WO1992001541A1

WO1992001541A1 - System for oriented strand layup

Info

Publication number: WO1992001541A1
Application number: PCT/US1991/005065
Authority: WO
Inventors: David J. Parker; Mark T. Churchland; Walter W. Schilling; Leonard J. Komori; Martin T. Pearson
Original assignee: Macmillan Bloedel Limited
Priority date: 1990-07-23
Filing date: 1991-07-23
Publication date: 1992-02-06
Also published as: CA2022900A1; AU8298191A

Abstract

A system for continuously forming a multi-layer, oriented strand layup from at least two, and preferably four (22, 24, 26, 28), layup feed sources. At least first and second layups are simultaneously formed, overlapping one on top of the other in zig-zag patterns on a longitudinal, side-to-side moving conveyor trough (30). The top of the bottom layer is formed at the same time as the bottom of the top layer, and an angled base on which the strands (36) fall is thereby created which has a consistent strand angle across the interface of the layers. This carefully coordinated layup motion forms a strand mat with a continuous average strand angle throughout its layup feed interfaces(s), thereby forming, after heating and compression thereof, an elongate composite product having consistent strength properties.

Description

SYSTEM FOR ORIENTED STRAND LAYUP

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to continuous processes and apparatuses for depositing elongate members in a layup with each member oriented substantially in a longitudinal direction of the layup. The invention further relates to such processes wherein the mat thereby produced in the trough is formed from a plurality of layup feeds.

A product containing oriented elongated strands is disclosed in Barnes, U.S. Patent 4,061,819 ('819), for example. (Each of the appli¬ cations, patents and other publications mentioned anywhere in this disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.) The process of the '819 patent deposits elongate wood strands with their ends in overlapping relationship to provide a roughly uniform distribu¬ tion along the length of the trough. The strands are subsequently compressed and heated to cure their resin coatings to thereby form a structural product having a strength equal to prime structural lumber. Mats produced by processes of the '819 patent can have the strands thereof positioned at excessively large angles either vertically or lat¬ erally to the longitudinal direction of the form. The composite prod¬ uct thereby produced thus has less than its full strength potential.

When composite strand products are prepared by batch meth¬ ods, the strands can be positioned by hand with no significant loss in strength due to disoriented strands. However, when composite strand products are made using a continuous process, the strands are usu-ally deposited on a moving conveyor belt so that the ends thereof overlap. An example thereof is shown in Champigny, U.S. Patent 3,493,021 ('021). The strands are deposited at angles similar in both magnitude and direction in a "card-decking" orientation wherein each strand is at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the layup mat. Excessive vertical strand angle in this mat can result in undesirable vertical curvature in the resulting continuously compressed product.

The processes and apparatuses disclosed in Churchland, U.S. Patents 4,872,544 ('544), 4,706,799 (*799) and 4,563,237 ('237) remedy these disadvantages of the prior art. The processes disclosed therein continuously form a product from elongate members at least about a foot in length which are oriented, compressed and bonded. The elon¬ gate members are deposited on a moving carrier and oriented substan¬ tially parallel to the direction of movement of the carrier and on the carrier over a length thereof that is at least as long as about one and a half times the length of the elongate members and is at least as long as about thirty times the final thickness of the compressed, composite product.

Before laying these strands in a side-by-side lengthwise dimen¬ sion in the trough layup they are coated with an adhesive. The strand layup mat is then conveyed to a press where the arranged strands are heated and compressed to thereby form a high-strength dimensional composite product. Examples of belt presses are those disclosed in Churchland, U.S. Patent 4,517,148 ('148) and copending U.S. Applica¬ tion Serial No. 07/456,657, filed December 29, 1989 (Canadian applica¬ tion Serial No. 2,006,947-3, filed December 29, 1989). The press can incorporate a heating device to heat the strand material during its passage through the press and thereby cure the adhesive, and an example thereof is the microwave heating device shown in Churchland, U.S. Patent 4,456,498.

