Improvements in Moulding and Pressing Machinery, suitable for Forming Cakes for Cattle-feeding and like purposes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Moulding and Pressing Machinery, suitable for
Forming Cakes for Cattle-feeding and like purposes.
I, ROBERT MIDDLETON, of Sheepscar Foundry, Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
The invention has reference to moulding and pressing machinery, suitable for
making cakes for cattle, and like purposes, and it has for its object the production
of an apparatus which permits of three operations being carried on at one and
the same time.
I accomplish my object as follows: -I arrange a horizontal mould table with
three (or more, if extra space on the table be desired) similar openings therein,
all equidistant from one another and also at an equal radius from the centre. Over
one of these openings I arrange the box-filling apparatus; under the next I
arrange the main press; and under the third I arrange a subsidiary ejecting press,
or other such gear. These three gears are arranged so that when all rams, etc.,
are withdrawn, the table can be revolved, with the result that the filled mould
box is moved round to, and under, the main press; the box previously under the
main press is brought under the ejecting gear; and the box from which the
pressed cakes have been ejected is brought again under the filling gear.
press itself is arranged to work by hydraulic power-(except where a steam arrange-
ment or geared press is more convenient) and one of its columns forms the axis
on which the table is revolved.
The
The movements of the press or presses are preferably automatic, and their
valves, when hydraulic and like power is used may be actuated by the same
gear, and, if desired, a cataract motion may be added to withdraw the rams, etc.,
before the filling of the third box is again completed. This arrangement avoids
any waiting when the mould box is filled ready for revolving.
Suitable stops for accurately attaining the exact positions are arranged, and the
movement of the table when brought to its true position may be made to automati-
cally set the rams or gear in motion.
The filling arrangement is of the usual type, being charged from an overhead
kettle, hopper, or shoot.
The depth of the mould table, or that of its boxes, is arranged to suit the
number and thickness of the cakes which it is desired to press at a time.
Dated this 21st day of December 1897.

page_text: Improvements in Moulding and Pressing Machinery, suitable for
Forming Cakes for Cattle-feeding and like purposes.
I, ROBERT MIDDLETON, of Sheepscar Foundry, Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineer, 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:-
The invention has reference to moulding and pressing machinery, suitable for
making cakes for cattle and like purposes, and it has for its object the production
of an apparatus which permits of three operations being carried on at one and
the same time.
In order to fully explain my invention I have annexed two sheets of drawings
on which Fig. 1 is an elevation of a press embodying the main features of my
invention, whilst Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan. Fig. 3 (Sheet 2) shows in eleva-
tion, diagrammatically, how certain details may be arranged to work automatically.
The same letters refer to the same parts in all the figures, and the arrows show
the direction in which movements are made.
I accomplish my object as follows:--I arrange a horizontal mould table A with
three (or more, if extra space on the table be desired) similar openings therein as
shown at B, C and D, all equidistant from one another, and also at an equal radius
from the centre E. Over one of these openings B, I arrange the box-filling
apparatus B; and under the next I arrange the main press C¹, and under the third
I arrange a subsidiary ejecting press, or other such gear D'. These three gears
are arranged so that when all the outer rams, etc., are withdrawn, the table can be
revolved, in the direction of the arrow, with the result that the filled mould box B
is moved round to, and under, the main press C¹; and the box C previously
under the main press is brought under the ejecting gear D₁; and the box D
from which the pressed cakes have last been ejected is brought again under the
filling gear B. The press itself is arranged to work by hydraulic power (except
where a steam arrangement or geared press is more convenient) and one of its
columns E forms the axis on which the table is revolved, the other columns being
shown at F and G.
The movements of the press or presses are preferably automatic, depending only
on the attendant to turn the table from centre to centre, and their valves, when
hydraulic and like power is used, may be actuated by one and the same gear;
and if desired a cataract motion may be added to withdraw the outer rams before
the table is next moved and the filling of the empty box again commenced. This
arrangement avoids any waiting when the mould box is freshly filled and ready
for revolving. Suitable stops for accurately attaining the exact positions are
arranged, and the movement of the table when brought to its true position may be
made to automatically set the rams or gear in motion.
The mode of arranging these latter details will be understood by referring to
Fig. 3, where A, A, represents the lower position of the main revolving table of
the press. Here K is an indent in a cam-plate K' into which the bolt K² shoots when
the table arrives at a true stopping-place. In the three-box table under considera-
tion there would of course have to be three such indented cam-plates as also three
of the other cam-plates L next referred to. A foot lever is shown at K3 with a
spring K (or other such device) for keeping the bolt in contact with the cam-
plate, except when withdrawn by the attendant on commencing to move the table.
At K5 will be noticed a stop, forming part of the bolt K², which, except when the
latter is shot home, prevents the valve spindle L moving, to the left hand, across
its line of action. An hydraulic valve L2 is arranged to put pressure on and off

