IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MOULDING AND PRESSING BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER FORMS IN PLASTIC MATERIALS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Atterbury, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR MOULDING AND PRESSING BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER FORMS IN PLASTIC
MATERIALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Atterbury at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd June 1876.
JOHN HENRY ATTERBURY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MOULDING AND PRESSING BRICKS, TILES, AND
OTHER FORMS IN PLASTIC MATERIALS."
The machine consists of a steam cylinder and piston mounted in a suitable frame
over a table upon which is fixed the under dies or matrix on to which the clay or
other plastic material is fed from a cylinder containing a screw of varying pitch
which receives prepared clay from a hopper on the top. The upper die or dies are
fixed upon the underside of the cylinder, which cylinder works in a vertical direction,
the piston being stationary.
The force or pressure put upon the article to be made is regulated by adjusting
screws in the valve spindle, thus admitting the steam from the boiler as required.
The upward stroke of the cylinder imparts motion to the screw by a ratchet wheel
attached to the screw shaft in the clay cylinder causing it to revolve so that sufficient
clay shall be propelled through the mould for the article to be made. The down-
ward stroke of the cylinder carries back the ratchet lever ready to supply again the
clay required.
Thus the steam power for working the moulding apparatus and the press are
combined in one machine, requiring only the adjusting of the steam pressure and the
ength of the stroke of the screw lever to adapt the machine to the varying sizes of
rticles made.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said John Henry Atterbury in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
December 1876.
JOHN HENRY ATTERBURY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MOULDING AND PRESSING BRICKS, TILES, AND 5
OTHER FORMS IN PLASTIC MATERIALS."
My Invention refers to machinery to be employed more particularly in moulding
bricks and tiles and other forms in clay, though it will be useful also for other
plastic material.
I will now proceed to describe more fully the Invention by aid of the accom- ]
panying Drawings, reference being bad to the letters and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, and Figure 2 a side elevation of the machine.
(a) are the standards, forming part of and supporting the cylinder (b), also the
crank shaft (c); the standards (a) are fixed to a base plate (d), which plate (d)
contains the whole machine seen in side elevation. Figure 2 (e) is a strong bed 1
on which to fix the moulds or dies, which are removed at will and replaced by
others, thus making the press self-contained; (f) is the top die or mould, which is
also removeable; (g) is the lever by which the moving bottom of the mould (h) is
lifted, so that the articles when made may be in a position for removal; (¹) are the
moving bottoms shown in dotted lines; (i) are slides to guide the top mould (f)
truly into the bottom mould (h); (k) are brackets to hold the steam cylinder in its
right position when made a fixture, and these brackets (k) serve also as slides when
the cylinder is made to move instead of the piston, which arrangement I prefer in
some instances; (7) is the piston made and working in the ordinary way by steam
power from the valve (m), Figure 2, as an ordinary steam engine; (n) is a long
slot similar to that in a slotting machine and long enough to permit the crank (c)
to make a circle, the friction is relieved by a block, and by that means I do not
require a connecting rod; (o), Figure 1, is an eccentric which works the valve (m),
Figure 2, as required, acting on lever (p); (2) is an eccentric lifting the wire
frame (r) by which the plastic articles are cut off to length; (s) is an adjusting
crank by which the lever (g) is raised or lowered as required; (t) is a slot wheel by
which motion is imparted to the clay cylinder shaft (u), and by which slot the
stroke of the lever (v), Figure 3, is adjustable, this cylinder contains the knives and
spiral (w); the clay cylinder is of the ordinary type, with a hole or holes either at
the side or bottom or nearly so, varying in size and shape as required at (x); (y) is
at cross bracket carrying the shaft (u). (A) is a ratchet or toothed wheel, Figures
2 and 3, or friction wheel keyed on to the shaft (u), taking the same round by the
action of the pawl (B) on lever (v) as it receives motion from the rotation of the
crank shaft (c), Figure 1, which is driven by the steam in the cylinder (b), and
which by its stroke up or down sets the whole machine in motion; the hopper-like
top (C), Figure 2, is to receive the clay or plastic material which is forced down
to the bottom by the revolution of shaft (u) and out at (D), which shews the clay
formed for roofing tiles, and by the knives and spiral (w); (D), Figure 2, is a metal
bed upon which the clay travels, attached to which bed are two rollers (E), (E¹),
carrying a band (F) to take the finished article off the machine. Figure 3 is the top
view of the ratchet and pawl seen at (A) having a universal joint (G).
By the operation of this machine the plastic article is formed at the rise of the
piston or cylinder, and is forced by the spiral on to the bed (D) and under the dies
or moulds (h), Figure 1, by which pressure is imparted to the article, thus by the
reciproating action of the piston (l) and the screw shaft (w) the article is formed
from the clay and pressed without loss of power, I can also employ for some uses
the press portion of the machine alone, when the shaping portion of the apparatus
might not be applicable.
Having thus described the object and nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be carried into effect-
I claim the arrangement and combination of the several parts herein described
or their mere equivalents, forming in one machine the engine and press to bo

page_text: employed in moulding and pressing bricks, tiles, and other forms in plastic
material.
And I also claim the arrangement and combination of the several parts or their
equivalents, forming the pressing portion of the machine, to be employed separately,
if preferred, as in manner herein more fully set forth and specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Atterbury, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
JOHN HENRY ATTERBURY. (L.S.)