Patent ID: 6907912
Filing Date: 2005-06-21
Classification: B29C,B29D,B29L,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for joining multiple pieces of thermoplastic material to form a cellular block, comprising: a supplying mechanism for arranging a piece to be added to the cellular block in opposing face-to-face relation with a piece most recently previously welded to the cellular block; and a welding mechanism for contemporaneously forming multiple spaced apart and elongate welds between the piece to be added to the cellular block and the piece most recently previously welded to the cellular block, while the piece to be added to the cellular block and the piece most recently previously welded to the cellular block are in the opposing face-to-face relation, so that each of the welds extends in a longitudinal direction and the welds are spaced apart from one another in a lateral direction; with the welding mechanism including a rolling mechanism for engaging and rolling in the longitudinal direction across at least one of the piece to be added to the cellular block and the piece most recently previously welded to the cellular block to provide a plurality of rolling contact regions that at least partially form the welds while the piece to be added to the cellular block and the piece most recently previously welded to the cellular block are in the opposing face-to-face relation, wherein the supplying mechanism and the welding mechanism are arranged so that the longitudinal direction is generally upright.