Glass manufacturing – Press molding machine – With means varying plunger pressure during pressing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-26
2001-01-09
Vincent, Sean (Department: 1731)
Glass manufacturing
Press molding machine
With means varying plunger pressure during pressing
C065S159000, C065S322000, C065S362000, C074S089170, C074S6650GB, C074S6650GB, C475S220000, C475S230000, C475S248000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170296
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanism for driving plungers of metal molds in a bottle-making machine. More specifically, the invention relates to a mechanism for driving plungers in order to mold a glass material thrown into the metal molds, in the sections of a bottle-making machine, into desired shapes.
2. Prior Art
A bottle-making machine usually has 6 to 12 sections, and in each section are arranged 1 to 4 metal molds (coarse molds) depending upon the size of the metal molds (due to limitation in space). A glass material (gob) is thrown from a glass material feeder (gob feeder) into the metal molds in each of the sections, successively, and the glass material is molded into articles (parisons) of a desired shape by the operation of a plunger provided for each of the metal molds. So far, an air cylinder has been provided for the plunger of each of the metal molds, and is advanced with a predetermined torque to effect the molding in each of the metal molds.
Though the air cylinder has heretofore been used as a mechanism for driving the plunger as described above, the output cost of the air cylinder is never good and is, usually, lower by 20 to 50% than the output cost of an electric motor. So far, furthermore, independent mechanisms are necessary for driving the plungers of the metal molds in each of the sections. As the number of the metal molds increases from two to three or four, the apparatus becomes complex and the control system becomes complex, too.
It has already been proposed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 9-142853 to actuate the plungers in the bottle-making machine of this kind by using an electric motor (servo motor). According to this prior art, a servo motor is arranged in each metal mold to actuate the plunger, and each metal mold is provided with a mechanism for detecting the position of the plunger to effect the molding while detecting the position at where the pressure exerted by the plunger terminates.
According to this prior art, however, each plunger in each metal mold is provided with a servo motor, which is a drive mechanism in place of the conventional air cylinder, without contributing to simplifying the apparatus or the control operation therefor.
According to this prior art, furthermore, the molding is effected while detecting a position where the pressure exerted by the plunger terminates. Such a control operation may be effective when the amounts of the glass material in the metal molds are strictly equal to each other. In practice, however, the glass material (gob) is supplied in varying amounts from the glass material feeder (gob feeder) to the metal molds. Depending upon the controlled positions of the plungers, therefore, the molding becomes defective due to lack of pressure when the amount of the material is small, or the molding becomes defective such as mold opening due to excess pressure when the amount of the material is great.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was accomplished in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a single mechanism for simultaneously driving the plungers of a plurality of metal molds in each of the sections by employing an output cost-efficient electric motor as a mechanism for driving the plungers. Another object of the present invention is to provide a quite novel mechanism for driving the plungers, which makes it possible to correctly and efficiently effect the molding without causing defect in the molding despite the glass material being fed in varying amounts into the metal molds.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim
1
is concerned with a mechanism for driving plungers of metal molds in a bottle-making machine in order to move the plungers forward and backward with a predetermined torque in molding a glass material thrown into the metal molds into a predetermined shape by moving the plungers forward, comprising:
a reversible drive motor so adjusted as to come into a halt upon receiving a predetermined load;
a main gear that rotates in mesh with a drive gear of said drive motor;
planetary bevel gears formed integrally with said main gear via arms, which revolve in a direction in which said main gear rotates, and rotate in a direction at right angles with the direction of rotation of said main gear upon receiving a predetermined load;
a first driven wheel member which rotates in a direction in which said planetary bevel gears revolve, and has a first driven bevel gear portion that meshes with said bevel gears and has a rotary shaft thereof;
a second driven wheel member arranged concentric with said first driven bevel gear portion being opposed thereto, which rotates in a direction in which said planetary bevel gear portion revolves, and has a second driven bevel gear portion that meshes with said bevel gears and has a rotary shaft thereof;
a first drive pinion detachably mounted on the rotary shaft of said first driven wheel member and rotating together therewith;
a second drive pinion detachably mounted on the rotary shaft of said second driven wheel member and rotating together therewith;
a first main drive member for driving a plunger having a rack portion that meshes with said first drive pinion; and
a second main drive member for driving a plunger having a rack portion that meshes with said second drive pinion.
The invention of claim
2
is concerned with a mechanism for driving plungers of metal molds in a bottle-making machine of claim
1
, wherein said first drive pinion and said second drive pinion are detachably attached, by spline fitting, to the rotary shafts of said first driven wheel member and of said second driven wheel member.
The invention of claim
3
is concerned with a mechanism for driving plungers of metal molds in a bottle-making machine of claim
1
, wherein provision is made of a stopper pin for halting the rotation of either said first driven wheel member or said second driven wheel member.
The invention of claim
4
is concerned with a mechanism for driving plungers of metal molds in a bottle-making machine of claim
1
having two metal molds, wherein provision is made of a first plunger drive member and a second plunger drive member for driving the plungers for the two metal molds, said first plunger drive member being directly driven by said first main drive member and said second plunger drive member being directly driven by said second main drive member.
The invention of claim
5
is concerned with a mechanism for driving plungers of metal molds in a bottle-making machine of claim
1
having three metal molds, wherein provision is made of a first plunger drive member, a second plunger drive member and a third plunger drive member for driving the plungers for the three metal molds, said first main drive member and said second main drive member having a first auxiliary pinion and a second auxiliary pinion that rotate in the directions of moving forward and backward when a predetermined load is exerted thereon, said first plunger drive member having a rack portion that meshes with said first auxiliary pinion, said second plunger drive member having a rack portion that meshes with said first auxiliary pinion and a rack portion that meshes with said second pinion, and said third plunger drive member having a rack portion that meshes with said second auxiliary pinion.
The invention of claim
6
is concerned with a mechanism for driving plungers of metal molds in a bottle-making machine of claim
1
having four metal molds, wherein provision is made of a first plunger drive member, a second plunger drive member, a third plunger drive member and a fourth plunger drive member for driving the plungers for the four metal molds, said first main drive member and said second main drive member having a first auxiliary pinion and a second auxiliary pinion that rotate in the directions of moving forward and backward when a predetermined load is exerted thereon, said first plunger drive member having a rack portion that meshe
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Nihon Taisanbin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Vincent Sean
LandOfFree
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