Shot cylinder controller for die casting machines and the like
AssigneePrince Corporation
InventorWilliam Van Appledorn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A shot cylinder controller for injection molding machines comprises a valve connected with one side of the shot cylinder and including a valve head which is movable with respect to a seat. The valve head is connected with at least two, lineally extensible actuators, interconnected in an end-to-end relationship. The actuators are independently extended and retracted, whereby selective manipulation of the actuators varies the position of the valve head, and thereby controls the extension of the shot cylinder and regulates the speed of die injection.
Claims35
A molding machine having a die means in combination with a shot cylinder and a controller therefor, wherein:
- said shot cylinder comprises a housing having a shot piston mounted slidably therein for actuating a plunger for injecting a flowable material into said die, whereby translation of said shot piston in said housing controls the speed at which said die means associated with the die casting machine is injected with said flowable material;
- said controller comprising:
- a valve connected with one side of said shot cylinder, and including a body having a fluid passageway therethrough, and throttling means disposed in said passageway for restricting the flow of fluid therethrough;
- at least two, lineally extensible actuators interconnected in an end-to-end relationship, connected with said throttling means, and having means for independently extending and retracting each actuator, whereby selective manipulation of said actuators varies the position of said throttling means in said passageway and thereby controls extension of said shot piston, and thereby regulates the speed at which the flowable material is injected into said die means;
- and
- said throttling means being disposed at a free end of a valve stem, whereby fluid exhausted from said shot cylinder impinges on said throttling means and automatically retracts said actuators.
In a die casting machine having a hydraulic shot cylinder with an actuator rod connected with one side of a cylinder plunger which extends to inject molten metal into a die, the improvement of a control arrangement to control the injection into said die, comprising:
- a control valve, comprising:
- a valve body having a fluid passageway with an inlet and an outlet;
- throttling means disposed in said passageway between said inlet and said outlet for restricting the flow of fluid through said passageway;
- a valve controller connected with said throttling means and including at least two, lineally extensible actuators interconnected in an end-to-end relationship, and having means for independently extending and retracting each actuator, whereby selective manipulation of said actuators varies the position of said throttling means in said passageway and thereby controls fluid flow through said valve;
- means for connecting said control valve with that end of said shot cylinder associated with the one side of said cylinder plunger, whereby hydraulic fluid exhausted from said shot cylinder during injection into said die flows through said control valve;
- means for sensing the longitudinal position of said actuator rod with respect to said shot cylinder;
- and
- means for automatically shifting said actuators in response to the location of said actuator rod.
A controller for flow valves having a body with a fluid passageway therethrough, and throttling means disposed in said passageway for restricting the flow of fluid therethrough, said controller comprising:
- at least two, lineally extensible actuators interconnected in an end-to-end relationship, adapted for connection with said throttling means, and having means for independently extending and retracting each actuator, whereby selective manipulation of said actuators varies the position of said throttling means in said passageway and thereby controls fluid flow through said valve;
- each of said actuators having a generally cylindrically-shaped body closely and coaxially received in a mating bore portion of said valve body, and including a U-shaped cavity at one end of said actuator, and a cylindrical plunger at the other end of said actuator;
- said actuator plunger being insertable into and closely received in the U-shaped cavity of an adjacent one of said actuators to operably interconnect said actuators, and form a hydraulically operated actuator cylinder therebetween.
An injection molding machine having a die and a hydraulic shot cylinder providing the motive force for injecting flowable material into said die, the improvement of a control valve means connected with one side of said shot cylinder for controlling extension of a ram portion of said shot cylinder, comprising:
- a valve body having a fluid passageway with an inlet and an outlet;
- throttling means disposed in said passageway between said inlet and said outlet for restricting the flow of fluid through said passageway;
- a valve controller connected with said throttling means and including at least two, lineally extensible actuators interconnected in an end-to-end relationship, and having means for independently extending and retracting each actuator, whereby selective manipulation of said actuator varies the position of said throttling means in said passageway and thereby controls fluid flow through said valve, and wherein
- said valve means comprises:
- a four-way valve for each of said actuators;
- a high-pressure manifold communicating with each side of said shot cylinder on either side of said shot piston with a pair of check valves disposed adjacent each end of said manifold, whereby maximum pressure is maintained in said manifold;
- conduits communicating said high pressure manifold with an inlet port of each four-way valve;
- an exhaust manifold communicating with a fluid reserovir;
- and
- conduits communicating said exhaust manifold with an outlet port of each four-way valve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.