Supply device for supplying pasty masses

A feeding apparatus for feeding a pasty mass to an injection molding machine, comprising:

• a pressing cylinder which receives the pasty mass;
• and
• a pressing plunger which is arranged axially in said pressing cylinder and presses the pasty mass out of a squeezing nozzle of the pressing cylinder;
• wherein the pressing cylinder is configured as a cartridge which contains the pasty mass;
• wherein the cartridge is produced from a polymer, and can be inserted exchangeably into a supporting housing which supports the cartridge on all sides and is connected to an axial actuating drive for the pressing plunger which is situated in the cartridge;
• wherein the supporting housing is of modular configuration and has an upper half shell and a lower half shell which support the casing of the cartridge and are connected to one another such that they can be folded open laterally and are articulated about a swivel axis which runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge, the receiving space for the cartridge, which receiving space is enclosed by the upper half shell and the lower half shell, being delimited axially at a front and at a rear by front and rear closure plates, respectively, and the front closure plate being provided with a passage opening for the squeezing nozzle of the cartridge, whereas the rear closure plate is provided with a passage opening for a push rod of the axial actuating drive, which push rod acts on the pressing plunger of the cartridge;
• wherein the supporting housing has a rigid, outer supporting cage which is formed by the front closure plate, at least two tie rods which run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the supporting housing and are arranged outside the upper half shell and the lower half shell, and an abutment frame which runs parallel to the closure plates and to which the axial actuating drive which displaces the push rod is fastened on a side which faces away from the supporting housing;
• and
• wherein one half shell selected from the group consisting of the upper half shell and the lower half shell is mounted on one of the at least two tie rods of the supporting cage such that the one half shell can be swiveled in such a way that the receiving space can be opened and closed for cartridge exchange by way of the one half shell being swiveled upward and downward, respectively.