IES950964A2 - "A manufacturing process" - Google Patents

Abstract

A number of component parts including a housing such as a barrel (20) of a ram are prepared by various fabricating and/or machining operations. The component parts are delivered to a cleaning station (10). At the cleaning station (10), a number of barrels (20) are clamped on a bed (26) on a carriage (36). The bed (26) is pivoted on the carriage to move the barrels (20) from a horizontal loading position to a vertical position aligning an open end of each barrel with a cleaning jet (44) for spraying cleaning fluid into an interior of the barrel to clean the barrel. After cleaning, the bed (26) is moved to the horizontal loading position for carrying out inspection and construction work on the valves, including the fitting of a piston into each barrel to form a ram. The rams are then hydraulically tested on the bed by means of test apparatus (90). After testing, the rams are mounted on trolleys (100) for delivery to a further processing station. <Fig. 1>

Description

A Manufacturing Process This invention relates to a manufacturing process.

The invention is particularly concerned with the efficient manufacture of high quality products which include a housing such as a barrel, cylinder or the like having a hollow interior with an inlet opening in a side wall of the housing.

According to the present invention there is provided a manufacturing process, comprising the steps: fabricating a number of product component parts at associated work stations, the product component parts including a housing having a hollow interior with an inlet opening in a side wall of the housing, delivering the product component parts to a cleaning station, cleaning the product component parts, cleaning the housing by gripping the housing on a support bed, aligning the inlet opening with a cleaning jet, delivering a pressurised spray of cleaning fluid through the jet to an interior of the housing, draining the cleaning the fluid from the housing, mounting associated component parts on the housing, jpENTO PL· T INSPECTION Li i - .'1 SECTION 28 AND RULE 23 releasing the housing and removing the housing from the support bed. flfTCLfOLzF Wo? i JNL No .......OF/?A/M delivering the housing for further processing to produce a finished product.

In one embodiment of the invention the process includes positioning the housing above a cleaning fluid collecting tank with the opening of the housing facing downwardly towards the cleaning fluid collecting tank, spraying cleaning fluid upwardly from the jet into the interior of the housing and draining the cleaning fluid from the housing into the cleaning fluid collecting tank.

In another embodiment the process includes gripping the housing by clamping the housing on the support bed in a loading position and moving the support bed between the loading position and a cleaning position for aligning the inlet of the housing with the jet.

Preferably the process includes pivoting the support bed between a substantially horizontal loading position and a substantially upright cleaning position on an associated carriage on which the support bed is pivotally mounted In a particularly preferred embodiment the process includes vertically sliding the support bed on the carriage and/or sliding the carriage relative to the jet for aligning the jet with the opening of the housing.

In a further embodiment the process includes clamping the housing on the support bed by mounting the housing on an associated seat on the support bed and moving a clamp bar inwardly towards the seat from a retracted disengaged position to a housing engaging position for clamping the housing between the clamp bar and the seat.

In another embodiment the process includes the step of after cleaning, hydraulically testing the ram by; 89509β4 filing the housing with an hydraulic fluid, pressurising the hydraulic fluid in the housing, isolating the hydraulic fluid in the housing and checking for leaks of hydraulic fluid from the housing.

In a preferred embodiment the housing is a barrel of a ram, and the component parts include a complementary piston rod and piston for the ram, the process further includes the steps: mounting the piston rod on an associated carrier at the cleaning station, clamping the piston rod on the carrier, mounting the piston on the piston rod and securing the piston on the piston rod, aligning the piston with the opening of the barrel, moving the barrel and piston together for inserting the piston through the opening into a bore of the barrel, and releasing the piston rod.

Conveniently the process includes after hydraulic testing of the ram, engaging a free end of the piston rod with the carrier and moving the carrier relative to the support bed for advancing the piston through the barrel evacuating hydraulic fluid from the barrel.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:5 Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a process and apparatus according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of apparatus used in the process; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a barrel 10 support bed of the apparatus; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of the support bed; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of portion of the cleaning station used in the process; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of portion of a cleaning station; Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view showing the cleaning station in use; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the support bed, in 20 use; Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the support bed in use for testing rams according to the process; Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a ram piston carrier used in the process; Fig. 11 is an exploded side elevational view of a ram manufactured according to the process; Fig. 12 is an elevational view of apparatus for testing a ram manufactured according to the process; and Fig. 13 is an elevational view of a ram manufactured according to the process.

Referring to the drawings a manufacturing process according to the invention will be described.

