Sealing structure

Abstract

[Problem] To prevent the structure of a seal part from becoming larger. [Solution] A sealing structure according to the present invention comprises: a fixed die 11 having a recess 11; a movable die 20 that can move forward and backward with respect to the fixed die; a slide core 30 that can move in a direction crossing a second moving direction Z of the movable die, can be attached to the fixed die, and can be accommodated in the recess; and a bridge 40 that can be attached to the fixed die so as to connect a first side 12 in the recess of the fixed die and a second side 13 opposite to the first side. The bridge forms a seal line with the fixed die in a state in which the bridge is attached to the fixed die.

Description

Seal Structure

[0001] The present invention relates to a seal structure.

[0002] Numerous casting-related technologies have been known for some time. In casting, the pressure in the casting cavity is reduced to a vacuum by sealing the gap between dies, etc., in order to prevent air entrapment in the molten metal and improve product quality. A conventional technique for sealing the gap between dies involves forming a convex portion that protrudes in the direction of movement of the movable die on one of the mating surfaces of the fixed die and the movable die, forming a concave portion on the other, forming intersecting through-holes in the convex portion, providing a first sealing material on the mating surfaces of the fixed die and the movable die, and providing a second sealing material on the side surface intersecting the convex portion and on the surface of the sliding die intersecting the convex portion.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-57623

[0004] The inventors have noted that in the case of a structure such as that of Patent Document 1, if the portion forming the cavity of the slide core is large, the shape of the portion connecting the cavities becomes large, and the shape of the seal portion becomes complex.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to prevent the structure of the sealing portion from becoming large.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a seal structure having a fixed mold with a recess, a movable mold, a slide core, and a bridge. The movable mold is configured to be movable toward and away from the fixed mold. The slide core is configured to be movable in a direction intersecting the movement direction of the movable mold, be attachable to the fixed mold, and be accommodated in the recess of the fixed mold. The bridge is configured to be attachable to the fixed mold so as to connect a first side of the recess of the fixed mold to a second side opposite the first side. When attached to the fixed mold, the bridge forms a seal line with the fixed mold.

[0007] According to the above seal structure, the size of the seal portion can be prevented from increasing.

[0008] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a mold for a seal structure according to an embodiment. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a movable mold. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which a bridge is attached to a fixed mold. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which a bridge and a slide core are attached to a fixed mold. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a sprue gate and a path for evacuation in a mold. Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a slide core. Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing the bridge. Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing the bridge from a direction different from that in Fig. 7. Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing the bridge from a direction different from that in Figs. 7 and 8.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. In the drawings, the size and proportions of each component are exaggerated to facilitate understanding of the embodiments, and may differ from the actual size and proportions.

[0010] In each figure, arrows represented by X, Y, and Z are used to indicate the orientation of the members constituting the mold structure according to the embodiment. X constitutes the width direction of the mold and indicates the movement direction of a slide core 30 (described later), and is referred to as the first movement direction X. Y indicates the depth direction of the mold or the direction of gravity, and is referred to as the depth direction Y, or together with X, is referred to as the planar direction XY. Z indicates the height direction of the mold or the movement direction of the movable mold 20, and is referred to as the second movement direction Z.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a mold for a seal structure according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a movable mold 20. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a bridge 40 is attached to a fixed mold 10. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a slide core 30 and a bridge 40 are attached to the fixed mold 10. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a sprue and a vacuum path in the mold. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the slide core 30. Figs. 7 to 9 are diagrams showing the bridge 40.

[0012] The seal structure according to this embodiment can be used in the manufacture of cast parts. As shown in Figures 1, 6, 7, etc., the seal structure according to this embodiment includes a fixed mold 10, a movable mold 20, a slide core 30, and a bridge 40. The following will explain the structure.

[0013] (Fixed mold) The fixed mold 10 forms part of the outer wall of the space (cavity) that becomes the product during molding of the casting mold, and is configured as a mold that does not move relative to the movable mold 20, as shown in Figure 1 etc. In this embodiment, the fixed mold 10 is installed below the movable mold 20 in the second movement direction Z as shown in Figure 1, but the positions of the movable mold and the fixed mold may be reversed as long as the desired shape can be formed. The fixed mold 10 is provided with a recess 11 (see Figure 3) in which a slide core 30 is set.

[0014] (Moveable Mold) As shown in FIG. 1 and other figures, the movable mold 20 is configured to be movable toward and away from the fixed mold 10 in the second movement direction Z. The fixed mold 10 and the movable mold 20 have a contour shape Cv that forms a cavity. The outer periphery of the movable mold 20 is configured to protrude inward in the direction of movement of the fixed mold 10 to prevent molten metal from seeping out from the mating surface and to prevent burrs from forming. A seal line (second seal line L2, not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 for convenience) is provided near the outer periphery of each of the fixed mold 10 and the movable mold 20 at the mold parting (parting line: PL) position. Because the second seal line L2 is configured flat, a highly reliable seal can be achieved without the seal member falling off. The movable mold 20 has an abutment portion 21 (corresponding to the second abutment portion) with the fixed mold 10 and the bridge 40. Note that the portion indicated by shape P1 in FIG. 2 corresponds to the runner, which serves as a two-stage gate.

