Mold clamping apparatus, molding machine and mold clamping method

A molding machine for producing a cast product by injecting and filling a molding material to a cavity formed by mold clamping of a fixed die and a movable die, wherein a mold clamping apparatus comprises:

• a fixed die plate being fixed on a base and holding the fixed die;
• a movable die plate holding the movable die and provided in the opening or closing direction on the base movably;
• a tie bar having a piston and a coupled section;
• a cylinder for mold clamping being equipped in either of the fixed die plate or the movable die plate and having a cylinder chamber accommodating the piston of the tie bar and at least two driving liquid supply ports supplying pressurized driving liquid for generating mold clamping force to the cylinder chamber;
• a coupling section being equipped in the other of the fixed die plate or the movable die plate and enabling to unite or release for the coupled section of the tie bar;
• a die plate position detection sensor for detecting a position of the movable die plate on the base;
• a position detector for detecting a position of the tie bar in a moving direction of the tie bar;
• a direction change valve coupled to each of the driving liquid supply ports for change a supply destination of the driving liquid between a first cylinder chamber and a second cylinder chamber zoned by the piston of the cylinder for mold clamping;
• a sleeve coupled with the cavity;
• a plunger tip inserted into the sleeve;
• an injection cylinder driving the plunger tip;
• and
• a control unit for specifying a position of the tie bar where the coupling section and the coupled section are to be coupled based on the position of the movable die plate detected by the die plate position detection sensor, and controlling the tie bar at the specified position by controlling the direction change valve in response to the position of the tie bar detected by the position detector in a state where the movable die and the fixed die are contacted and a molding material is provided to the sleeve, wherein said specifying a position of the tie bar and said controlling the tie bar at the specified position is performed for every molding cycle.

A mold clamping method clamping a fixed die and a movable die on a base and providing:

• a fixed die plate being fixed on the base and holding the fixed die,
• a movable die plate holding the movable die and provided in the opening or closing direction on the base movably,
• a tie bar having a piston and a coupled section,
• a cylinder for mold clamping being equipped in either of the fixed die plate or the movable die plate, having a cylinder chamber accommodating the piston of the tie bar and at least two driving liquid supply ports supplying pressurized driving liquid for generating mold clamping force to the cylinder chamber,
• a coupling section being equipped in the other of the fixed die plate or the movable die plate and enabling to unite or release for the coupled section of the tie bar, and
• a die plate position detection sensor for detecting a position of the movable die plate on the base, wherein
• a position of the tie bar where the coupling section and the coupled section are to be coupled is specified based on the position of the movable die detected by the die plate position detection sensor, the tie bar is moved by a supply of driving liquid to the cylinder for mold clamping, and the tie bar is positioned at the specified position in a state where the movable die and the fixed die are contacted and a molding material is provided to a sleeve coupled with a cavity formed by the fixed die and the movable die, wherein the position of the tie bar is specified and the tie bar is positioned at the specified position for every molding cycle,
• the coupled section of the positioned tie bar and the coupling section are coupled, and
• mold clamping force is generated by a supply of the driving liquid to the cylinder for mold clamping in a state where the coupled section and the coupling section are coupled.