Tire vulcanizing equipment

Details Tire vulcanizing equipment Tire vulcanizing equipment

1999-02-22

2001-03-06

Mackey, James P. (Department: 1722)

Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus

Reshaping, resizing or vulcanizing means for tire, tire...

Plural female molds for plural preforms

C425S038000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06196819

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tire vulcanizing equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional tire vulcanizing press, the working time of opening and closing a tire mold assembly to perform carrying-in of a unvulcanized tire, shaping, and unloading of a vulcanized tire is extremely short, compared with the vulcanizing time. Therefore, equipments in which the number of tire vulcanizing devices to one tire mold opening and closing device for opening and closing the tire mold assembly or tire carrying-in and carrying-out device is increased to improve the availability factors of these devices have been variously devised. In a tire vulcanizing equipment shown in
FIG. 3
(refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-281655 which is hereby fully incorporated by reference), particularly, vulcanizing stations
100
L,
100
R comprise plural sets of tire mold assemblies ML
1
~
9
, MR
1
~
9
circularly arranged, and it is worth notice from the viewpoint of that each tire mold assembly ML
1
~
9
, MR
1
~
9
can be carried from tire mold opening and closing stations
400
L,
400
R provided in the respective centers thereof to the vulcanizing stations
100
L,
100
R in the same condition (at the same carrying speed) and delivered from the mold opening and closing stations
400
L,
400
R to the vulcanizing stations
100
L,
100
R in a relatively short time.
In
FIG. 3
, the mold opening and closing stations
400
L,
400
R are rotated until the corresponding tire mold assemblies ML
1
~
9
, MR
1
~
9
are opposed to mold carrying trucks
110
, the corresponding tire mold assemblies M are taken from the vulcanizing stations
100
L,
100
R onto the mold carrying trucks
110
and carried to the centers of the opening and closing stations, wherein the tire mold assemblies M are opened and closed to carry out vulcanized tires from the tire mold assemblies, and carry unvulcanized tires into the same assemblies M, and the tire mold assemblies M are thereafter returned again to the vulcanizing stations
100
L,
100
R. The vulcanizing stations
100
L,
100
R have a plurality of radially arranged mold bases
101
L,
101
R, and the internal pressure supplying devices (heating and pressurizing medium supplying devices to tire internal part)
102
L,
102
R and external pressure supplying devices (heating medium supplying devices to tire mold circumferential part)
103
L,
103
R provided in the vulcanizing stations
100
L,
100
R are connected to the tire metal mold assemblies M to advance the vulcanization.
In this tire vulcanizing equipment, storage bases for vulcanized tires and unvulcanized tires, which are not shown in
FIG. 3
, are arranged on the circular second floor situated above the vulcanizing stations
100
L,
100
R, and the carrying-out of vulcanized tires and the carrying-in of unvulcanized tires are performed by vertically movable loaders and unloaders provided in the mold opening and closing stations
400
L,
400
R. A mold opening and closing station
400
A provided on the outside of the circles is used for replacement of the tire metal mold assemblies M.
The tire vulcanizing equipment shown in
FIG. 3
, however, has problems in that the rotation of the mold opening and closing stations including opening and closing devices and carrying devices makes the devices complicated for piping and wiring distributions, a gigantic rotating device is required to rotate a heavy equipment including all of the opening and closing stations, carrying trucks, tire mold assemblies, truck rails and the like, which leads to a cost increase, and the rotation of the tall heavy equipment limits the rotating speed in order to avoid the danger of falling, vibration or the like, so that the carrying time can not be efficiently shortened.
Further, the tire vulcanizing equipment shown in
FIG. 3
has another problem in that the tire mold assembly has no means of escape from the vulcanizing station to stop all the movements when one mold opening and closing station set in the center breaks down. In such a case, many tires left in the vulcanizing station can not be taken out from the molds even if the vulcanizing time expires, resulting in defective products by over-curing.
According to the tire vulcanizing equipment shown in
FIG. 3
, further, the same circular arrangement of supply of unvulcanized tires and carrying of vulcanized tires as the vulcanizing stations leads to the enlargement/complication of devices including a control device for tire.
Even if they are fixed to one position, the extra rotating operation of the opening and closing station is required since pickup of unvulcanized tires and carrying-out of vulcanized tires are performed in this position every time, and the problem of not only complication but also extension of the cycle time arises.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the above problems, the present invention thus has an object to provide a tire vulcanizing equipment capable of improving the production cycle by minimization of idle time of each device and shortening of carrying time, reducing the cost by simplification of devices and space saving, and smoothening the physical distribution line.
According to a first invention, there is provided a tire vulcanizing equipment which comprises vulcanizing stations consisting of the arrangement of a plurality of mold bases capable of placing tire mold assemblies movable in closed state and having pipings for supplying and discharging a vulcanizing medium to the tire mold assemblies; an opening and closing station having an opening and closing device for opening and closing the tire mold assembly, and connected to the carrying-out line of vulcanized tires to the following process and the carrying-in line of unvulcanized tires; and a transfer station having a transfer device for transferring the tire mold assembly to the vulcanizing station and the opening and closing station, the vulcanizing stations and the opening and closing station being arranged circularly around the transfer station.
As the transfer device, combination of a carrying device capable of delivering a carried matter which has been traditionally used such as a one for pushing and pulling a mold assembly on a free roller by a different actuator or the like with a rotating device can be adapted.
The transfer station is situated in a position having an equal distance from any mold base (the center of the circle), so that the carrying time of each tire mold assembly can be equalized, the vulcanizing condition can be made constant, and stable products can be thus provided. Since the transfer station has a simple structure consisting of a carrying device and a turn table, the device can be made compact.
Since the opening and closing device of the opening and closing station is stationary, the piping and wiring can be fixed, and the whole device can be also simplified. Further, since the carrying-out of vulcanized tires and the carrying-in of unvulcanized tires can be collected to one place (the opening and closing station), the physical distribution device can be simplified and smoothed.
Since the transfer station has a simple structure for performing only the transfer, and the center of gravity can be set low, the turning speed can be increased to shorten the carrying time.
According to a second invention, in addition to the first invention, an auxiliary station is provided on the circle, and a vulcanizing equipment having an opening and closing device for opening and closing the tire metal mold assembly is arranged in the auxiliary station.
Even if the opening and closing device of the opening and closing station is stopped by any trouble, pickup of vulcanized tire can be performed in the auxiliary station without stopping the flow of the whole equipment, so that the product can be prevented from being defective or junk by over-curing.
This auxiliary station can be used also as a mold replacing station by connecting a mold replacing line thereto. In that case, the transfer process between the open

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