An automatic mold changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine and its operation method

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of injection molding machines, and discloses an automatic mold changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine, including an injection molding machine body and an injection molding module. The injection molding module includes a molding part and a frame. A groove is provided on the top surface of the frame to insert the molding part. The frame is provided with a locking mechanism, and the molding part is provided with a clamping part for cooperating with the locking mechanism. By designing an insertion part on the end surface of the first locking part to insert into the insertion groove of the rotating part, it is convenient for the first locking part to drive the rotating part to rotate subsequently. Such a force application method can not only effectively eliminate the local stress concentration that may be generated by side clamping, but also avoid the mold from tilting or generating a rotational torque due to eccentric force application, thereby ensuring the stable contact between the mold and the machine table base.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of injection molding machines, and particularly to an automatic mold-changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine and an operation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the design of large injection molding machines, a notch for installing a mold is usually reserved on the top surface of the base to facilitate the rapid installation and removal of the mold. As an important component that bears high pressure and transmits injection force during the injection molding process, the positioning accuracy and fixing state of the mold are directly related to the quality of product molding and the safe and stable operation of the equipment. For large injection molding machines, their weight can reach more than 200 tons, and the corresponding mold itself is very heavy. Therefore, when changing the mold, professional lifting equipment must be used for handling and installation. However, due to the complex design of the mold, the weight distribution is often uneven, which may cause slight tilting or offset during the lifting and installation process. To avoid collisions between the mold and the injection molding machine due to the offset of the mold during the lifting process, the installation slots reserved on the injection molding machine usually have a certain tolerance space for redundant protection;

[0003] In actual working conditions, under the action of multiple factors such as high pressure, high-frequency vibration, and temperature change in the injection molding machine, the mold is fixed only by the structural cooperation between the installation slots on the base, which has certain limitations. During long-term and high-load operation, the mold may have slight displacement or loosening, which will affect the dimensional accuracy of the injection molded parts and may even cause increased mold wear or safety accidents. Therefore, to ensure that the mold always maintains a stable and reliable installation state during the injection molding process, a special fixing device usually needs to be set after the installation slots are installed;

[0004] To solve the problem of mold offset, the existing fixing devices need to apply a certain clamping force or downward pressure to the mold from both sides and the top of the mold at the same time. However, for the mold, if pressure is applied to the mold from both sides and the top of the mold at the same time, it will cause excessive stress concentration, and the stress concentration area may become the starting point of cracks or fatigue damage, especially under the above-mentioned high-frequency vibration and repeated cyclic loads, it is more likely to be damaged. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic mold-changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine and an operation method thereof to solve the problem that in the existing large injection molding machines, due to the heavy weight of the mold, slight dimensional deviation is likely to occur during mold replacement, which affects subsequent injection molding. The specific technical solutions are as follows:

[0006] An automatic mold changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine, comprising an injection molding machine body and an injection molding module. The injection molding module includes a molding part and a frame. A groove is provided on the top surface of the frame to insert the molding part. The frame is provided with a locking mechanism, and the molding part is provided with a clamping part for cooperating with the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism includes a first locking part and a second locking part. The first locking part is rotatably connected to the frame and is configured to expand and contract in the horizontal direction. When the first locking part changes from a contracted state to an extended state, the first locking part is detachably spliced with the clamping part. By rotating the first locking part to drive the clamping part to rotate, the clamping part rotated to a predetermined position is buckled with the second locking part, and the second locking part is triggered by the clamping part to move in the vertical direction, thereby driving the clamping part to clamp the middle part of the molding part.

[0007] As an improvement of the above technical solution, a first cylinder is connected to the frame, the first cylinder is connected with a motor, and the motor is connected with the first locking part.

[0008] As an improvement of the above technical solution, a second cylinder is connected to the frame, and the second cylinder is connected with the second locking part.

[0009] As an improvement of the above technical solution, the clamping part includes a rotating part and a movable part. The rotating part is cylindrical, and a convex part is provided on the side surface of the rotating part. The movable part is arranged at an interval from the rotating part. The movable part is hinged with the convex part. A limiting part is provided on the side surface of one end of the rotating part. The limiting part is in a hook shape to limit the movable part. A plugging groove is provided on the end surface of the other end of the rotating part, and a protruding plugging part is provided on the end surface of the first locking part to cooperate with the plugging groove.

[0010] As an improvement of the above technical solution, one end of the movable part extends into the limiting part, and a receiving groove in an inverted "T" shape is provided on the side surface of the other end of the movable part. A splicing part is provided on the end surface of the second locking part, and the splicing part is in a "T" shape to cooperate with the receiving groove.

