Apparatus for removing sanitary appliances from moulds

Abstract

 An apparatus for removing vitreous china sanitary appliances from porous moulds, particularly synthetic resin moulds, comprises a carriage (5) arranged to slide on rails (4) parallel to the mould opening plane between a position inserted between the mould parts (2, 3) when spaced apart and a position external to the mould; and is provided with an upper structure (12, 32) arranged to traverse in a direction perpendicular to the rails and carrying at least one form (101; 45) able to at least partly mate with the outer shape of the casting (100, 200) to be removed from the mould; said form being connected to said structure by intermediate means of variable geometry (14, 15, 18, 38, 43, 47) such as to obtain at least one degree of freedom; pneumatic means (30, 50) being provided to maintain said form adhering to the casting to be removed from the mould.

Description

[0001] In the manufacture of sanitary appliances by casting slip in porous moulds, one of the most delicate stages is the removal of the castings from the mould.

[0002] These are formed in more or less complex moulds composed of at least two parts which when fitted together create between them the interspace in which the slip is cast.

[0003] On termination of casting, the moulds are opened, the casting then remaining attached to a part of the mould.

[0004] One of the critical stages of the process is precisely the removal of the casting from that mould part to which it adheres, followed by its depositing on a line which leads it to the subsequent drying and firing stages.

[0005] The castings are removed by hand with the aid of suitable structures for supporting the casting, it being done very delicately so as to prevent the still very soft casting undergoing irreparable damage and to prevent any part of its surface remaining adhering to the mould.

[0006] The advent of porous resin moulds instead of traditional plaster moulds has drastically reduced the time required for casting, and has hence emphasized the need for removing the castings from the mould in a comparatively much shorter time than that required in traditional methods.

[0007] This gives rise to a requirement for as far as possible mechanizing the operations involved in removing castings in particular from resin moulds, using means able to operate with considerable delicacy and hence maintain the integrity of such castings.

[0008] The main object of the present invention is to provide means able to automatically remove castings from the porous moulds in which they are formed, such means being particularly suitable for operating in combination with moulding presses using resin moulds.

[0009] This object is attained according to the invention by an apparatus mounted on a carriage arranged to penetrate between the two parts of a forming mould when these are spaced apart so as to expose the casting.

[0010] On said carriage there is mounted at least one form having at least the degree of freedom necessary to enable it to be positioned distant from the casting to be removed or in contact with the casting to be removed.

[0011] According to the invention, said form is able to partially or totally mate with the exposed surface of the casting to be removed, and is arranged to be fixed to at least one portion of said surface, to remain adhering thereto without damaging it.

[0012] According to the invention, it is also provided with a plurality of auxiliary degrees of freedom enabling the casting to be slightly moved in order to detach it gradually without damage from that mould part on which it rests.

[0013] When the casting has been hence collected by the form carried by the carriage, this latter leaves its position between the mould parts and moves to the side of a withdrawal line for the casting, on which it is deposited with or without its support form.

[0014] The merits and the operational and constructional characteristics of the invention will be more apparent from the detailed description of two embodiments thereof given hereinafter by way of non-limiting example with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention in a configuration suitable for removing wash-basins from moulds.

[0016] Figure 2 is a partial side view thereof, shown both in the position between the moulds of the moulding press and in the position outside the moulding press.

[0017] Figure 3 is a partial side view of the invention, seen from the opposite side to that of Figure 2.

[0018] Figure 4 is an incomplete perspective view of the invention.

[0019] Figure 5 is a further incomplete perspective view of the invention.

[0020] Figure 6 is a further incomplete perspective view of the invention.

[0021] Figure 7 is a side view of the invention with the wash-basin withdrawn from the mould.

[0022] Figure 8 is a side view of the invention in a configuration suitable for removing pedestals.

[0023] The figures show a sanitary appliance moulding press 1 comprising two mutually facing mould-carrying structures 2 and 3, each carrying a half-mould of porous resin.

[0024] In Figure 1 only the half-mould carrying the casting 100 is visible, shown only partially.

[0025] Below the mould-carrier 2 and 3 there is a free region through which two rails 4 extend.

[0026] On the rails 4 there slides a carriage 5, which can be set in a first position between the half-moulds and in a second position outside the press 1 in proximity to a conveyor or to a simple support surface 6.

