Abstract: A method of cooling hot-pressed panels, such as wood chip or fiber board panels or sheets, includes a first step in which the panels are intensively cooled from an initial temperature above 100.degree. C. down to a temperature of about 100.degree. C. by means of cooling water, a second step in which the panels are further cooled to a temperature below 60.degree. C. by using cooling air, and a third step of reconditioning the panels by exposing the panels to a vapor mixture of steam and volatile binder components that was evolved during the first step. The third reconditioning step can begin and take place already during the first cooling step, or between the first and second cooling steps.

Abstract: A bulk material dryer of the through flow type is equipped with an air permeable bulk material conveyor for carrying the bulk material through a dryer housing. The inlet and outlet ends of the dryer housing are sealed by paddle wheels, the paddles of which dip into the layer of bulk material on the bulk material conveyor. A moving filter belt is arranged in the dryer housing in such a position that dust laden air that has passed through the bulk material must also pass through the moving filter belt for the continuous cleaning of the drying air. One or more cleaning devices are arranged along the moving filter belt for in turn cleaning the filter belt, thereby assuring a continuous drying operation.

Abstract: Flat structural components such as sheetrock panels are dried sequentially by two different drying methods and devices. The first drying is performed as a convection drying, whereby surface layers of the panels are dried. The second drying is performed by a high frequency drying, whereby a still moist central core layer is dried down to a desired remainder moisture content. During the second drying by a high frequency generator, the moisture is driven out by diffusion, whereby any over-drying of outer surface layers is reversed again so that any over-drying, or rather damages that may be caused by dehydration of the gypsum in the sheetrock panels is repaired again since the outwardly diffusion moisture enables the gypsum to cure and set again.

Abstract: A material dryer, especially for bulk material, includes a single entrance pressurized drum housing and an endless conveyor for passing the material through the drum housing. The conveyor may include a screen belt. The housing and the dryer components in the housing are divided into identical modular units, except for the entrance and discharge units. Each modular unit includes a tubular housing section, a conveyor section, and a treatment medium handling section for circulating and heating the drying medium such as super-heated steam. The heating and circulating of the treatment medium is individually controllable in each modular unit. The entrance unit is equipped with conveyor belt guides and with a sealed material supply device. The discharge unit is equipped with a belt drive and with a sealed material discharge device.

Abstract: A treatment medium, such as cooling air, is blown onto the surface of a web moving in a longitudinal direction, with the aid of at least one longitudinal blowing box or so-called nozzle finger extending across the web and having at least one blowing nozzle facing the web. The blowing box is longitudinally separated by a divider wall forming at least a longitudinal nozzle chamber and at least one overflow chamber. Both channels receive treatment medium at the same end of the box. The divider wall has at least one opening through which the two channels communicated with each other at the opposite end of the box. This feature assures a treatment medium distribution in the channel facing the web, as if treatment medium were supplied into the blowing box at both ends. The box may also be divided into two nozzle channels and two overflow channels, whereby two divider walls may extend substantially vertically to form two overflow channels each having a triangular cross-section.

Abstract: A film stretching machine with tentering hook chain tracks extending through several consecutive processing zones is constructed of preassembled standardized exchangeable structural groups permitting a modular type of construction. These structural groups include venting cells of the same kind which are fully pre-equipped and are arranged along the left and right edges of the film web to be stretched. Exchangeable blower boxes with nozzle fingers or arms having a standardized width are installable between opposite venting cells of a processing zone. The dimensions of the venting cells are matched to the dimensions of typical shipping containers in order to achieve efficient packaging possibilities. The length of the venting cells advantageously corresponds to two or three times a standard spacing of adjustment spindles used for adjusting the spacing of the tentering hook chain tracks. The width of the standardized blower boxes may vary stepwise by twice the width of the venting cells.