EP0556363B1 - Vertical press and process for using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PCT No. PCT/CH92/00182 Sec. 371 Date May 7, 1993 Sec. 102(e) Date May 7, 1993 PCT Filed Sep. 7, 1992 PCT Pub. No. WO93/04831 PCT Pub. Date Mar. 18, 1993.A vertical press, which has replaceable mold components, has lifting devices for lifting and conveying these parts. The lifting and conveying devices are mounted on a movable topmost mold carrier element of the press, so that the drive and control devices of this mold carrier element (4), which are provided for the pressing process, can be utilized simultaneously for the vertical movement of the lifting and conveying devices. By a programmed control, the necessary movements to shape-specific intermediate positions and coupling and decoupling processes to be performed at these positions are programmed for a series of shapes and can be performed automatically.

Description

The invention relates to a vertical press with at least three mold carrier elements, of which at least two are vertically displaceable and one is arranged in a fixed manner, and to a method for using the vertical press.

A stone press is known from DE-A1-28 41 684 (Bucher-Guyer AG), in which the press stamps have exchangeable stamp plates. The production of molded parts in the pressing process on such seizures of vertical design requires the installation and removal of corresponding interchangeable molds on at least three mold carrier elements. At least one stamp is attached to an upper or lower stamp carrier, while a press matrix is installed in a mold carrier plate.

Depending on the application, other similar systems require the installation of additional fixed or movable stamps. The three or more tool elements mentioned are then moved against one another for pressing the filled raw materials. At least two tool elements move in relation to the press mold. The upper punch presses from top to bottom and the frame of the press mold can also be moved in the press direction. The lower punch, however, is firmly attached to a lower crossbeam of the press frame and remains stationary.

Other systems have a fixed press table rigidly connected to the press system, but two moving stamps. Finally, in another known system, all three tool elements are movable.

A change of the mentioned forms requires the exchange of all form elements. These remain installed in their frames or are connected to each other before expansion by connecting elements for joint expansion. The molds are correspondingly heavy when feeding on large parts, so that mechanical aids for moving in and out are required when changing the mold.

In the case of known feeds, the shape changes, in particular those heavy forms weighing one or more tons, are carried out with the mechanical aids mentioned, e.g. with forklift trucks or hoists by moving them to a ready-made mold changing trolley. Such methods involve a disadvantageous effort due to the relatively expensive hoists.

The invention has for its object to avoid the disadvantages mentioned and at the same time other parts of presses, such as mechanical mixers installed in the area of the filling box, for the purpose of cleaning, maintenance or repairs in a simple manner to be replaced and made accessible.

According to the invention, this is achieved in a vertical press of the type mentioned at the outset by lifting means for exchangeable parts of the press, which are attached to the uppermost mold carrier element and are at least partially displaceable in the horizontal and / or vertical direction.

An essential feature of the invention is that the uppermost mold carrier element, to which the lifting means are attached, is vertically displaceable, the vertical displacement of the lifting means taking place by means of this displacement.

According to a further feature of the invention, the lifting means, viewed from a front side of the press, can be displaced horizontally forwards and / or backwards to outside the area of the press. The lifting means are expediently attached to the uppermost mold carrier element outside the area which bears the mold.

The lifting means preferably comprise two running rails which are attached to two opposite sides of the uppermost mold carrier element, furthermore two running elements mounted at a fixed distance on each running rail, and on each running element an elongated lifting element which can be pivoted parallel to the running rail.

According to a further feature of the invention, a programmed control for the movable mold carrier elements and lifting means is provided, which the Controls vertical movements step-by-step and shape-specific positions assigned to different shapes.

A method for an advantageous use of the vertical press for exchanging form elements of the press, such as upper punch, lower punch and mold carrier element, or of other parts of the press, such as filling box, filling box mixer or the like, in which press a displaceable unit for receiving of the mold carrier element for the mold between the top and a bottom mold carrier element is vertically displaceable and the mold carrier element has devices for coupling interchangeable parts, characterized in that a) the interchangeable parts with the aid of the vertically displaceable unit and by spacing coupling elements in a suitable position for Coupling driven to the lifting means, coupled together and coupled to this lifting means as a package, whereby the lifting means themselves are not moved vertically, or that the interchangeable parts using the vertically displaceable unit or the lifting means in a gee ignete position for coupling to the mold carrier element and coupled by means of separate spacing coupling elements and that b) the interchangeable parts are combined as a package in or out of the press chamber.

The advantage achieved by the invention is that the handling of the press is considerably simplified and existing feed controls can be used without problems for controlling the lifting means and for changing parts.