[0027] In a first version (Figures 1 to 7), the carriage 5 is provided with an upper flat frame 7 supported by two brackets 77 and able to rotate about an axis 8 perpendicular to the rails 4, under the control of a cylinder-piston unit 9.

[0028] When the carriage 5 is external to the press 1 (Figure 2) the frame 7 is horizontal, whereas when the carriage 5 is between the mould-carriers 2 and 3 the frame 7 is inclined so as to be parallel to the base of the casting 100.

[0029] In Figures 1 to 7 the casting is a wash-basin.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3 the flat frame 7 comprises, parallel to the axis 8, two guides 11 on which the structure 12 slides under the control of the cylinder-piston unit 10.

[0031] Within its base 1 the carriage 5 comprises the motor means which drive it along the rails 4, but which are not shown as they are of known type and easy to implement.

[0032] As shown in Figure 4, the structure 12 comprises a flat frame 13 having in proximity to its front side two cylinder-piston units 14, and at the centre of its opposite side a crank 15 provided with a roller 16 and rotated by the action of a cylinder-piston unit 17.

[0033] On the flat frame 13 there is fixed a plate 18 (Figure 5). This latter rests at its front on the rods of the cylinder-piston units 14, and rests at its rear on the rollers 16 of the crank 15, and comprises at its rear two rods 19 which maintain it in position with the aid of the springs 20 (Figures 6 and 7).

[0034] To the rear of the plate 18 there extend two appendices 21 carrying two cylinder-piston units 23, the rod of which is engaged with two rocker frames 24 pivoted at their base to the front end of the appendices 21 on aligned axes 25.

[0035] From each of the frames 24 there frontwardly extends a height-adjustable jaw 26.

[0036] Said jaws 26 are arranged to lock onto the plate 18 a form 101 comprising a baseplate 102 from which there upwardly project two parallel flat walls 103 shaped on one side in such a manner as to mate with the rear shape of the wash-basin 100 to be removed from the mould.

[0037] The jaws 26 act on the rear of the baseplate 102, to clamp it to the plate 18.

[0038] The form is of wood, resin or another analogous material.

[0039] On the front part of the plate 18 there is fixed a frame 27 composed of two lateral section bars between which parallel round bars 28 are welded to rest on the plate 18.

[0040] At the rear of the plate 18 a vertical column 29 supports, in a central position, a sucker 30 the purpose of which is explained hereinafter.

[0041] The plate 18, the cylinder-piston units 14 and the crank 15 constitute intermediate means able to provide the form 101 with auxiliary degrees of freedom to facilitate detachment of the casting from the mould.

[0042] In a second embodiment, shown in Figures 8 and 9, the carriage 5 slidable on the rails 4 upperly comprises two guides 31 perpendicular to the rails 4, and along which there slides a vertical structure 32.

[0043] At the base of the vertical structure 32 there is a geared motor unit 33 driving a transverse shaft 34.

[0044] This latter carries at its ends two pinions 35 engaging two racks 36 parallel to the guides 31.

[0045] By virtue of this arrangement, the geared motor 33 controls the translational movements of the structure 32.

[0046] This latter comprises two vertical facing front guides 37 along which a flat frame 38 moves vertically.

[0047] This latter comprises a geared motor unit 39 similar to the geared motor unit 33, and driving a transverse shaft 40. The shaft 40 carries at its end two pinions 41 which engage two racks 42 rigid with the guides 37.

[0048] In this manner the geared motor unit 39 accurately controls the vertical translational movements of the flat frame 38.

[0049] This latter comprises in its upper region three aligned coplanar appendices 43, which are telescopic and hence of variable length.

[0050] To the protecting end of each of said appendices there is pivoted a form 45 arranged to mate with the interior of a wash-basin pedestal 200.

[0051] Each form 45 is lowerly connected to the frame 38 by a cylinder-piston unit 47 substantially parallel to the overlying appendix 43.

[0052] Each form 45 can hence be made to rotate slightly in the plane defined by the appendix 43 and cylinder-piston unit 47.

[0053] The appendices 43 and cylinder-piston units 47 constitute intermediate means able to provide the form 45 with auxiliary degrees of freedom to facilitate detachment of the casting from the mould.

[0054] Each of the forms 45 comprises in its upper region a recess 48 which together with the perforated flat surface 49 defines a chamber 50 which can be connected to a suction chamber via the connector 51.

