Abstract: The mold handler includes a mold closer mechanism that supports the cope and drag halves and effects movement in a closing direction whereby cope and drag halves are moved into mating alignment with one another. The cope and drag halves are with respective alignment structures that mediate the mating alignment of cope and drag halves as they are moved into mating alignment with one another. An air bearing mechanism that supports at least one of said cope and drag halves permits low friction lateral movement in a plane perpendicular to the closing direction to thereby adjust the relative positional relationship of cope and drag by interaction of the alignment structures.

Abstract: A positioning station supports a sand mold half while centering using two sets of moveable arms. A gripping structure having two inwardly facing pads are each mounted for rotation about a common axis on separate axles. The pads remain in a fixed angular relationship to one another throughout rotational movement. Each pad has plural individual compressible fingers and a fixed fulcrum structure pointing inwardly towards the opposite pad and adapted to grip a sand mold half by engaging the surface of the sand mold half. The gripping structure is lifted away from the platform sufficient to allow a second sand mold half to be placed on the platform and then the gripping structure is lowered to accurately mate the two mold halves.

Abstract: The mold handler includes a mold closer mechanism that supports the cope and drag halves and effects movement in a closing direction whereby cope and drag halves are moved into mating alignment with one another. The cope and drag halves are with respective alignment structures that mediate the mating alignment of cope and drag halves as they are moved into mating alignment with one another. An air bearing mechanism that supports at least one of said cope and drag halves permits low friction lateral movement in a plane perpendicular to the closing direction to thereby adjust the relative positional relationship of cope and drag by interaction of the alignment structures.

Abstract: A positioning station supports a sand mold half while centering using two sets of moveable arms. A gripping structure having two inwardly facing pads are each mounted for rotation about a common axis on separate axles. The pads remain in a fixed angular relationship to one another throughout rotational movement. Each pad has plural individual compressible fingers and a fixed fulcrum structure pointing inwardly towards the opposite pad and adapted to grip a sand mold half by engaging the surface of the sand mold half. The gripping structure is lifted away from the platform sufficient to allow a second sand mold half to be placed on the platform and then the gripping structure is lowered to accurately mate the two mold halves.