Method and apparatus for cleaning adhering sand.

Abstract

To provide a method and an apparatus for cleaning adhered sand allowing for making unnecessary the work to sweep away adhered sand by manual operation after a through-hole consisting of a runner cup (top runner), a riser hole or the like is formed in a raw sand mold.SOLUTION: A method for cleaning adhered sand includes: forming in a raw sand mold a through-hole in a height direction of the mold by cutting; and then cleaning sand adhered on a through-hole with a sand cleaning tool supported by an elevation mechanism mounted on a travel head 100 movable in a plane of the mold. The through-hole includes at least one of a runner cup, a top runner, a riser hole and a pattern-sided reception-rod hole. The sand cleaning tool is an air blow nozzle 22 to air-blow away adhered sand or a suction nozzle to suck up adhered sand, so that the adhered sand is cleaned off by ascending / descending the sand cleaning tool to be inserted into the through-hole in its entire length.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2a

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an adhering sand cleaning method and an adhering sand cleaning device used for removing adhering sand that is generated when a through-hole is dug later in a green sand mold and adheres to the inner surface of the through-hole.

Background Art

[0002] When forming through-holes by later-digging a sprue cup, a top runner, a riser hole, etc. in a green sand mold using a drill or the like, it is inevitable that the cut sand adheres to the inner surface of the through-hole. If this adhering sand is left as it is, it will be卷入 into the molten metal and move to the cavity surface of the green sand mold, causing sand biting. For this reason, after cutting, the adhering sand is removed by manual air blowing, which has been an obstacle to automating the casting process. Therefore, several proposals have been made conventionally for the purpose of cleaning such adhering sand.

[0003] Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 describe an apparatus for cleaning adhering sand on the inner surface of a cut through-hole by a swirl effect (vortex effect) by performing air blowing from the upper cavity surface simultaneously with drilling from the counter-cavity surface below the green sand mold.

[0004] Patent Document 1 has a structure in which air blowing is attached to an elevating table that can move arbitrarily in the XY direction for later-digging a sprue, a riser hole, etc. at an arbitrary position of a green sand mold, and Patent Document 2 has a structure in which air blowing can be manually moved in accordance with the drilling position of an elevating drill unit for later-digging a sprue, a riser hole, etc. at an arbitrary position of a green sand mold. However, these are both structures that blow air from the upper surface of the cavity surface toward the through-hole. Therefore, the flow of air blown to the inside of the through-hole does not reach sufficiently, and the adhering sand cannot be completely cleaned, so there may be a problem of sand biting on the casting material. For this reason, it was not possible to eliminate manual air blowing.

[0005] Patent Document 3 describes a device that uses a lifting mechanism to lower a blow cup toward the mold, making it tightly fitted around the sprue, and then uses a nozzle on the blow cup to blow compressed air and clean the inner surface of the sprue. Patent Document 4 describes a device that cleans the inner surface of the sprue by blowing air from above the sprue. However, in these devices, the height of the nozzle for air blowing relative to the green sand mold is fixed, which leads to the problem of sand remaining in the airflow pools depending on the shape of the sprue cup, etc.

[0006] Patent Document 5 describes a device that removes attached sand by inserting a passage-forming member, shaped to match the shape of the sprue cup, into the sprue cup and sucking it out from a suction nozzle at its lower end. However, since the passage-forming member must be manufactured to match the shape of the sprue cup, it is not versatile and cannot be used for lifting holes, etc. Furthermore, because the position of the suction nozzle is fixed, there is a risk of suction leakage. Thus, with the prior art described in the prior art documents, it is not easy to completely remove attached sand from the inner surface of through holes, and the manual air blowing process could not be eliminated. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-30066 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-30067 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 3097975 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-225588 [Patent Document 5] Patent No. 5376251 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] The object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the conventional technology described above and to provide a sand cleaning method and sand cleaning apparatus that eliminate the need to manually remove the sand after forming through holes in a green sand mold, such as sprue cups, top runners, lifting holes, and model-side receiving rod holes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention, which was developed to solve the above problems, is a method for cleaning adhering sand, wherein after a through hole in the height direction of the mold is formed in a green sand mold by cutting, the adhering sand adhering to the through hole is cleaned with a sand cleaning tool supported by a lifting mechanism mounted on a traveling head that is movable within the plane of the mold, wherein the through hole includes at least one of a sprue cup, a top runner, a lifting hole, or a model-side receiving rod hole, and the sand cleaning tool is an air blow nozzle for blowing the adhering sand with air, or a suction nozzle for sucking the adhering sand. The tip of the sand cleaning tool has a hole formed perpendicular to its axis, and the sand cleaning tool rotates around its central axis. The sand cleaning tool is characterized by moving up and down in the height direction to insert it into the entire length of the through hole and clean the attached sand.

