Cable guide system for a mold forming and extruding machine and a method of use

A cable guide system for a mold forming machine, said machine including a frame having a pair of spaced apart vertical members, a pair of rotatable wheels secured to said frame, a hopper supported by said frame into which said moldable substance can be placed, a tunnel shaped mold communicating with said hopper, a plunger movable within said tunnel shaped mold, said plunger including a vertical member having an outer perimeter and having an aperture formed therethrough which is located completely inward of said outer perimeter, an engine supported on said frame, and a drive mechanism connecting said engine to said plunger so as to reciprocate said plunger, said cable guide system comprising:

• a) a pair of brackets each being vertically adjustable on one of said pair of vertical members;
• b) a support shaft aligned horizontally and having a first member removably attached to one of said brackets and a second end having an elongated hollow cavity formed therein, and a second member having a first end which is sized and shaped to telescopically engage with said elongated hollow cavity and a second end removably attached to said other bracket, said first and second members cooperating to span between said pair of spaced apart vertical members;
• c) a first stop member secured to said support shaft;
• d) a tensioning device positioned on said support shaft and cooperating with said first stop member;
• e) a spool containing a quantity of flexible reinforcement cable, said spool having a central aperture formed therethrough which is sized to slide over said support shaft, and said spool cooperating with said tensioning device such that a predetermined tension can be applied against said spool to prevent said flexible cable from prematurely unraveling;
• f) a second stop member secured to said support shaft on an opposite side of said spool;
• and
• g) a guide member secured to said mold forming machine at a location below and forward of said spool and in horizontal alignment with a plunger, said guide member having an aperture formed therethrough, said plunger capable of expelling a moldable substance from said machine while allowing said flexible cable to pass through said aperture, said guide member capable of changing the direction of said flexible cable which is unwound from said spool from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation, and said guide member axially aligning said unwound cable with said aperture formed in said plunger.

A method of using a cable guide system with a mold forming and extruding machine to guide and embed a flexible reinforcement cable in a compacted and moldable substance, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) attaching a cable guide system to a mold forming and extruding machine having a pair of spaced apart vertical members, a hopper, an engine connected to a drive mechanism, which in turn operates a reciprocating ram connected to a plunger, said plunger having at least one aperture formed therein through which said flexible reinforcement cable can pass, said cable guide system including a support shaft aligned horizontally and secured to said pair of spaced apart vertical members, said support shaft having first and second members, said first member having a first end removably attached to one of said vertical members and a second end having an elongated hollow cavity formed therein, and said second member having a first end which is sized and shaped to engage with said elongated hollow cavity and a second end removably attached to said other vertical member, said first and second members cooperating to vary the length of said support shaft so as to accommodate various machine models, a first stop member secured to said support shaft, a tensioning device positioned on said support shaft and cooperating with said first stop member, a spool containing a quantity of flexible reinforcement cable, said spool having a central aperture formed therethrough which is sized to slide over said support shaft, said spool cooperating with said tensioning device such that a predetermined tension can be applied against said spool to prevent said flexible cable from prematurely unraveling, a second stop member secured to said support shaft on an opposite side of said spool, and a guide member secured to said mold forming and extruding machine at a location below and forward of said spool and in horizontal alignment with said plunger, said guide member having an aperture formed therein;
• b) unwinding said flexible reinforcement cable from said spool and passing a free end of said flexible reinforcement cable through said aperture formed in said guide member, said guide member capable of changing the direction of said flexible reinforcement cable from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation;
• c) advancing said free end of said flexible reinforcement cable through said aperture formed in said plunger such that said flexible reinforcement cable is axially aligned with said aperture formed in said guide member;
• and
• d) securing said free end of said flexible reinforcement cable at a predetermined location and operating said machine to move away from said predetermined location while said plunger extrudes said moldable substance around said flexible reinforcement cable.

A method of using a cable guide system with a mold forming and extruding machine to guide and embed a flexible reinforcement cable in a compacted and moldable substance, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) attaching a cable guide system to a mold forming and extruding machine having a pair of spaced apart vertical members, a hopper, an engine connected to a drive mechanism, which in turn operates a reciprocating ram connected to a plunger, said plunger having at least one aperture formed therein through which said flexible reinforcement cable can pass, said cable guide system including a support shaft aligned horizontally and secured to said pair of spaced apart vertical members, said support shaft having first and second members, said first member having a first end removably attached to one of said vertical members and a second end having an elongated hollow cavity formed therein, and said second member having a first end which is sized and shaped to engage with said elongated hollow cavity and a second end removably attached to said other vertical member, said first and second members cooperating to vary the length of said support shaft so as to accommodate various machine models, a first stop member secured to said support shaft, a tensioning device positioned on said support shaft and cooperating with said first stop member, a spool containing a quantity of flexible reinforcement cable, said spool having a central aperture formed therethrough which is sized to slide over said support shaft, said spool cooperating with said tensioning device such that a predetermined tension can be applied against said spool to prevent said flexible cable from prematurely unraveling, a second stop member secured to said support shaft on an opposite side of said spool, and a guide member secured to said mold forming and extruding machine at a location below and forward of said spool and in horizontal alignment with said plunger, said guide member having an aperture formed therethrough which is aligned parallel to said support shaft and at an elevation in line with said reciprocating ram;
• b) unwinding said flexible reinforcement cable from said spool and passing a free end of said flexible reinforcement cable through said aperture formed in said guide member, said guide member capable of changing the direction of said flexible reinforcement cable from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation;
• c) advancing said free end of said flexible reinforcement cable through said aperture formed in said plunger such that said flexible reinforcement cable is axially aligned with said aperture formed in said guide member;
• and
• d) securing said free end of said flexible reinforcement cable at a predetermined location and operating said machine to move away from said predetermined location while said plunger extrudes said moldable substance around said flexible reinforcement cable.