SUPPLY DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING PASTY MASSES

Abstract

The invention relates to a feeding apparatus for feeding pasty masses, in particular silicone, to an injection molding machine, having a pressing cylinder which receives the pasty mass, and a pressing plunger which is arranged axially in said pressing cylinder and presses the pasty mass out of a squeezing nozzle of the pressing cylinder. It is an object of the invention to avoid operational interruptions for cleaning work in the case of a feeding apparatus of this type and to avoid material losses within the feeding apparatus in the case of the successive use of different pasty masses. In order to achieve said object, the invention proposes that the pressing cylinder is configured as a cartridge (3) which contains the pasty mass, consists of a polymer, and can be inserted exchangeably into a supporting housing (2) which supports the cartridge on all sides and is connected to an axial actuating drive (5) for the pressing plunger (3d) which is situated in the cartridge.

Claims

1. A feeding apparatus for feeding pasty masses, in particular silicone, to an injection molding machine, having a pressing cylinder which receives the pasty mass, and a pressing plunger which is arranged axially in said pressing cylinder and presses the pasty mass out of a squeezing nozzle of the pressing cylinder, wherein the pressing cylinder is configured as a cartridge (3) which contains the pasty mass, comprises a polymer, and can be inserted exchangeably into a supporting housing (2) which supports the cartridge (3) on all sides and is connected to an axial actuating drive (5) for the pressing plunger (3d) which is situated in the cartridge (3).

2. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting housing (2) is of modular configuration and has two half shells (2a, 2b) which support the casing of the cartridge (3) and are connected to one another such that they can be folded open laterally and are articulated about a swivel axis which runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge (3), the receiving space for the cartridge (3), which receiving space is enclosed by the half shells (2a, 2b), being delimited axially at the front and at the rear by closure plates (2c, 2d), and the front closure plate (2c) being provided with a passage opening for the squeezing nozzle (3c) of the cartridge (3), whereas the rear closure plate (2d) is provided with a passage opening for a push rod (5a) of the axial actuating drive (5), which push rod (5a) acts on the pressing plunger (3d) of the cartridge (3).

3. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting housing (2) has a rigid, outer supporting cage (4) which is formed by the front closure plate (2c), at least two tie rods (4a) which run parallel to the longitudinal axis (A) of the supporting housing (2) and are arranged outside the half shells (2a, 2b), and an abutment frame (4b) which runs parallel to the closure plates (2c, 2d) and to which the axial actuating drive (5) which displaces the push rod (5a) is fastened on the side which faces away from the supporting housing (2).

4. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the half shells (2a, 2b) of the supporting housing (2) are provided with tongue/groove connections which engage axially into one another on their end sides and those faces of the closure plates (2c, 2b) which face said end sides, and wherein the rear closure plate (2d) can be displaced axially relative to the supporting cage (4).

5. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, after the insertion of the cartridge (3) into the supporting housing (2), the push rod (5a) of the axial actuating drive (5) can be connected by means of a locking apparatus first of all only to the rear closure plate (2d) of the supporting housing (2) and subsequently only to the pressing plunger (3d) of the cartridge (3).

6. The feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower half shell (2b) of the supporting housing (2) is fixed in an axially non-displaceable manner on the front closure plate (2c), and wherein the upper half shell (2a) of the supporting housing (2) is mounted in an axially displaceable manner on the supporting cage (4) in the case of a closed supporting housing (2) and an inserted cartridge (3).

7. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, on its outer circumference, the cartridge (3) is provided with a circumferential driver groove (3e), into which a driver projection (2g) which is arranged on the inner side of the upper half shell (2a) engages in the case of closing of the supporting housing (2).

8. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the cartridge (3) is provided with a circumferential positioning groove (3f), into which, in the case of an open supporting housing (2), a swivel plate (2f) which is assigned to the upper half shell (2a) engages, which swivel plate (2f) already fixes the correct axial position of the cartridge (3) in relation to the upper half shell (2a) in the case of the insertion of the cartridge (3) into the open supporting housing (2).

9. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the push rod (5a) of the axial actuating drive (5) is assigned a distance measuring apparatus (5b) which determines the respective axial position.

Description

[0017] One exemplary embodiment of the invention will be described in greater detail in the following text on the basis of the drawing, in which:

[0018] FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows a 3D view of a feeding apparatus according to the invention with an open supporting housing without a cartridge, in a first perspective,

[0019] FIG. 2 diagrammatically shows a longitudinal section through a cartridge which can be used in a feeding apparatus according to the invention,

[0020] FIG. 3 shows, in an identical illustration to FIG. 1, a 3D view of the feeding apparatus with an open supporting housing and an inserted cartridge,

[0021] FIG. 4 diagrammatically shows a 3D view of the feeding apparatus according to FIG. 1 in a second perspective (without the abutment frame and without the axial actuating drive) in the case of a closed, but not yet locked supporting housing, and

[0022] FIG. 5 shows, in an identical illustration to FIG. 4, the feeding apparatus according to FIG. 1 in the case of a closed and locked supporting housing.

[0023] In the drawing, the feeding apparatus is denoted in its entirety by way of the designation 1. One essential constituent part of the feeding device 1 is a supporting housing 2 of modular configuration which has a lower half shell 2b, an upper half shell 2a, a front closure plate 2c and a rear closure plate 2d. The supporting housing 2 encloses a cylindrical receiving space, into which a cartridge 3 which contains the pasty mass to be fed in (see FIG. 2) can be inserted exchangeably.