• Figur 1 eine perspektivische Ansicht einer beispielsweisen erfindungsgemässen Presseneinrichtung.
• Figur 2 eine schematische Ansicht einer erfindungsgemässen Fresseneinrichtung, welche einen Füllkasten aufweist.

The invention is explained in more detail in the following description and the figures of the drawing. Show it

• 1 shows a perspective view of a press device according to the invention, for example.
• Figure 2 is a schematic view of a feeding device according to the invention, which has a filling box.

As FIG. 1 shows, the illustrated feeding device essentially comprises a hydraulic device actuated four-column press 1. At the upper end of the four columns 2 there is a yoke 3 in which a mold carrier element 4, which is also guided on the columns 2, is mounted. The mold carrier element 4 has a hydraulic drive 4 'arranged within the yoke 3 for lowering and a further hydraulic drive 4''for lifting. Associated with the mold carrier element 4 is a unit 5 located at the lower end of the columns 2 and likewise displaceable along the columns 2, which unit can accommodate a further mold carrier element 5 ′ which can be displaced together with the unit 5. The mold carrier element 5 'is shown in a position outside the unit 5 and is designed as a hollow shape, in which two upper punches 6, 6' and two lower punches 7, 7 'engage.

During the pressing process, as is not shown in FIG. 1, the upper punches 6, 6 'are fastened to the mold carrier element 4 and the lower punches are fastened to a mold carrier element 8 and, together with the mold carrier element 5', enclose the product to be pressed. The displaceable unit 5 is raised and lowered by two piston rods 9, only one of which is visible, while the mold carrier element 8 is not displaceable. The hollow shape of the mold carrier element 5 'is filled with press material by a filler slide, not shown, which pushes the press material over the hollow form of the mold carrier element 5' from outside the columns 2 via a support (also not shown). The pressing material can, for example, be ceramic sand that is to be processed into refractory stones.

The operation of the press corresponds essentially to that of conventional presses, as described for example in DE-A-27 41 800.

On the uppermost mold carrier element 4, as shown in FIG. 1, a running rail 10, 10 'in the form of a hollow profile is attached to two opposite sides. These rails 10, 10 'protrude forward from the area of the four-column press 1 and each carry two running elements, to each of which an elongated lifting element 11 is attached. The distance of the running elements in each running rail 10 or 10 'is kept constant by spacing elements, not shown, and the lifting elements 11 are pivotally attached to the running elements with hinges in the direction parallel to the running rails 10 or 10'. The running elements have drive elements, not shown, for displacement in the running rails.

As can be seen, a package is suspended from the lifting elements 11, which consists of the two upper punches 6, 6 ', the two lower punches 7, 7' and the mold carrier element 5 ', which are coupled to one another by distance-retaining coupling elements 13. The components of this package are specific to the shape of the product to be pressed and, as shown, are moved out of the four-column press 1 for changing this shape by the lifting and transport means described above and placed on a shape changing carriage 12. The hydraulic drive 4 'and an associated drive control of the uppermost mold carrier element 4 are expediently made usable for the vertical movement of the package mentioned, and also of its individual parts. In particular, this vertical movement also serves to couple the interchangeable parts 6, 6 ', 7, 7', 5 'over the distance-retaining coupling elements 13 even before the package is moved horizontally.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of a hydraulic four-column stone press according to the Invention shown, wherein reference numerals, which also appear in Figure 1, designate corresponding components. At the upper end of the four columns 2, a yoke 3 is arranged, which is secured by column nuts 14 before moving out of the columns 2 during the pressing process. In the middle of the yoke 3, a piston 6 projecting downward is fixed in a stationary manner. At the lower end of the columns 2 there is a pressing plate 18 which can be moved along the columns and in the middle of which a piston 7 projects upwards. Arranged above the press plate 18 is a unit 5 which can also be moved along the columns 2 and on which a molding frame 24 is fastened. The molding frame 24 has a hollow shape 26. The bottom of the hollow mold 26 is formed by the piston 7.

In addition to the form frame 24 outside the columns 2, there is a support 28 which is arranged on the displaceable unit 5 and carries a hydraulic device 30 for displacing a material container 32 which is open at the top and bottom. The material container 32 is guided by guide rods 34. Furthermore, a filling funnel 36 is provided on the support 28 for filling the material container 32. To fill the hollow mold 26, the mold frame 24 can be aligned against the support 28 in such a way that they together form a table on which the material container 32 can be displaced from the filling funnel 36 to the hollow mold 26.

