Patent ID: 7178455

Claim:
A press for compacting a case containing hazardous materials, especially radioactive waste, made up of: a section for supporting the case, fitted with a block which is mounted in a removable manner onto a lower support beam, a compacting section which can undergo translational movement along a vertical axis (Z, Z′), mounted above the support section and equipped with a thrust plate forming a ram designed to compress the case by application of pressure, and a guide assembly for the compacting section, intended to receive one free end of the said compacting section and, enclosing the case, the guide assembly comprised of a skirt with: a liner resting on the block of the support section, designed to tightly enclose the outside of the case, a hoop encircling and fixed to the liner, and a cradle is mounted to the hoop with a removable assembly, the cradle being mounted by means of a removable connection onto a skirt holding section, which can undergo vertical translation movement, with the removable connection including a reversible assembly system having a detachable engagement coupling between the skirt holding section and the cradle to provide for relative horizontal translation movement between the skirt holding section and the cradle, the relative horizontal translation movement taking place in one plane, between the cradle and the holding section when said skirt is placed in a maintenance position, wherein the reversible assembly system comprises at least one opening in the form of a key-hole which passes through the cradle vertically and at least one lug directed vertically downwards from the skirt holding section.