Casting tool and casting machine comprising a casting tool

Abstract

The invention relates to a casting tool comprising a bottom mold element ( 20 ) having a top-open mold recess ( 28 ) defining at least part of the shape of a casting to be produced ( 8 ), and comprising an ejector assembly ( 30 ) which is displaceable relatively to the first mold element in the direction of a vertical Z-axis and which has at least one ejector rod ( 34 ), which can be caused to protrude into the mold recess ( 28 ) in said bottom mold element ( 20 ) by displacement of said ejector assembly ( 30 ) relatively to said bottom mold element ( 20 ) wherein a base member ( 32 ) of the ejector assembly ( 30 ) to which the at least one ejector rod ( 34 ) is attached, is disposed in an ejector region ( 70 ) below the bottom mold element ( 20 ) and at least two force transferring members ( 40, 44 ) extending in the direction of the Z-axis are provided which are designed to transfer the forces ( 90 a , 90 b ) downwardly acting on said mold element to a machine bed ( 6 ) of the casting machine disposed beneath said casting mold, at least one outer force transferring member ( 40 ) being provided which is offset in the horizontal direction and disposed beside said base member ( 32 ), while at least one inner force transferring member ( 44 ) is provided which passes through an opening ( 32 a ) in the base member ( 32 ). According to the present invention, provision is made for a tool bed ( 50 ) disposed beneath the base member ( 32 ), which is permanently attached to at least one of the force transferring members ( 40 ), which tool bed ( 50 ) is designed such that both the forces ( 92 a ; 92 b ) downwardly transferred to said outer force transferring member ( 40 ) and those downwardly transferred to the inner force transferring member ( 44 ) are transferred to said tool bed ( 50 ).

1 . A casting tool for use in a casting machine for the purpose of producing castings
 comprising a bottom mold element having a top-open mold recess defining at least part of the shape of a casting to be produced,   and comprising an ejector assembly which is displaceable relatively to said first mold element in the direction of a vertical Z-axis and which has at least one ejector rod, which can be caused to protrude into said mold recess in said bottom mold element by displacement of said ejector assembly relatively to said bottom mold element   
       wherein
 a base member of the ejector assembly, to which said at least one ejector rod is attached, is disposed in an ejector region beneath said bottom mold element and 
 at least two force transferring members extending in the direction of the Z-axis are provided which are designed to transfer the forces downwardly acting on said mold element to a machine bed of the casting machine disposed beneath said casting mold,
 at least one outer force transferring member being provided, which is offset in the horizontal direction and disposed beside said base member, 
 while at least one inner force transferring member is provided which passes through an opening in said base member, 
 
 characterized by 
 a tool bed disposed beneath said base member, which is permanently attached to at least one of said force transferring members which tool bed is designed such that both the forces downwardly transferred to said outer force transferring member and those downwardly transferred to the inner force transferring member are coupled into said tool bed. 
 
     
     
         2 . The casting mold as defined in  claim 1 ,
 characterized in that   said tool bed extends in a horizontal plane such that it protrudes beyond all sides of said base member of the ejector assembly in the horizontal direction.   
     
     
         3 . The casting tool as defined in  claim 1 ,
 characterized in that   said outer force transferring member is in the form of a closed peripheral frame which surrounds the base member horizontally on all sides.   
     
     
         4 . The casting tool as defined in  claim 3 ,
 characterized in that   said closed peripheral frame has four sides arranged in the form of a rectangle, and said tool bed extends to beneath all four sides of said frame.   
     
     
         5 . The casting tool as defined in  claim 4 ,
 characterized in that   said tool bed is attached to said frame with a continuous gastight seal around its periphery.   
     
     
         6 . The casting tool as defined in  claim 1 ,
 characterized in that   actuating extensions are mounted on an underside of said base member of said ejector assembly, which actuating extensions extend in the direction of the Z-axis to said openings in said tool bed and preferably sealants are provided which seal said openings in a gastight manner at least in a bottom end position of said ejector assembly.   
     
     
         7 . The casting tool as defined in  claim 1 ,
 characterized in that   on the underside of said tool bed planar contact areas are provided for direct contact with the machine bed of said casting machine, wherein
 and at least one inner contact area is disposed directly below said base member and 
 at least one outer contact area is disposed offset relative to said base member in the horizontal direction. 
   
     
     
         8 . The casting tool as defined in  claim 1 ,
 characterized in that   at least three inner force transferring members are provided which are non-linearly disposed with respect to a horizontal plane.   
     
     
         9 . The casting tool as defined in  claim 1 ,
 characterized in that   said tool bed has at least two superposed and permanently interconnected plates and, on the application of force to said casting tool, the topmost of said plates is in tangible contact with the at least two force transferring members and the bottommost of said plates is in tangible contact with the machine bed.   
     
     
         10 . The casting tool as defined in  claim 9 ,
 characterized in that   said tool bed has at least three plates, at least one intermediate plate being made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy and a bottom closure plate preferably disposed beneath said intermediate plate is made of a steel material.   
     
     
         11 . The casting tool as defined in  claim 10 ,
 characterized in that   said intermediate plate has a thickness of at least 30 mm and/or a large number of bores extending in the direction of the Z-axis, the internal volume of said bores preferably being at least 25% and more preferably at least 50% of the material volume of said intermediate plate.   
     
     
         12 . The casting tool as defined in  claim 1 ,
 characterized in that
 at least one of said force transferring members is attached at one end only to said bottom tool element or to said fixed tool bed and 
 at least one of said force transferring members is attached both to said bottom mold element and to said tool bed. 
   
     
     
         13 . A casting machine comprising an exchangeable casting tool, wherein said casting machine is adapted to apply a closing force to said casting tool from two opposing sides in the direction of a vertical Z-axis,
 characterized in that   said casting tool is designed as defined in  claim 1 .   
     
     
         14 . The casting machine as defined in  claim 13 ,
 characterized in that   said casting machine has a machine bed, which has at least one central load bearing region disposed below the base member of said ejector assembly in the direction of the Z-axis, and said load bearing region is offset relative to said at least one inner force transferring member of said casting tool as regarded in the direction of the Z-axis.