A multi-functional transfer box for investment casting

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of investment casting, and particularly relates to a multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting, which comprises a movable box body, wherein the box body is provided with a sand box, a sand storage chamber for covering the sand box, and a sand recovery chamber for recovering the sand in the sand box, and a mechanical hand for transferring the mold shell is arranged above the sand box. The monitoring system, power system and control box of the whole transfer box are electrically connected, and the following effects can be achieved: 1. The external mold shell can be clamped and transferred to the sand box for pouring, and after pouring is completed, the mechanical hand is horizontally rotated by 180 degrees to transfer the casting to a designated position outside; 2. During pouring, the temperature of the mold shell is monitored by an infrared temperature measuring instrument at all times to identify whether there is metal liquid leakage, the control box receives the signal and controls the sand covering opening to be opened to pour sand into the sand box to cover the mold shell, thereby preventing fire running and preventing further leakage of the metal liquid; 3. The mold shell after water cooling pouring is increased to increase the cooling speed of the casting, thereby controlling the quality of the casting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of investment casting technology, and in particular to a multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of precision casting technology, investment casting can produce not only small castings with complex shapes but also large castings with uneven wall thicknesses, bringing convenience to industrial production. However, for workpieces requiring precision casting, due to their complex structure, uneven wall thickness, and large casting mass, the static pressure of the molten metal on different parts of the mold shell varies during casting, making the mold shell prone to local cracking and molten metal leakage (commonly known as "fire run"), resulting in waste and accidents. In addition, different precision casting workpieces require different cooling environments due to differences in shape, structure, size, and material, necessitating a new investment casting technology to provide a cost-effective and efficient investment casting environment. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting. This box can perform operations such as clamping, pouring, heat preservation, and transfer of the mold shell after preheating. In addition, it can promptly repair leaks when the mold shell breaks and molten metal leaks before the casting solidifies, reducing the waste of molten metal and preventing workers from being burned by the spilled molten metal. This greatly reduces the risk of workers being burned and improves the casting success rate.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: a multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting, comprising a box body and a control box. The box body is provided with a sand box and a sand storage chamber for covering the sand box with sand. A robotic arm for transferring the casting mold is provided above the sand box. The box body includes a base plate with wheels. Two wall plates are centrally and parallelly arranged on the base plate. The sand box is located between the two wall plates. There are two sand storage chambers, each located outside the two wall plates. The wall plates have sand covering openings communicating with the sand storage chambers. The sand covering opening is higher than the sand box. An automatic opening and closing door is provided at the outlet end of the sand covering opening. The automatic opening and closing door includes a baffle that is slidably connected to the wall panel and can block the sand covering opening, and a sand covering motor fixed to the wall panel. A sand covering rack is integrally connected to the baffle. A sand covering gear that meshes with the sand covering rack is fixed to the output shaft of the sand covering motor. The robotic arm is equipped with a camera and an infrared thermometer for monitoring the temperature of the mold shell. The sand covering motor, the camera, and the infrared thermometer are electrically connected to the control box.

[0005] Preferably, the robotic arm includes a crossbeam with rollers at both ends connecting two wall panels. Each wall panel is equipped with a longitudinal rack, and the crossbeam is equipped with a longitudinal motor. The output end of the longitudinal motor is fixed with a longitudinal gear that meshes with the longitudinal rack. A slide block is slidably connected to the crossbeam. A transverse rack is provided on one side of the crossbeam, and the slide block is equipped with a transverse motor. The output shaft of the transverse motor is fixed with a transverse gear that meshes with the transverse rack. A locking rotating wheel is fixed to the slide block, and the locking rotating wheel is equipped with a lifting frame and a drive mechanism. The lifting cylinder is used to raise and lower the lifting frame; the bottom of the movable frame of the lifting frame is equipped with a clamping motor and a sliding rod that extends to both sides. The sliding rod is slidably connected to two sliders, which are connected by a screw with opposite threads at both ends. A driven gear is provided in the middle of the screw. The output shaft of the clamping motor is fixed with a driving gear that meshes with the driven gear. The two sliders are fixed with clamping rods that form claws. The longitudinal motor, the transverse motor, the lifting cylinder, and the clamping motor are electrically connected to the control box.

