Patent GB-1183383-A (GB)
Title: Multi-Die Centrifugal Casting Machine
Inventor: COOKE ERNEST ALBERT
IPC: B22D13/02
Filed: 1967-02-28
Abstract: 1,183,383. Centrifugal-casting machines; lining moulds. SHEEPBRIDGE STOKES Ltd., E. A. COOKE, and J. C. HEWITT. 28 Feb., 1967, No. 9534/67. Heading B3F. [Also in Division B5] Eight moulds (dies) 36 rotatable about their horizontal axes for centrifugal casting are mounted on spindles 34 on a structure 9, 28, 29, 30 (48) which is rotated stepwise (partly in a well 12) by a horizontal shaft 14 on which it is fixed. A fixedly-positioned retarding and arresting mechanism, Fig. 2 (not shown), coacts with arms (49) extending from the main rotatable structure (48) and an electromagnetic clutch is disengaged periodically, so that there is a step-by-step rotation of this structure, the moulds 36 progressing through eight locations. At the first location, Fig. 3, a shuttlable ladle 74 is tilted, by hand or hydraulic ram, for flow of melt into a trough 77 extended into a rotating mould 36 (through a hole 79 in an end-door 70), having received a charge of melt, as determined by the automatically controlled tilting (by chain 86) of a storage crucible 80 at the rear limit of its shuttle path. The charged mould 36 continues rotating axially (as the melt sets) while the rotating main structure moves it to and through four more locations to a sixth location. Here mould rotation is stopped and, to remove the mould door 70, an arm 105, Fig. 5, is swung forward, to be vertical as shown, by an hydraulic ram 108, 111 about a pivot 106 on a hub 107 (on the main shaft 14) which can be part-rotated to swing the arm to the seventh location after it is swung back on pivot 106, fingers 100 having gripped the door 70 on the mould. At the seventh location the arm 105 swings forward to place the door 70 on to a previously emptied mould 36 and operates a microswitch to cause an hydraulic ram (136, 137) to pivot an extractor ram (130, 128) into alignment with the door-less mould at the sixth location. This operates a further switch so that the ram rod (128) inserts an extractor head (127) (into the casting in the mould) and a rod (132) extending through the hollow rod (128) operates gripping fingers, being actuated by a ram (134). The casting is removed by the ram (130, 128) and swung away from the sixth location for release into a shoot. At the eighth location each mould 36 is rotated again for cleaning, or for dressing with refractory material which is vibration-fed through a tube (154) from a hopper (150), Figs. 9, 10 (not shown), suspended from a carriage (151) moved on a stationary support by an hydraulic ram (160, 161). The mould spindles 34, Fig. 1, each bear a brake disc 37 and are driven (from a hub 21 separately rotated on the main shaft 14 by a motor 27) by sprocketwheels 47, chains 46 and four shafts 43, each driving two pulleys 40 by way of two toothed belts 41, the connection of the pulleys to the spindles 34 being through pneumaticallyoperated clutches 38, 39. Apart from manual operation, the control of the apparatus is by limit switches and cam-operated switches, Fig. 13 (not shown), controlling solenoids which operate valves regulating flow of hydraulic liquid to rams from a circuit (207) whose pump may be hand operated. Indicator lamps are also operated by some of the switches. Eight cams (226), spaced on and around the rotatable structure, operate fixed switches (227, 228) for imparting the step-by-step rotation. A fixed cam (179), Fig. 12 (not shown), actuates valves controlling the brakes and clutches 37-39 of the mould rotations.