This application relates generally to adjustable feed trays for molding machines.
Mold assemblies are interchangeably installed in concrete product machines to shape various concrete products. They have varying shapes and sizes, and top plates of these mold assemblies may have differing lateral depths. Apron plates of these concrete products machines need to maintain a certain lateral gap distance from the top plates of the mold assemblies, and this gap distance must be reset every time a different mold assembly is loaded into the concrete products machines, to accommodate dimensional differences in the mold assemblies and/or mold top plates.
Current techniques to achieve and maintain this apron plate gap distance require an operator to move the apron plate away from an installed mold assembly's top plate by pressing a button or throwing switch on a control panel, which actuates hydraulic cylinders attached to the apron plate. The operator measures the resulting apron plate gap with a tape measure as the apron plate is moved, until the gap reaches the desired size. The operator then manually locks the apron plate into position. This manual adjustment and measuring process is time consuming and inefficient—especially when it needs to be performed frequently.
A concrete product machine apron gap adjustment apparatus is provided, which comprises an apron plate supported on a machine frame for reciprocal movement between a retracted position allowing room for installation of an interchangeable mold assembly, and an engaged position against an installed mold assembly. A primary apron plate positioning cylinder is connected between the apron plate and the machine frame and is configured to move the apron plate between the retracted and engaged positions. A gapper mechanism is in fluid communication with the rod side of the primary apron plate positioning cylinder and is configured to set a desired gap between the machine apron plate and the mold assembly by injecting an index amount of hydraulic fluid into fluid communication with the rod side of the primary apron plate positioning cylinder which, in response, causes the machine apron plate to retreat a desired gap distance away from its engaged position against the mold assembly.
In addition, a method is provided for configuring a concrete product machine to automatically set a desired gap between an apron plate of the machine and a mold assembly installed in the machine. The method includes installing an apron plate gapping cylinder in the machine, in fluid communication with a primary apron plate positioning cylinder of the machine, and in electrical communication with a controller of the machine. The method also includes programming a controller to execute the step of commanding the apron plate to advance into engagement with a mold assembly installed in the machine, by actuating the primary apron plate positioning cylinder; as well as the step of commanding the apron plate to retreat from engagement with the mod assembly by the desired gap distance by actuating the gapping cylinder to expel the index amount of hydraulic fluid from the apron plate gapping cylinder into the primary apron plate positioning cylinder.
A concrete product machine apron gap adjustment apparatus is shown at 10 in
The apparatus 10 may also include at least one, and preferably two, primary apron plate positioning cylinders 20 that may be connected between the apron plate 12 and the machine frame 14. The apparatus 10 may accordingly include at least one, but preferably two, primary apron plate positioning cylinder hydraulic circuits 22, each of which may be connected to and in fluid communication with a respective rod side 23 of one of the primary apron plate positioning cylinders 20. The primary apron plate positioning cylinders 20 may be configured and actuable to move the apron plate 12 between the retracted and engaged positions.
The apparatus 10 may also include a gapper mechanism 24, as shown in
The gapper mechanism 24 may be configured to set a desired gap between the machine apron plate 12 and the mold assembly top plate 18 by injecting an index amount of hydraulic fluid into fluid communication with the respective rod sides 23 of the primary apron plate positioning cylinders 20, causing the machine apron plate 12 to retreat a desired gap distance away from its engaged position against the mold assembly 16. By injecting an index amount of fluid when the apron plate 12 is in the engaged position, the gapper mechanism 24 ensures that a consistent gap is produced between a mold assembly 16 and the apron plate 12, even if mold assemblies 16 and/or mold assembly top plates 18 of varying dimensions are installed in the apparatus 10. For example, the gapping mechanism 24 may be configured to produce a desired gap of 1/32- 1/16 inches, however other gap sizes may be desired according to the needs of the concrete products machine 14.
The apparatus 10 may comprise a controller 26 connected in electrical communication with the gapper mechanism 24 and the apron plate positioning cylinders 20. The controller 26 may be further configured to receive commands from an operator via a human/machine interface (HMI) 28. The controller 26 may be programmed to automatically set a proper gap between the apron plate 12 and the mold assembly 16 in response to a gapping command. According to this programming, when the controller 26 receives the gapping command, the controller 26 should actuate the primary apron plate positioning cylinders 20 to advance the apron plate 12 into engagement with the mold assembly 16, and command the gapping cylinders 25 to expel the index amount of hydraulic fluid from the apron plate gapping cylinders 25 into the primary apron plate positioning cylinders 20, thereby causing the apron plate 12 to retreat the desired gap distance from the mold assembly 16.
In practice, and as shown in
First, as shown in
An operator may issue a gapping command via the HMI 28 to begin the gapping process. The point at which this command is issued may vary, and the gapping command may be included with, or triggered by, other commands. For example, the HMI 28 may be configured and programmed so that the gapping command may be issued by the operator after the mold 16 installation is complete, alternatively, the operator may issue the gapping command as part of an automated series of commands issued by the controller 26 in response to pressing an HMI button that begins the whole mold 16 installation and gapping process. As a further alternative, the gapping command may be automatically issued in response to some other operator input such as the installation of a new mold assembly 16.
Once the mold assembly 16 is installed, and the gapping command has been issued, the controller 26 may respond to the gapping command by causing the apron plate 12 to advance into engagement with the mold assembly 16 as shown in
Actuation of the two apron plate gapping cylinders 25 may include causing the first hydraulic pilot poppet valve 27 to open and then, ½ second later, causing the second hydraulic poppet valve 29 to open, and causing both hydraulic poppet valves 27, 29 to remain open for an additional second. This should cause the apron plate gapping cylinders 25 to extend and expel the index amount of hydraulic fluid, which should cause the apron plate 12 to retreat a desired distance of 1/32- 1/16 inch away from the mold assembly top plate 18.
In practice, and as shown in
To ensure that the correct gap distance is consistently produced, a target parameter value may be determined that corresponds to the index amount of hydraulic fluid required to be expelled from the apron plate gapping cylinders 25 into the rod side of a primary apron plate positioning cylinder to produce the desired gap. This target parameter value determination may be performed via various means including trial and error, measurement, experimentation, and/or via calculation. The parameter may, for example, be time; and the target parameter value may be the length of time that a hydraulic valve must remain open to release the index amount of hydraulic fluid. Once the target parameter value is determined, it may be used in the step of programming the controller 26 as a means of controlling the amount of hydraulic fluid expelled by the gapping cylinders 25. For example, the controller 26 may be programmed to expel hydraulic fluid until the controller 26 perceives that the target parameter value has been met.
A concrete product machine apron gap adjustment apparatus constructed as disclosed above, and concrete product machine configuration and apron gap adjustment methods executed as disclosed above, will allow the automatic and consistent setting of a desired gap between a concrete product machine apron plate and any number of differently-configured mold assemblies interchangeably installed in the concrete product machine.
This description, rather than describing limitations of an invention, only illustrates (an) embodiment(s) of the invention recited in the claims. The language of this description is therefore exclusively descriptive and is non-limiting. Obviously, it's possible to modify this invention from what the description teaches. Within the scope of the claims, one may practice the invention other than as disclosed above.
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of United States Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/856,406, filed Jun. 3, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62856406 | Jun 2019 | US |