Automatic casting machine

Claim 2

An automatic casting system comprising a mold for receiving a casting material therein to form a casting, filling means for dispensing the casting material into said mold, means for inverting said mold after the casting has been formed therein to drain excess casting material therefrom, means for uprighting said mold after the excess casting material has been drained therefrom, and mold carrying means for automatically transporting said mold to said filling means and for positioning said mold in a casting material-receiving position with respect to said filling means and for thereafter transporting said filled mold to said inverting means and for thereafter transporting said mold in the inverted position thereof to said uprighting means, said mold carrying means being constructed and arranged to maintain said mold fixedly connected thereto during transportation of said mold through said inverting means and through said uprighting means.

Claim 3

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 1, wherein said inverting means includes a rotor assembly for rotating said mold through 180* of arc.

Claim 4

The automatic casting system set forth iN claim 1, wherein said means for inverting said mold includes a rotor assembly, and means for fixedly maintaining said mold with respect to said rotor during the rotation thereof.

Claim 5

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 1, wherein said uprighting means includes a rotor assembly for rotating said mold through 180* of arc.

Claim 6

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for uprighting said mold includes a rotor assembly and said rotor assembly includes means fixedly maintaining said mold carrying means in position in said rotor assembly during the rotation thereof.

Claim 7

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 1, wherein said mold carrying means is constructed to permit rotation of a mold through a 360* revolution.

Claim 8

An automatic ceramic casting system comprising a mold for receiving a ceramic casting material therein to form a ceramic casting, filling means for dispensing the ceramic casting material into said mold, means for heating said mold and said casting material therein to form a ceramic casting have a predetermined wall thickness, means for draining excess ceramic casting material from said mold after a predetermined wall thickness of ceramic casting has been formed by rotating said mold through an arc of about 180and mold carrying means for automatically transporting said mold to said filling means and positioning said mold in a casting material-receiving position with respect to said filling means and for thereafter transporting said filled mold to said heating means and for thereafter transporting said mold to said draining means, said mold carrying means being constructed and arranged to maintain said mold fixedly connected thereto during rotation of said mold through an arc of about 180*.

Claim 9

An automatic ceramic casting system comprising a mold for receiving a ceramic casting material therein to form a ceramic casting, filling means for dispensing the ceramic casting material into said mold, means for heating said mold and said casting material therein to form a ceramic casting have a predetermined wall thickness, means for draining excess ceramic casting material from said mold after a predetermined wall thickness of ceramic casting has been formed by rotating said mold through an arc of about 180and mold carrying means for automatically transporting said mold to said filling means and positioning said mold in a casting material-receiving position with respect to said filling means and for thereafter transporting said filled mold to said heating means and for thereafter transporting said mold to said draining means, said mold carrying means being constructed and arranged to maintain said mold fixedly connected thereto during rotation of said mold through an arc of about 180*.

Claim 10

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 7, and further comprising means for drying the ceramic casting having the predetermined wall thickness within said mold after the excess ceramic casting material has been drained therefrom.

Claim 11

The automatic ceramic casting system set forth in claim 8, wherein said means for drying said ceramic casting includes means for passing heated air at high velocity past said mold containing said ceramic casting.

Claim 12

The automatic ceramic casting system set forth in claim 7, and further comprising clamp means carried by said mold carrying means, operation of said clamp means to an open condition permitting removal of the ceramic casting from said mold, and means for evaporating excess moisture from said mold after the ceramic casting has been removed, thereby to condition said mold prior to receiving therein the ceramic casting material for forming the ceramic casting.

Claim 13

An automatic casting system comprising a plurality of molds for receiving a casting material therein to form a hardened casting, automatic filling means for sequentially dispensing the casting material into said molds, means for heating said molds and the casting material therein to form a casting having a predetermined wall thickness, inverting means for inverting said molds to drain excess casting material from said molds after predetermined wall thickness of casting has been formed therein, uprighting means for returning said molds to the upright position after the excess material has been drained therefrom, drying means for hardening the casting after the predetermined wall thickness has been formed therein and the excess material drained therefrom, mold conditioning means for evaporating excess moisture from the molds after the castings have been removed therefrom, conveyor means for transporting said molds from said mold conditioning means to said mold filling means and thereafter to said heating means and thereafter to said inverting means and thereafter to said uprighting means and thereafter to said drying means, said conveying means being constructed and arranged to maintain said mold fixedly connected thereto during transportation of said mold through said inverting means and said uprighting means, first control means for said automatic filling means responsive to the height of the molds presented at said filling means by said mold carrying means to control said filling means automatically to fill molds of different heights to a predetermined level, and second control means for effecting intermittent movement of said conveyor means and the automatic operation of said automatic filling means and said inverting means and said uprighting means in timed relation to the movement of said conveyor means.

