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US 2001/0039778 A1Published application
Continuous production of plastic siding panels with separate shingle appearance
OwnerDaniel W. Kinginventor
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OwnerDaniel W. Kinginventor
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A sheet of plastics material is continuously extruded onto the upper run of an endless conveyor which carries aluminum vacuum mold plates each defining a cavity with a shingle pattern. The sheet is progressively vacuum-formed into the mold plate cavities, and opposite longitudinal upper and lower portions of the sheet are progressively vacuum-formed, with traveling plug assist in one embodiment, to define shingle panels with hook-shaped lower portions and upper portions defining grooves for receiving the lower portions. The upper portion of the sheet is punched with longitudinally spaced slots to form a nailing flange, and the sheet is then cut laterally at longitudinally spaced intervals to produce elongated siding panels each having integrally connected shingle panels. The shingle panels may have different bottom configurations or profiles and are interchangeable.
A method of continuously producing a succession of elongated siding panels each having a series of longitudinally spaced and integrally connected separate shingle panels, a substantially straight and continuous hook-shaped lower portion and a continuous folded upper portion defining a double wall mounting flange above a groove for receiving the lower portion of an adjacent panel, the method comprising the steps of extruding a continuous sheet of heated plastics material with a generally uniform thickness and having longitudinal upper and lower portions integrally connected by a longitudinal intermediate portion, directing the sheet of heated material onto a moving run of a flexible endless conveyor having a continuous series of separate mold plates defining cavities for receiving the upper portion, intermediate portion and lower portion of the sheet, progressively sucking the upper portion, intermediate portion and lower portion of the sheet into the cavities of the mold plates with a vacuum applied to the mold plates as the plates are moving for progressively forming the profiles of the shingle panels and the upper and lower portions of the siding panels, progressively trimming the upper and lower portions of the sheet, progressively re-heating a longitudinal section of the upper portion of the sheet, progressively folding over the upper portion of the sheet at the reheated section to form the continuous mounting flanges and grooves of the panels, and cutting the sheet at longitudinally spaced intervals to produce the succession of the elongated siding panels.
A method of continuously producing a succession of elongated siding panels each having a series of longitudinally spaced and integrally connected separate shingle panels with a hook-shaped lower portion and an upper portion defining a mounting flange and a groove for receiving the lower portion of a vertically overlapping panel, the method comprising the steps of extruding a continuous sheet of heated plastics material with a generally uniform thickness and having longitudinal upper and lower portions integrally connected by a longitudinal intermediate portion, directing the sheet of heated material onto a series of rigid mold plates carried by an upper run of an endless conveyor and defining shingle cavities and undercut cavities, progressively vacuum-forming the sheet into the shingle cavities and undercut cavities of the mold plates by creating a vacuum within the cavities while the mold plates are moving on the upper run of the endless conveyor, successively inserting a traveling forming plug into the undercut cavities as the sheet is moving and being vacuum-formed into the undercut cavities for progressively forming a series of integrally connected siding panels, and cutting the sheet at longitudinally spaced intervals to produce the succession of separate elongated siding panels.
Apparatus for continuously producing a succession of separate elongated siding panels each having a series of longitudinally spaced and integrally connected separate shingle panels with a hook-shaped lower portion and an upper portion defining a mounting flange and a groove for receiving the lower portion of a vertically overlapping panel, said apparatus comprising an endless conveyor supporting a continuous series of rigid mold plates defining shingle cavities and undercut cavities, a die for extruding a continuous sheet of heated plastics material with a generally uniform thickness and with longitudinal upper and lower portions integrally connected by a longitudinal intermediate portion, a guide directing the sheet of heated material onto said mold plates as the mold plates form a moving upper run of said conveyor, said mold plates having vacuum passages for progressively vacuum-forming the sheet into the shingle cavities and the undercut cavities of the mold plates by creating a vacuum within the cavities while the mold plates are moving on said upper run of said endless conveyor, and a reciprocating and traveling forming plug positioned for successively inserting into said undercut cavities as the sheet is moving and being vacuum formed into said undercut cavities for progressively forming a series of integrally connected siding panels.
A series of elongated siding panels each having a mounting flange and a series of longitudinally spaced and integrally connected separate shingle panels, each of said shingle panels having a hook-shaped lower portion and an upper portion with an undercut groove for receiving the lower portion of a vertically overlapping panel, said shingle panels of each said siding panel having a different configuration and a different appearance than said shingle panels of each of the other said siding panels, said hook-shaped lower portion of each said shingle panel having a straight edge engaging surface, said undercut groove of each of said shingle panel having a straight edge engaging surface, and the vertical distance between said straight edge engaging surfaces of each said shingle panel being the same for all of said shingle panels of all of said siding panels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.