Press die and method for producing a roof tile

A method for producing a roof tile from clay, using a press mold that has a first mold half and a second mold half, wherein the mold halves are movable relative to one another between a pressing position and a filling position;

• in the pressing position the mold halves substantially delimit a receiving space that models the shape of the finished roof tile, and respective opposing surfaces of the first mold half and of the second mold half model in each case a corresponding surface of the roof tile, and
• in the filling position, the mold halves are spaced apart from one another so that a plastically deformable clay material can be filled into at least one of the first and the second mold half,
• wherein at least one of the first mold half and the second mold half has at least one recess that models a protrusion on the finished roof tile, and
• adjacent the recess, a first pressure element is provided, which is configured to be movable between a starting position, in which the first pressure element is set back with regard to the shape of the finished roof tile, and a compacting position, in which the first pressure element partially models the surface of the roof tile, the method comprising the steps of:
• providing the press mold, wherein the mold halves are located in the filling position and the at least one first pressure element is located in the starting position,
• filling a predried granular clay material into the receiving space,
• moving the mold halves into the pressing position, wherein the clay material is compacted,
• moving the at least one pressure element into the compacting position, wherein the clay material is compacted in the region of the first pressure element.