Improvements in Machines for Moulding or Shaping Plastic Materials, chiefly designed for Use in the Manufacture of Confectionery, Soap, or the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 15th Nov... 1894-Accepted, 15th Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Moulding or Shaping Plastic
Materials, chiefly designed for Use in the Manufacture of
Confectionery, Soap, or the like.
We, WILLIAM GEORGE GRAHAM SHARP and WILLIAM SHARP AND SONS
LIMITED, of Vincent Parade, Balsall Heath, in the City of Birmingham, Mani-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to machinery for working, shaping, and combining plastic
material, into the form of sticks or rods of varying configuration, and into tablets
or other forms that may be desired.
The object of our invention is to construct a machine that shall receive the raw
plastic material as a paste or dough, and in one complete cycle of operations shall
work, mould, or shape such material into the desired sticks or rods of any definite
length, or into tablets or other forms of required dimensions.
In carrying our invention into effect when constructing a machine for the manu-
facture of sticks or rods of sugar candy, or other confection, we feed the raw
material in the form of a plastic dough or paste, into a cylinder preferably fixed
with its longitudinal axis in a vertical plane. Within this cylinder we provide a
spiral blade, or screw piston, mounted upon a rod or stem, and cause the same to be
revolved by bevel toothed gearing in conjunction with belting, or suitable mechanism
for transmitting the necessary power from the main driving pulley of the machine
hereinafter described. The lower end of the vertical receiving cylinder opens into
a chamber, provided at its front end with a number of outlets or discharge openings,
fitted with nozzles of such a form as to impart the required configuration to the
material pressed through them. We mount screws within the chamber and revolve
the same by bevel wheels and ordinary toothed gearing wheels, driven by a
countershaft that receives its motion from the main driving shaft of the machine by
means of a spur wheel keyed on to one end of the shaft, and gearing into a pinion
keyed on the driving shaft.
On its discharge into the vertical receiving cylinder hereinbefore described,
the sugar candy or other plastic substance, is pressed by the action of the revolving
spiral blade, or screw piston, into the horizontal chamber, and is then carried
forward by the revolving screws and pressed through the discharge nozzles, the
pressure applied by the screws causing the substance to completely fill the nozzles
and receive from them the desired shape or configuration. In this manner we cause
the substance to issue from the machine as a continuous rod, and as it is thus
discharged it is carried forward by suitably grooved trays or like receptacles
preferably of wood, which travel at the same rate at which the confection is
discharged, such movement being imparted by an endless belt or band passing over
and under the bed of the machine.
As the trays supporting the issuing rod of confection are carried forward by the
endless and continually running band, they are caused to pass under a knife or
cutter extending the full width of the tray. This knife or cutter is supported
in two vertical brackets, or side frames, arranged on either side of the endless
band, and in such a manner that it may be caused to rise and fall, in a vertical
direction. We effect the raising of the knife or cutter by means of cams and
rolling contact pieces, in the manner hereinafter described, and produce its
descent by the action of springs or weights. We can readily adjust the action
of the ascending and descending mechanism in order to cut or shear the sugar
candy or other confection into sticks or rods of the required length.

page_text: We preferably arrange the mechanism for causing the ascent of the knife or
cutter, beneath the bed of our improved machine, and we convey the necessary
driving motion by a belt from the main shaft, such main shaft being driven
from a line shafting connecting with a steam or other motive power engine.
We key or fix the cams to a shaft, or spindle immediately beneath the bed of
the machine, and we vary the speed of this shaft, to suit the varying lengths
of candy sticks or rods required, by shifting a belt which runs upon cone
pulleys transmitting the motion to the cam shaft. The cams are so formed as
to lift the knife or cutter by means of roller contact pieces, and to keep it
elevated until the required length of confection has passed under it, the knife
is then caused to descend by the action of springs or weights, the shape of the
cam allowing the descent to be made.
We adapt and apply our improved cutting or shearing mechanism to machines,
for moulding plastic substances in which two or more vertical or other receiving
cylinders are employed, in combination with a horizontal or other chamber,
provided with screws and discharge nozzles of varying forms, arranged for the
manufacture of articles having a combination of two or more colours.
We do not limit the application of our invention to any one general type of
machine, or to the manufacture of articles of confection or soap, but we employ
it upon varying types of machines having modifications in their details and
arrangement, to adapt them to the manufacture of particular articles, from the
required raw or plastic material.
Dated this 15th dan of February 1901
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Moulding or Shaping Plastic
Materials, chiefly designed for Use in the Manufacture of
Confectionery, Soap, or the like.
We, WILLIAM GEORGE GRAHAM SHARP and WILLIAM SHARP AND SONS
LIMITED, of Vincent Parade, Balsall Heath, in the City of Birmingham, Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
Bame is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to machinery for working, shaping, and combining plastic
material, into the form of sticks or rods of varying configuration, and into
tablets or other forms that may be desired.
The object of our invention is to construct a machine that shall receive the raw
plastic material as a paste or dough, and in one complete cycle of operations shall
work, mould, or shape such material into the desired sticks or rods of any definite
length, or into tablets or other forms of required dimensions.
In the accompanying three sheets of explanatory drawings to be hereinafter
referred to:-
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) is a front elevation representing the general arrangement of
our improved machine.
Figures 2 and 3, Sheet 2, are respectively a part sectional plan, and sectional end
elevation of the machine.
Figures 4 and 5, Sheet 3, represent in end elevation and front elevation the
details and arrangement of the cutting off mechanism.
The same reference letters in the different views indicate the same parts.
In carrying our invention into effect when constructing a machine for the
manufacture of sticks or rods of sugar candy or other confection, we feed the

