Production of hot-pressed threedimensional fiber articles

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PRODUCING A DEEP DRAWN THREE-DIMENSIONED ARTICLE FROM A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT, FELT, COMPRISING: DEPOSITING WOOD FIBERS ON A MOVING CONVEYOR TO FORM A FLET CONTAINING IN SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION ADDED HEAT SOLUBLE RESIN IN PROPORTION OF FROM 10 TO 35 PARTS BY WEIGHT FOR 65 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF OVENDRY FIBER, SAID RESIN CONSISTING OF A MUXTURE OF THERMOPLASTIC AND THEROSETTING RESIN IN KIND AND QUANTITY SUCH THAT UPON HEATING SAID FELT THE RESIN IS SOFTENED TO LUBRICATE THE FIBERS TO PERMIT MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE FIBERS IN FORMING SAID ARTICLE AND UPON COMPRESSING THE HEREINAFTER-MENTIONED OVERLAPPING PORTIONS OF THE PIECE CAUSES SAID PORTIONS TO FUSE AND INTEGRATE, COMPRESSING SAID FELT TO A UNIFORMLY THICK AND DENSE COMPRESSIBLE PANEL, SHAPING THE PERIPHERAL CONTOUR OF THE PANEL TO PROVIDE A V-SHAPED RECESS HAVING ITS VERTEX INWARDLY OF THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE PIECE, THE SHAPE OF THE RECESS BEING SUCH THAT THE LENGTH OF MATERIAL AT THE OUTER PERIPHERY IS GREATER THAN THE DIMENSIONS OF THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE SHAPED ARTICLE AND THE DIMENTSION DEFINED BY THE VERTEX OF SAID RECESS IS EQUAL TO THE CORRESPONDING DIMENSION OF THE THREE-DIMENSIONED ARTICLE WHEREBY THE MATERIAL ADJACENT THE EDGES OF SAID RECESS WILL OVERLAP IN THE THREE-DIMENTIONED ARTICLE. SOFTENING THE SHAPED PANEL BY THE ACTION OF STEAM TO PROVIDE A MOISTURE CONTENT IN THE PANEL OF FROM 10 TO 18% BASES ON THE OVEN-DRY WEIGHT OF THE FIBERS, PLACING THE SOFTENED SHAPED PANEL OVER THE CAVITY OF A DIE, MOVING SAID PIECE INTO THE DIE BY AN ADVANCING PUNCH WHEREBY ON FULL ENTRY OF THE PIECE INTO THE FORMING SPACE BETWEEN THE DIE AND PUNCH THE MATERIAL ADJACENT THE RECESS EDGES WILL OVERLAP, AND HOT COMPRESSING THE SAME BETWEEN A DIE THE PUNCH WHEREBY SAID OVERLAPPED PORTIONS FUSE AN INTEGRATE TO FORM A UNIFORM CONSOLIDATED THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PRODUCING A DEEP DRAWN THREE-DIMENSIONED ARTICLE FROM A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT, FELT, COMPRISING: DEPOSITING WOOD FIBERS ON A MOVING CONVEYOR TO FORM A FLET CONTAINING IN SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION ADDED HEAT SOLUBLE RESIN IN PROPORTION OF FROM 10 TO 35 PARTS BY WEIGHT FOR 65 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF OVENDRY FIBER, SAID RESIN CONSISTING OF A MUXTURE OF THERMOPLASTIC AND THEROSETTING RESIN IN KIND AND QUANTITY SUCH THAT UPON HEATING SAID FELT THE RESIN IS SOFTENED TO LUBRICATE THE FIBERS TO PERMIT MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE FIBERS IN FORMING SAID ARTICLE AND UPON COMPRESSING THE HEREINAFTER-MENTIONED OVERLAPPING PORTIONS OF THE PIECE CAUSES SAID PORTIONS TO FUSE AND INTEGRATE, COMPRESSING SAID FELT TO A UNIFORMLY THICK AND DENSE COMPRESSIBLE PANEL, SHAPING THE PERIPHERAL CONTOUR OF THE PANEL TO PROVIDE A V-SHAPED RECESS HAVING ITS VERTEX INWARDLY OF THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE PIECE, THE SHAPE OF THE RECESS BEING SUCH THAT THE LENGTH OF MATERIAL AT THE OUTER PERIPHERY IS GREATER THAN THE DIMENSIONS OF THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE SHAPED ARTICLE AND THE DIMENTSION DEFINED BY THE VERTEX OF SAID RECESS IS EQUAL TO THE CORRESPONDING DIMENSION OF THE THREE-DIMENSIONED ARTICLE WHEREBY THE MATERIAL ADJACENT THE EDGES OF SAID RECESS WILL OVERLAP IN THE THREE-DIMENTIONED ARTICLE. SOFTENING THE SHAPED PANEL BY THE ACTION OF STEAM TO PROVIDE A MOISTURE CONTENT IN THE PANEL OF FROM 10 TO 18% BASES ON THE OVEN-DRY WEIGHT OF THE FIBERS, PLACING THE SOFTENED SHAPED PANEL OVER THE CAVITY OF A DIE, MOVING SAID PIECE INTO THE DIE BY AN ADVANCING PUNCH WHEREBY ON FULL ENTRY OF THE PIECE INTO THE FORMING SPACE BETWEEN THE DIE AND PUNCH THE MATERIAL ADJACENT THE RECESS EDGES WILL OVERLAP, AND HOT COMPRESSING THE SAME BETWEEN A DIE THE PUNCH WHEREBY SAID OVERLAPPED PORTIONS FUSE AN INTEGRATE TO FORM A UNIFORM CONSOLIDATED THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE.