Improvements in Machines for Molding and Pressing Soap and other Compressible Substances.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1894-Accepted, 4th May, 1895
Improvements in Machines for Molding and Pressing Soap and other
Compressible Substances.
A communication from abroad by EDWIN DAVIS MELLEN, of Cambridge,
Mass., United States of America, Soap Manufacturer, and GEORGE CYRUS
BECKWITH, of Somerville, Mass., United States of America, Soap Manu-
facturer.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of No. 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
London, England, Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, 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 stateinent:-
This invention has relation to machines for molding and pressing soap and other
compressible substances, for the purpose of compacting the same, and giving
requisite form to, and stamping or impressing desired ornamentation, trade-mark,
or lettering upon cakes or bars thereof.
It is the object of the invention to provide a practically operative machine for
use in soap factories, which will take the cut-up cakes of soap as fast as they can be
fed to it, mold them by pressure into marketable shape, and discharge them,
the entire operation being continuous, i.e. the progress of the cakes being
uninterrupted.
To give a general idea of the nature of the invention at the outset, it may be
stated that in practice the cakes of soap are stacked by the attendant on an endless
conveyer-belt which supplies a feeder and the latter is so timed as to present the
cakes successively to molding dies on a constantly moving holder as fast as such
dies come to receiving position; and without interrupting the progress of the cakes,
they are molded and then leave the molding dies and pass away in condition for
packing.
The claims appended enumerate the constituents in which the present invention
may be said to consist.
The accompanying drawings, which form part of this Specification, illustrate a
machine which embodies my invertion.
Of said drawings:-
Figure 1 shows the complete machine in plan.
Figure 1 shows a detail on an enlarged scale, the view being taken on line 1º-1ª
of Fig. 1.
Fig. 2 shows the machine in end elevation as viewed from the left of Fig. 1.
Fig. 2 shows a sectional detail view on an enlarged scale taken on line 2"-2ª of
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3 shows a section taken longitudinally of the main shaft.
Fig. 3 shows a sectional view of one of the dies and part of its slides.
Figs. 3B, 3C and 3D show sectional details taken respectively on lines 3b-3b,
3-3, and 34-30, of Fig. 3.
Fig. 4 shows a perspective of the detail appearing in section in Fig. 14.
Fig. 5 shows a section of a portion of a cam-grooved cylinder.
Fig. 6 shows a portion of the machine in plan as it appears when in operation.
Figs. 7 to 11 are sectional views illustrative of the machine's operation on a

page_text: cake of soap from the feeding-in to the discharge thereof, said views peing taken
line 7-7 of Fig. 6.
Fig. 12 is a diametric view illustrative of the movements of the dies from the
time they receive a cake to the time they discharge the same.
To begin at the place where the cakes of soap are started into the machine, the
reference letter a designates a belt or apron which is supported by pulleys a',
This belt is
and a², and on which the cakes are stacked as shown in Fig. 6.
constantly driven by power applied to a pulley on the journal of the pulley a', and
is kept taut by adjustment of the bearing as of pulley a², (see Fig. 3). The upper
stretch of the belt runs between guard-rails a, and carries the cakes against a dam
which is an extension of one side of a raceway or alley b extending at right angles
to the belt. This raceway or alley is composed of two angle-rails 61 and 62, one of
which, b, has a fixed position, whereas the other one 6, is adjustable to vary the
width of the alley for different sized cakes. The construction whereby the
adjustment is effected is best illustrated in Figs. 14 and 4. The base support 63, for
the alley is formed on the outer side of its upstanding portion with bosses, b,
through each of which there extends a stem, b, having a lip at one end fitting in a
clip on the alley rail . A binding screw b', is entered through the boss and
bears against the stem, and a nut 18, and set-screws 6, provide means for locking
the binding screw. A feed-chain c, runs above the alley and is supported at the
outer end by a wheel c', in a bearing c², which is adjustable on the base support,
to regulate the tension of the chain; at the opposite end the chain is supported by
a toothed wheel c³, on a shaft c. At a number of equidistant points in the chain
there are links formed with studs, c, which depend in the under stretch of the chain
and act against the cakes to propel them clear the alley.
Lubricating devices are arranged on the sides of the alley to act on the passing
cakes and properly prepare them for the molds so there shall be no sticking of the
cakes in the latter and these devices are of the following description, reference
being had to Fig. 24. Tubular holders, d, are contained in the inner ends of the
same, and protrude into the alley sufficiently to act as brushes on the passing cake,
plugs, 2, being fitted in the outer ends of the said holders to sustain the sponges,
and held in place by the set screws d³. Stand pipes d', rise from the holders, and
valves, d, control a supply of lubricant which flows to the sponges from a suitable
source, through pipes d.
