Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosed technology provide anti-theft shelving units particularly designed to deter/detect sweeping theft. For example, an anti-theft shelving unit of the disclosed technology may comprise a combination of the following anti-sweeping theft design features: (1) flip-stopper(s) swingably-mounted to shelves of the anti-theft shelving unit; (2) flip-door(s) swingably-mounted to the anti-theft shelving unit; (3) processing circuitry that, in response to an anti-theft-related signal, locks the flip-stopper(s) and flip-door(s) in fixed positions that restrict access to items on the shelves; and (4) shelf-mounted sensors and processing circuitry that determine occurrence of sweeping theft in response to detecting removal of over a threshold number of items from a shelf in a pre-determined time interval.

Abstract: The sand mould identification device has a housing with an identification pattern face adapted to be arranged in a pattern forming surface of a sand moulding machine. Individually adjustable indicator elements in the identification pattern face are adjustable by means of an actuator. The housing includes an insertion portion adapted to be inserted into a corresponding recess of said sand moulding machine. The identification pattern face is located at a front end of the insertion portion. The insertion portion is adapted to be inserted into the sand moulding machine in an insertion direction extending from a rear end to the front end of the insertion portion. A mounting bracket is accessible at or behind the rear end of the insertion portion for mounting or demounting the housing to or from the sand moulding machine or core shooter.

Abstract: The foundry production line includes a sand moulding machine, a melt pouring device, a shakeout machine, a finishing apparatus, an inspection station and a computer controlled database system. A pattern plate is provided with a sand mould identification device including a plurality of individually adjustable indicator elements adapted to impress an identification pattern in a sand mould part. Each indicator element has rounded edges and indicates a direction. An automatic image detection system includes an imaging device arranged at the inspection station and being adapted to provide a digital image of an individual identification pattern formed in a cleaned casting. The automatic image detection system includes a computer system running a computer program developed by means of machine learning to analyse the digital image and thereby detect the individual identification pattern.

Abstract: The foundry production line includes a sand moulding machine, a melt pouring device, a shakeout machine, a finishing apparatus, an inspection station and a computer controlled database system. A pattern plate is provided with a sand mould identification device including a plurality of individually adjustable indicator elements adapted to impress an identification pattern in a sand mould part. Each indicator element has rounded edges and indicates a direction. An automatic image detection system includes an imaging device arranged at the inspection station and being adapted to provide a digital image of an individual identification pattern formed in a cleaned casting. The automatic image detection system includes a computer system running a computer program developed by means of machine learning to analyse the digital image and thereby detect the individual identification pattern.

Abstract: The sand mould identification device has a housing with an identification pattern face adapted to be arranged in a pattern forming surface of a sand moulding machine. Individually adjustable indicator elements in the identification pattern face are adjustable by means of an actuators. The housing includes an insertion portion adapted to be inserted into a corresponding recess of said sand moulding machine. The identification pattern face is located at a front end of the insertion portion. The insertion portion is adapted to be inserted into the sand moulding machine in an insertion direction extending from a rear end to the front end of the insertion portion. A mounting bracket is accessible at or behind the rear end of the insertion portion for mounting or demounting the housing to or from the sand moulding machine or core shooter.

Abstract: A comminution system for heterogeneous materials includes pumps, a source of liquid in fluid communication with the pumps, a source of heterogeneous material, a mixer to combine the heterogeneous material and the liquid, and nozzles in fluid communication with the pumps, respectively. The pumps are in straight-line alignment with the nozzles. The nozzles receiving the heterogeneous material combined with the liquid direct the combined slurry to an impact zone where the fractions of the heterogeneous material are disassociated.

Abstract: The moulding machine includes a moulding chamber having at least one chamber end wall provided with a pattern plate adapted to form a pattern in a mould part and associated with a reference pattern block positioned in fixed relationship to a pattern of said pattern plate and adapted to form a reference pattern in an external face of a mould part. A detection system detects the position of a pattern face of the reference pattern of the sand mould part. A transverse and/or a rotational compaction position of a pattern plate is adjustable by means of at least one actuator. Said actuators are controlled by means of a control system on the basis of successive position detections performed by the detection system of pattern faces of reference patterns of compacted sand mould parts traveling along said path of travel.

Abstract: A method and system for indexing moulds using a flaskless moulding machine and a mould conveyor are provided. The method comprises: (i) forming one or more moulds, each of the one or more moulds being added to the mould string while the mould string is stationary by being brought into contact with the mould string. Once the one or more moulds has been added to the mould string, the method continues (ii) by advancing the mould string, in a single continuous motion, a distance corresponding to the sum of the thicknesses of the one or more moulds, wherein (1) the moulding machine assists the mould conveyor in advancing the mould string during a first part of the distance, and (2) the mould conveyor advances the mould string a second part of the distance, corresponding to the remainder of the distance, without assistance from the moulding machine.

Abstract: The moulding machine includes a moulding chamber having at least one chamber end wall provided with a pattern plate adapted to form a pattern in a mould part and associated with a reference pattern block positioned in fixed relationship to a pattern of said pattern plate and adapted to form a reference pattern in an external face of a mould part. A detection system detects the position of a pattern face of the reference pattern of the sand mould part. A transverse and/or a rotational compaction position of a pattern plate is adjustable by means of at least one actuator. Said actuators are controlled by means of a control system on the basis of successive position detections performed by the detection system of pattern faces of reference patterns of compacted sand mould parts traveling along said path of travel.

Abstract: The moulding machine includes a moulding chamber having at least one chamber end wall (8) provided with a pattern plate adapted to form a pattern in a mould part and associated with a reference pattern block positioned in fixed relationship to a pattern of said pattern plate and adapted to form a reference pattern in an external face of a mould part. A detection system detects the position of a pattern face of the reference pattern of the sand mould part. A transverse and/or a rotational compaction position of a pattern plate is adjustable by means of at least one actuator (91, 92, 119). Said actuators are controlled by means of a control system on the basis of successive position detections performed by the detection system of pattern faces of reference patterns of compacted sand mould parts travelling along said path of travel.

Abstract: A comminution system for heterogeneous materials includes pumps, a source of liquid in fluid communication with the pumps, a source of heterogeneous material, a mixer to combine the heterogeneous material and the liquid, and nozzles in fluid communication with the pumps, respectively. The pumps are in straight-line alignment with the nozzles. The nozzles receiving the heterogeneous material combined with the liquid direct the combined slurry to an impact zone where the fractions of the heterogeneous material are disassociated.

Abstract: The moulding machine includes a moulding chamber having at least one chamber end wall provided with a pattern plate adapted to form a pattern in a mould part and associated with a reference pattern block positioned in fixed relationship to a pattern of said pattern plate and adapted to form a reference pattern in an external face of a mould part. The reference pattern block includes a face having a tangent varying in a longitudinal direction of the moulding chamber and being adapted to form a corresponding reference pattern in the sand mould part. A non-contact detection system (87) detects the position of a number of different points (P1, P2) distributed over the pattern face of the reference pattern in the longitudinal direction of the sand mould part, and the tangent (T1, T2) in the longitudinal direction of the sand mould part is different between at least two of said points.

Abstract: The sand moulding machine (1) includes a moulding chamber (2) formed by a chamber top wall (3), a chamber bottom wall (4), two opposed chamber side walls and two opposed chamber end walls (7, 8). A chamber wall is provided with a sand filling opening (9) communicating with a sand feed system (10). At least one of the chamber end walls is provided with a pattern plate (12, 13) having a pattern (14, 15). At least one of the chamber end walls is displaceable in order to compact sand fed into the moulding chamber. A number of compressed air inlet openings (18, 43) are located in a lower part of the moulding chamber and are arranged to form an upward airflow in at least a part of the moulding chamber in order to create an at least substantially fluidised bed of sand during a sand filling operation.

Abstract: The moulding machine includes a moulding chamber having at least one chamber end wall (8) provided with a pattern plate adapted to form a pattern in a mould part and associated with a reference pattern block positioned in fixed relationship to a pattern of said pattern plate and adapted to form a reference pattern in an external face of a mould part. A detection system detects the position of a pattern face of the reference pattern of the sand mould part. A transverse and/or a rotational compaction position of a pattern plate is adjustable by means of at least one actuator (91, 92, 119). Said actuators are controlled by means of a control system on the basis of successive position detections performed by the detection system of pattern faces of reference patterns of compacted sand mould parts travelling along said path of travel.

Abstract: The sand moulding machine (1) includes a moulding chamber (2) formed by a chamber top wall (3), a chamber bottom wall (4), two opposed chamber side walls and two opposed chamber end walls (7, 8). A chamber wall is provided with a sand filling opening (9) communicating with a sand feed system (10). At least one of the chamber end walls is provided with a pattern plate (12, 13) having a pattern (14, 15). At least one of the chamber end walls is displaceable in order to compact sand fed into the moulding chamber. A number of compressed air inlet openings (18, 43) are located in a lower part of the moulding chamber and are arranged to form an upward airflow in at least a part of the moulding chamber in order to create an at least substantially fluidised bed of sand during a sand filling operation.

Abstract: The moulding machine includes a moulding chamber having at least one chamber end wall provided with a pattern plate adapted to form a pattern in a mould part and associated with a reference pattern block positioned in fixed relationship to a pattern of said pattern plate and adapted to form a reference pattern in an external face of a mould part. The reference pattern block includes a face having a tangent varying in a longitudinal direction of the moulding chamber and being adapted to form a corresponding reference pattern in the sand mould part. A non-contact detection system (87) detects the position of a number of different points (P1, P2) distributed over the pattern face of the reference pattern in the longitudinal direction of the sand mould part, and the tangent (T1, T2) in the longitudinal direction of the sand mould part is different between at least two of said points.

Abstract: A method of indexing moulds uses a flaskless moulding machine for forming moulds and a mould conveyor for carrying, and advancing a mould string produced from a plurality of the moulds received by the mould conveyor from the flaskless moulding machine. The method comprises: (i) forming one or more moulds one at a time using the flaskless moulding machine, each of the one or more moulds being added to the mould string while the mould string is stationary by being brought Into contact with the mould string, subsequently to being produced by the flaskless moulding machine.