Casting installation

Abstract

To inhibit a die-cast product from distorting upon cooling down after casting.SOLUTION: A casting installation 100 comprises a metal mold 10, a push-out device 50, a spray device 70 and a control unit 80. The control unit 80 includes a CPU 81 that allows the push-out device 50 to push a die-cast product nearly horizontally out of a movable die 30, allows the movable die 30 to hold the die-cast product and allows the spray device 70 to spray cooling water to the die-cast product to cool down the die-cast product.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the construction of a casting device. [Background technology]

[0002] In the manufacture of die-cast products, a method is used in which the die-cast product is immersed in water after casting to cool it (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-27684 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, as described in Patent Document 1, when a die-cast product is immersed in water after casting to cool it, distortion may occur in the die-cast product. If distortion occurs, the cooled die-cast product needs to be straightened using a press or the like. However, straightening the die-cast product increases the cost of the product.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to suppress distortion of a die-cast product during cooling after casting. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The casting apparatus disclosed herein is a casting apparatus for casting die-cast products, and includes: a mold into which molten metal is poured; an extrusion device that extrudes the die-cast product from the mold in a substantially horizontal direction; a spray device that sprays cooling water onto the die-cast product; the extrusion device; and a control unit that adjusts the operation of the spray device, wherein the control unit includes a processor that performs information processing, and the processor causes the extrusion device to extrude the die-cast product from the mold in a substantially horizontal direction, holds the die-cast product in the mold, and causes the spray device to spray cooling water onto the die-cast product to cool it.

[0007] In this way, since the cooling water is sprayed on the die-cast product while it is held in the mold, deformation of the die-cast product during cooling by the mold can be suppressed, and distortion of the die-cast product can be reduced. Furthermore, since the cooling water is sprayed on the die-cast product after it is released from the mold by the extrusion device, it is possible to prevent the die-cast product from adhering to the mold when the cooling water is sprayed, making it impossible to release the die-cast product from the mold. Note that the term "approximately horizontal" as used here includes not only the strictly horizontal direction but also a direction that is very slightly inclined from the horizontal direction. For example, it includes a direction that is inclined by about 2 to 3 degrees from the strictly horizontal direction.

[0008] In the casting apparatus of the present disclosure, the processor may use the extrusion device to extrude the die-cast product from the mold in an approximately horizontal direction so that the amount of extrusion of the die-cast product from the mold is shorter than the length in the mold removal direction of the portion where the die-cast product and the mold overlap in the vertical direction.

[0009] This allows the die-cast product to be held from below by the die while it is being pushed out of the die.

[0010] In the casting apparatus of the present disclosure, the processor may cause the extrusion device to extrude the die-cast product from the die in a substantially horizontal direction so that the extrusion amount of the die-cast product from the die is less than 5 mm.

[0011] In this way, by making the extrusion amount of the die-cast product less than 5 mm, the die can be held from below by the mold.

[0012] In the casting apparatus of the present disclosure, the mold may be composed of a fixed mold and a movable mold that moves approximately horizontally relative to the fixed mold, the extrusion device may extrude the die-cast product from the movable mold in the approximately horizontal direction and hold the die-cast product in the movable mold, and the spray device may extend a cooling water injection nozzle between the fixed mold and the movable mold to spray cooling water onto the die-cast product held in the movable mold.

[0013] In this way, the die-cast product is cooled by extending the cooling water injection nozzle between the movable die and the fixed die, so the casting device can be made compact. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The present disclosure can suppress distortion of die-cast products during cooling after casting. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a system diagram showing a configuration of a casting device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the casting device shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a release agent is sprayed onto a movable mold. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which cooling water is sprayed onto a die-cast product that has been extruded and is held in a movable mold. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a detailed view of part A in FIG. 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] A casting apparatus 100 according to an embodiment will now be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the casting apparatus 100 includes a mold 10, a mold clamping device 40, an extrusion device 50, an injection device 61, an exhaust pipe 62, a spray device 70, and a control unit 80. In each drawing, the symbols FR, LH, and UP refer to the front, left, and top of the casting apparatus 100, respectively. The opposite directions of FR, LH, and UP are the rear, right, and bottom, respectively. Furthermore, the front and left refer to directions in a horizontal plane, and the top and bottom refer to directions in a vertical plane.