A number of product component parts are fabricated at associated work stations. Typically the product component parts are made in one or more manufacturing operations which may include for example, drilling, milling, tapping, welding and the like. Generally the component parts will become soiled with oils, dirt, swarf and the like during the fabricating operations. It is necessary to remove this dirt before further processing of the component parts can be carried out.

The product component parts are delivered to a cleaning station indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. At the cleaning station 10 smaller component parts 11 are delivered to a washing machine 12. The washing machine 12 has a housing 13. A centrally mounted upstanding post 14 within the housing 13 carries a pair of vertically spacedapart spray bars, namely an upper spray bar 15 and a lower spray bar 16. The upper spray bar 15 has a plurality of spaced-apart nozzles along an underside of the spray bar 15. The lower spray bar 16 has a similar arrangement of nozzles along an upper side of the spray bar 16. Each of the spray bars 15, 16, has a radial opening at one end of the spray bars 15, 16 through which pressurized cleaning fluid delivered to the spray bars 15, 16 is ejected to rotate the spray bars 15, 16 on the post 14. It will be noted that the spray bars 15, 16 rotate in opposite directions for optimum cleaning of the component parts 11 placed in the housing 13. A mesh plate (not shown) is mounted within the housing 13 between the spray bars 15, 16 to support the component parts 11. These relatively small component parts may include for example pistons for rams, manufactured according to the process and in some cases, piston rods for the rams also.

The component parts include a housing, in this case formed by a barrel 20 (Fig. 3) for a ram, the barrel 20 having a hollow interior with an inlet opening 21 at one end of the barrel 20, the other end of the barrel 20 being sealed. An hydraulic oil inlet pipe 23 projects radially outwardly adjacent the closed end of the barrel 20.

At the cleaning station 10 the barrel 20 is mounted on a multi-function stand 25. Two of the stands 25 are shown in Fig. 1 in different positions of use. Each stand 25 has a support bed 26 for reception of plurality of barrels 20, in this case six barrels 20.

As can be seen in Figs. 3 and 4 each barrel 20 engages a seat on the bed 26 formed by V-shaped slots 28 on a number of spaced-apart beams, namely a pair of fixed beams, 29, 30 and an associated movable beam 31 which is slidable towards and away from the fixed beams 29, 30.

A clamp bar 32 is mounted on a rod 33 above the beams 29, 30 and is movable by means of a ram between a retracted disengaged position shown in Fig. 3 and an engaged position shown in Fig. 4, engaging and holding a pair of barrels 20 on the support bed 26. It will appreciated *950964 that in this way up to six barrels can be mounted on the bed 26 of the stand 25 readily easily and quickly.

The bed 26 is pivotally mounted at a front end of the bed 26 by pivot pins 35 (Fig. 6) on a carriage 36. In this case the support bed 26 can be pivoted on the carriage 35 from a horizontal loading position into an upright cleaning position by means of a ram 37 mounted between the carriage 35 and an underside of the support bed 26.

With the bed 26 in the upright position as shown in Fig. 2 each barrel 20 is positioned above a cleaning fluid collecting tank 40. The tank 40 has a sliding lid 41 (Fig. 6) with openings 42 which cooperate with associated openings 43 in a top of the tank 40 for exposure of a jet 44 which is directed upwardly within the tank 40.

The barrels 20 are aligned with each associated jet 44 by moving the barrels 20 vertically by sliding the support bed 26 on the carriage 36 and by sliding the carriage 36 on a base 45 of the stand 25 by means of a ram 46 at a rear end of the carriage towards or away from the jets 44. Each of the hydraulic fluid inlet pipes 23 on the barrels 20 are closed by a plug.

Referring to Fig. 2, beneath the floor on which the stand 25 is mounted a room 50 contains a reservoir 51 of cleaning fluid. The cleaning fluid is s water-based solvent which is heated to a temperature in the order of 75-85°C. A pump (not shown) is mounted in a discharge line 53 for pumping hot cleaning fluid from the reservoir 51 through a filter (not shown) to the jets 44 as shown in Fig. 7. It will be noted that the pressurized jet of cleaning fluid impinges against an upper sealed end of the barrel 20 and runs down an inner side wall of the barrel, thoroughly cleaning the barrel. The cleaning fluid is collected in the tank 40 from which it is returned through a filter to the reservoir 51 for re-use.

