Machine for producing clay pigeons for shooting - has cavities holding pigeons until released by vert. push rods

A machine for the fabrication of trays more commonly referred to as "clay pigeons" for shooting at clay pigeon shooting.

It is known machines for the fabrication of trays which are comprised of a vertical central shaft journalled in bearings of a frame, and supporting, on the one hand, molds for receiving material for the manufacture of the plates and, on the other hand, carried by supports matrices and vertically movable for cooperate on the molds for forming pigeons.

In such machines, there is provided means for controlling the rotation of the barrel, so that each mold comes to lie opposite a chute of arrival of the material for the manufacture of the plates, means being provided to dump in said molds, a quantity of material determined.

The material is typically a mixture of coal tar pitch and limestone, this assembly is heated to a temperature in the range of 120 °C, to make it pasty, said paste poured into the moulds to a prescribed quantity and the matrix forming the tray in the compression molded, the latter and the matrix being cooled.

Lorsque le plateau est formé, la matrice s'écarte du moule, et, ledit plateau logé dans ce dernier, doit être retiré.

To achieve the extraction, the bottom of the molds includes a finger slidably mounted in the body of said molds and protruding at the lower portion thereof, the free end of said finger cooperating with a fixed cam of the frame of the machine * The cam therefore controls in a determined angular position of the molds, the sliding of the finger to project into the mold and repels the pigeon to the outside thereof, so that it can be released from the mold.

Such a machine, although perfect operation has the disadvantage that the extraction of the pigeons is inconvenient. Indeed, the trays which are still hot, are fragile and must be extracted and molds once released by the fingers with precautions, is generally means that draw a vacuum to a the trays and transporting them to a sorting station, and packaging. Such copy] members are complex, expensive and require a complex plant.

To 1' invention is to remedy these various disadvantages.

The machine according to the invention is of the type comprising

a frame supporting a vertical shaft journalled in bearings of the frame and supporting, on the one hand, a series of moulds arranged radially, and, on the other hand, a series of dies disposed radially above the molds and carried by supports vertically movable, means for controlling the rotation of the barrel, means for controlling the discharge into each mold of a quantity of material determined, means for controlling the movement of the carriers so that the matrices by cooperating with the molds, form the trays in the material contained in said molds, means for controlling the spacing of the matrices molds and means of extracting the plates thus formed and is particularly characterized in that each matrix comprises retaining means for the plates so that when they disengage molds, remain adherent to said matrices, and means being provided to control the release of the trays to said adherent matrices, in an angular position of the barrel for discharging thereof.

Therefore, by this structure, the suction members is suppressed and is simplified much said machine, the discharge means trays which can be constituted by a simple inclined ramp located in the angular position corresponding to the release of the trays.

According to another feature, the means for securing the trays are constituted by cavities formed in the side wall of the matrices, for example small vertical grooves or blind holes.

Therefore, the material during molding engage these holes borgres and will form the retaining means, which is particularly simple and inexpensive.

In one constructive characteristic, the means for controlling the release of the trays to the adherent matrices comprise at least one stub slidably mounted substantially vertically in a bore of each matrix, against the action of elastic return means tending to be erased from the surface thereof where it can project, and means to urge said pin in the angular position corresponding to the release of the trays.

According to a feature of particular detail, the machine is of the kind in which the punch are

5 slidably mounted in guides integral radially of the barrel the movements of the supports being controlled by a fixed cam cooperating with said supports, characterized in that the stud has a head for abutment against the guide of the supports in the angular position corresponding to the release of the trays.

The invention will now be described with more detail with reference to a particular exemplary embodiment of example only and represented to the accompanying drawings in which:

" Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a machine according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a view in axial section with larger scale of a matrix of the machine,

Fig. 3 is also a view in axial section of a patron qam.

The machine represented in Figures comprises a frame 1 provided with four supporting columns 2 an upper table 5.

In bearings of the frame is journalled a vertical post 6 having a series of radial brackets 7 each supporting a mold 4.

