Press for continuously producing chip board, fiber board or the like

Claim 2

A press for continuously producing fiber board, chip board or the like comprising an upper and a lower endless link chain, each of said chains being movable around and between guide rollers or the like rotatable in one direction about horizontal parallel axes, and each link chain consisting of a plurality of rigid link plates of a uniform length each of which is pivotably connected at its longitudinal ends to the adjacent link plates, an endless feed belt extending around each chain, said belt being acted upon and adapted to travel with the link plates of the inner stringers of said chains facing each other, a plurality of pressure rollers rotatable about horizontal parallel axes between the inner and outer stringers of each chain, said axis of each pressure roller associated with one chain being disposed within a vertical plane extending through the axis of a pressure roller associated with the other chain, adjustable pressure means acting upon said pressure rollers associated with said inner stringer at least of one of said chains for pressing the link plates of said stringer and said feed belt thereon toward the other feed belt and the link plates of the inner stringer of the other chain, and means for synchronously driving at least some of said pressure rollers acting upon said link plates of said inner stringers of both chains and for thereby synchronously driving said inner stringers and said belts thereon, each of said link plates having a length at least equal to twice the distance between the axes of two adjacent pressure rollers acting upon the same chain.

Claim 3

A press as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for heating at least said chains for setting and hardening the materials of said board after being compressed to its final thickness.

Claim 4

A press as defined in claim 1, in which the ends of all of said pressure rollers are rotatably mounted in bearings, said bearings of said pressure rollers associated with the inner stringer of at least a first of said chains being adapted to be acted upon and to be moved by said pressure means in the direction toward and away from the bearings of the opposite pressure rollers associated with the inner stringer of the second chain, a plurality of said pressure rollers adjacent to each other near the inlet end of said press which are associated with said inner stringers of said two chains and the endless belt thereon forming a compression stage for compressing a loose layer of the materials of which said board is composed substantially to the desired final thickness of said board, and a plurality of said pressure rollers subsequent to those near said inlet end and associated with said inner stringers of said two chains and the endless belts thereon forming a heat-setting stage for setting and hardening said board at its final thickness, and means for heating at least said inner stringers at least within said setting stage.

Claim 5

A press as defined in claim 3, further comprising means for also heating said endless belt at least within said setting stage.

Claim 6

A press as defined in claim 3, further comprising means for bracing at least the central part of the length of all of said pressure rollers at least of said setting stage so as to prevent said rollers from beNding.

Claim 7

A press as defined in claim 5, in which said bracing means comprise a pair of bracing rollers rotatably mounted and engaging upon the periphery of at least the central part of each of said pressure rollers of both stages at equal distances from a vertical plane extending through the line of engagement of said pressure roller with said inner stringer of the associated chain and also of the engagement of the opposite pressure roller with said inner stringer of the other chain, and adjustable pressure means acting upon said bracing rollers with a pressure substantially in conformity with the pressure to which said bearings of said pressure rollers are subjected.

Claim 8

A press for continuously producing boards such as chipboards, fiberboards, and the like; said press comprising: a first endless chain formed of a plurality of link plates hingedly connected to one another at the ends thereof; a second endless chain formed of a plurality of link plates hingedly connected to one another at the ends thereof; guiding and moving means for guiding and moving said first and second chains with respective outer surfaces of said chains in facing relationship and moving in the same direction over a material pressing portion of the respective travel paths of said chains such that board material for forming said boards can be conveyed by and compressed between said chains along said material pressing portion of said respective travel paths; and pressure applying means for pressing said chains toward one another along said material pressing portion of the respective travel paths of said chains such that board material may be forcefully compressed between said chains, said pressure applying means including a plurality of pressure rollers arranged inside of the travel path of at least one of said chains and forcing means for forcing said pressure rollers against the link plates of said at least one chain; wherein said guiding and moving means includes drive means for rotatably driving at least one of said pressure rollers such that said at least one of said pressure rollers applies moving forces to said link plates to move said at least one of said chains along its respective travel path.

Claim 9

A press for continuously producing boards such as chipboards, fiberboards, and the like; said press comprising: a first endless chain formed of a plurality of link plates hingedly connected to one another at the ends thereof; a second endless chain formed of a plurality of link plates hingedly connected to one another at the ends thereof; guiding and moving means for guiding and moving said first and second chains with respective outer surfaces of said chains in facing relationship and moving in the same direction over a material pressing portion of the respective travel paths of said chains such that board material for forming said boards can be conveyed by and compressed between said chains along said material pressing portion of said respective travel paths; and pressure applying means for pressing said chains toward one another along said material pressing portion of the respective travel paths of said chains such that board material may be forcefully compressed between said chains, said pressure applying means including a plurality of pressure rollers arranged inside of the travel path of at least one of said chains and forcing means for forcing said pressure rollers against the link plates of said at least one chain; wherein said guiding and moving means includes drive means for rotatably driving at least one of said pressure rollers such that said at least one of said pressure rollers applies moving forces to said link plates to move said at least one of said chains along its respective travel path.