[0017] The mold 10 is composed of a fixed mold 20 and a movable mold 30. The fixed mold 20 is composed of a main mold 21 and a insert 22. The movable mold 30 is composed of a main mold 31 and an insert 32. The inserts 22, 32 are parts of the fixed mold 20 and the movable mold 30 that are replaced depending on the die-cast product 90 to be molded. The main molds 21, 31 are parts that are used in common for the die-cast products 90 to be molded. The main molds 21, 31 are parts that are fixed to a fixed platen 41 and a movable platen 42 of a mold clamping device 40, which will be described later.

[0018] The mold clamping device 40 includes a fixed platen 41, a movable platen 42, tie bars 43, and a drive unit 45. The fixed platen 41 is fixed to the tip of the tie bar 43, which is a rod member. The movable platen 42 is disposed to face the fixed platen 41, and is moved forward along the tie bar 43 by the drive unit 45.

[0019] The fixed mold 20 is attached to the fixed platen 41, and the movable mold 30 is attached to the movable platen 42. The mold clamping device 40 opens and closes the mold 10 by horizontally moving the movable mold 30 back and forth together with the movable platen 42. The movable mold 30 is then moved forward and pressed against the fixed mold 20, thereby clamping the mold 10. FIG. 1 shows the mold 10 in a clamped state by the mold clamping device 40. When the mold 10 is clamped, a cavity 12 is formed between the fixed mold 20 and the movable mold 30. The cavity 12 is a portion of the internal space of the mold 10 that has a shape corresponding to the shape of a die-cast product 90 (see FIG. 4). Here, the die-cast product 90 may be, for example, a vehicle body structural member.

[0020] As shown by the hollow arrow in FIG. 1, the injection device 61 pumps molten metal, which is the material for the die-cast product 90, into the cavity 12 of the mold 10. Air in the cavity 12 is exhausted from an exhaust pipe 62 by a vacuum device (not shown) (see the arrow in FIG. 1). The push-out device 50 includes a push-out pin 51, a push-out plate 52, and a push-out drive unit 55. When the mold 10 is separated, the push-out device 50 pushes the push-out pin 51 forward horizontally, thereby releasing the die-cast product 90 from the movable mold 30 in an approximately horizontal direction. Here, the approximately horizontal direction includes not only the strictly horizontal direction but also a direction slightly tilted from the horizontal direction. For example, it includes a direction tilted by about 2 to 3 degrees from the strictly horizontal direction.

[0021] A spraying device 70 is disposed above the mold 10. The spraying device 70 comprises a main body 71, an extendable arm 72, a release agent jetting nozzle 73, and a cooling water jetting nozzle 74. The main body 71 is attached to a frame (not shown) and is movable in the front-rear and left-right directions. The extendable arm 72 is attached to the main body 71 and is extendable in the up-down direction. The release agent jetting nozzle 73 and the cooling water jetting nozzle 74 are attached to the tip of the extendable arm 72. The release agent jetting nozzle 73 sprays the release agent toward the movable mold 30. The cooling water jetting nozzle 74 sprays cooling water onto the die-cast product 90 after casting. The release agent jetting nozzle 73 and the cooling water jetting nozzle 74 can be moved back-rear, left-right, and up-down by the main body 71 and the extendable arm 72.

[0022] The control unit 80 is a computer having a CPU 81, which is a processor that performs information processing therein, and a memory 82 that stores control programs and control data. The drive unit 45 of the mold clamping device 40, the extrusion drive unit 55 of the extrusion device 50, the injection device 61, and the spray device 70 are connected to the control unit 80 and operate according to commands from the control unit 80.

[0023] Next, the operation of the casting apparatus 100 will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 5. As shown in Figure 3, a fixed mold 20 and a movable mold 30 are set in the casting apparatus 100. The fixed mold 20 and the movable mold 30 are separated by a mold clamping device 40, and a space is left between the fixed mold 20 and the movable mold 30.

[0024] 2, the CPU 81 of the control unit 80 extends the telescopic arm 72 of the spraying device 70 downward, and advances the release agent spray nozzle 73 between the fixed mold 20 and the movable mold 30. Then, the CPU 81 causes the main body 71 and the telescopic arm 72 to move the release agent spray nozzle 73 in a scanning motion up, down, left, and right relative to the movable mold 30, while spraying the release agent onto the surface of the movable mold 30, as shown in FIG.