[0010] Furthermore, the sand cleaning tool is an air blow nozzle, with an air blow hole formed at its tip perpendicular to its axis, and the cleaning method can be adopted by rotating the air blow nozzle up and down within the through hole. Alternatively, the sand cleaning tool is an air blow nozzle, with an air blow hole formed at its tip perpendicular to its axis, and the air blow nozzle is moved within the through hole, along the wall surface of the through hole. move Clean by raising and lowering while moving, or along the wall surface of the through hole. move In addition, the air blow hole is directed towards the wall surface of the through hole. , the air blow nozzle around its central axis A cleaning method can be employed that involves raising and lowering the unit while it rotates.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention, which was made to solve the above problems, is a sand-cleaning device for cleaning sand that has adhered to a through-hole in a green sand mold after a through-hole in the height direction of the mold has been formed by cutting, comprising a traveling head that can move within the plane of the mold, a lifting mechanism mounted on the traveling head, and a sand cleaning tool supported by the lifting mechanism for cleaning sand that has adhered to the through-hole, wherein the through-hole includes at least one of a sprue cup, a top runner, a lifting hole, or a model-side receiving rod hole, and the sand cleaning tool is an air blow nozzle for blowing the sand, or a suction nozzle for sucking the sand. The tip of the sand cleaning tool has a hole formed perpendicular to its axis, and the sand cleaning tool rotates around its central axis. The sand cleaning tool is characterized by being raised and lowered in the height direction and inserted into the entire length of the through hole to clean the attached sand.

[0012] Furthermore, the aforementioned sand cleaning tool is an air blow nozzle, The tip relative to the axis The structure can be configured with air blow holes formed perpendicular to the axis. Alternatively, the lifting mechanism can be configured to include a rotation mechanism for the sand cleaning tool, and the sand cleaning tool can be configured to be an air blow nozzle with an air blow hole formed perpendicular to the axis at its tip. Alternatively, the sand cleaning tool can be configured to be an air blow nozzle, and a dust collection duct can be provided to suck up adhering sand from the opposite side of the surface into which the air blow nozzle is inserted in the green sand mold. Furthermore, it is preferable that the traveling head travels to the position of the through hole based on control data for cutting the through hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, after cutting a through-hole in the height direction of the mold in the green sand mold, the traveling head is made to travel to the position of the through-hole, and a sand cleaning tool supported by a lifting mechanism is inserted into the through-hole, and is lifted and lowered over the entire length inside the through-hole to clean the adhering sand on the inner surface of the through-hole. Therefore, unlike the prior art in which air blowing is performed from above the through-hole or from a position fixed to the through-hole, the adhering sand can be sufficiently cleaned. Accordingly, the operation of manually removing the adhering sand becomes unnecessary, and labor saving and space saving can be achieved by reducing the labor and work space of the casting production line, and the productivity can be improved. In addition, sand biting defects on the casting material can be prevented.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1a] It is a front view of the upper frame line equipped with the adhering sand cleaning device of the present invention. [Figure 1b] It is a plan view of the upper frame line equipped with the adhering sand cleaning device of the present invention. [Figure 2a] It is a front view of the adhering sand cleaning device without a rotation mechanism. [Figure 2b] It is a front view of the adhering sand cleaning device with a rotation mechanism. [Figure 3a] It is a detailed view of the tip of an air blowing nozzle provided with air blowing holes in the axial direction. [Figure 3b] It is a detailed view of the tip of an air blowing nozzle provided with air blowing holes in a direction perpendicular to the axis. [Figure 4a] It is an explanatory view of the top runner digging process (before top runner digging). [Figure 4b] It is an explanatory view of the top runner digging process (during top runner digging). [Figure 4c] It is an explanatory view of the top runner digging process (after top runner digging). [Figure 4d] It is an explanatory view of the sprue chamfering process (before sprue chamfering). [Figure 4e] It is an explanatory view of the sprue chamfering process (during sprue chamfering). [Figure 4f] It is an explanatory view of the sprue chamfering process (after sprue chamfering). [Figure 5a] This is an explanatory diagram of the excavation process (before excavation). [Figure 5b] This is an explanatory diagram of the excavation process (excavation in progress). [Figure 5c] This is an explanatory diagram of the excavation process (after excavation). [Figure 6a] This is a cross-sectional view showing the connection between the top runner and the air blow nozzle. [Figure 6b] This is a cross-sectional view showing the connection between the lifting hole and the air blow nozzle. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] (Overall structure) Figure 1a is a front view of the upper frame line 6 equipped with the sand-cleaning device of the present invention, and Figure 1b is a plan view thereof. The upper mold 4, in which a green sand mold is formed inside the metal frame 2 by a molding machine (not shown), is transported into the upper frame line 6 by a traverser 5 with the cavity surface 3 as its upper surface. 7 is a pusher located on the inlet side of the upper frame line 6, and 8 is a cushion located on the outlet side of the upper frame line 6. The upper mold 4 is transported one frame at a time along the upper frame line 6 in the direction of the arrow, sandwiched between these pushers 7 and cushion 8.

