GB2319494A

GB2319494A - Tubular cutting and moulding tool

Info

Publication number: GB2319494A
Application number: GB9724619A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Malcolm Thomas Craig
Original assignee: PRECISION MACHINING ENGINEERS
Current assignee: PRECISION MACHINING ENGINEERS
Priority date: 1996-11-21
Filing date: 1997-11-20
Publication date: 1998-05-27
Also published as: GB9724619D0; GB9624191D0

Abstract

A moulding tool for moulding articles in sugarpaste or a similar material comprises a tubular cutter 1 terminating in a cutting edge 5 and a separate plunger 6. The cutter 1 defines a tubular cavity 4 from either end of which the plunger 6 may be removed. In a particular example, the cutter has the outline shape of a human figure and raised portions on the front end 9 of the plunger define facial features and clothing details of the figure. The cutter 1 has a substantially planar handling member 2.

Description

A MOULDING TOOL This invention relates to a moulding tool. The invention is particularly intended for use by cake decorators, confectioners, pastry chefs, potters and others wishing to mould artistic articles in soft mouldable materials such as sugarpaste, marzipan, bread dough, chocolate, clay and other deformable plastic materials which may optionally be hardenable with the application of heat.

US Patent No 5,303,473 describes a cookie cutter including a housing having a cutting edge for cutting an outline of a shape, a plunger for engaging the cut surface of the material with embossing surfaces and a handle connected to the plunger for manual actuation. The handle protrudes through an aperture in the housing, and means are provided for retaining the housing and plunger together whilst still allowing the plunger to slide within the housing. Such retaining means are relatively expensive to manufacture.

According to the present invention there is provided a moulding tool comprising a tubular cutter terminating in a cutting edge at one end and defining a tubular cavity with a parallel internal wall and a plunger movable within the tubular cavity, guided by the internal wall and intended to contact mouldable material within the cavity, the parallel nature of the internal wall allowing the plunger to be inserted into and removed from the other end of the cutter.

Preferably, the plunger has a front end surface of three dimensional form providing a surface pattern or shape.

This surface pattern or shape may, in use, be pressed into a contacting surface of the mouldable material to create a negative" impression in the mouldable material. In one particular example of a sugarcraft moulding tool, the cutter may have the outline shape of a Santa Claus figure and the front end surface of the plunger may be provided with raised portions representing facial features and clothing details of the figure. When these raised portions are pressed against sugarpaste or other mouldable materials, recessed features and details are impressed therein.

The plunger is preferably removable from either end of the tubular cavity of the cutter, thus facilitating various different modes of using the moulding tool.

Preferably, the tubular cutter has an outer surface which tapers inwardly towards the cutting edge. In addition to providing a bevelled cutting edge, this tapering also facilitates removal of the shaping tool after it has been pressed into a sheet of mouldable material to "load" mouldable material into the tubular cavity.

Preferably, the plunger comprises a head portion movable within said tubular cavity and connected to a manually movable handle portion.

Conveniently, the tubular cutter is provided with a handling member such as a substantially planar rim extending outwardly from the end of the tubular cavity remote from the cutting edge.

A particular embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows the cutter of this embodiment viewed from the front, i.e. from the end having the cutting edge; Figure 2 is a sectional view of the cutter of Figure 1, taken along the line II-II; Figure 3 is a side view of a plunger of this embodiment, Figure 4 is a front view of the cutter, as Figure 1, but additionally showing the plunger therein; and Figure 5 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line V-V of Figure 4.

Figures 1 and 2 show a main body part of a sugarcraft moulding tool, comprising a substantially planar, but slightly domed handling member 2 of generally circular shape. A tubular cutter 3 extends forwardly from the handling member and defines a tubular cavity 4 of a predetermined cross-section. The outer surface of the cutter 3 is tapered inwardly and downwardly (as viewed in Figures 1, 2 and 4) to provide the cutter with a cutting edge 5 at its free end and to facilitate withdrawal of the tool from mouldable material.

Figures 3 and 4 show a plunger 6 of the moulding tool, comprising a head portion 7 and a handle portion 8. The head portion has a lower or front end 9 having recesses therein and/or projections thereon to define a three dimensional ornamental pattern. The cylindrical handle portion 8 extends rearwardly form the head portion 7 and may have an enlarged free end 10, which can be made as a separate component to facilitate manufacture of the plunger.

Both the main body 1 and plunger 6 are conveniently moulded from a suitable plastics materials such as ABS.

