Abstract: An apparatus for hot pressing boards comprises a conveying and setting mechanism for setting a board put on a caul plate in a predetermined hot pressing position, and a hot pressing mechanism including a hot plate and a spacer, the board being hot pressed in a closed space defined by the hot plate, the caul plate and the spacer. The conveying and setting mechanism includes a conveying member for supporting the caul plate in a state free from frictional contact with any other member while the caul plate is conveyed to a hot pressing section, and a setting member for supporting the caul plate in succession to the conveying member and setting the caul plate in the hot pressing position, the setting member being retreated to a position free from interference with hot pressing operation after the setting of the caul plate in the hot pressing position.

Abstract: A workpiece comprising an aggregation body of platelike articles, sheet-like whose fibers have been opened by rolling, stick-like articles formed by finely tearing them from a single plate, flake-like articles, strand-like articles or the like is inserted between an upper heat plate 12 and a lower heat plate 13 of a heating press apparatus 10. A spacer 14 for surrounding the workpiece and determining the final thickness of the product is arranged on one or both of the heat plates before or after the insertion of the workpiece 11. The workpiece is compressed by the upper heat plate 12 and the lower heat plate 13 to thereby form an air tight compartment made of the upper heat plate 12, the lower the plate 13 and the spacer 14, and containing the workpiece. The air tight compartment is decompressed by vacuum for a predetermined period, then steam or heated gas is jetted onto the workpiece in the compressed air tight compartment.

Abstract: A laminated material comprises a plurality of straight portions of vegetable stalks, each having an epidermis mainly of lignocellulose and a porous core. These vegetable stalks straight portions are impregnated with a thermal hardener solution of high-molecularizable liquid compound, resinified liquid, or mixtures thereof, arranged in parallel to form a layer of a sheet-like material, piling these sheet-like materials and pressing them to make these layers come to contact closely in flat condition. It is possible to make the directions of vegetable stalks in the sheet-like material different from the neighboring layers in order to strengthen a bending strength and other physical strength of the piled multi-layer laminated material, such as a pillar-like laminated material. Such pillar-like material is made by using a pair of pressing female mold and male mold, vegetable stalks being placed in the female mold and hot-pressed.

Abstract: A laminated material comprises a plurality of straight portions of vegetable stalks, each having an epidermis mainly of lignocellulose and a porous core. These vegetable stalks straight portions are impregnated with a thermal hardener solution of high-molecularisable liquid compound, resinified liquid, or mixtures thereof, arranged in parallel to form a layer of a sheet-like material, piling these sheet-like materials and pressing them to make these layers come to contact closely in flat condition. It is possible to make the directions of vegetable stalks in the sheet-like material different from the neighboring layers in order to strengthen a bending strength and other physical strength of the piled multi-layer laminated material, such as a pillar-like laminated material. Such pillar-like material is made by using a pair of pressing female mold and male mold, vegetable stalks being placed in the female mold and hot-pressed.