Hopper convertible material container

A material feeding apparatus including a material container as a hopper, comprising:

• a material container molded of a synthetic resin so as to allow a material to be molded to be sealably received therein and
• an adapter having a shutter interposed between a funnel-shaped portion and a connecting portion for openably shutting the interior of said material container, the upper end part of said funnel-shaped portion being formed in the shape of an open end part to be threadably engaged with a plurality of female threads formed around the inner wall surface of an opening portion of said material container, and the lower end part of said connecting portion being formed in the shape of an opening portion to be fitted onto a receiving member of a molding machine,
• whereby the adapter is threadably fitted into said opening portion of said material container, while said material container is fitted onto said receiving member with an inverted attitude said adapter so as to allow said material container to serve also as a hopper for the molding machine, and
• wherein said adapter is composed of a funnel-shaped portion and a cylindrical connecting portion located below said funnel-shaped portion with said shutter placed on the upper wall of said funnel-shaped portion, said material container is threadably fitted into a threaded ring disposed on the open end part of said funnel-shaped portion with an inverted attitude, and said adapter is mounted on a heating sleeve or a molding machine by fixedly securing the open end part of said connecting portion to the periphery of a feeding port for said heating sleeve by tightening a plurality of bolts.

A material feeding apparatus including a material container as a hopper, comprising:

• a material container molded of a synthetic resin so as to allow a material to be molded to be sealably received therein and
• an adapter having a shutter interposed between a funnel-shaped portion and a connecting portion for openably shutting the interior of said material container, the upper end part of said funnel-shaped portion being formed in the shape of an open end part to be threadably engaged with a plurality of female threads formed around the inner wall surface of an opening portion of said material container, and the lower end part of said connecting portion being formed in the shape of an opening portion to be fitted onto a received member of a molding machine,
• whereby the adapter is threadably fitted into said opening portion of said material container, while said material container is fitted onto said receiving member with an inverted attitude said adapter so as to allow said material container to serve also as a hopper for the molding machine, and
• wherein said shutter is composed of two upper end lower circular plates each having a plurality a radially extending openings, the central part of each of said circular plates being rotatably supported to rotate about a shaft, the periphery of said upper circular plate is fixedly secured to the wall surface of said adapter by tightening a plurality of screws, and said lower circular plate is rotatably supported on the upper wall surface of said funnel-shaped portion of said adapter so as to open or close said radially extending openings relative to said radially extending openings of said upper circular plate, said lower circular plate including a plurality of pawl pieces projected outside of the periphery thereof, each of said pawl pieces being inserted into the corresponding circumferentially extending elongated slit formed on the upper wall surface of said funnel-shaped portion via the corresponding vertical groove.