JPH0340478Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to an apparatus for pressure compression molding of powder. The present invention relates to a fully automatic dry powder molding apparatus that automatically performs a filling process, a process of pressurizing and compression molding powder, and a process of transporting a molded product out of the apparatus.

[Conventional technology]

Dry powder molding technology that processes amorphous raw material powder to produce powder molded products consists of three steps: a powder filling process, a compression molding process (including a pressure increase process and a pressure decrease process), and a molded product delivery process. configured. In normal dry powder molding, powder is filled into a powder filling compression molding processing chamber formed by a rubber mold, which is generally a cylindrical rubber mold, and a metal lid that seals the upper and lower openings of the mold. Then, ultra-high pressure is applied to the side surface of the rubber-shaped cylindrical body for molding via a liquid pressure medium, and after the powder is compression-molded, the pressure is lowered to normal pressure, and the molded product is taken out from the processing chamber and made into a product. The compression process is performed using a type of automatic equipment that generates ultra-high pressure, applies pressure to the molding rubber mold, and supports the stress.However, in conventional equipment, the powder filling process before and after the compression process The entire molded product unloading process was performed manually. In other words, in the powder filling process, powder is manually filled into the compression molding chamber using a funnel-shaped shooter, and in the molded product delivery process, the molded products in the compression molding chamber are manually compression molded one by one. The processing chamber was disassembled into a rubber-shaped cylindrical body and an upper and lower lid body and then taken out.

The reason why it was difficult to completely automate dry powder molding was that it was difficult to automate the powder filling process.
Although it was possible to automate the molded product unloading process to some extent using conventional technology, there is little practical significance in automating only the molded product unloading process unless the powder filling process is automated. Depending on the type of automation, the type of automation for the molded product delivery process and even the compression molding process may differ.
Automation of only the molded product delivery process had been postponed.

The reason why it has been difficult to automate the powder filling process is that it is not possible to control the turbulent flow of fluid that occurs when the powder, which is amorphous and easily floats and scatters, is transferred into the container. When powder is transferred to a container of some kind using a conventional funnel method, the fine powder swirls inside the container and scatters around the container, making it impossible to automate the filling process. This makes it difficult to speed up the filling process, making it difficult to ascertain the amount of filling, leading to loss of powder and, in turn, deteriorating the working environment. Not only that, but the powder filling time was actually longer than the compression molding time, resulting in a lot of waste, which not only caused increased product costs, but also caused the sliding parts of the equipment to wear out due to the scattered powder. This was also the cause of malfunctions.

For these reasons, there is a strong desire for the emergence of fully automatic dry powder molding equipment that can automate the powder filling process and also automate the molded product unloading process and compression molding process to solve the problems of conventional technology. It had been.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

The purpose of this invention is to provide a fully automatic dry powder molding device that automatically performs the entire process from supplying raw material powder to taking out the molded product, thereby preventing a decrease in yield due to scattering of raw material powder. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a fully automatic dry powder molding device that does not cause deterioration of the working environment.

[Means for solving problems]

According to the present invention, the hollow outer cylinder is connected to the lower part of the hopper via the pinch valve, and the upper cylindrical part, the middle conical part, and the lower cylindrical part constitute a hollow outer cylinder, while the upper umbrella part and the lower cylindrical part constitute a hollow outer cylinder. A hollow inner cylindrical body is constructed, a conical bottom of the outer cylindrical body is partitioned by a perforated plate, a guide is provided in the lower cylindrical part, and the cylindrical part of the inner cylindrical body extends through the perforated plate and the guide. , a means for filling the powder with a powder supply shooter configured by drilling at least one air vent hole in the bottom surface of the upper umbrella part of the cylindrical body, a hollow molding rubber mold and its upper and lower opening ends that can be opened and closed. After filling the powder-filled compression molding processing chamber, which consists of a top cover and a bottom cover that automatically fit together, the powder is automatically clamped by a yoke frame that supports pressure in the direction of the center axis, and is then inserted from the sides via a liquid pressure medium. It consists of a means for applying pressure and automatically performing compression molding processing, and a means for automatically transporting the powder molded product from the compression molding processing chamber to the outside of the apparatus, and the powder supply shutter is timed with the opening and closing of the top cover. Provided is a fully automatic dry powder molding apparatus characterized in that the powder molding apparatus is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

[Effect]

