Press for making a shaped workpiece

Abstract

A press for compacting a soft mass into a shaped workpiece. The press has a die adapted to hold the soft mass and having an open side, a compacting tool displaceable along an axis through the side into the die to compact the mass therein, a cylinder centered on the axis adjacent and outside the die, a piston shiftable in the cylinder along the axis and connected to the compacting tool, a relatively movable guide formation outside the die, offset from the axis, and fixed to the piston, a second guide formations fitting with the first formation, outside the die, offset from the axis, and generally stationary relative to the piston. The formations having engaging surfaces extending parallel to the axis, and actuator for displacing the piston axially into the die and thereby compact the mass therein. The guide-formation surfaces sliding axially relative to each other on axial displacement of the piston.

1 . A press for compacting a soft mass into a shaped workpiece, the press comprising: 
 a die adapted to hold the soft mass and having an open side;    a compacting tool displaceable along an axis through the side into the die to compact the mass therein;    a cylinder centered on the axis adjacent and outside the die;    a piston shiftable in the cylinder along the axis and connected to the compacting tool;    a relatively movable guide formation outside the die, offset from the axis, and fixed to the piston;    a second guide formations fitting with the first formation, outside the die, offset from the axis, and generally stationary relative to the piston, the formations having engaging surfaces extending parallel to the axis; and    actuating means for displacing the piston axially into the die and thereby compact the mass therein, the guide-formation surfaces sliding axially relative to each other on axial displacement of the piston.    
   
   
       2 . The press defined in  claim 1  wherein the second formation is braced and nondisplaceable transversely of the axis.  
   
   
       3 . The press defined in  claim 1  wherein one of the formations is an axially extending rod and the other of the formations fits around the rod.  
   
   
       4 . The press defined in  claim 3  wherein one of the surfaces is a plurality of the rods spaced about the axis.  
   
   
       5 . The press defined in  claim 4  wherein there are four of the rods.  
   
   
       6 . The press defined in  claim 3  wherein the one formation includes a support extending transversely of the axis and fixed to the rods.  
   
   
       7 . The press defined in  claim 1  wherein there are a plurality of pistons and respective cylinders oriented coaxially of each other and provided with respective first and second guide formations.  
   
   
       8 . The press defined in  claim 7  wherein one of the pistons is a sleeve coaxially surrounding and slidable on another of the pistons.  
   
   
       9 . The press defined in  claim 7  wherein at least one of the second formations is fixed on one of the pistons.  
   
   
       10 . The press defined in  claim 1  wherein the compacting tool and die are separable from the actuating means.