An Improved Machine for Moulding and Cutting Butter.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 1st June, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 13th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Machine for Moulding and Cutting Butter.
We, JOHN FLYNN and WALTER MUIRHEAD, both of No. 55 Oxford Chambers
Bourke Street, Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, Agents, do bereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention of an improved machine for moulding and cutting butter is an
improvement on the well known type of machine wherein the butter is pushed or
pressed forward within a closed box or cylinder by a screw acting directly on a
piston or presser plate arranged to slide therein and by which piston the butter is
forced in the form of a bar or bars through one or more holes formed in the fore
end of box or in a die secured thereon and delivered onto a tray.
Now our invention has been designed for the purpose of expediting the moulding
of butter by so constructing the press that the butter may be moulded into bars at
both the forward and backward movement of the presser plate and consequently be
so to speak double-acting, also it allows the box to be charged at one side of piston
whilst the butter at other side is being moulded, hence no time is lost as occurs
when working existing machines in having to return the presser plate prior to
re-charging the press box. Further in order to allow the butter to be moulded
simultaneously into several tiers or lines of bars lying one above the other and be
separated from each other we furnish the machine with a corresponding number of
horizontal trays also arranged in tiers and having their ends abutting upon the
horizontal divisions between the several lines of holes or dies in the die or mould
plate. By having the trays so arranged the full area at each end of the press box
can be used as a die plate and also each line of butter bars issuing therefrom is
delivered or laid upon a separate tray and is in readiness for being cut crosswise to
the requisite lengths or weights.
In constructing our machine the bottom of the press box is made in the form of
a longitudinally sliding plate carried at each of its longitudinal edges upon slides
or ledges formed in the framed top of a strong table or frame or when desired the
sliding plate can run on anti-friction rollers. The length of such sliding bottom is
fully double that of the press box proper and at the centre of the sliding bottom
we firmly secure a strong transverse and vertical plate which forms the presser
plate of our machine and which press plate fits neatly between the sides and top of
the box. Upon the underside of said sliding bottom plate we secure a strong
square threaded nut, into which a square thread screwed rod is passed which is
long enough to allow for the travel of the sliding bottom plate and such screw rod
near its outer end is supported in a strong thrust bearing secured to one end of the
frame or table of machine whilst on its outer end the screw rod is furnished with a
suitable handle by means of which the screw is turned in the proper direction to
work the press. The two sides of the press box are firmly secured to the table or
frame which supports the sliding bottom and the top is in turn firmly secured upon
the sides. Each end of the press box is suitably arranged to support a die frame
which has, as herein before stated a number of horizontal rows of holes arranged in
it and such die frame may either be of metal or wood and be supported in such a
manner as by grooves formed in the sides of box that it can be easily removed
from one end of the press box to the other, furthermore the holes or dies in the die
franie can be so formed as to deliver any running pattern on the surface of the

page_text: butter bars. In order to press the butter bars out clear of the die plate or frame
we may form recesses in the presser plate to neatly fit and clear the divisions of
said die plate so that the so formed projections on the press plate enter the dies or
moulds and force the butter bars clean through them.
The aforesaid trays are removable and employed at both ends of the press box,
the trays being supported at their ends which abut upon the die plate either by
passing into recesses in or by resting upon ledges formed on said die plate or by
passing into slots formed in the ends of the press box whilst their outer ends have
transverse distance pieces or ledges on them which project upwards and carry the
end of the next tray above. Again the end parts of the trays bear against a
vertical prop or bracket suitably stayed and secured upon the table or frame in
order to resist the frictional pressure of the butter bars whilst being delivered
upon them. Further when so desired the trays may be provided with cutters to
cross cut the butter bars.
It will be obvious that our machine may be made single acting, that is, its
sliding bottom may be shortened and be only long enough to receive and mould
butter at one end of the box also that the machine may be used for moulding other
plastic substances beside butter and further, although we have described a screw
rod and nut as being the medium for moving the sliding bottom plate, such may
be accomplished by means of rack and pinion gear or with ratchet gear or by
means of a lever although we prefer the screw rod and nut as set forth."
Dated this 27th day of April 1896.
JOHN FLYNN.
W. MUIRHEAD.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Machine for Moulding and Cutting Butter.
We, JOHN FLYNN and WALTER MUIRHEAD, both of No. 53 Oxford
Chambers, Bourke Street, Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, Agents, do
hereby declare the nature of our invention for "An improved machine for
moulding and cutting butter" and in what manner the same is to be performed to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention of an improved machine for moulding and cutting butter is an
improvement on the well known type of machine wherein the butter is pushed or
pressed forward within a closed box or cylinder by a screw acting directly on a
piston or presser plate arranged to slide therein and by which piston the butter is
forced in the form of a bar or bars through one or more holes formed in the fore
end of box, or in a die secured thereon, and delivered onto a tray.