Going on now to the press, the letter e designates a stationary shaft which is
supported by standards
and e², and extends at right angles to the feed-chain
directly below the shaft c. On the shaft e, at the middle of the same there is
journaled a cylindrical shell e³, to which are fastened at equi-distant points, molds
or boxes e, to one side of the line of the chain. These boxes are formed on
castings e, which also have frames or guides, e, opposite the boxes. The feed-
chain carries the cakes between the boxes and their frames, and is so timed as to
run a cake in between these parts just as they arrive at the uppermost point in
a revolution. On the bottom of each casting, e, there is a lug, e', which comes up
behind the cake to prevent its slipping back. The lineal velocity of these studs, e,
is a little greater than that of the feed-chain studs, co, as shown in Figs. 9 & 10, and
they take the cakes away from the chain studs c so that the striking die shall not
be injured by coming in contact with the studs, c, as it advances. Molding dies
work through the boxes or frames, and each die is of the following description,
reference being had to Figs. 3 and 34 and 3D. There is a center or panel portion,
and a surrounding or border portion f', and each is fastened to a separate slide so
that they may partake of separate movements. The panel die is fastened to its
slide by a clamp f³, which has lugs engaging notches in the die and in a stud
protruding from the slide. The border die is fastened to its slide f, by means of
studs protruding from the slide into the die and set screws f', entered through the
dies and into the studs. By this construction, provision is made for interchange-
ability of dies.
The cylinder e, is connected by shells g with heads g', which have extended
'

page_text: lubs, and the said cylinder is rotated through the agency of a sprocket wheel, g²,
affixed to one of said hubs. There is a gear g³ affixed to the other hub, which gear
meshes with a pinion g' loose on the shaft e. The pinion is connected to a disk co,
keyed to the shaft by means of a bolt c, extending through a slot c' in the
disk c; the slot providing for adjustment in relatively timing the feed-chain and
die-cylinder.
The dies receive their motion for treating the cakes from cam-grooves h, in the
peripheries of cylindrical shells and h², both mounted on the shaft e, so as to have
no rotary movement, and the said grooves receiving cam-rolls ³, with which the
die-slides are equipped. The cam-rolls are lubricated by coming in contact with
the valve spindles h, which are raised from their seats 5, and oil is admitted to the
pipes from the pipes 47. The pipe is supplied with oil from the oil cup 18.
The dies which work through the boxes e receive the impact in the molding
process and are therefore termed the buffer-dies, whereas the dies which work
through the frames and impart the pressure are termed the striking dies.
In order to cushion the impact, the buffer-dies are held up yieldingly against the
thrust of the striking dies through the following means. The cylinder is splined
on the shaft e', and a collar i affixed to said shaft alongside said cylinder receives
one end of an adjustable screw-threaded stem or bolt which extends through the
web of the cylinder and has on the side of the web toward the collar a nut or
collar and a cushioning washer is, and on the other side of the web a nut
adjusting the tension of a spiral spring inserted between it and the web and a
check-nut. This stem is secured in the collar i by means of the screw i as
shown in Fig. 34. The cylinder is adjusted longitudinally and thereby the die-slide
also, by releasing the stem by slackening the screw 7, and turning the stem
backward or forward by means of a suitable wrench applied to the end of the stem
through the hole in the standard e². The screw is reached in a similar manner
through a hole in the cylindrical shell e³. This adjustment admits of pressing
different thicknesses of cakes with the same sets of dies.
The action of the dies on the soap is best illustrated in Fig. 12.
for
When a cake is entered between one of the pairs of dies, both the buffer and
striking dies are retracted from the soap-path or channel. Then the buffer die
recedes into the die-box, and the striking die advances at a faster rate so that
when the cake is wholly within the box, the pressure is fully applied and the
cake is molded into the shape desired while confined by the walls of the
box. Both dies then move back to bring the cake out of the box, and at this
point an independent motion of the striking-die border takes place to free it
from the cake while the latter is held by the striking die panel. Then the latter
leaves the cake and the buffer-die panel takes an independent motion which frees
the cake from the buffer-lie border. The striking die panel again comes out
against the cake, the buffer-die panel receding, and after this the dies resume their
normal positions. At this time, the dies have reached the lower side of the
cylinder, and the cake drops out onto an adjustable spring curved way j, extending
for a distance below the cylinder, and thence it passes onto a carrying-away belt j',
which at the lower end runs over a pulley in an adjustable bearing.
Affixed to a girt m, which is extended between the standards e', e, and around
behind the die-cylinder, there is a pair of knives n, which clean off the scraps of
soap clinging to the faces of the boxes e and the frame e*.
While it has been endeavoured to clearly describe all parts and features of the
machine embodying the improvements, it is not meant to confine the invention to
the exact form and arrangement of the parts shown, since these may be changed
within the scope of mechanical skill without departing from the nature or spirit of
the invention. For example, the revoluble cylinder or carrier for the dies and
their adjuncts and the inner stationary cylinder provided with means for acting
upon the dies and their adjuncts may both be so changed in form as to be with
propriety called by different names without materially altering their functions or
mode of operation.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, it is declared that what
is claimed is:
1. A machine of the character described comprising in its construction a
revoluble cylinder or holder provided with a die-box or sets of die-boxes and a pair 5
or pairs of dies movable substantially in the line of the axis of the cylinder or
holder, and a stationary cylinder, around which the first mentioned cylinder moves,
provided with means for moving the said dies.
