Improvements in Apparatus for Moulding Cups and like Articles of Clay or other Plastic Material.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Nov., 1898-Accepted, 27th May, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Moulding Cups and like Articles
of Clay or other Plastic Material.
I, HERBERT BRIGGS, of Oakhill Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, in the County of Stafford,
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:
My invention relates to apparatus for moulding clay cups and like articles, as
I shall describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a vertical section and Figure 2 is a front elevation of a moulding
machine according to my invention.
Figure 3 is a plan, the table being supposed to be removed and Figure 4 is a
part plan of the table.
On a framing A are provided bearings in which two spindles B can revolve and
slide vertically. Each spindle has at its top a cup b, about its middle a collar b
near its lower end a toothed pinion &² which has a key sliding in a groove of the
spindle so that while the spindie can slide through the pinion, it must revolve
with it.
Both the pinions gear with a wheel on a spindle e which is driven by a
band on a pulley el or otherwise from any suitable motor. On the spindle is
fixed a pinion which gears with a wheel fixed on a vertical spindle which
revolves at a speed from a thirtieth to a fortieth of the speed of the spindles B.
On the spindle d is fixed a barrel cam in the groove of which is engaged a
roller mounted on the arm e of a rocking shaft E having two longer arms el linked
to a bar on which the collars &' of the two spindles B rest, these spindles having
below the bar washers fixed on them by setting screws or otherwise. By
means of the cam d' the arms e and e¹ and the bar e, the two spindles B are raised
and lowered during revolution of the cam. On the top of the cam is an upwardly
projecting stud which once in every revolution of the cam pushes a guided
rod flinked to an arm fl of a vertical rocking shaft F' another arm f2 of which
is connected by a link to a radial arm g free to turn on at
vertical spindle G. On this spindle is fixed a wheel having six
upwardly projecting teeth, and on the end of the arm g is pivotted, a spring pawl
adapted to engage with these teeth. Thus at each revolution of the stud the
pawl g³ moves the wheel one tooth round. The pawl is caused to retreat by a
spring f. On the upper end of the spindle G is fixed a circular table H which
has twelve holes through it. On the underside of the table are fixed six equidistant
pieces h each formed with a conical recess to receive the round end of a vertically
sliding rod which is linked to one arm ² of a bell crank lever, the other short
arm ³ of which is acted on by a cam fixed on the vertical spindle d. This
cam is so set that just after the wheel is turned one tooth round the table H
being thus turned through one sixth of a revolution, the rod is raised so that
its conical head enters the recess of one of the pieces h, thus adjusting the table
accurately and holding it firmly in position, until the arm is clear of the cam

page_text: when a spring h³ retracts the rod h¹ leaving the table free to be again turned one
sixth round.
every
On the cam h is an upwardly projecting tooth which once in revolution
acts on a lever k; this is connected by rod bell crank ³, rod k, bell crank and
rod with two levers K the lower ends of which terminate as bent wires. Thus once
in every revolution of the cam the two levers K are simultaneously caused to
make a stroke in the direction of the arrows, their return to the position shewn
being effected by a spring
.
As the bar reaches the upper end of its stroke it raises one arm of a lever /
which is connected by rod bell crank and rod 13 to two arms each fixed on
the upper end of a vertical spindle L. Each of these spindles is fitted to revolve
in a bearing which is eccentric to the axis of the vertical spindle B, and it carries
a blade or former adjustably clamped on its lower end. Thus when the bar
is completing its up stroke it causes the spindles L with the formers to turn
about a quarter of a revolution round. When the bar e descends, the spindles L
are caused to turn back by a spring 1.
A number of moulds M being provided each having its interior of the shape of
the exterior of the article to be moulded, several of these moulds each having in
it a piece of suitable clay or other plastic material are placed on the table on which
the flanges of the moulds rest their lower parts projecting through the holes of
the table. Two of the moulds which are immediately above the spindles B, as
these spindles ascend become engaged in the cups at the tops of these spindles
and rise and revolve with them, bringing the plastic material up to the formers
which at first are at some distance from the interior surface of the moulds, but as
they are turned on their eccentric axes approach that surface moulding the material
to the desired shape which is determined externally by the shape of
the mould and internally by the shape and adjustment of the former.
The ends of the levers K being brought to bear on the lips of the
moulded articles clear them of loose or superflous material. The spindles B then
descend leaving the moulds resting on the table, which thereupon is turned partly
round bringing another pair of moulds to position over the spindles, while those
containing the moulded articles are removed. Thus by bringing charged moulds
successively to the table and removing those which have passed the position over
the spindles B, the moulding of successive cups or like articles can be carried on
in a continuous manner.
Although I have described two spindles B obviously the machine could be
arranged with only one or with more than two spindles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
Apparatus for moulding cups and like articles constructed and operating sub
stantially as described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1898.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.