Abstract: For the production of horizontally divided flaskless foundry molds a mold making plant is employed consisting of a vacuum mold blowing machine, joined with a casting and cooling line and a shake out station. The vacuum mold blowing machine is provide with a pattern plate swapping device and designed in the form of a single station mold making maching, in which drags and copes of a mold are produced alternately. The single mold flask is part of the mold making machine and has means for stripping it from a drag or cope before removal of the same from the machine. This makes it possible to have one core insertion station with space for a plurality of drag without having more than one machine flask.

Abstract: A register system is provided for making molds for metal casting which reduces flaws attributable to parting line shift. This is accomplished by urging the cope mold flask (11) against two fixed stops (50, 52) on the long axis, and one fixed stop (54) on the short axis of the flask. This same register principle is applied in the drag mold making station 18, where the drag flask (15) is urged against two fixed stops (100, 102) on the long axis, and one fixed stop (90) on the short axis of the flask. At the closer station (24), where the mold halves are assembled, they are again urged against two fixed stops (134, 136) on the long axis, and one fixed stop (142) on the short axis of the flasks. Thus the flasks are properly aligned to the patterns at the mold making stations, and again properly aligned to each other at the closer station, so as to eliminate parting line shift problems of the mold halves.

Abstract: Foundry molding system, apparatus and methods are characterized by horizontally reciprocating flask shuttles located beneath and at entry and exit ends of a molding line conveyor which is operative to support horizontally aligned cope and drag flask sets for indexing along the conveyor in abutting relation through a plurality of stations for production of cope and drag molds in the cope and drag flasks, respectively. The entry and exit flash shuttles respectively operate positively to locate and transfer along the conveyor one flask of cope and drag flask sets out of and into alignment with a flask separate/set-on and flask take-off/close to permit set-on and take-off of the other flask at high production rates.

Abstract: A mold making machine the production of flaskless molds is made up of a sand supply container, with a blowing and squeezing grid at its lower, that is able to be moved vertically, a hollow pattern plate mount, valve and duct means connected with the said mount, and drag and cope flasks that are fitted around said sand container for vertical motion in relation thereto. At the start of a mold producing operation the drag flask is placed under the cope flask on the container. This design of the molding machine enables it to be used for the alternate production of flaskless drags and copes which are made into block molds.

Abstract: A foundry molding system for molding and closing cope and drag molds includes a linear idler molding line conveyor adjacent a cooling conveyor. Short powered sections are provided at each end of the molding line conveyor for set-off from the cooling conveyor to form the assembled cope and drag flasks into horizontally abutting drag and cope sets on the molding line conveyor and for closing and setting on the cooling conveyor the assembled cope and drag molds. Reciprocating index and control means are provided at each end of the molding line conveyor for indexing the sets therealong in abutting relationship. Powered roller detents or locaters are provided along the conveyor to hold the flasks to separate, center and retain the flasks for a variety of operations such as set-down, molding, drag rollover, coring, closing and set-on. The roller detents at the drag rollover are located in the trunnions of the rollover for operation therewith.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing and transferring casting moulds utilizing binderless sand subjected to a reduced pressure. The apparatus is comprised of a travelling gripper which is arranged to be raised and lowered and which is provided with two couplings to hold a moulding box. The couplings are rotatable about a horizontally extending axis with one coupling being connected to a vacuum pipe for evacuating the moulding box.