2. A machine of the character described comprising in its construction, a
revoluble cylinder or holder provided with a die-box or set of die-boxes and a pair ||
or pairs of dies movable substantially in the line of the axis of the cylinder or
holder, a stationary cylinder, around which the first-mentioned cylinder moves,
provided with means for moving the said dies, and means for cushioning the action
of at least one of the dies of a pair in the direction of its thrust.
3. A machine of the character described comprising in its construction a
revoluble cylinder or holder provided with a plurality of die-boxes and a pair of
dies for each die-box, the dies being movable in the line of the axis of the cylinder
or holder, and means for moving the said dies to cause them to act upon the cakes
of soap fed to the machine.
4. A machine of the character described, comprising in its construction a
revoluble cylinder or holder provided with a plurality of pairs of dies movable in
the line of the axis of the cylinder or holder, means for moving the said dies to
cause them to act upon the cakes of soap fed to the machine, and an endless feeder
for supplying cakes of soap to the dies.
5. A machine of the character described comprising in its construction a
revoluble cylinder or holder provided with dies movable in the line of the axis of
the cylinder for acting upon the cakes of soap fed thereto, and a cylinder
provided with cams, around which the first-mentioned cylinder revolves, the said
cams acting to move the dies, to cause them to press the soap and free the cakes
therefrom.
6. A machine of the character described comprising in its construction a
stationary cylinder or holder, a cylinder constructed and arranged to revolve
around the stationary cylinder, a plurality of pairs of movable dies, constructed to
press cakes of soap fed between the same and to discharge the said cakes therefrom,
and means connected with the stationary cylinder to act upon the adjuncts of the
dies to move the latter.
7. A machine of the character described comprising in its construction, a
revoluble cylinder or holder provided with die-boxes and movable dies and scrap-
removing knives arranged in close proximity to the line or path of travel of the
face of the die-boxes, and a stationary cylinder around which the first mentioned
cylinder revolves, the stationary cylinder being provided with means for acting
upon the dies to move the same to press the soap.
8. In a machine of the character described, the combination with the rotating
holder and the dies thereon, of a die-actuating cam yieldingly supported in the
direction of the die-thrust.
9. In a machine of the character described, the combination with the rotary
holder and the dies thereon, of a cam-grooved die-actuating cylinder, longitudinally
movable, and supported yieldingly against the die-thrust.
10. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a supporting
shaft, a rotary holder thereon carrying one or more sets of dies, a cam-grooved
cylinder for actuating the dies splined on the shaft, a collar fixed on the shaft, a
yielding connection between the said collar and the cam-grooved cylinder in the
form of a stem and spring with adjusting provisions, and means for rotating the
holder.
11. A machine of the character described comprising in its construction a
rotating holder carrying a set or sets of dies, a raceway or alley leading up to the

page_text: path of said dies, and an endless feeder extending in line with the said raceway to
and over the rotating holder and having cake-driving projections.
12. A machine of the character described, comprising in its construction a
rotating holder carrying a set or sets of dies, a raceway or alley leading up to the
path of said dies and an endless feeder extending in line with the said raceway and
over the rotating holder and having cake-driving projections combined with a
second endless feeder adapted to supply material to the first-mentioned feeder.
13. A soap-press comprising in its construction a movable holder, a pair of
movable dies carried by the holder movable independent thereof, and adapted to
engage and press a cake of soap between them, each die being composed of a
plurality of parts, and each part being independently movable, and means for
moving the dies and their parts both separately and in unison, whereby, after a
cake of soap is molded it may be automatically freed from the dies, substantially
as set forth.
14. A soap-press comprising in its construction a continuously revoluble holder
or cylinder provided with a plurality of pairs of movable dies, each pair being
constructed and arranged to engage and press a cake of soap between them and to
be separated and moved after the cake is pressed to free and discharge the same,
substantially as set forth.
15. A soap-press comprising in its construction a continuously revoluble holder
or cylinder provided with a plurality of pairs of movable dies, cach pair being
Constructed and arranged to engage and press a cake of soap between them and to
be separated and moved after the cake is pressed to free and discharge the same,
and a stationary drum around which the cylinder revolves provided with cams for
acting upon the dies to move the same, substantially as set forth.
16. A soap-press comprising in its construction a continuously revoluble.
cylinder or carrier provided with a plurality of pairs of movable dies, each pair
being constructed and arranged to engage a cake of soap between them when they
arrive at substantially their highest point of travel on the cylinder, to press the
said cake, and to discharge the same when they arrive at substantially their lowest
point of travel, and means, as described, for moving the dies, substantially as set
forth.
17. A machine of the character described comprising in its construction a
revoluble cylinder or holder provided with a set or sets of dies for molding the
cakes of soap fed thereto, a raceway or alley leading up to the path of said dics,
and lubricating devices arranged to act upon the cakes of soap to lubricate the
same before being acted upon by the dies.
בד
1004
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.