An installation for manufacturing registration carriers

Abstract: The invention relates to an installation for manufacturing registration carriers, provided with an injection moulding device (2) and with two holders (5,9) supporting moulding plates, which are adjustable with respect to each other between a first position, in which said moulding plates bound a mould cavity, into which a material can be injected by means of the injection moulding device during operation so as to form the registration carrier, and a second position, in which the moulding plates have been moved some distance apart with a view to removing the registration carrier formed. Transport means are provided on either side of the injection moulding device, by means of which a holder (9) supporting a moulding plate can be moved from a position located at some distance from the injection moulding device (2) to a position suitable for cooperation with the injection moulding device, and/or from a position suitable for cooperation with the injection moulding device to a position located at some distance from the injection moulding device.

Description: The invention relates to an installation for manufacturing registration carriers, provided with an injection moulding device and with two holders supporting moulding plates, which are adjustable with respect to each other between a first position, in which said moulding plates bound a mould cavity, into which a material can be injected by means of the injection moulding device during operation, so as to form the registration carrier, and a second position, in which the moulding plates have been moved some distance apart, whilst means are provided for removing the registration carrier formed in this second position of the moulding plates. Such an installation is known e.g. from EP-A-0 047 387. The term registration carriers is understood to mean sound and/or picture carriers, data carriers and the like, for example so-called compact discs, as well as carriers which can be processed at a later stage for storing sound, pictures or other data to be registered thereon. It will thereby be apparent to those skilled in the art that the registration carriers emanating from the installation according to the invention must generally undergo further processing operations in order to complete the registration carriers, such as for example the application of a metal film and the like. With the installations of the above kind that have been usual so far at least one moulding plate, that is the moulding plate which exhibits a certain relief corresponding with the data to be recorded on the carrier, must be exchanged when switching over from the production of one registration carrier to another registration carrier. The other moulding plate is usually a substantially smooth moulding plate, which can generally remain in its place. With the installations that have been usual so far the moulding plate to be exchanged must also be removed from its holder and be exchanged for another moulding plate in that case. Generally this is a time-consuming activity, which requires a comparatively lengthy standstill of the machine and entails a loss of production, therefore. This loss of production becomes even larger because generally some time elapses before the holder to be exchanged has cooled down enough to be removed and the newly provided holder and the moulding plate have reached the appropriate operating temperature. From US Patent No. 2,433,654 an injection moulding device is furthermore known provided with an upper stationary mould half and with two movable mould halves disposed at a lower level, which can alternately be positioned under the stationary mould halves and then be moved towards said stationary mould halves so as to form a closed mould cavity, into which casting material can be injected. After injection moulding the lower mould half is moved downward again, together with the product formed, and moved sideways so as to be able to remove said object from the lower mould half, whilst in the meantime the other one of the two lower mould halves is moved to a position under the stationary mould, so as to form a next product in conjunction with said stationary mould half. In the said publication no mention is made of means for moving the lower mould halves. German Patent No. 1112645 furthermore describes a device, which is provided with a movable slide, which supports two moulds. Said moulds can be reciprocated by means of said slide between two devices for heating the moulds and a cooling station, in which a foil is pressed onto the previously heated mould present in the cooling station so as to form a registration carrier. When a mould needs to be exchanged it will be necessary to put the device out of operation. The object of the invention is to obtain an installation of the above kind, wherein the above-described drawbacks of the installations of this kind that have been usual so far can be overcome. According to the invention this can be achieved in that transport means are provided on either side of the injection moulding device, by means of which a holder supporting a moulding plate can be moved from a position located at some distance from the injection moulding device to a position suitable for cooperation with the injection moulding device, and/or from a position suitable for cooperation with the injection moulding device to a position located at some distance from the injection moulding device, whereby said transport means and said holders are provided with coupling means for detachably coupling said holders to said transport means. When using the construction according to the invention it is possible to set up a holder with a new moulding plate