After operating the jets 44 for the desired time period, the pump is switched of and after draining any remaining fluid from the barrels 20, the support bed 26 is pivoted back down into the horizontal loading position. It will be noted that in the loading position, the barrels are supported approximately at waist height, which facilitates further working on the barrels 20. As shown in Fig. 8 an operative moves along the line of barrels 20 shining light from a lamp 55 into each barrel 20 in turn to confirm that the interior of each barrel has been thoroughly cleaned.

Referring to Figs. 9 to 13 a number of piston rods 60, in this case six, are mounted on a carrier 62 associated with the stand 25. The carrier 62 has a base 63 with an upstanding telescopic post 64 mounted at each side of the base. Rams 72, 73 are operable to extend and retract the posts 64. Support blocks 65, 66 for the piston rods 60 are mounted on the posts 65. Each support block 65, 66 has V-shaped slots 67 for reception of the piston rod 60. Rams 68 mounted directly above the support blocks 65, 66 carry clamp heads 69 to clamp the piston rods 60 in the slots 67.

The base 63 is slidable on tracks 70 by means of rams 71 (Fig. 2) at each side of the base 63 to move the carrier 62 towards and away from the stand 25. With the piston rod 60 mounted on the carrier 62, a piston 75 can be mounted on the end of the rod 60. Then the carrier 62 is advanced and the pistons 75 are brought into alignment with the bore of each of the barrels 20 as shown in Fig. 12. The piston rods 60 are then released and the piston and piston rod assembly inserted in the bore of the barrels 20 to form the rams. $ £ ··. «β To test the rams a test apparatus 90 is provided having a pressurized hydraulic fluid supply delivered to a plurality of pipes 91 with quick-release couplings 92 for connection to the barrels 20 mounted on the bed 26. Each of the barrels 20 is filled with hydraulic fluid which is brought to a preset test pressure and then the barrel 20 is isolated for a preset time period to check for leaks. If no leakage occurs, the hydraulic fluid pressure is maintained within each barrel 20. Any faulty rams can be isolated and removed for correction.

Rams which have passed the test procedure are mounted on a trolley 100 (Fig. 1) and delivered to a finishing station 102. Within the finishing station 102 an outside surface of the rams are cleaned and then the exterior of the rams are painted. Any further processing required to finish the product is also carried out.

It will be appreciated that the invention provides a process and apparatus for the efficient manufacture of high quality products of the type which incorporate a housing such as a barrel, cylinder or the like. The apparatus allows a number of manufacturing steps to be carried out in an efficient manner at a centralised processing station which facilitates cleaning, inspecting, construction and testing of the products. Movement of the product component parts is minimised to optimise production time. Further, the housing component parts are securely supported during the manufacturing steps and can be readily easily handled by an operative with the aid of the apparatus.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail.

Claims (5)

1. A manufacturing process, comprising the steps: fabricating a number of product component parts at associated work stations, the product component parts including a housing having a hollow interior with an inlet opening in a side wall of the housing, delivering the product component parts to a cleaning station, cleaning the product component parts, cleaning the housing by gripping the housing on a support bed, aligning the inlet opening with a cleaning jet, delivering a pressurised spray of cleaning fluid through the jet to an interior of the housing, draining the cleaning the fluid from the housing, mounting associated component parts on the housing, releasing the housing and removing the housing from the support bed, delivering the housing for further processing to produce a finished product.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the process includes positioning the housing above a cleaning fluid collecting tank with the opening of the housing 8950964 facing downwardly towards the cleaning fluid collecting tank, spraying cleaning fluid upwardly from the jet into the interior of the housing and draining the cleaning fluid from the housing into the cleaning fluid collecting tank, and preferably the process includes gripping the housing by clamping the housing on the support bed in a loading position and moving the support bed between the loading position and a cleaning position for aligning the inlet of the housing with the jet, and preferably the process includes pivoting the support bed between a substantially horizontal loading position and a substantially upright cleaning position on an associated carriage on which the support bed is pivotally mounted, and preferably the process includes vertically sliding the support bed on the carriage and/or sliding the carriage relative to the jet for aligning the jet with the opening of the housing.

3. A process as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the housing is a barrel of a ram, and the component parts include a complementary piston rod and piston for the ram, the process further includes the steps: mounting the piston rod on an associated carrier at the cleaning station, clamping the piston rod on the carrier, mounting the piston on the piston rod and securing the piston on the piston rod, aligning the piston with the opening of the barrel, moving the barrel and piston together for inserting the piston through the opening into a bore of the barrel, and releasing the piston rod. 5

4. . A manufacturing process substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5. Products whenever manufactured according to the process as claimed in any preceding claim.