[0016] Below the upper frame line 6, a top runner drilling device 9, a sprue chamfering device 10, and a lifting drilling device 11 are positioned to drill out the sprue cup (or top runner) 12, lifting hole 13, etc., from the opposite side of the cavity surface 3 of the upper mold 4 made of green sand. 14 is an inversion machine that inverts the upper mold 4 so that the cavity surface 3 faces downwards. After that, a gas puncture device 15 drills gas holes from the upper anti-cavity surface to form through holes. As shown in Figures 4c and 5c, the through holes include at least one of the sprue cup, top runner 12, lifting hole 13, or model-side receiving rod hole 23. As mentioned above, during this post-drilling process, cutting sand adheres to the inner surface of the through holes as adhering sand.

[0017] The sand-cleaning device 1 of the present invention is positioned in a process after a through-hole in the height direction of the mold has been formed in the green sand mold by cutting, and cleans the inner surface of the through-hole along its entire length. The structure of the sand-cleaning device 1 will be described later. The upper mold 4, cleaned by the sand-cleaning device 1, is sent to a frame alignment device 16 installed downstream, where it is aligned with the lower mold 19 which has been transported from the traverser 17 to the frame alignment line 18 below the upper frame line 6, and then transported to the next process by the traverser 20.

[0018] Although Figures 1a and 1b show a layout in which the upper mold 4 and lower mold 19 are transported on separate lines, the sand-cleaning device 1 of the present invention can also be installed in a layout in which the upper and lower frames are transported alternately, as long as it is a post-processing step in the process of excavating the green sand mold.

[0019] Furthermore, if there is sufficient time in the production equipment's time cycle to allow for cleaning the inside of the cutting hole after post-excavating the sprue cup (top runner 12), lifting hole 13, etc., within the same time cycle, it is also possible to place the sand-cleaning device 1 of the present invention at the same position as the last device that excavates these components.

[0020] (Adhesive sand cleaning device) Figure 2a shows the structure of the sand-cleaning device of the embodiment. 100 is a traveling head that can move within the plane (horizontal plane) of the mold, i.e., within the horizontal XY plane. The traveling head 100 is movable in the X-axis direction by a servo motor 102 and a rack 105, and is movable in the Y-axis direction by a servo motor 103 and a rack 106. The upper mold 4, which has a green sand mold formed on it, is supported horizontally, and the traveling head 100 can travel to any position on the upper mold 4. The traveling head 100 is equipped with a lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism includes a lifting table 108 supported by an LM guide 109, and a servo motor 104 and a rack 107 for lifting the lifting table 108. A guide pin 110, which also serves as an air piping guide pin, is fixed to the lifting table 108, and an air blow nozzle 22, which is a sand cleaning tool, is fixed to its lower end. To prevent the lower end of the guide pin 110 from wobbling, a guide holder 112 is provided on the fixed-side frame 111 of the travel head 100. Compressed air is supplied from the piping joint 113 at the upper end of the guide pin 110. The sand removal device shown in Figure 2a travels to the position of the through hole based on control data for cutting the through hole, and then has the function of raising and lowering the air blow nozzle 22, which is a sand removal tool, in the height direction of the mold, i.e., in the Z-axis direction.

[0021] Figure 2b shows the structure of an adhering sand cleaning device equipped with a rotating mechanism for an air blow nozzle 22, which is a sand cleaning tool. In this embodiment, a rotary ball spline shaft 210, which also serves as an air piping, is fixed to a lifting table 208 via a bearing 211, and the air blow nozzle 22, which is a sand cleaning tool, is fixed to its lower end. Ball spline nuts 213 are provided above and below the fixed-side frame 212, and the rotation of the air blow nozzle 22 is performed by a servo motor 215 via a timing belt 214. Compressed air is supplied from a swivel joint 216 at the upper end so that the rotary ball spline shaft 210, which also serves as an air piping, can rotate. The other structures are the same as in Figure 2a, with 202, 203, and 204 being servo motors, 205, 206, and 207 being racks, 212 being the fixed-side frame, and 209 being an LM guide.

