Patent ID: 7914275
Filing Date: 2011-03-29
Classification: B29C

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for manufacturing a sheet of composite material from a molten composite material, the apparatus comprising: a pair of unheated spaced-apart planar platens converging toward each other throughout the complete lengths of said platens from first ends of said platens to second ends of said platens, thereby defining a narrowing space there-between, wherein each of said platens comprises: wherein said first platen ends are disposed proximate to a material extrusion die whereby molten material emerges from the die for movement to said first platen ends; conveyer belt means, movably disposed along said platens, for moving the molten composite material in said narrowing space from said platen first ends toward said platen second ends, thereby constantly compressing said molten composite material between said converging platens; and a cooler core disposed adjacent to only the downstream half-length of each of said platens actively to cool the molten material while the molten material is constantly compressed between said downstream half-lengths of said pair of converging platens; wherein said molten composite material undergoes only passive cooling while moving in said narrowing space between said upstream half-lengths of said pair of platens, and only active cooling while moving in said narrowing space between said downstream half-lengths of said pair of platens.