Concrete product molding machine vibration drive apparatus

A vibration drive assembly for a concrete block molding machine that comprises a frame, a mold assembly supported on a frame for motion between a rest position and an elevated vibration position, two unbalanced vibrator shafts carried by the mold assembly and supported for rotation about respective vibrator shaft axes, each vibrator shaft having an eccentric center of mass such that each vibrator shaft produces off-axis force when rotated about its vibrator shaft axis;

• the vibration drive assembly comprising:
• two rotary servo motors;
• an electronic motor controller electrically coupled to the servo motors and configured to regulate the motors;
• two articulated drive trains connectable between the servo motors and the vibrator shafts and configured to mechanically transmit rotational motion from the servo motors to the vibrator shafts, the servo motors and drive trains being in axial alignment with the vibrator shafts of the block molding machine mold assembly when the mold assembly is in its elevated vibration position, each drive train including:
• a drive shaft;
• a first flexible coupling connected between its respective servo motor and the first end of the drive shaft and configured to transmit rotation from the servo motor to the drive shaft and to permit relative angular motion between the drive shaft and the servo motor;
• a second flexible coupling connectable between a second end of the drive shaft and one of the vibrator shafts of the block molding machine mold assembly and configured to transmit rotation from the drive shaft to the vibrator shaft and to permit relative angular motion between the drive shaft and the vibrator shaft;
• and
• a motor pivot mount pivotably supporting one of the servo motors on the frame.

A vibration drive assembly for a concrete product molding machine that comprises a frame, a mold assembly supported on the frame for motion between a rest position and an elevated vibration position, two unbalanced vibrator shafts carried by the mold assembly and supported for rotation about respective parallel vibrator shaft axes, each vibrator shaft having an eccentric center of mass such that each vibrator shaft produces off-axis force when rotated about its vibrator shaft axis;

• the vibration drive assembly comprising:
• two rotary servo motors;
• an electronic motor controller electrically coupled to the servo motors and configured to regulate the motors;
• and
• two articulated drive trains connectable between the servo motors and the vibrator shafts and configured to mechanically transmit rotational motion from the servo motors to the vibrator shafts;
• the servo motors and attached drive trains being pivotably supportable on a concrete product molding machine frame for motion between respective stowed and deployed positions where, in their stowed positions, the servo motors and attached drive trains are disposed out of a removal and replacement path of a mold assembly of the concrete product molding machine, and where, in their deployed positions, the servo motors and attached drive trains are disposed within the removal and replacement path with the drive trains positioned adjacent vibrator shafts of the block molding machine mold assembly.

A method for retrofitting a vibration drive assembly on a concrete block molding machine that comprises a frame, a mold assembly supported on the frame for motion between a rest position and an elevated vibration position, two unbalanced vibrator shafts carried by the mold assembly and supported for rotation about respective parallel vibrator shaft axes, each vibrator shaft having an eccentric center of mass such that each vibrator shaft produces off-axis force when rotated about its vibrator shaft axis;

• the method comprising:
• supporting two rotary servo motors of the vibration drive assembly in respective positions where respective servo motor axes are co-axially aligned with the vibrator shaft axes of the mold assembly of the block molding machine when the mold assembly is in its elevated vibration position;
• and
• connecting two articulated drive trains of the vibration drive assembly between the servo motors of the vibration drive assembly and the vibrator shafts of the block molding machine mold assembly.