[0006] Preferably, the slide is provided with a feed inlet for pouring molten metal into the mold shell. The feed inlet includes a funnel and a guide pipe located below the funnel. The guide pipe is located directly above the position where the jaws grip the mold shell. The camera and the infrared thermometer are mounted on the movable frame of the lifting frame.

[0007] Preferably, a return sand chamber is provided below the sand storage chamber, the bottom of the return sand chamber is an inclined plate, and a spiral elevator is provided between the sand storage chamber and the return sand chamber; a return sand inlet is provided between the return sand chamber and the sand box to connect the two; a sand cleaning inlet is provided on the bottom plate of the return sand chamber, and a sealing plate is provided on the sand cleaning inlet.

[0008] Preferably, the sandbox is equipped with sandbox wheels, the sand return port is located at the bottom of the side plate of the sandbox, the bottom of the sandbox is high in the middle and then forms a downward slope extending to both sides, the slope is hinged to a discharge plate that is higher than the sand return port when horizontal, the discharge plate can expose the sand return port when it is flipped downward, and the front end of the discharge plate is provided with a pull rod to lift the discharge plate and keep it horizontal.

[0009] Preferably, a flat vibration motor is provided at the bottom of the sand storage chamber and the bottom of the sand box.

[0010] Preferably, the box body is provided with a heat insulation layer below the sand box, the box body is provided with heat-insulating doors at the front and back of the channel between the two wall panels, and the box body is provided with an openable and closable cover at the top of the channel between the two wall panels.

[0011] Preferably, when using this transfer box for water-cooled casting of workpieces, the sand in the sand box, the sand storage chamber, and the sand return chamber is replaced with water, and the liquid level in the sand box is adjusted by the sand covering port and the sand return port. The contact positions of the four sides of the unloading plate with the sand box and the sand covering port are sealed with asbestos gaskets. The water-cooled casting steps are as follows: 1. During casting, adjust the distance between the bottom of the mold shell to be cast and the water surface in the sand box to 5-10cm. 2. After casting, control the immersion speed and depth of the mold shell by the robotic arm. 3. After cooling, the robotic arm transfers the casting to a designated external location.

[0012] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: A multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting includes a movable box body, which is equipped with a sand box, a sand storage chamber for covering the sand box with sand, and a sand return chamber for recovering the sand from the sand box. A robotic arm for transferring the casting mold shell is installed above the sand box. The entire transfer box's monitoring system, power system, and control box are electrically connected, achieving the following effects: 1. It can grip the external casting mold shell and transfer it into the sand box for pouring. After pouring, the robotic arm rotates horizontally 180° to transfer the casting to a designated external location; 2. During pouring, the temperature of the casting mold shell is constantly monitored by an infrared thermometer to identify any molten metal leakage. The control box receives the signal and controls the sand covering port to open, pouring sand into the sand box to cover the casting mold shell, thereby preventing fire and further leakage of molten metal; 3. Water cooling of the casting mold shell after pouring increases the cooling rate of the casting, thereby controlling the casting quality; 4. The poured casting mold shell can be placed in the sand box, and then the front and rear doors and top cover of the box body can be closed for heat preservation. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting according to the present invention; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A magnified view of part A in the image; Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the present invention in its heat preservation state; Figure 4 This is a front view of a multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting according to the present invention; Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Top view; Figure 6 yes Figure 4 BB-direction sectional view; Figure 7 This is the front view of the sandbox; Figure 8 yes Figure 7 CC-direction sectional view; Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional view of the robotic arm; Figure 10 This is the front view of the robotic arm; Figure 11 yes Figure 10 DD section view.

