Horizontal pressure die-casting machine

Claim 2

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine comprising: a frame; a first and second die part; a substantially vertically extending stationary first fixing plate connected to said frame for supporting said first die part; a movable fixing plate pivotally mounted to said frame for supporting said second die part; second plate drive means connected to said second fixing plate for moving said second fixing plate from a substantially horizontal mounting position away from said first fixing plate, to a substantially vertical working position facing and spaced from said first fixing plate; said second fixing plate comprising a base plate part pivotally mounted to said frame, a mounting plate part for supporting said second die part movably mounted on said base plate part, and mounting plate drive means connected to said base plate and mounting plate parts for displacing said mounting plate part with respect to said base plate part to move said second die part toward said first die part with said second fixing plate in its substantially vertical position.

Claim 3

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine according to claim 1, including locking means connected between said stationary first fixing plate and said movable second fixing plate, with said movable second fixing plate in its substantially vertical position for mechanically locking said second fixing plate to said first fixing plate.

Claim 4

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine according to claim 2, wherein said locking means comprises at least one pawl shaped locking arm hinged to said stationary first fixing plate, at least one abutment member connected to said base plate part of said movable second fixing plate for engagement by said locking arm with said second fixing plate in its substantially vertical position, said at least one abutment member positioned near an upper area of said base plate part.

Claim 5

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine according to claim 3, wherein said pawl shaped locking arm includes a hook shaped end having an oblique contact surface extending to a base of the hook shaped end, said base plate part pivotally mounted to said frame and said second plate drive means being effective to move said second fixing plate beyond its substantially vertically position toward said stationary first fixing plate so that said hook shaped end and oblique contact surface of said locking arm can move over said abutment member of said base plate part, said second plate drive means being operable, after said hook shaped end and said oblique contact surface are engaged over said abutment member to return said second fixing plate to its substantially vertical position.

Claim 6

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine according to claim 1, wherein said mounting plate drive means comprises a plurality of hydraulic piston/cylinder units connected between said base plate part and said mounting plate part.

Claim 7

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine according to claim 5, including at least two pairs of diametrically opposed piston/cylinder units connected between said base plate and mounting plate parts.

Claim 8

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine according to claim 6, including four piston/cylinder units positioned in diametrically opposed pairs between said base plate and mounting plate parts.

Claim 9

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine according to claim 5, including yielding connection means connected between each of said piston/cylinder units and said mounting plate part for establishing parallelism between said first and second die parts when said piston/cylinder units are operable to move said second fixing plate toward said first fixing plate in the substantially vertical position of said second fixing plate.

Claim 10

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine according to claim 8, wherein said piston/cylinder units each have a cylinder connected to said base plate part and a piston with piston rod extending toward said mounting plate part, said yielding connection means comprising a spherical head at the end of each piston rod extending toward said mounting plate part, means on said mounting plate part defining a ball socket for receiving said spherical head, said means defining said ball socket comprising two parts parted along a plane extending perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the piston/cylinder unit carrying said piston rod, and a biasing spring biasing one of said ball socket parts against said spherical head, so that when said spherical head is under force exerted by said piston/cylinder unit, a biasing force of said biasing spring can be overcome to maintain parallelism between said first and second die parts by an additional movement of said spherical head beyond a position of said mounting plate through a compression of said biasing spring.

Claim 11

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine according to claim 6, wherein each of said piston/cylinder units comprises tandem pistons connected to a common piston rod with a separate cylinder chamber for each of said tandem pistons, each tandem piston of each piston/cylinder unit dividing each separate cylinder chamber into two cylinder spaces, and pressure lines connecting a cylinder space of one piston/cylinder unit which diminishes in volume to a cylinder space of a diametrically opposed piston/cylinder unit which increases in volume during the operation of said piston/cylinder units.

Claim 12

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine according to claim 1, wherein said second plate drive means comprises at least one piston/cylinder unit.

Claim 13

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine according to claim 3, including a piston/cylinder unit connected to said at least one locking arm for moving said at least one locking arm to engage and disengage said abutment member of said base plate part.

Claim 14

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine according to claim 1, including hydraulically or pneumatically operable die clamping means connecting said first and second die parts to said stationary first fixing plate and said mounting plate part respectively.

Claim 15

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine comprising: a frame; a first and a second die part; a stationary first fixing plate connected to said frame for supporting said first die part; a movable second fixing plate connected to said frame for supporting said second die part; second plate drive means connected to said second fixing plate for moving said second fixing plate from a substantially horizontal position away from said first fixing plate, to a substantially vertical working position facing and spaced from said first fixing plate; said second fixing plate comprising a base plate part pivotally mounted to said frame, a mounting plate part for supporting said second die part movably mounted on said base plate part, and mounting plate drive means connected to said base plate and mounting plate parts for displacing said mounting plate part with respect to said base plate part to move said second die part toward said first die part with said second fixing plate in its substantially vertical working position; said mounting plate drive means comprising a plurality of hydraulic piston/cylinder units connected between said base plate part and said mounting plate part; and yielding connection means connected between each of said piston/cylinder units and said mounting plate part for establishing parallelism between said first and second die parts when said piston/cylinder units are operable to move said second fixing plate toward said first fixing plate in the substantially vertical position of said second fixing plate.

Claim 16

A horizontal pressure die-casting machine comprising: a frame; a first and a second die part; a stationary first fixing plate connected to said frame for supporting said first die part; a movable second fixing plate connected to said frame for supporting said second die part; second plate drive means connected to said second fixing plate for moving said second fixing plate from a substantially horizontal position away from said first fixing plate, to a substantially vertical working position facing and spaced from said first fixing plate; said second fixing plate comprising a base plate part pivotally mounted to said frame, a mounting plate part for supporting said second die part movably mounted on said base plate part, and mounting plate drive means connected to said base plate and mounting plate parts for displacing said mounting plate part with respect to said base plate part to move said second die part toward said first die part with said second fixing plate in its substantially vertical working position; said mounting plate drive means comprising a plurality of hydraulic piston/cylinder units connected between said base plate part and said mounting plate part; and yielding connection means connected between each of said piston/cylinder units and said mounting plate part for establishing parallelism between said first and second die parts when said piston/cylinder units are operable to move said second fixing plate toward said first fixing plate in the substantially vertical position of said second fixing plate.

Claim 19

A method according to claim 15, wherein said horizontal pressure die casting machine includes a pawl shaped locking arm pivotally mounted to said stationary fixing plate and an abutment member connected to said base plate engageable by said pawl shaped locking arm, the method including activating said second plate drive means to move said second fixing plate beyond its substantially vertical position toward said stationary first fixing plate, moving said pawl shaped locking arm down over said abutment member, and activating said second plate drive means in an opposite direction to return said second fixing plate into its substantially vertical position and to engage and lock said pawl shaped locking arm onto said abutment member.

Claim 20

A method according to claim 15, including connecting the second die part to said movable second fixing plate when said movable second fixing plate is in its substantially horizontal position.

Claim 21

A method according to claim 17, including temporarily engaging the first die part over a second die part which is connected to said second fixing plate, activating said second plate drive means to move said second fixing plate into its substantially vertical position with the first and second die parts engaged thereby, and connecting the first die part to said stationary first fixing plate after said second fixing plate is in its substantially vertical position.