Patent ID: 8287684

Claim:
A process for automating the manufacturing of foam panels comprised of a plurality of elongated foam sections each comprised of a foam thermoplastic profile, comprising: (a) continuously extruding an elongated member of a foam thermoplastic profile including a desired cross-sectional shape in a longitudinally extending length; (b) providing on an endless belt a previous elongated section of the foam thermoplastic profile from the elongated member, wherein the previous elongated section has a first edge and a second edge opposite of the first edge; (c) while continuously producing the elongated member: (1) providing a next elongated section of the foam thermoplastic profile from the elongated member, wherein the next elongated section has a first edge and a second edge opposite of the first edge; (2) positioning, on a support plate, an edge of the next elongated section into juxtaposed, parallel, adjacent, side-to-side relationship with an edge of the previous elongated section on the endless belt; and (3) advancing a welding member between the first edge of the next elongated section on the support plate and the second edge of the previous elongated section on the endless belt and pressing the previous elongated section and the next elongated section together using a pusher plate for causing the previous elongated section and the next elongated section to be securely bonded to each other, wherein the previous elongated section is securely bonded to the next elongated section as an aggregate forms the previous elongated section; and (d) continuously repeating (a)-(c) as desired thereby forming a fully integrated, continuous panel comprising a plurality of elongated sections of the foam thermoplastic profile securely bonded to each other to form the panel of a desired number of elongated sections.