Bale-forming machine and process

1,058,058. Baling rubber by extrusion. POLYMER CORPORATION Ltd. Oct. 19, 1964 [Oct. 23, 1963], No. 42569/64. Heading B5A. An extrusion and cutting apparatus for producing blocks of deformable material, in particular blocks of synthetic rubber such as butyl rubber, comprises a continuously operating feed screw 11, a compression chamber 17 which terminates in a die 20, an expansion chamber 21 having a rapidly diverging portion 22 and a relatively slowly diverging portion 23, a horizontally reciprocable confining chamber 24 and a vertically reciprocable knife 25. The nitial cross-sectional shape of the block is determined by die (20), see Fig. 3 (not reproduced), the final cross-section being square, attained by expansion of the material within chamber 21. The block may also have a circular cross-section or be polygonal, each side of the polygon at die 20 being bowed inwardly. In operation the material passes from breaker plate 15 through chambers 17, 21 and 24, and with the parts as shown, exerts pressure on knife 25 whose supporting frame is connected to chamber 24. This pressure causes a movement of chamber 24 in a downstream direction until a contact 39 thereon operates a switch 42 to cause freeing of an hydraulic line B associated with a cylinder 13. The chamber 24, being connected by means of a link 31 and rod 30 to a piston 18 within cylinder 13, now moves relatively quickly in the downstream direction until contact 39 operates switch 43 which causes raising of knife 25 by the introduction of fluid to cylinder 27 via a line D. The knife movement operates switch 44 to cause filling of cylinder 13 via line B, and chamber 24 moves in an upstream direction until stopped by contact 39 operating switch 41. The material continues to issue from chamber 24 after retraction of blade 25 until a beam of light to a photocell 46 is interrupted, whereupon the material is cut by blade 25 consequent upon filling of cylinder 27 via line C. In the lowermost position of the blade, a switch 45 is operated to build up a predetermined pressure within cylinder 13 via line B causing movement of chamber 24 upstream until the pressure is balanced by that of the material on blade 25. The abovementioned cycle of operations is then repeated. Within the expansion chamber 21 the material is lubricated, e.g. by means of silicone emulsions or detergent solutions, introduced through conduits 32 to an annular channel 33 within die 20. If water remains on the blocks after production they