IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MOULDING AND PRESSING SUGAR
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Haughton Gill, of No. 6, Christian Street, St.
George's in the East; in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MOULDING AND PRESSING SUGAR." A
communication from abroad by Robert Pzillas, of Brieg, in the German
Empire.
Sealed the 7th August 1877, and dated the 29th May 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Haughton Gill at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th May 1877.
CHARLES HAUGHTON GILL, of No. 6, Christian Street, St. George's in the East,
in the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MOULDING
AND PRESSING SUGAR." [A communication from abroad by Robert Pzillas, of Brieg,
in the German Empire.]
This Invention relates to apparatus whereby granular sugar is moulded and
pressed into the form of elongated prisms or other shapes, convenient for its being
broken into cubes or other suitable forms.
The apparatus for this purpose consists of two main parts, the one part for
effecting the feed, the moulding, and the pressing of the sugar, and the other
part for moving successive boards to receive the moulded blocks and carry them
onwards to a convenient position for their removal; it is to be understood, however,
that the moulding and pressing portion of the apparatus might be used alone, the
supply of boards and their removal when the moulded blocks are lodged on them
being effected by hand or otherwise. In the moulding and pressing part of the
apparatus there is a hopper, which is supplied with the granular sugar, and which
has in its lower part two toothed rollers, revolving so as to agitate the sugar and
direct it down to the lower mouth of the hopper. This mouth is fitted with two
sliding plates bevilled to a chisel edge, and moved alternately backwards so as to
leave between their edges a passage for sugar from the hopper into the mould
below, and forwards so as to close the mouth of the hopper and form a cover for
the mould. The bottom of the mould is a plate fixed below the said slides at a
distance corresponding to the depth of the block to be moulded'; the front side of

page_text: the mould is a plate which is made to slide vertically, and the back of the mould
is a piston or plunger sliding horizontally, between the bottom and cover of the
mould. Immediately in front of the mould a portion of the bottom plate is made
to have a slight upwards and downwards motion for a purpose which will
presently be referred to.
The moving parts of the mould are worked from cams on the main shaft of the
machine, timed so as to effect the moulding and pressing of the sugar in the
following manner:-The plunger being retracted and the front plate of the mould
being raised, the hopper slides are drawn apart, so that a charge of sugar descends
from the hopper on to the bottom of the mould. The hopper slides are then closed,
and the plunger advances, compressing the charge of sugar, whereupon the plunger
remains for a time at rest. The front plate then descends, and the plunger
advancing farther, pushes the moulded block on to the moveable part of the bottom
and rests, and the moveable part of the bottom then receiving a slight movement
upwards causes the moulded block to slide off the face of the plunger which there-
upon retreats.
The plunger having retreated, and the front of the mould having
risen up behind the block already moulded, the action is repeated, a fresh block
being advanced by the plunger so as to push forward the block previously formed
on to a board placed for its reception. And thus successively block after block is
moulded and pressed and advanced on to boards on which they are removed to
dry and harden. The face of the plunger, or the bottom or front of the mould, may
be provided with thin projecting plates, so as to divide the block of sugar into
separate cubes or portions of its length; but it is preferred to make such divisions
only partial, so as merely to weaken the block at points of its length where it can
afterwards be readily broken across into separate fragments.
To the moulding and pressing apparatus above described may be applied auto-
matic apparatus for placing the boards for the reception of the moulded blocks and
for moving them away as they become charged therewith, such apparatus being
arranged as follows:-The empty boards are placed in a pile, one over the other,
behind the pressing plunger, the lower board being supported by retractile stops
which are worked by cams, so as at certain intervals to transfer their support from
the lowest board to the next above it. At these times feeding claws, which are
made to slide under the last board, seize its back edge and draw it forward under
the mould, the next lower board with all those above it being thereupon permitted
to descend through a distance equivalent to the thickness of the board removed;
the board which is then the lowest is in like manner drawn forward, pushing
onwards the boards previously advanced by the claws. The boards are thus moved
forwards under the mould until they successively reach a point in advance of it,
where they rest on rollers mounted on lever arms worked by cams. At certain
intervals these arms rising raise the board that is resting on them to the level of
the mould bottom, where it is caught by stops that prevent its subsequent descent.