[0011] As an improvement of the above technical solution, an elastic buffer block is connected to the side surface of one end of the movable part, and the elastic buffer block is arranged between the movable part and the rotating part.

[0012] As an improvement of the above technical solution, the forming part is provided with an L-shaped channel for accommodating the clamping member. The first locking member is cylindrical. A plugging channel is provided on the side surface of the forming part to communicate with the L-shaped channel. The plugging channel is used for accommodating the first locking member. A locking block protruding radially is provided on the side surface of the first locking member. A sliding groove is provided on the inner wall of the plugging channel to cooperate with the locking block. An annular groove is provided at the connection between the L-shaped channel and the plugging channel.

[0013] As an improvement of the above technical solution, an induction switch is connected to the frame. The induction switch is electrically connected to the second cylinder. The clamping member rotated to a predetermined position triggers the induction switch.

[0014] As an improvement of the above technical solution, one end of the movable part is lighter than the other end of the movable part.

[0015] An operation method is applied to the automatic die-changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine as described above, and includes the following steps:

[0016] S1. Drive the first locking member to be in a contracted state;

[0017] S2. Plug the forming part into the groove of the frame;

[0018] S3. Drive the first locking member to change from the contracted state to the extended state, and make the first locking member be spliced with the clamping member;

[0019] S4. Rotate the first locking member to drive the clamping member to rotate. The clamping member rotated to a predetermined position is buckled with the second locking member. The clamping member rotated to a predetermined position will trigger the second locking member. The second locking member will move in the vertical direction and drive the clamping member to clamp the forming part.

[0020] Advantages of the present invention: By inserting the first locking member into the molding part from the side, multi-directional support and fixation of the molding part can be achieved, avoiding problems such as loosening or displacement that may occur when relying solely on the grooves within the frame for fixation, thereby improving the assembly stability of the molding part. The first locking member inserted laterally can increase the contact area and provide additional locking points to prevent the molding part from becoming loose or displaced due to forces during the production process. Secondly, by using the second locking member in cooperation with the clamping member, an additional pressure can be exerted on the molding part to lock the molding part in a predetermined position. In order to enable the clamping member to cooperate with the first and second locking members to limit the molding part from different directions, a protruding insertion portion is provided on the end face of the first locking member to cooperate with the insertion slot. By designing the insertion portion on the end face of the first locking member to insert into the insertion slot of the rotating part, it is convenient for the first locking member to drive the rotating part to rotate later. Such a force application method can not only effectively eliminate local stress concentration that may be generated by side clamping, but also avoid mold tilting or generating a rotational torque due to eccentric force, thereby ensuring a stable contact between the mold and the machine base.

[0021] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description, will become apparent in part from the following description, or will be understood through the practice of the present invention. Of course, achieving all the above-mentioned advantages simultaneously is not necessarily required for any product or method implementing the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the clamping member of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the locking mechanism of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the frame of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the induction switch of the present invention.

[0028] In the figure: forming part 1, frame 2, locking mechanism 3, clamping part 4, first cylinder 5, second cylinder 6, induction switch 7, first locking part 31, second locking part 32, motor 33, rotating part 41, movable part 42, convex part 411, limiting part 412, insertion slot 413, receiving slot 421, elastic buffer block 422. Detailed implementation

[0029] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0030] Please refer to Figures 1-5 , in the embodiments of the present invention, an automatic mold changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine includes an injection molding machine body and an injection molding module. Since the molds of existing injection molding machines include a front injection molding template and a rear injection molding template, and generally the rear injection molding template is mainly slidably connected to the injection molding machine, the present invention is mainly designed for replacing the rear injection molding template;

[0031] The injection molding module includes a forming part 1 and a frame 2. Among them, the frame 2 is slidably connected to the injection molding machine body. Only by replacing the forming part 1 can the mold be replaced. Specifically, a groove is provided on the top surface of the frame 2 to insert the forming part 1. The frame 2 is provided with a locking mechanism 3, and the forming part 1 is provided with a clamping part 4 for cooperating with the locking mechanism 3. The locking mechanism 3 includes a first locking part 31 and a second locking part 32. The first locking part 31 is rotatably connected to the frame 2, and the first locking part 31 is configured to expand and contract in the horizontal direction. When the first locking part 31 changes from the contracted state to the extended state, the first locking part 31 is detachably spliced with the clamping part 4. By rotating the first locking part 31 to drive the clamping part 4 to rotate, the clamping part 4 rotated to a predetermined position is buckled with the second locking part 32, and the second locking part 32 is triggered by the clamping part 4 to move in the vertical direction, thereby driving the clamping part 4 to clamp the forming part 1;

[0032] The locking mechanism 3 and the clamping part 4. Since large injection molding machines must use professional lifting equipment for handling and installation when changing molds, however, the design of the molds is complex and the weight distribution is often uneven, which may cause slight inclination or deviation during the lifting and installation process. In order to avoid collision with the injection molding machine due to the deviation of the mold during the lifting process, the installation slots reserved for the injection molding machine usually have a certain tolerance space for redundant protection. Therefore, corresponding locking mechanisms 3 and clamping parts 4 need to be designed to position and lock the mold.