at some distance from the injection moulding device whilst the injection moulding device is in operation. For exchanging the moulding plates it is only necessary then to discharge the holder supporting the moulding plate used so far with respect to the injection moulding device, by way of said transport means, directly contiguous to which a holder supporting a new moulding plate can be moved into a position suitable for cooperation with the injection moulding device. It will be apparent that in this manner the moulding plates can be exchanged in a simple and fast manner, as a result of which the standstill periods of the installation during the exchange of moulding plates can be minimized, and thus a large production capacity can be realized. According to another aspect of the invention the injection moulding device is vertically disposed. Because of the vertical position of the injection moulding device a comparatively small floor surface is needed for the installation in comparison with the usual horizontal position of the injection moulding device, which is advantageous not only from a point of view of space, but which also makes it easier to possibly combine the installation with other devices for processing registration carriers. Another advantage of the vertical position of the injection moulding device is that it is possible to set up a moulding plate with a holder supporting the moulding plates horizontally in the installation, in a position suitable for operation, and also to move it in a horizontal position by way of the transport means, which makes it very simple to place the holders on the transport means or place a moulding plate on a holder. A further advantage is thereby that a holder located beside the vertical injection moulding device will also be readily accessible for exchanging a moulding plate. Because of the vertical position of the injection moulding device the registration carrier formed will take up a horizontal position and can remain behind on the lower moulding plate when, following injection moulding, the moulding plates move away from each other, without having to take measures to hold down the registration carrier. The registration carrier thus lying in a horizontal position can then be readily discharged from the installation. The invention will be explained in more detail hereafter with reference to the accompanying Figure, which is a diagrammatic perspective view of an embodiment of an installation according to the invention. The installation shown in the Figure comprises a frame 1, which inter alia functions to support a vertically disposed injection moulding device or extrusion device 2. A horizontally and fixedly disposed supporting plate 3 is provided near the bottom end of the injection moulding device 2, said supporting plate being secured to the frame by means of four columns 4. A holder or die plate 5, in which a moulding plate 6 is contained, is secured to the supporting plate 3. For sound carriers only having a relieved surface at one side, said moulding plate will generally be a plate which is provided with a substantially smooth surface at its bottom side, and which in principle can be used for all registration carriers to be manufactured by means of the installation. Furthermore the installation is provided with a horizontal table 7 disposed under the supporting plate 3, extending parallel thereto, which is connected to a plate 7' disposed thereunder, which is reciprocatingly movable along the columns 4, together with the table 7, by means of a vertically disposed setting cylinder 8, as indicated by the arrow A. A holder or die plate 9 is supported on the table 7, said holder or die plate being provided with a circular disc-shaped projection 10, which is slightly conical in upward direction. Said disc-shaped projection functions to support a moulding plate to be placed on the disc-shaped part 10, which moulding plate, at its side remote from the disc-shaped part 10, will be provided in the usual manner with a relief for forming the desired relief in the registration carrier to be manufactured. By moving the holder 9 upwards by means of the table 7 and the setting cylinder 8, the projecting part 10 will be pressed into a correspondingly shaped recess in the holder 5, the two above-mentioned moulding plates bounding a moulding space, into which a suitable plastic material can be injected in the usual manner by means of the injection moulding device 2, so as to form the sound carrier. Then the table 7 can be moved downwards again and the sound carrier formed can be removed from the holder 9, for example by means of an arm 11 capable of reciprocating pivotal movement about a vertical axis, said arm at its end being provided with a suitable gripping means for taking hold of the sound carrier formed. The sound carrier formed can thus be pivoted into a position beside the table 7 by means of the arm 11, and then for example be discharged into a container or be delivered to a discharge conveyor or the like. The operation of an injection moulding device and the forming of sound carriers in moulding cavities bounded by moulding plates are known per se and consequently need not be discussed in more detail herein. As furthermore appears from the Figure the holder supported on the table 7 is clamped down between two jaws 13 and 14, which are movable with respect to the table 7 by way of setting means 15, in a direction towards the holder 9 and in a direction away from the holder 9. The frame 1 furthermore supports two conveyor belts 16 and 17, which are disposed on either side of the table 7 and which can be driven independently of each other by means of motors 18 and 19 respectively. As will be apparent from the Figure, when