[0025] When the spraying of the mold release agent is completed, the CPU 81 of the control unit 80 operates the drive unit 45 of the mold clamping device 40 to move the movable platen 42 together with the movable mold 30 forward and press them against the fixed mold 20 to clamp the mold 10 (see FIG. 1), as shown in step 102 of FIG. 2. Then, the CPU 81 of the control unit 80 operates the injection unit 61 in step 103 of FIG. 2 to inject molten metal into the cavity 12 of the mold 10, as shown in FIG.

[0026] After maintaining the mold clamped state for a predetermined time in step 104 of Fig. 2, the CPU 81 operates the drive unit 45 of the mold clamping device 40 in step 105 of Fig. 2 to move the movable mold 30 rearward together with the movable platen 42, as shown in Fig. 4, and separates the mold 10 into the fixed mold 20 and the movable mold 30. When the mold 10 is separated after casting, a die-cast product 90 is formed in the region of the cavity 12 shown in Fig. 1.

[0027] Next, in step 106 of FIG. 2, the CPU 81 operates the extrusion drive unit 55 of the extrusion device 50 to move the extrusion pin 51 forward, as shown in FIG. 4, and releases the die-cast product 90 forward from the movable mold 30.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 5, the insert 32 of the movable mold 30 includes an upper portion 33, a lower portion 34, and a central portion 35 that protrudes forward from the upper portion 33 and the lower portion 34 to form a protrusion 93 of the die-cast product 90. The central portion 35 has a height H and a tapered cross section that decreases in length toward the front. The upper surface 36 of the central portion 35 slopes downward toward the front, and the lower surface 37 slopes upward toward the front. The inclination angles of the upper surface 36 and the lower surface 37 may be any draft angle required to release the die-cast product 90 from the movable mold 30, and may be, for example, approximately 1 to 2 degrees. Note that the inclination angles are exaggerated in FIG. 5 compared to their actual size.

[0029] The die-cast product 90 includes an upper side portion 91, a lower side portion 92, a central convex portion 93, an upper plate 94, and a lower plate 95. The convex portion 93, the upper plate 94, and the lower plate 95 are formed by the upper surface 36 and the lower surface 37 of the central portion 35 of the insert 32. The inclination angle of the inner surface of the upper plate 94 is the same as the inclination angle of the upper surface 36. The inclination angle of the inner surface of the lower plate 95 is the same as the inclination angle of the lower surface 37. These inclination angles may be about 1 to 2 degrees, similar to the inclination angles of the upper surface 36 and the lower surface 37.

[0030] 2, when the CPU 81 of the control unit 80 causes the extrusion device 50 to extrude the upper side portion 91, the lower side portion 92, and the convex portion 93 of the die-cast product 90 from the upper portion 33, the lower portion 34, and the central portion 35 of the insert 32 by an extrusion amount D, gaps of the extrusion amount D are formed between the upper side portion 91 and the upper portion 33, between the lower side portion 92 and the lower portion 34, and between the convex portion 93 and the central portion 35. Gaps are also formed between the inner surface of the lower plate 95 and the lower surface 37 of the insert 32.

[0031] Meanwhile, a portion of the inner surface of the upper plate 94 and a portion of the top surface 36 of the insert 32 overlap in the vertical direction and are in contact with each other. As described above, the inclination angle of the top surface 36 is approximately 1 to 2 degrees. Therefore, when the CPU 81 pushes the die-cast product 90 forward using the extrusion device 50, the die-cast product 90 is pushed forward and diagonally downward by 1 to 2 degrees along the draft slope provided on the top surface 36 of the insert 32. In this manner, the die-cast product 90 is pushed in a substantially horizontal direction along the draft slope. Furthermore, since the inclination angle of the top surface 36 is approximately 1 to 2 degrees, the load of the die-cast product 90 is supported by the top surface 36 of the insert 32 at the portion where the upper plate 94 and the top surface 36 overlap in the vertical direction (portion B in FIG. 5 ). In this way, the die-cast product 90 is held by the movable mold 30.