[0033] The first locking member 31 is inserted into the molding part 1 from the side. Usually, the existing molding part 1 or mold will have holes reserved for fixation. Through the molding part 1, multi-directional support and fixation of the molding part 1 can be achieved, avoiding problems such as loosening or displacement that may occur when relying solely on the grooves within the frame 2 for fixation, thereby improving the assembly stability of the molding part 1. The first locking member 31 inserted laterally can increase the contact area and provide additional locking points, preventing the molding part 1 from loosening or displacing due to the forces during the production process. Secondly, by using the second locking member 32 in cooperation with the clamping member, an additional pressure can be exerted on the molding part 1, locking the molding part 1 in a predetermined position and firmly fixing it in the groove, avoiding loosening or displacement caused by vibration, impact, or external forces, especially during the demolding process.

[0034] Preferably, a first air cylinder 5 is connected to the frame 2, and the first air cylinder 5 is connected to a motor 33. Specifically, the telescopic rod of the first air cylinder 5 is connected to the motor 33. The motor 33 is driven by the first air cylinder 5 to expand and contract in the horizontal direction, and the end of the rotating shaft of the motor 33 is coaxially connected to the first locking member 31. The motor 33 is used to drive the first locking member 31 to rotate. Through the telescopic movement of the first air cylinder 5, the motor 33 can be driven to move back and forth in the horizontal direction. The rotation of the motor 33 drives the first locking member 31 to rotate through the rotating shaft. The combination of the rotation of the motor 33 and the movement of the telescopic rod enables precise rotation control of the first locking member 31 according to requirements. A second air cylinder 6 is connected to the frame 2. The first air cylinder 5 and the second air cylinder 6 are perpendicular to each other. The telescopic rod of the second air cylinder 6 is connected to the second locking member 32. The second air cylinder 6 is used to drive the second locking member 32 to move in the vertical direction. Through the cooperation of these two sets of air cylinders and the motor 33, the entire device can be precisely controlled and operated in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0035] In order to enable the clamping member 4 to cooperate with the first locking member 31 and the second locking member 32 to limit the molding portion 1 from different directions, the present invention also provides some embodiments. Specifically, the clamping member 4 includes a rotating portion 41 and a movable portion 42. The rotating portion 41 is cylindrical, and a protruding portion 411 is provided on the side surface of the rotating portion 41. The movable portion 42 is arranged at an interval from the rotating portion 41, and the movable portion 42 is hinged to the protruding portion 411. A limiting member 412 is provided on one end side surface of the rotating portion 41. The limiting member 412 is in a hook shape to limit the movable portion 42. A plugging groove 413 is provided on the other end end surface of the rotating portion 41. A protruding plugging portion is provided on the end surface of the first locking member 31 to cooperate with the plugging groove 413. In this embodiment, when the first locking member 31 changes from a contracted state to an extended state in the horizontal direction, the first locking member 31 will gradually approach the rotating portion 41 and finally abut against the rotating portion 41. Therefore, by designing a plugging portion on the end surface of the first locking member 31 to insert into the plugging groove 413 of the rotating portion 41 (the plugging portion is in a cuboid shape, and the plugging groove 413 is in a rectangular shape and is adapted to the plugging portion), it is convenient for the first locking member 31 to drive the rotating portion 41 to rotate subsequently;

[0036] Preferably, one end of the movable portion 42 extends into the limiting member 412, and a receiving groove 421 in an inverted "T" shape is provided on the side surface of the other end of the movable portion 42. A splicing member is provided on the end surface of the second locking member 32. The splicing member is in a "T" shape to cooperate with the receiving groove 421. By default, the splicing member is on the rotation path of the rotating portion 41. It can be understood that when the first locking member 31 drives the rotating portion 41 to rotate, the rotating portion 41 will also drive the movable portion 42 to rotate. When the movable portion 42 rotates to a predetermined position, the splicing member on the second locking member 32 will be inserted into the receiving groove 421 from the side. At this time, by driving the second locking member 32 to lift upward in the vertical direction, the movable portion 42 can be pulled. Since the movable portion 42 is hinged to the protruding portion 411, when one end of the movable portion 42 is pulled upward by the second locking member 32, the other end of the movable portion 42 will move downward. Furthermore, the movable portion 42 will squeeze the molding portion 1 and apply a downward force to the molding portion 1, so that the molding portion 1 is firmly placed in the groove of the frame 2. It can be understood that when the second locking member 32 starts to lift upward, one end of the movable portion 42 will be driven upward with the pulling action, and the other end of the movable portion 42 will tend to move downward due to the action of the hinge structure. At this time, the other end of the movable portion 42 will move downward, thereby applying a downward pressure to the molding portion 1 and pushing the molding portion 1 firmly into the groove of the frame 2. Through the above precise actions, the molding portion 1 can be firmly fixed in the frame 2 and withstand a certain external pressure without shifting or loosening.