The board thus raised receives a moulded block pushed on to it by the mould
plunger, and thereupon it is made to advance by reciprocating ratchet claws worked
by cams a distance somewhat greater than the width of a moulded block. The
board having received several successive blocks which are thus placed on it, with
spaces between them equivalent to the excess of the board's advanced stroke over
the block's width, now rests on a table, and another board is raised from below to
take its place. This board being in its turn advanced, pushes onwards the board
previously charged, which may then be removed by hand with the moulded block
upon it.
In order, however, to avoid the necessity for removing each board separately,
the following arrangement is preferably, provided at the front end of the table:-
A shelf supported by chains at the level of the table receives the board pushed on
to it, and then descends the depth of a board. Another board is then pushed on
to the first, and so on successively till there is on the suspended shelf a pile of
charged boards, which are removed bodily, and the shelf being counterweighted
thereupon re-ascends to receive a fresh pile of boards.

page_text: Each board is provided with ledges near its ends, projecting upwards somewhat
more than the depth of the moulded block of sugar, so that when one board is
over another the upper board rests on these ledges without touching the moulded
blocks upon the lower board. Each board is also provided at its ends with catches
on which the stops act for its support and the ratchet claws act for its advance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by.
the said Charles Haughton Gill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th
November 1877.
"
CHARLES HAUGHTON GILL, of No. 6, Christian Street, St. George's in the East,
in the County of Middlesex. IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MOULDING
AND PRESSING SUGAR." A communication from abroad by Robert Pzillas, of Brieg,
in the German Empire.
This Invention relates to apparatus whereby granular sugar is moulded and
pressed into the form of elongated prisms, or other shapes convenient for its being
broken into cubes or other suitable forms.
The apparatus for this purpose consists of two main parts, the one part for
effecting the feed, the moulding, and the pressing of the sugar, and the other part
for moving successive boards to receive the moulded blocks and carry them onwards
to a convenient position for their removal; it is to be understood, however, that
the moulding and pressing portion of the apparatus might be used alone, the supply
of boards and their removal when the moulded blocks are lodged on them being
effected by hand or otherwise. In the moulding and pressing part of the apparatus
there is a hopper, which is supplied with the granular sugar, and which has in its
lower part two toothed rollers revolving, so as to agitate the sugar and direct it
down to the lower mouth of the hopper. This mouth is fitted with a sliding plate
bevilled to a chisel edge and moved alternately backwards, so as to leave beyond
its edge a passage for sugar from the hopper into the mould below, and forwards
so as to close the mouth of the bopper and form a cover for the mould. The
bottom of the mould is a plate fixed below the said slides at a distance corre-
sponding to the depth of the block to be moulded; the front side of the mould is a
plate which is made to slide vertically, and the back of the mould is a piston or
plunger sliding horizontally between the bottom and cover of the mould. Imme-
diately in front of the mould a portion of the bottom plate is made to have a
slight upwards and downwards motion, for a purpose which will presently be
referred to.
The moving parts of the mould are worked from cams on the main shaft of the
machine, timed so as to effect the moulding and pressing of the sugar in the
following manner: -The plunger being retracted and the front plate of the mould
being raised, the hopper slide is drawn back, so that a charge of sugar descends
from the hopper on to the bottom of the mould. The hopper slide is then closed
and the plunger advances, compressing the charge of sugar, whereupon the plunger
remains for a time at rest. The front plate then descends, and the plunger
advancing farther pushes the moulded block on to the moveable part of the bottom,
and rests; and the moveable part of the bottom then receiving a slight movement
upwards causes the moulded block to slide off the face of the plunger, which there-

page_text: upon retreats. The plunger having retreated, and the front of the mould having
risen up behind the block already moulded, the action is repeated, a fresh block
being advanced by the plunger so as to push forward the block previously formed
on to a board placed for its reception. And thus successively block after block is,
moulded and pressed and advanced on to boards on which they are removed to
dry and harden. The face of the plunger, or the bottom or front of the mould,
may be provided with thin projecting plates, so as to divide the block of sugar into
separate cubes or portions of its length; but it is preferred to make such divisions
only partial, so as merely to weaken the block at points of its length where it can
afterwards be readily broken across into separate fragments.
