Embodiments of the apparatus of this disclosure can comprise a portable compactor apparatus for compacting material in a container, wherein the portable compactor apparatus comprises a. At least one base support, b. A linear actuator attached to the at least one base support, the linear actuator having an extendable and retractable shaft, the shaft having a proximal end within the actuator and a distal end, c. A compression head connected to the distal end of the shaft, and d. Control means for controlling extension and retraction of the shaft,

The container having a top lip portion, the base support positioned on the top lip portion, the linear activator having a first position and a second position, in the first position the shaft is fully retracted into the linear actuator, in the second position the shaft is extended further below the top lip portion of the container.

An apparatus and method for forming a tray is provided including a forming plate and the complementary aperture in the mandrel formed to define a space therebetween that deforms the blank into the desired shape of the tray. The space between or tolerance defined by the forming plate and the mandrel is less than the actual thickness of the tray at one or more sections and/or points on the tray, such as at the corners of the tray, in order to crush the foldable material forming the tray at the one or more sections. The crushing of the foldable material at these sections effectively removes any shape memory from the foldable material, such that the tray including the crushed sections retains the shape of the tray without the need for additional securing materials on the tray but without degrading any leak-proof functionality of the tray.

A hot box (300) comprises a lower hot-box portion (104) and an upper hot-box portion (110). The lower hot-box portion (104) comprises a lower housing (142), a lower heating plate (144), and a lower insulation layer (148). The lower heating plate (144) is received within the lower housing (142) and is configured to support a lower die (106). The lower insulation layer (148) is positioned between the lower housing (142) and the lower heating plate (144). The upper hot-box portion (110) is positionable above the lower hot-box portion (104) and comprises an upper housing (186), an upper heating plate (188), and an upper insulation layer (192). The upper heating plate (188) is received within the upper housing (186) and is configured to support an upper die (112). The upper insulation layer (192) is positioned between the upper housing (186) and the upper heating plate (188).

Embodiments of the present invention include a press base assembly, a strengthening ring for use with press bases and related methods. In one embodiment, a press base assembly includes a press base having a body that includes a piston cavity at one end. The body, at a second end opposite that of the piston cavity, may exhibit a desired geometry. A strengthening ring may be shaped, sized and configured to substantially mate with the geometry of the second end of the body and be placed thereover. For example, the geometry of the second end may be substantially circular exhibiting a particular diameter and circumference. The strengthening ring may have substantially circular internal surface sized and configured such that the strengthening ring is positioned on the second end of the body in a manner that results in an interference fit between the two components.

Disclosed is a method for creating a textured press plate. Initially, a mask may be applied to a surface of a press plate. This mask typically corresponds to a desired physical surface structure. Thereafter, the masked surface of the press plate is processed to obtain the desired physical surface structure. Thereafter, various techniques may be used to create differing degrees of gloss in differing portions of the surface of the press plate. For example, matting may be used to decrease the degree of gloss of a portion of the surface, and polishing may be used to increase the degree of gloss of a portion of the surface.

Systems and methods for pressing a door assembly involve one or more die sections installed in a press, wherein the die sections each have a raised section that contacts and supports a recessed panel portion of a door skin of the assembly during the pressing operation to facilitate crushing of portions of a core of the door assembly that underlie the recessed panel portion of the door skin. The die sections may be made of plastic and readily changed out for different sizes or styles of doors.

This disclosure includes platens for use in static presses, static presses including the same, and related methods. Some platens include a body (120) configured to be coupled to an actuator of a press and a plate (110) configured to be coupled to the body such that the plate defines at least a first portion of a pressing surface (140) of the platen, the pressing surface (140) configured to contact an object when the object is pressed by the platen, the plate and the body (120) cooperate to define a cavity (130) underlying the first portion of the pressing surface, at least one of the body and the plate define an inlet (190) in fluid communication with the cavity, and the first portion of the pressing surface is configured to deflect in response to pressure changes within the cavity (130).

A compression apparatus includes an outer shell; a first plate and second plate, where the first plate and the second plate are located within the outer shell and a face of the first plate opposes a face of the second plate The compression apparatus also includes a compression mechanism which retractably moves the face of the second plate into contact with the face of the first plate. The face of the first plate or the face of the second plate includes a substrate layer, and a coating layer over the substrate layer, where the coating layer includes a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition material.

Disclosed is a fragmentation unit including: a frame in which there extends a region for receiving a bag, the contents of which is to be fragmented, the region being delimited by the ground and by four virtual planar vertical faces, and divided into a front area and a rear area of equal dimensions by a vertical plane, at least two pressure plates that are able to move towards each other and vertically, each having a front edge and a vertical planar pressing face, having a rear edge, the rear edge being situated behind a plane containing the virtual planar rear face, and the front edge being tangential to a vertical plane parallel to the plane and dividing the front area of the region into two sub-areas. Also disclosed is a fragmentation method.

A device for structuring the surface of a metal pressed sheet or of an endless strip, comprising a support device adapted to support the metal pressed sheet or endless strip during structuring, and a spray head and a slideway adapted to permit movement of the spray head into a desired position within a plane defined by an X and a Y coordinate. The spray head is further adapted to move in a Z direction with reference to a work surface which is spanned by the X and Y direction, and the spray head is guided by means of a digitalized template that is identical to the printed image of an impregnated paper used in a further pressing process. Independent drive elements are connected to a control unit and configured to move the spray head into the desired position.