Method for forming tapered products
AssigneeRampf Molds Industries, Inc.
InventorJosef Ott
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for forming molded tapered products, such as masonry blocks, whereby high quality finished products are removed from their mold without the need for complex machinery for demolding. The mold may include one or more mold cavities having one or more movable cavity walls. The movable cavity walls may include an end liner having a planar product forming surface capable of moving from a vertical position to an angled position. Tapered products may be formed by moving the mold towards a pallet so that the pallet engages with the end liner and causes the end liner to move from the vertical position to the angled position. Moldable material may then be introduced into the mold cavity and may be allowed to remain in the mold cavity until it is self-sustaining.
Claims2
A method of forming a tapered molded product with a mold, said method comprising the steps of:
- moving a mold towards a pallet, the mold comprising:
- a frame;
- and
- at least one mold cavity, the at least one mold cavity having a plurality of cavity walls defining the sides of the mold cavity, and the at least one mold cavity having an open top through which moldable material can be introduced into the mold cavity;
- wherein at least one of the plurality of cavity walls is a movable wall, the movable wall including:
- a stationary element attached to the frame, the stationary element having a groove;
- a pivot element, the pivot element being rotatably attached to the stationary element;
- and
- a movable element having a planar product forming surface, the movable element being slidably and rotatably attached to the groove of the stationary element and the movable element being rotatably attached to the pivot element, such that the movable element is capable of moving between a first position and a second position;
- engaging the pallet with the movable element such that the pallet forces the movable element from the first position to the second position;
- introducing a quantity of moldable material into the at least one mold cavity while the movable element is in the second position;
- allowing the moldable material to remain in the at least one mold cavity until it forms a self-sustaining molded product while the movable element is in the second position;
- and
- moving the mold away from the pallet such that the self-sustaining molded product remains on the pallet and the movable element moves from the second position to the first position.
The method according to claim 2, wherein the self-sustaining molded product has at least one tapered wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.