Two or more of these layup systems have been used in the prior art to form a single layup mat. When used though, the interface between the two layups is prone to strand alignment inconsistencies. This is because the random positioning of strands in the extreme top and bottom in each of the layups creates a different average strand angle during the compression process. The strands in the mat tend to lie at an angle whose tangent, when defined by referring to Figure 2 of the '237 patent, is equal to Z/Y. In contrast, the strands or parts thereof that are on the very top or bottom are compre ssed to an angle equal to zero since they are compressed flat against the platens. When two such layups are formed and placed one on top of the other, the interface between them creates a region of strands where the average strand angle is slightly more parallel to the product axis of the bulk of the layup. The consistent strength properties of the final product (PSL) are a function of the consistent manufacturing parame¬ ters including strand angle. This internal variation affects a band of product about one inch thick which can be over fifty percent of the re-manufactured product depth. This can affect all strength proper¬ ties across the beam thereby produced and perhaps most importantly the modulus of elasticity (MOE). This can also induce a remembered stress of the type described in the '148 patent.

It is also old to provide a single feed position which is two strands wide. In other words, strands shorter than that disclosed in the '544 patent can be conveyed on a conveyor which is slightly more than two strand lengths wide and conveys two columns of these strands generally simultaneously towards the trough. The strands are thus ed in two places onto the inf eed drum or the inf eed conveyor. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a system for continuously forming a multilayer layup from at least two layup sources, which system does not suffer from strand alignment and consistency problems.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pro¬ cess for making composite products from elongate strands which products have consistent superior mechanical properties throughout their depths.

Directed to achieving these objects, an improved system for forming an oriented strand layup is disclosed herein. This system includes, in a preferred embodiment thereof, four layup feeds, each feeding simultaneously onto a single conveyor belt. Each of the four layup feeds includes a layup table for feeding directly onto the con¬ veyor belt. The our layup tables are physically secured together, and a drive system propels them back and forth along a common track parallel to the conveyor belt and while the tables convey the adhesive-coated strands laterally onto the belt. The strands are dropped individually, effectively one at a time, over a distance larger than the strand length onto the conveyor belt and in a zig-zag pattern thereon. Each of the four strand layups is formed at the same time such that the top of the bottom layer is formed at the same time as the bottom of the adjacent top layer. A continuous average strand angle throughout the interfaces of the layers is thereby defined. The strand mat thereby formed on the belt from the four overlapping layups is then pressed and heated. This consistent strand angle ensures that the final compressed product has consistent mechanical properties throughout its cross-sectional depth.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertώns from the foregoing description taken into conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a system of the present invention having four layup feeds.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the oscillating table assembly of the system of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the assembly of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the conveyor belt of the system of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary, perspective view of one of the con¬ veying tables of the system of Figure 8 illustrating the flow of elon¬ gate strands relative to it.

Figure 9 is a longitudinal schematic view along the layup trough of the system of Figure 1 showing the mass flow contributions from each of the layup feeds as a function of position along the trough.

Figure 10 is a longitudinal view showing the mass of strands in the layup trough of the system of Figure 1 and during a continuous layup process of the present invention.

Figure 11 is a central cross-sectional view of a mat formed by the system of Figure 1 and on the layup trough thereof, showing the source of layup feeds therefor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring to Figure 1 a system of the present invention is illus¬ trated therein generally at 20. System 20 includes four layup feeds which are essentially identical and designated in the drawing by refer¬ ence numerals 22, 24, 26, and 28, each of them feeding simultaneously onto a conveyor trough shown generally at 30 and including a wig-wag works. While the top of the trough 30 is fixed, the bottom edge wig-wags back and forth by lever arms on either side thereof as best shown in Figure 4. The strand mat 32 thereby continuously formed (see Figures 10 and 11) on the trough 30 is continuously conveyed lon¬ gitudinally to a press assembly shown generally at 34. At the press assembly 34 the mat 32 is continuously compressed and heated to form the final composite product. Since each of the four layup feeds is generally the same, descriptions of one can be applied to the other three. It will further be appreciated that, while four feeds (22, 24, 26 and 28) are shown, generally any number of intertwining feeds greater than one can be used pursuant to this invention. The paths of the elongate strands 36 are illustrated by the arrows in Figure 1. The four arrows at the bottom of the drawing show that each of the paths is generally separate until generally when the strands 36 are deposited on the conveyor trough 30. The flow and the operations on the strands will now be discussed.

