Apparatus for making plastic articles of irregular design

Claim 2

Apparatus for extruding designs and panels including in combination an extruder, a moving receiving surface, nozzles through which material from the extruder is extruded onto said receiving surface, piping connections between the extruder and the nozzle providing universal movement of the nozzle across the area of the moving surface on which material is to be extruded and control means for said universal movement.

Claim 3

The apparatus described in claim 1 characterized by there being a plurality of nozzles and a common manifold through which all of the nozzles receive hot plastic material from the extruder, said piping connections for the nozzles being movable independently of one another and being movable independently in different directions from other nozzles at the same time.

Claim 4

The apparatus described in claim 2 characterized by the moving receiving surface being a plastic web on which the nozzles extrude, bands of plastic at temperatures which cause the bands to fuse to the web so that the web becomes a part of the final product and extends across what would otherwise be open space between the bands.

Claim 5

The web described in claim 3 characterized by the web being a continuous imperforate membrane that covers all of the space between the bands that are extruded thereon.

Claim 6

The apparatus described in claim 2 characterized by the control means including different motor means for moving different nozzles with respect to one another and for operating the different motor means independently of one another.

Claim 7

The apparatus described in claim 2 characterized by each of the different nozzles being in positions to extrude a band of material along a controlled path on the moving surface over a given area of the moving surface with the band extending longitudinally of the moving surface when the nozzle is stationary or is moving in the same or in opposite direction to the movement of the moving surface, and to extrude a band of material extending transversely of the direction of movement of the moving surface when the nozzle has transverse movement relative to the moving surface, different nozzles being positioned and movable with respect to one another to reach the given areas of the moving surface over which other nozzles extrude material whereby two nozzles can extrude material to the same band on the moving surface.

Claim 8

The apparatus described in claim 2 characterized by each of the nozzles having control means connected with two motor means, the first of which shifts the nozzle in a direction transverse of the direction of movement of the moving surface, and the other of which shifts the nozzle in a different direction that is transverse of the moving surface and that is also transverse of the direction in which the nozzle is moved by the first motor means.

Claim 9

The apparatus described in claim 7 characterized by the piping connections extending down toward the moving surface and comprising long pipes, universal connections joining the respective pipes to their source of material to be extruded, the motor means being thrustors that move at right angles to each other, the thrustors being connected with the pipes at locations nearer to the universal connection than to the nozzles whereby movement of the nozzles is greater than twice the corresponding movement of the thrustor.

Claim 10

The apparatus described in claim 7 characterized by the control means including programming means for controlling the motor means to extrude on the moving surface bands extending in any direction and in straight, curved and changing directions to form open panels with bands of extruded material that merge at connecting regions of ornamental design.

Claim 11

The apparatus described in claim 9 characterized by a cut-off station located at a substantial distance from the nozzles, the distance being correlated with the speed of movement of the moving surface and with the temperature and mass of the extruded material so that each panel cools and hardens on the moving surface sufficiently to be cut from other panels, a flying cut-off at the cut-off station for cutting off successive panels as they reach the cut-off station, and a stacker station beyond the flying cut-off.

Claim 12

The apparatus described in claim 7 characterized by nozzles for extruding straight and parallel bands at opposite sides of a panel, the control means having connections for moving nozzles along a transverse course with a component of movement in the direction of movement of said moving surface to form straight and parallel bands at the ends of each panel at right angles to the straight and parallel side bands, and control means for moving other nozzles to extrude bands within the limits defined by said straight bands and that connect with some of the straight bands to form ornamental decorative effects within the panel.