[0055] The operation of the invention is as follows.

[0056] After the mould parts of the press 1 have been spaced apart, the carriage 5 is inserted between them with the means for withdrawing the just-formed casting facing the mould part to which it adheres.

[0057] In the embodiment for withdrawing wash-basins, a form 101 will have been previously clamped on the plate 18.

[0058] When the carriage has been inserted between the two spaced-apart mould parts, the cylinder-piston unit 9 is operated to incline the flat frame 7, together with the upper plate 18, so that this latter is positioned parallel to the base of the wash-basin to be removed (see Figure 2).

[0059] At this point, operating the cylinder-piston unit 10 causes the frame 13 and hence the entire plate 18 with the overlying form 101 to slide until this latter makes contact with the wash-basin 100.

[0060] When in this position, the sucker 30 is also in contact with the wash-basin and is put under vacuum so that it remains adhering thereto with a certain force.

[0061] The wash-basin hence rests against the form 101, retained there by the sucker 30, and is ready to be detached from the mould.

[0062] Delicate detachment of the wash-basin is achieved by virtue of the movements of the plate 18, which moves rearwards while slightly rotating by the action of the cylinder-piston units 14 and of the rear crank 15, which is driven by the cylinder-piston unit 17.

[0063] Once the wash-basin 100 has been extracted or rather withdrawn from the mould, the frame 7 is repositioned horizontally as in Figure 7, and the carriage 5 is moved adjacent to the surface 6, onto which the wash-basin 100 supported by the form 101 is deposited after raising the jaws 26.

[0064] In the embodiment for withdrawing pedestals 200, the operations are substantially analogous.

[0065] After inserting the carriage 5 between the spaced-apart parts of the press mould, the frame 38 is moved to the correct height and the structure 32 is made to advance by the geared motor unit 33 until the forms 45 become inserted into and in contact with the pedestals 200 to be removed from the mould.

[0066] The chamber 50 is then put under vacuum via the connector 51, so that each pedestal 200 remains adhering to the form.

[0067] Operating the geared motor unit 33 and the cylinder-piston units 47 results in delicate detachment of the pedestal 200 from the mould and its removal therefrom.

[0068] The thus withdrawn pedestal is then deposited on means, such as a conveyor, located external to the mould.

Claims

1. An apparatus for removing vitreous china sanitary appliances from porous moulds, particularly synthetic resin moulds, characterised by comprising:

- a carriage (5) arranged to slide on rails (4) parallel to the mould opening plane between a position inserted between the mould parts (2, 3) when spaced apart and a position external to the mould; and which is provided with

- an upper structure (12, 32) arranged to traverse in a direction perpendicular to the rails and carrying

- at least one form (101; 45) able to at least partly mate with the outer shape of the casting (100, 200) to be removed from the mould;

- said form being connected to said structure by intermediate means of variable geometry (14, 15, 18, 38, 43, 47) such as to obtain at least one degree of freedom; there being provided

- pneumatic means (30, 50) to maintain said form adhering to the casting to be removed from the mould.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said structure (12) can rotate about an axis (8) perpendicular to the rails (4) in addition to traversing in a direction perpendicular to the rails.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said intermediate means consist of a plate (18) resting on intermediate support means (14, 15) of variable geometry rigid with the structure (12), and maintained thereon by elastic means (20).

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said plate comprises two downwardly projecting rods (19) inserted through corresponding holes in said structure (12) and maintained forced downwards by helical springs (20) coaxial thereto.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said plate (18) rearwardly comprises means (26) for locking the form (101).

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said intermediate support means of variable geometry are at least one hydraulic cylinder-piston unit (14) rigid with the structure (12).

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said intermediate support means of variable geometry are at least one crank (15) rigid with the structure (12) and operated by a cylinder-piston unit (17).

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said intermediate means are a flat frame (38) vertically slidable on said structure (32) and carrying at least one appendix (43), to the end of which is hinged the form (45), this latter being further connected to the vertical flat frame by a cylinder-piston unit (47).

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said pneumatic means are a sucker (30) connected to a vessel under vacuum and rigid with the plate (18).

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said pneumatic means are an interspace (50) provided in the form (45) and defined by a perforated wall (49) facing the surface of the form, and connected to a vacuum vessel.

Drawing