As best shown in Figure 2, stacks of veneer 38 are conveyed to the system. When they move into the position 42, they are beneath the vacuum lifting system shown generally at 44. This system 44 essentially comprises an upside-down conveyor 46 wherein the belts thereof have holes opening down from a vacuum box 48. When the conveyor 46 is pushed down onto the top of the veneer stack 40 and there is a constant vacuum in the belt, the top sheet of veneer is picked up. The upside-down conveyor 46 is indexed up, picking the top sheet of veneer up with it. The sheet of veneer directly beneath it is not picked up, however, because there is no vacuum pressure on it. This procedure is relatively slow as compared to other procedures of this system. It takes, for example, about a second to move up, a second to move down and a second to move back up. The upside-down conveyor 46 with the single sheet of veneer thereby picked up indexes forward, thereby transporting with vacuum suction the sheet of veneer to the next table, which is a six-foot long roll case 52. At an appropriate point, a physical position sensor, such as an electric eye (not shown), detects that the transported sheet is clear of the sheet beneath it on the table, and the upper conveyor 46 then indexes down. More particularly, a series of arms pushes the veneer sheet away from the vacuum belt. Once the sheet separates by more than about an inch of air, the vacuum suction force can no longer suck the veneer sheet back up, and the veneer sheet drops onto the conveyor 52. This conveyor 52 and all conveyances beyond it are constantly moving.

As soon as the veneer sheet drops down onto the conveyor 52 the sheet is moving up the conveyor slope 54, travelling at only a few feet, perhaps five or ten feet, per minute. The vacuum box 48 then indexes down, picks up the next sheet and brings it forward. The next sheet of veneer then sits poised above the moving first sheet until the first sheet has moved clear out from underneath as detected by the position sensor. The second veneer sheet is then dropped down just behind the first sheet, and the process continued. A series of veneer sheets with preferably about an inch space between them moving up the conveyor is thereby provided. The sheets are moved by the con¬ veyor 54 to the clipper or rotary strander shown generally at 56 at the top of the slope.

At the rotary strander 56 the sheets are pinched between upper and lower pinch belts, which pinch the veneer and constantly move it towards the strander plate. The strander 56 comprises an anvil across which a long, about a one hundred and ten inch long, knife passes across all at once and clips off in one swift motion a strand of veneer approximately one-half inch wide. These strands are about one hun¬ dred and two inches long, which is the length of the veneer sheets. This clipping is a continuous process, and it happens so quickly that the conveying motion of the veneer is essentially not required to stop. The veneer sheet indexes out another one-half inch before the next blade comes around. Mechanical linkages ensure that the indexing out is always one-half inch, irrespective of the speed of the conveyor 52 and/or the clipper 56. Thus, the conveyor 52 and the clipper 56 are mechanically connected, so that the speed of the conveyor and the rotational speed of the clipper dependably and efficiently create a series of one-half inch wide strands. Their speed and the speed of the rest of the system 20 are determined by a computer to provide a con¬ stant mass flow rate.

The clipped strands fall down from the rotary strander 56 onto a cylindrical beltline assembly 60 which scoots them onto the strander outfeed conveyor 62. At that point the axes of the strands are paral¬ lel to the axes of the outfeed conveyor pulleys or drive drums. The system then makes a turn, and the strands drop onto the next con¬ veyor at an angle of about thirty degrees to the axes of all of the drive pulleys and underneath of the belt 6. The strands drop below and are immediately covered by the top hold-down belt 63. They are moved towards an adjustable gap 64, which is a physical path break beneath the top belt. The top belt 63 goes over the gap 64, and the strands are passed at an angle from one side of the gap to the other, being held down by the top belt. The strands that are too short drop through the gap 64 into a short strand, hog feed infeed conveyor 66, which is a vibrating conveyor that moves the short strands away to a location where they are hogged for fuel or made into pulp chips. As an example, strands that are only a foot long are too short and any¬ thing in normal operation about two feet is conveyed away. In some circumstances, the gap 62 would be set for one foot strand lengths.

Instead of this belt hold-down system, pinch rollers can be used on top of gap rollers such that the strands are held by pinch rollers and passed from one pinch roll to the next. This is a known proce¬ dure, and reference is hereby made to Churchland, U.S. Patent 4,546,886. The belt system of the present invention, however, is a more gentle way of handling the strands than is the pinch roll system.

Subsequently and referring to Figure 3, the strands are con¬ veyed to the inner feed glue spreader shown generally at 70 having a top roll glue tank 71a, a waste water tank 71b and a bottom roll glue tank 71c. They are still at their previously-mentioned thirty degree angle which allowed them to pass across the gap 64 of the short strand eliminator. In the glue spreader 70 the strands 36 are covered with a suitable glue or adhesive, such as a standard phenol-formaldehyde glue having a small wax component. From the glue spreader 70 they are deposited on the chain bar outfeed conveyor shown generally at 72, still travelling at the thirty degree angle, which advantageously gives them a longitudinal component of travel. The parallel chain bars 74 move from left to right, and the strands 36 fall off the series of head or nose pulleys or discs 76, as shown in Fig¬ ure 8, and fall straight down onto the oscillating table 80. The strands 36 fall on to all of the discs 76 at the same time and thus are parallel to the center points of the discs. They are deposited down onto the oscillating table 80, which includes a plurality of belts 82 moving con¬ stantly on rollers 83 from the chain bar outfeed conveyor 72 to the conveyor trough 30, or from left to right as shown in Figure 8. The strands 36 are maintained separated, and the belts 82 are travelling at a speed on the order of twenty to fifty feet a minute. Although the conveyor trough 30 is depicted in a general form in Figure 8 as a wig-wag conveyor, the preferred form thereof is a wig-wag chute. The chute form is shown in Figure 4 with its two dotted line positions. The chute 30 consists of thin sheets of metal with a thin plastic cov¬ ering and a flexible plastic hinge at the top edge. Skinny light arms move the chute back and forth. Thus, a chute embodiment advanta¬ geously weighs less than a tenth of what an equivalent conveyor embodiment would weigh.

The oscillating tables 80a, 80b, 80c, 80d of the four feeds 22, 24, 26, 28 respectively, are physically secured together and mounted on a common long carriage 84 as shown in Figures 5 and 6. This car¬ riage 84 in turn runs on a set of wheels 86 on a track 88 therebeneath; the small wheels 88 capture the carriage 84 on the track 88 to ensure that it is not bumped off the track. The carriage 84 together with the four tables secured thereon are driven back and forth by a single-cable driven drive drum system shown generally at 90. This system includes a cable 91 trained around a single one-half turn idler drum 92 and a multi-turn cable wrap driven drum 94, driven by a four- quadrant DC motor 96 which allows the drum to accelerate and decel¬ erate in both directions. The oscillating tables 80a, 80b, 80c and 80d are then moved back and forth on the track 88 along a path parallel to that of the conveyor trough 30. These transverse and longitudinal motions of an individual oscillating table provide a zig-zag deposit pattern of the elongate strands on the wig-wag conveyor trough 30, as described generally in the '544, '799 and '232 patents. Each of the layup heads or eeds deposits the strands 36 essentially individually on the conveyor trough in this zig-zag path and generally over a length of the trough that is at least as long as about one-and-a half times the length of the elongate members or strands and is at least as long about thirty times the final thickness of the compressed, composite product, as taught for example in the '544 patent.

This single cable drive drum system 90 provides a single drive point for all four tables 80a, 80b, 80c and 80d. Other drive systems (not shown) are also within the scope of this invention including hydraulic-powered systems and rack and pinion assemblies driven by reversible DC drive motors. The tables are moving about two to four times as fast along the track as their belts move the strands 36 across itself. These motions are coordinated with DC drives to carefully define the point where the strands 36 drop off the tables 80 onto the conveyor trough 30, to maximally spread the strands out on the trough. The strands 36 drop off the tables 80 at the end of the tables' travel, and the coordinated motion ensures that the strands do not drop off too early or too late, that is, before or after the tables 80 have reached the ends of their travel. This coordinated motion ensures an even interlacing of the strands from layup feed to layup f eed. The present system shows the use of four layup heads or feeds 22, 24, 26, 28, which thereby define three interlacing points, but other numbers of layup heads can be used. For example, when three are used, there would be two interlacing points, and so forth.

There is a net root mean square benefit in averaging the strand deposits of four layups, because if there is a small density variation in one of the tables 80, it is only one-quarter density variation of the entire mat 32. Thus, the probability of having two, three or four of the layup tables 80 receiving (and delivering) low density, low ma^ flow at the same place in the layup is negligible.

Each layup head 22, 24, 26, 28 therefore has a mass contribu¬ tion to the mat 32 on the trough 30 as shown in Figure 9, wherein the contributions of the first, second, third, and fourth layup heads are shown respectively by 100, 102, 104 and 106. Each of the distances 108 represents eight-and-a-half feet for example, and distances 110 are nineteen feet. Thus, a total distance of one hundred and eighteen and a half feet is shown by reference numeral 112.

Each of the layups is formed simultaneously such that the top or the bottom layers is being formed at the same time as the bottom the top layers. That is, if the bottom layer is being formed over a distance Y and the top layer is being formed over a distance Y', Y and Y' overlap one "effective strand length," which is defined as the width of the conveyor feeding the oscillating tables that is effectively cov¬ ered by strands. By simultaneously forming each of the layups, angled layup bases (see Figure 11) are created on which the strands fall, and these bases are consistent and angled across their entire interfaces. If the layup actions do not interact this way, the strands from the start of the second layup head lie flat along the top of the first formed mat, and when compressive forces are later applied tend to flatten the strand angle of the adjacent strands below it.

Strand angle misalignment is improved about one-half degree between the interfaces, and consistent strand angles are thereby defined. Although the small strand angle change may not have large benefits in strength properties of sections, significant effect on dimensional stability especially during moisture recycling of the product will result. As an example, a 0.001 percent elongation of one side of a three-and-one-half inch wide, sixty-six foot long beam will produce a five inch bow in the product. The one-half degree strand angle difference can easily produce this effect.

If the layups are not interlaced then there will be on average a slightly better angle. This is only because some parts of the layups have a zero degree angle and the other parts of the layup have a one-half degree angle, and the one-half degree angle is constant after a certain travel of the four layup feeds 22, 24, 26, 28. By interlacing the four heads there are no longer the intermediate areas between layups on the trough where the strand angle goes from one-half to zero degrees, and these intermediate areas present dimensional stabil¬ ity problems in the final product. They could also have some effect on mechanical properties and bending because physical properties of the material can change slightly and because dimensional stability of the product a fects the stability and therefore effective load capacity of the product in service.

In Figure 9, the contributions of mass to the trough 30 during a continuous layup process are illustrated, and the overlapping contribu¬ tions of the first, second, third, and fourth layup heads are shown by reference numerals 100, 102, 104 and 106, respectively. The density thus in the last inch of the layup is approximately zero, and the den¬ sity eight feet from there is approximately the full density contrib¬ uted by that layup head. It is a linear gradation of material mass flow rate off the table in the first and last eight feet.

The mass deposition rate in part determines the strand angle, and it is desirable to have the strand angle constant from top to bot¬ tom of the layup. If it is not, then slightly different mechanical prop¬ erties as a function of a depth of the layup result. Thus, the present system allows a constant strand angle to be kept from a multiple sources of veneer.

