Process and apparatus for automatically producing and assembling foundry molds

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING CLOSED MOLDS READY FOR POURING COMPRISING A CONVEYOR FOR SUCCESSIVELY ADVANCING PAIRS OF COPE AND DRAG FLASKS TO AND FROM THREE STATIONS INCLUDING A MOLDING STATION HAVING A SINGLE MOLDING MACHINE WITH A SINGLE PATTERN PLATE, MEANS FOR LOWERING A PAIR OF SAID FLASKS ONTO THE PATTERN PLATE SO THAT THE PATTERN PLATE WITH THE COPE AND DRAG THEREON FORM A PAIR OF RECEPTACLES EACH HAVING FOUR SIDES AND A BOTTOM FOR RECEIVING THEREIN FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES, MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY INTRODUCING FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES INTO THE COPE AND DRAG OVER PATTERN HALVES ON SAID PATTERN BOARD, AND MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY COMPACTING THE PARTICLES AROUND THE PATTERN HALVES SO AS TO FORM A PAIR OF HALF PATTERN IMPRESSIONS IN THE UNDERSURFACES OF THE MOLDS, A DRAG ROLLOVER STATION HAVING MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE COPE AND DRAG FROM THE MOLDING STATION AND INVERTING THE DRAG SO THAT THE DRAG HALF PATTERN IMPRESSION FACES DOWNWARDLY, AND A MOLD CLOSING STATION HAVING MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE COPE AND DRAG FROM THE ROLLOVER STATION, LIFTING THE COPE WHILE THE DRAG ADVANCES TO A LOCATION THEREBENEATH AND THEN LOWERING THE COPE ON THE DRAG THEREBY FORMING THE CLOSED MOLD.