Abstract: A continuous belt press has upper and lower platens defining a horizontal gap. Upper and lower upstream drums and downstream are rotatable on the frame about respective horizontal drum axes at the upstream and downstream ends of the gap. Upper and lower endless steel belts spanned over the respective upper and lower drums each have a working stretch supported by respective upper and lower sets of rollers on the respective platens. Each belt has a pair of edges projecting transversely past the respective rollers and at least one of the drums of each of the belts has a substantially cylindrical central region of a predetermined central diameter bearing through the respective rollers on the working stretch of the respective belt and a pair of edge formations of smaller diameter than the central-region diameter lying outside the central region and in engagement with the edges of the respective belt.

Abstract: A platen press, especially a multiplaten press has peripheral seals around the press platens to seal off the pressing gaps containing the wood material mats to be pressed on suction passages formed between the platens and communicating suction ducts at the upper or lower sides of the press, whereby fibers are evolved from the mats and are drawn off through these passages and conduits without significant dilution with ambient air or air serving to cool the platens for destruction by combustion.

Abstract: At the end of an array of rollers of a spreading head for wood particles for the production of mats to form particleboard, rollers of the array are driven at a higher speed than the rollers of the fine-particle spreading portion and baffles are provided below the higher speed rollers to scatter the particles backwardly into the fine-particle region and form an intimate mixture of the coarse and fine particles.