To the moulding and pressing apparatus above described may be applied auto-
matic apparatus for placing the boards for the reception of the moulded blocks and
for moving them away as they become charged therewith, such apparatus being
arranged as follows:-The empty boards are placed in a pile one over the other
behind the pressing plunger, the lower board being supported by retractile stops
which are worked by cams, so as at certain intervals to transfer their support from
the lowest board to the next above it. At these times feeding claws which are
made to slide under the last board seize its back edge and draw it forward under
the mould, the next lower board with all those above it being thereupon permitted
to descend through a distance equivalent to the thickness of the board removed;
the board which is then the lowest is in like manner drawn forward, pushing
onwards the boards previously advanced by the claws. The boards are thus moved
forwards under the mould until they successively reach a point in advance of it,
At certain
where they rest on rollers mounted on lever arms worked by cams.
intervals these arms rising raise the board that is resting on them to the level of
the mould bottom, where it is caught by stops that prevent its subsequent descent.
The board thus raised receives a moulded block pushed on to it by the mould
plunger, and thereupon it is made to advance by reciprocating ratchet claws worked
by cams a distance somewhat greater than the width of a moulded block. The
board having received several successive blocks, which are thus placed on it with
spaces between them equivalent to the excess of the board's advance stroke over
the block's width, now rests on a table, and another board is raised from below to
take its place. This board being in its turn advanced pushes onwards the board
previously charged, which may then be removed by hand with the moulded blocks
upon it.
In order, however, to avoid the necessity for removing each board separately the
following arrangement is preferably provided at the front end of the table:-A
shelf supported by chains at the level of the table receives the board pushed on to
it, and then descends the depth of a board. Another board is then pushed on to
the first, and so on successively, till there is on the suspended shelf a pile of charged
boards, which are removed bodily, and the shelf being counterweighted thereupon
re-ascends to receive a fresh pile of boards.
Each board is provided with ledges near its ends, projecting upwards somewhat
more than the depth of the moulded block of sugar, so that when one board is over
another the upper board rests on these ledges without touching the moulded blocks
upon the lower board. Each board is also provided at its ends with catches, on
which the stops act for its support and the ratchet claws act for its advance.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a side view of sugar pressing apparatus according to this
Invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line A, B, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a
longitudinal section on the line E, F of Fig. 4; Fig. 4 is a plan; Fig. 5 is a trans-
verse section on the line C, D, of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a sectional plan on the line
GH of Fig 3

page_text: the moulded blocks of sugar. I will first describe the press and its operation. The
motion is given by the strap al to the pulley a², which is engaged by the clutch a³
with the shaft a. A pinion a on this shaft gears with a wheel bi on a shaft b,
which is the main driving shaft of the machine. On the shaft b is an adjustable
tappet 62, which acts on a roller c', mounted on the die slide c, to push this slide
forwards for discharge of the moulded block 8. A small projection, 63, on the cam
b gives the moulding pressure; afterwards the slide c remains stationary for a
time till the tappet 62 causes it to move rapidly forwards to the position shewn in
Fig. 3. In the slide c is a notch in which engages a lever c¹; this lever c¹ is on
the same shaft as the lever c³, which receives motion from the inclined piece 65
fixed on the wheel 6' acting on the roller c of the lever c³, so as to move this lever
through a space corresponding to the back stroke of the die slide c. Over the slide
c is a plate d which closes the top of the mould from the filling hopper d. The
motion of d is effected by means of the levers d², d, which are fixed on the shaft
3. The incline as on the wheel b¹ acts on a roller on the lever d', and moves this
lever inwards through a space corresponding to the back stroke of the plate d. The
incline 66 acting on d moves the levers d in the contrary direction, pushing the
plate & forward to close the mould from the hopper d¹.