[0014] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1 – Box body, 110 – Base plate, 111 – Sand cleaning port, 112 – Sealing plate, 120 – Wall panel, 130 – Insulation layer, 140 – Insulated door, 150 – Cover, 2 – Control box, 210 – Camera, 220 – Infrared thermometer, 3 – Sand box, 310 – Sand return port, 320 – Unloading plate, 330 – Pull rod, 4 – Sand storage chamber, 410 – Sand covering port, 420 – Automatic opening and closing door, 421 – Baffle, 422 – Sand covering motor, 423 – Sand covering rack, 424 – Sand covering gear, 5 – Robotic arm, 510 – Crossbeam, 511 – Roller 512 – Longitudinal rack, 513 – Longitudinal motor, 514 – Longitudinal gear, 520 – Slide, 521 – Transverse rack, 522 – Transverse motor, 523 – Transverse gear, 530 – Locking rotating wheel, 531 – Lifting frame, 532 – Lifting cylinder, 540 – Clamping motor, 541 – Slide rod, 542 – Slider, 543 – Screw, 544 – Driven gear, 545 – Driving gear, 546 – ​​Claw, 550 – Feed inlet, 551 – Funnel, 552 – Guide pipe, 6 – Sand return chamber, 7 – Screw elevator, 8 – Flat vibrating motor. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but this is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0016] like Figure 1-11As shown in this embodiment, a multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting includes a box body 1 and a control box 2. The box body 1 is provided with a sand box 3 and a sand storage chamber 4 for covering the sand box 3 with sand. A robotic arm 5 for transferring the casting mold is provided above the sand box 3. The box body 1 includes a base plate 110 with wheels. Two wall plates 120 are arranged in a centered and parallel manner on the base plate 110. The sand box 3 is located between the two wall plates 120. There are two sand storage chambers 4, which are located on the outside of the two wall plates 120 respectively. The wall plates 120 have sand covering openings 410 that connect to the sand storage chambers 4. The sand covering openings 410 are higher than the sand box 3. An automatic opening and closing door 420 is provided at the outlet end of 410. The automatic opening and closing door 420 includes a baffle 421 that is slidably connected to the wall panel 120 and can block the sand covering opening 410, and a sand covering motor 422 fixed to the wall panel 120. A sand covering rack 423 is integrally connected to the baffle 421. A sand covering gear 424 that meshes with the sand covering rack 423 is fixed to the output shaft of the sand covering motor 422. The robotic arm 5 is equipped with a camera 210 and an infrared thermometer 220 for monitoring the temperature of the mold shell. The sand covering motor 422, the camera 210, and the infrared thermometer 220 are electrically connected to the control box 2.

[0017] This transfer box has a symmetrical structure, with a central area for casting the mold shell, and sand storage chambers 4 on both sides for covering the sand box 3 with sand to prevent fire, and return sand chambers 6 for recycling sand from the sand box 3. The return sand chambers 6 are located below the sand storage chambers 4, and a screw conveyor 7 is installed between the return sand chambers 6 and the sand storage chambers 4, thus achieving a closed-loop circulation of sand within the transfer box. The transfer box also has a sand replenishment port on the outside of the sand storage chambers 4 and a sand cleaning port 111 at the bottom of the return sand chambers 6, enabling the transfer of sand between the transfer box and the outside environment. The sealing plate 112 of the sand cleaning port 111 is normally sealed; when sand cleaning is needed, the sealing plate 112 is manually removed, allowing the sand to flow out.

[0018] The robotic arm 5 includes a crossbeam 510 with two wall panels 120 connected at both ends by rollers 511. Each wall panel 120 is equipped with a longitudinal rack 512. The crossbeam 510 is equipped with a longitudinal motor 513, and the output end of the longitudinal motor 513 is fixed with a longitudinal gear 514 that meshes with the longitudinal rack 512. A slide block 520 is slidably connected to the crossbeam 510. A transverse rack 521 is provided on one side of the crossbeam 510. The slide block 520 is equipped with a transverse motor 522, and the output shaft of the transverse motor 522 is fixed with a transverse gear 523 that meshes with the transverse rack 521. A locking rotating wheel 530 is fixed to the slide block 520, and the locking rotating wheel 530 is equipped with a lifting frame 531. The lifting frame 531 is equipped with a lifting cylinder 532 that drives the lifting frame 531 to rise and fall. The bottom of the movable frame of the lifting frame 531 is equipped with a clamping motor 540 and sliding rods 541 that extend to both sides. Two sliders 542 are slidably connected to the sliding rods 541. The two sliders 542 are connected by a screw 543 with opposite threads at both ends. A driven gear 544 is located in the middle of the screw 543. A driving gear 545 that meshes with the driven gear 544 is fixed to the output shaft of the clamping motor 540. Clamping rods forming claws 546 are fixed to the two sliders 542. The longitudinal motor 513, the transverse motor 522, the lifting cylinder 532, and the clamping motor 540 are electrically connected to the control box 2. The robotic arm 5 can move longitudinally, laterally, rise and fall, and rotate horizontally. The entire power system is electrically connected to the control box 2, thereby automatically controlling the movements of the robotic arm 5 to complete the clamping and transfer operations of the mold shell. In addition, the clamping rod of the claw 546 can also be configured as a telescopic rod driven by a cylinder, thereby extending to facilitate the clamping and placement of mold shells that are too far away.

