Handling system for foundry sand molds

In a conveyor system for foundry sand molds;

• a curvilinear track means defining a closed path having a mold loading station, a metal casting station and a mold unloading station;
• a plurality of mold carriers supported for movement along the track means;
• each of said mold carriers being adapted to carry a plurality of sand molds arranged in a line thereon generally normal to the path of travel along the track means with the mold position at one end of the line being the loading position and the mold position at the opposite end of the line being the unloading position;
• drive means for effecting intermittent movement of the mold carriers between indexed positions along the track means;
• means at the mold loading station for loading a sand mold onto the loading position of the respective mold carriers;
• a mold jacket provided on each mold carrier to embrace and support the newly added sand mold during the metal casting procedure;
• lever means pivotally carried by each mold carrier on an axis generally paralleling the track means and in turn pivotally carrying the mold jacket adjacent to one end thereof;
• a first guide rail mounted on the track means;
• a follower carried adjacent to the opposite end of the lever means from the mold jacket and being engageable on the first guide rail to effect a pivoting of the lever means to thereby lower the mold jackets to embrace the corresponding said molds in the loading position prior to the respective mold carriers reaching the metal casting station;
• a second guide rail mounted on the track means;
• said follower on the lever means being engageable under the second guide rail to pivot the lever means and thereby lift the respective mold jackets from the sand molds to a position spaced above the sand molds prior to the respective mold carriers reaching the mold unloading station;
• and means at the mold unloading station for removing the sand mold in the unloading position from the respective mold carriers and moving the balance of the sand molds on the carriers toward the unloading position for further cooling of the cast metal in the latter molds during additional travel along the track means prior to their unloading and to vacate the loading position on the mold carriers in readiness for the reception of another sand mold.