Apparatus for fabricating foam pads

An apparatus for fabricating a foam pad suitable for use in a seat, mattress, or the like and comprising

• an open top mold comprising a generally flat bottom wall and a raised peripheral edge wall surrounding said bottom wall and defining a predetermined peripheral outline, said mold being adapted to receive a foamable elastomeric material therein to form a resilient cellular pad having a dense crust on the upper surface thereof which is in contact with the surrounding air,
• means for depositing foamable elastomeric material in said open top mold, means for applying heat to the upper surface of the foamable material while in said open top mold to result in the formation of a crust of substantial thickness thereon,
• a mold insert adapted to be positioned on the upper surface of the foaming material in said open top mold for leveling the underlying foaming material and while permitting air to contact a substantial portion of the surface of the foaming material to permit the formation of a dense crust, said mold insert comprising a generally flat openwork member and an upstanding flange surrounding said member, said flange defining a peripheral border having somewhat smaller dimensions than said peripheral outline of said top mold such that said mold insert is adapted to be positioned within said mold without supportingly resting upon said peripheral edge wall of said mold and spaced a substantially uniform distance from said peripheral edge wall to thereby define a relatively narrow open channel therebetween, and
• means for depositing foamable material in said open channel such that the thus deposited foamable material is adapted to self-adhere to the upper surface of the underlying elastomeric material and form a raised foam edge along the periphery of the upper surface.

An apparatus for fabricating a foam pad suitable for use in a seat, mattress, or the like and comprising

• an open top mold comprising a generally flat bottom wall and a raised peripheral edge wall surrounding said bottom wall and defining a predetermined peripheral outline, said mold being adapted to receive a foamable elastomeric material therein to form a resilient cellular pad having a dense crust on the upper surface thereof which is in contact with the surrounding air,
• means for depositing foamable elastomeric material in said open top mold,
• means for applying heat to the upper surface of the foamable material while in said open top mold to result in the formation of a crust of substantial thickness thereon, and
• a mold insert adapted to be positioned on the upper surface of the foaming material in said open top mold for leveling the underlying foaming material, said insert including a generally planar lower surface and defining a peripheral border having somewhat smaller dimensions than said peripheral outline of said open top mold such that said mold insert is adapted to be floatingly positioned on the foaming material within said mold without supportingly resting along said peripheral edge wall of said mold.

An apparatus for fabricating a foam pad suitable for use in a seat, mattress, or the like and comprising

• a plurality of open top molds each comprising a generally flat bottom wall and a raised peripheral edge wall surrounding said bottom wall and defining a predetermined peripheral outline, each of said molds being adapted to receive a foamable elastomeric material therein to form a resilient cellular pad having a dense crust on the upper surface thereof which is in contact with the surrounding air,
• means for conveying said open top mold in a serial arrangement about an endless path of travel,
• means positioned along said path of travel for depositing foamable elastomeric material in each of said open top molds,
• means positioned along said path of travel and downstream of said depositing means for applying heat to the upper surface of the foamable material while in the associated open top mold to result in the formation of a crust of substantial thickness thereon,
• a plurality of mold inserts each adapted to be positioned on the upper surface of the foaming material in an associated open top mold for leveling the underlying foaming material and while permitting air to contact a substantial portion of the surface of the foaming material to permit the formation of a dense crust, each of said mold inserts comprising a generally flat openwork member and an upstanding flange surrounding said member, said flange defining a peripheral border having somewhat smaller dimensions than said peripheral outline of its associated open top mold such that said mold insert is adapted to be positioned within said mold without supportingly resting upon said peripheral edge wall of said mold and spaced a substantially uniform distance from said peripheral edge wall to thereby define a relatively narrow open channel therebetween, and
• means positioned along said path of travel and downstream of said heat applying means for depositing foamable material in said open channel of each assembled mold and mold insert such that the thus deposited foamable material is adapted to self-adhere to the upper surface of the underlying elastomeric material and form a raised foam edge along the periphery of the upper surface.