Apparatus for continuously producing bodies of synthetic thermoplastic material

Claim 1

In apparatus for continuously converting granules of a synthetic thermoplastic material containing a heat-expanding agent into a coherent foamed agglutinated body substantially in the form of a flat board the horizontally extending narrow opposite side edges of which are rounded, the combination comprising A. a pair of upper and a pair of lower articulated link chain endless belts, B. a series of attachments suspended from said upper link chain belts for being successively carried thereby along a lower run thereof in a downstream direction with each successive pair thereof disposed in end-to-end abutting relation, C. a series of attachments suspended from said lower link chain belts for being successively carried thereby along an upper run thereof in said downstream direction with each successive pair thereof disposed in end-to-end abutting relation, D. means for actuating said upper and lower link chain belts whereby to continuously move said attachments successively in said downstream direction, the attachments moving in said downstream direction being independently effective to conjointly define the whole of a continuous open ended elongated mold channel having closed longitudinally extending narrow opposite sides, said attachments being provided with openings communicating with said mold channel for charging steam into the top and bottom thereof, E. means for continuously feeding said granules into the upstream end of said mold channel at a pre-determined rate, F. a steam box overlying the attachments carried by the lower run of the upper link chain belts, and a steam box underlying the upper run of the lower link chain belts, the interiors of said steam boxes being in communication with said mold channel through said openings in the attachments, G. means for receiving a molded body of material as it issues from said mold channel and conveying it in said downstream direction, and H. means for cooling said molded body of material as it is moved away from said mold channel.