Die-casting machine spray device

Abstract

The present invention provides a spray device for a die-casting machine that allows for easy setting and confirmation of the spray positions, even when the number of spray positions for release agents and other materials increases. [Solution] The spray device 16, which sprays a release agent R onto the inner surfaces of the fixed mold 34 and movable mold 36 of the die-casting machine 10 that constitute the cavity 38, consists of a spray nozzle 60 for spraying the release agent R, a moving device 62 for moving the spray nozzle 60 to a predetermined position, a monitoring device 64 for setting the movement path and spray position of the spray nozzle 60, and a control device 18 for moving the spray nozzle 60 based on the settings. The monitoring device 64 displays the movement path of the spray nozzle 60 in a single spraying process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a spray device for injecting a mold release agent or the like onto the inner surface of a cavity in a die-casting machine that casts a casting by injecting molten metal into the cavity.

Background Art

[0002] In a die-casting machine that has been conventionally used, molten metal such as an aluminum alloy melted in a melting furnace is weighed and lifted by a ladle for each shot, the lifted molten metal is supplied to the water inlet of an injection sleeve, and the molten metal is injected and filled into the cavity in the mold by the forward movement of an injection plunger provided to be movable forward and backward in the injection sleeve, thereby casting a casting.

[0003] After casting is completed and the casting is taken out of the mold, a mold release agent or the like is injected onto the inner surface of the cavity by a spray device in preparation for the next injection filling. By injecting the mold release agent or the like onto the inner surface of the cavity in advance, there is an effect that it becomes easier to take out the next casting.

[0004] The spray device is inserted, for example, from above downward between a fixed mold and a movable mold that are in an open mold state and separated from each other, and injects a mold release agent or the like onto the fixed mold and the movable mold at an appropriate vertical position (as an example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [[ID=*29]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] It should be noted that there seems to be a formatting issue with the tag in the original text where it might be a misalignment in the numbering or some other error. I've translated it as is while keeping the tags intact as per the instructions. If this is a specific formatting requirement for a particular system, it might need further clarification.However, with conventional die-casting machine spray devices, for example, if the spray nozzle moves not only vertically but also planarly, increasing the number of positions where the release agent or other material is sprayed in a single spraying process, setting and confirming the spray position becomes difficult. Furthermore, there is a problem in that the spray device must actually be operated in order to confirm that it has been set correctly.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and its purpose is to provide a spray device for a die-casting machine that allows for easy setting and confirmation of the spraying positions of release agents and the like, even when the number of spraying positions increases. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, A spray device for spraying a release agent or the like onto the inner surfaces of the fixed and movable molds of a die-casting machine that constitute a cavity, A spray nozzle for spraying the aforementioned release agent, A moving device for moving the injection nozzle to a predetermined position, A monitoring device for setting the movement path and injection position of the injection nozzle, The system includes a control device that moves the injection nozzle based on the aforementioned settings, The monitoring device displays the movement path of the injection nozzle during a single injection process. A spray device for die-casting machines is provided.

[0009] Preferably, A marker indicating the current position of the injection nozzle is displayed on the aforementioned movement path.

[0010] Preferably, The moving device does not move the injection nozzle, but only moves and displays the current position marker along the movement path on the monitoring device.

[0011] Preferably, At each position on the movement path, the details of various injection operations of the injection nozzle are displayed on the current position marker.

[0012] Preferably, At each position on the movement path, the movement speed of the injection nozzle can be set individually.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the spray device of the die-casting machine according to the present invention, since the movement path along which the injection nozzle moves in a single injection process is displayed on the monitor device, even if the injection positions of a mold release agent or the like increase, the setting and confirmation of the injection positions can be easily performed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing an example of a die-casting machine 10 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing an example of a spray device 16 according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of an injection nozzle 60 according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of a monitor device 64 according to an embodiment.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] (Configuration of Die-Casting Machine 10) As shown in FIG. 1, the die-casting machine 10 according to the present embodiment generally includes a clamping device 12, an injection device 14, a spray device 16, and a control device 18.

[0016] The clamping device 12 includes a machine base 20, a fixed platen 22, a movable platen 24, a tailstock 26, tie bars 28, and a toggle mechanism 30.

[0017] The machine base 20 is a member that constitutes the clamping device 12 and a member that serves as a base for the injection device 14.

[0018] The fixed platen 22 is fixed on the machine base 20, and the fixed die 34 that constitutes the mold 32 is attached thereto.

[0019] The movable platen 24 is a member that slides on the machine base 20 so as to approach and separate from the fixed platen 22, and the movable die 36 that constitutes the mold 32 is attached thereto. When the movable die 36 contacts the fixed die 34, a cavity 38 into which molten metal is filled is formed.

