Laminating process and apparatus
AssigneeTetrahedron Associates, Inc.
InventorsVincent H. Noto, Stanley Yalof
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process and apparatus for forming a series of plastic laminate samples one-by-one in a semi-continuous manner. Samples pass continuously one after the other through a series of heating, compressing, and cooling steps. Each sample is heated and pressed for a predetermined interval in a first compression press, then passed through a series of levels in a stack in a stacking press. The sample is passed from the last level of the stacking press to a cooling press, where it is cooled for the same predetermined interval of time. Thus samples are stepped one after another through the apparatus, with samples at each step moving simultaneously to the next successive step at predetermined intervals.
Claims27
A process for sequentially forming a series of laminated samples, comprising passing samples one after the other at predetermined intervals through a series of laminating steps
- (a) supplying sample materials to a first heating press;
- (b) heating and pressing a sample for the predetermined interval in the first press;
- (c) passing the sample to the first level of a stack in a stacking press;
- (d) passing the sample through the various levels of the stack in the press and heating and pressing it for the predetermined interval at each level;
- (e) passing the sample from the last level of the stack to a cooling press;
- (f) cooling the sample for the predetermined interval in said cooling press;
- and
- (g) removing the sample from the cooling press,
- said samples being passed one after the other from each step to the next subsequent step simultaneously at said predetermined intervals such that samples are removed from said cooling press at a rate equal to said predetermined interval.
An apparatus for producing laminated samples, comprising:
- a first press for heating and pressing sample materials;
- a stacking press having upper and lower openings one of the openings for heating and pressing a stack of samples between the levels of the openings, one of the openings being aligned with the first press;
- a cooling press for cooling and compressing samples;
- means for transferring samples one after another into the first press, from the first press into said one opening of the stacking press, from one level to the next through all the levels of the stack, from the other opening of the stacking press into the cooling press, and out of the cooling press;
- means for operating said presses simultaneously to compress samples within the presses for a predetermined interval;
- and
- means for operating said transferring means to simultaneously transfer samples from each stage to the next in the apparatus at a transfer time equal to said predetermined interval, said transferring means being synchronized with said press operating means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.