Compacting apparatus with precompaction tamper

Apparatus for compacting articles, which comprises:

• a compaction chamber adapted to receive articles to be compacted;
• compaction means movable into said compaction chamber for compacting the articles;
• means for measuring the compacting force applied to the articles by said compaction means at a selected point of the movement of said compaction means into said compaction chamber;
• and means for introducing more articles into said compaction chamber if said force applied by said compaction means is less than a selected level.

Apparatus for compacting articles, which comprises:

• a compaction chamber adapted to receive articles to be compacted;
• an article chute positioned to feed articles into said compaction chamber;
• a compacting platen movably mounted in said compaction chamber, said platen being movable between an open position in which articles in said article chute may enter said compaction chamber and a shear position in which articles within said compaction chamber are compacted;
• means for measuring the force exerted by said platen upon articles in said compaction chamber when said platen is in said shear position;
• and,
• means for retracting said platen to said open position if said force measured by said measuring means is less than a selected level.

Apparatus for compacting articles, which comprises:

• a compaction chamber adapted to receive articles to be compacted;
• compaction means movable into said compaction chamber for compacting the articles;
• means for measuring the compacting force applied to the articles by said compaction means at a selected point of the movement of said compaction means into said compaction chamber;
• means for introducing more articles into said compaction chamber if said force applied by said compaction means at said selected point is less than a selected level;
• and means for ejecting compacted articles from said compaction chamber when said force applied by said compaction means at said selected point is at least equal to said selected level.

Apparatus for compacting articles, which comprises:

• a compaction chamber adapted to receive articles to be compacted;
• tamper means for precompacting articles in said compaction chamber, said tamper means being movable between an open position in which articles may enter said compaction chamber and a closed position in which articles are precompacted in said compaction chamber;
• compacting platen means for compacting precompacted articles in said compaction chamber;
• and means for operating said compacting platen means when said tamper means is unable to move to said closed position.