Equipment for the continuous production of panels of synthetic material

Abstract

The invention relates to an equipment for the production of panels from expandable synthetic material on which a foil material is applied to act as a facing.

What I claim is:  .[.1. An apparatus for the continuous manufacture of panels comprised of expanded synthetic material of the type where a facing is applied to each side of the synthetic material comprising a flow path along which said panels are manufactured, means for supplying said upper and lower facings in continuous sheets along said flow path, means for depositing said synthetic material between said sheets while it is substantially in its liquid phase, first means for shaping said synthetic material, said first means being disposed in contact with each of said facing sheets and having an outlet through which said facing sheets pass, second means for shaping said synthetic material, said second means comprising first and second conveyor bands which are disposed above and below said flow path and which are in engagement with said upper and lower facing, said bands extending downstream from said outlet of said first means so that as said synthetic material expands its shape is maintained by said conveyor bands, and a flexible mesh form belt, the downstream end portion of said belt being deformable in all directions, said belt being applied to the outer surface of the conveyor band above said flow path to prevent the formation of pockets and folds between the facings sheets and the expanded synthetic material..].  .[.2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 including first and second shaping plates disposed above and below said upper and lower conveyor bands and in contact therewith, said flexible mesh form belt extending from substantially the entrance of said facing sheets into said conveyor bands to said shaping plate disposed above said upper conveyor, the upstream portion of said flexible mesh form belt overlying that part of said flow path where said synthetic material is still in its liquid state, the downstream portion of said flexible mesh form belt overlying that part of said flow path where the synthetic material is undergoing expansion, and the distance between the downstream end of said flexible mesh form belt and the upstream end of said shaping plate disposed above said conveyor is as small as possible to reduce the angle between the contacting face of said shaping plate and the facing sheet in contact therewith so that pockets and folds cannot form between said flexible mesh form belt and said shaping plate..]. .Iadd. 3. An apparatus for the continuous manufacture of panels comprised of expanded synthetic material of the type where a facing is applied to the upper and lower sides of the synthetic material comprising a flow path along which said panels are manufacture, means adjacent said flow path for supplying said upper and lower facings in continuous sheets along said flow path, means adjacent said supplying means for depositing said synthetic material between said sheets while said synthetic material is substantially in its liquid phase, first means for shaping said synthetic material, said first means being disposed in contact with each of said facing sheets and having an outlet through which said facing sheets pass, second means for shaping said synthetic material, said second means comprising first and second conveyor bands which are disposed above and below said flow path and which are in engagement with said upper and lower facing, said bands extending downstream from said outlet of said first means so that as said synthetic material expands, its shape is maintained by said conveyor bands, first and second shaping plates disposed above and below said upper and lower conveyor bands and in contact therewith, a flexible mesh form belt being applied to the outer surface of said first conveyor band, said belt extending from substantially the entrance of said facing sheets into said conveyor bands to said shaping plate disposed above said upper conveyor, the upstream portion of said flexible mesh form belt overlying that part of said flow path where said synthetic material is still in its liquid state, the downstream portion of said flexible mesh form belt being deformable in all directions and overlying that part of said flow path where the synthetic material is undergoing expansion, and the distance between the downstream end of said flexible mesh form belt and the upstream end of said shaping plate disposed above said conveyor is as small as possible to reduce the angle between the contacting face of said shaping plate and the facing sheet in contact therewith so that pockets and folds cannot form between said flexible mesh form belt and said shaping plate.