Hot pressing apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR INTERMITTENTLY SUBJECTING MATERIAL IN A MULTI-SIDED MOLD TO TEMPERATURES OF SUFFICIENT DEGREE AND PRESSURE IN A RANGE TO MOLD SAID MATERIAL BY THE HOT PRESSING THEREOF COMPRISING A SERIES OF MOLDS HAVING CHAMBERS THEREIN TO RECEIVE THE MATERIAL TO BE HOT PRESSED, AND PLUNGERS IN THE CHAMBERS TO PRESS AGAINST THE MATERIAL, A FURNACE ADAPTED TO SERIALLY RECEIVE THE MOLDS CONTAINING THE MATERIAL TO BE HOT PRESSED, SAID FURNACE INCLUDING A HOT ZONE, MEANS TO FEED MOLDS FILLED WITH SAID MATERIAL GENERALLY LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH SAID ZONE, SAID MOLDS BEING MOVED THERETHROUGH WITH SAID PLUNGERS DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY TO SAID LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT, MEANS TO HEAT THE ZONE TO HOT PRESSING TEMPERATURES, OPPOSED MEANS AT THE HEATED ZONE FOR APPLYING PRESSURE TOWARD ALL OF THE SIDES OF THE MOLD WITH SUBSTANTIALLY BALANCED OPPOSED PRESSURES INCLUDING MEANS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY CREATE A HOT PRESSING MOLDING PRESSURE AGAINST THE PLUNGERS WHILE THE MOLD IS DISPOSED IN SAID ZONE, AND SAID PRESSURE APPLYING MEANS BEING ACTIVATED FOR A TIME PERIOD TO MAINTAIN THE PRESSURE FOR A SUFFICIENT TIME PERIOD TO COMPLETE A HOT PRESSING OPERATION AND THEN BEING RELEASED, AND MEANS TO REMOVE THE MOLDS SERIALLY FROM SAID ZONE AFTER COMPLETION OF SAID HOT PRESSING AND MOLDING OPERATION.