Apparatus for moulding and extrusion

Claim 1

Apparatus for extruding a material consisting of comminuted, powdered or other particulate solids, with or without added liquid, on a surface, said apparatus comprising a hopper open at the upper end thereof to receive said material and having a peripheral wall which at the lower end thereof encloses an area on said surface on which, in use, material from said hopper is deposited and retained within said peripheral wall; means defining a discharge aperture in said peripheral wall at the lower end of said hopper through which discharge aperture, in use, material enclosed by said peripheral wall is discharged from said hopper; an extrusion chamber integral with said hopper and extending laterally from the discharge aperture defining means and communicating with the discharge aperture, said extrusion chamber bounded by top and side walls and defining with said surface a tubular passage having an open delivery end remote from the discharge aperture and through which the material delivered by the hopper and through the extrusion chamber is to be extruded; means to enable relative movement to be effected between the extrusion chamber and the surface in the direction of the intended extrusion through the extrusion chamber and a mechanical vibrator within said hopper, the vibrator comprising a rotatable shaft resiliently mounted at its ends within the hopper at a position therein in which, during use of the apparatus, the shaft will be immersed in the material in the hopper; an eccentric weight on said shaft and means to rotate said shaft to effect vibration of said shaft and hence of the material in the hopper, the axis of rotation of said shaft extending transversely to the intended direction of flow to the discharge aperture of material in the hopper to effect said vibration in a direction to induce flow of material through the discharge aperture to the extrusion chamber.