page_text: raw material in the form of a plastic dough or paste, into a cylinder such as A
preferably fixed with its longitudinal axis in a vertical plane. Within this
cylinder we provide a spiral blade, or screw piston B, mounted upon a rod or
stem B and cause the same to be revolved by bevel toothed gearing in
conjunction with belting, or suitable mechanism for transmitting the necessary
power from the main driving pulley of the machine hereinafter described. The
lower end of the vertical receiving cylinder opens into a chamber C provided
at its front end with a number of outlets or discharge openings, fitted with
nozzles as C of such a form as to impart the required configuration to the
material pressed through them. We mount screws D within this chamber and
revolve the same by bevel wheels and ordinary toothed gearing wheels, driven
by a counter-shaft, or direct from the main driving shaft E of the machine by
means of suitable gearing as illustrated at Figure 2.
On its discharge into the vertical receiving cylinder A hereinbefore described,
the sugar candy or other plastic substance is pressed by the action of the revolving
spiral blade, or screw piston B, into the horizontal chamber C, and is then carried
forward by the revolving screws D and pressed through the discharge nozzles C¹,
the pressure applied by the screws causing the substance to completely fill the
nozzles and receive from them the desired shape or configuration. In this manner
we cause the substance to issue from the machine as a continuous rod, and as it is
thus discharged it is carried forward by suitably grooved trays such as J or like
receptacles preferably of wood, which travel at the same rate at which the confection
is discharged, such movement being imparted by an endless belt or band K passing
over and under the bed of the machine, and supported by rollers L arranged on the
bed M.
As the trays supporting the issuing rod of confection are carried forward by the
endless and continually running band K, they are caused to pass under a knife or
cutter T extending the full width of the tray. This knife or cutter is supported
in two vertical brackets, or side frames U U₁ fixed to the bed M, on either side of
the endless band, and in such a manner that the knife may be caused to rise and
fall in a vertical direction. We effect the raising of the knife or cutter by means
of cams R R (Figures 4 and 5) and rolling contact pieces, in the manner
hereinafter described, and produce its descent by the action of springs or weights.
We can readily adjust the action of the ascending and descending mechanism in
order to cut or shear the sugar candy or other confection into sticks or rods of the
required length.
We preferably arrange the mechanism for causing the ascent of the knife or
cutter, beneath the bed of our improved machine, and we convey the necessary
driving motion by a chain or belt from the main shaft E of the machine to the
wheel N, the main shaft being driven from a line shafting connecting with a steam.
or other motive power engine. We key or fix the cams R R to a shaft or spindle Q
immediately beneath the bed of the machine, causing them to bear against the
roller contact pieces of the spindles S S', and we vary the speed of this shaft, to
suit the varying lengths of candy sticks or rods required by shifting a belt which
runs upon cone pulleys transmitting the motion to the cam shaft as illustrated at
Figures 4 and 5. The cams are so formed as to lift the knife or cutter by means
of the roller contact pieces and spindles S S' with knife carrier attached thereto,
and to keep it elevated until the required length of confection has passed under it;
the knife is then caused to descend by the action of springs or weights or by the
weight of the knife carrier and attachments.
We adapt and apply our improved cutting or shearing mechanism to machines
for moulding plastic substances in which two or more vertical or other receiving
cylinders are employed, in combination with two or more horizontal chambers
provided with screws and discharge nozzles of varying forms, arranged for the
manufacture of articles having a combination of two or more colours.
We do not limit the application of our invention to any one general type of
machine or to the manufacture of articles of confection or soap, but we employ it

page_text: upon varying types of machines having modifications in their details and arrange-
ment to adapt them to the manufacture of particular articles from the required raw
or plastic material.
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. An improved machine for moulding and shaping plastic substances and
automatically cutting the same into sticks, rods, tablets, and the like articles, of
any required length, substantially as described,
2. The construction and arrangement of a machine for working, shaping, and
combining plastic material to form sticks, rods, tablets, and like articles of any
required length, having receiving cylinders with shaping and forming appliances in
combination with cutting off mechanism substantially as herein before described, and
as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of November 1894
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicants.