Equipment and method for manufacturing honeycomb structural body

An apparatus for producing a honeycomb structure provided with an extruder capable of extruding a honeycomb structure in the gravity direction or a direction oblique at an angle of smaller than 30° with the gravity direction and at least one cradle, said apparatus being provided with a means to be able to place the honeycomb structure extending in length with progress of extrusion on the cradle with pressure contacting a cell opening end face of the honeycomb structure with the cradle under a pressure smaller than the compressive strength at the end face and then move the cradle at a speed capable of keeping the pressure contacting state and in the same direction as the lengthwise direction of the honeycomb structure, the pressure being determined by a load sensor which senses a load applied to the cradle.