[0019] This transfer box, along with multiple cameras 210 located on the robotic arm 5 or elsewhere, continuously monitors the position of the gripper 546 and provides real-time feedback to the control box 2, thereby automatically gripping and transferring the mold shell to achieve automated casting operations. Because casting takes place inside the box body 1, large ladles are difficult to insert for pouring. During assembly line operations, the ladle is poured from the top of the box body 1, creating a significant drop between the ladle and the mold shell. To ensure accurate metal flow into the mold shell and prevent splashing, the transfer box is equipped with an inlet 550 on the robotic arm 5 to receive and guide the molten metal. Specifically, the inlet 550 includes a funnel 551 and a guide pipe 552 located below the funnel 551, with the guide pipe 552 positioned directly above the location where the robotic arm grips the mold shell.

[0020] The fire protection in this embodiment is an automated operation. For this purpose, the transfer box is equipped with one or more infrared thermometers 220 to monitor the surface temperature of the mold shell. In order to track the mold shell in real time, the infrared thermometers 220 are set on the movable frame of the lifting frame 531, which is fixed relative to the position of the claw 546. In actual production, the infrared thermometers 220 with real-time tracking function can also be used and installed in other positions far away from the pouring position to prevent molten metal from splashing and burning the instruments. During normal steel pouring, the temperature of the mold shell surface is below 1100℃, while the temperature of the molten steel exceeds 1500℃. When the mold shell breaks and the molten metal leaks, the temperature monitored by the infrared thermometer 220 will suddenly rise, thus identifying whether the molten metal is leaking. At the same time, the signal is fed back to the control box 2, which controls the automatic opening and closing door 420 to open. The sand stored in the sand storage chamber 4 will then pour into the sand box 3, thereby covering the mold shell. This prevents the molten metal from splashing and blocks the broken part of the mold shell, lowering its temperature and causing the molten metal at that point to solidify, preventing the break from expanding further, thereby reducing molten metal waste and casting scrap rate.

[0021] To ensure rapid sand descent during sand covering, a flat vibrating motor 8 is installed at the bottom of the sand storage chamber 4. After sand covering is completed, the sand in the sand box 3 needs to be cleaned, which can be done by pulling the sand box 3 out of the box body 1. This embodiment uses internal circulation cleaning. For this purpose, a sand return port 310 is provided between the sand box 3 and the sand return chamber 6. The sand return port 310 penetrates the side wall of the sand box 3 and the wall panel 120. To prevent sand leakage, the position of the sand box 3 within the box body 1 is fixed, and its side wall is attached to the wall panel 120. Alternatively, a chute with a "U"-shaped cross-section can be provided inside the sand return port 310, or the sand box 3 and the sand return chamber 6 can share the wall panel 120. To ensure the sand box 3 can retain sand and facilitate smooth sand unloading, the sand return port 310 is located at the bottom of the side plate of the sand box 3. The bottom of the sand box 3 is high in the middle and then slopes downwards to both sides. A discharge plate 320, which is horizontally higher than the sand return port 310, is hinged to this slope. When the discharge plate 320 is flipped downwards, the sand return port 310 is exposed. A pull rod 330 is provided at the front end of the discharge plate 320 to lift and keep it horizontal. In this embodiment, sand unloading is done manually. By operating the pull rod 330, it is no longer caught on the edge of the sand box 3, causing the discharge plate 320 to fall under gravity, thus exposing the sand return port 310. Furthermore, to increase sand unloading efficiency, a flat vibration motor 8 is provided on the bottom plate of the sand box 3.

[0022] In summary, this transfer box uses the camera 210 for dynamic and position monitoring. The control box 2 controls the robotic arm 5 to pick up the mold shell from the outside and place it in the sand box 3, suspending it in a suitable position. Then, the ladle pours molten metal into the mold shell through the feed port 550. The infrared thermometer 220 monitors the temperature of the mold shell surface in real time, identifies whether there is a fire, and sends a feedback signal to the control box 2. Then, it controls the automatic opening and closing door 420 to open and pour sand into the mold shell to prevent fire. When there is too much sand in the sand box 3, the pull rod 330 hanging on the edge of the sand box 3 is manually removed, causing the unloading plate 320 to fall, thereby exposing the sand return port 310. The sand in the sand box 3 flows into the sand return chamber 6, and then the spiral elevator 7 lifts the sand from the sand return chamber 6 to the sand storage chamber 4, completing the internal circulation of sand in this transfer box.

