Dry ice blasting of tire molds is carried out by cleaning trolley carrying hood, adapter ring and jet blasting equipment on manipulator arm in fully enclosed configuration

摘要

Tire mold cleaning apparatus has insulation hood (11) suspended on moving, horizontally-extending arm (9) of trolley. Interchangeable adapter ring seals opening against outer circumference of one mold section (2, 3). Jet blasting unit and manipulator are completely enclosed by and accommodated within the mold section, adapter ring and insulation hood, which together form the cleaning chamber. Preferred features: The blasting nozzle on the manipulation unit is constructed for motion in four axes. The manipulator is arranged for rotation within the insulation hood and about its principal axis (or a parallel axis). It has a carrier arm extending close to the internal wall of the hood. This supports a carriage traveling horizontally and transversely with respect to the hood. The carriage has a rising and falling beam, i.e. moving parallel to the principal axis of the hood. The beam has the pivoting receiver for the jetting unit at its upper end, i.e. the end facing the section of the mold to be cleaned. This has a pivoting axis transverse to the principal hood axis and the axis of vertical motion. The insulation hood on the extension arm (9) is constructed for 5-axis motion. The arm telescopes horizontally. It translates vertically and rotates about its own axis. The insulation hood is suspended, universally-jointed at the end of the extension arm. Adapter ring and/or insulation hood form a sound protection enclosure, the walls covered by sound-absorbent materials. The hood is polygonal, especially rectangular (or square). An extractor unit is connected via a passage into the insulation hood. This extracts contaminants removed from the mold section, and/or jet blasting particles. The cleaning trolley unit runs on the floor, and can be moved about freely.