GB2143466A - Moulding apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A moulding apparatus includes a mould box (10) having a pair of formers (12) in cavities (14) defining annular mould spaces. The formers are retained by support members (16), and a feed box (24) for delivery of material to the mould spaces has gaps (28) in a front side (26) to enable movement past the members (16). When the feed box is retracted from the mould spaces, tamping devices (22) are lowered into the spaces, the mould box is raised and then the devices are raised to allow formed articles to be removed. After subsequent lowering of the mould box and prior to the feed box returning, a scraper plough (30) is moved over the upper surface of the mould box to push unused material back into the mould spaces for re-use. Alternatively the unused material may be removed by a chute and transferred back to the feed box. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improved moulding apparatus This invention relates to improved moulding apparatus and is particularly but not exclusively concerned with apparatus for moulding profiled articles of concrete such as ornamental wall blocks or planters.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for use in moulding, said apparatus comprising means for delivering a mouldable material to a moulding location, means for forming a moulded article at the moulding location, and means for automatically returning mouldable material, discharged by the delivery means but not used in moulding, to the moulding location for re-use.

The delivery means may comprise a feed box movable over an upper surface of a mould box from one side thereof, the mould box providing a mould space, and the feed box being adapted to discharge material into the mould space as the feed box passes thereover.

The mould space may be defined by a former which may include at least one component retained in position by at least one member projecting upwardly therefrom in relation to the moulding location, and the feed box may have a first side having at least one fixed gap therein to enable movement past the or each upwardly projecting member. The or each gap may be defined by a profiled part.

Preferably the means for automatically returning the unused material is arranged to return the material direct to the moulding location. Alternatively the means for automatically returning the unused material may include means for transferring the latter to the delivery means, prior to the latter returning the unused material to the moulding location.

The unused material returning means may be in the form of a plough member movable over the upper face of the mould box from the other side thereof, when the feed box is clear of the former, so as to move unused material on the upper face towards the mould space prior to subsequent delivery of further material by the feed box.

Alternatively the unused material returning means may comprise an arrangement for delivering the unused material to a transport assembly, whereby the unused material is transferred back to the feed box before being returned to the moulding location. The arrangement may comprise a feed chute leading from the upper face of the mould box at the other side thereof, and the transport assembly may be in the form of a belt conveyor, screw conveyor, air delivery tube or the like.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing part of an apparatus according to the invention; and Figure 2 shows a modified feature.

Referring to the drawings, an apparatus for moulding substantially rectangular planters in concrete includes a mould box in which is located a pair of cores or formers 1 2 in mould cavities 14 in side by side alignment across the mould box 1 0. Each of the formers 1 2 is of substantially rectangular configuration, with the respect cavity 14 being of increased dimension whereby to define an annular mould space.

Each of the formers 1 2 is retained in position by four upwardly projecting support members 1 6 in two longitudinally aligned pairs, the members 1 6 of each pair having their respective side surfaces aligned longitudinally of the apparatus and preferably having their longitudinal edges tapered. The support members 1 6 are secured to a cross beam 18 rigid with the main structure of the apparatus.

A tamping device provides, for association with each former 12, a plurality of downwardly extending members 20 mounting on their lower ends a horizontally extending plate 22 of a shape designed to fit within the annular mould space around the respective former. The members 20 with the plate 22 are movable vertically in a conventional fashion and, as the plate 22 surrounds the members 1 6 below the cross frame 18, the plate 22 can be moved into and out of the mould space.

To deliver a mouldable material, for example a cementitious material, to the moulding location, i.e. above the formers 12, there is provided a feed box 24 which is movable to the moulding location from one side thereof and can be retracted to said one side after use. The feed box 24 has an open top through which a hopper may deliver cementitious material, as well as an open bottom, so that when the feed box 24 is moved over the upper surface of the mould box 10 to the moulding location, the cementitious material can be discharged into the mould spaces.To enable movement of the feed box 24 past the upwardly projecting members 16, a front side 26 of the feed box 24 is provided with a series of vertically extending fixed gaps 28 which are positioned to be in longitudinal alignment with a respective pair of the upwardly projecting members 16, whereby the front side 26 of the feed box 24 can pass by the members 1 6 over the moulding location.

When the feed box 24 is moved to the moulding location to discharge cementitious material, it will be appreciated that the tamping plate 22 is at that time in a raised position as shown in the drawings. It should also be appreciated that, during moulding, a base board is positioned below the moulding loca tion whereby to retain the cementitious material in the mould spaces.

When the feed box 24 is retracted from the moulding location, the tamping device is then operable to lower the plates 22 into the respective mould spaces and press the cementitious material into shape using a conventional technique. Thereafter the mould box 10 is raised relative to the tamping plates 22 to be clear of the moulded articles, the tamping plates 22 are then raised, and the formed articles are removed on the base board for final setting and curing. The mould box 10 with the formers 1 2 is then lowered to its initial position.