[0023] The above describes the normal operation and fire prevention measures of this transfer container. Based on this, the transfer container also has the following three operating modes.

[0024] Mode 1: Continuous production line operation mode.

[0025] In this mode, conveyor belts can be set at the front and rear doors of the transfer box. The robotic arm 5 picks up the mold shell on the front door conveyor belt, transfers it and suspends it in a suitable position on the sand box 3. After the casting is completed, the robotic arm 5 rotates 180° horizontally and places the cast mold shell on the rear door conveyor belt. Then, the robotic arm 5 rotates 180° horizontally again and repeats the above steps to achieve continuous operation of the production line.

[0026] Mode 2: Heat preservation mode.

[0027] To ensure accurate and rapid sand coverage of the mold shell during casting, the mold shell is typically positioned in the middle of the sand box 3. For some castings, heat preservation and cooling are required. Therefore, the box 1 is equipped with a heat insulation layer 130 below the sand box 3. The box 1 has heat preservation doors 140 at the front and back of the channel between the two wall plates 120, and an openable cover 150 at the top of the channel between the two wall plates 120. The specific operation is as follows: After casting, the robotic arm 5 is used to place the cast mold shell in a suitable position in the sand box 3, and sand is applied to stabilize the mold shell and prevent it from tipping over. After the sand box 3 is filled with the cast mold shell, the front and back heat preservation doors 140 and the top cover 150 are closed. The transfer box is then pushed open, and the above steps are repeated for the next transfer box.

[0028] Mode 3: Water-cooled casting mode.

[0029] Some castings require rapid cooling to control defects or to control the cooling layers of the metal. This necessitates immersion in a coolant to increase the cooling rate or control the cooling sequence. This embodiment uses water cooling. Before operation, the following preparations are required: the sand in the sand box 3, the sand storage chamber 4, and the sand return chamber 6 is replaced with water; the liquid level in the sand box 3 is adjusted using the sand covering port 410 and the sand return port 310; the contact positions of the four sides of the unloading plate 320 with the sand box 3 are determined; and asbestos gaskets are installed at the sand covering port 410. The water-cooled casting steps are as follows: 1. During pouring, adjust the distance between the bottom of the mold shell to be poured and the water surface in the sand box 3 to 5-10 cm; 2. After pouring, control the immersion speed and depth of the mold shell using the robotic arm 5; 3. After cooling, transfer the casting to a designated external location using the robotic arm 5.

[0030] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and for the convenience of describing the technical solutions, the front, back, left, right, top, middle, and bottom orientations are based on the accompanying drawings and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the essence and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting, characterized in that: The device includes a housing and a control box. The housing contains a sand box and a sand storage chamber for covering the sand box with sand. A robotic arm for transferring the mold shell is mounted above the sand box. The housing includes a base plate with wheels. Two wall panels are arranged parallel to each other on the base plate. The sand box is located between the two wall panels. There are two sand storage chambers, each located outside the two wall panels. Each wall panel has a sand covering opening that connects to the sand storage chamber. The sand covering opening is higher than the sand box. An automatic opening and closing door is provided at the outlet end of the sand covering opening. The automatic opening and closing door includes a baffle that is slidably connected to the wall panel and can block the sand covering opening, and a sand covering motor fixed to the wall panel. A sand covering rack is integrally connected to the baffle. A sand covering gear that meshes with the sand covering rack is fixed to the output shaft of the sand covering motor. The robotic arm is equipped with a camera and an infrared thermometer for monitoring the temperature of the mold shell. The sand covering motor, the camera, and the infrared thermometer are electrically connected to the control box. Below the sand storage chamber is a sand return chamber, the bottom of which is an inclined plate. A spiral elevator is installed between the sand storage chamber and the sand return chamber. A sand return port is provided between the sand return chamber and the sand box to connect the two. A sand cleaning port is provided on the bottom plate of the sand return chamber, and a sealing plate is provided on the sand cleaning port. The sand return port is located at the bottom of the side plate of the sand box. The bottom of the sand box is high in the middle and then forms a downward slope on both sides. The slope is hinged to a discharge plate that is higher than the sand return port when it is horizontal. When the discharge plate is flipped downward, the sand return port can be exposed. The front end of the discharge plate is provided with a pull rod to lift the discharge plate and keep it horizontal.

