Connection pipe for hopper of vertical injection molding machine

Abstract

A connection pipe for a hopper of a vertical injection molding machine according to the present invention addresses the problem of avoiding the work of extracting material in high places. A material extraction mechanism (20) is provided to a connection pipe body (10). The material extraction mechanism (20) is formed by connecting a material removal pipe (22) to a material extraction pipe (21) branched from the connection pipe body (10). The material removal pipe (22) comprises a shutter (32) that can open and close an in-pipe passage by remote control.

Description

Hopper connecting pipe for vertical injection molding machine

[0001] The present invention relates to a hopper connecting pipe for a vertical injection molding machine, and more particularly to a hopper connecting pipe for a vertical injection molding machine that has measures taken to enhance safety when removing excess material.

[0002] An injection molding machine is a machine that manufactures plastic products by introducing molten resin material in a high-temperature cylinder into a mold using injection pressure and solidifying it. Injection molding machines are available in vertical and horizontal types, and in vertical injection molding machines, the cylinder is upright, so the material inlet of the hopper is often located at a height of about 3m.

[0003] In this type of vertical injection molding machine, when molding is completed, it is necessary to either use up all the material placed in the hopper above the injection molding machine or to drain the excess material. For this reason, in vertical injection molding machines, a material draining mechanism is provided on the connecting pipe body that introduces the material from the hopper into the vertical injection molding machine.

[0004] Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional example of a hopper connecting pipe for a vertical injection molding machine. In this figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a vertical injection molding machine, reference numeral 2 denotes a hopper, and material (resin pellets) in the hopper 2 is introduced into the vertical injection molding machine 1 through the interior space of a connecting pipe main body 10 in an inclined position. A material removal mechanism 20 is composed of a short material removal pipe 21 that branches off from the connecting pipe main body 10 and protrudes. This material removal pipe 21 is usually plugged (closed) with a cap 31 that is threadedly attached to its end. When removing the material, an operator manually removes the cap 31, and the material discharged from the material removal pipe 21 is collected in a collection container (not shown).

[0005] As described above, in the conventional hopper connecting pipe of a vertical injection molding machine, the material removal mechanism 20 is configured with the short material removal pipe 21 that branches off from the connecting pipe main body 10 and protrudes, which makes the material removal work a high-altitude job at a height of 2 m or more. Therefore, in the past, a stepladder was installed, and a worker climbed up on the stepladder to perform the removal work by manually removing the cap 31 from the material removal pipe 21.

[0006] A prior art example describes the attachment of a scaffold to a vertical injection molding machine (see Patent Document 1). Another prior art example describes the structure of a resin introduction section of a vertical injection molding machine (see Patent Document 2). In Patent Document 2, the above-mentioned connecting pipe body is referred to as a "resin introduction chute."

[0007] JP2021-146660A JP11-77747A

[0008] However, the conventional work of manually removing the cap 31 from the material withdrawal pipe 21 used as the material withdrawal mechanism 20 while working at a height on a stepladder and recovering the material in a recovery container is not only troublesome but also dangerous, so an improvement measure was desired.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a hopper connecting pipe for a vertical injection molding machine that can avoid the need to remove material at a high altitude even if the material removal mechanism is installed at a high altitude. Another aim is to provide a hopper connecting pipe for a vertical injection molding machine that can easily clean the material removal mechanism and can be easily applied to existing equipment.

[0010] The connecting pipe for the hopper of a vertical injection molding machine according to the present invention is a connecting pipe for the hopper of a vertical injection molding machine in which a material removal mechanism is provided in the connecting pipe main body that introduces material from the hopper into the vertical injection molding machine, and the material removal mechanism is configured such that a material removal pipe equipped with a shutter that can open and close the passage within the pipe by remote control is connected to a material removal pipe that branches off and protrudes from the connecting pipe main body.

[0011] With this configuration, the passage inside the material removal pipe, which together with the material removal pipe constitutes the material removal mechanism, can be opened and closed by remotely controlling the opening and closing operation of the shutter, making it possible to safely remove excess material from low places such as the factory floor.

[0012] In the present invention, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the material removal pipe is divided into a relay pipe connected to the material withdrawal pipe and a material removal pipe main body connected to the material withdrawal pipe via the relay pipe, and the shutter is provided on the material removal pipe main body. According to this configuration, the material removal pipe can be configured by connecting the relay pipe to the material withdrawal pipe and then connecting the material removal pipe main body to the relay pipe thus connected to the material withdrawal pipe.