[0020] The tailstock 26 is a member placed on the machine base 20 on the side opposite to the fixed platen 22 as viewed from the movable platen 24.

[0021] The tie bar 28 is a round bar-shaped member having one end fixed to the fixed platen 22 and the other end fixed to the tailstock 26. Further, the tie bar 28 is inserted into a tie bar insertion hole 40 formed in the movable platen 24 disposed between the fixed platen 22 and the tailstock 26. Thereby, the movable platen 24 can slide in the left-right direction in the drawing along the tie bar 28 on the machine base 20. Note that a plurality of (for example, four) tie bars 28 are used.

[0022] The toggle mechanism 30 is a mechanism for approaching, separating, and holding the movable platen 24 with respect to the fixed platen 22, and the mold clamping drive mechanism 35 is attached to the tailstock 26.

[0023] The movable platen 24 moves along the tie bar 28 (moves in the left-right direction in the drawing) when the driving force of the mold clamping drive mechanism 35 is transmitted through the toggle mechanism 30. When the movable platen 24 moves leftward, the fixed die 34 and the movable die 36 separate from each other. On the other hand, when the movable platen 24 moves rightward, the fixed die 34 and the movable die 36 come into contact with each other, and a cavity (internal space) 38 is formed inside the mold 32. Then, when a pressure in the direction of moving the movable platen 24 rightward is further applied, the fixed die 34 and the movable die 36 are clamped. [[ID=​At this time, the toggle mechanism 30 gradually extends from its bent state. When the movable mold 36 comes into contact with the fixed mold 34, the tie bar 28 begins to extend, and strain proportional to the tensile stress is generated in the tie bar 28. The tension in the tie bar 28 is applied to the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36 as a clamping force. When the toggle mechanism 30 is fully extended, the tie bar 28 is also fully extended, and when the movable mold 36 reaches the position where the clamping is complete, a specified clamping force is applied to the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36.

[0025] The injection device 14 generally consists of an injection mechanism 42 and a hydraulic operating mechanism 44.

[0026] The injection mechanism 42 includes an injection sleeve 46, an injection plunger 48, an injection piston 50, and an injection cylinder 52.

[0027] The injection sleeve 46 is a cylindrical member integrally provided with the fixed platen 22, with a molten metal inlet 54 formed at its upper part.

[0028] The injection plunger 48 is a substantially rod-shaped member that is provided to move back and forth within the injection sleeve 46.

[0029] The injection piston 50 is formed on the rear end side of the injection plunger 48 (the end opposite to the end that contacts the molten metal) and is the part that is pressed by the hydraulic fluid O.

[0030] The injection cylinder 52 is a cylindrical member through which the injection piston 50 moves back and forth, and is filled with hydraulic fluid O.

[0031] The hydraulic operating mechanism 44 is a mechanism that supplies hydraulic fluid O, used in the injection process of the injection plunger 48, to the injection cylinder 52 to act on the injection piston 50. In addition, by supplying pressurized oil to the injection cylinder 52, a force in the forward direction shown on the left in the figure is applied to the injection plunger 48.

[0032] The spray device 16 is a device that sprays a release agent or the like R onto the inner surfaces of the fixed mold 34 and movable mold 36 that constitute the cavity 38. As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, it generally comprises a spray nozzle 60, a moving device 62, and a monitoring device 64.

[0033] The injection nozzle 60 is a nozzle for injecting a release agent R toward the inner surfaces of the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36, and as shown in Figure 3, it has a release agent injection nozzle 66 for the fixed mold, a release agent injection nozzle 68 for the movable mold, and an air injection nozzle 70.

[0034] The mold release agent spray nozzle 66 for the fixed mold is a nozzle that sprays a mold release agent R toward the inner surface of the fixed mold 34, and in this embodiment, it is capable of spraying "mold release agent + compressed air" or "mold release agent remaining in the nozzle + compressed air".

[0035] The movable mold release agent spray nozzle 68 is a nozzle that sprays a release agent R toward the inner surface of the movable mold 36, and in this embodiment, it is capable of spraying "release agent + compressed air" or "release agent remaining in the nozzle + compressed air".

[0036] The air injection nozzle 70 is a nozzle that injects compressed air toward the inner surfaces of the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36. In this embodiment, compressed air is injected toward both the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36, but it is also possible to select which mold to inject compressed air into.

[0037] Thus, in this specification, "release agent + compressed air," "release agent + compressed air remaining in the nozzle," and "compressed air," etc., are collectively referred to as "release agent, etc. R."

