US1777100A - Hydraulic plastic-extruding machine with automatic cut-off - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 30, 1930. M CLlNTOCK HYDRAULIC PLASTIC EXTRUDING IAGHINB WITH AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF Filed Nov. '7. 192'! 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 30, 1930. w, MQCLINTQCK Er AL 1,777,100

mnmwmc PLASTIC EX'I'RUDING MACHINE \u'rn AUTOIATIC cuiuorr Filed Nov. 7, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a av a9 a1 Li y MIA-am ma/(51x4 Ban I. Pear-he Arr-wearer Patented Sept. 30, 1930 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VTILLIAM MCCLINTOCK AND FRANK Y. PEARNIL OF LOS ANGEIJES, CALIFORNIA, AS-

SIGNORS TO PACIFIC CLAY PRODUCTS, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORA- TION OF CALIFORNIA HYDRAULIC PLASTIC-EX'IRUDIITG MACHINE WITH AUTOMATIQ- CUT-OFF Application filed November Our present invention being referred to as an hydraulic extruding machine with automatic cut-off, it may be understood to be an object of this invention to form,,from clay or another plastic material, hollow or other cylindrical or prismatic bodies such as ordinary or special tile; and our invention relates moreparticularly to (1) means facilitating control of the intermittent advance of a ram, (2) to the construction of a mud cylinder and feed hopper (3) to a construction, for use with said cylinder, permitting a continuous feed of clay, or the like, to said cylinder; and (4) to means rendering the advance of a so-called scale rod, or the like, efiective automatically to discontinue, after a predetermined movement,the advance of said ram within said cylinder.

Other objects of our invention, including a preferred arrangement of connections'between a constantly-operating pump and a supply tank and between said pump and the interior of said ram, and including also means permitting either a manual or an automatic initiation of each advance of said ram, and including also means favorable to a retardation or to an acceleration ofa movement of said scale rod, or its equivalent, may be best appreciated from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of our invention, taken in connection with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which 7 Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic elevational view, with parts broken away, showing the essentials of an organization embodying our invention.

Fig. 52 is a detail view corresponding to an upper right central portion of Fig. 1, but showing a ram or plunger as sectioned in a median plane. 1 i

Fig. 3 is a detail viewshowing one suitable type of manually oscillable valve, for use in an organization of the general charac terillustrated in Fig. 1. a

Referring to the details of bodiment of our invention chosen for purposes of illustration, uprights 11 and beams such as are shown at12, 12 and 13 being respectively vertical and horizontal elements that specific em-' 7, 1927. Serial 1%. 231,557.

Upon the mentioned frame or the floor 19, i

we may install a pump 23 (which may comprise a continuously-drivenrotor whose efficiency depends upon the manipulation of interior parts by means such as a link or valve rod 24lthe details of this pump, which-may be of the Hole-Shaw type, being of minor importance to our present invention); and we show a tank 25 as connected therewith not only by a valved pump-supply pipe 26 (which may contain a check valve V) but by a valved branch 27, communicating with an outlet fitting 28through which water or other fluid may be constantly or intermittent 1y forced by said pump.

An oscillable valve 29 being interposed in the return pipe 27, and being shiftable by means such as a link orrod 30, both this link and the mentioned link 24 may beconnected to a lever 31. This lever 31 is shown as pivoted at 32 and as provided with a handle 33, which maybe capable of effecting either a synchronous or a separate control of the-aotion of pump 23 and valve. 29. i

For example, a shifting of the lever 31 to a position such as that illustrated in full lines in Fig. 1, may simultaneously render, the pump 28 efiicient and shift an interior valve element of the general character illustrated at 34,'Fig'. 3, to a closed position, thereby oompelling the pumped water or other liquid to advance through a pipe 35, communicating with a so-called fixed or interior ram element 36,to advance the outer or movable ram element 16, forcing the same into the cylinder 15-, or its equivalent.

We show the mentioned valve element 3 1-- of valve 29 as connected (by a shaft 37, extending through a gland 38) with a lever 39 to which the link or rod 30 is pivotally connected at 0; we show the interior or fixed ram element 36 as. surrounded by a gland ell, and we also show a fixed head 2, by which the inner ram inlet 36 is supported from the horizontal element 12 of the described main frame, as provided with a gland l3,surrounding a nipple by which the pipe communicates with the interior of said fixed ram element; but the expedients just above referred to may be regarded as merely standard practice in the adaptation of n'iachine parts, of the indi "ated general character to hydraulic operation,--in which a socalled accu1nulat n' might obviously replace the described tank.

Similarly, we allege no patentahle nm elty in our use of means such as. restorative counter-weights i l, 44:, shown connected with a flange or lugs 45 upon the ram 16 by means oi flexible tension element errending over pulleys .l'T,-limit stops or fixed ests 48 be- I ing preferably provided beneath the restorative weights l 4%; but we attach consi 1lerable importance not only to the smooth cylin' drical form of the exterior of the disclosed movable ram or plunger (as. obviating any appreciable tendency to lift the clay or other plastic material during the rise or retractive movement of said plunger) and we attach importance also to the provision of a hopper 49, of such capacity, shape and elevation, relatively to said plunger and said cylinder, that tempered clay, or another plastic material maybe continuously delivered thereto, (as, by means of a conveyor 50) during both downward and upward (or inward and out and) movements of said plunger,-the withdrawal of the same to an elevation such as that in which it is illustrated being ci'iective to permit the descent of any accumulation of said plastic material into cylinder 15, in readiness 1" or a repetition of extruding operations interrupted by suitable manipulations of the lever 31 or its equivalent.

We come now to what may be regarded as the most outstanding features of novelty in our present invention, these features he ing favored by the employment of the described hydraulic means of control. Such control permits the movable ram or plunger 16 to be promptly stopped,in a manner which is not practicable in case steam or another expansible fluid is employed in advancing a ram or plunger. A cross read 51. being secured on the lower end of said scale rod 18 and connected with weights 21 by means such as flexible tension elements 52,- extending over drums 53 upon a shaft 5%, we show a lever 55 pivoted at 56 upon a hracl 57. This bracket may be atta lied to a sunsidiary frame 58 which provides bearings 59, 59 for the shaft 54; and we show the lever 55 as connected by a rod or link 60 with a downward extension or arm 61 of the mentioned lever 31.

A roller or other terminal member 62 may be so positioned and secured upon an arm (52) of the lover as to be engaged by the adjustable tappet or stop arm upon the rod 18, or its equivalent, whenever this rod (forced downward against the tendency of weights 21, by the extrusion of a formed product upon the receiving plate 17) has descended through predetermined dixta obviously dependent upon the adjustment oi stop or its equivalent, in accordance with the preferred length of the extruded tile or other product; and it will be obvious that, after an inward movement of the rod or linl; (it), in the direction indicated by the arrow 6% (a spring 65 being preferably secured upon an extension 66 of said rod or link) to manipulate the valve rod 24; and stop the pumping of pump 23, a manual or other shifting of the lever 31 (as, a shifting thereof .t'rom the dotted line position into which it may be drawn by engagement of the tappet 22 with the roller 6 or its equivalent, to the position in which said lever is shown in full lines) may be relied upon to initiate another advance of the plunger 16, after a formed article has been manually or otherwise removed trom the receiving plate 17, or its equivalent,said plate having then been permitted to return to an upper or inner position such that in which it is shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2.

It will be obvious that a step-by-step or interrupted advance of the plunger 16 may be e'fiected by merely repeatedly reducing the cliicicncy ot the pump 2?) practically to Zero, without opening the valve 29, or its equiva lent; but the return oi the said pl ungcr to its elevated or retracted position. under the action of couuterweights ll or 44, to pcrmit the admission of a new charge of clay or other plastic material from the hopper 4-!) through aannular passage 67, or its equivalent; may be dependent upon an opening of this v: lvc. or its equiwxlent1-as by shitting the lever 31 to an extreme position such as that indicated by the showing of its handle at 33. Fig. l.

in the otl hand, the cooperating parts may be so proportioned. ii desired, that the appet or stop member 22 is reflective simultaneously or sequentially to render the pump $3 inetlicient and to open the valve 29 or ill; equivalent.

Vi e show the rod 60 as provided not only with the snap-action spring 66, which may be con'iparatively heavy, but also with a socalled safety spring 68, which may be comparatively light, but nevertheless adequate to restore the arm 63, or its equivalent, from a position such as that in which it is shown in dotted lines to its full line position; any

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slidably interfitting within the scale rod 18) may be employed to provide guidance therefor, during the mentioned advances and/or reciprocations; and, in order to control the rate of movement of said scale rod, especially in 1ts automatic return movements under the action of the counter-Weights 21, we may employ retarding means such as a brake 71, movable by means such as a pedal 7 2, and/or accelerating means such as hand wheel 7 The latter is shown as connected with a shaft 74- extending through a post 75 and terminating in a bevel gear 76, adapted to engage a cooperating gear 77 upon the shaft 54,-Which may be held in its intended relationship to the shaft 74- by means such as additional brackets or hangers 78 and/or 79.

The general mode of operation of our hydraulic extruding machine having been i 'ully indicatedin connection with the description of the respective partsthereof, (omitting mention 01 various auxiliary devices'which are immaterial to this invention) we call especial attention to the fact that each shifting of the lever 31 to a position such as that in which it is shown in full lines, in'Fig. 1, may be ei'iective, by closing the valve 29 and renderingthe pump 23 efficient, to cause a downward or other advance of the plunger 16, or its equivalent, the extrusion of the formed product unto the receiving plate 17 being effective to produce acorresponding advance of the scale rod 18 until, an article of the desired length being then formed, the tappet or stop arm 22 engages the roller 62. This may so shift the lever 81 that its handle occupies the position 33",-the pump 23 being then rendered inerlicient while the formed article is removed from the receiving plate 27 (manually or by any suitable means not shown) and while said receiving plate is automatically or otherwise returned to lts po-,

sition of engagement with an apertured forming head at the lower or outer end of they cylinder 15 or its equivalent. A further ad vance of the ram or plunger 16 may then be eti'ected by a restoration of the lever31, or its equivalent, to a position such as that in which it is shown in full lines (this restoration being etfec e l either manually, or by automatic means such as a chain or other flexible tension element 81, optionally interconnecting the receiving plate 17, or its equivalent, and the arm 63, or its equivalent) but, atter the plunger 16 has been advanced approximately to its limit, a manual or other shifting of the lever 31 to a position such as that suggested by the showing or" its handle at 31' may be effective not only to render the pump 23 inefficient but to open the valve 29 in such a manner as to permit a retraction of saidplunger, under the action of the counter-Weights 44, 4:4 or otherrest-orative means; and the plastic material continuously or otherwise fed into the hopper 49, or its equivalent, may then automatically refill the cylinder 15, or its equivalent, in readiness for a repetition of the described operations. V

The provision of means such as the brake 71 (for a retardative effect) and the hand wheel 7 8 (usually employed for an accelerative eiiect, in case of sticking), being standard practice, itwill be understood that these features are shown only for the sake of completeness no claims being directed separately to means for control ofthe upward or treetorative movement ofthe scale rod 18; but it 7 should be notedthat the actions of the springs 65 and 68 are such as to permit the upward or inward advance of the stop 22 past the roller 62,although the said stop need never pass said roller, or its equivalent, in case these elements are suitably shaped and positioned.

I claim as my invention: 7

i 1; In a machine for the formation of plastic products by extrusion: acylinder, for the reception of plastic material, provided with a forming head; a receiving plate reciprocably supported by means comprising a scale rod therebelow a ram movable by hydraulic means, in said cylinder; hydraulic means, comprising a pump, communicating with a pipe having a valved branch for imparting movement to said ram; and means, comprising a member or members movable with said scale rod, and parts movable thereby, for interrupting the movementdmparting action of said pump, upon the extrusion of an article of predetermined length,said last mentioned means comprising means for varying the efficiency of said pump,

2. In a machine for the formation of plastic products by extrusion: a cylinder, for the reception of plastic material, provided with a forming head; means for expressing said material throughsaid forming head; movable means for receiving a formed product; and means, automatically actuated upon the advance of said movable means through a predetermined distance, for interrupting the action of said expressing means.

3. :In a machine for the formation of plastic products by extrusion: a cylinder, for the reception of plastic material, provided with a forming head means for expressing said material through said forming head; movable means for receiving a formed product; and

means, automatically actuated upon the advance of said movable means through a predetermined distance, for interrupting the ac tion of said expressing means,sa-id interrupting means comprising a member mounted on'a rod by which said movable means is the reception of plastic material, provided with a forming head; means for expressing LIA Ill)

said material through said forming head; movable means supported by a scale rod for receiving a formed product; and means, automatically actuated upon the advance of said movable means through a predetermined distance, for interrupting the action of said expressing means,said expressing means being hydraulically operated by a power fluid, and said interrupting means comprising a member on said scale rod by which said movable means is supported, and parts movable thereby to vary the flow of said power fluid.

