Apparatus for compressing articles

Claim 1

IN A MOLDING PRESS HAVING A MAIN CYLINDER, A RAM IN SAID MAIN CYLINDER, A MOVABLE PLATEN CARRIED BY SAID RAM, A FIXED PLATEN ARRANGED IN OPPOSED RELATION TO SAID MOVABLE PLATEN, AND A PUMP HAVING AN OUTLET FOR SUPPLYING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID MAIN CYLINDER; THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF MEANS FOR MOLDING A WORKPIECE TO AN EXACT THICKNESS, COMPRISING A FIRST FLUID LINE CONNECTING SAID MAIN CYLINDER WITH SAID PUMP OUTLET, A CHECK VALVE IN SAID FIRST LINE OPENING TOWARD SAID MAIN CYLINDER, AN ON-OFF VALVE HAVING ONE SIDE CONNECTED WITH SAID FIRST LINE BETWEEN SAID CHECK VALVE AND MAIN CYLINDER AND HAVING ITS OTHER SIDE CONNECTED TO DISCHARGE FLUID FROM SAID FIRST LINE TO EXHAUST, A SECOND FLUID LINE CONNECTING SAID PUMP OUTLET WITH EXHAUST, A CONTROL VALVE IN SAID SECOND LINE, A BRANCH LINE CONNECTING SAID FIRST LINE, BETWEEN SAID CHECK VALVE AND MAIN CYLINDER, WITH SAID SECOND LINE, BETWEEN SAID PUMP OUTLET AND CONTROL VALVE, A CHECK VALVE IN SAID BRANCH LINE AND OPENING TOWARD SAID SECOND LINE, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE CLOSING MOVEMENT OF SAID PLATENS TO OPEN SAID CONTROL VALVE AND RESPONSIVE TO THE OPENING MOVEMENT OF SAID PLATENS TO CLOSE SAID CONTROL VALVE INCLUDING A PAIR OF MICROSWITCHES CONNECTED IN SERIES WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH SAID CONTROL VALVE AND OPERATIVELY INTERPOSED BETWEEN DIFFERENT PARTS OF SAID PLATENS.