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(11) | EP 3 219 407 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | DISPENSER AND SPRAY DEVICE HAVING THE SAME |
| (57) A dispenser (6) includes a main body (7) having a mixingchamber (71) that has a spray
opening (711) adapted to be connected to a nozzle mechanism (2) of a die casting machine,
a release agent input passage (75) that has at least one release agent hole portion
(752) communicating with the mixing chamber (71), a water input passage (76) that
has at least one water hole portion (761) communicating with the mixing chamber (71),
and an air input passage (77) that has at least one air hole portion (771) communicating
with the mixing chamber (71), and disposed upstream of the at least one release agent
holeportion (752) and the at least one water hole portion (761) . The dispenser (6)
further includes two valve units (8). Each of the valve units (8) is operable to open
and close a respective one of the release agent input passage (75) and the water input
passage (76).
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[0001] The disclosure relates to a dispenser, and more particularly to a dispenser of a spray device of a die casting machine.
[0002] As shown in Figure 1, a die casting operation using a conventional die casting machine 1 requires a release agent liquid (i.e., a mixture of release agent and water) to be sprayed to a mold 11 so that a produced blank can be easily removed from the mold 11. The release agent liquid is sprayed out from a spray device 12 which has a plurality of nozzle mechanisms 121. Each of the nozzle mechanisms 121 is formed with a copper tube having a curved distal end section. After the blank is removed from the mold 11, the spray device 12 will be driven to move to a location between a core plate 111 and a cavityplate 112 of the mold 11, and will spray the release agent liquid to the surfaces of the core plate 111 and the cavityplate 112. The mold 11 is then closed to proceed to the next die casting operation.
[0003] Generally, the mold 11 can reach higher temperatures after the die casting operation, such that the mold 11 needs to be cooled down before being sprayed with the release agent liquid to prevent poor adherence of the release agent liquid. A conventional spray device 12 uses the release agent liquid to cool down the mold 11 since the spray device 12 can only spray out one type of liquid by using high pressure air from a spray tube. Therefore, during the die casting operation, the release agent liquid needs to be sprayed out twice, once for cooling and once for die casting purposes. In such manner, a conventional spray device consumes a high amount of the release agent liquid and results in a time-consuming die casting operation.
[0004] Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a dispenser that can reduce the consumption of release agent liquid and time for die casting operation.
[0005] According to the disclosure, the dispenser is adapted to be mounted to a nozzle mechanism of a die casting machine, and is adapted to be connected to a release agent source, a water source and an air source. The dispenser includes a main body and two valve units. The main body has a mixing chamber, a release agent input passage, a water input passage, and an air input passage. The mixing chamber has a spray opening adapted to be connected to the nozzle mechanism of the die casting machine. The release agent input passage is adapted to be connected to the release agent source, and has at least one release agent hole portion communicating with the mixing chamber. The water input passage is adapted to be connected to the water source, and has at least one water hole portion communicating with the mixing chamber. The air input passage is adapted to be connected to the air source, and has at least one air hole portion communicating with the mixing chamber, and disposed upstream of the at least one release agent hole portion of the release agent input passage and the at least one water hole portion of the water input passage. The valve units are mounted to the main body. Each of the valve units is operable to open and close a respective one of the release agent input passage and the water input passage.
[0006] Another object of the disclosure is to provide a spray device that has the abovementioned dispenser.
[0007] According to the disclosure, the spray device includes a nozzle mechanism and the abovementioned dispenser. The nozzle mechanism includes a base body and a nozzle unit mounted to the base body. The dispenser is mounted to the nozzle mechanism. The spray opening of the mixing chamber communicates with the nozzle unit.
[0008] Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Figure 1 is a schematic fragmentary side view of a conventional die casting machine;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a spray device of a die casting machine according to the disclosure;
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure 2;
Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view within a rectangle (IV) in Figure 2, illustrating a dispenser of the embodiment;
Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the dispenser of the embodiment;
Figure 6 is another enlarged perspective view of the dispenser of the embodiment;
Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in Figure 6; and
Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in Figure 6.
[0009] Referring to Figures 2 to 4, the embodiment of a spray device is adapted for use in a die casting machine. The spray device includes a nozzle mechanism 2 and a plurality of dispensers 6 mounted to the nozzle mechanism 2. The nozzle mechanism 2 includes a base body 3, a plurality of nozzle units 4 mounted to the base body 3, and four air nozzle units 5 mounted to a bottomportion of the base body 3.
