GB394489A - Improvements in or relating to the moulding of plastic substances, such as confectionery - Google Patents

Abstract

394,489. Moulding plastic substances such as confectionery. LE CERF, H., 29, Pantaleonsm³hlengasse, Cologne, Germany. June 30, 1932, No. 18523. Convention date, July 3, 1931. [Class 87 (ii).] Apparatus for moulding plastic substances. such as confectionery comprises a rotary drum 1, carrying a number of mould cups 2 having perforations 10 therein, and around which is wrapped an endless belt 3 of thin rubber or other elastic material which is adapted to be sucked into the mould cups so as to conform to the inner faces thereof, the mould cups being connected alternately to a suction source prior to filling the cups with the plastic material and to a pressure source to effect ejection of the moulded articles. The mould cups are formed in airtight metal boxes 11 mounted in mould carriers 13 normally held by springs 17. in recesses 12 in the drum but movable out-- wardly in a radial direction to bring the mould cups close up to the reciprocating cutter 7 of the feed hopper 4 to facilitate deposition of plastic material in the mould cups. The mould carriers are moved outwardly by wedges 25 located one at each end of the drum and engaging extensions 15a on the carrier, the wedges being reciprocated by a cam-operated linkage 250. Each mould cup is connected through the perforations 10 to the interior of the boxes 11 which are in connection through flexible tubing 18 with passages 19 drilled in one of the journals of the drum. The passages 19 are connected in desired sequence with a suction line 22 and with a pressure line 21 by a plate valve oscillated by a cam-operated linkage 200. The plate valve is provided on its inner face, which abuts the end of the journal, with an arcuate recess 202, Fig. 4, into which opens the port 203 of the suction line 22, enabling the suction line to communicate simultaneously with two of the passages 19 so that the mould carrier being filled and the previously filled left-hand mould carrier shown in Fig. 2 are under suction, whilst the lowermost carrier is under pressure through the port 201 and the pressure line 21 for ejecting the moulded articles 2a which fall upon and are removed by a conveyer belt 9. The belt 3 is guided over auxiliary rolls 23 and may be sprinkled with powder from a shaking powder reservoir 24 after each moulding operation to secure clean delivery of the moulded articles. Alternatively the mould cups may be rigidly fixed to the rotary drum and the feed hopper lowered over the moulds. Spherical or similar shaped confectionery without a flat bottom surface may be moulded by employing a pair of the rotary moulding drums which are moved bodily towards one another to produce articles by the adhesion together of the complementary halves which are separately moulded in the cups of the two drums.