Methods and apparatus for making grids from fibers
OwnerJohn F. Huntinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Method and apparatus to form grids of open cells from fibers, especially wood fibers and fibers from waste paper and mixed waste materials. The invention utilizes a screen carrying a plurality of elastomeric pads of predetermined sizes arranged thereon in predetermined spaced relation to each other. The fiber is deposited between the pads but not above the pads. The deposited fibers and the pads are compressed normal to the screen, which causes the fiber in the spaces between the pads to be consolidated both normal and parallel to the screen, resulting in a open grid having cells of the shape of the pads. Numerous variations are provided including several continuous production embodiments. The invention uses state of the art technology for virtually all aspects.
Claims23
A method of making an open cell grid from fiber, said grid comprising a plurality of bars having their thicknesses parallel to the plane of said grid and their heights defining the thickness of said grid, comprising the steps of providing a porous carrier, providing a plurality of pads on said carrier, providing a predetermined size and shape for each of said pads, positioning said pads on said carrier in predetermined spaced relation to each other, forming said pads of elastomeric material, depositing fiber on said carrier to at least partially fill the spaces only between said pads, using a carrier fluid technique to perform said depositing fiber step with the carrier fluid exiting through the deposited fibers and through said carrier, consolidating said deposited fibers in directions both normal and parallel to said carrier;
- and performing said consolidating step by applying pressure in a direction normal to said carrier on said pads on the ends thereof remote from said carrier to cause said pads to expand parallel to said carrier to compress the bars of said grid in both their thickness and height directions and to impart substantially straight sides to said bars of said grid.
In combination, apparatus for making an open cell grid from fiber, said grid comprising a plurality of bars having their thicknesses parallel to the plane of said grid and their heights defining the depth of said grid, comprising porous carrier means, a plurality of pads on said carrier means, each of said pads having a predetermined size and shape, means to position said pads on said carrier in predetermined spaced relation to each other, said pads comprising elastomeric material, means for depositing fiber on said carrier to at least partially fill the spaces only between said pads, said means for depositing fiber comprising a carrier fluid technique wherein the carrier fluid exits through the deposited fibers and through said carrier, means for consolidating said deposited fibers in directions both normal and parallel to said carrier by applying pressure normal to said carrier on said pads on the ends thereof remote from said carrier, whereby said pads are caused to expand parallel to said carrier to compress the bars of said grid in both their thickness and height directions and to impart substantially straight sides to said bars of said grid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.