Platen for multistage panel press

摘要

A press has at least two rigid and generally planar platens normally brought together to hot-press a panel workpiece. Each platen is formed with a plurality of parallel longitudinally throughgoing bores having ends open at edges of the platen, an array of orifices opening at at least one face of the platen and communicating with the bores between the ends thereof, at least one manifold passage extending transversely in the platen adjacent at least one of the edges and intersecting the bores, and a heat-exchange passage offset from the bores and manifold passage. A heat-exchange liquid is passed through the heat-exchange passages. The ends of the bores are closed, and a treatment vapor is injected under superatmospheric pressure into or withdrawn by subatmospheric pressure from the manifold passages so as to expel the vapor from the platens via the orifices or suck vapor from the platens in through the orifices.