[0037] Adopting the solution of the above-mentioned embodiment will inevitably cause wear between the movable part 42 and the molding part 1. For this reason, the present invention also provides an embodiment to solve the above problem. Specifically, an elastic buffer block 422 is connected to the side of one end of the movable part 42. The elastic buffer block 422 is arranged between the movable part 42 and the rotating part 41. Specifically, when the rotating part 41 rotates to a predetermined position, the elastic buffer block 422 will be placed between the movable part 42 and the molding part 1. At this time, when the movable part presses the molding part, the elastic buffer block 422 on the movable part will first contact the molding part, avoiding wear of the movable part 42 or the molding part 1.

[0038] In order to ensure that the splicing part can accurately enter the receiving groove 421 after the rotating part 41 rotates to a predetermined position, the present invention also provides an embodiment. Specifically, one end of the movable part 42 is lighter than the other end of the movable part 42. It can be understood that since the movable part 42 is hinged to the convex part 411, the movable part 42 may be in a shaking state during rotation. It is relatively difficult to accurately splice the receiving groove 421 on the shaking movable part 42 with the splicing part. Therefore, by limiting one end of the movable part to be heavier than the other end of the movable part, it can be ensured that the movable part will only tilt to one side without external force, and the relatively fixed position of the movable part can ensure the accurate insertion of the receiving groove 421 and the splicing part. That is, in order to ensure that the splicing part can accurately enter the receiving groove 421 on the movable part 42 after the rotating part 41 rotates to a predetermined position, the present invention further optimizes the design of the movable part 42. In order to avoid the shaking and instability of the movable part 42 during rotation, one end of the movable part 42 is heavier than the other end, so as to ensure that the movable part 42 tends to maintain a certain fixed position during rotation through the action of gravity.

[0039] Since the movable part 42 and the convex part 411 are connected by a hinge, the movable part 42 may generate a certain degree of shaking or instability during rotation. Especially during the cooperation between the splicing part and the receiving groove 421, the shaking state will make it difficult for the two to be accurately docked. By designing one end of the movable part 42 to be heavier than the other end, this shaking phenomenon can be effectively prevented. This design makes the movable part 42 always tend to tilt towards the heavier end without external interference, thus ensuring that the movable part 42 is always at a relatively fixed tilt angle during rotation.

[0040] In the present invention, the first locking members 31 on both sides of the forming part 1 first clamp and position the forming part 1, and then the movable part 42 presses the middle part of the forming part 1. This sequence of first clamping and then pressing down is necessary because during the pressing down process, if the mold is not fixed in advance, problems such as tilting and uneven local stress are likely to occur, thus affecting the accuracy and stability during the injection molding process. By first clamping and stably fixing the mold and then pressing down and locking it, it can be ensured that the mold always maintains an ideal position and stress state throughout the injection molding cycle, effectively improving the product quality and extending the service life of the equipment and the mold.

[0041] In some embodiments, an induction switch 7 is connected to the frame 2. The induction switch 7 is electrically connected to the second cylinder 6. The clamping member 4 rotated to a predetermined position triggers the induction switch 7. The induction switch 7 can be a pressure sensor. When the pressure sensor is triggered by the rotating part 41, the second cylinder 6 will drive one end of the movable part 42 to move upward after receiving the signal from the pressure sensor.

[0042] In some embodiments, the forming part 1 is provided with an L-shaped channel for receiving the clamping member 4. The first locking member 31 is cylindrical. The side surface of the forming part 1 is provided with an insertion channel for communicating with the L-shaped channel. The insertion channel is used for receiving the first locking member 31. The side surface of the first locking member 31 is provided with a radially protruding locking block. The inner wall of the insertion channel is provided with a sliding groove for cooperating with the locking block. An annular groove is provided at the connection between the L-shaped channel and the insertion channel.