the table 7 has been moved to its lowermost position by means of the setting cylinder 8, the upper parts of the conveyor belts 16 and 17 lie approximately in one plane with the upper surface of said table 7. The motors 18 and 19 are reversible, so that objects can be moved by means of the conveyor belts 16 and 17, both in a direction towards the table 7 and in a direction away from said table 7. A block-shaped catch means 20 is secured to the upper part of each conveyor belt, to which catch means an arm 21 is secured, said arm extending across the upper part of the belt in question. Two ears 22 and 23, extending vertically upwards and constituting coupling means, are secured to the arm 21. The ear 23 secured to the free end of the arm 21 is provided with a slotted hole 24, which is open at the upper side of ear 23. A rod 25, extending in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belts and constituting a coupling means, is secured to a side of the holder 9 which extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belts, whilst a disc 26 forming a stop is secured to the free end of said rod. The end of the rod 25 supporting the disc 26 slightly projects beyond the table 7, seen in plan view. In order to exchange the carrier supported by the holder 9 the conveyor belt 16 is driven in such a manner, whilst the table 7 occupies an uppermost position, that the block 20 with the arm 21 secured thereto moves towards the right, seen in the Figure, to such a position that when the table 7 subsequently moves downwards to the position shown in the Figure, the disc 26 forming a stop will come to lie between the ears 22 and 23, whilst the rod 25 will be accommodated within the recess 24 thereby. Then the jaws 13 and 14 may be retracted by the setting means 15, so that the holder 9 will be loosely supported on the table 7. It will be apparent, that when subsequently the motor 18 is set rotating in such a manner that, seen in the Figure, the upper part of the belt 16 moves to the left, the holder 9 with the moulding plate supported thereon will be moved from a position suitable for cooperation with the injection moulding device 2 to a position located at some distance from and beside the injection moulding device and beside the table 7, when seen in plan view. In this position the holder 9 and the moulding plate supported thereon are readily accessible, so that the moulding plate supported by the holder 9 can be readily exchanged for another moulding plate. Said moving of the holder may take place directly, since the holder can be cooled in its position beside the injection moulding device by means of a fluid, which can be supplied to channels provided in the holder via flexible conduits connected to the holder. During the production of registration carriers by means of the moulding plate supported by the holder 9, another moulding plate can be placed on a holder 27, which can be moved in a direction towards the table 7 and in a direction away from the table 7 by means of the conveyor belt 17. For this purpose the moulding plate is again provided with a projecting arm 28 and a disc 29 acting as a stop, which is secured to the free end thereof, said disc in the position shown in the Figure being located between the two ears 22 and 23 of the catch means 20 associated with the conveyor belt 17 in question. In this position the holder and the moulding plate can be brought up to a desired temperature thereby, for example by passing a fluid through channels provided in the holder, by means of flexible conduits connected to the holder, so that after the holder 27 has been placed under the injection moulding device, as described in more detail hereafter, no time is lost in heating up the holder before the installation can be put into operation again. Since the operations to be carried out for exchanging a moulding plate on the holder 27 are performed outside the injection moulding device, damage to the fixed moulding plate 6 is substantially ruled out. It will be apparent that when the holder 9 is pulled from its position under the injection moulding device towards the left, seen in the Figure, by means of the conveyor belt 16, the holder 27 with the carrier supported thereon can simultaneously be moved under the injection moulding device 2 by means of the conveyor belt 17. After the holder 27 has thus been moved to a position under the injection moulding device 2, this holder will be moved upwards by means of the table 7. The disc-shaped part 28' of this holder, which is slightly conical in upward direction, will then be pressed into the correspondingly shaped recess in the holder 5, so that an accurate centring of the holder 27 with respect to the holder 5 is effected. Following that the holder 27 can be clamped down again with respect to the table 7, by clamping down the jaws 13 and 14 by way of the setting means 15. Subsequently the production process can be repeated again. It will be apparent, that in this manner holders supporting moulding plates can be exchanged in a very fast and simple manner. In addition to that a holder located beside the injection moulding device is readily accessible for exchanging moulding plates. The horizontal position of the moulding plates likewise facilitates said exchanging operation. Since also the sound carriers are manufactured in a horizontal position, removing the sound carriers can be carried out by simple means. Of course additions and/or modifications to the embodiment described and depicted are conceivable within the scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter. Thus it would for example be possible to move the catch means along a straight path, by means of setting cylinders disposed within the frame.

