Patent Publication Number: US-6669008-B2

Title: Process and apparatus for loading dies for forming ceramic tiles

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Specifically, though not exclusively, the invention is particularly applicable in the field of loading devices structured for arranging internally of the forming cells of the die, and generally above a previously-laid layer (constituted by larger-grain support material), a further layer of powder material, generally finer and of better quality, which is destined to form the decorated surface of the tile which will be in view. 
     Devices of this type are known, generally referred-to as double-loading devices, and combine with a usual press-loading tray or truck various devices, among which small conveyor belts which, working in synchrony with the tray or truck, carry out the above-mentioned double-loading operation by depositing a further layer of powder in the cell, previously-filled from the tray. 
     The main limitation in the prior art consists in the considerable deformation which the decoration (in powder-form) is subject to when it is dropped from the end of the conveyor belt during the latter&#39;s horizontal passing movement over the forming cell. 
     In effect this passing movement creates a sort of “waterfall” effect, causing an undesired remixing of the powders which is further accentuated by the impact of the falling powders (the second load) on the underlying powders already deposited on the bottom of the cell from the first loading operation. The desired kinematic solution should be that the displacement speed (retreat) of the conveyor belt is equal and opposite to the transport speed of the belt on which the powders are deposited. This condition, however, is increasingly more difficult to maintain as the speeds increase. 
     A further drawback in the prior art is that the unloading times are quite considerable and add to work-cycle times. 
     The main aim of the present invention is to obviate the above drawbacks in the prior art by providing a process for depositing the powders which does not alter in any significant way the structure of the layer that is deposited. 
     An advantage of the invention consists in its being applicable to any existing type of ceramic press. 
     A further advantage of the invention is that it enables a true and proper decoration line to be set up, directly applied on the upper branch of the conveyor belt and composed of a plurality of decorator devices which can therefore produce different decorations. The number of possible decorations, however, does not in any way influence the work cycle time. 
     These aims and advantages and more besides are all attained by the present invention, as it is characterised in the appended claims. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a process for loading dies for forming ceramic tiles, of a type where a layer of powders bearing a decoration is laid on a rest surface of a conveyor belt, the conveyor belt is introduced between a bottom die and a top die above a cell afforded in the bottom die, and the layer of powders is dropped into the cell as the conveyor belt is retreated; characterised in that at least a retraction of the unloading end of the belt conveyor occurs without any relative dragging between the rest surface and a bottom of the layer by means of a translation of the unloading end, which is parallel to the rest surface and which retraction is characterised by being very rapidly executed. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will better emerge from the detailed description that follows of a preferred but nonexclusive embodiment of the invention, illustrated purely by way of a non-limiting example in the accompanying figure, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic side view in vertical elevation; 
     FIGS. 2,  3  and  4  are the same view as FIG. 1 in three different operating configurations; 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the detail of the belt removed from the rest of the apparatus. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to the figures,  1  schematically denotes a press for forming ceramic tiles, with a bottom die  2 , affording a cell  4  destined to receive the powders to be pressed, and a top die  3 . 
     A usual tray  5  is positioned in a raised position between the bottom die  2  and the top die  3 , which tray  5  has the task of depositing a first layer of powder material in the cell  4 ; this powder will function as a “support” for a second layer, generally composed of better-quality and finer material and laid in a thinner layer, which will form the final in-view decorated surface of the tile. The second layer is loaded into the cell  4  on top of the bottom layer, previously loaded by the tray  5 , by the device of the invention, specially made for effecting this second loading operation. 
     The process for effecting this second loading operation involves creating a layer of powders  8  having decorations on the rest surface of a belt conveyor  7 , the introduction of the belt conveyor  7  between the bottom die  2  and the top die  3  above the cell  4  afforded in the bottom die  2 , followed by the unloading of this layer  8  into the cell  4  contemporaneously with the retreat of the belt conveyor  7 . The invention is distinguished from the prior art by the fact that at least the retreat of the unloading end of the belt conveyor  7  occurs, with no relative dragging between the rest surface and the base of the layer  8 , through a translation of the unloading end which is parallel to the rest surface and which is characterised by a high-speed execution, so as to remove the rest surface from beneath the layer  8  of powders very swiftly, causing the powders to fall vertically with no friction against the unloading end. In effect, the unloading end retreats so quickly that the powders forming the layer  8 , having their support removed from beneath them, fall freely and vertically. 
