1,248,637. Moulding tile assemblies. VILLEROY & BOCH KERAMISCHE WERKE K.G. 25 March, 1969 [26 March, 1968], No. 15555/69. Heading B5A. [Also in Division B8] A prefabricated tile assembly, for wall cladding, is made by laying the tiles on a support in a co-planar arrangement with intersecting rows of gaps between adjacent sides of the tiles, which are then filled with plastics binding agent without changing the angular orientation of the support by continuously transporting a procession of supports 2 around a rectangular path including a tile loading means 3 and past devices 9 and 11 located along adjacent sides 4, 10 of the path and which each introduce the binder into one of the intersecting rows of gaps, the sheets of tiles being manually removed from the supports 2 along a following side 14 of the path. Tile supporting means.-The supports 2, comprising upper removable trays 31 on plates 30, are transported from the loading station 3 and past the binder introducing device 9, along the path side 14, by a continuous chain 18 running in a U-shaped guide 23 and provided with support entraining fingers 19. A similar chain 21 running at the same speed is provided along the side 10 past the device 11, but is located closer to the inner than to an outer of angle girders 16, 17, which guide the supports 2 around the path, whereby twisting forces on a support 2 are opposed during transfer to a pair of endless belts 24, extending along the following side 14 of the path where the trays 31 are replaced by empty trays. Further pairs of belts 25 and 26 respectively transport the supports 2 along side 15 of the path, and along side 4 to the leading means 3, and rotation of the support 2 arising from premature engagement thereof by the inner of the belt pair on to which it is transferred is prevented by counterweighted levers 131, the ends 134 whereof adjacent the outer belt are progressively lowered to the level of the outer belt under the increasing weight of the transferring support 2 whereby this is simultaneously engaged by the pair of belts. Overloading of the belt 26, delivering supports 2 to the loading station 3, is prevented by a pair of linked levers (139, 138), Figs. 5 and 6 (not shown), between the belts 25, engagement and depression of the lever (139) by the leading edge of a support 2 causing the lever (138) to rise to block the path of a following support until the lever (139) is released from the trailing edge of the engaging support 2. The supports 2 are locked in position at the loading means 3 during tile loading, whereafter they are displaced by engagement by the chain 18 by a following support 2, the traction whereof from belt 26 is increased e.g. by permanent magnets 29 when using magnetizable supports 2. Tile loading means.-The tiles are stored in three adjacent containers 39 from which three rows thereof are sequentially displaced on to a support 2 by three plates 41 which are reciprocated, in the loading direction, by an elastic rope drive 54 against an hydraulic dashpot 60, from a pulley 50 on a reciprocating shaft 48 and, in the return direction, by a belt 51 on a pulley 49 of the shaft 48; the support 2 being locked during loading by the engagement of an abutment 38 thereon by a spring-loaded stud 64 which is withdrawn by an electromagnet energized by a switch actuated when strips 69, for spacing the tiles on the support 2 are lifted therefrom. The tiles on the support 2 are spaced in the path direction by strips 69 which are permitted to pivot downwardly on to the support 2 when an electromagnet (73) is deactivated by a switch 74 which is retained in the open position during the passage therebeneath of a support 2 previously discharged from the loading means 3, whereafter the switch 74 closes to raise the strips 69 and disengage the stud 64. The tiles are spaced across the support 2 by strips 72, 71 which are pivotal upwardly from the support by the rising strips 69 whereby the strips are respectively retained in the raised position by the uppermost 79 of a stepped cam mechanism, on a shaft 206, over which a downwardly pivotal latch 203 connected with strip 72 engages, and by a weighted member 78 which pivots about 201 to engage a screw 202 connected with strip 71. The strips 71 and 72 are released successively on to the support 2 by the leading end of a rod (80) attached to move with the plates 41 which, on the initial forward movement thereof, pivots member 78 to release strip 71 on to the support 2 and on the initial forward and return movement thereof pivots shaft 206 against a spring 207 and then releases it to release latch 203, via an intermediate cam 209, on to a lower cam 208, from which it is released on the following forward movement of the rod (80) to permit the strip 72 to fall on to the support 2. An elastic tongue 84 retains the tiles in position during the raising of the strips 69. The drive to shaft 48, which reciprocates the plates 41, is terminated by a switch 86 actuated from a finger 87 on the shaft after three reciprocations of the plates 41, and is initiated by a switch 85 actuated when a pin thereof passes out of engagement with tiles on the support 2 leaving the loading means 3. Binder introducing means.-The binder is introduced into the gaps between the tiles by means, 9 or 11, comprising extruding means 90 pivotally mounted about shafts 92 and which are adjustably counterweighted at 96 whereby the pressing action of the means 90 may be regulated, the downward movement thereof on passage of the tubes therebeneath, being limited by adjustable stops 97. The tiles are pressed on to the support 2 by counterweighted rollers 101. The binder is extruded from the means 90 by compressed air controlled from an electrically operated valve 37 actuated when either a switch 36, on means 9, is actuated by a support 2 passing therebeneath, or a photo-cell 129 on means 11 is actuated by passage of a support 2. Binder is supplied to the means 90 from one side of a piston cylinder arrangement 108 by introducing pressurized oil to the other side thereof. A suction pump supplies binder to the arrangement 108.