US1303932A

US1303932A - Logan mcfaelane

Info

Publication number: US1303932A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-05-20
Anticipated expiration: 1936-05-20

Description

L. MCFARLANE.

MACHINE FOR MOLDING PULP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10, I916 1 3@3,932@ Patented May 20, 1919.

STATES ENT orricn LOGANMCFABLANE, or HALTON, NEAR LEEDS, ENGLAND.

MACHINE FOR MOLDING PIl'LP.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 20, 1919.

Application filed November 10, 1916. Serial No. 130,571.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOGAN MCFARLANE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Rosedene, The Avenue, Halton, nea Leeds, Yorkshire, England, have inventedf new and useful Improvements in Machines for Molding Pulp, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for molding pulp or the like in which the pulp is freed from excess of moisture and formed into substantially solid articles by pressure, and more particularly to machines wherein one end of eachmold is adapted to be closed by a reciprocatory piston while the other end of the mold is adapted to be closed by a stationary plate over which the mold moves until it registers with an opening in said plate. The improved machine is especially designed to produce boot or shoe heels or bobbins or reels for thread or the like, but may be used I for molding any other suitable articles.

According to the present invention, the wall of each mold is formed in two parts, one of which is adapted to be automatically withdrawn from the other to release the molded article when the mold moves over the opening in the stationary plate; this movement of the part of the mold being effected by means of a cam arranged on the stationary plate.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine, Fig. 2 a sectional elevation of the pulp drum showing one mode of expressing the pulp, Fig. 3 is a plan of the mold carrier, Fig. 4 a plan of the sole plate; Fig. 5 an enlarged cross section of the mold, and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a cam race for actuating the main plunger of the mold. Fig. 7 is a plan and Fig. 8 aside elevation of a drum provided with modified means for expressing the pulp. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a modified arrangement for discharging the article from the mold and Fig. 10 is a front view of part of Fig. 9.

.According to the mode of carrying out the present invention as shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the tank or drum a is rotatably mounted around a central stationary standard I) on which means are mounted for forcing the ulp through one or more ports at or near the bottom of the tank. These means may comprise a series of curved plates or propeller blades 0 (see Fig. 2) projecting from a boss 0 fixed; to the standard I), the lower end of said boss preferably taking into a recessed portion a of the bottom of the tank filled with packing. If desired, a fixed screw or other suitable means may be employed for forcing the pulp into the said ports. The curved plates, propeller blades or fixed screw effect the forcing of the pulp into the ports by acting as stationary guides to the pulp in the rotating tank or drum. To the bottom of the tank or drum is secured a disk or plate (1 with radial arms, to the outer ends of which are secured the portways al leading from the openings or. ports of the tank. The disk or plate is formed with a central bush d which surrounds thereduced portion whereby the rotation of the tank is obtained.

The molds proper are secured by means of flanges f to the portways d carried by the disk or plate 03 and rotate therewith. Each mold consists of a hollow cylinder 7 open at its lower end which abuts against and moves over the stationary sole-plate. The sole-plate acts normally to close the lower end of said cylinder. of the cylinder is also formed with a recessed portion in which a movable piston f is adapted to slide. This piston is normally held in such a position that it registers exactly with the walls of the cylinder, this being efiected for example by means of an annular cam 6 arranged on the sole-plate, against which cam a roller f on the outer end of the spindle bears. This roller is pressed against the cam by means of a spiral spring f or the like. Any other suitable means may however be employed for effecting the forward-and backward movements of the piston f which really constitutes a part of the wall of the lower or mold .end of the cylinder.

A main piston f is arranged to oscillate in the cylinder in order to compress the pulp which has been forced therein from the tank, and also inorder to discharge the excess moisture orv water from the pulp. The piston-head is secured to a spindle f, which passes through a stufiing box f at the top of the cylinder and which is provided at The lower end its upper end with rollers f adapted to take into a stationary cam race 9, secured to the top frame of the machine. This cam race (see Fig. 6) may be adapted to give any desired number of oscillations to the main piston, the earn 6 on the sole-plate (see Fig. 4) being arranged to give the same number of oscillations to the second piston, these latter oscillations taking place however at different times to the oscillations of the main piston. The downward stroke of the main piston 7" which does not fit tightly in the cylinder but has a slight clearance to allow the water to escape to the pipe f, compresses the pulp into the required shape, the water from the pulp escaping above the main piston, which water is discharged on the upper stroke of the piston through the pipe f and thence into an annular trough It arranged outside the tank or drum. The main piston is provided with an upwardly extending gate or "semi-circular sleeve f at the side of the port for supplying pulp tn the cylinder; this gate or sleeve maintaining the port closed after the piston has passed same on its downward or compressing stroke and until the piston has repassed same on its return stroke. After the pulp has been compressed, the piston f forming part of the wall of the .lower or mold end of the cylinder is withdrawn into the recessed portion of the cylinder, thus releasing the molded article. This withdrawal of the second piston is arranged to take place at or about the moment the lower end of the cylinder passes over each of a series of segmental slots 6 formed in the sole-plate through which the molded articles are discharged. The means for discharging the molded articles preferably comprise a kicker in connection with each slot, each kicker tapping the molded article upwardly and forwardly so that it can freely fall through the slot.

