Abstract:
A casting machine ( 1 ) having a device for controlling a movement of the foundry ladle ( 9 ), and a control cam ( 33 ) having a roller path ( 29 ) on which the foundry ladle ( 9 ) is movably carried is provided. The casting machine further includes a lifting device for lifting the foundry ladle ( 9 ) prior to tilting and lowering of the foundry ladle ( 9 ) once it has been emptied for filling it with molten material. The foundry ladle ( 9 ) is mounted so as to swing about a vertical axis (A) from the casting position to an exchange position.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     The invention is directed to a casting machine according to the preamble of the independent claims  1  and  4 .  
         [0002]     From WO 97/24200 a method and a device are known for controlling the movement of a foundry laldle with a low casting height in a casting arrangement. This method and/or this device allows by purely mechanical means the performance of the tilting movement in an advantageous manner. However, the exchange of the empty foundry ladle for a foundry ladle filled with new melt is unpractical. Furthermore, the feeding of the foundry ladle to the casting boxes, which are usually guided along the casting arrangement on cars, must occur by a separate drive, i.e. on conveyers which run lateral to the drive path of the casting boxes. During tilting, the foundry ladle is guided on two parallel positioned curved paths; additionally it is suspended on both sides between the curved paths. This dual suspension complicates the exchange of the empty foundry ladle for a newly filled one quite considerably, because during the transfer of the foundry ladle the latter must be lifted out of the guides.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0003]     The objective of the present invention is to create a casting machine, by which the foundry ladle can be guided purely mechanically on curved paths and can optimally perform a tilting movement. Another objective of the invention comprises that the suspension of the foundry ladle is provided such that an easy exchange of the empty foundry ladle for a full one is enabled.  
         [0004]     This objective is met through the features of claims  1  and  4 .  
         [0005]     By the unilateral suspension of the foundry ladle at a control cam using two pairs of roller paths, namely an interior one and an exterior one, it is achieved, on the one hand, placement of the foundry ladle on the floor and release of the foundry ladle from the suspension and/or the lifting of a foundry ladle filled with melt from said place into the initial position for tilting, and, on the other hand, to perform the tilting movement such that the outflow can occur in a best possible manner. Furthermore, by linking a control cam to a vertically positioned rotational axis, the foundry ladle can be rotated together with the control cam around said axis and can be lowered for the transfer to a transportation device, which removes empty foundry ladles and feeds new ones. Additionally, performance of both the lifting and the lowering movement as well as the tilting movement by a single drive is also achieved. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]     Using an illustrated exemplary embodiment, the invention is explained in greater detail. In the drawings:  
         [0007]      FIG. 1   a  is a layout of a casting box conveyer having four casting boxes and a casting machine in the casting position and in the exchange position,  
         [0008]      FIG. 1   b  is a side view of a casting machine,  
         [0009]      FIG. 1   c  is a view of the casting machine from the front,  
         [0010]      FIG. 1   d  is a partial layout of the casting machine after the foundry ladle has swiveled out around the axis A,  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the control cam of the carrying car and the foundry ladle set down in front of it, in dot-dash lines, and in a raised position for the tilting movement,  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the control cam and of the foundry ladle suspended from the carrying car,  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the casting machine according to  FIG. 2 ,  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the control cam of the carrying car and the foundry ladle in front of it in a raised position and in a position at the beginning of the casting process, and  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the control cam of the carrying car and the foundry ladle in the position at the beginning of the casting process and in the position at the end of the casting process in a maximally tilted position.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]     In a schematic representation according to  FIGS. 1   a  through  1   d , a casting machine according to the invention is indicated with reference number  1 , which is arranged in front of casting boxes  3 . Several casting boxes  3  can be guided past the casting machine  1  on conveyers  5 . The casting machine  1  can be locally fixed or preferably be movable on conveyers  7  as well, in the latter case in order to be able to follow the casting boxes during the casting process, for increasing productivity. Further, in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   d , in dot-dash lines, the foundry ladle  9  is discernible in a swiveled position. In this position, the foundry ladle  9  can be set to the floor and removed by a transportation device. From this set down position, a new foundry ladle  9 , i.e. one filled with new melt, can be accepted by the casting device  1 . Further, in  FIG. 1   d  a pivotal axis A is discernible, which allows the pivoting of the foundry ladle  9  from the casting position into the set down and exchange position.  
         [0017]     Based on the perspective representation in  FIG. 3 , the primary parts of the casting machine  1  according to the invention are described. In the foreground, the foundry ladle  9  with the spout  11  and the spout stone  13  arranged therein are discernible. At both sides on the upper rim of the foundry ladle  9 , receiving holders  15  with catching slots  17  are discernible. The receiving holders  15  serve to allow the transportation of the foundry ladle  9  via a transportation device. On the lateral surfaces of the foundry ladle  9 , not discernible in  FIG. 3 , holding devices  19  are mounted (compare  FIG. 4 ) here, from which the foundry ladle  9  can be suspended from a holding plate  21  on an carrying car  23 . At the holding plate  21 , the holding disks  20  are arranged, which engage the holding means  19  from the bottom.  
         [0018]     The carrying car  23  comprises two pairs of rollers, namely an upper pair of rollers  25  and a lower pair of rollers  27 . The upper pair of rollers  25  run on the upper roller path  29 ; the lower pair of rollers  27  runs on the lower roller path  31  (also compare  FIG. 2 .) The upper roller path  29  is on an upper control cam  33 ; the lower roller path  31  on a lower control cam  35  ( FIG. 2 .)  
         [0019]     Based on  FIGS. 2, 5 , and  6 , the movement process of the foundry ladle is described from the time of accepting a ladle filled with melt to the setting down of the emptied ladle  9 . In  FIG. 2 , in dot-dash lines, the ladle  9  is shown set down onto the floor  37 . Also discernible from the same figure is the foundry ladle  9  raised by the distance z. Here, the lower pair of rollers  27  run along the linearly extending path sections  39  and the upper pair of rollers  25  along the upper, also linearly extending path sections  41 . Both pairs of rollers  25 ,  27  are now located at the upper end of the linear path sections  39 ,  41 , and run in two intermediate sections, namely an upper intermediate section  43  of the upper roller path  29  and a lower section  45  of the lower roller path  31 . These two intermediate sections  43 ,  45  cause the lowering of the spout  11  by about the distance y and simultaneously displace the spout  11  by the distance x, due to the narrow radii embodied at the upper intermediate section  43 , in particular. This leads to a displacement of the spout  11  from point C to point B (cf.  FIG. 5 ).  
         [0020]     After having passed through said intermediate sections  43 ,  45  the pairs of rollers  25 ,  27  continue to travel further on the above tilting roller path sections  47 ,  49 , preferably comprising a constant radius, and pivot the foundry ladle  9  from a position shown at the bottom of  FIG. 6  to the position shown at the top of  FIG. 6 . The tilting angle amounts to the angle alpha ( FIG. 6 .) After having finished the filling process of a mold  3 , the carrying car  23  with the foundry ladle  9  returns to the starting position and, after the forward movement of the casting box  3 , a subsequent casting box is filled in the same manner.  
         [0021]     As soon as the foundry ladle  9  is empty or the melt remaining in the foundry ladle  9  is insufficient for filling another mold in the casting box  3 , the carrying car  23  returns to the starting position, subsequently the carrying car  23  pivots counter-clockwise around a vertical axis A by approx. 90° (cf.  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   d .) Now, the carrying car  23  with the empty foundry ladle  9  rolls downwards until the latter rests on the floor  37 . By further lowering the carrying car  23 , the holding disks  20  move out of the holding plate  21  so that the casting machine  1  can move forward and reverse on the conveyer  7  and can accept, lift, and pivot the next foundry ladle  9 , filled with melt, and continue the casting process. The set down, empty foundry ladle  9  is picked up by a transportation device, such as a forklift, crane, or the like, and is replaced by a new, filled foundry ladle  9 .  
         [0022]     The pivot axis A can support the control cams  33 ,  35  and, thus, it can be connected to them or the axes can be arranged between the carrying car  23  and the holding plate  21  (not shown.)