[0032] Before the die-cast product 90 is extruded, the front portion of the inner surface of the upper plate 94 and the entire top surface 36 of the insert 32 overlap in the vertical direction. Here, the height of the central portion 35 of the insert 32 is H, and therefore the length in the mold-removing direction of the portion where the die-cast product 90 and the movable mold 30 overlap in the vertical direction is H. Therefore, the CPU 81 extrudes the die-cast product 90 in a substantially horizontal direction so that the extrusion amount D is shorter than the height H. This allows the die-cast product 90 to be held by the movable mold 30. Here, the extrusion amount D can be set freely as long as it is shorter than the height H, but it may be, for example, less than 5 mm.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5, once the die-cast product 90 has been pushed out of the movable mold 30, the CPU 81 proceeds to step 107 in FIG.

[0034] 4, the CPU 81 extends the telescopic arm 72 of the spray device 70 downward, and advances the cooling water spray nozzle 74 between the fixed mold 20 and the movable mold 30. Then, the CPU 81 causes the main body 71 and the telescopic arm 72 to move the cooling water spray nozzle 74 in a scanning motion in the up, down, left, and right directions relative to the movable mold 30, spraying cooling water onto the surface of the die-cast product 90 held by the movable mold 30, as shown in FIG.

[0035] Then, when the temperature of the die-cast product 90 has dropped, the CPU 81 grasps the die-cast product 90 with a robot arm (not shown) and removes it from the movable mold 30, as shown in step 108 of FIG.

[0036] As described above, the casting device 100 sprays cooling water onto the die-cast product 90 while it is held by the movable mold 30, so that the movable mold 30 can suppress deformation of the die-cast product 90 during cooling, thereby reducing distortion of the die-cast product 90. Furthermore, because the extrusion device 50 sprays cooling water after releasing the die-cast product 90 from the movable mold 30, it is possible to prevent the die-cast product 90 from adhering to the movable mold 30 when the cooling water is sprayed, making it impossible to release the die-cast product 90 from the mold.

[0037] In the above explanation, the extrusion device 50 extrudes the die-cast product 90 from the movable mold 30, and the die-cast product 90 is held in the movable mold 30 while being sprayed with cooling water. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the extrusion device 50 may be disposed next to the fixed mold 20, and the extrusion device 50 may extrude the die-cast product 90 from the fixed mold 20, and the die-cast product 90 may be held in the fixed mold 20 while being sprayed with cooling water. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10 mold, 12 cavity, 20 fixed mold, 21, 31 main mold, 22, 32 nest, 30 movable mold, 33 upper part, 34 lower part, 35 center part, 36 upper surface, 37 lower surface, 40 mold clamping device, 41 fixed platen, 42 movable platen, 43 tie bar, 45 drive part, 50 extrusion device, 51 ejection pin, 52 extrusion plate, 55 extrusion drive part, 61 injection device, 62 exhaust pipe, 70 spray device, 71 main body, 72 telescopic arm, 73 mold release agent spray nozzle, 74 cooling water spray nozzle, 80 control part, 81 CPU, 82 memory, 90 die-cast product, 91 upper edge part, 92 lower edge part, 93 convex part, 94 upper plate, 95 lower plate, 100 casting device.

Claims

1. A casting device for casting die-cast products, a mold into which molten metal is poured; an extrusion device that extrudes the die-cast product from the die in a substantially horizontal direction; a spray device for spraying cooling water onto the die-cast product; a controller for adjusting the operation of the extrusion device and the spray device; the control unit includes a processor that processes information, The processor: The die-cast product is pushed out of the mold in a substantially horizontal direction by the pushing device, and the die-cast product is held in the mold; cooling the die-cast product by spraying cooling water onto the die-cast product with the spray device; A casting device characterized by:

2. The casting apparatus according to claim 1, the processor extrudes the die-cast product from the mold in a substantially horizontal direction using the extrusion device so that the amount of extrusion of the die-cast product from the mold is shorter than the length in the mold-removal direction of a portion where the die-cast product and the mold overlap in a vertical direction; A casting device characterized by:

3. The casting apparatus according to claim 2, the processor causes the extrusion device to extrude the die-cast product from the die in a substantially horizontal direction so that the extrusion amount of the die-cast product from the die is less than 5 mm; A casting device characterized by:

4. The casting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The mold is composed of a fixed mold and a movable mold that moves horizontally relative to the fixed mold, the extrusion device extrudes the die-cast product from the movable mold in a substantially horizontal direction, and holds the die-cast product in the movable mold; the spraying device has a cooling water spray nozzle extending between the fixed mold and the movable mold to spray cooling water onto the die-cast product held by the movable mold; A casting device characterized by:

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