Improvements in and Machinery or Apparatus for Manufacturing Plates and other Articles in Earthenware, China, and other Plastic Materials.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 4th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 28th Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Machinery or Apparatus for Manufacturing
Plates and other Articles in Earthenware, China, and other
Plastic Materials.
I THOMAS WILLETT of Victoria Foundry and Engineering Works, Burslem in the
County of Stafford, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to
be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to simplify the manufacture of articles such as
plates, saucers &c. in earthenware or other plastic material by dispensing with
the usual plaster moulds and as hereinafter described and consists by preference
in feeding the plastic material to a press for the purpose of being stamped into
the desired form but of rather larger size or diameter than the article required.
These forms are then partially dried in a stove and when set to the desired extent
are ready to be introduced into a machine for being turned at the back and front
simultaneously. This machine consists essentially of a stationary cylinder or hollow
bearing carried in a suitable head-stock and upon which cylinder is mounted a
grooved or speed pulley capable of being revolved thereupon by a band or strap.
Upon the face of this pulley which practicly forms the face-plate of a lathe, I
mount a clamping ring of metal which is so hinged in position that when turned
down it permits of the introduction of the form hereinbefore described between
its inner side and the aforesaid face-plate (both of which may be lined with india-
rubber or other suitable yielding material) and thus such form is capable of being
supported and locked in position whilst being revolved. The next operation is to
cause a pair of carriers or rests mounted in suitable slides to approach each other
and each carrying a profile or cutter corresponding the one to the shape of the
outside and the other to the shape of the inside of the plate or other article
required to be turned. These profile cutters by coming in contact with the
opposite sides of the plastic form whilst revolving as afforesaid so cut such form
to the exact shape and thickness required and at the back and front simultaneously.
The carriers are so linked to a pair of arms upon a transverse bar that when
such bar is turned partially upon its axis either by a hand lever or by a cam
operated by a worm and worm wheel or its equivalent, the carriers are caused
to approach each other and from opposite sides of the machine as aforesaid and
then having performed their function such carriers are caused to retire to their
normal positions until again required to advance and repeat the operation.-In
this manner I am enabled to considerably expediate the manufacture of articles in
plastic material and this without the use of the plaster mould hitherto employed.
In the case of say embossed or other articles requiring to be turned on one
side only it will be obvious that this can be effected by the removal or stoppage of
the profile carrier which is not required.
Dated this 3rd day of January 1889
JOHN G. WILSON,
Patent Office, 55, Market Street, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Machinery or Apparatus for Manufacturing
Plates and other Articles in Earthenware, China, and other
Plastic Materials.
I THOMAS WILLETT of Victoria Foundry and Engineering Works, Burslem in the
County of Stafford, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to simplyfy the manufacture of articles such as
plates, saucers &c. in earthenware or other plastic material by dispensing with the
usual plaster moulds and as hereinafter described and consists by preference in
feeding the plastic imaterial to a press for the purpose of being stamped into the
desired form, but of rather larger size or diameter than the article required. These
forms are then partially dried in a stove and when set to the desired extent are
ready to be introduced into a machine for being turned at the back and front
simultaneously.
This machine consists essentially of a stationary cylinder or hollow bearing carried
in or upon a suitable frame or head-stock and upon which cylinder is mounted a
grooved or speed pulley capable of being revolved thereupon by a band or strap.
Upon the face of this pulley which practically forms the face-plate of a lathe, a set of
clamping devices are employed for securing the form hereinbefore described in
position thereupon whilst being revolved. The next operation is to cause a pair of
carriers or profile levers suitably mounted to approach each other and each carrying
a profile or cutter corresponding the one, to the shape of the outside and the other to
the shape of the inside of the plate or other article required to be turned. These
profile cutters by coming in contact with the opposite side of the plastic form whilst
revolving as aforesaid so cut such form to the exact shape and thickness required and
at the back and front simultaneously, and then having performed their function such
profile-levers are caused to retire to their normal positions until again. required to
advance and repeat the operation.
On the accompanying drawing Figs. 1 and 2 are opposite side views and Fig. 3 is
a plan view of my improved automatic plate making machine.
In all the views a is the frame-work supporting upon the top the table in the
front of which is formed the stationary cylinder or hollow bearing c.
Upon this
bearing is mounted a grooved or speed pulley d by preference running upon ball
bearings to reduce the friction, and which pulley is capable of being revolved by an
endless band or strap from any convenient motor.