Like the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1, the one according to FIG. 2 is equipped with two running rails, of which the front 10 ′ can be seen in FIG. 2. Two elongated lifting elements 11, which can be pivoted parallel to the running rail 10 ', are mounted horizontally displaceably on each running rail 10'. The material container 32, which serves as a filling box as described above, has in a manner known per se a filling box mixer, not shown, which mixes the raw material coming from the filling funnel 36. Filling box 32 and filling box mixer are provided as replaceable parts of the press 1 with devices not shown for coupling to the lifting elements 11. After carrying out such a coupling, the support 28 is lowered vertically with the aid of the displaceable unit 5 and the filling box 32, filling box mixer or their parts or assemblies remaining on the lifting elements 11 are transported forward horizontally to outside the area of the press 1 for cleaning and / or Revision.

The invention encompasses further useful features that are not shown in detail in the drawing but are useful. Thus, the lifting elements 11 for the interchangeable parts 5 ', 6, 6', 7, 7 'can be equipped with centrally controllable coupling elements, with an associated control simultaneously taking over the central control of the horizontal and vertical displacement of the lifting means. Such coupling elements can also be designed as quick couplings. Such a control is then advantageously designed to be programmable in such a way that the displacements required for changing the mold carrier elements for different shapes of the pressed products to suitable intermediate positions and coupling and decoupling processes to be carried out for these are programmed and can be carried out automatically.

Claims (12)

1. Vertical press comprising at least three mould-carrying elements, at least two of which are vertically movable and one of which is fixed, characterised by lifting means (10, 10', 11) for exchangeable parts (5', 6, 6', 7, 7') of the press (1) which are mounted on the uppermost vertically movable mould-carrying element (4) and are movable at least partially in the horizontal and/or vertical direction.
2. Vertical press according to claim 1, characterised in that the vertical movement of the lifting means (10, 10', 11) is effected by the uppermost mould-carrying element (4) by means of hydraulic drives (4', 4'').
3. Vertical press according to either of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the lifting means (10, 10', 11) are movable forwards and/or backwards horizontally to outside the region of the press (1) as viewed from the front of the press.
4. Vertical press according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the lifting means (10, 10', 11) are mounted on the uppermost mould-carrying element (4) outside the region which carries the mould (6, 6').
5. Vertical press according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the lifting means (10, 10', 11) have elements for coupling to the exchangeable parts and that a control is provided by means of which the coupling elements and the horizontal and vertical movement of the lifting means can be centrally controlled.
6. Vertical press according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the lifting means (10, 10') are at least partially fixedly mounted on the uppermost mould-carrying element (4).
7. Vertical press according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the lifting means (11) have rapid-action couplings for coupling to the exchangeable parts (5').
8. Vertical press according to claim 2, characterised in that the lifting means include two running rails (10, 10') which are mounted on two opposing sides of the uppermost mould-carrying element (4) and furthermore on each running rail two running elements mounted at a fixed distance and on each running element an elongated lifting element (11) which can swivel parallel to the running rail (10, 10').
9. Vertical press according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterised by a programmed control for the movable mould-carrying elements (4, 5) and lifting means (10, 10', 11) which controls the vertical movements to positions associated with different moulds in a stepwise and mould-specific manner.
10. Vertical press according to claim 1, having a hopper (32) and a hopper mixer, characterised in that parts or structural components of the hopper (32) or hopper mixer have arrangements for coupling the lifting means (11) for the exchangeable parts.
11. Vertical press according to claim 10, characterised by lifting means which are capable of lowering the parts or structural components of the hopper or hopper mixer to below the level of a mould table (24, 28) which carries a mould-carrying element for the compression mould.
12. Process for using the vertical press according to claim 1 for exchanging mould elements of the press, such as top ram (6, 6'), bottom ram (7, 7') and mould-carrying element (5'), or other parts of the press, such as hopper (32), hopper mixer or the like, in which press a movable unit (5) for receiving the mould-carrying element (5') for the compression mould is vertically movable between the uppermost (4) and a lowermost mould-carrying element (8) and the mould-carrying element (5) has devices for coupling exchangeable parts, characterised in that a) the exchangeable parts (6, 6', 7, 7', 5') are brought with the aid of the vertically movable unit (5) and spacing coupling elements (13) into a suitable position for coupling to the lifting means (11), are coupled together and are coupled to these lifting means (11) as a package, the lifting means (11) themselves not being moved vertically, or that the exchangeable parts (6, 6', 7, 7') are brought with the aid of the vertically movable unit (5) or the lifting means (10, 10', 11) into a suitable position for coupling to the mould-carrying element (5') and are coupled by means of separate spacing coupling elements (13) and that b) the exchangeable parts (6, 6', 7, 7', 5') are assembled together so that they are guided into or out of the pressing chamber as a package.

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