[0022] Figures 3a and 3b show the tip shapes of the air blow nozzle 22. Figure 3a shows an air blow hole 24 provided axially at the tip, and Figure 3b shows multiple air blow holes 24 provided perpendicular to the axis. The air blow nozzle 22 in Figure 3b is preferably used in combination with the sand cleaning device equipped with the rotating mechanism shown in Figure 2b. When the through hole is small, the sand can be cleaned along the entire length of the through hole by rotating the air blow nozzle 22, which has air blow holes 24 perpendicular to the axis, and moving it up and down inside the through hole. When the through hole is large, the air blow nozzle 22, which has air blow holes 24 perpendicular to the axis, moves along the wall surface inside the through hole. move Clean by raising and lowering while moving, or along the wall surface of the through hole. move At the same time, direct the air blow hole 24 toward the wall surface of the through hole. , the air blow nozzle around its central axis It can be raised and lowered while rotating, allowing for cleaning along the wall. move This means maintaining a nearly constant distance from the wall surface. move This means causing something to happen. Note that although Figure 3b shows three air blow holes 24, there may be one or multiple holes.

[0023] (Shape and cleaning of through holes) Figures 4 and 5 show the process of forming through holes. Figure 4a shows the state in which the model-side receiving rod hole 23 is formed in the green sand mold by a receiving rod provided on the model side. Figure 4b shows the state in which the drill of the top runner drilling device 9 moves upward and laterally to cut the sprue cup or top runner (oval sprue cup) 12. Figure 4c shows the shape of the cut sprue cup (top runner) 12. In the case of top runner drilling, the drill moves laterally to cut in an oval shape, so the cut surface of the model-side receiving rod hole 23 has sharp corners. If molten metal is poured as is, the pouring will be poor, the corners of the mold will collapse, and sand will get stuck. For this reason, chamfering is performed as follows.

[0024] Figure 4d shows the state before chamfering the sprue, Figure 4e shows the state in which the drill is moving upward and laterally to chamfer the model-side receiving rod hole 23, and Figure 4f shows the shape of the chamfered sprue cup (top runner) 12.

[0025] Similarly, Figure 5a shows the state in which the model-side receiving rod hole 23 is formed in the green sand mold by the receiving rod provided on the model side, Figure 5b shows the state in which the drill rises and moves laterally to cut the lifting hole 13, and Figure 5c shows the shape of the cut lifting hole 13.

[0026] As shown above, the shape of the sprue cup (top runner) 12 in Figure 4f and the shape of the lifting hole 13 in Figure 5c are such that, when viewed from the cavity surface 3 side, the later-drilled cutting hole is larger than the model-side receiving rod hole 23. For this reason, when air blowing is performed from the cavity surface 3 side using the apparatus of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the model-side receiving rod hole 23 becomes an obstacle, making it impossible to sufficiently remove the sand adhering to the inner surface of the cutting hole.

[0027] In contrast, the sand-adhering cleaning device 1 and the sand-adhering cleaning method using the present invention, as shown in Figures 6a and 6b, allow for sufficient removal of adhering sand by lowering an air blow nozzle 22 from above onto the sprue cup (top runner) 12 and lifting hole 13, which have been inverted by the inverting machine 14 to become the upper side, and blowing air over the entire length of the through hole. Furthermore, as described above, it is preferable to control the position of the sand-adhering cleaning device 1 by moving the traveling head 100 in the XY plane, which is the plane of the mold, based on the cutting control data of the hole-digging device.

[0028] Furthermore, in order to collect the sand that has been scattered by the air blow and to prevent the sand from scattering to the surrounding area, as shown in Figure 7, a receiving tray 301 can be provided on the mold surface opposite to the surface into which the air blow nozzle 22 is inserted, and the sand can be sucked in from the opposite side by a dust collection duct 302 and collected by a dust collector (not shown).

[0029] (Other embodiments) In the embodiments described above, an air blow nozzle 22 was used as the sand cleaning tool. However, instead of the air blow nozzle 22, a suction nozzle with a similar structure for sucking up attached sand may be provided and connected to a high-pressure dust collector, and the negative pressure generated may be used to suck up the attached sand. In this case, more energy is required than when using air blowing, but it has the advantage of preventing the attached sand from scattering and re-adhering to the inner surface of the through hole. For this reason, if it is desired to completely remove the attached sand, it is preferable to use a suction nozzle instead of the air blow nozzle 22.

[0030] As described above, the present invention allows for thorough cleaning of sand adhering to the inner surface of through holes, eliminating the need for manual sand removal. This enables labor savings and space reduction in the casting production line, thereby improving productivity. Furthermore, it prevents sand from becoming embedded in the casting material. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1 Adhesive sand cleaning device 2 gold frame 3 Cavity surface 4. Upper mold 5 Traverser 6. Upper frame line 7 Pusher 8 cushions 9. Top Runner Drilling Equipment 10. Gating chamfering device 11. Excavation equipment 12. Yuguchi Cup (Top Runner) 13 Lifting holes 14 Reversing machine 15. Gas puncture drilling device 16 Frame alignment device 17 Traversa 18 Frame alignment lines 19 Lower mold 20 Traverser 22 Air blow nozzle 23 Receiving rod hole 24 air blow holes 100 Traveling Head 102 Servo motor 103 Servo motor 104 Servo motor 105 racks 106 racks 107 racks 108 Height-Adjustable Table 109 LM Guide 110 Guide pins 111 Fixed side frame 112 Guide holder 113 Piping fittings 202 Servo motor 203 Servo motor 204 Servo motor 205 racks 206 racks 207 racks 208 Height-Adjustable Table 209 LM Guide 210 Rotary Ball Spline Shaft 211 Bearings 212 Fixed side frame 213 Ball spline nut 214 Timing belt 215 Servo motor 216 Swivel Joint 301 Drip tray 302 Dust collection duct

Claims

1. A method for cleaning sand that has adhered to a mold, wherein after a through hole in the height direction of the mold is formed in a green sand mold by cutting, the sand adhering to the through hole is cleaned using a sand cleaning tool supported by a lifting mechanism mounted on a traveling head that is movable within the plane of the mold, The through hole includes at least one of a sprue cup, a top runner, a lifting hole, or a model-side receiving rod hole, and the sand cleaning tool is an air blow nozzle for blowing the adhering sand with air, or a suction nozzle for sucking the adhering sand. The tip of the sand cleaning tool has a hole formed perpendicular to its axis, and the sand cleaning tool rotates around its central axis. A method for cleaning adhering sand, comprising raising and lowering the sand cleaning tool in the height direction and inserting it into the entire length of the through hole to clean the adhering sand.

2. The sand cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein the sand cleaning tool is an air blow nozzle, and an air blow hole is formed at its tip perpendicular to the axis, and the sand is cleaned by moving the air blow nozzle up and down while rotating it around the central axis of the air blow nozzle within the through hole.

3. The sand cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein the sand cleaning tool is an air blow nozzle, and an air blow hole is formed at its tip perpendicular to its axis, and the method for cleaning by moving the air blow nozzle up and down within the through hole while moving it along the wall surface of the through hole, or by moving it along the wall surface of the through hole and directing the air blow hole towards the wall surface of the through hole, and moving the air blow nozzle up and down while rotating it around its central axis.

4. A sand cleaning device for cleaning sand that has adhered to a through hole in a green sand mold after the through hole in the height direction of the mold has been formed by cutting, The mold comprises a traveling head that can move within the plane of the mold, a lifting mechanism mounted on the traveling head, and a sand cleaning tool supported by the lifting mechanism for cleaning sand adhering to the through hole. The through hole includes at least one of a sprue cup, a top runner, a lifting hole, or a model-side receiving rod hole, and the sand cleaning tool is an air blow nozzle for blowing the adhering sand with air, or a suction nozzle for sucking the adhering sand. The tip of the sand cleaning tool has a hole formed perpendicular to its axis, and the sand cleaning tool rotates around its central axis. The sand cleaning device is raised and lowered in the height direction and inserted into the entire length of the through hole to clean the adhering sand.

5. The sand cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein the sand cleaning tool is an air blow nozzle, and an air blow hole is formed at its tip perpendicular to the axis.

6. The sand cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein the lifting mechanism comprises a rotating mechanism for the sand cleaning tool, and the sand cleaning tool is an air blow nozzle with an air blow hole formed at its tip perpendicular to the axis.

7. The sand cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein the sand cleaning tool is an air blow nozzle, and a dust collection duct is provided for sucking up the adhering sand from the opposite side of the surface into which the air blow nozzle is inserted in the green sand mold.

8. The sand-cleaning device according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the traveling head travels to the position of the through hole based on control data for cutting the through hole.

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