[0013] In the present invention, it is desirable that the relay pipe be connected to the material withdrawal pipe by a threaded connection. This makes it possible to connect the relay pipe to the material withdrawal pipe by a threaded connection using the threaded portion for attaching the cap of the material withdrawal pipe in the conventional example described at the beginning. Therefore, the connecting pipe of the present invention can be easily applied to existing equipment.

[0014] In the present invention, it is desirable that the relay pipe and the material removal pipe body are detachably connected via a piping clamp, whereby the action of the piping clamp allows the material removal pipe body with the shutter to be easily removed from the relay pipe connected to the material withdrawal pipe, making it easy to clean the shutter and material removal pipe body removed from the relay pipe.

[0015] In the present invention, it is desirable to provide an extension hose for guiding discharged materials connected to the material removal pipe or the material removal pipe main body, so that the discharged materials can be guided to a low place such as the floor and collected through the extension hose.

[0016] The hopper connecting pipe for a vertical injection molding machine according to the present invention makes it possible to avoid the need to perform material removal work at a high altitude, even if the material removal mechanism is installed at a high altitude, and therefore the material removal work can be performed safely without the need to set up a stepladder.Furthermore, it is possible to provide a hopper connecting pipe for a vertical injection molding machine that allows for easy cleaning of the material removal mechanism and can be easily applied to existing equipment.

[0017] 4 is an explanatory diagram of a hopper connecting pipe of a vertical injection molding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a block diagram illustrating an example of a remote control method, and (B) is a block diagram illustrating another remote control method.

[0023] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a hopper connecting pipe of a vertical injection molding machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of a connection structure using a piping clamp.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. 4.

[0026] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional example.

[0018] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a hopper connecting pipe for a vertical injection molding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, material (resin pellets) in a hopper (not shown) is introduced into a vertical injection molding machine (not shown) through the internal space of a connecting pipe main body 10 in an inclined position. The material removal mechanism 20 comprises a short material removal pipe 21 that branches off from the connecting pipe main body 10 and protrudes, and a material removal pipe 22 connected to the short material removal pipe 21. At the connection point, flanges 23, 24 on the material removal pipe 21 and the material removal pipe 22 are joined together. The material removal pipe 22 is equipped with a shutter (not shown) that opens and closes in response to the retraction and retraction of an air cylinder 25. Opening the shutter opens the passage within the material removal pipe 22, and closing the shutter closes the passage within the material removal pipe 22. The shutter opens and closes in response to the retraction and retraction of the air cylinder 25, which is remotely controlled. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 25 a and 25 b denote intake and exhaust ports of the air cylinder 25 .

[0019] FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating a remote control method for the air cylinder 25 and the shutter 32. The illustrated control method employs a method in which an operator operates a controller 51 on the floor. The controller 51 includes an on-off switch 52 for controlling a solenoid valve and a solenoid valve 53 that switches the air path in a pneumatic circuit (not shown) in response to the on-off operation of the on-off switch 52. The port on the solenoid valve 53 is connected to the intake and exhaust ports 25a and 25b (see FIG. 1) on the air cylinder 25 by an air hose 54 in the pneumatic circuit. The switching operation of the solenoid valve 53 switches the intake and exhaust paths to the air cylinder 25, thereby extending and retracting the air cylinder 25 and opening and closing the shutter 32. The on-off operation of the on-off switch 52 can be operated by an operator. The shutter 32 opens when the switch is turned on, and closes when the switch is turned off. It is desirable that the electromagnetic valve 53 be designed to close the shutter 32 in the event of a power outage, and to open the shutter 32 by switching the open / close switch 42 on when power is supplied.

[0020] 2(B) is a block diagram illustrating another remote control method. In the illustrated remote control method, when a receiver 63 of a controller 62 receives an output signal from a transmitter 61, which is a remote control switch, a solenoid valve 65 in an air pressure circuit (not shown) is operated by the action of a solenoid valve control unit 64. The air cylinder 25 then moves forward and backward through the switching operation of the solenoid valve 65, which in turn opens and closes the shutter 32. The transmitter 61 can be turned on and off by a worker on the floor; turning it on opens the shutter, and turning it off closes the shutter. The controller 62 is attached to the material discharge pipe 22 together with the air cylinder 25.

