Machine for producing moulds consisting of identical mould parts

Claim 1

In apparatus for successively producing identical casting cavity defining mould parts that are aligned in abutment for advancement to a casting station, comprising a mould part forming apparatus including a moulding chamber and at least one pattern board that is displaceable within said moulding chamber to first compress and form moulding material therein to produce a mould part defining a casting cavity and then to push the mould part thus produced from said chamber for addition to a casting mould consisting of a plurality of previously produced aligned mould parts, and a substantially horizontally disposed guideway to successively receive the mould parts as they are produced and to support the mould parts in abutment during intermittent advancement along said guideway concurrently with the ejection of a mould part from said chamber and advanced toward said casting station, the improvement comprising reciprocating mould part advancing means movably mounted longitudinally of said guideway, said means including engaging means intermittently movable into and out of engagement with at least one exposed unsupported surface of a plurality of the aligned mould parts and, in the engaged position, being displaceable in the mould part advancing direction, said means also including power means for reciprocating said engaging means a distance substantially equal to the travel of said pattern board and at the same speed as that of said pattern board as it ejects a new mould part to assist in advancing said aligned mould parts along said guideway.