[0010] The base body 3 has a plurality of receiving chambers 31. The nozzle units 4 respectively communicate with the receiving chambers 31, and each of the nozzle units 4 includes a plurality of nozzles 41. Each of the air nozzle units 5 includes a plurality of air nozzles 51. The number of the receiving chambers 31 and the number of the nozzle units 4 may each be one in other embodiments.
[0011] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the dispensers 6 are mounted to the base body 3 and are respectively connected to the receiving chambers 31. Each of the dispensers 6 is adapted to be connected to a release agent source 21, a water source 22 and an air source 23, and includes a main body 7 mounted to a top end of the base body 3, two valve units 8 and two regulating members 9.
[0012] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, for each of the dispensers 6, the main body 7 has a base part 70, a wall member 72 defining a mixing chamber 71, and a mixing member 73 having at least a portion that is disposed in the mixing chamber 71. The main body 7 further has two valve chambers 74, a release agent input passage 75 adapted to be connected to the release agent source 21, a water input passage 76 adapted to be connected to the water source 22, and an air input passage 77 adapted to be connected to the air source 23.
[0013] For each of the dispensers 6, the mixing chamber 71 has a spray opening 711 communicating with a respective one of the receiving chambers 31 of the base body 3, and diverging from an inner end thereof to an outer end thereof (i.e., toward the respective one of the receiving chambers 31). The wall member 72 is disposed in the base part 70 and is in a tubular shape. The mixing member 73 has an extending portion 731 disposed in the mixing chamber 71, and a spreading portion 732 extending from the extending portion 731 and outwardly of the spray opening 711 of the mixing chamber 71, and having a distal end section that is plate-shaped and that is spaced apart from the spray opening 711.
[0014] In this embodiment, the release agent input passage 75 has a connecting hole portion 751 formed in an end of the extending portion 731 of the mixing member 73 which is opposite to the spreading portion 732, a plurality of release agent hole portions 752 formed in the extending portion 731 of the mixing member 73 and communicating with the mixing chamber 71 and the connecting hole portion 751, and a release agent input portion 753. The release agent hole portions 752 are angularly spaced apart from each other, and each of the release agent hole portions 752 extends obliquely from the connecting hole portion 751 toward the spray opening 711 of the mixing chamber 71. The release agent input portion 753 has one end communicating with the connecting hole portion 751 and the other end adapted to communicate with the release agent source 21, so that a release agent can flow into the connecting hole portion 751 from the release agent input portion 753, and then flow along a path (I) (see Figure 7) into the mixing chamber 71 via the release agent hole portions 752.
[0015] It should be noted that, the number of the release agent hole portions 752 may be one in other embodiments, and a first angle (θ1) (see Figure 8) defined between a central axis (L) of the mixing member 73 and a first extending direction through which each of the release agent hole portions 752 extends is less than 90 degrees. In this embodiment, the first angle (θ1) is 45 degrees.
[0016] In this embodiment, the water input passage 76 has a plurality of angularly spaced-apart water hole portions 761 formed in the wall member 72 and communicating with the mixing chamber 71, a surrounding water groove portion 762 formed in an outer surface of the wall member 72 and communicating with the water hole portions 761, a connecting portion 763 and a water input portion 764. The water hole portions 761 of the water input passage 76 extend obliquely from the surrounding water groove portion 762 toward the spray opening 711 of the mixing chamber 71. The connecting portion 763 is in the shape of an inverted T, and has a first bottom end communicating with the surrounding water groove portion 762, a second bottom end communicating with the outer environment, and a top end communicating with the water input portion 764. The second bottom end of the connecting portion 763 is blocked with a plug (see Figure 7) when the dispenser 6 is in use. The water input portion 764 extends from the top end of the connecting portion 763 and is adapted to communicate with the water source 22. In such manner, water can flow into the connecting portion 763 from the water input portion 764, and then flow along a path (II) (see Figure 7) into the mixing chamber 71 via the water hole portions 761.
[0017] It should be noted that, the number of the water hole portions 761 may be one in other embodiments, and a second angle (θ2) (see Figure 8) defined between the central axis (L) of the mixing member 73 and a second extending direction through which each of the water hole portions 761 extends is less than 90 degrees. In this embodiment, the second angle (θ2) is 45 degrees.
