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 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: 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.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a moulding machine (1) for producing flaskless moulds. The moulding machine (1) comprises a drag flask (3) and a cope flask (2), a drag squeeze plate (6) associated with said drag flask (3), and a cope squeeze plate (5) inserted in said cope flask (2), all arranged to be rotated between a horizontal and a vertical position and the drag flask (3) and cope flask (2) being arranged to be movable relative towards one another and away from one another. The drag flask (3), the cope flask (2), the drag squeeze plate (6), and the cope squeeze plate (5) are guided in their relative movement by a common set of guide rods (7), whereby the alignment procedure for these components is significantly facilitated.

Abstract: In a method for pouring several moulds in a mould-string plant in the pouring operation, the moulds are produced by compression of sand or similar mould material in a pressing chamber comprising pattern plates 3, 4 for providing impressions in the surfaces of the mould parts for forming the mould cavities 11 and inlet runners 8. The moulds are advanced to a pouring track or guideway, on which the casting moulds are formed by positioning the mould parts close together and the advancement of the casting moulds is stepwise through a pouring station, in which the moulds are filled with molten metal. By providing at least one runner 7 for mutually connecting at least two inlet runners 8 for consecutive mould cavities 11, the mutually connected mould cavities can be filled through a single pouring inlet 8, and unused pouring inlets 8 may be plugged by a suitable plug 14 in order to minimise the amount of molten metal needed to fill the mould cavities 11.

Abstract: In a filling-tube construction (1, 2) for providing a connection between a mould (6) to be filled with molten metal and a mould-filling furnace (3) containing molten metal (5), said mould (6) having at least one casting cavity (7), the lowermost part of each such cavity communicating with a filling duct (8), at least one end of which is open to the outside of said mould (6) and adapted to be temporarily connected to the filling-tube construction (1, 2) to receive molten metal (5) from the mould-filling furnace (3), the mould-filling furnace being adapted to contain molten metal (5) and to transfer said molten metal (5) under a controlled pressure through the filling-tube construction (1, 2) and to the filling duct (8), the filling-tube construction comprises a first section (1) extending from a position close to the bottom of said mould-filling furnace (3) up to an intermediate position closer to the filling duct (8) and at least one separate second section (2) providing a connection from the upper end of the

Abstract: In a mold producing foundry machine generally according to the “Disamatic®”-principle a method of compensating for relatively slowly varying compaction properties of the mold particle material without compromising the geometrical requirements for repeatedly fixed placements of the pattern plates defining the mold chamber before the shot, comprises previous establishment of a beneficial set of starting parameters for shot and pressing of the mold to a fix terminating compaction force. The percentual volume reduction from the fixed starting volume to the terminating volume of the compacted mold—yielding the mold compressibility—is compared to the previously established beneficial reference value and the succeeding shots are adaptively controlled to compensate for the realised offset in compressibility by especially regulating the shot pressure, duration and fluidization parameters in a cyclic sequence securing steady reduction of the offset value to be within acceptable margins.

Abstract: In a transport system for a mould-string casting plant comprising a moulding machine (1) delivering a plurality of uniform mould parts (3) to a string of moulds on the transport system transporting the moulds from the moulding machine (1) to a pouring station (4) and further on to a solidification and cooling section (II, III, IV) and ending at a knock-out station in which the castings are taken out of the moulds (3), the transport system comprises in combination—a second section (II), in which the moulds (3) in the string are transported slidingly by means of movable longitudinal side rails (8) applying a positive lateral force on each side of the mould string (3) and moving in an advancing and longitudinal stepwise manner synchronised with the movement provided by the pressure plate (2) of the moulding machine (1), and—a third section (III), in which the transport is effected by means of a walling beam system (6, 7).

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for producing casting mould parts by compacting mould material between a first squeeze plate and a second squeeze plate forming movable end walls of a moulding chamber, which subsequent to the compacting can be opened by moving the second squeeze plate out of the way, after which the mould part can be pushed out of the moulding chamber by a further movement of the first squeeze plate in its compacting direction, the movement of the first squeeze plate being provided by a hydraulic drive unit comprising a movable cylinder member connected to the first squeeze plate and an associated stationary piston member having a piston rod extending tightly through an inner wall of the cylinder member and a piston. The movable cylinder member is guided in its linear movement by the piston and by the piston rod.

