Patent ID: 7214334

Claim:
An apparatus for continuously molding a fastener product having an array of fastener elements in multiple rows integrally molded with and extending from a common continuous, strip-form base, the apparatus comprising first and second rolls; a flexible mold belt defining an array of fastener element-shaped cavities extending from an outer surface thereof in multiple rows, the mold belt trained about both said rolls; and a source of molten plastic resin arranged to deliver resin to the mold belt, the apparatus constructed to force the plastic resin into the fastener element-shaped cavities of the belt under pressure in a gap to mold the array of fastener elements in multiple rows while forming the common strip-form base of the product, wherein each cavity includes a stem-forming portion extending inwardly from the outer surface, and a head-forming portion at an inner end of the stem-forming portion, the head-forming portion shaped to form a fastener element head of greater lateral extent than the stem-forming portion and multiple, discrete projections extending from the head along different lateral axes.