1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an extracting device, loaded on a molding machine, for extracting a molded article when a mold of the machine is unclamped.
2. Description of the Related Art
An extracting device is arranged with a molding machine, in order to extract a molded article, positioned in an opened or unclamped mold, and a runner after the molded article is formed in the molding machine. In general, this extracting device is type of a rectangular coordinate system including a plurality of straight axes.
Instead of the extracting device of the rectangular coordinate system type, an extracting device having an articulated robot for extracting the molded article from the mold has been developed. (See Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 10-95028 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 9-201849.)
A general extracting device is usually mounted to the center of a mold fixing member fixed to a frame of the molding machine. However, in the extracting device 100 of the rectangular coordinate system type shown in
Further, as shown in
In case that many molds are frequently exchanged for production, it is important to smoothly exchange the molds. However, it may be difficult to move the arm of the extracting device when the factory is relatively small.
In the extracting device having the articulated robot, such as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 10-95028 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 9-201849, the robot has arms configured to cooperate with each other and capable of rotating about axes perpendicular to a horizontal axis. As operating ranges of the arms are relatively narrow, the robot must be positioned near the center of the mold fixing member. Therefore, when the mold is conveyed, the extracting may be an obstacle for conveying the mold, thereby the work for exchanging the mold may be troublesome. Further, when the mold is hung and conveyed by a crane or the like, so as to be lifted from between the mold fixing members 1a and 1b or to be lowered for being attached to the mold fixing member, the robot of the extracting device cannot be moved sufficiently away from the conveying path escape space for the operating part of the machine, whereby the mold, during conveying, may interfere with the extracting device.
On the other hand, the applicant of the invention has proposed, in Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-64666, an extracting device using a robot in which a rotation axis of an arm of the robot is constituted by a vertical axis.
An object of the present invention is to provide an extracting device using a robot by which the mold may be easily exchanged.
According to the present invention, there is provided an extracting device loaded on a molding machine having a mold fixing member, for extracting a molded article when a mold of the molding machine is unclamped, the extracting device comprising: a stationary base fixed to the molding machine; a first arm having one end mounted to the stationary base such that the first arm is rotatable about a generally vertical first axis; a second arm having one end mounted to another end of the first arm such that the second arm is rotatable about a second axis generally parallel to the first axis; a third arm having one end mounted to another end of the second arm such that the third arm is rotatable about a third axis generally parallel to the second axis; and a first vertical motion arm configured to go up and down relative to the third arm and having a first gripper at a front end of the first vertical motion arm; wherein the stationary base is positioned away from a position of a mold attachment surface of the mold fixing member and, thereby, each of the first, second and third arms and the first vertical motion arm may be positioned and oriented such that an upper space and a side space of the mold fixing member are opened.
The stationary base may be fixed to an adapter member fixed to the mold fixing member. In this case, the adapter member may be integrally formed with the stationary base.
Alternatively, the stationary base may be fixed to a support member fixed to a frame of the mold machine.
The extracting device may further comprise: an intermediate base member fixed to the third arm; a fourth arm having one end mounted to the intermediate base member such that the fourth arm is rotatable about a fourth axis generally parallel to the third axis; a fifth arm having one end mounted to another end of the fourth arm such that the fifth arm is rotatable about a fifth axis generally parallel to the fourth axis; a sixth arm having one end mounted to another end of the fifth arm such that the sixth arm is rotatable about a sixth axis generally parallel to the fifth axis; and a second vertical motion arm configured to go up and down relative to the sixth arm and having a second gripper at a front end of the second vertical motion arm. Therefore, the extracting device may extract a runner as well as the molded article.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be made more apparent by the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
a and 2b are explanatory views of arm constitutions of the extracting device of the embodiment;
a and 6b are explanatory views of the extracting device of rectangular coordinate system type of prior art, showing situations in which a stationary base is attached to the molding machine and the mold is exchanged, respectively.
One embodiment of the present invention is explained below with reference to drawings.
a is an explanatory view of an arm constitution of the extracting device 2. A stationary base 10 is configured to connect the extracting device 2 to the molding machine 1. A first arm 12 has one end mounted to the stationary base 10 such that the first arm 12 is rotatable about a generally vertical first axis 11. A second arm 14 has one end mounted to another end of the first arm 12 such that the second arm 14 is rotatable about a second axis 13 generally parallel to the first axis 11. A third arm 16 has one end mounted to another end of the second arm 14 such that the third arm 16 is rotatable about a third axis 15 generally parallel to the second axis 13. Further, a first vertical motion arm 17, mounted to the third arm 16 and configured to move parallel to the third axis 15 (or vertically), has a first gripper 26, at its front end, such as a hand or a sucker for gripping the molded article.
The stationary base 10, the first axis and arm 11 and 12, the second axis and arm 13 and 14, the third axis and arm 15 and 16, and the first vertical motion arm 17 described above together constitute the first unit 3.
Further, as shown in
The first and the second units 3 and 4 may be separated from each other. In particular, the second unit 4 may be separated from or combined with the first unit 3 by removing or attaching the intermediate member 18 from or to the third arm 16. For example, when the first and the second units 3 and 4 are configured as extracting devices for the molded article and the runner, respectively, the second unit 4 may be detached from the first unit 3, if required.
The first to sixth arms 12, 14, 16, 20, 22 and 24 are configured to rotate about the axes parallel to each other. Therefore, when the stationary base 10 is mounted to the upper part of the molding machine 1, as in this embodiment, each of the arms rotates about the vertical axis, in other words, on a horizontal plane. Thus, as all arms may rotate on a horizontal plane, an overall height of the molding machine including the extracting device may be limited to a relatively low height.
In the above embodiment, the stationary base 10 of the extracting device 2 is fixed to the mold fixing member 1a using the adapter plate 6. However, the adapter plate 6 may be integrally formed with the stationary base 10. In other words, a position of the mold fixing member 1a where the stationary base is attached and a position of the stationary base where the first axis is arranged are offset from each other, such that the arms of the extracting device 2 are away from the position of the mold attachment surface of the mold fixing member 1a to which the stable part of the mold is attached, whereby the upper space and the side space between the mold fixing member 1a and the mold fixing member 1b to which a movable part of the mold is attached are opened, to keep a useful mold conveying path.
By rotating the first and the second arms of the extracting device 2 attached to the support member 7, as shown in
According to the invention, when the mold is exchanged, it is not necessary to take care not to contact the mold or a part of the crane or the like to the extracting device, while maintaining a mold conveying path for conveying the mold by the crane.
While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments chosen for the purpose of illustration, it should be apparent that numerous modifications could be made thereto, by one skilled in the art, without departing from the basic concept and scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2004-174443 | Jun 2004 | JP | national |