Apparatus and method for forming clay slab

摘要

An apparatus and method for forming a clay slab includes a frame (12), a front panel (30) supported on the frame and a rear panel (32) supported on the frame. An outer cable (36) is attached to the rear panel (32) at one end and to the rear panel (32) and to the front panel at another end. A rotatable drive axle (34) is configured to simultaneously wind and unwind the outer cable (36) and thereby move the front panel (30) and the rear panel (32) from an initial position to an intermediate position to draw a block of prepared clay (PL) into a gap (G) defined by the front panel (30) and the rear panel (32). The drive axle (34) is further configured to simultaneously wind and unwind the outer cable (36) in the opposite direction and thereby move the front panel (30) and the rear panel (32) from the intermediate position back to the initial position to remove the clay slab from the slab roller.