Abstract: Dust-pressed plates (P) are trimmed to a predetermined peripheral profile by means of three milling cutters rotating at around 12,000 r.p.m. The cutters are uniformly spaced about a central axis and operate simultaneously on the periphery of a plate while the plate is rotated about the axis. The cutters are located during trimming by means of a profile cam which is in registration with the plate mounted on a ware support. To ensure registration with the cam, a plate is centered by a centering unit before being orientated by orientating mechanism and transferred to the ware support. Each plate is delivered to the centering unit with a reference feature at a predetermined position on its periphery, the orientating mechanism being arranged to search for that feature before rotating the plate to bring it into the required orientation for registration with the cam.

Abstract: For the manufacture of oval dishes, a machine has two work supports arranged to rotate moulds eccentrically for clay on the moulds to be shaped into oval forms. At a first, spreading, station the clay is engaged by a pancake-type spreading roller which squeezes a piece of clay into an oval shape. The mould is transferred to a second, or finishing, station where a finishing roller rolls the clay to the desired configuration of the oval dish. The spreading roller is driven. The finishing roller may be driven or it may rotate freely, a brake being applied to the free roller, for the end of a finishing operation, to improve the surface finish of the ware.

Abstract: A handle-cutting device comprises a conveyor in the form of a horizontal table arranged to be rotated step-by-step to bring handle holders in turn to a handle-cutting station where the handle is lightly clamped. While the holder is stationary at the handle-cutting station, a rapidly rotating cutter (for example, rotating at 3,000 r.p.m.) having a contoured blade representing the profile of the wall of a cup bowl to which the handle is to be attached is progressively advanced towards the holder to remove surplus clay in thin slices from the handle. The blade is unconfined along those parts of its length which effect the cutting, being mounted on spaced apart supporting portions of a carrier, so that the small pieces of clay sliced away by the blade can escape from the cutter. The device ensures a high degree of conformity of the attaching surface of the handle to its intended configuration.

Abstract: An oval dish forming machine has two revolvable wheels each of which is supported on a structure permitting the wheel to move in an eccentric pattern so that discs of clay on carriers on the wheels may be formed in desirable oval shapes. One of the wheels comprises a first or spreading station where the disc of clay is subjected to a rolling extruding action of a cone-shaped roller which squeezes the clay against the carrier to form a desirable oval shape. The carrier and the initially shaped clay is then manually moved to a second or finishing station where a dumbbell shaped roller engages the clay shape on the carrier and rolls the excess clay from the shape to the desired configuration of the oval dish. The dumbbell shaped roller is stopped in the last revolution of the wheel so as to smooth the clay by a sliding action. Motion of the two shaping and finishing rollers is controlled to properly process and shape the clay so as to insure the removal of air and excess moisture therefrom.

Abstract: An offset screen-printing machine for applying a design in color to the surfaces of a succession of articles, such as articles of ceramic ware, comprising a transfer plate affording a flat, non-absorbent, surface constituting an intermediate surface, screen-printing means enabling color to be applied by a screen-printing process on to that intermediate surface, an article support for supporting an article to which the design is to be applied, a deformable transfer pad in the shape of an inverted dome, and blade means operative to scrape residual color from the intermediate surface.

Abstract: Cup handles made from clay have their seams removed by the handle being pushed along a passage of appropriate cross-section in a sponge. The sponge is washed after use by the introduction of water into the passage and by squeezing the sponge. The invention provides for the outer surface of the sponge to be treated all over to render it at least substantially impermeable to water. In use, when the sponge is squeezed, water is expelled only from the passage, and thus the uncontrolled flow of water encountered with sponges having permeable outer surfaces is avoided. Rigid plates may cover those parallel faces of the sponge into which the ends of the passage open, the plates having slots aligned with the ends of the passage. The sponges may be incorporated in a handle de-seaming machine operating cyclically.

Abstract: A machine suitable for use in removing seams from cup handles comprises means in the form of a turntable for carrying a plurality of sponges, viz. four, step-by-step successively through a series of operating stations at two of which smoothing operations are preformed on the handles and at two others of which the sponges are cleaned automatically to avoid such build up of clay material on them as will interfere with the satisfactory operation of the machine. Each sponge of the machine has a passage of suitably profiled cross-section through which each handle is caused to traverse first one way and then the other in the operation of the machine.

Abstract: A conveyor of the low density type comprises two spaced-apart roller assemblies around which an endless wire is entrained to form upper and lower flights consisting of parallel spaced-apart wire lengths. Each roller assembly includes grooved discs or pulleys to support the successive lengths of wire of the flights, the pulleys being mounted on a shaft so as to be independently rotatable. A drive to one of the assemblies includes a slipping clutch to an end pulley, and the remaining pulleys are in frictional engagement so that the drive is transmitted to all the pulleys in that assembly.