Patent ID: 8282384

Claim:
An apparatus for continuous curing of a plurality of extruded strands comprising: a rigid frame structure formed by interconnecting a plurality of rigid frame members, the rigid frame has a top portion, a bottom portion, a pair of side portions, a front portion and a rear portion; a rigid top plate member attached to an upper part of the front portion; a rigid bottom plate member attached to a lower part of the front portion; a plurality of upper spindle units rotatably attached to the rigid top plate member; a plurality of lower spindle units rotatably attached to the rigid bottom plate member; a plurality of dual spindles provided in the plurality of upper spindle units and the plurality of lower spindle units, wherein each dual spindle comprises a free spinning roller and a driven roller, and arranged in the plurality of upper spindle units and the plurality of lower spindle units such that a next dual spindle has a configuration opposite a prior dual spindle wherein the free spinning roller and the driven roller are adapted to rotate in an opposite configuration allowing multiple lines of the plurality of extruded strands to run at spate speed; a plurality of drive motors attached to the rigid frame structure; a gear assembly operably engaged to the plurality of drive motors, the gear assembly being attached to the rigid frame structure; and a chamber supported on the rigid frame structure, the chamber comprises a dual function chamber configured for heating and cooling; wherein the plurality of drive motors drives the gear assembly to continuously transfer a plurality of extruded strands between the plurality of upper spindle units and the plurality of lower spindle units such that the plurality of extruded strands string up in a vertical fashion that continuously alternates between the plurality of lower spindle units and the plurality of upper spindle units and continuously passes through the chamber for continuous curing and post-curing and the plurality of drive motors drive the gear assembly such that each of the drive motors is operated independently of the other to independently control transfer of each plurality of extruded strands at a speed determined by a controller which controls the speed of the plurality of drive motors to allow the plurality of extruded strands remain in heat/cool exerted by the dual function chamber for a predetermined period of time.