Prior to the feed box 24 returning to the moulding location with a fresh supply of cementitious material, unused material which remains on the upper surface of the mould box 10 from the previous moulding operation is returned to the moulding location. For this purpose there is provided a scraper blade or plough 30 at the side of the moulding location remote from the feed box 24. The plough 30 is in the form of a substantially rectangular blade defining a flexible lower edge, and is pivotally mounted, by a pair of support struts 32 attached to a rear face, on a common control rod 34. The latter is connected at each of its free ends to a telescopic support strut arrangement 36 which is pivoted at its end remote from the rod 34 on a base plate 38, the latter being secured to the fixture which also supports the main frame structure of the apparatus.A pneumatically or hydraulically operated ram 40 is pivotally connected at its ends between each of the base plates 38 and the strut arrangement 36, whereby to be capable of pivoting the latter, which thus moves the plough 30 towards and away from the moulding location. The pivotal connections enable the plough 30 to accomodate the vertical movement of the mould box 10. The rams 40 are controlled so as to cause the plough 30 to move towards the moulding location after each moulding operation has been completed and before the feed box 24 returns to the moulding location for the next moulding operation. Thus unused material can be pushed back into the mould spaces for reuse.

By use of formers with support members which do not obstruct the mould spaces, there is therefore no risk of blemishes appearing on the moulded product, as could otherwise occur when the material has to pass into the mould spaces from opposite sides of horizontal support members. To accomodate the upwardly extending support members, the provision of fixed gaps on the front side of the feed box has been found to be acceptable for both delivering the cementitious material by means of the feed box, and passing on opposite sides of the support members. The fixed gaps will tend to spill a certain amount of material during movement but loss of such material is obviated or mitigated by providing the plough to enable re-use.

In a first modification (Fig. 2), each of the gaps in the front side of the feed box may be defined by profiled parts 42 extending from the front side inwardly of the box and towards one another, and this profile can assist in mitigating spillage of material out of the feed box. In a further modification, the unused material need not be returned directly to the moulding location by such as a plough, but may be returned indirectly by being first transferred to the feed box 24. For such an arrangement the upper surface of the mould box 10 may be formed at the side of the mould location remote from the feed box 24, with a chute which slopes downwardly to one side of the mould box 10 so that the unused material tends to move into the chute wherefrom it can be delivered to a transport arrangement.The latter may be in any suitable form such as a belt conveyor, screw conveyor, air delivery tube or the like, transferring the unused material back to the feed box 24 wherein it is then returned to the moulding location.

It is to be appreciated that although the apparatus has been described for use in moulding planters, it can be used for moulding many other forms of articles such as ornamental wall blocks. The apparatus is particularly suitable for the moulding of articles which are ornamental where blemishes caused by the former support members would otherwise detract significantly from the aesthetic qualities of the product. It will also be appreciated that the arrangement for re-using unused material may be utilised in other moulding apparatus of conventional types where uptight support members and feed boxes with gaps in the front side are not used.

To clean the tamping plates 22 of any material remaining after the moulding operation, it may be desirable to provide a brush arrangement along the top of the front side 26 of the feed box 24 so that the brushes engage the lower surface of the tamping plates 22 as the feed box 24 moves into and away from the moulding location. The brush arrangement will be provided with gaps corresponding with the gaps in the front side 26 for movement past the support members 1 6.

Alternatively, or in addition, a further brush arrangement may be provided for use below the mould box 1 0. As previously described, there is a stage in the moulding operation where the mould box 10 is raised clear of the moulded article, with the tamping plates 22 still being in their lowermost positions on top of the articles. Once the articles are removed, the further brush arrangement may be then operable to move under the moulding location so as to engage the lower faces of the tamping plates 22 and remove any unused ma terial therefrom.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example profiled gaps in the front side of the feed box may be other than the shape described as the alternative to the arrangement described with reference to the drawings. Further, a plough may be provided with a configuration other than that shown and controlled by any other suitable mechanism.

Claims (14)

1. Apparatus for use in moulding, said apparatus comprising means for delivering a mouldable material to a moulding location, means for forming a moulded article at the moulding location, and means for automatically returning mouldable material, discharged by the delivery means but not used in moulding, to the moulding location for re-use.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the delivery means comprises a feed box movable over an upper surface of a mould box from one side thereof, the mould box providing a mould space, the feed box being adapted to discharge material into the mould space as the feed box passes thereover.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mould space is defined by a former which includes at least one component retained in position by at least one member projecting upwardly therefrom in relation to the moulding location.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the feed box has a first side having at least one fixed gap therein to enable movement past the or each upwardly projecting member.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the or each gap is defined by a profiled part.

6. Apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein a brush arrangement is provided for automatic cleaning of a tamping member which is movable though the mould space.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, when dependent on claim 4 or 5 wherein the brush arrangement is provided on an upper edge of said first side of the feed box.

8. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the means for automatically returning the unused material is arranged to return the material direct to the moulding location.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, when dependent on any of claims 2 to 7 wherein the unused material returning means comprises a plough member movable over the upper face of the mould box from the other side thereof, when the feed box is clear of the former, so as to move unused material on the upper face towards the mould space prior to subsequent delivery of further material by the feed box.

10. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 7 wherein the means for automatically returning the unused material includes means for transferring the latter to the delivery means, prior to the latter returning the unused material to the moulding location.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, when dependent on any of claims 2 to 7 wherein the unused material returning means comprises an arrangement for delivering the unused material to a transport assembly, whereby the unused material is transferred back to the feed box before being returned to the moulding location.

1 2. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the arrangement comprises a feed chute leading from the upper face of the mould box at the other side thereof.

1 3. Apparatus according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the transport assembly comprises a belt conveyor, screw conveyor, air delivery tube or the like.

14. Apparatus for use in moulding substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.