Ae Plc

G B Tools & Components Exports Limited

William C Morrison

Robert William Braund

Angus Wj Tennant

A method of manufacturing a bonded friction product, such as an automobile brake shoe, and apparatus therefor, includes forming a plastic inner lining element of uncured or green thermosetting resin binder containing friction modifiers and reinforcements and bonding the element to a shoe platform by way of an adhesive resin in a heat and pressure regime which cures the resin binder and adhesive. The need for a closed mold and/or venting stops is avoided by a stabilizing press (,) which includes a heated bed (,) between guide plates (,) that has a recess (,) of less thickness than the lining element (,) to receive such lining element in its green state. The guide plates are spaced slightly further apart than the width of a shoe platform which is, having been preheated, brought down onto the lining element and pressed by a pneumatic ram (,), the loosely sliding shoe body (,) comprising a non-sealing closure member of the press. The previously heated surface (,) of the press bed and shoe platform (,) combine with the lightly ramped-up pressure to create setting-up of the surface resins and fix final dimensions; the ram osition is then clamped to permit internal pressure growth as curing proceeds and gases are vented without disrupting the sealed major surfaces.

Manufacture of bonded articles

A workpiece is set up and held on a machining axis to allow machining of the outer surface in a single operation. The workpiece is lightly clamped between a headstock and a tailstock and a datum surface is provided which is a datum distance from the machining axis. An aligning mechanism aligns the surface of the workpiece with the datum surface so ensuring that the workpiece surface is a required distance from the machining axis. The clamping pressure is then increased to hold the workpiece in this position ready for machining in a single operation.

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Kenilworth, United Kingdom

William C Morrison