     During the unloading stage, evidenced in FIG. 3, the drawing device  17  remains inactive while the slide  13 , and with it the unloading end of the belt conveyor  7 , are retreated very quickly by the drawing pulley  27  which pulls the conveyor belt  23 . It is at this stage that the various decorations at the various decorating stations are unloaded from the dry decoration dispensers  25 . 
     The perfect adherence of the belt  11  to the head  12  is ensured by a stretcher  16  pulling constantly in the direction indicated by the arrow. 
     The layer  8  is composed of a bottom part  9  on which a top decorative layer  10  is deposited, comprising powders arranged according to predetermined patterns. 
     With the process of the invention, the layer of powders is dropped in such a way that the structure of the layers deposited is not changed, especially the part thereof which forms the pattern of the decoration. 
     The various points of the layer  8  have parallel and uniform drop trajectories which enable the structure of the decorations present on the top decorative layer  10  to remain unaltered. Further, the bottom part  9  functions somewhat as a buffer, softening the impact with the first layer of material already present on the bottom of the cell  4  and preventing a further re-mixing of the powders in the top decorative layer  10 . 
     The above-described process is carried out by an apparatus for loading dies for ceramic tile-forming, which comprises at least one belt conveyor  7 , a terminal part of which, known as the unloading end, at which the belt  11  of the belt conveyor  7  winds about a head  12 , and returning at an angle of about 180°, is constrained to a slide  13  which can be commanded to translate in two senses along a guide  24  in a parallel direction to the rest surface of the belt conveyor  7 . 
     The belt  11  is ring-wound and has an upper branch  14  on which the powders rest and a lower branch  15 , parallel to the upper branch  14 ; the belt  11  is also associated to a stretcher  16  which keeps the belt  11  in constant tension. 
     A drawing device  17  is also associated to the belt  11  and on command controls the motion of the upper branch  14  of the belt  11 . 
     The belt  11  is wound on a series of snub pulleys which effectively give rise to a doubled upper branch, denoted by  18  in FIG. 5, parallel and moving in the same direction as the upper branch  14 , and a doubled lower return branch  19  which is parallel to the doubled upper branch  18  and is generated by the 180° return of the belt about a head pulley  20 . 
     The head pulley  20  is mounted idle on a cursor  21  which is guided to slide freely along a guide  22  in a parallel direction to the slide  13  movement direction. 
     The cursor  21  and the slide  13  are reciprocally constrained to displace to the same degree, in the same direction, but in opposite senses. A drawing pulley  27  is associated to the cursor  21  and the slide  13  and on command causes both to slide. 
     The cursor  21  and the slide  13  are indeed reciprocally connected by a belt  23  ring-wound about a system of fixed pulleys. 
     The illustrated apparatus enables the unloading end of the belt conveyor  7  to be introduced and retreated into and out of the space comprised between the bottom die  2  and the top die  3 . 
     Furthermore, the possibility of keeping the upper branch  14  of the belt  11  still during the retreat phase, and of moving the belt  11  and the unloading end during the introduction step, as well as the special configuration of the belt conveyor  7 , enable the problem-free setting-up of a true and proper decorating line, containing several dry-decoration dispensers  25 , which are therefore able to produce various decorations directly using the upper branch  14  of the belt conveyor  7 . During the introduction step of the process, shown in FIG. 2, the machine  26  applying the bottom of the powders destined to constitute the part of the bottom part  9  of the layer  8  is brought into action; this machine is located upstream of the dry-decoration dispensers  25 , so that the bottom part  9  can be deposited first. 
     During the introduction step, illustrated in FIG. 2, the drawing pulley  27  is activated to advance the slide  13 , with a consequent retreat of the cursor  21 . The drawing device  17  draws the belt  11  so that the upper branch  14  advances at the same speed and in synchrony with the unloading end of the belt conveyor  7 , and the pulley  28  drawing the small belt of the machine  26  for applying the bottom draws the small belt in synchrony with the belt ii so that it can deposit the bottom part  9  off the layer  8 .