Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – With measuring – testing – or inspecting – Controlling fluid pressure in direct contact with molding...
Patent
1997-10-03
1999-08-10
Derrington, James
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
With measuring, testing, or inspecting
Controlling fluid pressure in direct contact with molding...
264571, 264299, 264334, 264335, C04B 3300
Patent
active
059354950
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This application is a national stage application, according to Chapter II of the Patent Cooperation Treaty. This application claims the priority date of Apr. 4, 1995, U.K. Patent No. 9506940.7.
This invention concerns a ware forming method and apparatus, and particularly but not exclusively a method and apparatus for removing a piece of shaped clay from a mould.
Conventionally holloware and flatware have been shaped on a roller machine. With such a machine a plaster of paris mould is loaded onto the machine. Typically the mould is held in a metal mould carrier. A piece of clay is placed onto the mould which is then spun and a counter-rotating shaped roller head is brought into contact with the clay to provide the required shape. The ware carrying mould is then removed from the machine and placed in a drier to obtain mould release. Disadvantages are encountered with this system in that, as the shaped clay is held in the moulds during drying a large number of moulds are required which thus occupy a relatively large area in a production area.
According to the present invention there is provided a method of forming clay ware, the method comprising locating a piece of clay on a mould, shaping the clay on the mould, locating a former against the shaped clay on the opposite side thereof to the mould, the former being shaped to correspond substantially to the shape of the clay so as to provide a close fit thereagainst, and blowing a fluid through the mould to blow the shaped clay off the mould and onto the former.
The clay is preferably shaped by a roller head.
The invention also provides a method of removing a piece of shaped clay from a mould, the method comprising locating a former against the shaped clay on the opposite side thereof to the mould, the former being shaped to correspond substantially to the shape of the clay so as to provide a close fit thereagainst, and blowing a fluid through the mould to blow the shaped clay off the mould and onto the former.
The fluid preferably comprises air, and the air may be warmed.
A resistive force is preferably applied to the former against the clay, said resistive force being slightly less than the force applied by the fluid being blown through the mould.
The resistive force may be applied by a pneumatic cylinder, or a resilient member such as a spring.
Suction may be applied through the former to hold the shaped clay thereagainst following removal from the mould.
Air, which may be warmed, is preferably blown through the mould following removal of the shaped clay, to condition the mould.
First detection means may be provided for sensing when the shaped clay has been blown off the mould, and said means may comprise second detection means for sensing a reduction in the back pressure in the mould. The first detection means may be connected to means for automatically separating the mould and former when the shaped clay has moved onto the latter.
The mould may be rotated relative to the former once fluid is being blown through the mould, whereby to shear the water film between the mould and the clay.
The mould may be made of an acrylic plastics material and preferably an acrylic bead. The plastics material is preferably mounted on a carrier. The carrier may be made of a plastics material such as acrylic, or of metal. Alternatively the mould may be made of plaster of paris.
According to the present invention there is further provided a former usable in a method according to any of the preceding eleven paragraphs.
Openings are preferably provided through the former to permit the article of clay to be held thereon by suction.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to FIGS. 1-3 of the accompanying drawings which show sequential stages of a method according to the present invention using apparatus according to the present invention.
The drawings show apparatus for removing an item of the shaped clay from a mould. The clay is in the form of an item of flatware such as a plate. The drawings show a permeable synthetic mo
REFERENCES:
patent: 2584109 (1952-02-01), Blackburn et al.
patent: 2584110 (1952-02-01), Blackburn et al.
patent: 2632227 (1953-03-01), Steele et al.
patent: 4413966 (1983-11-01), Mills et al.
Burnett John Michael Victor
Deakin Robert Norman
Podmore Dennis
Turner John Barrie
British Ceramic Research Limited
Derrington James
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