[0043] Since the existing fixing device applies a certain clamping force or downward pressure to the mold simultaneously from both sides and the top of the mold, that is, applies pressure to the mold simultaneously from both sides and the top of the mold, it will cause excessive stress concentration. The stress concentration area may become the starting point of cracks or fatigue damage. Especially under high-frequency vibration and repeated cyclic loads, it is more likely to cause damage. Compared with the existing fixing device, the movable part 42 provided by the present invention can apply pressure to the mold above the middle section near the mold, away from both sides of the mold, which can avoid excessive stress concentration during the clamping or locking process.

[0044] An operating method, applied to the above-mentioned automatic mold-changing structure suitable for an injection molding machine, includes the following steps:

[0045] S1. Drive the first locking member 31 to be in a contracted state;

[0046] S2. Insert the forming part 1 into the groove of the frame 2;

[0047] S3. Drive the first locking member 31 to change from a contracted state to an extended state, and make the first locking member 31 be spliced with the clamping member 4;

[0048] S4. Rotate the first locking member 31 to drive the clamping member 4 to rotate. The clamping member 4 rotated to a predetermined position is latched with the second locking member 32. The clamping member 4 rotated to a predetermined position will trigger the second locking member 32, and the second locking member 32 will move in the vertical direction and drive the clamping member 4 to clamp the forming portion 1.

[0049] For those skilled in the art, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above-described exemplary embodiments, and without departing from the spirit or basic characteristics of the present invention, the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms. Therefore, in any regard, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description. Therefore, it is intended to embrace all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims in the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic die-changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine, characterized in that, It includes an injection molding machine body and an injection molding module. The injection molding module includes a molding part and a frame. A groove is provided on the top surface of the frame to insert the molding part. The frame is provided with a locking mechanism, and the molding part is provided with a clamping part for cooperating with the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism includes a first locking part and a second locking part. The first locking part is rotatably connected to the frame and is configured to expand and contract in the horizontal direction. When the first locking part changes from the contracted state to the extended state, the first locking part is detachably spliced with the clamping part. By rotating the first locking part to drive the clamping part to rotate, the clamping part rotated to a predetermined position is buckled with the second locking part, and the second locking part is triggered by the clamping part to move in the vertical direction, thereby driving the clamping part to clamp the middle part of the molding part; The clamping part includes a rotating part and a movable part. The rotating part is cylindrical, and a protruding part is provided on the side surface of the rotating part. The movable part is arranged at an interval from the rotating part, and the movable part is hinged to the protruding part. A limiting part is provided on the side surface of one end of the rotating part. The limiting part is in a hook shape to limit the movable part. A plugging groove is provided on the end surface of the other end of the rotating part, and a protruding plugging part is provided on the end surface of the first locking part to cooperate with the plugging groove; One end of the movable part extends into the limiting part, and a receiving groove in an inverted "T" shape is provided on the side surface of the other end of the movable part. A splicing part is provided on the end surface of the second locking part, and the splicing part is in a "T" shape to cooperate with the receiving groove; The molding part is provided with an L-shaped channel to receive the clamping part. The first locking part is cylindrical, and a plugging channel is provided on the side surface of the molding part to communicate with the L-shaped channel. The plugging channel is used to receive the first locking part. A radially protruding locking block is provided on the side surface of the first locking part, and a sliding groove is provided on the inner wall of the plugging channel to cooperate with the locking block. An annular groove is provided at the connection of the L-shaped channel and the plugging channel.

2. The automatic mold changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first cylinder is connected to the frame, the first cylinder is connected with a motor, and the motor is connected with the first locking part.

3. The automatic die-changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A second cylinder is connected to the frame, and the second cylinder is connected with the second locking part.

4. The automatic die-changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine according to claim 1, wherein: An elastic buffer block is connected to the side surface of one end of the movable part, and the elastic buffer block is arranged between the movable part and the rotating part.

5. The automatic die-changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: An induction switch is connected to the frame, the induction switch is electrically connected with the second cylinder, and the clamping part rotated to a predetermined position triggers the induction switch.

6. The automatic mold changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: One end of the movable part is lighter than the other end of the movable part.

7. An operating method, applied to the automatic die-changing structure applicable to an injection molding machine according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: S1. Drive the first locking part to make it in the contracted state; S2. Insert the molding part into the groove of the frame; S3. Drive the first locking part to change from the contracted state to the extended state, and make the first locking part be spliced with the clamping part; S4. Rotate the first locking member to drive the clamping member to rotate. The clamping member rotated to a predetermined position engages with the second locking member. The clamping member rotated to the predetermined position triggers the second locking member, and the second locking member moves in the vertical direction and drives the clamping member to clamp the forming portion.

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