page_text: the presses C and D, its spindle L being weighted to move (to put pressure on)
automatically to the left hand, as shown by the small arrow, whenever the bell-
crank L³ is thrown over by the passing cam-p
m-plate L. This cam-plate lies in a
different plane to the other shown at K¹, so that each acts only on its own gear.
Reverting to the bell-crank, at its head is a roller L which, as drawn, has just
been in contact with its cam-plate L having raised the weight L6, charged the
cataract L, and withdrawn a special cam L out of contact with a collar L⁹ on
the valve spindle. In this position the valve is now about to move to the left
hand and automatically put on the pressure to the rams, the bolt K having just
shot home and in so doing carried the stop K³ with it, which a moment ago was
standing across the path of the valve spindle. The falling action of the cataract,
whose regulating valve is shown at L, shuts the pressure off when the cam L8
has fully thrown back the valve rod collar L³.
The filling arrangement is of the usual type, being charged from an overhead
kettle, hopper or shoot. A suitable arrangement is that shown in Figs. 1 and 2,
where M is the kettle in which stirring arms M are kept in motion, the meal being
delivered down the shoot Me into the hopper of the strickling-box at B¹. In
Fig. 1 this box with its supporting slides 133, and extra length of hopper (suited
for continuously receiving meal even when the box is withdrawn from over the
mould table) is clearly shown, the slides being suitably affixed by brackets M*
on the machine framing. In Fig. 2 the strickling box is removed in order to
show the supporting slides in close proximity to the top and side of the revolving
mould table.
The depth of the mould table, or that of its boxes, is arranged to suit the
number and thickness of the cakes which it is desired to press at a time. A con;
venient mode of fitting up the mould boxes is to supply each one with its own
sliding bottom plate against which the rams etc. act; Fig. 1 shows such an
arrangement with guides B2, C2 and I keeping all in true line vertically. The
mode of filling a box is as follows:-The special gear, under the filling box
position, has to be raised until the sliding bottom plate of that box stands
sufficiently below the top of the revolving mould table to suit the thickness of
the proposed cake. The combined strickling box and hopper, at 13, which stands
on its supporting slide 1B3, is thrust across and over the open mould, and the desired
quantity of meal deposited, after which the return stroke of the box strickles
all off level with the top. The lower gear has then to be depressed through a
distance representing a dividing plate and another cake; after a
plate has been
inserted, the strickling box again manipulated, and so on, until the mould is
sufficiently filled.
This raising and lowering gear may be actuated by an appliance such as that
shown in Fig. 1, where a ram B is fitted with a toothed rack into which an idle
wheel 15 gears. This in turn is actuated by a segment of another wheel which
is shown at B. This segment is so connected with the segment of a ratchet wheel ]}"
that this latter may be secured at distances-further in or out from the centre-
that produce different ratios of value between the ratchet spaces and those of the
teeth of the wheel, and in this way one range of ratchet teeth may be made to
produce a variation in the thickness of cake. A bolt 138 held down by a spring,
engages with the ratchet teeth and this bolt is raised by the lever 13. The ram 134
is capable of lowering itself by its own weight, and the drawing shows it at
the bottom of its stroke, with the mould table left free to revolve. An empty
mould box having been swung round the ram is raised by the attendant in. any
suitable way, say, for example, by the lever, 110, shown in dotted lines, which
may be inserted in a suitable hole prepared for the purpose. The ram being
fully raised the ratchet bolt will occupy the first notch of the ratchet
quadrant, and by rapid strokes
of the lever it may be allowed to
lower itself one ratchet tooth at a time. Should the ran prove too
heavy to move slowly, its action may be retarded by a cataract. By making the
strickling hopper momentarily engage with the ratchet-bolt-lever each time it is

page_text: withdrawn from off the mould table an automatic lowering action may be
arranged.
In the general arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2, N, N, are the driving
pullies mounted on a horizontal shaft N¹ beveled gearing being used for working
the stirring arms beforementioned. This horizontal shaft may also be utilized
for driving the hydraulic pumps when a self contained plant is desired. It may
here be noted that the stroke of the hydraulic pressing ram need only be short
compared with that of the ejecting ram which has necessarily to be long enough
to eject the whole set of cakes.
The main side frames, O, supporting the driving gear and kettle, stand on the
foundation bed P to which the various rams, straining columns, etc. are fixed,
and so the whole machine is self-contained.
The gear shown in Fig. 3 is to be arranged between the bed plate P and the
bottom of the revolving mould plate or table but it is not shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
In the case of steam being used, for actuating the presses, automatic valve gear-
Where
ing may be arranged on the lines laid down herein for hydraulic pressure.
however geared presses are relied upon they would be manipulated by the atten-
dant and would require no special starting and stopping gear.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
-
1. The improved pressing machine arranged with three operating stations and
their appliances, substantially as described and shown, with the object and for
the purpose set forth.
2. In a cattle cake moulding and pressing machine the combination of a
revolving mould-table, a strickling-box and hopper, a pressing ram,
and an
ejecting ram, arranged to work simultaneously and in unison with one another,
substantially as described and shown.
3. The combination of parts forming the devices for automatically starting and
stopping, substantially as described and shown in Fig. 3, with the object and for
the purpose set forth.
4. The combination of parts forming the devices for raising, and lowering in
graduations, the ram at the foot of the filling box, substantially as described and
shown, with the object and for the purpose set forth.
5. The general arrangement of pressing machine, and kettle, or hopper, forming
a self contained machine, substantially as described herein with the object and
for the purpose set forth.
Doted this Twentieth day of September 1898.