A DIE AND PUNCH ASSEMBLY FOR USE ON A POWDER COMPACTING PRESS FOR MAKING ARTICLES COMPACTED FROM A POWDER MATERIAL. THE ASSEMBLY COMPISES A DIE PLATE APPROPRIATELY MOUNTED TO THE PRESS AND INCLUDES ONE OR MORE DIE CAVITIES, EACH DIE CAVITY HAVING TELESCOPICALLY ARRANGED INNER AND OUTER PUNCHES ADAPTED FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER TO FORM VARIOUS SHAPED ARTICLES. THE OUTER PUNCH IS ACTUATED BY A FIRST PUNCH SUPPORT WHICH, IN TURN, IS CARRIED BY A PAIR OF POSTS EXTENDING BELOW THE DIE PLATE TO PERMIT RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT OF THE OUTER PUNCH WITHIN THE DIE CAVITY, WHILE THE INNER PUNCH IS CARRIED BY A SECOND PUNCH SUPPORT WHICH, IN TURN, IS SLIDABLY CARRIED BY THE POST IN A POSITION BELOW THE FIRST PUNCH SUPPORT. AN

ACTUATING STEM, OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO ONE OF THE PUNCH SUPPORTS, IS ADAPTED TO IMPART A RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT THERETO AND INCLUDES AN ADJUSTABLE ABUTMENT MEMBER ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE OTHER PUNCH SUPPORTS TO DISPLACE THE LATTER IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION TOGETHER WITH THE FIRST PUNCH SUPPORT AS A UNIT AFTER THE ACTUATING STEM HAS MOVED THE FIRST PUNCH SUPPORT A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE TOWARD THE DIE CAVITY. THE SECOND PUNCH SUPPORT HAS AN ADJUSTABLE ABUTMENT MEMBER COOPERATING WITH THE ACTUATING STEM TO RETRACT BOTH PUNCH SUPPORTS AS A UNIT AWAY FROM THE DIE CAVITY AFTER AN ARTICLE HAS BEEN COMPACTED IN THE DIE CAVITY.