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US 2002/0136791 A1Published application
Corrugated pipe plant
AssigneeDrossbach GmbH & Co. KG
InventorsKarl Dietrich, Michael Hurler
Life of this patent
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AssigneeDrossbach GmbH & Co. KG
InventorsKarl Dietrich, Michael Hurler
Estimating the term…
The present invention relates to an apparatus for the manufacture of corrugated pipes from thermoplastic in which mould segment halves, which complement one another in pairs, are guided together in a circuit along a mould path adjacent to an injection head, are moved apart at the end of the mould path and are returned back to its start separately from one another. The apparatus has a mould path device to move the mould segment halves along the mould path and a return conveyor to return the mould segment halves from the end of the mould path back to its start, with the mould path device comprising a machine table having a lower guide and lower drive means for the mould segment halves and a cover frame secured to the machine table having an upper guide and upper drive means for the mould segment halves. The mould path device and the return conveyor form units separated from one another, with a portal robot fixedly anchored to a base plate being provided as the return conveyor and the mould path unit being a mobile unit travellable on the base plate. The upper drive means at the cover frame have driving pinions which can be driven around a vertical axis and which can engage into racks at the upper side of the mould segment halves such that a vertical offset is possible, for example as a consequence of thermal expansion, between the mould segment halves and the driving pinions. Furthermore, a direct cooling system is provided for the better dissipation of heat from the mould segment halves which circulates coolant through coolant passages in the mould segment halves during the movement of the mould segment halves along the mould path.
An apparatus for the manufacture of corrugated pipes from thermoplastic in which mould segment halves (3), which complement one another in pairs, are guided together along a mould path (2) adjacent to an injection head (1), are moved apart at the end of the mould path and are returned back to its start separately from one another, comprising a mould path device (16) to move the mould segment halves along the mould path and a return conveyor (35) to return the mould segment halves (3) from the end of the mould path back to its start, with the mould path device (16) comprising a machine table (4) having a lower guide (29) and lower drive means (17) for the mould segment halves (3) and a cover frame (8) secured to the machine table having an upper guide and upper drive means (18) for the mould segment halves, characterized in that the mould path device (16) and the return conveyor (35) form units separated from one another, with a portal robot (35) anchored to a base plate (6) being provided as the return conveyor and the mould path unit (16) being a unit travellable on the base plate (6).
An apparatus in accordance with the preceding claim, wherein there are provided a position detection device, in particular an absolute value transponder associated with the machine table (4), an absolute value transponder associated with the corresponding movement axle of the portal robot (35) and an absolute value transponder associated with the drive means for the movement of the mould segment halves on the machine table, for detection of the position of the machine table (4) relative to the return conveyor (35) and a central control device connected to the position detection device for the control of the mould path device (16) and of the return conveyor (35).
An apparatus in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the portal robot (35) has a planar portal (38), which extends transversely over the mould path (2) and can be travelled parallel to this, a pair of carriages (41, 42), which are installed on the portal and can be travelled in opposite directions to one another on this, and a pair of gripping devices (43, 44) mounted on the carriages (41, 42), with the gripping devices being vertically travellable, in particular travellable by means of a lift drive (45, 46) perpendicular to the plane of the machine table (4) relative to the respective carriage.
An apparatus in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein insertion means (32) separate from the return conveyor (35) are provided at the start of the mould path (2) to close up a returned mould segment half pair (3) to preceding mould segment halves (39) located on the mould path, with the insertion means (32) having an absorption device to absorb the advance movement of the returned mould segment halves to the preceding mould segment halves.
An apparatus in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the insertion means are formed by at least one pneumatic cylinder (32) mounted on the machine table (4).
An apparatus in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the cover frame (8) is mounted in a vertically adjustable manner relative to the machine table (4) and can be adjusted by means of a lift drive (12).
An apparatus in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the cover frame (8) is made lowerable towards the machine table (4) into a transport position and is preferably supported by means of columns (9) secured to the machine table and able to be telescoped by a motor.
An apparatus in accordance with the preceding claim, wherein the cooling apparatus (51) has movably designed coolant lines, in particular hoses, such that the docked coolant lines can be moved along with the moved mould segment halves (3) over a path.
An apparatus in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein coolant passages on the mould segment half side and coolant lines on the machine table side are provided with leak-free couplings which open automatically on docking and, on undocking, automatically close the coolant passages on the mould segment half side and the coolant lines on the machine table side without leaks.
An apparatus in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the mould segment halves (3) have expansion stores into which coolant located in coolant passages on the mould segment half side can expand.
An apparatus in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein a parking station (47) is provided at the end of the mould path on the machine table for special mould segment halves such as spigot mould segment halves and the like.
An apparatus in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein a changing station (48) is provided at the end of the mould path to feed in new mould segment halves and feed out old mould segment halves into or out of the mould segment half circuit, with the changing station (48) preferably having a travellable changing table (50) which can be travelled into and out of the operating region of the return conveyor (35), preferably to the end of the machine table (4) of the mould path device (16) remote from the injection head (1).
An apparatus in accordance with the preceding claim, wherein rails (49) are provided in the base plate (6) transversely to the direction of the mould path in the region of its end and the changing table (50) can be travelled on them.
An apparatus in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein rails (7) are provided in the base plate (6) and the mould path device (16) can be travelled on them, preferably parallel to the operating direction of the injection head (1).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.