Abstract: A plant for handling cement tiles and similar articles is disclosed which includes a charging station, a roller conveyor for serially moving trays through a first conveying path toward the charging station, two or more switches along the first conveying path within the charging station operable to cyclically stop movement of the trays in steps equal to one of the tray length and a multiple thereof so that the tray sequentially receives two or more stackings of the articles from the charging station.

Abstract: A prefabricated construction for building walls, comprising a pair of panel elements each having a wall portion and a plurality of stiffening rib portions extending along the wall portion. At least some of the rib portions on each panel element include recesses on edges thereof which are spaced from the wall portions. The pair of panel elements face each other with substantial juxtaposition between the rib portions of one of the pairs of elements with those of the other of the pair of elements, and with the wall portions spaced from each other. The space between the wall portions and juxtaposed rib portions are substantially filled with expanded synthetic material to form a wall element and conduit passages are defined in the synthetic material between the pair of panel elements and adjacent the recesses in the rib portions.

Abstract: Plant for handling cement tiles and similar articles that require a seasoning and subsequent workings.It includes: trays set up to be superimposed on one another and to slide along a track with a stripping station, a station to pile up the trays, an un-piling station of said trays and a station to pick up the tiles; the piles of trays are picked up beyond the piling station for the seasoning and are laid down again on the track before the un-piling station.

Abstract: The apparatus produces pressed cement tiles by forming and pressing the tiles in molds and stripping the pressed tiles from the molds. The stripped tiles are deposited, in superimposed relation, on a stripping tray or "shovel" and the thus-supported tiles are subjected to subsequent treatments. A rotary table or platform carries several molds which are cyclically moved through several stages to form and press the tiles, and the tile receiving tray is positioned at a discharge station to have several pressed tiles stripped from the molds and superimposed in a pile on the tray. Alternatively, an intermediate tray is reciprocable radially between a first position, beneath the stripping element, to receive a pressed tile, and a second position retracted from the rotary platform.

Abstract: Equipment for filling molds with colored mortars to obtain cement tiles or the like, having a pattern, includes a filling station having a pair of mold partitions which can be raised and lowered with respect to the molds and which can be rotated horizontally through 180.degree. between a first position, in which a partitioned unit is aligned with a mold, which may be a multiple mold, to be filled, and a second position in which a mold unit is in an outer washing position. A batching unit is raisable and lowerable on the mold, and includes several small tanks for the colored mortars, discharge tubes emerging from the bottoms of the tanks, and batching cups that can slide in a sealed manner along the tubes and which are moved along the tubes between a position submerged in the mortar of the small tanks and a raised and emergent position, in which the mortar contained therein is discharged into the respective tube.

Abstract: A semi-dry material metering unit for tile presses comprises means for separating a material charge from a bulk of the semi-dry material in a manner such as to permit the volume and shape of the charge to be readily changed. The metering unit further comprises an air-permeable mesh which is impermeable to the semi-dry material and against which the separated charge can be held by suction during transfer to a mold. While held against the air-permeable surface, the charge maintains its shape, and thus the distribution of material when discharged into the mold can be controlled.