Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Tiles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 29th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Tiles.
We, CRAVEN DUNNILL AND COMPANY LIMITED of The Jackfield Works, in
the County of Salop, Encaustic Tile Manufacturers and FRANCIS RAWDON
SMITH, of Eastfield, Ironbridge, in the said County, Director of the aforesaid
Company do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for the manufacture of tiles having undercut
recesses therein the object of the said invention being to provide improved means
for forming the undercuts.
According to the said invention the lower die or bottom plate has formed in it a
series of inclined grooves or slots in which are located sliding pieces adapted at
their upper ends to project above the surface of the bottom plate, the said projecting
ends being shaped to correspond with the shape of the recesses to be formed in the
tiles. The lower ends of the said sliding pieces are in engagement with stops or
flanges so arranged that when the movable plate is raised relatively with the sliding
pieces or the sliding pieces are moved downwards relatively with the bottom plate
the upper ends of the said sliding pieces will be drawn away from the tile upon the
surface of the bottom plate without injuring the undercuts in the tile. The stop or
flange engaging with the sliding pieces is advantageously operated by a screw and
the bottom plate by means of a rod passing through the said screw and moved by
'means of a lever.
The top die or plunger which operates in conjunction with the improved bottom
die or plate is of ordinary construction.
Dated the 29th day of March 1893.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Tiles.
We, CRAVEN DUNNILL & COMPANY LIMITED, of The Jackfield Works, in
the County of Salop, Encaustic Tile Manufacturers, and FRANCIS RAWDON
SMITH, of Eastfield, Ironbridge, in the said County, Director of the aforesaid
Company, 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 :-
This invention relates to apparatus for the manufacture of tiles having undercut
recesses therein, the object of the said invention being to provide improved means
for forming the undercuts.
According to the said invention the lower die or bottom plate has formed in it a
series of inclined grooves or recesses in which are located sliding-pieces adapted at
their upper ends to project above the surface of the said bottom plate, the said
projecting ends being shaped to correspond with the shape of the recesses to be
formed in the tiles. The lower ends of the said sliding-pieces are in engagement
with a flange or groove in a plate so arranged that when the bottom plate is raised
relatively with the sliding pieces or the sliding pieces are moved downwards

page_text: relatively with the bottom plate the upper ends of the said sliding pieces will be
drawn away from the tile upon the surface of the said bottom plate without
injuring the undercuts in the tile. The plate engaging with the sliding-pieces is
advantageously operated by a tube and the bottom plate by means of a rod passing
through the said tube.
The top die or plunger which operates in conjunction with the improved bottom
die or plate is of ordinary construction.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe how it can be
carried into practice by reference to the acccompanying drawing, in which :-
Figure 1 is a plan of the lower die or bottom plate of apparatus for
manufacturing tiles having undercut recesses, the said die or plate being provided
with our improvements:
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the said die or plate with its parts in the
position they occupy when moulding a tile thereon; and,
Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 2 but with the parts moved into position to
enable the tile to be removed :
Figures 4, 5 and 6 are respectively a front view, side view and rear view of one
of the parts of the die or plate detached.
a is the lower die or bottom plate, b, b are the inclined grooves formed therein,
and c, c are the sliding or movable pieces located in the said grooves and adapted,
by reason of their upper ends projecting above the upper surface of the said plate,
to form the undercut recesses in the tiles moulded thereon, the said upper ends
being of the shape corresponding with the shape of the recesses required.
We have shewn the plate a as being of a square shape and provided with eight
sliding pieces c, c but it will be obvious that the said shape and number of sliding
pieces can be varied according to the shape of the tiles required and the number of
recesses therein.
d is the plate which engages with the lower ends of the sliding pieces c, c through
the medium of which plate the pieces c, c can be simultaneously moved in their
grooves b, b relatively with the plate a and vice versa.
As shewn in the drawing the lower ends of the sliding-pieces c, c are bent at an
angle with their upper ends and engage with a groove e in the plate & whereby a
large wearing surface is provided.
is the tube connected to the plate d, and g is the rod passing through the said
tube and connected to the plate a, the said tube and rod serving to enable the
plate a and pieces c, c to be relatively moved.
The operation of our improved tile moulding apparatus is as follows:-
Assume the pieces c, c to be in the position shewn in Figure 2, that is to say,
with their upper ends projecting above the upper surface of the die or plate a: if
now, a tile be moulded upon the said plate by means of the usual upper die the said
tile will be formed with undercut recesses formed by the said upper ends of the
pieces c, c. By operating the tube f to lower the plate d relatively with the plate
or by operating the rod g to lift the plate a relatively with the plate d the sliding-
pieces c, c will be withdrawn from the recesses in the tile into the position shewn in
Figure 3, the inclination of the grooves b, b enabling this to be effected without
damaging the undercut portions of the said recesses.
a
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for moulding tiles having undercut recesses the combination with
the lower die or bottom plate of movable pieces adapted to form the said undercut
recesses in the tiles, the said movable pieces being located and caused to slide in
inclined grooves or recesses in the said lower die substantially as, and for the
purpose, set forth.
2. In apparatus of the kind described in the first claiming clause, the means for

page_text: simultaneously operating the movable or sliding pieces consisting of a plate having
a groove adapted to engage with the lower ends of the said pieces, substantially as
described.
3. The improved apparatus for moulding tiles with undercut recesses hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 29th day of December 1893.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.