Abstract: Moulding machine (1) for the moulding of sand moulds (4, 5) by blowing sand in through slitshaped openings (14, 15) extending across each side plate (16, 17) of a moulding box (6, 7). Into the boxes (6, 7) extend moulding patterns (12, 13). At least one of the end parts (18, 19) of the slitshaped openings has a greater width than the central part (20, 21) thereof. When the sand is blown in through the openings (14, 15) a greater amount of sand is achieved at the peripheral region of the boxes (6, 7) than when the end parts has no greater width than the central part of the opening. Consequently, by the present solution is achieved a greater hardness of the squeezed sand moulds at the peripheral region than by the prior art solutions.

Abstract: A molding machine for providing flaskless molds comprising a drag flask (4) and a cope flask (3) is provided with a core setter (40) for placing cores in upwardly facing cavities of a mold located in the drag flask (4). The core setter (40) comprises a core mask (45) with pockets (49) selectively operable to hold and release cores (50), said core mask being supported by a holder (55) that is pivotally journalled around a horizontal axis to swing between a core-releasing position and a core-loading position. The core mask (45) faces downwardly towards the mold when it is in the core-releasing position and faces laterally away from said mold when it is in the core-loading position. The drag flask (4) is arranged to be movable in a substantially horizontal direction to and from a core-setting position directly under the core mask (45) in its core-releasing position. The drag flask (4) is arranged to be movable upwards to and downwards from the core mask (45) when it is in the core-setting position.

Abstract: When extracting the castings (5, 6) produced in a mould foundry plant, comprising an extraction station receiving the moulds (1, 2, 3) with solidified castings (5, 6) positioned in the mould cavities at the mould-parting surface between mould parts a part of the casting (5) to be extracted is gripped in a fixed position and orientation before opening the mould cavity containing said casting, said gripping providing a positive, fixed engagement between the gripping tool (8) and the casting (5), the mould cavity containing the gripped casting (5) is opened by removing a first mould part (1), the gripped casting (5) is extracted from the mould cavity, and the casting (5) is moved to a delivery position for further processing thereof. This provides a possibility of delivery of the extracted casting (5) in a well-defined position and orientation for the further processing thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of producing mold parts (5) on a string molding apparatus comprising a molding chamber (1) between a squeeze plate (2) and a pivoted squeeze plate (3) in which both the squeeze plate (2) and the pivoted squeeze plate (3) can move in a direction towards each other and a direction away from one another comprising the steps of introducing a compressible particulate molding material (4) in the molding chamber (1) and then squeezing the molding material (4) by moving the squeeze plate (2) and the pivoted squeeze (3) towards one another wherein the velocity of the squeeze plate and the velocity of the pivoted squeeze plate are controlled independent from one another during the squeezing of the mold part (5).

Abstract: The method of improving the mould quality of a mould-forming machine comprising at least one moulding chamber with oppositely positioned and movable squeeze plates, in which the mould-forming process comprises the steps of a) filling the at least one moulding chamber with compressible mould material, b) pressing the mould material between the squeeze plates, c) opening the moulding chambers(s) by moving at least one of the squeeze plates, d) removing the produced mould or mould parts from the moulding chamber(s) and e) reclosing the moulding chambers(s) by moving at least one of the squeeze plates, ready for a new cycle starting from step (a), by moving at least one squeeze plate in a direction reducing the volume of the moulding chambers(s) during at least part of the filling step a), an improved filling of mould cavities is achieved, which compensates for the reduced filling velocity during start-up of the filling.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for casting ferrous or heavy metal articles in vertically parted sand moulds of a mould string plant through an inlet below or aside the mould cavity, by filling the moulds with molten metal by counter-gravity delivery using a source of pressure. The pressure is varied during the filling procedure to steer the flow speed and impact on the mould of the molten metal upon complete filling of the mould cavity is reduced.

Abstract: In a mould forming machine comprising a moulding chamber, a movable squeeze plate and a pattern, the filling of selected parts of the pattern with compressible mould material is improved by applying vacuum to said selected parts. By applying the vacuum separately to different parts of the pattern at different periods, of time during the filling step, the vacuum application can be applied during shorter periods only when needed, thereby reducing the drying out of the mould material and reducing the amounts of air to be removed by the vacuum system.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the movements of the squeeze plates of a string moulding apparatus where the apparatus generally includes a moulding chamber defined between two squeeze plates. One of the squeeze plates can be pivoted to open the moulding chamber. The production cycle of the apparatus includes, apart from the charging of the chamber with mould material, several movements of the squeeze plates. A movement of one plate commences before the preceding movement of the other plate has finished. The hydraulic system of the apparatus comprises two pumps, one pump for each actuator associated to one of the squeeze plates.