5. In a machine for the formation of plas tic products by extrusion: a cylinder, for the reception of plastic material, provided with a forming head; a receiving plate movably supported by means comprising a scale rod therebelow; a ram movable, by hydraulic means, in said cylinder; hydraulic means, comprising a pump, for imparting movement to said ram; and means, comprising a member on said scale rod and parts movable thereby, for interrupting the movement-imparting action of said pump, upon the extrusion of an article of predetermined length.

6. In a machine for the formation of plastic products by extrusion: a cylinder, for the reception of plastic material, provided with a forming head; a receiving plate reciprocably supported by means comprising a scale rod therebelow; a ram, movable by hydraulic means, in said cylinder; hydraulic means, comprising a pump communicating with a pipe having a valved branch, for imparting movement to said ram; and means, comprising a member movable in accordanc with movements of scale rod and parts movable thereby, for interrupting the movement-imparting action of said pump, upon the extrusion of an article of predetermined length,said last mentioned means coinpris ing a connection to the valve in said valved branch.

7. An organization of the general character defined in claim 6 in which said interrupting means comprises also a lever, capable of hand manipulation, which is provided with means for varying the efiiciency of said pump.

8. An organization of the general character defined in claim 6 in which means are provided whereby a restorative movement of said scale rod is automatically eflective to initiate a further advance of said ram.

9. An organization of the general character defined in claim 6 in which means are provided whereby a restorative movement of said scale rod is automatically effective to initiate a further advance of said ram, subject to control by a hand lever.

10. An organization of the general character defined in claim .6 in which said last mentioned means comprise also a hand lever;

and in. which means are provided whereby a restorative movement of said scale rod is subject to retardation or acceleration by means which are conveniently disposed with reference to said lever.

11. In a machine for the formation of articles by extrusion, a cylinder for the reception of plastic material provided with a forming head, said cylinder being of sullicient capacity to hold a charge of material sufficient for a plurality of the desired articles, means for expressing said material through said forming head, movable means for receiving a formed product. and means automatically actuated upon the advance of said movable means through a predetermined distance for interrupting the action of said expressing means.

12. In a machine for the formation of a rticles by extrusion, a cylinder for the reception of plastic material provided with a forn'iing head, said cylinder being of a capacity to hold a charge of said material sullcient for a plurality of the desired articles, means for expressing said material through said forming head, movable means for receiving a formed product, and means automatically actuated upon the advance of said movable means through a predetermined distance for interrupting the action of said expressing means, said interrupting means comprising a member mounted on a red by which said movable means is supported, and parts movable thereby.

13. In a machine for the formation of articles by extrusion, a cylinder for the reception of plastic material provided with a forming head, a ram movable by hydraulic means in said cylinder, movable means for receiving a formed product, and means automatically actuated upon the advance of said movable means through a predetermined distance, for interrupting the action of said expressing means.

1 1. In a machine for the formation of articles by extrusion. a cylinder for the reception of plastic material provided with a forming head, means for expressing said material through said forming head, said expressing means being hydraulically operated by a power fluid, movable means for receiv ing a formed product. and means automatically actuated upon the advance of said mow able means through a predetermined distance for interrupting the action of said expressing. means.

15. In a machine for the formation of articles by extrusion, the combination of a cylinder for the reception of plastic material provided with a forming head, means for expressing material through said forming head, said expressing means being hydraulically operated, and means for auto matically interrupting the action of said expressing means upon the extrusion of an article of predetermined length.

16. In a machine for the formation of articles by extrusion, the combination of a cylinder for the reception of plastic material, provided With a forming head, means for expressing said material through said I forming head, and means for automatically interrupting the action of said expressing means upon the extrusion of an article of predetermined length.

17. In a machine for the formation of articles by extrusion, the combination of a cylinder for the reception of plastic material, provided with a forming head, a ram adapted to operate in said cylinder, hydraulic means for moving said ram including a pump, a tank, pipe means connecting said tank with said pump, and ram, and valve) means positioned in said pipe means adapted to control the movement of said ram.

18. In a machine for the formation of articles by extrusion, the combination of a cylinder adapted to receive plastic material, said cylinder being provided with a forming head, a ram adapted to operate in said cy1- inder, hydraulic means for moving said ram including a pump, a tank, pipe means connecting said pump With. said pipe and ram, valve means positioned in said pipe, means adapted to control movement of said ram, and means for automatically operating said valve and interrupting the action of said ram upon the extrusion of an article of predetermined length.

In testimony whereof, We have hereunto set our hands at Los Angeles, California, this 2nd day of November, 1927.

WILLIAM MGCLINTOOK. FRANK Y. PEARNE.

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