Pre-heating process

Claim 1

A PREFORM PRE-HEATING PROCESS ADAPTED FOR USE IN A MOLDING OPERATION COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: DEPOSITING PREFORMS OF DIELECTRIC MATERIAL INTO A HEATING ZONE, EACH OF SAID PREFORMS HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DIAMETRICAL DIMENSION AND A PERIPHERAL SURFACE IN A PLANE NORMAL THERETO AND SAID HEATING ZONE INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED ELECTRODES IN PLANES SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO A DIAMETER OF THE PREFORMS, SAID PREFORMS BEING DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE SAID ELECTRODES AND CONTINUOUSLY ROTATED ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID DIAMETRICAL DIMENSION BY PRESSURE EXERTED ON A CONTINUOUSLY CHANGING PORTION OF SAID PERIPHERAL SURFACE; DIELECTRICALLY HEATING SAID PREFORMS AT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND TO A TEMPERATURE LESS THAN THE TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE OF POLYMERIZATION OF SAID MATERIAL DURING A MOLDING OPERATION BY ELECTRICALLY ENERGIZING SAID ELECTRODES AT AN RF FREQUENCY; AND DISCHARGING SAID PREFORMS FROM SAID HEATING ZONE AND TO A MOLDING OPERATION.