Patent ID: 7252489

Claim:
An apparatus for forming large dimension ceramic tiles, comprising a first pressing or deaeration unit for pressing ceramic particles into a blank and having a die plate providing a mold cavity and first and second pressing faces having given dimensions, said pressing faces being operative in cooperation with said die plate for forming the blank so that the blank has the given dimensions, a second pressing or compacting unit for compacting the blank received from said first pressing or deaeration unit, said second pressing or compacting unit being downstream from said first pressing or deaeration unit, and a conveying system between said first pressing or deaeration unit and said second pressing or compacting unit for conveying blanks from said first pressing or deaeration unit to said second pressing or compacting unit, said second pressing or compacting unit comprising a fixed lower die having a face level with said conveying system, and a moveable die located above said fixed die, said moveable die being moveable between a raised position in which said moveable die awaits arrival of a blank from said conveying system, and a lowered position in which it compacts the blank, and said fixed die and said moveable die having active faces with dimensions larger than the given dimensions of said first and second pressing faces.