IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DIFFERENT ARTICLES OF COMMERCE FROM VARIOUS POWDERED SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MOULDS THEREFOR
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Raphael Hunter Brandon, of No. 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris, in
:
the Republic of France, Engineer and Patent Agent, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DIFFERENT ARTICLES OF COMMERCE
FROM VARIOUS POWDERED SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND
ARRANGEMENT OF MOULDS THEREFOR." "A communication from abroad by
Isaiah Smith Hyatt, of the United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Raphael Hunter Brandon at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th April 1881.
RAPHAEL HUNTER BRANDON, of No. 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris, in the Republic of
France, Engineer and Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
DIFFERENT ARTICLES OF COMMERCE FROM VARIOUS POWDERED SUBSTANCES, AND
IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MOULDS THEREFOR." A commu-
nication from abroad by Isaiah Smith Hyatt, of the United States of America.
:
This Invention has relation to certain methods which may be efficiently employed
in the production of numerous articles of commerce, and to certain constructions
and arrangements of moulds and apparatus which may be used for such production.
I have in the following pointed out the nature and objects of the Invention with
such particularity that the same will be readily understood.
The Invention is applicable to the treatment of and to the formation of articles
in moulds from a large majority of that class of materials or compounds which are
plastic under heat, and of such nature that they can be successfully moulded or
formed in dies under heat and, pressure. I will, as an example, mention only the
various well known compositions or substances from which artificial ivory is made,
but it is evident that nearly all substances or compositions of like nature may be
treated in the manner and by the apparatus herein described with equal success.
.. The novelty of one part of my Invention consists in the application of the heat
and pressure through the medium of a liquid, whereby the employment of moulds
or dies of, inconsiderable strength, and even the use in lieu of moulds or dies of
pliable or elastic bags, protectors, or coverings, is rendered practicable, as hereinafter
fully set forth.

page_text: In practising the Invention I prefer to use water, but other liquids may be
employed if desired with good results.
Refering to the accompanying Drawings,
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus containing an embodiment of the
elements of this part of the Invention; Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal
section of the same; and Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of the same.
A denotes a vessel of suitable strength and shape adapted to receive the moulds
or articles according to circumstances. It is surrounded by a steam jacket B into
which steam is admitted through the pipe C and permitted to escape when
condensed through the pipe D, or otherwise introduced and discharged, as may be
convenient. One end of the vessel A is provided with an appropriate opening
closed by a cover F through which the dies or moulds may be passed into the
vessel A at pleasure. At the other end of the vessel is the pipe G, through which
the water or other liquid is conveyed into the vessel and the pressure applied, as
hereinafter recited.
Where dies or moulds proper are used the material is introduced therein, and the
moulds are placed in the vessel A through the opening above mentioned, which is
then closed by the cover F.
.
The water or other liquid is then admitted through G, and the steam let into
the space enclosed by the jacket B, the two being introduced either simultaneously
or successively as may be desired.
The heat is carried to such a point as may be preferred, then the hydraulic
pressure is applied in any convenient manner through the pipe G, the heat and
pressure being adapted to the requirements of the case, and being continued under
such conditions as may be necessary.
It will be seen that by these means a perfectly even pressure and an unvarying
degree of heat are accomplished, and both the heat and pressure will be precisely
the same upon all parts of the mould or article, so that the result is a very
satisfactory one. That fact that the pressure of the liquid is the same upon all parts
of the dies makes it unnecessary to provide a die of as great strength as is customary
where the pressure is applied in the usual way. Thus I have found that dies or
moulds struck up from thin sheets of metal may be used with perfectly satisfactory
results. In many instances I propose to employ a flexible or elastic bag or
protector, dispensing entirely with a mould or die proper. In practising this
branch of my process I first give the material to be treated the desired form or
configuration by pressing it in moulds or dies sufficiently to compact the material
so that it can be handled without attempting to effectually solidify it. I then
insert the article in the bag or protector of rubber or other elastic material, or in
any other covering or envelope which will conform itself to the shape of the article,
and serve to protect it from the action of the liquid, and then proceed as if a mould
or die proper is used, as hereinbefore set forth.
After the heat and pressure have been applied as may be desired the steam in
the jacket may be cut off and permitted to escape, and water or some other cooling
agent introduced whereby the moulds or articles in the vessel A may be rapidly or
slowly cooled at the pleasure of the operator. Or the water may be drawn off
from the vessel and other means of cooling employed, according to circumstances.
The amount of pressure employed will be from 2000 to 4000 lbs. or upwards to
the square inch, according to the nature of the material to be moulded, the inner
and outer pipes being made sufficiently strong to withstand the pressure; .the
temperature of the steam may range from 250 to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
:
The second part of my Invention refers to a construction of mould specially
adapted for the manufacture from substances or compositions such as above set
forth of small articles like buttons, &c., particularly when it is desired to give the
article at once its final shape, or nearly so.
It has heretofore been customary to construct moulds of this class by turning or
otherwise forming them in a block of steel or other hard metal and then polishing
the interior surface of the mould, or by using a bushing made substantially like a