[0038] Returning to Figure 2, the moving device 62 is a device that moves the injection nozzle 60 to a predetermined position. In this embodiment, the injection nozzle 60 can be moved vertically and in directions that move closer to and further away from the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36 between the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36. In other words, the moving device 62 can change the position of the injection nozzle 60 on a plane that extends vertically between the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36.

[0039] The monitoring device 64 is a device for setting the movement path and injection position of the injection nozzle 60, and displays a screen as shown in Figure 4 as an example.

[0040] The monitoring device 64 generally consists of a movement path display unit 72 and an input unit 74.

[0041] The movement path display unit 72 is the part that displays the movement path of the set injection nozzle 60. In this embodiment, the coordinates indicating the plane on which the injection nozzle 60 moves are displayed by dotted lines 76 extending horizontally and vertically, respectively. In the example shown in Figure 4, the passing points 1 to 16 on this coordinate plane are input via the input unit 74.

[0042] Then, a current position marker X is displayed at a position corresponding to the current position of the injection nozzle 60 along this movement path. The current position marker X may be a roughly rectangular frame as shown in the figure, or it may be another shape such as a blinking dot. For the sake of explanation, multiple current position markers X are shown in Figure 4, but in reality, only one current position marker X is displayed on the movement path display unit 72.

[0043] Furthermore, various spraying operations by the spray nozzle 60 are input via the input unit 74 at each passing point, or along the lines connecting each passing point. "Various spraying operations" refer to either "release agent + compressed air" or "release agent remaining in the nozzle + compressed air" when spraying from the fixed mold release agent spray nozzle 66 or the movable mold release agent spray nozzle 68, as described above, or when spraying from the air spray nozzle 70, the spraying of compressed air toward the inner surfaces of the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36.

[0044] The type of spraying operation to be performed may be indicated by changing the color of part or all of the current position marker X, or by changing the shape of the current position marker X. Of course, the type of spraying operation may also be indicated by displaying it at another location on the monitor device 64, or by other methods.

[0045] In this embodiment, the inner region enclosed by the roughly rectangular frame, which is the current position marker X, is divided horizontally into three areas: the right-hand region A is the region indicating spraying toward the fixed mold 34 using the fixed mold release agent spray nozzle 66; the left-hand region B is the region indicating spraying toward the movable mold 36 using the movable mold release agent spray nozzle 68; and the central region C is the region indicating spraying toward both the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36 using the air spray nozzle 70.

[0046] Furthermore, if areas A and B are displayed in yellow, it indicates the injection of "release agent + compressed air". If areas A and B are displayed in orange, it indicates the injection of "remaining release agent + compressed air in the nozzle". Additionally, if area C is displayed in red, it indicates the injection of "compressed air".

[0047] For example, in the movement path display unit 72 shown in Figure 4, the current position markers X drawn at passing points 4 and 10 are displayed in yellow only in area A, which means that at passing points 4 and 10, a release agent + compressed air is sprayed towards the fixed mold 34 using the release agent spray nozzle 66 for the fixed mold.

[0048] Similarly, the current position marker X drawn between passing points 13 and 14 shows that regions A and B are displayed in orange, and region C is displayed in red. This indicates that the mold release agent remaining in the nozzle plus compressed air is being sprayed towards the fixed mold 34 using the mold release agent spray nozzle 66 for the fixed mold, the mold release agent remaining in the nozzle plus compressed air is being sprayed towards the movable mold 36 using the mold release agent spray nozzle 68 for the movable mold, and compressed air is being sprayed towards both the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36 using the air spray nozzle 70.

[0049] Furthermore, the speed at which the injection nozzle 60 moves at a certain position along the movement path may be set via the input unit 74. Of course, the injection nozzle 60 may also move at a constant speed along the movement path.

[0050] The control device 18, in order to perform the injection process and the return process of the injection plunger 48, detects the position information of the injection piston 50 and operates the hydraulic operating mechanism 44. In addition, it performs all the controls necessary for casting by the die-casting machine 10, and all the controls related to the spraying of release agent R by the spray device 16.

[0051] (Casting procedure using the die-casting machine 10 according to this embodiment) A brief explanation will be given of the procedure for casting a product (molded body) using the die-casting machine 10 according to this embodiment. The control device 18 operates the mold clamping drive mechanism 35 to close the movable mold 36 against the fixed mold 34 using the toggle mechanism 30, and then clamps the mold with a predetermined clamping force.