[0018] In this embodiment, the air input passage 77 has a plurality of angularly spaced-apart air hole portions 771 formed in the wall member 72 and communicating with the mixing chamber 71, a surrounding air groove portion 772 formed in the outer surface of the wall member 72 and communicating with the air hole portions 771, and an air input portion 773. The air input portion 773 has one end communicating with the surrounding air groove portion 772 and the other end adapted to communicate with the air source 23. In such manner, air can be jetted into the air input passage 77 from the air input portion 773, and then pass along a path (III) (see Figure 7) into the mixing chamber 71.
[0019] The release agent hole portions 752 of the release agent input passage 75 is disposed downstream of the air hole portions 771 of the air input passage 77 and upstream of the water hole portions 761 of the water input passage 76. In such manner, air jetted out from the air hole portions 771 can pass through the release agent hole portions 752 and the water hole portions 761 to bring a release agent liquid or the water out of the spray opening 711 of the mixing chamber 71.
[0020] As shown in Figures 5, 7 and 8, the valve units 8 are respectively mounted in valve chambers 74 of the main body 7, and each of the valve units 8 is operable to open and close a respective one of the release agent input passage 75 and the water input passage 76. Each of the valve units 8 includes a top cover 81 fixedly mounted to a top end of a respective one of the valve chambers 74 and sealing the respective one of the valve chambers 74, and a movable bottom valve 82. The bottom valve 82 of each of the valve units 8 has a body segment 821 that extends outwardly of the respective one of the valve chambers 74 and toward the respective one of the release agent input passage 75 and the water input passage 76, and a frustoconical plug segment 822 connected to an end of the body segment 821 that is opposite to the top cover 81. One of the plug segments 822 is operable to close the release agent input passage 75 with the plug segment 822 blocking the connecting hole portion 751 of the release agent input passage 75, and to open the release agent input passage 75 with the plug segment 822 being removed from the connecting hole portion 751 of the release agent input passage 75. The other one of the plug segments 822 is operable to close the water input passage 76 with the plug segment 822 blocking the connecting portion 763 of the water input passage 76, and to open the water input passage 76 with the plug segment 822 being removed from the connecting portion 763 of the water input passage 76. The valve units 8 may be replaced by other conventional valve units in other embodiments.
[0021] Each of the valve chambers 74 has a first air inlet portion 741 located at a top portion thereof, and a second air inlet portion 742 located at abottomportion thereof. In such manner, when air flows into each of the valve chambers 74 via the first air inlet portion 741, the bottom valve 82 of a respective one of the valve units 8 would be pushed to move away from the top cover 81 of the respective one of the valve units 8 to close a respective one of the release agent input passage 75 and the water input passage 76, and when air flows into each of the valve chambers 74 via the second air inlet portion 742, the bottom valve 82 of the respective one of the valve units 8 would be pushed to move toward the top cover 81 of the respective one of the valve units 8 to open the respective one of the release agent input passage 75 and the water input passage 76.
[0022] Each of the regulating members 9 extends threadedly into the main body 7, and can be rotated to block and unblock a respective one of the release agent input portion 753 of the release agent input passage 75 and the water input portion 764 of the water input passage 76. Accordingly, one of the regulating members 9 can control the amount of the release agent supplied from the release agent source 21 into the release agent input passage 75, and the other one of the regulating members 9 can control the amount of the water supplied from the water source 22 into the water input passage 76.
[0023] As shown in Figures 3, 7 and 8, during operation, the air from the air source 23 is jetted into the mixing chamber 71 via the air input passage 77, and flows through the release agent hole portions 752 and the water hole portions 761 to jet the release agent and the water out of the spray opening 711 of the mixing chamber 71. The fluid, which includes the release agent and the water jetted out of the spray opening 711, would first hit the spreading portion 732 of the mixing member 73, and then be retained in a respective one of the receiving chambers 31 to be well-mixed. In the last stage, the fluid would be sprayed out from a respective one of the nozzle units 4. For each of the dispensers 6, a user can control the release agent input passage 75 and the water input passage 76 to be closed or opened by inputting air into the first air input portion 741 or the second air input portion 742 of a respective one of the valve chambers 74. Therefore, with such structure, different types of the fluid (for example: water, release agent or a mixture of water and release agent) sprayed out from the nozzle mechanism 2 can be selected.