The barrel is provided with a series of upper guides 8 arranged radially, and a series of lower guides 9 also radial, each upper guide being vertically aligned with a lower guide, which is also aligned with a mold 4"

In each guide 8 in the guide 9 and corresponding is slidably mounted a support 10 which comprises, in the vicinity of its upper end, a roller 11 cooperating with a groove fixed cam 12 integral with the table 5.

The lower end of each support 10 is integral with one matrix 13 for cooperating with the mould corresponding 4.

The machine is provided with pipes 15 for circulating cooling water through each die 13.

In mime, the molds 4 are cooled by means not shown herein.

_AOE280A2AO> The one of the columns 2 supports a chute 16 connected

with means for adding under pressure from the material for the manufacture of the plates, the material is at a temperature of the order of 120 °C and in the form of a paste.

The means to send the material through the chute 16 comprise a metering pump, so that a determined amount of the material is discharged into the molds 4.

The barrel 6 is rotated in the direction of the arrow f_ even a motor (not shown).

The displacement pump and the barrel, are synchronously driven to that each mold 4 past the chute 16 receives the amount of material required for the manufacture of a tray, and then, the cam 12 controls the descent of the matrix 13 which presses the p % te in the mold to form the tray, while the mold and the matrix are cooled to obtain a hardening of the material.

Each array 13 (Figure 2 and Figure 3) affects a shape corresponding to the inner surface of the tray 20. to perform, while the mold corresponds to the external shape of said plate, the latter being substantially formed of a cylindrical ring, one of the edges is connected to a truncated cone"

In a portion 17 of the array are blind holes provided 18 with slight depth and, which, during molding are intended to be filled with the matter, to form bumps 19 in the inner surface of the tray 20.

Each array 13 is formed in two parts 22 and 23 the workpiece 23 comprising, in the vicinity of its periphery, two housings 24, the bottom of which is pierced with a hole 25 opening on the upper surface.

In the workpiece 22 are made two smooth holes 26 aligned with the holes 25.

In the holes 25 are slidably mounted pins 27 comprising a stop 28 movable in the housings 24 against the action of compression springs 29, each stud 27 being extended by a sliding bar 30 in the hole ' corresponding 25 and terminated by a head 31.

The machine is provided with an inclined plane 33 discharge trays 20, this ramp being positioned such that its upper end is located under the matrices, above the molds and right in line with a recess 35 of the cam 12, of such depth that when a roller 11 of a support 10 cooperates with this portion 35 of the cam 12, the heads 31 abut against the underside of the corresponding guide 9, so that the pins 27 are, by their lower end, projection at the ends of holes 26.

The operation of the machine according to the invention;

The barrel 6 turning the molds are successively placing under the chute 16 that discharges in each of these a quantity of hot material, to the pasty state corresponding to the manufacture of a tray 20.

The cam 12 has a profile designed so that, when 4 unraoule has received of the material, the matrix 13 falls corresponding cooperate with said mold 4 at the same time that they are cooled by water circulation. The matrix 13 is thereby maintained for the formation of the tray until the material has been sufficiently cooled, and the cam has an ascending portion for allowing the die to move away from the mold"

At the time of molding, of the material enters the blind holes 18 and forms bumps 19, so that the plate 20, at the time when the matrix is lifted remains adherent thereto.

When the roller 11 arrives at the right of the recess 35, the support 10 slides up, the heads and 31 abut against the underside of the guide 9, such that the studs to the edge of the tray 20 and lift thereof which falls by gravity on the inclined ramp 33.

Of course, the invention is not restricted to the embodiment just described and shown can be delivered thereto various changes of detail without exiting, therefor, the scope of the invention. For example, is represented blind holes 18, thereof could be replaced by grooves of the side wall 17 of the matrix, the grooves can be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the supports 10. Even in some cases could delete the blind holes or the grooves with the proviso that the side wall is perfectly cylindrical, maintaining the tray is by itself by the simply retracting the material during the cooling.