[0052] Subsequently, the control device 18 injects and fills the molten metal into the cavity 38 of the mold 32 by advancing the injection plunger 48. After the solidification of the molten metal in the cavity 38 is complete, the clamping drive mechanism 35 of the clamping device 12 is operated to separate the movable mold 36 from the fixed mold 34 by the toggle mechanism 30 (mold opening), and the casting is removed from the cavity 38 using an ejector pin or the like (not shown). This completes the casting of the product by the die-casting machine 10.

[0053] Once casting is complete, the spray device 16 sprays a release agent or the like R onto the inner surfaces of the fixed mold 34 and movable mold 36 that make up the cavity 38 in preparation for the next casting process.

[0054] (Procedure for setting the operation of the spray device 16 according to this embodiment) The procedure for setting the operation of the spray device 16 in the die-casting machine 10 according to this embodiment will now be described. First, the movement path of the spray nozzle 60 in one spraying process (i.e., from passing point 1 to the final passing point) is input via the input unit 74 of the monitoring device 64.

[0055] Subsequently, the injection position of the injection nozzle 60, the type of injection operation at that injection position, and the duration of the injection operation are input at any point along the movement path. In addition, the movement speed of the injection nozzle 60 at a certain point along the movement path is set as needed.

[0056] Once the necessary input is completed, the memory in the control device 18 stores the movement path of the spray nozzle 60, the type of spraying operation at the spraying position, and the movement speed of the spray nozzle 60 at a certain position on the movement path. At this stage, if "test operation" is selected via the input unit 74, the spray nozzle 60 is not moved by the movement device 62, and only the current position marker X moves along the movement path at a predetermined speed on the monitoring device 64. Furthermore, when the current position marker X reaches a predetermined spraying position, it is displayed that a predetermined type of spraying operation will be performed for a predetermined time. In other words, by performing a "test operation," it is possible to test whether there are any errors in the operation of the spray device 16 as many times as needed without actually moving the spray nozzle 60.

[0057] Thus, with the spray device 16 of the die-casting machine 10 according to this embodiment, the movement path of the spray nozzle 60 in a single spraying process is displayed on the monitoring device 64, making it easy to set and confirm the spraying position even if the spraying position of the release agent R increases.

[0058] (Variation 1) In the spray apparatus 16 according to the above embodiment, the moving device 62 changes the position of the spray nozzle 60 on a plane extending vertically between the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36 (2D movement), and the movement path on this plane is displayed on the movement path display unit 72 of the monitor device 64. In addition to this, the moving device 62 may also move the spray nozzle 60 in the width direction of the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36. In other words, the spray nozzle 60 may be moved three-dimensionally (3D movement) between the fixed mold 34 and the movable mold 36.

[0059] In this case, the movement path display unit 72 of the monitor device 64 will also display the movement path in three dimensions, for example, by using isometric projection.

[0060] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0061] 10…Die casting machine, 12…Clamping device, 14…Injection device, 16…Spray device, 18…Control device, 20…Machine stand, 22…Fixed platen, 24…Movable platen, 26…Tailstock, 28…Tie bar, 30…Toggle mechanism, 32…Mold, 34…Fixed mold, 35…Clamping drive mechanism, 36…Movable mold, 38…Cavity, 40…Tie bar insertion hole, 42…Injection mechanism, 44…Hydraulic operating mechanism, 46…Injection sleeve, 48…Injection plunger, 50…Injection piston, 52…Injection cylinder, 54…Hot water inlet 60...Injection nozzle, 62...Moving device, 64...Monitoring device, 66...Release agent injection nozzle for fixed mold, 68...Release agent injection nozzle for movable mold, 70...Air injection nozzle, 72...Movement path display unit, 74...Input unit, 76...Dotted line O...Hydraulic oil, R...Release agent, etc., X...Current position marker

Claims

1. A spray device for spraying a release agent or the like onto the inner surfaces of the fixed and movable molds of a die-casting machine that constitute a cavity, A spray nozzle for spraying the aforementioned release agent, A moving device for moving the injection nozzle to a predetermined position, A monitoring device for setting the movement path and injection position of the injection nozzle, The system includes a control device that moves the injection nozzle based on the aforementioned settings, The monitoring device displays the movement path of the injection nozzle during a single injection process. A spray device for a die-casting machine.

2. A marker indicating the current position of the injection nozzle is displayed on the aforementioned movement path. The spray device according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned moving device does not move the injection nozzle, but only the current position marker moves and is displayed on the monitoring device along the movement path. The spray device according to claim 2.

4. At each position along the aforementioned movement path, the details of the various spraying operations of the spray nozzle are displayed on the current position marker. The spray device according to claim 2.

5. The movement speed of the injection nozzle can be set individually at each position along the aforementioned movement path. The spray device according to claim 1.

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