[0021] As for other control methods, it is possible to incorporate a remote shutter control method into the overall control of the injection molding machine by using a different control device to control the solenoid valve that opens and closes the shutter. Another effective remote control method is to use an auto switch, a common optional part for air cylinders, to monitor the shutter's open / close position to improve the accuracy of the opening and closing control. This is an effective way to detect when pellets get caught in the shutter during the shutter closing operation and the shutter is not completely closed.

[0022] 2(A) and 2(B) , the above-described embodiment employing the remote control method and the like makes it possible to remotely open and close the inner passage of the material removal pipe 22 constituting the material removal mechanism 20 simply by connecting an air hose. Therefore, even if the material removal mechanism 20 of a vertical injection molding machine is installed at a high location, when removing material, an operator can operate the open / close switch 52 on the factory floor to open the shutter 32, thereby safely performing the removal work through the material removal pipe 21 and the material removal pipe 22 of the material removal mechanism 20. When the removal work is completed, an operator can safely close the shutter by operating the open / close switch on the factory floor.

[0023] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, an extension hose 26 for guiding discharged materials is connected to the material removal pipe 22. In this way, the discharged materials can be guided through the extension hose 26 to a low place such as the floor and collected.

[0024] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of a hopper connecting pipe for a vertical injection molding machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. An enlarged view of the essential parts is also shown in Figure 3. In this embodiment, material (resin pellets) in a hopper (not shown) is introduced into a vertical injection molding machine (not shown) through the internal space of a connecting pipe main body 10 in an inclined position. The material removal mechanism 20 comprises a short material removal pipe 21 that branches off from the connecting pipe main body 10 and projects outward, and a material removal pipe 22 connected to the short material removal pipe 21.

[0025] In particular, in this embodiment, the material discharge pipe 22 is divided into a short relay pipe 22a connected to the material withdrawal pipe 21 and a long material discharge pipe main body 22b connected to the material withdrawal pipe 21 via the relay pipe 22a. A shutter (not shown) is provided on the material discharge pipe main body 22b. Furthermore, the relay pipe 22a is threadedly connected to the material withdrawal pipe 21 by threading a female thread 27 provided on the relay pipe 22a into a male thread 28 provided at the end of the material withdrawal pipe 21. The male thread 28 of the material withdrawal pipe 21 can be the same as the male thread used to attach the cap 31 described with reference to FIG. 6 . This eliminates the need to separately manufacture the material withdrawal pipe 21, and makes it possible to easily apply the hopper connecting pipe according to the present invention to existing equipment.

[0026] The relay pipe 22a and the material take-out pipe main body 22b are detachably connected via a piping clamp 40. Fig. 4 is a front view showing an example of a connection structure between the relay pipe 22a and the material take-out pipe main body 22b using the piping clamp 40, and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in Fig. 4.

[0027] 4 and 5, the relay pipe 22a and the material removal pipe main body 22b are provided with overlapping flanges 41, 42. The piping clamp 40 has a pair of arc-shaped arms 43, 44, and corresponding ends of the arms 43, 44 are connected to each other via a link 45 so as to be able to swing relative to each other, while a screw shaft 46 is rotatably attached to the other end of one arm 43. 4 or 5, the pair of arms 43, 44 surround the overlapping portion of the flanges 41, 42, and the pair of arms 43, 44 embrace the relay pipe 22a and the material removal pipe main body 22b. From this state, the screw shaft 46 is fitted into the bifurcated portion 47 provided at the other end of the other arm 44, and a wing nut 48 is screwed onto the screw shaft 46 and tightened. This tightens the flanges 41, 42 with the pair of arc-shaped arms 43, 44, connecting the relay pipe 22a and the material removal pipe main body 22b. 3, the material discharge pipe body 22b can be removed from the relay pipe 22a that is threadedly connected to the material discharge pipe 21 by loosening the wing nut 48 shown in FIG. 4 and rotating the screw shaft 46 to remove it from the bifurcated portion 47 of the arm portion 44 on the other side, and then opening the pair of arms 43, 44 using the link 45. In this way, if the material discharge pipe body 22b equipped with the shutter can be easily removed from the relay pipe 22a connected to the material discharge pipe 21 by the action of the piping clamp 40, there is an advantage that the shutter and the material discharge pipe body 22b that have been removed from the relay pipe 22a can be easily cleaned.

