Vacuum press

Claim 1

A laminating machine, comprising: (a) a processing unit including a frame at least partially defining a processing chamber and further defining front and rear access openings to said chamber; (b) a front door hingedly connected to said frame, positioned in alignment with said front opening such that upon closure of said front door, said front access opening is sealed from the ambient; (c) a rear door and associated opening mechanism mounted adjacent said rear access onening, said assembly comprising: (i) a door support including spaced track members, defining a trackway for supporting said rear door for rectilinear, planar movement between open and closed positions, said track members being pivotally connected to associated side plates forming part of said frame and operative to pivot about a common pivotal axis; (ii) said door support being movably connected to said processing unit and movable along a predetermined path between an adjacent and a spaced position; (iii) actuating means for driving said door support between said adjacent and open positions; (iv) door drive means operative to move said door along said trackway between said closed position at which said door is aligned with but spaced from said rear access opening when said door support is in its spaced position and an open position at which said door is positioned to one side of, and out of alignment with said opening; (v) said actuating means operative to drive said rear door into abutting engagement with said processing unit as said door support is moved to its adjacent position; (vi) seal means for providing a sealing engagement between said rear door and said processing unit whereby said rear access opening to said chamber is sealed from the ambient when door support is in its adjacent position; (d) evacuation means for generating a subatmospheric pressure in said chamber when said front and rear access doors are closed; (e) a plurality of platen assemblies disposed within said processing chamber, each platen assembly being adapted to receive a plurality of substrates to be laminated; (f) pressure applying means including a fluid pressure operated ram extending into said processing chamber and into pressure applying contact with said platen assemblies whereby a predetermined clamping pressure is applied to the substrates located within said platen assemblies.