[0024] The cartridge 3 which is shown in section in FIG. 2 is produced in its entirety from a suitable polymer and has a cartridge cylinder 3a which is closed at the front by way of a closure plate 3b with a squeezing nozzle 3c, and into which cartridge cylinder 3a a pressing plunger 3d can be pushed from the rear, which pressing plunger 3d presses the pasty mass which is contained in the cartridge cylinder 3a out of the cartridge 3.

[0025] Furthermore, the cartridge 3 is provided on its outer circumference with a circumferential driver groove 3e and a likewise circumferential positioning groove 3f, the function of which will be described further below. As is apparent from FIG. 3, the cartridge 3 can be inserted exchangeably into the supporting housing 2 of the feeding device 1 and, in the case of a closed supporting housing 2 (cf. FIGS. 4 and 5), is supported on all sides by the supporting housing 2. Here, the front closure plate 2c of the supporting housing 2 is provided with a passage opening for the squeezing nozzle 3c of the cartridge 3, and the rear closure plate 2d of the supporting housing 2 is provided with a passage opening for a push rod of an axial actuating drive (5) which will be explained further below, which push rod acts on the pressing plunger 3d of the cartridge 3.

[0026] Furthermore, the supporting housing 2 is provided with an outer supporting cage 4 which is connected rigidly to the front closure plate 2c of the supporting housing 2 and has two tie rods 4a which run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the supporting housing 2 and for their part are connected rigidly to an abutment frame 4b which is arranged in parallel with and at a spacing from the rear closure plate 2d of the supporting housing 2.

[0027] The rear closure plate 2d and the upper half shell 2a of the supporting housing 2 are mounted in an axially displaceable manner on the tie rods 4a of the supporting cage 4, and can be displaced axially in the direction of the front closure plate 2c of the supporting housing 2 with support on the abutment frame 4b. Moreover, the upper half shell 2a of the supporting housing 2 is mounted on one of the tie rods 4a of the supporting cage 4 such that it can be swiveled in such a way that the cylindrical interior space of the supporting housing 2 can be opened and closed for the cartridge exchange by way of the upper half shell 2a being swiveled upward and downward, respectively.

[0028] Furthermore, on their end sides and those faces of the closure plates 2c and 2d of the supporting housing 2 which face said end sides, the two half shells 2a and 2b of the supporting housing 2 are provided with tongue/groove connections which engage into one another, which engage axially into one another in the case of the axial displacement of the rear closure plate 2d in the direction of the front closure plate 2c, and in this way fix all the modules of the supporting housing 2 on one another in a non-positive and positively locking manner in the case of a closed supporting housing 2.

[0029] An axial actuating drive 5 is fastened to the abutment frame 4b of the supporting cage 4 on the side which faces away from the supporting housing 2, the push rod 5a of which axial actuating drive 5, which push rod 5a can be displaced axially along the longitudinal axis A of the supporting housing 2, acts on the axially displaceable rear closure plate 2d of the supporting housing 2 firstly in the case of the cartridge 3 being pressed onto the pressing plunger 3d of the cartridge 3 and secondly in the case of the modules of the supporting housing 2 being pushed together axially, that is to say in the case of the closing of the supporting housing 2. To this end, a locking plate 2e which serves as a locking apparatus is arranged in the region of the passage opening in the rear closure plate 2d of the supporting housing 2, which locking plate 2e, in its locking position, establishes a tension-resistant and pressure-resistant connection between the push rod 5b of the axial actuating drive 5 and the rear closure plate 2d of the supporting housing 2, and, in its unlocked position, releases the push rod 5a for the actuation of the pressing plunger 3d of the cartridge 3. Furthermore, the axial actuating drive 5 is provided with a distance measuring apparatus 5b which determines and forwards the respective current axial extended position of the push rod 5a.

[0030] In order to ensure that the cartridge 3 is inserted in each case in the correct position in the case of the cartridge change, the upper half shell 2a of the supporting housing 2, which upper half shell 2a can be swiveled upward, is provided with a swivel plate 2f which, in the case of an upper half shell 2a which is swiveled upward, engages the positioning groove 3f of the cartridge 3 to be inserted. This ensures that the cartridge 3 is situated axially exactly in that position, at which, in the case of the upper half shell 2a being swiveled downward, a driver projection 2g which is arranged on its inner side engages into the above-described driver groove 3e on the outer circumference of the cartridge 3. At the same time, in the case of the upper half shell 2a being swiveled downward, the swivel plate 2f releases the cartridge 3 for axial movements. As a result of said measures, in the case of the closing and pushing together of the modules of the supporting housing 2, the upper half shell 2a can push the squeezing nozzle 3c of the cartridge 3 in a sealing manner into the passage opening in the front closure plate 2c. Conversely, in the case of opening of the supporting housing 2, the squeezing nozzle 3c of the cartridge 3 is pulled out of said passage opening with the aid of the driver projection 2g.

LIST OF DESIGNATIONS

[0031] 1 Feeding apparatus

[0032] 2 Supporting housing

[0033] 2a Upper half shell

[0034] 2b Lower half shell

[0035] 2c Front closure plate

[0036] 2d Rear closure plate

[0037] 2e Locking plate

[0038] 2f Swivel plate

[0039] 2g Driver projection

[0040] 3 Cartridge

[0041] 3a Cartridge cylinder

[0042] 3b Closure plate

[0043] 3c Squeezing nozzle

[0044] 3d Pressing plunger

[0045] 3e Driver groove

[0046] 3f Positioning groove

[0047] 4 Supporting cage

[0048] 4a Tie rods

[0049] 4b Abutment frame

[0050] 5 Axial actuating drive

[0051] 5a Push rod

[0052] 5b Distance measuring apparatus