In the powder filling process, the fully automatic dry powder compacting device of the present invention uses a unique powder supply chute, unlike conventional filling in which the falling and rising flow paths of the powder and air are not separated. Unlike the device, the falling direction is set so that when the powder and air fall, they pass through the hollow space between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder, and when the powder and air rise, they pass through the inner cylinder. By dividing the flow path in the upward direction, the fluid flow is regulated in a predetermined direction, suppressing the scattering of powder due to vortices, and temporarily retaining the powder and air in the internal space of the upper umbrella part of the inner cylinder. The powder and air are separated, the rising fine powder falls again, and the air is released from the air vent, preventing the powder from scattering and allowing the powder to be quantitatively filled into the powder filling compression molding processing chamber. . When the filling of the processing chamber is completed, the upward movement of the powder supply shutter and the sealing of the processing chamber with the top cover operate in synchronization, so that the progress of powder molding is not interrupted at all. Various mechanisms for opening and closing the top cover are well known, but they can only be implemented in a specific manner in conjunction with the filling process. After the predetermined compression molding process, the molded product is transported out by a transport means, but the transport process should be linked with the filling process and the compression molding process, so that the consistent progress of powder molding should not be interrupted midway through. . Various mechanisms are well known for the means for opening and closing the bottom cover, the means for gripping and moving the molded product, and the means for transporting the molded product out of the apparatus. It becomes possible to provide powder molding equipment.

〔Example〕

A specific example of the configuration of the present invention will be described below with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited to this example.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a flexible hose 14 is connected via a pinch valve 12 to the lower part of a hopper 10 for storing powder. The powder supply shooter 16 is connected to a linear way 18 that supports vertical movement, and the upper opening of the powder supply shooter 16 is connected to the flexible hose 14 during powder filling.
As shown in FIG. 3, the lower opening is inserted into the powder filling compression molding processing chamber 20. The powder filling compression molding processing chamber 20 is usually formed of a cylindrical molding rubber mold 22, a top cover 24, a bottom cover 26, and a sealing rubber mold 2.
8 and a protective cylinder 30 having a through hole through which a liquid pressure medium passes, the pressure vessel 32 is surrounded by the pressure vessel 32, and the upper and lower openings of the pressure vessel 32 are connected to the top cover 2.
4 and the bottom cover 26, a top punch 34 and a bottom punch 36 are provided. The powder supply shooter is constructed by extending a hollow inner cylinder 40 inside a hollow outer cylinder 38, and the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder are connected by a perforated plate 42 and a guide 44. The umbrella part forms a guide plate 46, and at least one air vent hole 48 is provided on the bottom surface of the upper part of the inner cylinder body. The perforated plate is preferably a punched metal plate with a constant and uniform mesh diameter, and the guide is composed of at least three bridge structures that connect and support the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder. Vibration is applied to the outer cylinder as necessary. The top cover 24 is connected to a linear way 52 that supports vertical movement via a rotary actuator 50 that supports horizontal movement, and the bottom cover 26 is connected to a linear way 54 that supports vertical movement. . A yoke frame 56 that holds the powder-filled compression molding processing chamber 20 via the top cover 24 and the bottom cover 26.
is connected to a linear way 58 that supports horizontal movement. If the powder supply shooter 16 is connected to the yoke frame 56, the powder supply shooter 16 can be moved in the horizontal direction along with the movement of the yoke frame.
The members are preferably driven in the vertical or horizontal direction using a drive device that uses compressed air as a drive source. The yoke frame 56 can be driven by the yoke air cylinder 66, respectively, by the fin lock air cylinder 64. A flexible grip means is provided at the bottom of the apparatus, which is extendable and retractable up to at least the center axis of the powder-filled compression molding processing chamber and is movable in the vertical direction. It is preferable that the free gripping means is an air hand 72 connected to a linear way 68 that supports vertical movement and driven by a swing cylinder 70. Within the telescopic stroke of the air hand 72, preferably 5°
By providing the chute 74 with a downward slope of ~45° to the outside of the apparatus, the object released by the air hand 72 can be carried out of the apparatus using gravity.

