Adjustable powder flow gate for a rotary pellet press

An adjustable powder flow gate for a rotary pellet press, the press comprising a rotatable turret having a horizontal upper surface and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart dies extending from the upper surface into the turret, a feed frame at a fixed position adjacent the upper surface of the turret for receiving powder and directing powder on the upper surface of the turret, the feed frame having spaced apart inner and outer walls between which the powder passes as the turret rotates, the inner wall being closer to a turret axis of rotation than the outer wall, the powder flow gate comprising:

• an elongated member forming a bridge spanning the inner and outer walls, a channel being defined by the upper surface of the turret, the elongated member and the inner and outer walls, wherein the dies pass below the channel as the turret rotates;
• a first blade depending from the elongated member and having a straight edge positioned adjacent the upper surface of the turret such that the first blade blocks a first portion of the channel extending from the outer wall to a position between the inner and outer walls;
• a rotatable shaft carried by the elongated member in about parallel alignment with the elongated member, the shaft having a first end at a position radially outside the outer wall with respect to the turret axis of rotation and having a threaded second end at a position radially between the inner and outer walls with respect to the turret axis of rotation;
• first means for maintaining the shaft in a fixed translational position relative to the elongated member;
• second means for maintaining the shaft in a selected rotational position;
• a movable gate, comprising:
• a member having a tapped bore receiving the threaded second end of the rotatable shaft;
• and
• a second blade affixed to the member having a tapped bore, extending across a second portion of the channel overlapping the first portion of the channel, aligned parallel to and overlapping the first blade and having a straight edge positioned adjacent the upper surface of the turret, wherein rotation of the shaft provides a screw action to the member having a tapped bore that effects straight line motion of the movable gate across the channel to adjust the size of an opening in the channel defined by the inner wall, the second blade, the upper surface of the turret and the elongated member.