page_text: die and having a polished interior surface. These methods have involved great
labour, expense, and loss of time, and have been attended by many difficulties, to
overcome which is the chief object of this part of my Invention. I have discovered
that it is practicable to take a plated or polished sheet of brass or other suitable
metal and strike it up so as to form a shell or mould having a plated or polished
interior without injuring the plating or polished surface; and that by forming an
appropriate seat or cavity for the shells thus constructed in iron or other metal
that is easily worked, a mould may be produced at very small expense and with
little difficulty, which can be employed with satisfactory results in all instances
where moulds of the class to which the Invention pertains are required.
By preference a supplemental block or top piece having apertures corresponding
in size and shape to the shells will be provided and applied so as to secure the
shells in place and protect their edges, as hereinafter more fully set forth.
In cases where the shells are struck with uneven surfaces, as when a medallion
or elaborate design is used, a corresponding medallion or design will be formed in
soft metal in intaglio or relief, as the case may be, having the same diameter as the
seat or cavity, and the disc inserted to form the bottom or lower face of the seat; the
disc will be found to afford to afford a sufficient support for the shell under all ordinary
conditions. I contemplate using nickel plated sheets exclusively, as I believe them
to be especially desirable, but where the shells are struck from a sheet of metal
which has been highly polished without being plated or coated in any way a fair
result is effected, although it will be necessary to exercise caution and to change
the shells very frequently. Referring to Figures 4 and 5 in the accompanying
Drawings, A denotes the block of iron or other metal in which are turned or
otherwise formed the mould seats or cavities a, the same being cut in the block
and shaped to conform generally to the shells B, being sufficiently similar to them
in size and configuration to receive and support them without injury during use.
It will not be necessary to finish the seats or cavities with any great degree
of care, nor is it essential that any other than ordinary cast iron be used.
Referring to Fig. 4 of the Drawings the mould seats or cavities a will be adapted
as nearly as practicable in size and configuration to the shells or moulds they are
intended to support, and will by preference be provided with the grooves b near their
upper edges, into which the upper part of the shell may be pressed to keep the
shell securely in place, as shewn in Figures 4 and 5.
D indicates the top block, the purpose of which is to secure the shell firmly in
place and to effectually protect its edges. It is provided with an orifice which
corresponds in size and shape with the interior edge of the shell, and which is
secured upon the block A, so that it forms the mouth of the mould, as shewn at
Figure 4. When a series of moulds are cut in the block A the orifices in D will be
arranged so as to occupy the position indicated, forming mouths for each shell B.
and for effectually securing the same in place and protecting them.
The top block D will be fastened upon A by clamps or in any other suitable
way, and will be by preference of iron or other metal.
B¹, Fig. 5, denotes the disc, hereinbefore described, which may be made of copper,
brass, or other metal, and fastened in the seats or cavities of A to form their lower
surfaces in any convenient way.
It will be of appropriate size, shape, and configuration, and constructed with
relation to the shell B as well as the seat or cavity formed in A. This disc or
piece B³ may be conveniently formed by taking an impression in plaster from the
stamp, by means of which the shell is made, and producing therefrom a disc having
the face of a die either male or female, as the case may be, adapted to properly
support the lower surface of the shell. B indicates the shell or mould, the nature
and construction of which have been hereinbefore sufficiently described.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, as well as the best means
known to me for carrying the same into practice, I claim as my Invention and
desire to secure by Letters Patent,—
1. The within described process of moulding plastic material, which consists in

page_text: immersing the dies containing the material in liquid contained in a vessel enclosed
by a steam jacket and applying pressure to the liquid while heat is applied in
the form of steam within the jacket surrounding the vessel, substantially as
described.
2. The process herein described of forming articles of plastic material, which
consists in giving the material the desired form by compacting it in moulds
sufficiently to give it such consistency that it may be handled without affecting its
shape, and then subjecting it to heat and pressure while immersed in a liquid, the
article being protected against the liquid by means of a bag or otherwise,
substantially as set forth.
3. The mould or die consisting of a number of shells B formed by striking up
thin pieces of plated metal, and the base piece A containing the cavities or seats a
in which the shells are fitted, the whole constructed and arranged as set forth, and
4: The mould or die consisting of the shell B having a plated or polished interior
and supported in the seat or cavity a, and the block D provided with an orifice or
orifices which form, when the block is applied, a mouth or mouths for the shell or
shells, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Raphael Hunter Brandon, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty sixth day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
HENRI MEÁ,
A. H. GENTNER.
R. H. BRANDON. (L.S.)