Now this invention has been designed for the purpose of expediting the moulding
of butter by so constructing the press that butter, supplied to it in suitable size
blocks, may be moulded into several tiers of bars at both the forward and back-
ward movement of its combined sliding bottom and presser plate. The machine is
therefore double-acting as the press box may be charged at one side of presser
plate whilst the butter at other side is being moulded and hence by this construction
of machine no time is lost, as occurs when working existing machines, in having to
return the presser plate prior to recharging the press box. Further in order that
the butter moulded simultaneously into several tiers of rows or bars, lying one
above the other, may be separated from each other, we furnish the machine with a
corresponding number of horizontal trays or shelves, also arranged in tiers, and
with their inner ends abutting on the horizontal divisions between the several tiers
or rows of holes in the die or mould plate. By having the trays arranged in tiers
and practically the full area at each end of the press box used as a die or mould
plate, each row of butter bars are delivered or laid upon a separate tray in

page_text: readiness for being cut cross-wise to the requisite lengths or weights by a cutting
device attached to the press box.
The invention will now be described aided by a reference to the accompanying
sheets of drawings in which,
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the machine with the die or mould plate and
trays removed, the die or mould plate being shewn by itself at Fig. 2 and one of
the trays at Fig. 3.
Fig. 4 a central longitudinal section through the press box, combined sliding
bottom or presser plate, die or mould plate and trays and
Fig. 5 a sectional view at line a a of Fig. 4 whilst
Fig. 6 is a top view of the die plate in its working position.
Fig. 7 a cross section through the cutting frame and Fig. 8 a plan of its end
part.
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the box or mould used for making the butter into
blocks of a size suitable for the machine.
In constructing our machine the bottom of the press box A is made in the form
of a longitudinally sliding plate A' grooved at each of its edges to fit upon slides
as B', carried by a table B or the bottom may be supported upon ledges formed in
the framed top of said table or frame B or further if so desired the sliding plate
inay be supported by and run on anti-friction rollers. The length of said sliding
bottom A is fully double that of the press box and at the centre of the sliding
bottom we firmly secure a strong vertical plate A' which forms the presser plate
of our machine, and which press plate has a cork packing a planel in a groove at
its top and two sides, and fitting neatly between the top and sides of the press box.
Upon the under side of said sliding bottom plate A¹ we secure a strong square
threaded nut C which receives a square thread screwed rod C₁ which is long
enough to allow for the travel of the sliding bottom plate and such screw rod near
its outer end is supported in a strong thrust bearing C secured to the end of the
frame or table B of machine whilst on its outer end the screw rod is furnished with
a suitable handle Cs by which to rotate the screw.
The two sides of the press box are firmly secured to the table or frame B which
supports the sliding bottom and the top is in turn firmly secured upon the sides.
Each end part of the sides of press box is suitably arranged to support a die or
mould plate D and which latter has, as herein before stated a number of rows of
boles, d in it corresponding to the number of horizontal trays E, said die or mould
plate being either made of metal or wood and supported, as by grooves A', formed
in sides of box in order that the die or mould plate can be easily removed from one
end of the press box to the other, furthermore the holes or dies d in the die plate
can be so formed as to deliver any running pattern on the surface of the butter
bars or to mould them to any desired pattern such as round or rectangular.
The aforesaid trays E are removable and employed at both ends of the press
box, the trays being supported at their ends which abut upon the die or mould
plate either by resting upon ledges d formed on said die plate as shewn in the
drawing or by passing into recesses in the die plate or by forming slots in the ends
of the press box to receive the ends of the trays. The outer ends of the trays
have transverse distance pieces or ledges E' on them which project downwards and
stand upon the end of the next tray below, the bottom trays alone being without
the under ledge. E is a pin or skewer passing through holes 4 in the trays and
also into holes e and e' in the box and frame respectively and designed to hold the
trays in position. are flutes or grooves formed on surface of trays to cause the
butter bars when issuing to follow the grooves. If so preferred in place of
the wires E the back ends of the trays may bear against a vertical prop or bracket
suitably stayed and secured upon the table or frame in order to resist the frictional
pressure of the butter bars whilst being delivered upon them.
Fis the table carrying the frame used for cross-cutting the bars of butter to the
requisite lengths or weights whilst upon the trays. The axial or hinge bar of
cutting frame is supported in bearings F upon said table whilst the outer bar F³ of

page_text: frame is held apart by the adjustable screw stay rods F. F are the stretched
cutting wires, both ends of which are furnished with a head or collar, the wires
being slid to their positions through the slits or slots fin both bars of frame
holes being also provided as shown through the bars in order to pass the heads
of the wires therethrough.