2. The multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robotic arm includes a crossbeam with rollers at both ends connecting two wall panels. Each wall panel has a longitudinal rack, and the crossbeam has a longitudinal motor. The output end of the longitudinal motor is fixed with a longitudinal gear meshing with the longitudinal rack. A slide block is slidably connected to the crossbeam. A transverse rack is located on one side of the crossbeam, and a transverse motor is located on the slide block. The output shaft of the transverse motor is fixed with a transverse gear meshing with the transverse rack. A locking rotating wheel is fixed to the slide block, and a lifting frame and a lifting cylinder for driving the lifting frame are mounted on the locking rotating wheel. A clamping motor and sliding rods extending to both sides are located at the bottom of the movable frame of the lifting frame. Two sliders are slidably connected to the sliding rods. The two sliders are connected by a screw with opposite threads at both ends, and a driven gear is located in the middle of the screw. The output shaft of the clamping motor is fixed with a driving gear meshing with the driven gear. Clamping rods forming grippers are fixed to the two sliders. The longitudinal motor, the transverse motor, the lifting cylinder, and the clamping motor are electrically connected to the control box.

3. The multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting according to claim 2, characterized in that: The slide block is provided with a feed port for pouring molten metal into the mold shell. The feed port includes a funnel and a guide pipe located below the funnel. The guide pipe is located directly above the position where the jaws grip the mold shell. The camera and the infrared thermometer are mounted on the movable frame of the lifting frame.

4. The multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting according to claim 1, characterized in that: A flat vibrating motor is installed at the bottom of the sand storage chamber and at the bottom of the sand box.

5. The multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box body is provided with a heat insulation layer below the sand box, and the box body is provided with heat-insulating doors at the front and back of the channel between the two wall panels. The box body is provided with an openable and closable cover at the top of the channel between the two wall panels.

6. A method for water-cooled casting of a multifunctional casting transfer box used in investment casting, characterized in that: A multifunctional casting transfer box for investment casting includes a box body and a control box. The box body is equipped with a sand box and a sand storage chamber for covering the sand box with sand. A robotic arm for transferring the casting mold is installed above the sand box. The box body includes a base plate with wheels. Two wall plates are centrally located and parallel to each other on the base plate. The sand box is located between the two wall plates. There are two sand storage chambers, each located outside the two wall plates. The wall plates have sand covering openings that connect to the sand storage chambers. The sand covering openings are higher than the sand box. The outlet end of the sand covering port is equipped with an automatic opening and closing door. The automatic opening and closing door includes a baffle that is slidably connected to the wall panel and can block the sand covering port, and a sand covering motor fixed to the wall panel. The baffle is integrally connected with a sand covering rack, and the output shaft of the sand covering motor is fixed with a sand covering gear that meshes with the sand covering rack. The robotic arm is equipped with a camera and an infrared thermometer for monitoring the temperature of the mold shell. The sand covering motor, the camera, and the infrared thermometer are electrically connected to the control box. Below the sand storage chamber is a sand return chamber, the bottom of which is an inclined plate. A spiral elevator is installed between the sand storage chamber and the sand return chamber. A sand return port is provided between the sand return chamber and the sand box to connect the two. A sand cleaning port is provided on the bottom plate of the sand return chamber, and a sealing plate is provided on the sand cleaning port. The sand return port is located at the bottom of the side plate of the sand box. The bottom of the sand box is high in the middle and then forms a downward slope on both sides. The slope is hinged to a discharge plate that is higher than the sand return port when it is horizontal. When the discharge plate is flipped downward, the sand return port can be exposed. The front end of the discharge plate is provided with a pull rod to lift the discharge plate and keep it horizontal. The sand in the sand box, the sand storage chamber, and the sand return chamber is replaced with water, and the liquid level in the sand box is adjusted by the sand covering port and the sand return port. The four sides of the unloading plate are in contact with the sand box, and the sand covering port is equipped with sealing asbestos gaskets. The water-cooled casting steps are as follows:

1. During casting, adjust the distance between the bottom of the mold shell to be cast and the water surface in the sand box to 5-10cm.

2. After casting, control the immersion speed and depth of the mold shell through the robotic arm.

3. After cooling, transfer the casting to a designated external location by the robotic arm.

Images