Mold for producing molded elements with parts of different thicknesses from fibrous mixtures

Claim 1

A mold for press-molding elements from a mixture of fibrous material and a binder in which each of the elements comprises a plate-shaped main portion and at least one wall portion having a width considerably smaller than that of said main portion and projecting integrally therewith from one side of the latter normal thereto, said mold comprising a frame having wall means having an inner face defining the upper part of a mold chamber, an upper and a lower surface, and said mold defining at least in one portion of said wall means a recess extending from said inner face into said one wall portion of said wall means and having a lower guide face upwardly spaced from said lower surface; a lateral die in said recess, said lateral die having a front face and being guided on said lower guide face for movement between a position retracted into said recess and an advanced position in which said front face is flush with the inner face of said one portion of said wall means; a first lower die located in said frame and having an upper face and a pair of side faces one of which faces said one portion of said wall means and being spaced from the inner face of said wall means a distance equal to said width of the wall portion of said element, said first lower die being movable between a lower filling position and an upper compressing position in which said upper face thereof is upwardly spaced from said recess, said one side face of said first lower die defining together with said front face of said lateral die a downward extension of said upper part of said mold chamber in communication with the latter when said lower die is in said filling position; a second narrow lower die sandwiched between said one side face of said first lower die and the inner face of said one portion of said wall means of said frame and having a top face, said narrow lower die being movable independently from said first lower die between a lower inactive position in which said top face thereof is flush with said lower guide face and an upper compressing position; and an upper die having a bottom face and being movable relative to said frame between an open position remote from said upper surface of said frame to permit filling of said upper part of said mold chamber and said extension thereof with the mixture to be molded and a closed position in which said bottom face engages said upper surface of said frame, whereby after filling the mold chamber and the extension thereof with said mixture and moving said upper die to said closed position and thereafter said first and secOnd lower dies and said lateral die to their respective compressing and advanced positions, the mixture in said upper mold chamber will be compressed in one direction and the mixture in said extension will be compressed in two directions transverse to each other.