Method and apparatus for dry-pressing ceramic objects

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DRY-PRESSING CERAMIC WARE COMPRISING A PAIR OF OPPOSING DIES HAVING RIGID BACKS, SAID DIES BEING RELATIVELY MOVABLE TOWARD EACH OTHER TO DEFINE AND ENCLOSE A DIE CAVITY AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER TO OPEN SAID DIE CAVITY FOR FILLING THE SAME WITH A CHARGE OF RELATIVELY DRY PULVERULENT CERAMIC MATERIAL HAVING AN UNCOMPACTED VOLUME GREATER THAN THE VOLUME OF SAID DIE CAVITY AND FOR REMOVING THE CHARGE COMPACED IN THE FORM OF THE DIE CAVITY BY THE CLOSING OF SAID DIES, SAID DIE CAVITY, WHEN CLOSED, HAVING A MAXIMUM THICKNESS, MEASURED IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE DIE WHILE COMPACTING SAID CHARGE, MANY TIMES LESS THAN THE MAXIMUM WIDTH OF SAID DIE, MEASURED IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF SAID MOVEMENT, THE FACES OF SAID DIE BEING CONTOURED WITH RESPECT TO SAID PLANE, SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF ONE OF SAID DIE FACES HAS A SURFACE LAYER OF ELASTOMERIC RESILIENT MATERIAL OF A CONTOUR, BEFORE CLOSING THE DIE, CORRESPONDING TO THE CONTOUR DESIRED IN THE WARE TO BE FORMED IN THE DIE CAVITY, AND SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE OPPOSITE DIE OF SAID RELATIVELY MOVABLE PAIR OF DIES IS RIGID WHEREBY SAID RESILIENT DIE FACE CAUSES FLOW OF THE DRY PULVERULENT CERMAIC MATERIAL IN A DIREC-