The kicker comprises a double-armed 1ever z', pivot-ally mounted on the sole-plate and arranged with its kicking end at the end of its slot first passed over, the other end of the lever being pivotally secured to a pin 2' which projects through a small hole formed in the sole-plate into the path of the recessed portions of the molding cylinders. This pin is depressed as each molding cylinder passes and consequently oscillates the double-armed lever so that the kicking end thereof taps the molded article in an up-.

wardly and forwardly direction. This tap ping action totally releases the molded article from the remaining part of the mold so that the molded article falls through the opening 0 in the sole-plate into a receptacle arranged underneath same.

v In the arrangement according to Figs. 9 and 10, instead of forming the lower part of the mold with an open base, a separate sliding base Z is provided adapted to slide over the upper surface of the sole plate of the machine. This sliding base has two op-' posite upwardly extending sides, at a suitable position in each of which is a slot Z within which "slide pins or studs Z attached to the moving part of the .mold. When the mold opens, the piston Z the front end of which forms the movi part of the mold, travels over the sliding base Z (to the left in F ig. 9) during the first part of its travel leaving the molded article in the fixed part of the mold. On the pinsor studs Z reaching the end of the slots Z they engage the stops Z and the sliding base Z is thereby carried with the piston during the rest of its travel. The sliding base Z which forms the base of the mold thus remains stationary during the first half of the travel of the piston Z. During the rest of the travel, the piston and the sliding base move together, the latter carrying with it the molded article. To insure that the sliding base Z does not commence its travel prematurely a spring Z (shown compressed) is attached as shown in Fig. 9. On the commencement of the travel of the piston, this spring tends to retain the sliding base in the position wherein the bottom of the mold is closed. Attached tothe stationary part of the mold is a spring trigger Z mounted at one end of a shaft Z To the other end of said shaft is keyed a short lever Z which engages a bridge Z during the opening travel of the piston and drops on to an inclined plane Z at the end of the travel. At the moment when the short lever Z reaches the end of the bridge Z the trigger Z is released and is caused by the spring Z to discharge the molded article in the direction in which the mold is traveling and through an aperture in the sole plate. On the return travel of the piston, the short lever Z is brought back to 8), the revolving drum is formed or provided with a plurality of conical pockets is, say four, preferably inverted and formed each with a port at its apex or lower end. A spindle k rotatably mounted in a. bracket 16 arranged'at the upper or month end of each conical pocket depends therein and is provided with a conical screw 70 which closely fits the conical pocket. This spindle is arranged to be actuated at different speeds durin the rotation of the drum. The means for e ecting this preferably comprises a two speed gear which consists of two pinions k and k of difl'erent size secured to one end of naoaeea each spindle, and tWo intermittent geared plates is and is of different size secured to the central standard and arranged to alternately mesh with their respective pinions. These gear plates may be formed of a flat star-shape, the number of arms on each plate preferably corresponding to the number of conical pockets. The gearing is so arranged that the low speed carries a supply of pulp toward the port at the bottom of the pocket, while the high or fast speed acts immediately the mold port is open thus insuring an instantaneous feed of pulp into the mold. The advantage of this modified arrangement is that same allows of a positive feed which is very much quicker and the pulp pressed out contains only the minimum moisture. The spaces between the pockets of the drum are covered at the top by means of pentsheds or inclined guides it which facilitate the feeding of the pulp into the pockets and prevent same from falling between the latter. Each of the upply pipes for the four molds may he provided with a. valve or cut of? is for the purpose of regulating the supply of material to the molds.

Claims:

1,, A pulp-molding machine, comprising a supporting frame, a plurality of radially arranged molds on said frame, means for filling each of said molds at predetermined intervals, a piston. in each mold for compressing the material fed thereto, cams arranged to actuate the piston to compress the material, means for relatively moving the molds and cams and automatic means adjacent to each mold for discharging the finished article therefrom; substantially as described.

2. A ulp-molding machine, comprising a supporting frame, a. pulp supply carried by Said frame and arranged to be rotated therewith, a plurality of radially disposed molds connected to the frame and arranged to be rotated therewith, means for rotating said frame, a compressing piston in each mold, stationary cams arranged toactuate the pis tons during the rotation of the frame, a fixed bottom for said molds over which the molds travel, said bottom having an opening through which the finished articles are discharged, automatic discharging means connected to each mold, and stationary cams for actuating said discharging means; substantially as described.

3. A pulp-molding machine, comprisinga supporting frame, a pulp supply carried by said frame and. arranged to be rotated therewith, a. plurality of radially disposed molds connected to theframe and arranged to be rotated therewith, means for rotating said frame, a compressing piston in each mold, stationary cams arranged to actuate the pistons during the rotation of the frame, afixed bottom. for said molds over which the molds travel, said bottom having an opening through which the finished articles are discharged, automatic discharging means con nected to each mold, stationary cams for actuating said discharging means, a. kicker on the bottom of said molds, and means arranged to actuate said kicker when the molds pass over the opening; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOGAN MCFARLANE.

Witnesses:

Lucy COSTIGAN, ETHEL GRIFFIN.