[0024] It should be noted that, since each of the receiving chambers 31 is connected to the respective one of the dispensers 6 and is isolated from each other, each of the dispensers 6 can be independently closed or opened as required.
[0025] During the die casting process, the air nozzle units 5 of the nozzle mechanism 2 firstly jet air to clean burrs clinging to a mold (not shown), and the valve unit 8 is operated to open the water input passage 76 so as to spray out the water to cool down the mold. Finally, the valve unit 8 is further operated to open the release agent input passage 75 so as to spray out the release agent liquid to the mold for the next die casting process.
[0026] With the abovementioned configuration, the spray device of the disclosure has the following advantages:
- 1. Since different types of the fluid can be selected to be sprayed out from the nozzle mechanism 2, and time required for the mold to cool and the amount of the release agent used can be decreased.
- 2. The release agent hole portions 752 and the water hole portions 761 extend obliquely toward the mixing chamber 71, so that the release agent and the water can be smoothly carried out by the air, and working efficiency of the dispensers 6 can be raised.
- 3. The amount of the release agent and the amount of the water inputted into the dispensers 6 can be adjusted by the regulating members 9.
- 4. The entire operation of the nozzle mechanism 2 is flexible, since each of the dispensers 6 can be independently controlled.
[0027] In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects.
a main body (7) having
a mixing chamber (71) that has a spray opening (711) adapted to be connected to the nozzle mechanism (2) of the die casting machine,
a release agent input passage (75) that is adapted to be connected to the release agent source (21), and that has at least one release agent hole portion (752) communicating with said mixing chamber (71),
a water input passage (76) that is adapted to be connected to the water source (22), and that has at least one water hole portion (761) communicating with said mixing chamber (71), and
an air input passage (77) that is adapted to be connected to the air source (23), and that has at least one air hole portion (771) communicating with said mixing chamber (71), and disposed upstream of said at least one release agent hole portion (752) of said release agent input passage (75) and said at least one water hole portion (761) of said water input passage (76); and
two valve units (8) mounted to said main body (7), each of said valve units (8) being operable to open and close a respective one of said release agent input passage (75) and said water input passage (76).
said main body (7) further has a mixing member (73) that has at least a portion disposed in said mixing chamber (71);
said release agent input passage (75) further has a connecting hole portion (751) formed in said mixing member (73); and
said at least one release agent hole portion (752) of said release agent input passage (75) is formed in said mixing member (73), and communicates with said mixing chamber (71) and said connecting hole portion (751).
an extending portion (731) formed with said connecting hole portion (751) and said at least one release agent hole portion (752) of said release agent input passage (75); and
a spreading portion (732) extending from said extending portion (731) and outwardly of said spray opening (711) of said mixing chamber(71), and having a distal end section that is plate-shaped.
said main body (7) further has a wall member (72) defining said mixing chamber (71);
said water input passage (76) further has a surrounding water groove portion (762) f ormed in an outer surface of said wall member (72);
said water input passage (76) has a plurality of said water hole portions (761) communicating with said surrounding water groove portion (762) and said mixing chamber (71);
said air input passage (77) further has a surrounding air groove portion (772) formed in an outer surface of said wall member (72); and
said air input passage (77) has a plurality of said air hole portions (771) communicating with said surrounding air groove portion (772) and said mixing chamber (71).
said water input passage (76) further has a connecting portion (763) communicating with said at least one water hole portion (761); and
one of said valve units (8) has a frustoconical plug segment (822), and is operable to close said water input passage (76) with said plug segment (822) blocking said connecting portion (763) of said water input passage (76), and to open said water input passage (76) with said plug segment (822) being removed from said connecting portion (763) of said water input passage (76).
a nozzle mechanism (2) including a base body (3) and a nozzle unit (4) that is mounted to said base body (3); and
a dispenser (6) as claimed in claim 1 mounted to said nozzle mechanism (2), said spray opening (711) of said mixing chamber (71) communicating with said nozzle unit (4).
said main body (7) of said dispenser (6) is mounted to a top end of said base body (3) of said nozzle mechanism (2) ;
said base body (3) has a receiving chamber (31) communicating with said spray opening (711) of said mixing chamber (71); and
said main body (7) of said dispenser (6) has a mixing member (73) having an extending portion (731) that is disposed in said mixing chamber (71), and a spreading portion (732) that extends from said extending portion (731) and outwardly of said spray opening (711), and that has a distal end section being plate-shaped.