Press for making sanitary articles, in particular toilet bowls, by pressure casting

A press for making sanitary articles, in particular toilet bowls, by pressure slip casting into a mold having a plurality of mold parts, the press comprising:

• a press superstructure having a central press structure;
• a plurality of guide portals extending radially from said central press structure and having an axis along its lateral dimension;
• at least two slides rollingly engagable with said guide portals such that each said slide is free to move laterally along the length of each said guide portal;
• a suspension frame suspended from each said slide;
• mounting plates affixed to each said suspension frame;
• each said mounting plate being configured so as to accept one of the mold parts;
• first drive means in operative communication with said suspension frames such that each said suspensionn frame is caused to move in a direction toward or away from another said suspension frame, the movement of each said suspension frame being effected via said lateral rolling movement between said slides and said guide portals;
• said lateral rolling movement causing the mold parts affixed to said mounting plates to move between an open and closed position;
• second drive means in operative communication with at least one of said mounting plates, such that movement of said mounting plate may be effected independently of said movement of said suspension frames;
• locking means in operative engagement with said suspension frames and locking said suspension frames together when the mold parts are in the closed position.