A vertically sliding plate e forms the front side of the mould.
two notches receiving arms e¹, which are pivotted at e³, and rest on
e on the shaft et. The levers e³ are depressed at one end by the
opposite ends raising the arms e¹ and the plate c.
This plate has
the two levers
cams c³, their
The downward motion of c is effected partly by the weight of it and the arms e¹,
and partly by the cams e acting upon the levers e. Over the moulds is situated
the feeding hopper d¹, having near its mouth the distributing rollers f, f, which
have pins projecting from their peripheries. These rollers are geared together by
pinions and are caused to revolve rapidly, the motion being transmitted from the
drum f¹ to the pulley f2. A plate fs under the rollers partly closes the mouth of
the hopper. Plates g enclosing the various bearings prevent oil from dropping on
to the boards. Each moulded piece receives at the moment of leaving the mould
and of the withdrawal of the die slide a slight upward motion.
For this purpose
the front plate |h which is pivotted at h¹ is slightly raised by the stud 2 on the
wheel b¹, giving motion to the bell-crank levers h³. By this slight motion the die
slide c is kept clear of sugar, and the moulded piece is kept back by the inclined
lip of f³: It will thus be understood that the hopper d¹ being charged, the slide c
back, the slide e up, and the plate d withdrawn, the rollers deliver a charge of
sugar into the mould. The plate d then closes the top of the mould, the die
slide c follows and presses the sugar; it then pauses, during which time the.
plate e descending opens the mould for the removal of the pressed piece 8. At
the same time by mechanism which I will presently describe the receiving board
is moved forward a little further than the width of the moulded piece so that a
small space is left between each piece and the next in succession. As the slide c
is about to move back the front plate h is slightly lifted, thus separating the
moulded piece from the slide c and holding it back; the slide then moves quickly
back, e rises, and d retreats, and the mould is again filled.
I will now describe the apparatus for moving and placing the boards-The
eccentric k, by a pawl, turns the ratchet wheel one tooth at every revolution
of the shaft b. The disc k² on the same shaft as k being thus turned, a crank pin
on it moves the lever backwards and forwards, giving a rocking movement to the
shaft k³, which has arms working counterweighted carriers k. These take hold
of the successive boards and move them forwards, pushing them on to the rollers
of the pressing arms until they are lifted by these. When the carriers ke take a
board from the bottom of the pile of boards 1, the pile is supported and slightly
lifted by the rollers 7 pressing against cam surfaces on lever arms 12, which are
thus lifted so that their ends raise the pile of boards. When the carriers ke have
drawn out a board, the armis l² hold up the pile until the catches of the carriers, in
receding, get behind the next succeeding board l. The rollers 7 then gradually

page_text: leave the cams 8, the arms & sink again, and with them the pile of boards till the
lowest board being engaged with the catches is pushed forwards, advancing those in
front of it. A similar action takes place with respect to the pile over the rollers l'.
As soon as a board arrives in the position close under the plate h, the lower ones
would begin to cant were it not for the two beaked arms on the shaft *, which
has on it the lever 15 outside the framing connected by a pin joint to the rod o. The
beaks of the arms do not release the pile till the uppermost board has been pushed
entirely from under the plate h. On each side of the boards are fixed angle irons l³,
which are taken hold of by the reciprocating racks 18, and pushed by these forward.
