Patent ID: 8899306

Claim:
A method for controlling the operation of a process for molding a mold in flaskless molding equipment, the flaskless molding equipment having a plurality of movable members that carry out work starting from molding molds from molding sand to pushing the molds onto a transporting line; cylinders for each movable member that move each movable member; a mechanism for driving a cylinder that drives each cylinder, the mechanism for driving a cylinder having a pneumatic circuit, or a combined circuit including a pneumatic circuit and an oil hydraulic circuit; a control circuit that controls an electrical current to a solenoid valve that constitutes the mechanism for driving a cylinder; and an operation panel that has a screen and an input switch and that receives a command signal from the control circuit and sends an input signal received from the input switch to the control circuit; the method comprising: monitoring movements of the movable members, the cylinders, and the mechanisms for driving a cylinder with the control circuit during operation of each step of the molding process of the flaskless molding equipment for molding a mold from a start of the operation; determining an operating time of the molding process from the start of the operation to the arrival of the molding process at a predetermined position exceeds a predetermined value of operating time that is set to be abnormal and stopping the molding process; and restoring the stopped process to a normal operation with support from the control circuit, following instructions displayed on the screen of the operation panel and following an operator's input by means of the input switch.