Patent ID: 8894894

Claim:
A method for compressing and freezing elastomeric forms, comprising: circulating a liquefied gas through a circulation loop, the circulating comprising: flowing the liquefied gas from a source of the liquefied gas to an inlet of a compression chamber; flowing the liquefied gas through the compression chamber, whereby the compression chamber is cooled; removing the liquefied gas from an outlet of the compression chamber; and flowing the removed liquefied gas back to the source; compressing an elastomeric form within an interface of the compression chamber; maintaining compression of the elastomeric form for a time period sufficient to freeze the elastomeric form in a compressed state, wherein the circulating is performed during at least a portion of the compressing and maintaining steps; cooling a storage chamber utilizing exhausted liquefied gas vapor from the source of liquefied gas; storing the elastomeric form in the compressed state in the storage chamber; monitoring the temperature of the storage chamber; and controlling flow of the exhausted liquefied gas vapor to the storage chamber to maintain the temperature of the storage chamber in a specified storage temperature range.