The forward motion of the racks is effected by the adjustable cams m on the shaft b
acting on the slides m¹. These slides have slots into which take the inner arms of
the levers m² pivotted at m³; the other arms of these levers move free outside the
framing. When the racks have been pushed fully forward, the levers m² have
their outer arms in their highest position. The pins m¹ on the excentrick and
wheel b¹ then press down these arms, and so bring the slides and racks back. By
this means the boards are thus pushed forward on to the table n, which moves in
guides and hangs upon chains n¹ running over rollers n², and wound upon the
drums n³. The weight of the table and the boards on it is supported by the pawl
n taking into the ratchet teeth on n³. A rod o is jointed to n and extends to
the disc 2, being supported by the arms o¹. The disc 2 has a stud o², by which at
each revolution the rod o is made to withdraw the pawl n, and again let it engage.
To prevent the table n from descending suddenly, a spur wheel n5, on the shaft of n³,
gears with the toothed sector no, which turns on the axis p and has an arm p¹ with an
adjustable counterweight. When the pawl n' is released the table descending turns
the wheel n5 and sector no, raising the weight on p₁ into a more preponderating
position so as to suit the weight of the pile of boards. On removing a board the table
is raised the height of a board, and the weight of p' descending acts with less leverage,
and thus a continual balance is maintained. In order that the advancing board may
not disturb those on the table, the uppermost of the latter is held by two hinged
angle clips q. When the machine has delivered a convenient number, say 18 boards,
the table has so far descended that it presses down the lever q¹, and so disengages
the coupling a³ by means of the levers and connections q², and thus causes the press
to stop working.
In the operation of the board moving mechanism it is to be understood that
empty boards are placed in a pile, one above the other, at the back part of the
machine. After every 8 revolutions of the shaft b a board is drawn from under the
pile, and moved forward towards the rollers . When 4 boards have been moved so
as to form a pile above these rollers, the hopper is charged with sugar. The
moulding and pressing are effected, and the moulded pieces are delivered first on to
the plate. By the time this is filled a fifth board has been advanced over the rollers
1, as shown at Fig. 3. The uppermost board is then by the racks 18 advanced
tooth by tooth each time a distance suitable for a moulded piece. The top board
having been charged, the next board is raised and advanced in its turn, pushing the
first onwards, and so on till the first arrives at the table. The three filled boards
can then be removed, or a greater number can be allowed to collect on the
descending table before removal. When several boards are removed from the table
it ascends ready to receive another set of boards. Thus it is only necessary to
supply fresh boards at the back of the press, and to take those that are filled from
the front, and if the removal of the filled boards from the table should be neglected
the press is stopped automatically. The mould and the cams and tappets for working
its moveable parts may be altered to suit various sizes of pieces to be moulded
as required. Also the ratchet and racks for moving the boards may be altered to
suit the various widths of the moulded pieces, as may be readily understood. When
it is desired to mould pieces so that they can readily be broken into cubes or short
lengths, thin division plates are fixed in the mould, as shown at s¹ in Fig. 5.
Although I have herein described boards as the recipients of the moulded blocks,
it is to be understood that for these might be substituted plates of metal, preferably

page_text: perforated, or screens of wire fabric stretched on frames, the perforations or open
work of a fabric being advantageous in the drying of the blocks.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I would have it understood that I make no general
claim to the moulding or pressing of sugar into blocks, nor to any mechanism for
that purpose, except as set forth in the following claiming clauses; that is to say, I
claim: =
.
First. In sugar moulding apparatus receiving the moulded blocks on a "plate, to
which is given a slight rising movement for the purpose of clearing the block from
the die slide, and retaining it while the latter retreats, as herein described.
Second. The use in a sugar moulding machine of apparatus for the placing and
removal of boards or their equivalents to receive the moulded blocks, substantially
as herein described.
Third. In apparatus such as is referred to in the preceding claim giving the
boards an advancing movement somewhat greater than the width of the moulded
block, so as to provide spaces between the successive blocks, substantially as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Haughton Gill, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
C. HAUGHTON GILL. (L.S.)