阅读说明：本技术 螺旋输送机 (screw conveyer ) 是由 白木翔平 铃山惠史 于 2017-05-08 设计创作，主要内容包括：螺旋输送机具有：容器型的主体,具备储槽；卧式的送出管,前端部连接于所述储槽；排出管,连接于所述送出管的后端部并从该连接端至另一端侧向上方倾斜地配置；螺杆,以在所述储槽及所述送出管的内部穿过的方式配置；驱动机构,经由位于与所述送出管相反一侧的所述储槽的前部的轴承部件而向所述螺杆赋予旋转；及螺杆支撑构造,在所述送出管的内表面的圆周方向的不同位置固定有与所述螺杆滑动接触的多个支撑块,并且一个或两个以上的所述支撑块固定于所述送出管的前方侧。(The screw conveyor includes: a container-type body provided with a reservoir; a horizontal delivery pipe, the front end part of which is connected with the storage tank; a discharge pipe connected to a rear end of the delivery pipe and arranged obliquely upward from the connection end to the other end side; a screw rod disposed so as to pass through the inside of the storage tank and the delivery pipe; a drive mechanism that imparts rotation to the screw via a bearing member located at a front portion of the tank on a side opposite to the delivery pipe; and a screw support structure in which a plurality of support blocks that are in sliding contact with the screw are fixed to different positions in the circumferential direction of the inner surface of the delivery pipe, and one or more than two support blocks are fixed to the front side of the delivery pipe.)

1. A screw conveyor having:

A container-type body provided with a reservoir;

A horizontal delivery pipe, the front end part of which is connected with the storage tank;

A discharge pipe connected to a rear end of the delivery pipe and arranged obliquely upward from the connection end to the other end side;

A screw rod disposed so as to pass through the inside of the storage tank and the delivery pipe;

A drive mechanism configured to impart rotation to the screw via a rotation transmission unit located at a front portion of the reservoir on a side opposite to the delivery pipe; and

And a screw support structure in which a plurality of support blocks that are in sliding contact with the screw are fixed to different positions in the circumferential direction of the inner surface of the delivery pipe, and one or more than two support blocks are fixed to the front side of the delivery pipe.

2. The screw conveyor according to claim 1,

All the supporting blocks in the screw supporting structure are arranged on the front side of the delivery pipe.

3. the screw conveyor according to claim 1,

all the supporting blocks in the screw supporting structure are arranged at different positions in the length direction of the delivery pipe.

4. A screw conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

In the screw support structure, the support block located at the upper part of the axis of the screw is formed larger than the support blocks located at other positions in the radial direction, and the axis of the screw is offset from the center line of the delivery pipe.

5. The screw conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

When the interior of the delivery pipe is viewed in the center line direction, the screw conveying sectional area corresponding to the sectional area of the screw blade of the screw is about the same as the gap sectional area corresponding to the section of the gap between the inner diameter of the delivery pipe and the outer diameter of the screw blade except for the support block.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a screw conveyor for discharging chips to the outside.

background

In machine tools such as lathes and machining centers, chips are generated along with machining. Therefore, a discharge conveyor for discharging the chips from the machining section to the outside of the machine tool is provided. The discharge conveyor is provided with a reservoir provided with an inlet for receiving chips and coolant, for example, below the machining section, and conveys the chips rearward inside the reservoir. The chips are further conveyed toward a discharge portion extending obliquely upward, and the chips discharged therefrom are collected in a collection tank. Among such discharge conveyors, there are various types of conveyors such as a chip conveyor using a hinge belt, a drum conveyor, and a screw conveyor. Among these, the following patent document 1 discloses a screw conveyor.

The conventional screw conveyor disclosed in this document includes a screw having a screw blade formed on the outer periphery of a rotating shaft, and the screw is pivotally supported via a bearing so as to be rotatable and inserted into a casing. The screw rotates in the housing, whereby chips discharged from the machine tool are pushed by the helical blade and conveyed rearward. Further, although the discharge pipe is connected to the rear side thereof, in this conventional example, the discharge pipe is formed so as to be expanded in diameter as it goes downstream, and is configured so that the conveyance resistance decreases at the outlet portion from which the chips are sent out.

