Press for drawing ceramic and other materials in the plastic state

Claim 1

IN A PRESS FOR EXTRUDING CERAMIC MATERIAL IN THE PLASTIC STATE AND FOR PREDRYING THE MATERIAL BEFORE IT IS SEPARATED FROM THE PRESS, IN COMBINATION: (A) TUBULAR MEANS DEFINING A HEATING SPACE THEREIN, SAID SPACE HAVING AN AXIS; (B) A TUBE OF INSULATING MATERIAL IN SAID SPACE ABOUT SAID AXIS AND (C) AT LEAST THREE ELECTRODES HAVING RESPECTIVE FACES ELONGATED IN AN AXIALLY EXTENDING DIRECTION AND ARRANGED ON SAID TUBE IN ANGULARLY OFFSET RELATIONSHIP SYMMETRICLLY RELATIVE TO SAID AXIS, THE DIRECTION OF ELONGATION OF EACH FACE BEING INCLINED RELATIVE TO SAID AXIS AT AN ANGLE TO 0 TO 30 DEGREES; (D) NOZZLE MEANS DEFINING AN EXTRUSION ORIFICE; (E) CONVEYOR MEANS, SAID TUBULAR MEANS BEING INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AND SAID NOZZLE MEANS FOR CONVEYING OF A MATERIAL FROM SAID CONVEYOR MEANS IN A PATH EXTENDING AXIALLY THROUGH SAID TUBE IN SAID HEATING SPACE AND OUTWARD OF SAID ORIFICE OF SAID NOZZLE MEANS, SAID FACES BEING EXPOSED TO THE CONVEYED MATERIAL IN SAID SPACE; (F) A SOURCE OF POLYPHASE ELECTRIC CURRENT; AND (G) MEANS CONNECTING EACH OF SAID ELECTRODES TO ONE PHASE OF SAID SOURCE.