Method of making a shingle and shingle made thereby
AssigneeCertainTeed Corporation
InventorsHusnu M. Kalkanoglu, Robert L. Jenkins, Richard Krause, Joseph Quaranta, Kermit Stahl
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of making a shingle and the shingle made in accordance with such method are provided, in which a shingle-forming layer of shingle material has a plurality of marks applied thereto prior to or after application of decorative granules to its tab region, and wherein the locations of the marks are sensed by a sensor, that then activates and controls the operation and placement of various shingle-completion steps as a function of the placement of the marks.
Claims22
A method of making a shingle in a manufacturing environment, in which the shingle has a butt region and a tab region with the tab region having decorative granules applied thereto, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a shingle-forming layer comprised of shingle reinforcement material impregnated with a bitumen material, the layer having a butt region and a tab region, and including the step of delivering the layer along a longitudinal path;
- (b) optionally, providing a layer of headlap granules on an upper surface of at least the butt region of the shingle-forming layer;
- (c) applying a plurality of marks to the shingle-forming layer, with the marks being provided at predetermined longitudinally spaced-apart distances from each other and being applied independently of and synchronized to control the timing and placement of features of subsequent shingle-completion steps;
- and
- (d) sensing the locations of the marks and then actuating any of the following subsequent shingle-completion steps as a function of the placement of the marks on the shingle-forming layer:
- (i) controlling the humidity of the shingle manufacturing environment, for controlling expansion and contraction of at least portions of the shingle being manufactured;
- (ii) controlling the discharge of decorative granules from a granule applicator;
- and
- (iii) controlling the relative positions of at least one granule applicator and the shingle-forming layer.
A method of making a shingle in a manufacturing environment, in which the shingle has a butt region and a tab region with the tab region having decorative granules applied thereto, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a shingle-forming layer comprised of shingle reinforcement material impregnated with a bitumen material, the layer having a butt region and a tab region, and including the step of delivering the layer along a longitudinal path;
- (b) optionally, providing a layer of headlap granules on an upper surface of at least the butt region of the shingle-forming layer;
- (c) the shingle-forming layer having sensible portions thereof, which, when sensed, can be used to control the timing and placement of features of subsequent shingle-completion steps;
- and
- (d) sensing the locations of the sensible portions of clause (c) and then actuating any of the following subsequent shingle-completion steps as a function of the sensed shingle portions of the shingle-forming layer:
- (i) controlling the humidity of the shingle manufacturing environment, for controlling expansion and contraction of at least portions of the shingle being manufactured;
- (ii) controlling the discharge of decorative granules from a granule applicator;
- and
- (iii) controlling the relative positions of at least one granule applicator and shingle-forming layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.