Upon the outside face or side d* of this pulley d which practically forms the face
plate of a lathe mount a set of clamping claws d¹, two of which are provided with
countersunk adjusting slots and are affixed in position by set-screws, whilst. the third
claw is provided with an india rubber band spring d passing round a pair of stationary
studs and round a stud or handle rising from the claw. By now drawing back this
spring claw the plastic form e produced by stamping as aforesaid is capable of being
introduced between the claws and which being undercut will grasp the edge of the
said form and so secure the same in position tliat it will' revolve with the face plate d*.
From the surface of the table 6 also rises the standard or pillar supporting upon
suitable pivots or axes at its upper extremity the top profile lever'g: The bottom
profile lever is mounted in a corresponding position upon similar pivots or axes
arranged beneath the table as illustrated.
The actuating mechanism of these profile-levers may be described as follows:-i is
a vertical driving-shaft to which revolving motion is communicated by a strap or band
from any convenient motor passing round the driving pulley ¹. This shaft in its
turn communicates revolving motion by means of a worm and worm wheel 3 (or
their equivalents) to a horizontal shaft upon which is keyed a cam mj. Resting upon
the top of this cam is the lower extremity of one of a pair of vertically mounted rods k

page_text: The first
which is designed to be moved up and down by the revolution of the cam. These
rods & are guided up and down in slides arranged equi-distant from a central rocking-
shaft I, the projecting arms from which engage with slots formed in the sides of the
said rods, and thus as the one rod rises the other falls and vice versa.
mentioned rod as it rises presses upwards against the underside of the weighted
or back extremity of the top profile lever whilst the other rod presses upon the
top surface of the bottom profile lever and in this manner and by a scissors-
like action I cause the front extremities of the profile levers to approach each
other and from opposite sides of the face plate d*.
The front ends of these profile levers each carry a profile or cutter m corre-
sponding the one to the shape of the outside and the other to the shape of the
inside of the plate or other article. required to be turned. These profile cutters m
by coming in contact with the opposite sides of the plastic form e whilst revolving
as aforesaid so cut such form to the exact shape and thickness required and at
the back and front simultaneously and then having performed their function such
profile levers are caused to retire to their normal positions until again required to
advance and repeat the operation.
In this manner I am enabled to considerably cheapen and improve the manu-
facture of articles in plastic material and this without the use of the plastic
moulds hitherto employed.
In the case of say embossed or other articles requiring to be turned on one
side only, it will be obvious that this can be effected by the removal or stoppage
of the profile lever which is not required.
In Figs. 4 and 5 I represent a side view and plan of a modification of the
upper profile lever g showing how an additional roughing-out cutter or tool o
may be applied and operated so as to come in contact with the plastic form just
before the profile cutter m and so to rough out the same leaving the final cutting
and smoothing operations to be effected by the profile cutter m. This roughing
tool o is mounted at right angles to the profile cutter m at the extremity of an
arm n hinged to the cross head of the top profile lever as illustrated, and which
arm at its front extremity is suspended from the front end of a lever p pivoted
upon the standard p'. The back extremity of this lever p is in turn connected
by a slotted connecting rod q to a stud upon the side of the lower profile lever h
whilst an adjusting set-screw. s is also provided in the end of the rod
limiting the length of traverse as hereinafter described.
for
It will now be apparent that this arrangement enables me to so adjust the parts
say by screwing in or out the set-screws that the roughing tool o by being fixed
slightly in advance of the profile cutter m, will first come in contact with and
perform its roughing out function upon the plastic form e by which time the set-
screws will have come in contact with the lower profile lever so stopping the
further descent of the roughing tool-the arm n carrying the roughing tool being
capable of turning up upon its hinge against the spring blade n' for this purpose
and permitting the profile cutter m to advance and complete. the cutting and
final smoothing operations.
A roughing out tool is similarly applied to the lever carrying the lever profile
cutter.
Although have only shewn the face plate mounted to revolve upon a vertical
axis it will be obvious that it can be arranged to revolve horizontally-and that
instead of revolving the face-plate, it would be practicable to have the same
stationary and for the profile cutters to revolve.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1st. The improvements in and machinery or apparatus for manufacturing plates
and other articles in earthenware, china and other plastic materials substantially
as hereinbefore described.

page_text: 2nd. In a machine for manufacturing plates and other similar articles in earthen-
ware and other plastic materials the employment of a hollow face plate in com-
bination with a pair of profile carrying arms adapted to operate on opposite sides
of the face plate so as to turn both faces of the plastic form simultaneously
substantially as and for the purposes bereinbefore described and illustrated on the
accompanying drawing.
Dated this 1st day of November 1889.
JOHN G. WILSON,
Patent Office, 55, Market Street, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.