Press with swingable top press plate

In a rim press for permitting molding of an element between upper and lower mold parts which when closed cooperate to define a mold cavity therebetween, said press including a frame, an upper platen arrangement mounted on the press and defining thereon a generally horizontally enlarged and downwardly facing press surface on which the upper mold part is mounted, a lower platen arrangement defining thereon a generally horizontally enlarged and upwardly facing press surface for mounting the lower mold part thereon, at least one of said upper and lower platen arrangements being movably supported on said frame for vertical movement toward and away from the other platen arrangement so that the mold parts can be respectively moved into closed and open positions, and a drive arrangement connected to said one platen arrangement for effecting driving movement thereof between said open and closed positions, comprising the improvement wherein said one platen arrangement is defined by said upper platen arrangement, said upper platen arrangement including an upper platen structure which is vertically guidably supported on said frame for vertical movement between said open and closed position, said upper platen arrangement also including an upper booking plate which defines thereon the downwardly facing press surface on which the upper mold part is mounted, said upper booking plate being swingably mounted on and carried by said upper platen structure so that said upper booking plate can be vertically swingably moved relative to said upper platen structure between a use position wherein the upper booking plate is disposed directly under the upper platen structure so as to be vertically aligned above the lower platen arrangement and an access position wherein the upper booking plate is at least partially vertically oriented so that the downwardly facing press surface thereon is oriented toward one side of the press, said drive arrangement including a screw shaft unit having a vertically elongated screw shaft which is rotatably supported on the frame and a ball-nut unit which surrounds and is rotatably engaged with the screw shaft, said ball nut unit being mounted on and carried by the upper platen structure for displacing the latter vertically in response to rotation of the screw shaft, the drive arrangement also including an electric drive motor which is drivingly interconnected to said screw shaft for effecting rotation thereof in either rotational direction, and a tilt control linkage including first and second telescopingly engaged and coaxially oriented link parts which telescopingly extend and contract relative to one another, said first link part being pivotally connected to said frame and said second link part being pivotally connected to said upper booking plate for causing said upper booking plate to automatically swing between said use and access positions in response to vertical movement of said upper platen structure between said open position and an intermediate operational position which is defined vertically between said open and closed positions.