Molding apparatus for producing dry cast products having textured side surfaces
AssigneeOldcastle Building Products Canada Inc.
InventorsBertin Castonguay, Marcel Thomassen, Robert Daoust, Marc-André Lacas
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Abstract
An apparatus for molding dry cast products having a textured side surface is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an open compartment for receiving a dry concrete mixture and a plurality of walls laterally enclosing the compartment. At least one of the walls has a multilevel surface with a plurality of sections in an overhanging relationship with each other and transitional curvilinear steps bridging adjacent one of the sections to impart a textured side surface resembling a natural rockface and allowing stripping of the dry cast products from an open bottom side of the compartment.
Claims10
An apparatus for molding dry cast products having a textured side surface, the apparatus comprising:
- a) a frame having a plurality of open molding compartments for receiving a dry concrete mixture and removing a dry cast product;
- b) each open molding compartment comprising at least four walls laterally enclosing the molding compartment;
- c) at least one of the at least four walls comprising a first subface and a second subface, wherein each subface comprises a multilevel surface with a plurality of sections in an overhanging relationship with each other;
- d) the plurality of sections comprising:
- (i) a top section having a first thickness and comprising a top edge aligned with a top side of the molding compartment, wherein the top side comprises an aperture through which the dry concrete mixture is introduced into the molding compartment;
- (ii) a bottom section vertically below the top section and comprising a second thickness smaller than the first thickness and a bottom edge aligned with a bottom side of the molding compartment, wherein the bottom side comprises an aperture through which the dry cast product is removed from the molding compartment;
- and
- (iii) transitional curvilinear steps bridging adjacent sections to impart a textured side surface resembling a natural rockface and allowing stripping of the dry cast product from the bottom side of the molding compartment;
- and
- e) a step positioned between the first subface and the second subface, wherein the step comprises:
- (i) a vertically angled demoulding surface;
- (ii) a first vertical edge portion having a vertical profile that substantially conforms to a vertical profile of the first subface;
- and
- (iii) a second vertical edge portion having a vertical profile that substantially conforms to the vertical profile of the second subface;
- wherein the first vertical edge portion is horizontally offset from the second vertical edge portion, and wherein the vertical profile of the first vertical edge portion has a different shape than the vertical profile of the second vertical edge portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.