Prior art documents

Patent document

patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2012 and 056065

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

As described above, the screw conveyor according to the conventional example has a structure for reducing conveyance resistance in order to avoid clogging of chips in the conveyance path. Specifically, the diameter of the discharge pipe is increased, but the chips are also clogged in the discharge pipe, which is the casing of the screw conveyor. In this regard, in the conventional example, in order to cope with a large variation in the amount of generated chips, a storage box for increasing the volume of the conveyance path is formed in a downstream side portion of the delivery pipe. However, such a storage box cannot be installed unless a sufficient installation space is obtained above the storage box. Further, according to the screw conveyor having another configuration, there is a configuration in which a support structure for supporting the screw is provided at a downstream side portion of the delivery pipe, and the housing box may not be provided.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a screw conveyor in which chips are less likely to be clogged.

Means for solving the problems

The screw conveyor according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a container-type body provided with a reservoir; a horizontal delivery pipe, the front end part of which is connected with the storage tank; a discharge pipe connected to a rear end of the delivery pipe and arranged obliquely upward from the connection end to the other end side; a screw rod disposed so as to pass through the inside of the storage tank and the delivery pipe; a drive mechanism that imparts rotation to the screw via a bearing member located at a front portion of the tank on a side opposite to the delivery pipe; and a screw support structure in which a plurality of support blocks that are in sliding contact with the screw are fixed to different positions in the circumferential direction of the inner surface of the delivery pipe, and one or more than two support blocks are fixed to the front side of the delivery pipe.

Effects of the invention

According to the above configuration, although the plurality of support blocks are fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the delivery pipe so as to be in sliding contact with the screw, one or two or more support blocks are located on the front side of the delivery pipe, and therefore, chips conveyed through the delivery pipe are gradually accumulated and the density thereof is increased as they go to the rear side, but since no support block or a small number of support blocks are present on the rear side thereof, a gap between the screw and the delivery pipe can be secured, and chips can be made difficult to block.

Drawings

fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a screw conveyor.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the screw conveyor with a part of the side surface of the screw conveyor removed.

Fig. 3 is a front view showing a structure of being incorporated into the main body of the screw conveyor.

fig. 4 is an external perspective view showing the delivery pipe.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a part of the delivery pipe.

Fig. 6 is an external perspective view showing a delivery pipe according to a second embodiment.

fig. 7 is a schematic view showing the feed pipe of the third embodiment in the front-rear direction.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view showing the feed pipe of the fourth embodiment in the front-rear direction.

Detailed Description

Next, an embodiment of the screw conveyor according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a screw conveyor according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view in which a part of a side surface and the like of the screw conveyor shown in fig. 1 located on the front side of the drawing is removed to facilitate understanding of the internal structure. The screw conveyor 1 is disposed below the machine tool. In a machine tool, chips are generated by cutting, drilling, and the like of a workpiece, and a coolant is sprayed to a workpiece at a machining portion where a tool contacts. Therefore, chips and coolant fall downward from the machine tool during machining. Therefore, the screw conveyor 1 is provided below the machine tool, receives chips and coolant, and conveys only the chips to the outside of the machine.

The screw conveyor 1 of the present embodiment has a tank 3 embedded in a box-shaped main body 2 whose upper side is open. The coolant and chips, which are liquid falling from the machine tool side, are accumulated in the reservoir 3. As shown in fig. 2, the screw conveyor 1 is closed by a cover member 4 above the reservoir 3, but a part of the front side in the drawing (the front part of the screw conveyor 1) is opened to form an inlet 305 into which the coolant and chips are introduced. The screw 5 having the band-shaped helical blade 502 integrally formed with the rotary shaft 501 is rotatably inserted into the tank 3.

The trough 3 is long in the front-rear direction of the screw conveyor 1 and is formed in a V shape so as to be deeper from the left and right sides in the width direction to the center portion (see fig. 3), and the screw 5 is disposed at the bottom of the trough 3 in the longitudinal direction. Both longitudinal ends of the tank 3 are partitioned by end plates 301 and 302 serving as vertical walls. As shown in fig. 2, a through hole 321 is formed in the rear end plate 302, and the screw 5 further extends rearward through the through hole 321. On the other hand, the rotation shaft 501 of the screw 5 also penetrates through the front end plate 301, but here, a bearing member is provided via a seal member, and the screw 5 is supported by the bearing member to rotate.

The rotation shaft 501 of the screw 5 is configured to receive rotation from the drive mechanism via a rotation transmission portion provided in the main body front portion 201. Here, fig. 3 is a front view of the main body 2 as viewed from the front side, and the configuration of the rotation transmission part incorporated therein is shown by a broken line. First, as shown in fig. 1, the drive mechanism provided in the screw conveyor 1 is provided with a drive motor 6 on the rear side of the main body 2, and a shaft 11 connected to an output shaft of the drive motor 6 passes below the hopper 3 and extends to the main body front portion 201 as shown in fig. 3. In the main body front portion 201, a sprocket 12 is fixed to an end portion of the shaft 11, and a chain 14 is stretched between the sprocket 12 and a sprocket 13 fixed to a rotation shaft 501 of the screw 5.

Next, a cylindrical delivery pipe 7 is fixed to the end plate 302 at the rear side of the bowl 3 corresponding to the position of the through hole 321, and a cylindrical discharge pipe 8 is connected to the delivery pipe 7 at the rear side thereof. Since the screw 5 passes through the through hole 321 and enters the discharge pipe 7, the chips in the reservoir 3 are discharged to the discharge pipe 7 by the screw 5. The delivery pipe 7 is installed in a horizontal state such that the center line thereof substantially coincides with the axial center of the rotary shaft 501 of the screw 5, but the discharge pipe 8 connected to the delivery pipe 7 is installed in a state inclined so as to rise toward the rear. Therefore, the rear end of the screw 5 in the delivery pipe 7 is located in front of the discharge pipe 8.

In the screw conveyor 1, the chips conveyed into the delivery pipe 7 by the screw 5 are sequentially delivered into the discharge pipe 8 and accumulated in the discharge pipe 8. The chips in the discharge pipe 8 are pushed up from below to above by the increase in the amount of chips deposited, and are finally pushed out from the discharge port 801 at the rear end. Since the collection box is placed below the discharge port 801, the fallen chips are collected by the collection box.

However, the chips generated from the machine tool are not only fine metal pieces, but also long-extending strip-shaped chips having various sizes, shapes, and the like depending on the type of machining. Such chips may clog in the screw conveyor, and may prevent the rotation of the screw 5. In particular, in the structure of the screw conveyor 1, the screw 5 reaches the delivery pipe 7 and moves upward in the discharge pipe 8 in the direction of movement of chips, and therefore clogging of chips is likely to occur at the boundary between the delivery pipe 7 and the discharge pipe 8.

The screw conveyor 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a support block 21 for supporting the rotation of the screw 5 in the delivery pipe 7. One end of the screw 5 supports the rotation shaft 501 for rotation by a bearing member at the main body front 201, but the bearing member cannot be provided on the rear end side through which chips pass. Therefore, the outer peripheral portion of the spiral blade 502 is supported by the support block 21 in sliding contact. In the case of the screw conveyor 1, 3 support blocks 21 are fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the delivery pipe 7.

Fig. 4 is an external perspective view showing the delivery pipe 7, and the internal support block 21 is shown by a broken line. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a part of the delivery pipe 7. The delivery pipe 7 includes a linear portion 701 into which the screw 5 enters and a bent portion 702 for connecting to the discharge pipe 8. A fixing flange 22 is integrally formed by welding at the front end portion on the straight portion 701 side, and a connecting flange 23 is integrally formed by welding at the rear end portion on the bent portion 702 side. The delivery pipe 7 is fastened and connected by bolts to the end plate 302 via a seal member with the fixing flange 22, and is fastened and connected by bolts to the flange of the discharge pipe 8 via a seal member with the connecting flange 23.

a support block 21 is fixed to the delivery pipe 7 at the front side. That is, in order to avoid clogging of chips, in the present embodiment, all the support blocks 21 are provided at positions further apart from the discharge pipe 8. The support block 21 also rotatably supports the screw 5 at the rear side together with the bearing member of the body front portion 201, and can smoothly convey chips by stabilizing the rotation thereof. However, since the support block 21 is present as a projection in the narrow feed pipe 7, it becomes an obstacle to chips conveyed by the screw 5, and particularly, it is considered that the band-shaped chips and the like are easily caught, and become a factor of causing clogging.

When the chips are clogged in the feed pipe 7 or the like, the rotation of the screw 5 is stopped. In this case, the operator has to scrape out the chips to return the rotation of the screw 5 to normal. In this regard, the supporting block 21 is formed in a shape that avoids chip catching as much as possible. Specifically, the support block 21 has an arc shape in cross section as viewed in the front-rear direction, the front portion of which is formed in a triangular shape, and the dimension in the thickness direction, which is the radial direction of the delivery pipe 7, is inclined so as to become thicker toward the rear. However, even such a support block 21 may cause the chips to be caught.

Therefore, the supporting block 21 considered to be the cause of the clogging was studied. Here, as a result of comparison with the arrangement of the support block 21 in particular, as shown in fig. 4, it is preferable to arrange the support block in front of the delivery pipe 7 at a position distant from the discharge pipe 8. For example, when the support block 21 is disposed on the rear side of the delivery pipe 7 closer to the discharge pipe 8 (bent portion 702) on the contrary, a certain amount of chips are delivered to cause clogging, and the rotation of the screw 5 is stopped. In contrast, when the support block 21 is disposed on the front side as in the present embodiment, such a situation does not occur.

When the situation in the rear side arrangement of the support block 21 was confirmed, many flaws were observed such that chips were strongly pressed from the bent portion 702 toward the inner upper surface of the discharge pipe 8. Attempts were made to take account of this. The support block 21 reduces the radial space between the screw 5 and the feed-out pipe 7. In the discharge pipe 8, the chips are pushed up from below only by the pushing force of the screw 5, and the movement thereof extremely decreases. Therefore, when the rear side space of the sending-out pipe 7 is narrowed by the supporting block 21, the conveyed chips are compressed in the rear side space. In such a situation, if the strip-shaped chips or the like are caught by the supporting block 21, the chips are hard to move. This further compresses the chips in the discharge pipe 7, particularly in the rear space, and it is considered that this causes clogging.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the support block 21 is disposed on the front side of the delivery pipe 7 in consideration of a case where the space on the rear side of the delivery pipe 7 is further widened and a case where the chips are prevented from being caught. The 3 support blocks 21 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction so as to be aligned with the center line direction (front-rear direction) of the delivery pipe 7 (linear portion 701). The diameter of the feed pipe 7 is formed larger than the diameter of the through hole 321 in the end plate 302. Therefore, when the delivery pipe 7 side is viewed from the tank 3 side, the support block 21 is hidden behind the end plate 302.

In the screw conveyor 1 having the above-described configuration, the coolant and chips falling from the machining chamber of the machine tool enter the reservoir 3 through the inlet 305 and are conveyed rearward by the rotating screw 5. The coolant retains the chips and overflows from the reservoir 3, returns to the tank in the main body 2, and is regenerated by passing through a filter or the like. On the other hand, the chips are conveyed by the screw 5 to the feed pipe 7 through the through hole 321. At this time, in the present embodiment, since chips enter according to the size of the through hole 321, even the band-shaped chips are less likely to be caught by the support block 21.

The chips conveyed rearward in the feed pipe 7 gradually become less likely to move rearward and have a higher density. In the present embodiment, since the support block 21 is not present on the rear side thereof, a gap between the screw 5 and the delivery pipe 7 can be secured, and the chips are not forcibly pressed into the gap and compressed strongly. Therefore, the chips are less likely to clog in the feed pipe 7 and the discharge pipe 8. Thus, by avoiding the occurrence of clogging with chips, the continuous operation of the screw conveyor 1 can be performed without stopping the rotation of the screw 5.

Next, another embodiment of the screw conveyor will be described below. The same components as those of the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals. First, fig. 6 is an external perspective view showing the delivery pipe 7, and the internal support block 21 is shown by a broken line. In this second embodiment, the configuration of the supporting block 21 is different from that of the first embodiment. Specifically, the 3 support blocks 21 are arranged on a so-called spiral at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, but at positions offset in the center line direction (front-rear direction) of the feed pipe 7 (linear portion 701). At this time, among the 3 support blocks 21, the arrangement in the spiral direction from the near spiral direction to the far spiral direction from the fixing flange 22 is the arrangement following the rotation direction of the screw 5 and the arrangement in the opposite direction to the rotation direction.