In a first mode of operation of the moulding tool, the main body 1 is placed over a sheet or mass of sugarpaste and pressed downwardly by means of the handling member 2. The cutting edge 5 then cuts out a nplugn of mouldable material which fills the front end of the tubular cavity 4. The main body is then lifted upwards, the cutter 3 retaining the "plugs" whilst the inclined external walls of the cutter facilitate release from the remainder of the mouldable material. To release the plug, the plunger 6 is inserted into the top or rear of the tubular cavity 4 and moved forwardly, expelling the plug from the cutter at a desired location, e.g. on a cake. The upper surface of the plug of mouldable material has impressed thereon the pattern, in negative, of the front end 9. Thus a plug of mouldable material is created having a desired shape and with a desired surface ornamentation.

In an alternative mode of operation, the main body 1 is pressed into a sheet or mass of sugarpaste material as described above. The plunger 6 is then inserted into the top of the tubular cavity 4 whilst the main body remains in place. The front end 9 of the plunger impresses its pattern on to the cut plug of material and the plunger 6 is removed.

The main body 1 can then be lifted, either retaining the patterned plug in the tubular cavity or leaving it behind.

Since the main body 1 and the plunger 6 are easily separable, each can also be used separately, the main body for cutting shapes and the plunger for impressing decorations on, for example, cakes and biscuits. Different colours of sugarpaste can be applied to the different areas of the front end 9 to create a mulitcoloured biscuit or decoration.

Further alternative modes of using the moulding tool will readily occur to users.

For example, the moulding tool may be adapted to create three-dimensional badges, medallions, plaques or other relatively thin three-dimensional articles from sugarpaste or the like. In this case, the front end 9 will bear an appropriate three-dimensional "badge" design or contoured three-dimensional shape. The sugarpaste is rolled into a flat sheet and the tool is pressed into the sheet so that a thin plug of sugarpaste is retained in the front end of the cutter 3. The main body 1 is then positioned over a resilient layer of material, e.g. a layer of foam material, with the cutter resting on the resilient material and the plunger is inserted and depressed. This causes the front end 9 to push the flat plug of sugarpaste from the cutter and into the resilient material. The resilience of the resilient material ensures that the sugarpaste is pressed into the three dimensional foam by the front end 9 to create the appropriate three-dimensional design of badge or the like. The tool is then lifted clear of the resilient material leaving the badge or the like behind. The article so created is in the form of a sheet of sugarpaste which has been pressed or formed into the appropriate shape.

Although the invention has been described in particular for providing surface decoration to generally flat moulded articles, it will be appreciated that the invention can also be applied to creating a greater three-dimensional form or shape to a moulded article. For example, a shaped front end surface, e.g. convex and/or concave shaped regions, of the plunger could be used to provide a greater three-dimensional shape to the moulded article, which may, for example, be in the form of a solider or teddy bear, an animal, or the like, or an inaminate article such as a leaf.

To prevent a moulded article from "sticking" to the front end surface of the plunger on depression of the latter, it may be necessary to push the article during ejection onto a surface which is more "sticky" or has more "friction" than the front surface of the plunger.

As previously mentioned, the tool may be designed for applications other than the preferred, sugarcraft application. The tool is suitable for any application where it is desired to produce a moulded product of a desired shape and bearing a surface decoration on one of its sides.

The present invention provides a moulding tool which is less expensive, more simple and more versatile than previously proposed tools.

Claims

1. A moulding tool comprising a tubular cutter terminating in a cutting edge at one end and defining a tubular cavity with a parallel internal wall and a plunger movable within the tubular cavity, guided by the internal wall and intended to contact mouldable material within the cavity, the parallel nature of the internal wall allowing the plunger to be inserted into and removed from the other end of the cutter.

2. A moulding tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plunger has a front end surface of three dimensional form providing a surface pattern or shape.

3. A moulding tool as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cutter has the outline shape of a figure and the front end surface of the plunger is provided with raised portions representing features and/or details of the figure.

4. A moulding tool as claimed in claim 3, wherein the figure is a human figure and the raised portions of the plunger represent facial features and/or clothing details of the figure.

5. A moulding tool as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the plunger is removable from either end of the tubular cavity of the cutter.

6. A moulding tool as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tubular cutter has an outer surface which tapers inwardly towards the cutting edge.

7. A moulding tool as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the plunger comprises a head portion movable within said tubular cavity and connected to a manually movable handle portion.

8. A moulding tool as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tubular cutter is provided with a handling member.

9. A moulding tool as claimed in claim 8, wherein the handling member comprises a substantially planar rim extending outwardly from the end of the tubular cavity remote from the cutting edge.

10. A moulding tool, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.