To form the butter into a suitable size block for the machine we employ the
mould box G which has its four sides a hinged at g to the bottom plate, whilst
fitting over the sides is a frame G¹ which when at its upmost position as shewn
(Fig. 9) in full lines fits hard upon the wedge pieces g on two opposite sides and
upon the other sides themselves and so securing them all together, whilst when the
frame is down or in the position shewn by dotted lines the sides are free to spring
open, enough to free the block of butter and allow of its being easily removed.
The sides without the wedges are slightly further apart at top than at their bottom
in order to allow the frame G¹ to free itself.
The mode of working our machine is as follows, a block of butter of suitable
size is first placed upon the sliding bottom A' close against the presser plate A',
then by rotating the screw rod C the butter is carried sufficiently far into the
press box A to allow the die or mould plate D to be placed in the grooves A and
the tier of trays E secured in position. The second block of butter is now placed
in position on the sliding plate A' at opposite side of the presser plate A and
afterwards the screw is rotated in the reverse direction so as to carry the combined
sliding and presser plate forward and so force the butter first placed in the machine
through the die or mould plate and form it into several tiers of bars and which are
delivered onto the several trays E. When the end of the stroke is reached the
pins E are withdrawn and the trays with the butter bars upon them are lifted off
and laid as shewn in Fig. 1 upon the table F of the cutting frame, and when
thereon by dropping the cutting wires F of the frame upon them they are cut into
the desired weights or lengths. If desired the trays may be laid at both sides of
the hinged frame bars so that by overturning the frame the butter bars on four
trays are cut and practically at one operation. The other block of butter being
now in the press box the die or mould plate D and trays E are placed in position at
the opposite end of the press box and the cycle of operations repeated.
It will be obvious that our machine may be made single acting, that is its sliding
bottom may be shortened and be only long enough to receive and mould butter at
one end of the box and in such a case the screw may act directly upon the presser
plate, also the machine may be used for moulding other plastic substances besides
butter. Although we have described a screw rod and nut as being the medium for
moving the sliding bottom plate, such may be accomplished by means of rack and
pinion gear or with ratchet gear or by means of a suitably arranged lever although
we prefer the screw rod and nut as herein set forth. Again in order to press the
butter bars out clear of the die or mould plate we may form recesses in the presser
plate to neatly fit and clear the divisions of said die plate so that the so formed
projections on the press plate enter the dies or moulds and force the butter bars
clean through them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
(1.) In a machine as herein specified the press box A having a combined sliding
bottom and presser plate A¹-A arranged to work within the sides and top of the
press box substantially as described and illustrated in our drawings.
(2.) In a mac.ine as hercin specified the press box A provided at each end with
a removable die or mould plate D and with a tier or series of removable trays
arranged one above the other and adapted to receive the bars of butter as they
issue from the die or mould plate substantially as described and illustrated in our
drawings.
(3.) In a machine as herein specified, the embined sliding bottom and presser

page_text: plate having a packing such as cork about the working edges of the presser plate
and supporting the sliding bottom by suitable bars or ledges carried in the frame
which also carries the press box substantially as described and illustrated in our
drawings.
(4.) In a machine as herein specified the series of trays arranged in front of the
horizontal divisional bars of a die or mould plate and designed to support the
several rows of butter bars which issue from the die plate substantially as described
and illustrated in our drawings.
(5.) In a machine as herein specified a movable die or mould plate as D provided
with holes as d arranged in rows or tiers one above the other and with ribs as d'
substantially as described and illustrated in our drawings.
(6.) In a machine as herein specified the combination of the press box A
sliding bottom A¹ and presser plate A' die or mould plates D, trays E, frame B,
screw C, and their appurtenaut parts substantially as described and illustrated in
our drawings.
(7.) In a machine as herein specified the table or plate F having the cutting
frame hinged at F' upon it and such frame provided with wires F and holes f' and
slots substantially as described and illustrated in our drawings.
(8.) In a machine as herein specified the mould box G provided with binged
sides g and combined with the outer frame G' and the wedges g¹ substantially as
described and illustrated in our drawings.
(9.) A machine for moulding and cutting butter consisting of the mould
box G-G¹ the press box A, combined sliding bottom and presser plate A-A³, die
or mould plates D, trays E, table B, screw C', and the cutting frame F-Falk
arranged and assembled substantially as described and illustrated in our drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1896.
JOHN FLYNN.
W. MUIRHEAD.