Adjustable roller track bogies for die carrier frame of injection molding machine

In an injection molding machine in which a machine base carries a die closing unit which opens and closes along a substantially horizontal movement axis and which includes a stationary die carrier member to which is attachable the stationary half of an injection molding die, a movable die carrier member to which is attachable the movable half of said die, and a set of parallel substantially horizontally extending tie rods which determine said movement axis by reaching through the movable die carrier member so as to position and guide the latter, the combination therewith of an adjustable exterior support and guide arrangement for the movable die carrier member comprising:

• two fixed guide rails arranged on the machine base in parallel alignment with the tie rods of the die closing unit, below and on laterally opposite sides of the movable die carrier member, the guide rails having horizontally oriented flat runways on their upper sides and substantially vertically oriented flat runways on their inner sides;
• two guide bogies connected to the movable die carrier member and associated with the two guide rails in such a way that each guide bogie cooperates with the horizontal and vertical runways of the associated guide rail, to be supported and guided by the latter;
• means associated with the guide bogies for vertically adjusting each guide bogie in relation to the movable die carrier member, so as to make it possible to transfer at least a substantial portion of the weight of the movable die carrier member and attached die half from the tie rods to the guide rails;
• and
• means associated with the guide bogies for horizontally adjusting each guide bogie in relation to the movable die carrier member, so as to make it possible to transfer at least a substantial portion of the lateral guidance interaction between the movable die carrier member and the machine base from the tie rods to the guide rails;
• and wherein
• each guide bogie has a horizontal leg extending over the horizontal runway of the associated guide rail and a vertical leg extending on the inside of the vertical runway of the guide rail;
• each leg of the two guide bogies has a longitudinal recess of rectangular cross section with parallel flanks oriented perpendicularly to the associated guide rail runway and a bottom in parallel alignment with said runway;
• the recesses in the horizontal legs of the two guide bogies hold each a vertical roller track assembly with a vertical roller track cassette enclosing an endless row of cylindrical bearing rollers moving along an oblong vertical recirculation track above the horizontal runway of the associated guide rail, so that, in all longitudinal positions of the movable die carrier member, a vertical load on the guide bogie is transmitted to said horizontal runway by a plurality of bearing rollers;
• the recesses in the vertical legs of the two guide bogies hold each a corresponding horizontal roller track assembly with a horizontal roller track cassette enclosing horizontally recirculating bearing rollers which cooperate coorespondingly with the vertical runway of the associated vertical guide rail;
• each vertical roller track cassette includes a central track core with at least a lower roll face in parallel alignment with the horizontal runway and bearing against the force-transmitting rollers from the upper side, and two lateral track covers of generally rectangular outline engaging the vertical longitudinal sides of the track core, the track covers positioning the roller track assembly in the associated recess against the recess flanks while abutting vertically against the recess bottom with their upper longitudinal edges, so as to transmit bearing forces from the track core to the roller bogie;
• and
• the horizontal roller track assembly has its roller track cassette correspondingly constituted and engaged in the recess of the vertical leg of the guide bogie.