If the fully automatic dry powder molding apparatus of the present invention is started after raw material powder for dry powder molding is put into the hopper 10, the dry powder molding process can be performed consistently until the molded product is unloaded. The raw material powder in the hopper 10 is delivered by the pinch valve 12 to the powder supply shooter 16 through a flexible hose 14 in fixed amounts corresponding to, for example, a set opening/closing time. The powder that has reached the powder supply shooter 16 has a flow path defined by the guide plate 46, passes through the space between the outer cylinder 38 and the inner cylinder 42, is sieved by the perforated plate 42, and passes through the lower opening of the outer cylinder. Powder filling compression molding processing chamber 20 from the end
It falls inward (Figure 3). At this time, the air inside the shooter and the processing chamber also moves in the same direction as the powder, but after being reflected at the bottom of the processing chamber, only the air rises through the internal hollow part of the inner cylinder 40 and enters the air vent hole 48.
more released. The fine powder is contained in the inner cylinder 40 together with the air.
If the powder rises inside the inner cylinder, it is unlikely that the powder will fall again while temporarily staying in the space inside the upper umbrella part of the inner cylinder and scatter outside the processing chamber. A predetermined amount of powder is quantitatively filled into the powder filling compression molding processing chamber 20. During powder filling, the bottom cover 26 is closed and the top cover 24 is open, but after powder filling, the powder supply shutter 16 rises and the top cover 24 moves to seal the powder filling chamber 20.
The top cover 24 is movably supported by a linear way 52, moved up and down by an air cylinder 62, and rotated horizontally by 90° by a rotary actuator 50. When the sealing with the top cover 24 is completed, the yoke air cylinder 66
The yoke frame 56, which is movably supported by the linear way 58, moves from the position shown by the solid line to the position shown by the dotted line in FIG. support. When pressure is applied to the sealing rubber mold 28 by a liquid pressure medium through the through hole provided in the protection tube 30, surface pressure is transmitted to the molding rubber mold 22, and the powder filled in the powder filling compression molding processing chamber 20 is Compression molding of the body progresses. Lateral pressure is supported by a pressure vessel 32. After performing compression molding at a predetermined pressure for a predetermined time, the pressure is lowered and the yoke frame 56 is formed.
When the bottom cover 26 is moved downward after being released from the clamp, the compression molded product is removed from the bottom cover 26.
Powder filling compression molding processing chamber 20
It comes out more. The molded product on the bottom cover 26 is gripped by a flexible gripping means such as an air hand 72, moved to a predetermined position, and carried out of the apparatus by a carrying means such as a chute 74, thereby completing one cycle of the fully automatic dry powder molding apparatus according to the present invention. The process is completed. By repeating this process, the entire process from raw materials to finished products can be carried out consistently and automatically. In this embodiment, opening and closing of the pinch valve 12, vertical movement of the shutter, opening and closing of the top cover, movement of the yoke,
The compression molding process, the opening and closing of the bottom cover, and the start and end of the air hand operation were timed and controlled by setting predetermined times using a timer in advance.

[Effect of idea]

By providing the fully automatic dry powder molding apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the dry powder molding process, which has traditionally been synonymous with batch processing, can be performed from the supply of powder to the transport of molded products. We were able to automate it consistently. In particular, the use of a unique shooter not only ensures a constant supply of powder and uniform product quality, but also improves the work environment by eliminating scattering of powder, and reduces cost increases due to powder loss. Furthermore, the life of the sliding parts of the device, where flying powder causes wear, has been extended. Conventionally, each step of the filling process, compression molding process, and unloading process required manpower, and additional manpower was required for the accompanying preparation operations, so multiple workers were always required to carry out the compression molding process. Previously, each process was carried out separately, but the fully automatic dry powder molding equipment of this invention can be operated by one worker, significantly reducing the amount of work.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of the fully automatic dry powder forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the fully automatic dry powder forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the main parts of the powder supply shutter and the powder filling compression molding processing chamber of the fully automatic dry powder molding apparatus of the present invention during powder filling. 10...hopper, 12...pinch valve, 14
... Flexible hose, 16 ... Powder supply shooter, 18 ... Linear way, 20 ... Powder filling compression molding processing chamber, 22 ... Rubber mold for molding, 24 ...
...Top cover, 26...Bottom cover, 28...
... Seal rubber mold, 30 ... Protection tube, 32 ... Pressure vessel, 34 ... Top punch, 36 ... Bottom punch, 38 ... Outer cylinder body, 40 ... Inner cylinder body, 42
... Perforated plate, 44 ... Guide, 46 ... Information board,
48... Air vent hole, 50... Rotary actuator, 52... Linear way, 54... Linear way, 56... Yoke frame, 58... Linear way, 60... Rodless cylinder, 62...
...Air cylinder, 64...Fine lock air cylinder, 66...Yoke air cylinder, 68...
...Linear way, 70...Swing cylinder, 7
2...Air hand, 74...Shoot.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] It is connected to the lower part of the hopper via a pinch valve, and the upper cylindrical part, middle conical part, and lower cylindrical part constitute a hollow outer cylinder, while the upper umbrella part and the lower cylindrical part constitute a hollow inner cylinder. The bottom of the conical part of the outer cylindrical body is partitioned by a perforated plate, and a guide is provided in the lower cylindrical part, and the cylindrical part of the inner cylindrical body is extended through the perforated plate and the guide, and an upper umbrella of the cylindrical body is formed. A means for filling powder with a powder supply shooter configured by drilling at least one air vent hole in the bottom surface of the part, a top cover that automatically fits into a rubber mold for hollow molding and its upper and lower opening ends so as to be openable and closable; After filling the powder filling compression molding processing chamber, which consists of a bottom cover, the powder is automatically clamped by a yoke frame that supports pressure in the direction of the center axis, and is automatically pressurized from the sides via a liquid pressure medium. It consists of a means for performing compression molding processing and a means for automatically transporting the powder molded product from the compression molding processing chamber to the outside of the apparatus, and moves the powder supply shooter in the vertical direction in synchronization with the opening and closing of the top cover. Fully automatic dry powder molding equipment that is characterized by being freely installed.