Patent ID: 8715451

Claim:
A heat pressing apparatus for heat-pressing a wood raw material with an adhesive added thereto to bond the wood raw material together by the adhesive upon hardening of the adhesive, and for forming the wood raw material into a woody material, the heat pressing apparatus comprising: a heat pressing portion for heat-pressing the wood raw material, the heat pressing portion adapted to press upper and lower surfaces of the wood raw material, a degassing means in contact with the wood raw material for releasing steam generated within the wood raw material by the heat pressing, the degassing means adapted to cause the steam to be released outside the wood raw material through one of two side surfaces of the wood raw material, the side surfaces connecting the upper and lower surfaces of the wood raw material, the degassing means comprising: a first pressure air supply means connected in contact with the upper surface of the wood raw material; a second pressure air supply means connected in contact with the lower surface of the wood raw material; a pressure air source in communication with the first and second pressure air supply means; shields that shield the respective side surfaces of the wood raw material, the wood raw material being stacked in layers inside of the shields, the shields extending between edges of the first and second pressure air supply means such that the shields are adapted to extend over an entire surface area of the side surfaces of the layers of the wood raw material between the upper and lower surfaces; a suction air source which maintains a space between the shields at a negative pressure; and an air vent formed through one of the shields for releasing the steam to the suction air source; wherein: when the wood raw material is heat-pressed, the degassing means is adapted to deliver pressurized air from the first and second pressure air supply means to pressurize the wood raw material simultaneously on both the upper surface and the lower surface of the wood raw material.