Bulk melter platen assembly

Claim 1

Apparatus for melting and pumping molten liquid material from a drum of material which is solid at room temperature, which apparatus comprises: a platen assembly comprising a top platen and a lower heating platen, said top platen being substantially circular in peripheral configuration and located in a horizontal plane, said heating platen being located beneath said top platen, said heating platen being substantially circular in peripheral configuration and of slightly less diameter than the interior of said drum, means supporting said heating platen for vertical movement toward and away from said top platen, a flexible expansible element extended between and secured to peripheral portions of said top platen and said heating platen, means for lowering said platen assembly into the open top of a drum of solid material until said heating platen contacts the top of said solid material, said contact of said heating platen with said solid material and subsequent downward movement of said top platen being operable to move said top platen downwardly toward said heating platen so as to cause said expansible element to expand radially outwardly into contact with the interior surface of said drum, and means for lifting said platen assembly from said drum, said lifting of said platen assembly being operable to move said top platen away from said heating platen and thereby contract the diameter of said expansible element so as to move it out of contact with the interior surface of said drum.