Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
336 words
A method of operating a belt-type press for making particleboard, the press having; a longitudinal row of transverse frames; upper and lower vertically spaced and longitudinally extending press beams extending along and carried on the row of frames, the upper beam being at least limitedly vertically movable in the frames and the lower beam being generally stationary therein; upper and lower vertically spaced and heatable press platens carried on the beams, confronting each other, and forming a straight horizontal and longitudinal path; respective upper and lower belts having confronting parallel stretches lying between the platens and flanking the path; and a plurality of substantially identical and upright hydraulic rams engaged between the upper beam and the frames and closely spaced in an upstream compression region of the press and relatively widely spaced in a downstream calibration region of the press; the method comprising the steps of: advancing the belts in a transport direction and thereby transporting a mat of particles and a thermally activatable binder through the press from the upstream region thereof to and through the downstream region thereof; heating the platens and thereby activating and softening the binder of the mat; hydraulically pressurizing the rams all with the same pressure and thereby compressing the mat between the belts with a high pressure in the upstream compression region of the press and with a low pressure in the downstream calibration region of the press, the upper platen and beam having a downstream portion in the downstream region and an upstream portion in the upstream region, the upstream portions being elastically deflectable upward relative to the downstream portions on hydraulic pressurization of the rams all with the same pressure; limiting downward displacement of the upstream portions of the upper platen and beam relative to the frames; and limiting downward displacement of the downstream portions of the upper platen and beam relative to the frames by means of an abutment such that the thickness of the practiceboard as it exits the press is established by the abutment.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
336 words
A method of operating a belt-type press for making particleboard, the press having; a longitudinal row of transverse frames; upper and lower vertically spaced and longitudinally extending press beams extending along and carried on the row of frames, the upper beam being at least limitedly vertically movable in the frames and the lower beam being generally stationary therein; upper and lower vertically spaced and heatable press platens carried on the beams, confronting each other, and forming a straight horizontal and longitudinal path; respective upper and lower belts having confronting parallel stretches lying between the platens and flanking the path; and a plurality of substantially identical and upright hydraulic rams engaged between the upper beam and the frames and closely spaced in an upstream compression region of the press and relatively widely spaced in a downstream calibration region of the press; the method comprising the steps of: advancing the belts in a transport direction and thereby transporting a mat of particles and a thermally activatable binder through the press from the upstream region thereof to and through the downstream region thereof; heating the platens and thereby activating and softening the binder of the mat; hydraulically pressurizing the rams all with the same pressure and thereby compressing the mat between the belts with a high pressure in the upstream compression region of the press and with a low pressure in the downstream calibration region of the press, the upper platen and beam having a downstream portion in the downstream region and an upstream portion in the upstream region, the upstream portions being elastically deflectable upward relative to the downstream portions on hydraulic pressurization of the rams all with the same pressure; limiting downward displacement of the upstream portions of the upper platen and beam relative to the frames; and limiting downward displacement of the downstream portions of the upper platen and beam relative to the frames by means of an abutment such that the thickness of the practiceboard as it exits the press is established by the abutment.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
329 words
A belt-type press for making particleboard, the press comprising; a longitudinal row of transverse frames; upper and lower vertically spaced and longitudinally extending press beams extending along and carried on the row of frames, the upper beam being at least limitedly vertically movable in the frames and the lower beam being generally stationary therein; upper and lower vertically spaced and heated press platens carried on the beams, confronting each other, and forming a straight horizontal and longitudinal path; upper and lower belts having confronting parallel stretches lying between the platens and flanking the path, whereby the belts are driven to move a mat of particles to be pressed along the path in a transport direction; a plurality of substantially identical and upright hydraulic rams engaged between the upper beam and the frames and closely spaced in an upstream compression region of the press and widely spaced in a downstream calibration region of the press; at least one downstream abutment operatively engageable between the upper beam and platen in the downstream region; means for hydraulically pressurizing the rams all with the same pressure and thereby compressing the mat between the belts with a high pressure in the upstream compression region of the press and with a low pressure in the downstream calibration region of the press and for operatively engaging the downstream abutment between the upper beam and platen for limiting downward displacement of same below a predetermined lower position only in the downstream region, whereby the thickness of the particleboard as it exits the press is established by the downstream abutment, the upper platen and beam having a downstream portion in the downstream region and an upstream portion in the upstream region, the upstream portions being elastically deflectable upward relative to the downstream portions; and upper and lower vertically engageable upstream abutments operatively engaged between the upstream portions of the upper platen and beam and the frames for limiting downward displacement of the upstream portions relative to the frames.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
329 words
A belt-type press for making particleboard, the press comprising; a longitudinal row of transverse frames; upper and lower vertically spaced and longitudinally extending press beams extending along and carried on the row of frames, the upper beam being at least limitedly vertically movable in the frames and the lower beam being generally stationary therein; upper and lower vertically spaced and heated press platens carried on the beams, confronting each other, and forming a straight horizontal and longitudinal path; upper and lower belts having confronting parallel stretches lying between the platens and flanking the path, whereby the belts are driven to move a mat of particles to be pressed along the path in a transport direction; a plurality of substantially identical and upright hydraulic rams engaged between the upper beam and the frames and closely spaced in an upstream compression region of the press and widely spaced in a downstream calibration region of the press; at least one downstream abutment operatively engageable between the upper beam and platen in the downstream region; means for hydraulically pressurizing the rams all with the same pressure and thereby compressing the mat between the belts with a high pressure in the upstream compression region of the press and with a low pressure in the downstream calibration region of the press and for operatively engaging the downstream abutment between the upper beam and platen for limiting downward displacement of same below a predetermined lower position only in the downstream region, whereby the thickness of the particleboard as it exits the press is established by the downstream abutment, the upper platen and beam having a downstream portion in the downstream region and an upstream portion in the upstream region, the upstream portions being elastically deflectable upward relative to the downstream portions; and upper and lower vertically engageable upstream abutments operatively engaged between the upstream portions of the upper platen and beam and the frames for limiting downward displacement of the upstream portions relative to the frames.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The particleboard press defined in claim 1 wherein the upper beam has outer longitudinal edges and the abutments of the upstream portion include upper abutments carried thereon and lower abutments carried on the rams.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
The particleboard press defined in claim 1 wherein the upper beam has outer longitudinal edges and the abutments of the downstream portion are carried on the frame and operatively engageable with the outer upper beam edge.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The particleboard press defined in claim 1 wherein at least some of the abutments are of variable height.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
The particleboard press defined in claim 1 wherein at least in the calibration region deformations of the frame, the upper beam, and the upper platen transverse to the path are compensated out by means of the actuators.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
The particleboard press defined in claim 1 wherein at least in the calibration region deformations of the frame, the upper beam, and the upper platen transverse to the path are compensated out by means of the abutments.