Manufactured wood product press

A press assembly adapted to compress a resinous wood fiber mat, the press assembly comprising:

• a plurality of longitudinally aligned press modules, each press module having a lower platen that is driven along a circular pat of travel in a machine direction and an oppositely-disposed upper platen that is driven along a circular path of travel, wherein the upper and lower platens are spaced apart to form a gap and the gaps formed by the plurality of platens are aligned to define a channel adapted to receive the resinous wood fiber mat for compression;
• wherein the lower platens are synchronized to move along the circular path of travel at the same rate and in phase and the upper platens are synchronized to move along the circular path of travel at the same rate and in phase, and further wherein the upper platen circular path of travel is synchronized with the lower platen circular path of travel such that the lower platens reach a highest point on the lower platen circular path of travel at substantially the same time the upper platens reach a lowest point on the upper platen circular path of travel;
• and
• a first eccentric shaft assembly including an eccentric drive shaft, wherein the first eccentric shaft assembly is coupled to the lower platen such that rotating the eccentric drive shaft causes the lower platens to move along the lower platens circular path of travel and a second eccentric shaft assembly including an eccentric drive shaft, wherein the second eccentric shaft assembly is coupled to the upper platen such that rotating the eccentric drive shaft causes the upper platens to move along the upper platens circular path of travel;
• a first concentric shaft assembly coupled to the lower platen:
• whereby the upper and lower platens are adapted to compress the resinous wood fiber mat therebetween during a portion of the upper and lower platen circular path of travel and to release the resinous wood fiber mat during a portion of the upper and lower platen circular path of travel.

A method for forming a wood panel by compressing a resinous wood fiber mat, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a press assembly having a plurality of lower platens that are driven along a first circular path of travel in a machine direction and a plurality of corresponding upper platens driven along a second circular path of travel, each upper platen disposed opposite one of the plurality of lower platens, the upper and lower platens being longitudinally aligned to define a channel therebetween;
• feeding a resinous wood fiber mat into the press assembly;
• and
• driving the lower platens along the first circular path of travel and the upper platens along the second circular path of travel synchronously and with sufficient power to compress resinous wood fiber mat and to propel the resinous wood fiber mat through the channel wherein the upper and lower platens are each operably attached to an eccentric drive shaft assembly and a concentric drive shaft assembly such that rotating the eccentric drive shaft assembly and the concentric drive shaft assembly moves the platens along the circular path of travel.