US 2026/0185302 A1Published application

System and method for producing fiber molded products

OwnerAlexander Segalinventor

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Abstract

A system for producing molded fiber articles includes a wet press subsystem including a forming platen for carrying a single forming die, and a wet press platen assembly for carrying a plurality of wet press dies, including at least a first wet press die and a second wet press die. The wet press platen assembly is movable relative to the forming platen to alternately align the first and second wet press dies with the forming die in successive cycles of the wet press subsystem to produce one first wet pressed fiber mat and one second wet pressed fiber mat. The system further includes a dry press having at least a first dry press station and a second dry press station, the first dry press station and the second dry press station configured to receive one first wet pressed mat and one second wet pressed mat, respectively, and the dry press closable to simultaneously close the first and second dry press stations to produce dry pressed first and second fiber mats.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A system for producing molded fiber articles, the system comprising:

a) a wet press subsystem including a forming platen with a forming die mounting surface for carrying a single forming die, and a wet press platen assembly with a plurality of wet press stations for carrying respective wet press dies, wherein the plurality of wet press stations includes at least a first wet press station and a second wet press station for carrying a first wet press die and a second wet press die, respectively, the wet press platen assembly movable relative to the forming platen to alternately align the first and second wet press dies with the forming die in successive cycles of the wet press subsystem to produce one first wet pressed fiber mat and one second wet pressed fiber mat in said successive cycles, respectively, wherein the first and second fiber mats correspond in size and shape to one or more of the molded fiber articles being produced;
and
b) a dry press subsystem comprising a dry press having a plurality of dry press stations equal in quantity to the plurality of wet press stations and including at least a first dry press station and a second dry press station, the first dry press station and the second dry press station configured to receive one first wet pressed mat and one second wet pressed mat, respectively, and the dry press closable to simultaneously close the first and second dry press stations to produce dry pressed first and second fiber mats.

A system for producing fiber molded articles, the system comprising a wet press subsystem that includes:

a) an open vessel for holding a fiber slurry;
b) a wet press support frame;
c) a forming platen having an attached forming die shaped to form the article;
wherein the forming platen is rotatably attached to the wet press support frame to rotate between a dipping orientation in which the forming die is positioned to contact the fiber pulp slurry in the vessel, and a pressing orientation in which the forming die is positioned outside of the fiber pulp slurry in the vessel;
d) a wet press platen assembly defining a plurality of wet press stations for holding a plurality of wet press dies, each wet press die shaped to cooperate with the forming die to form a fiber mat corresponding in size and shape one or more of the articles being produced;
the wet press platen assembly rotatable relative to the wet press support frame to rotate each of the plurality of wet press dies, individually, into a pressing orientation in which the wet press die is disposed opposite to the forming die in the pressing orientation;
wherein at least one of the forming platen or the plurality of wet press stations is movably attached to the wet press support frame to move between a wet press open configuration in which the forming platen and the plurality of wet press stations are spaced apart from each other, and a wet press closed configuration in which the forming platen in the pressing orientation and one of the wet press stations in the pressing orientation are positioned to compress the fiber mat between them.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.