Patent ID: 7008588

Claim:
An apparatus to form panels from moldable material comprising: a) a material storage and feeding container for placing moldable material on a first sheet of peel ply material atop a conveyor; b) said conveyor having a roughened surface for creating friction between the first sheet of peel ply material thereon and said conveyor, said conveyor passing over a base plate having one distal end placed so that said conveyor passes under said material storage and feeding container and a second distal end adjacent where said conveyor departs the first sheet of peel ply material; c) a sizing plate under which a second sheet of peel ply material passes, said sizing plate configured to regulate the thickness of the moldable material as it exits said material storage and feeding container, said sizing plate being positioned to place the second sheet of peel ply material over the moldable material to form a web having a bottom side and a top side, the bottom side of the web formed by the first sheet of peel ply material and the top side formed by the second sheet of peel ply material; d) a compression zone having a plurality of sides and at least one compression plate positioned to further compress the moldable material; e) a friction reducing material lining said compression plate and a plurality of sides of said compression zone; and f) a receiving device for receiving the web from said conveyor.