Apparatus and method for manufacturing concrete form mouldings

An apparatus for manufacturing concrete form moulding from a sheet of closed cell extruded polystyrene material having substantially parallel lateral edges and generally planar and parallel upper and lower extruded surfaces, the apparatus comprising:

• (a) channel means for supporting the sheet of polystyrene material so that the sheet lower extruded surface lies generally in a channel plane, the channel means including an open outlet end, a channel bottom support defining the channel plane, and channel sides, the channel sides adapted to substantially abut the parallel lateral edges of the sheet when the sheet is supported by the channel means;
• (b) drive means for advancing the sheet supported by the channel means out of the channel outlet end;
• (c) a plurality of electrically resistive heated cutting wires positioned at the outlet end of the channel means for melting the polystyrene material forming the sheet along a plurality of laterally spaced apart forming lines as the sheet is advanced by the drive means, each forming line positioned so as to traverse the channel plane and a distance above the channel plane equal to a thickness of the concrete form moulding to be created, and adjacent laterally spaced apart forming lines intersecting with the planes of the upper and lower extruded surfaces of the sheet to form a desired moulding cross-sectional shape;
• and
• (d) exit support means positioned on the opposite side of the cutting wires from the channel means for receiving and supporting moulding strips formed from the polystyrene sheet as the sheet is advanced out of the channel through the channel outlet end and is cut by the cutting wires.