. 3. A system for continuously producing plate-shaped catalysts according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said gripping, said delivery of the belt-shaped catalyst, releasing of the grip, and alternation of the grip are carried out in response to the movement of a crank pin of said crank mechanism. 4. A system for continuously producing plate-shaped catalysts according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said detecting and cutting control means comprise a limit switch which is provided at said predetermined position. 5. A system for continuously producing plate-shaped catalysts according to any preceeding claim, wherein said belt-shaped catalyst is covered with a plastic sheet to protect the surfaces thereof. 6. A system for continuously producing plate-shaped catalysts according to any preceeding claim, further comprising grip feeders for the belt-shaped catalyst which are provided at the upstream side of the mold press machine.

Inventors: ISHIDA, NOBUYOSHI KURE WORKS, KUDO, SABURO KURE WORKS, KUWADA, KAZUHIKO KURE WORKS, MICHIMOTO, TAKASHI KURE WORKS
Applicants: BABCOCK-HITACHI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B01J37
IPC codes: B21D43, B01J35, B23D36, B01J37