Rotary transfer molding machine having rope feed

Claim 1

IN A MOLDING MACHINE HAVING A TURRET ROTBLE AT A GENERALLY CONSTANT RATE, A PLURALITY OF MOLDING UNITS CARRIED BY THE TURRET, EACH OF THE MOLDING UNITS COMPRISING RELATIVELY MOVABLE COOPERATIVE ELEMENTS DEFINING THEREBETWEEN A SPRUE, SAID SPRUE COMMUNICATING WITH MOLD-CAVITY SPACES DEFINED BETWEEN THE MOLD ELEMENTS; THE IMPROVEMENTS OF MEANS FOR ADVANCING A LENGTH OF PERFORMED MOLDED MATERIAL TO SAID MOLDING UNITS WITHOUT INTERRUPTING ROTATION OF THE TURRET AT SAID GENERALLY CONSTANT RATE, SAID MEANS COMPRISING AN EXTRUDER HAVING A DISCHARGE PORT FACING A SUCCESSION OF SAID SPRUES, MEANS MOUNTING SAID EXTRUDER FOR MOVEMENT ALONG AN ARC HAVING THE SAME CENTER AS SAID TURRET, MEANS SYNCHRONIZED WITH THE TURNING OF SAID TURRET FOR SHIFTING SAID EXTRUDER TO CLAMP ITS DISCHARGE PORT AGAINST EACH PASSING SPRUE AND THEREAFTER TO RELEASE SAID CLAMPING ENGAGEMENT AFTER TRAVEL OF THE EXTRUDER ALONG SAID ARC IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE PASSING SPRUE, SAID EXTRUDER AND EACH PASSING SPRUE BEING ARCUATELY MOVABLE AS A UNITARY ASSEMBLY WHILE MAINTAINING SAID CLAMPING ENGAGEMENT, ADVANCING MEANS TO FEED SAID PREFORMED LENGTH OF MOLDABLE MATERIAL TOWARD THE EXTRUDER, AND TRANSFER MEANS TO SEPARATE A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT FROM SAID LENGTH AND PLACE THE SEPARATED AMOUNT IN OPERATIVE RELATION WITH THE EXTRUDER FOR SUBSEQUENT EJECTION THEREFROMN DURING A DEFINED CLAMPING ARRANGEMENT WITH A SPRUE.