Claim 14

An automatic casting system comprising a plurality of molds for receiving a casting material therein to form a hardened casting, automatic filling means for sequentially dispensing the casting material into said molds, means for heating said molds and the casting material therein to form a casting having a predetermined wall thickness, inverting means for inverting said molds to drain excess casting material from said molds after predetermined wall thickness of casting has been formed therein, uprighting means for returning said molds to the upright position after the excess material has been drained therefrom, drying means for hardening the casting after the predetermined wall thickness has been formed therein and the excess material drained therefrom, mold conditioning means for evaporating excess moisture from the molds after the castings have been removed therefrom, conveyor means for transporting said molds from said mold conditioning means to said mold filling means and thereafter to said heating means and thereafter to said inverting means and thereafter to said uprighting means and thereafter to said drying means, said conveying means being constructed and arranged to maintain said mold fixedly connected thereto during transportation of said mold through said inverting means and said uprighting means, first control means for said automatic filling means responsive to the height of the molds presented at said filling means by said mold carrying means to control said filling means automatically to fill molds of different heights to a predetermined level, and second control means for effecting intermittent movement of said conveyor means and the automatic operation of said automatic filling means and said inverting means and said uprighting means in timed relation to the movement of said conveyor means.

Claim 15

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 11, wherein at least some of said molds are of different sizes than others of said molds.

Claim 16

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 11, wherein said filling means is operable to fill at least three molds at one time.

Claim 17

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 11, wherein said inverting means and said uprighting means are each operable to effect rotation of at least three molds at one time.

Claim 18

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 11, wherein said conveyor means includes a plurality of mold carrying means each fixedly secured to at least a portion of a respective one of said molds, each of said mold carrying means including clamp means thereon for holding the mold in fixed position thereon.

Claim 19

An automatic casting system comprising a plurality of molds for receiving casting material to form a plurality of castings, at least some of said molds being of different heights than others of said molds, filling means for dispensing the casting material into each ofl said molds, means for draining excess casting material from each of molds after the casting has been formed therein, and mold carrying means for automatically transporting each of said molds to said filling means and for positioning each of said molds in a casting material-receiving position with respect to said filling means and for thereafter transporting each of said filled molds to said draining means, said draining means being constructed and arranged to rotate said molds through an arc of about 180said mold carrying means being constructed and arranged to maintain said molds fixedly connected thereto during rotation thereof by said draining means.

Claim 20

An automatic casting system comprising a plurality of molds for receiving casting material to form a plurality of castings, at least some of said molds being of different heights than others of said molds, filling means for dispensing the casting material into each ofl said molds, means for draining excess casting material from each of molds after the casting has been formed therein, and mold carrying means for automatically transporting each of said molds to said filling means and for positioning each of said molds in a casting material-receiving position with respect to said filling means and for thereafter transporting each of said filled molds to said draining means, said draining means being constructed and arranged to rotate said molds through an arc of about 180said mold carrying means being constructed and arranged to maintain said molds fixedly connected thereto during rotation thereof by said draining means.

Claim 21

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 16, wherein said filling means is adapted simultaneously to dispense casting material into a plurality of said molds.

Claim 22

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 17, wherein said filling means is adapted simultaneously to dispense the casting material into at least three molds.

Claim 23

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 16, wherein said filling means is adapted to dispense casting material simultaneously and automatically into three molds of the same height.

Claim 24

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 16, wherein said mold carrying means is adapted incrementally to transport a plurality of said molds to said filling means and incrementally to transport a plurality of said molds from said filling means to said draining means.

Claim 25

The automatic casting system set forth in claim 16, wherein said mold carrying means is adapted incrementally to transport sets of three molds to said filling means and incrementally to transport sets of three molds from said filling means to said draining means.