Patent GB-953338-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for the continuous fabrication of sand moulds and castings
IPC: B22D47/02
Filed: 1960-05-17
Abstract: 953,338. Foundry plant; moulding machines. R. W. TACCONE. May 17, 1960 [May 19, 1959 ; April 25, 1960], No. 17433/60. Heading B3F. A casting installation comprises a closed conveyer circuit, a moulding station for forming sand moulds in a succession of open-ended halfboxes, a pouring station, and a punching station at which the successive moulds are broken down, characterized in that the section of the conveyer circuit between the moulding station and the pouring station includes two superposed roller tracks starting from a distributing station, at which copes are directed to the upper roller track, and terminating in a mould assembling station, said distributing station including a turnover device by means of which the drags are inverted and then directed to the lower roller track. The installation is in the form of a rectangular closed circuit, Fig. 1, the boxes passing through a moulding station 2, drag turnover station 3, mould assembly station 4, pouring station 6, cooling stretch 7, and knockout station 9. The half boxes 31 are fed to the diaphragm-type moulding machine 2 in pairs by pistons 44, Fig. 2, the forward ends of which carry two U-shaped members 38 which engage over the adjacent edges of the two boxes. The members 38 are attached to linkages 41, 42 which may be actuated by a cylinder 51 to disengage the members 38 from the boxes after their forward movement is completed. Movement of the boxes into the moulding machines pushes out the previously moulded cope and drag into the turn-over station 3. The cope passes through the turnover device, Fig. 7, but the drag stops in the device 3 which is then inverted through a rack-and-pinion mechanism by hydraulic cylinders 102, the movement being halted by one of the hydraulic dampers 108. At the low level the drag is pushed out of the device by a pusher operated by a cylinder 109. The copes and drags on upper and lower levels respectively are then advanced by succeeding boxes until they reach the assembly station 4, Fig. 11, whereat the cope enters a lowering device 120, being supported on rollers 123 and lowered into engagement with the drag by hydraulic - cylinder - actuated rack - and - pinion mechanism 131-136. When the cope is placed on the drag, the rollers 123 are moved downwardly out of engagement with the cope by pistons 127 so that the platform 120 may be restored to its high level position. The rollers 140 in the lower part of the station 4 are so mounted, Fig. 13, as to be capable of vertical movement by piston 154 so as to be brought to a level slightly higher than rollers 99 for entry of the moulds, and to a level below the roller 141 for the exit of the moulds. A similar arrangement is adopted at the other corners. The assembled mould is then pushed out of the station 4 by a pusher 164 and travels to the right-angle bend 5, from whence it is pushed by a pusher 174 to the pouring station 6, and through the cooling zone 7 to the station 8. At station 8 the poured and cooled mould enters a lifting device 182, Fig. 16, comprising rollers 201 on which the moulds may be lifted to the upper level for pushing to the knock out station 9, Fig. 18, whereat the boxes are emptied by discs 215. The empty boxes are then pushed to the station 11 where the copes are removed from and placed behind the drags for feeding again to the moulding machine 2. The boxes carry pins 61, Fig. 5, so that at various points in the circuit the boxes may be precisely located by cylinders 63. In a modification, Fig. 19, the rectangular circuit is in a vertical plane.