Claims: An installation for manufacturing registration carriers, provided with an injection moulding device (2) and with two holders (5, 9) supporting moulding plates, which are adjustable with respect to each other between a first position, in which said moulding plates bound a mould cavity, into which a material can be injected by means of the injection moulding device during operation so as to form the registration carrier, and a second position, in which the moulding plates have been moved some distance apart, whilst means (11) are provided for removing the registration carrier formed in this second position of the moulding plates, characterized in that transport means (16, 17) are provided on either side of the injection moulding device, by means of which a holder (9, 27) supporting a moulding plate can be moved from a position located at some distance from the injection moulding device (2) to a position suitable for cooperation with the injection moulding device, and/or from a position suitable for cooperation with the injection moulding device to a position located at some distance from the injection moulding device, whereby said transport means (16, 17) and said holders (9, 27) are provided with coupling means (22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29) for detachably coupling said holders to said transport means. An installation in particular according to claim 1, characterized in that said injection moulding device is vertically disposed. An installation according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a smooth moulding plate (6) is fixedly disposed in the installation in an at least substantially horizontal position, whilst a moulding plate having a relieved surface is accommodated inside a holder (9, 27) in an at least substantially horizontal position, said holder being placed on a vertically reciprocating table (7), in a position suitable for operation. An installation according to claim 3, characterized in that said transport means (16, 17) are disposed in such a manner, that when the table (7) occupies a lowermost position holders (9, 27) can be moved onto and from the table by way of said transport means. An installation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said coupling means (22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29) are constructed in such a manner that they can be coupled together or uncoupled, as the case may be, by vertical movement of the holders (9, 27) with respect to said transport means (16, 17). An installation according to claim 5, characterized in that said transport means (16, 17) are constructed in such a manner that coupling means (22, 23) connected to the transport means are capable of reciprocating movement along a substantially linear path. An installation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport means (16, 17) are endless conveyor belts, to which catch means (20) to be coupled to the holders (9, 27) are secured. An installation according to claim 6, characterized in that a catch mean (20) is provided with two upwardly extending ears (22, 23), between which a stop (26) secured to a holder (9, 27) can be provided. An installation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said device is provided with an arm (11) which is pivotable about a vertical axis, said arm supporting a gripping means for removing a registration carrier formed. An installation according to claim 1, characterized in that means are provided by which a holder disposed at some distance from the injection moulding device can be brought up to a desired temperature.

Inventors: KOK RONALDUS JOANNES CORNELIS, SINKELDAM JOERY JOHANNES, VAN LEEUWEN GERARDUS ANTONIUS, KOK, RONALDUS JOANNES CORNELIS MARIA, SINKELDAM, JOERY JOHANNES, VAN LEEUWEN, GERARDUS ANTONIUS JOHANNES MARIA
Applicants: OD & ME BV, ODME INTERNATIONAL B.V.
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B29C45
IPC codes: B29C45, B29L17, G11B7