In this second embodiment, the 3 support blocks 21 are separated in the front-rear direction, but the function of supporting the rotation of the screw 5 is not impaired. The support block 21 is also disposed on the rear side of the delivery pipe 7 where the density of chips is high, but since there are only 1, there is no case where chips are compressed and clogged. Further, since the support blocks 21 are disposed apart from each other, a gap between the screw 5 and the delivery pipe 7 can be ensured as a whole, and smooth conveyance of chips can be achieved. Further, it is conceivable that the chips are more difficult to catch by arranging the spiral of the 3 support blocks 21 in the opposite direction to the rotation of the screw 5.

Next, fig. 7 is a schematic view showing the delivery pipe in the front-rear direction. The delivery pipe 27 of the third embodiment is a cylindrical pipe formed to have a larger diameter than the delivery pipe 7 of the first embodiment, and 3 support blocks 28 and 29 are similarly fixed to the inner circumferential surface. However, the dimension of 1 support block 28 out of 3 in the radial direction of the delivery pipe 27, that is, the thickness direction, is formed larger than the other 2 support blocks 29. The supporting block 28 is disposed at the highest position in the delivery pipe 27. Although the position of the screw 5 is shown by a one-dot chain line in the drawing, it is understood that the center of the feed pipe 27 is vertically offset from the axial center of the rotary shaft 501. The position of the supporting blocks 28, 29 in the front-rear direction is the same as that of the first or second embodiment.

In the present embodiment, by providing the support block 28 at the upper portion, the gap between the screw 5 and the delivery pipe 27 is widened above the screw 5. This is to facilitate upward movement of the chips conveyed while being stirred by the rotation of the screw 5. With this configuration, the compression of the chips can be suppressed, and the chips can be made less likely to clog in the delivery pipe 27 and the discharge pipe 8.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view showing the delivery pipe in the front-rear direction. The delivery pipe 31 of the fourth embodiment is integrally formed by joining a cover 312 to a U-shaped groove-shaped body 311. Similarly, 3 support blocks 32 and 33 are fixed to the inner circumferential surface. However, 1 of the 3 support blocks 32 is formed larger than the other 2 support blocks 33 and fixed to the cover 312. In the present embodiment, the gap between the screw 5 and the delivery pipe 31 is also widened above the screw 5. This makes it easy for the chips conveyed while being stirred by the rotation of the screw 5 to move upward, and thus, compression of the chips can be suppressed, and the chips can be made less likely to clog in the feed pipe 31 and the discharge pipe 8.

However, in the third and fourth embodiments, the support blocks 28 and 32 having a thickness are provided, and the clearance between the screw 5 and the delivery pipes 27 and 31 is increased. In particular, the gap at the upper side of the screw 5 becomes large. However, the effect of the gap enlargement can be obtained as a result of the uniform gap in each direction as in the first and second embodiments. On the other hand, in the case of a low-profile structure such as the screw conveyor 1, it is not preferable to excessively increase the diameter of the delivery pipe. Therefore, when a structure corresponding to the requirements for prevention of clogging of chips and reduction in size is studied from the viewpoint of clearance, the following structure is preferable.

Specifically, in the example of fig. 7, when the screw is inserted through the delivery pipe 27 in the center line direction (the direction of insertion through the drawing), the screw conveyance cross-sectional area corresponding to the cross-sectional area of the screw blade 502 of the screw 5 and the clearance cross-sectional area corresponding to the cross-sectional area excluding the support blocks 28 and 29 in the clearance portion between the inner diameter of the delivery pipe 27 and the outer diameter of the screw blade 502 are designed to be substantially the same. Similarly, in the case of the delivery pipes 7 and 31, when the insides thereof are viewed in the center line direction, the screw conveyance cross-sectional area occupied by the screw 5 is preferably substantially the same as the gap cross-sectional area excluding the screw 5 and the support blocks 21, 32, and 33.

While one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, the shape, arrangement position, and the like of the supporting block may be another structure.

Description of the reference numerals

1 … screw conveyor 2 … main body 3 … storage tank 5 … screw 7 … send out pipe 8 … discharge pipe 21 … supporting shoe.