Binding of particulate materials to manufacture articles

A manufacturing method for producing a bound body composed at least partially of particulate material, the method including the steps of:

• providing a feed material which includes a substantial proportion of particulate material,
• introducing to the feed material a binder which includes a heat curable or activated adhesive substance so that the binder contacts significant proportions of the surfaces of the particulate material,
• feeding a mixture of feed material having the binder therein into a die so that it adopts substantially a shape of a body to be produced, and
• heating the mixture in the die until the binder has cured sufficiently to enable further handling as an integral bound body comprising bound particulate materials,
• wherein the method includes the further step of feeding the mixture through an intake zone prior to entering the die which forms a continuous extension of the intake zone so that the mixture passes from the intake zone into the die without any intervening transition zone, the mixture being fed through the intake zone being shaped therein into substantially the same shape it adopts when subsequently fed into the die so that the mixture in the intake zone is a continuous extension of mixture in the die and so that any progress of curing of the binder due to heating the mixture resident in the intake zone is effective in curing the binder while the mixture in the intake zone is in desired final shape, and
• wherein the step of feeding comprises feeding the mixture in batches in an indexed manner from the intake zone into the die so that each batch of the mixture in the intake zone is a continuous extension of the preceding batch now in the die and so that successive formed cured batches that are moved out of the die form a continuous body emerging in a stepped manner.

A manufacturing method for producing a bound body composed at least partially of particulate material, the method including the steps of:

• providing a feed material which includes a substantial proportion of particulate material,
• introducing to the feed material a binder which includes a heat curable or activated adhesive substance so that the binder contacts significant proportions of the surfaces of the particulate material,
• feeding a mixture of feed material having the binder therein into a die so that it adopts substantially a shape of a bound body to be produced,
• heating the mixture in the die until the binder has cured sufficiently to enable further handling as an integral bound body comprising bound particulate materials,
• feeding the mixture through an intake zone prior to entering the die which forms a continuous extension of the intake zone so that the mixture passes from the intake zone into the die without any intervening transition zone, the mixture being fed through the intake zone being shaped therein into substantially the same shape it adopts when subsequently fed into the die so that the mixture in the intake zone is a continuous extension of the mixture in the die and so that any progress of curing of the binder due to heating the mixture resident in the intake zone is effective in curing the binder while the mixture in the intake zone is in a desired final shape,
• locating a face member on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the mixture being fed into the intake zone and into the die whereby the face member is advanced through the intake zone and through the die, the face member comprising a flexible sheet progressively fed from a roll so as to enter the intake zone and progress to the die with the face member separating the mixture of particulate material and binder from direct contact with the surfaces of the intake zone and the die, wherein the flexible sheet is wider than the final width of the bound body that emerges from the die, and wherein the flexible sheet is shaped at its side edges to form side members for assisting to enclose the mixture in the die against lateral expansion.

Apparatus for manufacturing a bound body composed at least partially of particulate material, the apparatus comprising:

• means for introducing to a feed material which includes a substantial proportion of particulate material a binder which includes a heat curable or activated adhesive substance so that the binder contacts significant proportions of the surfaces of the particulate material,
• a die having substantially the shape of a body to be produced and means for feeding a mixture of the feed material having the binder therein into the die so that it adopts substantially the shape of the body to be produced,
• means for heating the mixture in the die until the binder has cured sufficiently to enable further handling of the integral bound body comprising bound particulate materials, and
• an intake zone into and through which the mixture is fed prior to entering the die, the die being configured to form a continuous extension of the intake zone so that the mixture passes from the intake zone into the die without any intervening transition zone, the mixture being fed through the intake zone being shaped therein into substantially the same shape it adopts when subsequently fed into the die so that the mixture in the intake zone is a continuous extension of mixture in the die so that any progress of curing of the binder due to heating the mixture resident in the intake zone is effective in curing the binder while the mixture in the intake zone is in a desired final shape,
• wherein the apparatus further includes one or more of the following features:
• the means for feeding is configured to feed the mixture in batches in an indexed manner from the intake zone into the die so that each batch of the mixture in the intake zone is a continuous extension of a preceding batch now in the die and so that successive formed cured batches that are moved out of the die form a continuous body emerging in a stepped manner;
• the intake zone is defined by intake guides composed of insulating material;
• and
• a supply of a flexible sheet is associated with the intake zone in a manner that enables the flexible sheet to enter the intake zone and progress to the die, with the flexible sheet separating the mixture of particulate material and binder from direct contact with the surfaces of the intake zone and the die, wherein the flexible sheet is wider than the final width of the bound body that emerges from the die, and wherein the flexible sheet is shaped at its side edges to form side members for assisting to enclose the mixture in the die against lateral expansion.