DESC:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of mechanical engineering and more particularly, to the field of moulding machines.
DEFINITION
The term “Moulding Line” hereinafter in the complete specification refers to a plurality of machines arranged to perfrom operations of moulding process, including, but not limited to, feeding, mould preparation, machining, and finishing.
BACKGROUND
High pressure moulding lines involve a process of moulding with the help of green sand as input material. Typically, moulding machines include a set of mould box which is kept fixed during the moulding process, and is configured to move a pattern plate to give the impression on the mould box containing sand. Mould boxes of the set of mould box are required to be aligned/parallel with each other. Improper alignment results in substandard mould. Conventionally, various techniques have been developed for detecting the misalignment of the mould boxes. However, none of the conventional moulding machines provide detection of improper clamping that results in misalignment of the mould boxes.
Therefore, there is felt a need of a system and method for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line that alleviates the abovementioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
It is an object of the present disclosure to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide an useful alternative.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a solution for mould clamping issue in high pressure moulding line.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line that reduces the mould run out percentage of high pressure moulding line.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line that reduces the cost of maintenance.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line that requires simple logic circuitry.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure envisages a system for mould clamping at a high pressure moulding line. The system typically comprises a first mould box, a first engaging element, a second mould box, a second engaging element, at least one actuating cylinder, a connecting element, and at least one proximity sensor. The first engaging element is connected to the first mould box. The second engaging element is connected to the second mould box and is configured to engage with the first engaging element.
The at least one actuating cylinder is disposed at an operative end of the high pressure moulding line and is configured to clamp the first engaging element with the second engaging element, thereby aligning the first mould box and the second mould box. The connecting element is coupled with a piston rod of the actuating cylinder and is configured to move along with the movement of the piston rod. The at least one proximity sensor is securely connected to the connecting element and is configured to detect proper clamping of the first engaging element with the second engaging element by measuring the movement of the first engaging element during clamping.
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the connecting element of the system is an L-Shaped fixture.
In another embodiment, the at least one proximity sensor of the system is an inductive proximity sensor and is connected to the connecting element at an operative bottom thereof.
In yet another embodiment, the actuating cylinder of the system is configured to provide angular movement to the first engaging element for facilitating clamping of the first engaging element with the second engaging element.
In still another embodiment, the at least one proximity sensor moves along with the piston rod which is configured to stop for diagnosis when the proximity sensor(s) detects improper clamping between the first engaging element and the second engaging element.
The present disclosure also envisages a method for for mould clamping at a high pressure moulding line.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
A system and method for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a schematic view of a conventional system for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line with properly clamped first and second engaging elements;
Figure 2 illustrates a schematic view of the conventional system for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line with improperly clamped first and second engaging elements;
Figure 3 illustrates a schematic view of the system for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line with properly clamped first and second engaging elements, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 4 illustrates a schematic view of the system for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line with improperly clamped first and second engaging elements;
Figure 5 illustrates an isometric view of a connecting element and a proximity sensor of the system for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 6 illustrates a block diagram depicting the steps of the method for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100 – Conventional system for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line
102 – Actuating cylinder
106 – First engaging element
108 – Second engaging element
110 – First mould box
112 – Second mould box
200 – System for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line
202 – Actuating cylinder
204 – Piston rod
206 – First engaging element
208 – Second engaging element
210 – First mould box
212 – Second mould box
214 – Connecting element
216 – Proximity Sensor
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Figure 1 illustrates a schematic view of a conventional system for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line 100 having a first engaging element properly clamped with a second engaging element. Figure 2 illustrates a schematic view of the conventional system for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line 100 (hereinafter also referred as “conventional high pressure moulding line 100”) having a first engaging element improperly clamped with a second engaging element.
The conventional high pressure moulding line 100 includes an actuating cylinder 102, a first engaging element 106, a second engaging element 108, a first mould box 110, and a second mould box 112. In normal operating conditions the high conventional pressure moulding line 100 is configured to produce moulds of different size and shapes as per requirement. The two actuating cylinders 102 are disposed at operative ends of the conventional high pressure moulding line 100. The actuating cylinder 102 is configured to clamp the first engaging element 106 and the second engaging element 108. The proper clamping of the first engaging element 106 and the second engaging element 108, ensures inline placement of the first mould box 110 and the second mould box 112, which results in moulding a high quality end product. In case, if the first engaging element 106 and the second engaging element 108 are improperly clamped (as shown in the figure 2) at the end of one complete stroke of the actuating cylinder 102, the first mould box 110 and the second mould box 112 are misaligned, thereby forming gaps in the mould. The gaps in the mould further leads to mould run out condition of the moulding line in the high pressure moulding line 100 at the pouring stage.
The conventional high pressure moulding line 100 is prone to frequent mould run out condition, thereby producing substandard mould that leads to the rejection of the mould. Further, the conventional high pressure moulding line 100 requires frequent repair that is time consuming, costly and affects production.
The present disclosure envisages a system and method for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line that is designed to overcome the drawbacks of the conventional system and method for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line. A preferred embodiment of the system and method for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line, of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing. The preferred embodiment does not limit the scope of ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
Figure 3 illustrates a schematic view of a system for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line 200 having a first engaging element properly clamped with a second engaging element in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 illustrates a schematic view of the system for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line 200 having a first engaging element improperly clamped with a second engaging element. Figure 5 illustrates an isometric view of a connecting element 214 and at least one proximity sensor 216 of the system for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line 200, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The system for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line 100 (hereinafter also referred as “high pressure moulding line 200”) includes at least one actuating cylinder 202, a piston rod 204, a first mould box 210, a second mould box 212, a first engaging element 206 connected to the first mould box 210, a second engaging element 208 connected to the second mould box 212 and engaged with the first engaging element 206, the connecting element 214, and the at least one proximity sensor 216.