Claim 10

A press according to claim 7, further comprising a first flexible feed belt enclosing a portion of and movable with said first chain and a second flexible feed belt enclosing a portion of and movable with said second chain, wherein said first and second belts are interposed between said chains over said material pressing portion of the respective travel paths thereof to directly engage said board material during pressing operations.

Claim 11

A press according to claim 8, wherein each of said first and second belts are endless belts which completely surround the respective first and second chains.

Claim 12

A press according to claim 7, wherein said pressure applying means includes a plurality of pressure rollers inside each of said chains, wherein said forcing means includes means for forcibly moving the pressure rollers inside of said first chain in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of said chains, and wherein the pressure rollers in said second chain are maintained in a relatively fixed position for rotation about respective roller axes extending transverse to the direction of travel of said chains.

Claim 13

A press according to claim 10, wherein the pressure rollers in said first chain are rotatable about respective axes extending transverse to the direction of travel of said chains, and wherein each of said pressure rollers in said first chain are constrained to move with their respective axes movable in a plane which also contains the axis of a respective one of said pressure rollers in said second chain.

Claim 14

A press according to claim 11, wherein said drive means includes means for synchronously driving respective oppositely-facing pressure rollers in said first and second chains.

Claim 15

A press according to claim 12, wherein said drive means includes Means for driving a plurality of pressure rollers in each of said chains.

Claim 16

A press according to claim 12, wherein said forcing means includes separate piston and cylinder means for each of said pressure rollers in said first chain, and wherein control means are provided for controlling said piston and cylinder means to sequentially compress the board material with continuously decreasing distance between said chains along a first part of said material pressing portion of said respective travel paths and to maintain a fixed distance between said chains along the part of said material pressing portion of said respective travel paths which follows said first part.

Claim 17

A press according to claim 7, wherein said forcing means includes separate piston and cylinder means for each of said pressure rollers in said first chain, and wherein control means are provided for controlling said piston and cylinder means to sequentially compress the board material with continuously decreasing distance between said chains along a first part of said material pressing portion of said respective travel paths and to maintain a fixed distance between said chains along the part of said material pressing portion of said respective travel paths which follows said first part.

Claim 18

A press according to claim 14, wherein said drive means includes means for driving a plurality of pressure rollers in each of said chains.

Claim 19

A press according to claim 16, wherein said guiding and moving means includes two-spaced reversing guide wheels for each chain, wherein said material pressing portion of said respective travel paths extends between said reversing guide wheels, and wherein each of said pressure rollers is spaced from said guide wheels.

Claim 20

A press according to claim 7, wherein said guiding and moving means includes two-spaced reversing guide wheels for each chain, wherein said material pressing portion of said respective travel paths extends between said reversing guide wheels, and wherein each of said pressure rollers is spaced from said guide wheels.

Claim 21

A press for continuously producing boards such as chipboards, fiberboards, and the like, said press comprising: a first endless chain formed of a plurality of link plates hingedly connected to one another at the ends thereof; a second endless chain formed of a plurality of link plates hingedly connected to one another at the ends thereof; guiding and moving means for guiding and moving said first and second chains with respective outer surfaces of said chains in facing relationship and moving in the same direction over a material pressing portion of the respective travel paths of said chains such that board material for forming said boards can be conveyed by and compressed between said chains along said material pressing portion of said respective travel paths; and pressure applying means for pressing said chains toward one another along said material pressing portion of the respective travel paths of said chains such that board material may be forcefully compressed between said chains, said pressure applying means including a plurality of pressure rollers arranged inside of the travel path of at least one of said chains and forcing means for forcing said pressure rollers against the link plates of said at least one chain; wherein said pressure rollers are rotatable about respective axes extending transverse to the direction of travel of said chains, and wherein back-up support means are provided intermediate the ends of at least some of said rollers, said back-up support means including means for applying an adjustable pressure against said rollers separate from the forces applied against said rollers by said forcing means.

Claim 22

A press for continuously producing boards such as chipboards, fiberboards, and the like, said press comprising: a first endless chain formed of a plurality of link plates hingedly connected to one another at the ends thereof; a second endless chain formed of a plurality of link plates hingedly connected to one another at the ends thereof; guiding and moving means for guiding and moving said first and second chains with respective outer surfaces of said chains in facing relationship and moving in the same direction over a material pressing portion of the respective travel paths of said chains such that board material for forming said boards can be conveyed by and compressed between said chains along said material pressing portion of said respective travel paths; and pressure applying means for pressing said chains toward one another along said material pressing portion of the respective travel paths of said chains such that board material may be forcefully compressed between said chains, said pressure applying means including a plurality of pressure rollers arranged inside of the travel path of at least one of said chains and forcing means for forcing said pressure rollers against the link plates of said at least one chain; wherein said pressure rollers are rotatable about respective axes extending transverse to the direction of travel of said chains, and wherein back-up support means are provided intermediate the ends of at least some of said rollers, said back-up support means including means for applying an adjustable pressure against said rollers separate from the forces applied against said rollers by said forcing means.

Claim 23

A press according to claim 19, wherein said guiding and moving means includes drive means for rotatably driving at least one of said pressure rollers such that said at least one of said pressure rollers applied moving forces to said link plates to move said at least one of said chains alOng its respective travel path.

Claim 24

A press according to claim 19, wherein said pressure rollers are rotatably supported in bearing means at respective opposite ends of said pressure rollers, and wherein said forcing means include piston-cylinder means for moving said bearing means.

Claim 25

A press according to claim 21, wherein said back-up support means includes at least one rotatable member engageable, respectively, with the surface of each of said at least some of said rollers at a position intermediate said bearing means.

Claim 26

A press according to claim 22, wherein said back-up support means includes piston-cylinder means separate from the forcing means for adjustably moving each of said at least one rotatable members in a direction transverse to the respective axes of rotation of said rollers.

Claim 27

A press according to claim 23, wherein said back-up support means includes a pair of rotatable members for each of said pressure rollers, the rotatable members of each pair being spaced circumferentially from one another around the respective pressure roller and being movable together by said piston-cylinder means for said back-up support means.

Claim 28

A press according to claim 24, wherein oppositely facing pressure rollers inside said first and second chains are provided with a pair of said rotatable members.

Claim 29

A press according to claim 23, wherein said rotatable members are rotatable about respective axes extending parallel to the rotational axes of said rollers.

Claim 30

A press according to claim 23, wherein said guiding and moving means includes drive means for rotatably driving at least one of said pressure rollers such that said at least one of said pressure rollers applies moving forces to said link plates to move said at least one of said chains along its respective travel path.

Claim 31

A press according to claim 9, further comprising a first flexible feed belt enclosing a portion of and movable with said first chain and a second flexible feed belt enclosing a portion of and movable with said second chain, wherein said first and second belts are interposed between said chains over said material pressing portion of the respective travel paths thereof to directly engage said based material during pressing operations.

Claim 32

A press according to claim 28, wherein each of said first and second belts are endless belts which completely surround the respective first and second chains.

Claim 33

A press according to claim 20, wherein said pressure applying means includes a plurality of pressure rollers inside each of said chains, wherein said forcing means includes means for forcibly moving the pressure rollers inside of said first chain in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of said chains, and wherein the pressure rollers in said second chain are maintained in a relatively fixed position for rotation about respective roller axes extending transverse to the direction of travel of said chains.

Claim 34

A press according to claim 30, wherein the pressure rollers in said first chain are rotatable about respective axes extending transverse to the direction of travel of said chains, and wherein each of said pressure rollers in said first chain are constrained to move with their respective axes movable in a plane which also contains the axis of a respective one of said pressure rollers in said second chain.

Claim 35

A press according to claim 31, wherein said drive means includes means for synchronously driving respective oppositely-facing pressure rollers in said first and second chains.

Claim 36

A press according to claim 32, wherein said forcing means includes separate piston and cylinder means for each of said pressure rollers in said first chain, and wherein control means are provided for controlling said piston and cylinder means to sequentially compress the board material with continuously decreasing distance between said chains along a first part of said material pressing portion of said respective travel paths and to maintain a fixed distance between said chains along the part of said material pressing portion of said respective travel paths which follows said first part.

Claim 37

A press according to claim 7, wherein the spacing between the rotational axes of adjacent pressure rollers in the direction of movement of the chains is less than the length of one of said link plates in said direction of movement of the chains to assure that at least two pressure rollers are in engagement with a link plate at all positions along said material pressing portion of the travel paths of said chains except the extreme end positions adjacent respective first and last pressure rollers in the direction of chain travel.

Claim 38

A press according to claim 19, wherein the spacing between the rotational axes of adjacent pressure rollers in the direction of movement of the chains is less than the length of one of said link plates in said direction of movement of the chains to assure that at least two pressure rollers are in engagement with a link plate at all positions along said material pressing portion of the travel paths of said chains except the extreme end positions adjacent respective first and last pressure rollers in the direction of chain travel.