[0028] In this embodiment, a shutter (not shown) provided on the material take-out pipe main body 22b opens and closes in conjunction with the extending and retracting movement of the air cylinder 25 shown in Figure 3. The opening movement of the shutter opens the passage inside the material take-out pipe main body 22b, and the closing movement of the shutter closes the passage inside the pipe. In this embodiment, the opening and closing movement of the shutter is also performed in conjunction with the extending and retracting movement of the air cylinder 25 by remotely controlling the air cylinder 25. The same methods as those described with reference to Figures 2(A) and 2(B) can be used to remotely control the air cylinder 25 and the shutter. Other control methods include incorporating the shutter remote control method into the overall control of the injection molding machine described above, and improving the accuracy of the opening and closing control by monitoring the shutter open / close position.

[0029] According to the embodiment described above, the pipe passage of the material removal pipe main body 22b constituting the material removal mechanism 20 can be opened and closed by remotely controlling the opening and closing operation of the shutter 32. Therefore, even if the material removal mechanism 20 of the vertical injection molding machine is installed at a high location, when removing material, an operator can remotely control the shutter 32 to open the shutter 32 from the factory floor, thereby safely performing the removal operation through the material removal pipe 21 and the material removal pipe 22 of the material removal mechanism 20. When the removal operation is completed, an operator can safely close the shutter 32 from the factory floor by remotely controlling the shutter 32.

[0030] 3, in this embodiment, an extension hose 26 for guiding discharged materials is connected to the material removal pipe main body 22b. In this way, the discharged materials can be guided to a low place such as the floor through the extension hose 26 and collected.

[0031] 4 and 5 are merely examples, and piping clamps having other configurations can also be used to connect the relay pipe 22a and the material take-out pipe main body 22b. For example, a piping clamp having a structure in which the flanges 41, 42 of the relay pipe 22a and the material take-out pipe main body 22b are clamped together by a clamping tool can be used.

[0032] Furthermore, in the two embodiments described above, the air cylinder 25 disposed in the pneumatic circuit is used as the drive source for opening and closing the shutter 32, but it is also possible to use a mechanical motion mechanism that utilizes a remotely controllable motor, or a hydraulic cylinder disposed in a hydraulic circuit, as the drive source for opening and closing the shutter 32. However, the use of the air cylinder 25 has the advantage of making it easier to reduce the weight of the drive source and to remotely control it.

[0033] 1 to 6, for the sake of convenience, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0034] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Vertical injection molding machine 2 Hopper 10 Connecting pipe body 20 Material removal mechanism 21 Material removal pipe 22 Material removal pipe 22a Relay pipe 22b Material removal pipe body 26 Extension hose 32 Shutter 40 Piping clamp

Claims

1. A connecting pipe for a hopper of a vertical injection molding machine, in which a material removal mechanism is provided on the connecting pipe main body that introduces material from the hopper into the vertical injection molding machine, characterized in that the material removal mechanism is configured by connecting a material removal pipe equipped with a shutter that can open and close the passage inside the pipe by remote control to a material removal pipe that branches off and protrudes from the connecting pipe main body.

2. A connecting pipe for a hopper of a vertical injection molding machine as described in claim 1, wherein the material removal pipe is divided into a relay pipe connected to the material withdrawal pipe and a material removal pipe main body connected to the material withdrawal pipe via the relay pipe, and the shutter is provided on the material removal pipe main body.

3. A connecting pipe for a hopper of a vertical injection molding machine as described in claim 2, wherein said relay pipe is connected to said material discharge pipe by a screw connection.

4. A connecting pipe for a hopper of a vertical injection molding machine as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the relay pipe and the material removal pipe body are removably connected via a piping clamp.

5. A connecting pipe for a hopper of a vertical injection molding machine as described in claim 1, further comprising an extension hose for guiding discharged material connected to said material discharge pipe.

6. A connecting pipe for a hopper of a vertical injection molding machine as described in claim 2 or 3, further comprising an extension hose for guiding discharged material, connected to said material discharge pipe body.

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