[0015] A flow path for the molten metal is formed inside the fixed die 10 and the movable die 20. As shown in Figure 5, with the molten metal inlet G (corresponding to the part P2 in Figure 2) located at the bottom, the inside of the flow path is sucked from above by vacuuming at a predetermined speed, and the molten metal is moved by a pressing means such as a plunger, thereby supplying the molten metal to the flow path and the cavity. The molten metal becomes a workpiece W by cooling.

[0016] (Slide Core) The slide core 30 is movable in a first movement direction X intersecting with the second movement direction Z of the fixed die 10 and the movable die 20, and is configured to be attachable to the fixed die 10. As shown in Fig. 6, the slide core 30 includes a cavity forming portion 31, a load receiving portion 32, and an outer contact portion 33 (corresponding to a first contact portion).

[0017] The cavity forming portion 31 partially constitutes the contour shape Cv of the cavity that will become the product. The load receiving portion 32 is formed so as to be continuous with the lower side of the cavity forming portion 31, and the end of the load receiving portion 32 in the first movement direction X is configured to abut against the fixed die 10 when the slide core is pressed by an actuator or the like. The load receiving portion 32 of the slide core 30 is accommodated in the recess 11.

[0018] The outer abutment portion 33 is provided on the outside of the load receiving portion 32 and is configured to abut against a part of the fixed mold 10 and a bridge (described later) to form a seal portion. In this embodiment, the outer abutment portion 33 is configured separately from the load receiving portion 32 and is configured as an integral part using bolts or the like. However, if the two can be integrated, the load receiving portion 32 and the outer abutment portion 33 may be configured as a single part. The outer abutment portion 33 is configured to abut against the fixed mold 10 and the bridge 40.

[0019] (Bridge) As shown in Fig. 3, the bridge 40 is configured to be attachable to the fixed die 10 so as to connect the first side 12 and the second side 13 opposite to the first side 12 in the recess 11 of the fixed die 10. As shown in Fig. 7, the bridge 40 can be attached to the fixed die 10 by inserting bolts or the like into two holes h and screwing the bolts into the fixed die 10. The bridge 40 is configured to form a seal line with the fixed die 10 when attached to the fixed die 10. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to achieve a compact seal structure while allowing the slide die to be attached to the die body even if the cavity portion of the slide core 30 is large.

[0020] The bridge 40 is configured so that a first surface 41 faces the mating surfaces of the fixed mold 10 and the movable mold 20, and can be provided with a groove for installing a sealing material such as rubber. A second surface 42, which is different from the first surface 41, is configured to abut against the outer abutment portion 33 of the slide core 30. The bridge 40 can be arranged in the recess of the fixed mold 10 so as to connect one side (first side 12) and the other side (second side 13).

[0021] The bridge 40 is configured to form a first seal line L1 that is formed flat on the mating surface with the slide core 30 so as to be continuous with the fixed die 10 when attached to the fixed die 10. This configuration makes it possible to realize a highly reliable slide seal that prevents the seal member from falling off. A groove for installing a seal member such as rubber can be provided on the second surface 42.

[0022] The seal line in the bridge 40 includes a second seal line L2 that is formed flat so as to connect to the fixed die 10 on the mating surface (contact portion 21) with the movable die 20 when the bridge 40 is attached to the fixed die 10. Because the second seal line L2 has such a flat seal structure, it is possible to achieve a highly reliable seal that prevents the seal member from falling off.

[0023] The bridge 40 can be provided with a groove L3 (application portion) for applying a fluid seal such as liquid packing at the portion connecting the first seal line L1 and the second seal line L2. The portions connecting the first seal line L1 and the second seal line L2 are the third surface 43 and the fourth surface 44 adjacent to the first surface 41, and the fifth surface 45 adjacent to the second surface 42. With this configuration, the first seal line L1 and the second seal line L2 can be connected by a fluid seal to achieve a reliable seal.

[0024] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

[0025] 10 Fixed mold, 11 Recess, 20 Movable mold, 21 Abutment portion (second abutment portion), 30 Slide core, 33 Outer abutment portion (first abutment portion), 40 Bridge, L1 First seal line, L2 Second seal line, L3 Groove (application portion), X First movement direction, Y Depth direction, Z Second movement direction.

Claims

1. A sealing structure comprising: a fixed mold having a recess; a movable mold that can move toward and away from said fixed mold; a slide core that can move in a direction intersecting the direction of movement of said movable mold, that can be attached to said fixed mold, and that is housed in said recess; and a bridge that can be attached to said fixed mold so as to connect a first side of said recess of said fixed mold to a second side opposite to said first side, wherein said bridge forms a seal line with said fixed mold when attached to said fixed mold.

2. The seal structure according to claim 1, wherein the slide core has a first abutment portion with the fixed mold and the bridge, and the seal line includes a first seal line formed flat so as to connect with the fixed mold on the first abutment portion with the slide core when the bridge is attached to the fixed mold.

3. The seal structure described in claim 2, wherein the movable mold has a second abutment portion with the fixed mold and the bridge, and the seal line includes a second seal line formed flat so as to connect with the fixed mold on the second abutment portion with the movable mold when the bridge is attached to the fixed mold.

4. The seal structure according to claim 3, wherein the bridge is provided with an application section for applying a fluid sealant to a section connecting the first seal line and the second seal line.

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