Production of foam core insulating panels
AssigneeDeraspan Corporation
InventorDonald F. Aldrich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Two rectangular rigid foam boards are supported horizontally above and below an elongated horizontal heating blade which extends laterally across the width of the boards. The heating blade is supported for vertical floating movement for uniformally heating and softening the opposing side surfaces of the boards while the boards are fed between horizontal driven pressure rolls. The rolls cooperate with the blade to heat-fuse or weld the boards together and form a laminated foam core assembly. The foam core assembly is planed to a precision thickness and then bonded by adhesive to facing sheets of preselected materials. The temperature of the blade is sensed and controlled according to the speed of the pressure rolls and the pressure applied by the rolls during the heat-fusing operation.
Claims9
A method of producing a foam core insulating panel having a length substantially greater than its width and a width substantially greater than its thickness, comprising the steps of supporting two flat rigid foam boards in vertically spaced superposed horizontal relation with opposing inner side surfaces defining a space therebetween, positioning an elongated generally flat heating blade horizontally within the space defined between the opposing inner side surfaces of corresponding leading end portions of the foam boards and laterally across the width of the foam boards in spaced relation to each of the side surfaces, positioning a set of power driven horizontal pressure rolls above and below the heating blade and adjacent the vertically spaced end portions of the foam boards with the rolls spaced vertically to define a gap slightly less than the combined thicknesses of the foam boards, feeding the leading end portions of the foam boards horizontally into the gap, pressing the opposing inner side surfaces of the foam boards with the pressure rolls into contact with opposite sides of the heating blade to soften the side surfaces, continuing the feeding of the foam boards between the driven pressure rolls for pressing the heated and softened opposing inner side surfaces together and to obtain heat-fusing of the side surfaces to form one integral foam core panel assembly from the two rigid foam boards, placing the foam core panel assembly between facing sheets of preselected material, and bonding the facing sheets to the opposite outer side surfaces of the foam core panel assembly.
A method of producing a foam core insulating panel having a length substantially greater than its width and a width substantially greater than its thickness, comprising the steps of supporting two flat rigid foam boards in vertically spaced superposed horizontal relation with opposing inner side surfaces defining a space therebetween, supporting an elongated generally flat horizontal heating blade for floating vertical movement within the space defined between the opposing inner side surfaces of corresponding leading end portions of the foam boards and laterally across the width of the foam boards in spaced relation to each of the side surfaces, positioning a set of power driven horizontal pressure rolls above and below the heating blade and adjacent the vertically spaced end portions of the foam boards with the rolls spaced vertically to define a gap slightly less than the combined thicknesses of the foam boards, feeding the leading end portions of the foam boards horizontally into the gap, passing the opposing inner side surfaces of the foam boards with the pressure rolls into contact with opposite sides of the heating blade to soften the side surfaces, continuing the feeding of the foam boards between the driven pressure rolls for pressing the heated and softened opposing inner side surfaces together and to obtain heat-fusing of the side surfaces to form one integral foam core panel assembly from the two rigid foam boards, placing the foam core panel assembly between facing sheets of preselected material, and bonding the facing sheets to the opposite outer side surfaces of the foam core panel assembly.
Apparatus for producing a foam core insulating panel having a length substantially greater than its width and a width substantially greater than its thickness, comprising means for supporting two flat rigid foam boards in vertically spaced generally horizontal superposed relation with opposing inner side surfaces, an elongated substantially flat heating blade, means supporting said heating blade in a horizontal position extending laterally across the width of the foam boards and spaced between the opposing inner side surfaces of corresponding leading end portions of the foam boards, a set of horizontal pressure rolls extending parallel to said heating blade and spaced vertically above and below said heating blade in adjacent relation and defining a gap slightly less than the combined thicknesses of the foam boards, means for driving the pressure rolls for pressing the spaced opposing inner side surfaces of the foam boards into contact with opposite sides of the heating blade to soften the side surfaces and for feeding the foam boards horizontally through the gap to obtain heat-fusing of the side surfaces and to form one integral foam core panel assembly, and means for attaching the opposite outer side surfaces of the foam core panel assembly to corresponding facing sheets of preselected material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.