Foundry mold conveyor system

A foundry mold conveyor system designed for the intermittent indexing movement of mold supporting pallets and comprising:

• a. means defining a relatively long first longitudinal path for the forward step-by-step indexing movement of pallets therealong,
• b. means disposed alongside said first path and defining a relatively short second contiguous outer marginal longitudinal path for the step-by-step forward indexing movement of pallets therealong,
• c. means disposed alongside said first path and defining a relatively short third contiguous inner longitudinal path for the step-by-step rearward indexing movement of pallets therealong,
• d. means disposed alongside said third inner path defining a relatively long fourth contiguous outer marginal longitudinal path for the step-by-step rearward indexing movement of pallets therealong,
• e. means disposed at the extreme forward end of said first, second, third and fourth paths and establishing a fifth and transverse pallet path for the sidewise indexing of pallets issuing from the terminal forward ends of said first and second paths,
• f. means disposed at the extreme rear ends of said second and third paths and establishing a sixth and transverse pallet path for the sidewise step-by-step indexing of pallets issuing from said third path,
• g. means disposed at the extreme rear ends of said first and fourth paths and establishing a seventh and transverse pallet path for the sidewise step-by-step indexing of pallets issuing from said fourth path,
• h. means disposed adjacent to the rear end of said first path and establishing a mold-receiving station where fresh molds are delivered to empty pallets,
• i. means disposed adjacent to the forward end of said second relatively short outer marginal path and establishing a pouring station where molten metal is poured into palletized molds,
• j. means disposed along said fourth path intermediate said sixth and seventh paths and establishing a mold discharge station where mold-encased castings are discharged from the pallets,
• k. said first and sixth paths defining an intersection establishing a jacket transfer station where mold jackets are removed from poured jacketed molds and are applied to fresh palletized molds,
• l. means disposed at said jacket transfer station for effecting the jacket transfer operations,
• m. respective longitudinal cylinders effective to index the pallets in each of the first, second, third, and fourth longitudinal paths one pallet length at a time,
• n. respective transverse cylinders effective to index the pallets in each of the sixth and seventh transverse rows one pallet width at a time, and
• o. a transverse cylinder effective to index the pallets in the fifth transverse row two pallet widths at a time.

In an endless foundry mold conveyor system in which rectangular pallets are conducted along longitudinal and transverse paths by alternate longitudinal and transverse sidewise indexing movement of the pallets in step-by-step fashion, wherein longitudinal indexing advances the pallets into transverse paths and transverse indexing advances pallets into longitudinal paths, wherein fresh molds are delivered to pallets at a loading station, advanced to a pouring station where the molds are filled with metal by a pouring operation, then progress through a cooling stage to a mold discharge station where the mold-encased castings are pushed from the pallets for shake-out purposes, while empty pallets are returned to the loading station, and wherein jackets are removed from the molds subsequent to the pouring operation and are transferred to fresh molds prior to the pouring operation, the improvement which comprises:

• a. means defining an intersection between a longitudinal path and a transverse path whereby upon indexing of pallets in said longitudinal path an unpoured mold enters the intersection along a longitudinal path, and a poured mold leaves the intersection along a longitudinal path, and upon indexing of pallets in said transverse path, a poured mold enters the intersection along a transverse path and an unpoured mold leaves the intersection along a transverse path,
• b. a vertically shiftable jacket lifter disposed at said intersection and designed for lifting engagement with a downwardly facing shoulder on a jacket, said jacket lifter being movable bodily between a lowered position wherein it is disposed below the level of such shoulder on a mold-applied jacket approaching said intersection in the longitudinal path, and a raised position wherein it elevates a jacket from a mold in the intersection and to a level above that of the mold, and
• c. means for moving said jacket lifter between its raised and lowered positions.

In an endless foundry mold conveyor system in which pallets are conveyed along longitudinal and transverse paths by alternate indexing movements,

• wherein longitudinal indexing advances the pallets into transverse paths and transverse indexing advances the pallets into longitudinal paths,
• wherein molds are loaded onto the pallets at a molding station, advanced into an area for pouring, then into an area for cooling, and are finally pushed off the pallets for shake-out before the pallets return to the molding station,
• wherein mold jackets are used for reinforcement of the molds against the pressure caused by the poured metal, are removed from the molds subsequent to pouring and transferred to the molds prior to pouring, and
• wherein means of actuation and control are used for causing longitudinal indexing movements, transverse indexing movements, and jacket lifting movements,
• the improvement which comprises:
• a. an intersection of a transverse path and a longitudinal path such that
• upon indexing of the pallets along said transverse path, a poured mold enters the intersection and an unpoured mold leaves the intersection both transversely, and
• upon indexing of said longitudinal path, an unpoured mold enters the intersection and a poured mold leaves the intersection, both longitudinally,
• b. transfer means at said intersection for engaging a jacket on a mold and lifting it above the mold by an upward movement after the transverse index and for disengaging and setting said jacket on a mold by a downward movement after the longitudinal index, and
• c. jacket means for being engaged and lifted by said transfer means.

An endless foundry mold conveyor system for conveying on pallets foundry molds with associated jackets through a plurality of stations including in order a station at which the molds are made and placed on pallets, a station at which jackets are transferred from poured molds to unpoured molds, a station at which molten metal is poured into said molds, and a station for pushing off the poured molds from their respective pallets for shakeout, the system comprising,

• a plurality of conveyor sections for supporting pallets to move along such sections, said sections forming a continuous, endless route of connected paths alternately longitudinal and transverse,
• a plurality of pallets disposed on such paths, one pallet touching the next, but initially one pallet position on each longitudinal path being unoccupied by a pallet,
• means for advancing the first pallet on each path a distance of one pallet, the remaining pallets in that path being closed up and advanced also by movement of the first pallet, and
• means for initially actuating the advancing means of the longitudinal paths, and thereafter actuating alternately the advancing means of the transverse paths and the advancing means of the longitudinal paths, whereby the pallets are advanced intermittently along said paths through said plurality of stations in said endless route,
• wherein the improvement comprises:
• a. an arrangement of paths which includes an intersection of a transverse path and a longitudinal path such that,
• when pallets are advanced along the transverse paths, a poured mold with a jacket enters the intersection, and
• when pallets are advanced along the longitudinal paths, an unpoured mold without a jacket enters the intersection,
• b. transfer means at said intersection for vertically moving a jacket, whereby after a poured mold with a jacket enters the intersection, an upward movement of said means engages the jacket and elevates it above the mold, and whereby after an unpoured mold without a jacket enters the intersection, a downward movement of said means lowers the jacket onto the mold and disengages the means from the jacket, and
• c. means on each jacket for being engaged by an upward movement of the transfer means and for being disengaged by the downward movement of the transfer means when the jacket rests upon a mold or pallet.