Process and apparatus for candle-making

A process comprising

• providing a chamber defined by a generally cylindrical sidewall, said chamber having a first end and a second end, wherein the chamber has a longitudinal axis which is generally vertically positioned and the first end of the chamber constitutes an upper end and the second end of the chamber constitutes a lower end;
• providing a gate at the second end of the chamber which is movable from a first position in which the gate is sealingly engaged with the second end of the chamber to a second position in which the gate does not impede the ejection of a candle blank from the chamber;
• providing a piston in the chamber which is movable from a first position which is near the first end of the chamber to a second position which is near the second end of the chamber;
• moving the gate into the first position;
• moving the piston into the first position;
• filling the chamber with hot molten candle wax;
• cooling the chamber to at least partially solidify the wax, wherein the volume of wax shrinks as the wax cools;
• moving the piston toward the second position as the wax partially solidifies thereby reducing the length of the generally cylindrical chamber as the wax cools, so that the volume of the chamber remains substantially the same as the volume of the shrinking wax, wherein the piston is moved toward the second position under urging from a biasing means;
• moving the gate into the second position after the wax has reached a semi-solid state;
• and
• moving the piston to the second position to eject the candle blank from the chamber;
• said process being carried out with a three-axis head, wherein the head moves in the +Z direction to open a valve and fill the chamber with molten wax, and then a predetermined amount in the −Z direction to load a spring which urges the piston against the solidifying wax, and then an additional predetermined amount in the −Z direction to engage a mechanism to move the gate into the second position, and then an additional amount in the −Z direction to move the piston into the second position and eject the candle blank.