GB1089747A - Metering apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1,089,747. Delivering measured quantities of granular material; making capsules. NORTON CO. May 25, 1965 [June 2, 1964; Dec. 23, 1964], No. 22237/65. Headings B8C and B8N. An apparatus for dispensing measured quantities of granular material comprises a slide 16 having one or more measuring chambers 18 and movable from a first position wherein the or each chamber receives the material from a container 42 to a second position wherein the or each chamber discharges the material into a respective tubular discharge member 48, and a vibrator 50 for assisting movement of the material through the measuring chambers. The slide is mounted in a supporting member 12 having passages 46 leading from the container 42 and connected to the discharge tubes 48. Ports 64 are formed in the supporting member and arranged to be in line with the discharge tubes, the ports being connected to a source of pressurized air via pipes 62. In the particular embodiment shown the dispensing apparatus is arranged to be connected to an encapsulating machine for filling gelatine capsules with either fine powder or spherical pellets. The machine has a pair of feed rollers 160 for feeding sheets of gelatine through a pair of dies 122 having spring-loaded knock-out plugs 132. The dies are mounted in blocks 106 slidably carried by a shaft 104 and urged apart by a spring 110. In operation, with the slide in the position shown, the vibrator is started so as to cause the material in the container to fill the measuring chambers. Cams 116 are then rotated so as to urge the dies 122 into contact with the sheets of gelatine and a suction is applied to the plugs 132 thereby causing them to move outwardly and so draw out the gelatine into the form of capsules. Upon rotation of a cam 26, the slide is moved to bring the measuring chamber over their respective discharge tubes so that by admitting compressed air into the ports 64 the material is dispensed through the tubes into its respective capsule. The cams 116 continue to rotate so as to seal the filled capsules and then allow the blocks 106 to move outwardly so that under the action of stops 140, the plugs eject the capsules from the dies. The slide may be replaced with one having different capacity measuring chambers. In a modification, the slide is formed from two pieces (12c, 12b, Fig. 4) relatively movable to each other, the upper piece 12b having tubes 96 slidable in bores 92a and thereby constituting variable sized measuring chambers. The adjustment is effected by lowering the container by means of adjusting screws (176, Fig. 3); a scale is provided on the container for indicating the size of the measuring chambers. In a further embodiment, the agitation of the material in the container is effected by feeding compressed air through the material in the lower end of the latter; the compressed air may be used in addition to the vibrator 50.