Holton Machinery

Halton Machinery Ltd.

Brian Maddock

Martin James Smith

A continuous extrusion machine has a chassis () supporting a wheel () for rotation by a motor. An endless groove () extends around the periphery of the wheel (). A shoe () is mounted in the chassis () and has an enveloping surface shaped to closely envelop an arc of the wheel () periphery so that the groove () co-operates with the shoe () to form a passage. An abutment is mounted on the shoe () to extend into the passage at a downstream end. Tooling is mounted in the shoe () including a die such that a material such as aluminum or copper bar fed into the groove () is extruded through the die as a consequence of the energy transfer via friction from the rotating wheel (). A gap () exists between the enveloping surface and the wheel (). The gap () is used to provide the orifice of a sonic gap () sensor whereby the size of the gap () can be accurately and directly measured. The gap () size sensed is used to control the position of the shoe () in two directions mutually perpendicular to the rotary axis of the wheel () by adjusting support structures which support the shoe (). The size and shape of the gap () can thus be safely adjusted while the machine is extruding allowing the size and shape of the gap () to be adjusted for optimum performance.

Continuous extrusion using dynamic shoe positioning

A continuous extrusion machine has a chassis ( ) supporting a wheel ( ) for rotation by a motor. An endless groove ( ) extends around the periphery of the wheel ( ). A shoe ( ) is mounted in the chassis ( ) and has an enveloping surface shaped to closely envelop an arc of the wheel ( ) periphery so that the groove ( ) co-operates with the shoe ( ) to form a passage. An abutment is mounted on the shoe ( ) to extend into the passage at a downstream end. Tooling is mounted in the shoe ( ) including a die such that a material such as aluminium or copper bar fed into the groove ( ) is extruded through the die as a consequence of the energy transfer via friction from the rotating wheel ( ). A gap ( ) exists between the enveloping surface and the wheel ( ). The gap ( ) is used to provide the orifice of a sonic gap ( ) sensor whereby the size of the gap ( ) can be accurately and directly measured. The gap ( ) size sensed is used to control the position of the shoe ( ) in two directions mutually perpendicular to the rotary axis of the wheel ( ) by adjusting support structures which support the shoe ( ). The size and shape of the gap ( ) can thus be safely adjusted while the machine is extruding allowing the size and shape of the gap ( ) to be adjusted for optimum performance.

Method and device for continuous casting and extrusion

Conventionally co-axial cable is made in a continuous extrusion machine by continuously extruding an aluminum tubular cladding (1) through an annular die and simultaneously continuously introducing a core (4), comprised of a conductive wire surrounded by insulation, through an bore in a mandrel (3). A gap is inevitably present between the outer surface of the core (4) and the tubular cladding (1). To eliminate the gap it is necessary to reduce the diameter of the tubular cladding by swaging or drawing. The present invention disposes of the &wagging or drawing step by compacting the insulation of the core before introduction to the mandrel (3). The insulation then gradually expands to recover its original diameter and fill the cladding which has been extruded to its final diameter.

Method for producing a co-axial cable

Conventionally co-axial cable is made in a continuous extrusion machine by continuously extruding an aluminium tubular cladding (1) through an annular die and simultaneously continuously introducing a core (4), comprised of a conductive wire surrounded by insulation, through an bore in a mandrel (3). A gap is inevitably present between the outer surface of the core (4) and the tubular cladding (1). To eliminate the gap it is necessary to reduce the diameter of the tubular cladding by swagging or drawing step by compacting the insulation of the core before introduction to the mandrel (3). The insulation then gradually expands to recover its original diameter and fill the cladding which has been extruded to its final diameter.

Growing community of inventors

Dorset, United Kingdom

Brian Maddock