In an embodiment, the high pressure moulding line 200 is configured to produce moulds of different size and shapes. In another embodiment, the high pressure moulding line 200 is configured to manufacture moulds of a cylinder head. Each of the actuating cylinders 202, disposed at each of the operative ends of the high pressure moulding line 200, is configured to clamp the first engaging element 206 and the second engaging element 208. The proper clamping of the first engaging element 206 and the second engaging element 208 ensures proper aligning of the first mould box 210 and the second mould box 212, thereby resulting in moulding a high quality end product.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the connecting element 214 is coupled with the piston rod 204 of the actuating cylinder 202 such that the connecting element 214 is at a level operatively below the actuating cylinder 202. The connecting element 214 is configured to move along with the movement of the piston rod 204. In an exemplary embodiment, the connecting element 214 is an L-shaped fixture.
Further, the proximity sensor 216 may be securely connected to the connecting element 214 at an operative bottom thereof. In another embodiment, the proximity sensor 216 is an inductive proximity sensor. The proximity sensor 216 is configured to detect proper clamping of the first engaging element 206 with the second engaging element 208 by measuring the movement of the first engaging element 206 during the clamping stage.
In an operative configuration, in the clamping stage, the actuating cylinder 202 provides angular movement to the first engaging element 206 for facilitating clamping of the first engaging element 206 with the second engaging element 208. The connecting element 214 moves along with the piston rod 204 of the actuating cylinder 202. The proximity sensor 216 moves along with the piston rod 204 and is configured to detect any improper clamping between the first engaging element 206 and the second engaging element 208. In case, if the first engaging element 106 and the second engaging element 108 are not properly clamped (as shown in the figure 4) at the end of one complete stroke of the actuating cylinder 102, the piston rod 204 stops, and the high pressure moulding line is stopped for diagnosis at the mould clamping stage.
Graph 1 summarizes mould run-out rejection percentage of the high pressure moulding line (HPML) 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Graph 1
The graph 1 indicates that the mould run-out rejection percentage of the high pressure moulding line 200 has dropped down significantly.
The high pressure moulding line 200 of the present disclosure ensures proper clamping operation and successfully eliminates misalignment of the first mould box 210 and the second mould box 212 due to improper clamping of the first engaging element 206 and the second engaging element 208 at the mould clamping stage by using the proximity sensor 216 disposed on the connecting element 214.
Figure 6 illustrates a block diagram depicting the steps of a method 300 for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Block 302 depicts providing angular movement to a first engaging element 206 via an actuating cylinder 202. Block 304 depicts moving a connecting element 214 along with a piston rod 204 of said actuating cylinder 202. Block 306 depicts detecting improper clamping between said first engaging element 206 and a second engaging element 208 via at least one proximity sensor 216. Block 308 depicts stopping said piston rod 204 if said first engaging element 106 and said second engaging element 108 are not properly clamped at the end of one complete stroke of said actuating cylinder 102 thereby stopping said high pressure moulding line for diagnosis at the mould clamping stage.
TECHNICAL ADVANCES AND ECONOMICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a system and method for mould clamping in high pressure moulding line:
? reduces the mould run out percentage of high pressure moulding line;
? reduces the cost of maintenance; and
? requires simple logic circuitry.
Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or mixture or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure, as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.

,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. A system (200) for mould clamping at a high pressure moulding line, said system (200) comprising:
• a first mould box (210);
• a first engaging element (206) connected to said first mould box (210);
• a second mould box (212);
• a second engaging element (208) connected to said second mould box (212) and configured to engage with said first engaging element (206);
• at least one actuating cylinder (202) disposed at operative end of said high pressure moulding line, and configured to clamp said first engaging element (206) with said second engaging element (208), thereby aligning said first mould box (210) and said second mould box (212);
• a connecting element (214) coupled with a piston rod (204) of said actuating cylinder (202) and configured to move along with the movement of said piston rod (204); and
• at least one proximity sensor (216) securely connected to said connecting element (214) and configured to detect proper clamping of said first engaging element (206) with said second engaging element (208) by measuring the movement of said first engaging element (206) during clamping.
2. The system (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connecting element (214) is an L-Shaped fixture.
3. The system (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one proximity sensor (216) is an inductive proximity sensor, and is connected to said connecting element (214) at an operative bottom thereof.
4. The system (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said actuating cylinder (202) is configured to provide angular movement to said first engaging element (206) for facilitating clamping of said first engaging element (206) with said second engaging element (208).
5. The system (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one proximity sensor (216) moves along with said piston rod (204) which is configured to stop for diagnosis when said proximity sensors (216) detect improper clamping between said first engaging element (206) and said second engaging element (208).
6. A method (300) for mould clamping at a high pressure moulding line, said method (300) comprising the following steps:
• providing angular movement to a first engaging element (206) via an actuating cylinder (202);
• moving a connecting element (214) along with a piston rod (204) of said actuating cylinder (202);
• detecting improper clamping between said first engaging element (206) and a second engaging element (208) via at least one proximity sensor (216); and

• stopping said piston rod (204) if said first engaging element (106) and said second engaging element (108) are not properly clamped at the end of one complete stroke of said actuating cylinder (102), thereby stopping said high pressure moulding line for diagnosis at the mould clamping stage.