Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Moulded Clay, Earthenware, and Ceramic Articles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 15th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 10th Apr., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Moulded Clay,
Earthenware, and Ceramic Articles.
I, WILLIAM WEST, of Longclose Works, Dolly Lane, Newton, Leeds, in the County
of York, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In my Specifications No. 16264 of 1889, No. 6704 of 1890, No. 7406 of 1890 and
No. 23640 of 1892, I have described apparatus for moulding clay, earthenware and
ceramic articles by pressing clay or other suitable material in a more or less plastic
condition between a mould and core, withdrawing the core and ejecting the article
from the mould.
My present invention relates to apparatus whereby I can mould small articles or
prepare pieces of the plastic material of suitable size and in suitable condition for
being acted on by the moulding machine, to a modification of the mechanism for
ejecting the moulded article, and to apparatus whereby the moulded article when it
comes from the machine is trimmed, punched, and stamped with numbers or other
marks.
For moulding small articles or preparing pieces of the material suitable for being
moulded to form larger articles, I provide a hopper under which reciprocates a
horizontally sliding feed box and in front of the box there is a sunk mould having
above it a vertically reciprocating plunger, and having at its bottom a vertically
reciprocating ejector. Clay or other suitable material in the condition of a somewhat
damp powder supplied to the hopper descends in suitable quantity into the feed
box by which it is carried forwards till it descends into the mould; thereupon the
vertical plunger descends, compressing the material in the mould, which is then
ejected in the form of the moulded article or of a coherent lump which is pushed
off the table of the machine by a projection from the feed box.
By means of a reciprocating brush the vertical plunger is oiled and when the
machine is used to form pieces for moulding larger articles there is in the table
of the machine an oil well in which is partly immersed a roller.
The ejected lump receives oil on its lower side from this roller as it is pushed over
it, and having received oil from the vertical plunger, it is in suitable condition for
being moulded, the oil on its surface preventing it from adhering to the mould or core.
In the machines described in my previous specifications above referred to, the
mould is formed in a vertically reciprocating crosshead, the bottom of the mould
being in the form of a valve having its stem projecting down through the crosshead.
To this stem, according to my present invention, I joint a rod which, when it stands
vertically catches under a projection from the side of the crosshead, so that as the
crosshead descends the stem and mould bottom descend with it until a trigger attached
to the rod meets a tappet; the rod is thus thrown to one side clear of the projection
on the crosshead which continues to descend leaving the stem and mould bottom
stationary, the stem resting on a stop, and thus the article is ejected from the
mould as the mould is withdrawn along with the crosshead.
The moulded article when it is ejected from the moulding machine, is taken to
finishing apparatus according to my present invention, which is arranged and operates
as follows.
In front of a revolving tubular mandrel is fixed a core on which the moulded article
is placed and pressed forwards by a die operated by a treadle, while, in the case of

page_text: the moulded article being a flower pot, a punch on a rod passing through the mandrel
is advanced by the treadle and punches a hole through the bottom of the flower pot.
At the same time a revolving cutter on the mandrel trims the edge of the pot,
and a stamp, which is moved by the treadle, descends stamping a number or other
mark on the side of the pot. When the moulded article is a cup or the like requiring
no hole through its bottom the punch and die are dispensed with, the apparatus then
effecting only the trimming and stamping.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Moulded Clay,
Earthenware, and Ceramic Articles.
I, WILLIAM WEST, of Longclose Works, Dolly Lane, Newton, Leeds, in the County
of York, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
In my Specifications No. 16264 of 1889, No. 6704 of 1890, No. 7406 of 1890, and
No. 23640 of 1892, I have described apparatus for moulding clay, earthenware and
ceramic articles by pressing clay or other suitable material in a more or less plastic
condition between a mould and core, withdrawing the core and ejecting the article
from the mould.
My present invention relates to apparatus whereby I can mould small articles, or
prepare pieces of the plastic material of suitable size and in suitable condition for
being acted on by the moulding machine, to a modification of the mechanism for
ejecting the moulded article, and to apparatus whereby the moulded article when
it comes from the machine is trimmed, punched and stamped with numbers or
other marks.
For moulding small articles or preparing pieces of the material suitable for being
moulded to form larger articles, I provide apparatus of which Fig. 1 is a front view
and Fig. 2 a part plan. A is a hopper under which reciprocates a horizontally
sliding feed box B and in front of the box there is a sunk mould C having above
it a vertically reciprocating plunger D and having at its bottom a vertically
reciprocating ejector E. Clay or other suitable material in the condition of a
somewhat damp powder supplied to the hopper A descends in suitable quantity
into the feed box B by which it is carried forwards till it descends into the mould C;
thereupon the vertical plunger descends, compressing the material in the mould, which
is then ejected in the form of the moulded article or of a coherent lump which is
pushed off the table of the machine by a projection b from the feed box, as the box is
advancing with a fresh charge.
By means of a reciprocating brush F the plunger D is oiled and when the machine
is used to form pieces for moulding larger articles there is in the table of the machine
an oil well G in which is partly immersed a roller.
The ejected lump receives oil on its lower side from this roller as it is pushed over
it, and having received oil from the vertical .plunger D it is in suitable condition for
being moulded, the oil on its surface preventing it from adhering to the mould
or core.
The plunger D is caused to reciprocate by a crank on a revolving shaft H on
which there is a cam K.
A roller k on one arm of a bell crank lever travels in this cam path, the other arm L

page_text: of the lever is linked to the feed box B which thus receives its reciprocating motion.
The stem of the ejector E is jointed to one end of a horizontal lever the other end of
which is moved by a cam on the shaft H. The lever and the cam which works it are
not shewn on the drawing as the arrangement and action may be readily understood.
The brush F is moved in the one direction by an attachment to the feed box, and
is retracted by a spring.
In the machines described in my previous specifications above referred to, the
mould is formed in a vertically reciprocating crosshead, the bottom of the mould
being in the form of a valve having its stem projecting down through the crosshead.
According to my present invention I effect the ejection of the moulded article from
the mould as I shall describe referring to Fig. 3 which is an elevation of the
ejecting rod and parts connected therewith and a section of the crosshead and mould.
M is the mould in the crosshead N, and P is the valve shaped bottom of the
mould attached to the stem S, which passes down through the crosshead. To a
bracket Q carried by the stem SI joint a rod R which, when it stands vertically
catches under a projection T from the side of the crosshead boss so that as the
crosshead N descends with the mould M the stem and mould bottom P descend
also until a trigger U attached to the rod R meets a tappet V; the rod R is thus
thrown to one side clear of the projection T as indicated by the dotted lines while
the crosshead and mould continue to descend leaving the stem S and mould bottom P
stationary, the stem resting on the trigger which forms a stop, and thus the
moulded article is ejected from the mould. A spring W causes the rod R again to
engage under T when the crosshead makes its sace eding upstroke. The bracket Q
serves also for fixing one end of the spring which causes the stem S to rotate
backwards after it has been partly turned as described in my previous Specification
No. 23640 of 1892 above referred to.
The moulded article when it is ejected from the moulding machine, is taken to
finishing apparatus according to my present invention, which is arranged and
operates as I shall describe referring to Fig. 4.
In front of a revolving tubular mandrel a is fixed a core c on which the moulded
article 6 is placed and pressed forwards by a die d operated by a treadle e, while, in
the case of the moulded article being a flower pot, a punch p on a rod q passing
through the mandrel a is advanced by the action of the treadle and punches a hole
through the bottom of the flower pot b. At the same time a revolving cutter f on
the mandrel trims the edge of the pot, and a stamps which is moved by the action of
the treadle e descends stamping a number or other mark on the side of the pot.
When the moulded article is a cup or the like requiring no hole through its bottom,
the punch and die are dispensed with, the apparatus then effecting only the trimming
and stamping.
The treadle e is connected through a spring g to one arm h of a bell crank
lever the arm of which carries the die d. The treadle is also connected by a pin
working in a slotted hole of a rod k to an arm of a bell crank lever the other arm of
which is forked to embrace the punch rod 7 between collars, and by a link m the
movement of the treadle is also communicated to a lever n which works the stamp s.
The treadle and parts connected to it are retracted by a spring o. On depressing the
treadle the die d is first moved up to the bottom of the moulded article and then the
pin on reaching the bottom of the slotted hole in the rod k causes the punch and
stamp to advance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim in respect of apparatus for the manufacture of moulded clay, earthenware,
and ceramic articles, is :-
1. Apparatus for moulding small articles or preparing lumps of suitable size
and form to be moulded, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2
of the drawings.
2. In combination with the crosshead and mould and the mould bottom and stem of

page_text: a moulding machine such as is described in the Specification No. 23640 of 1892, a rod
hinged to the stem and a trigger and tappet arranged and operating substantially as
described with reference to Fig. 3.
3. Apparatus for turning, stamping, and punching moulded articles, substantially
as described with reference to Fig. 4.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.