Patent ID: 8574481

Claim:
A process of molding synthetic roofing shingles, comprising the steps of: (a) supplying a series of carrier plates arranged end-to-end on a generally horizontally disposed moving device; (b) applying at least a single thermoplastic continuous layer of soft, partially molten shingle material onto a plurality of the end-to-end arranged carrier plates as the carrier plates are moved generally horizontally via the moving device; (c) serially severing the continuous layer of soft partially molten shingle material at ends of carrier plates and horizontally separating the carrier plates to be horizontally spaced apart and delivering the carrier plates with their applied shingle material to a compression mold by automatically lifting the carrier plates from the moving device and pinning them to the bottom of the compression mold; (d) compression molding the shingle material to a desired configuration while the shingle material is on a carrier plate in the compression mold; and (e) removing the carrier plates with their applied compression molded shingle material thereon from the compression mold.