Referring to Figure 11, the contribution of the first layup is shown by 130, the transitional strand angle of one-half to zero degrees is shown by 132, the second layup contribution is shown at 134, the constant strand angle transition between the first and second layups is shown at 136, the third layup contribution is 138, the constant transi¬ tion strand angle is 140, the fourth layup is 142, the transition con¬ stant strand angle between the third and fourth layups is 144, and the top transition strand one-half to zero angle is 146. The total product thickness of 11.4 inches is shown by dimension 148, and the depth of the product having a constant strand angle of one-half degree is shown at 150.

From the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident that there are a number of changes, adaptations and modifications of the present invention which come within the province of those skilled in the art. However, it is intended that all such variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thereof as limited solely by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A layup system comprising: a moving carrier; first layup forming means for forming a first strand layup on said moving carrier; second layup forming means for forming a second strand layup on said moving carrier, said second strand layup interfacing with said first strand layup; and coordinating means for coordinating said first and sec¬ ond layup forming means such that the mat formed by said first and second strand layups has a continuous average strand angle at the interface between said first and second strand layups.

2. The layup system of claim 1 wherein said first layup forming means includes a first layup table from which strands flow onto said moving carrier to form the first strand layup and first con¬ veying means for conveying the strands to said first layup table, and said second layup forming means includes a second layup table from which strands flow onto said moving carrier to form the second strand layup and second conveying means for conveying the strands to said second layup table.

3. The layup system of claim 2 wherein said first and sec¬ ond layup tables continuously convey the strands from said first and second conveying means, respectively, to said moving conveyor to form the mat.

4. The layup system of claim 3 wherein said coordinating means drives said first and second layup tables together back and forth during the forming of said first and second strand layups along a path parallel to said moving carrier.

5. The layup system of claim 4 wherein said coordinating means includes a track and cable pulley means for driving said first and second layup tables on said track.

6. The layup system of claim 4 wherein said coordinating means drives said first and second layup tables along the path and relative to said first and second conveying means.

7. The layup system of claim 6 wherein said first and sec¬ ond layup tables travel along their path in a time generally equal to their strand conveying time across said first and second layup tables.

8. The layup system of claim 6 wherein said coordinating means drives said first and second layup tables to travel along the path at a near constant rate which maximally spreads out the con¬ veyed strands along said moving carrier in said first and second strand layups.

9. The layup system of claim 2 wherein said coordinating means causes said first and second layup tables to oscillate relative to said moving carrier.

10. The layup system of claim 2 wherein said first and sec¬ ond conveying means convey the strands at an angle of about thirty degrees to said first and second conveying means, respectively, but with the strands parallel to the motion of said layup tables along their tracks.

11. The layup system of claim 1 wherein said moving carrier includes a moving belt and belt sides to thereby form a trough, down into which said first and second layup forming means deposit the strands to form the mat.

12. A layup system comprising: a moving carrier; first depositing means for depositing elongate members on said moving carrier and thereby forming a bottom mat layer having a top surface; and second depositing means for depositing elongate mem¬ bers on said moving carrier and thereby forming a top mat layer hav¬ ing a bottom surface wherein said bottom surface is formed at the same time as said top surface and such that the average angle of the elongate members is substantially continuous throughout the interface of said top and bottom surfaces.

13. A layup system comprising: a longitudinal wig-wag layup conveyor; first and second strand layup sources; first forming means for forming a first strand layup, with strands from said first strand layup source, on said longitudinal wig-wag layup conveyor; and second forming means for forming, with strands from said second strand layup source, a second strand layup on said longitu¬ dinal wig-wag layup conveyor, wherein said second strand layup over¬ laps on said first strand layup an effective strand length to thereby minimize strand misalignment inconsistencies at the interface between said first and second strand layups.

14. The layup system of claim 13 further comprising con¬ veyor means for conveying strands generally laterally from the first strand source to said first forming means, and said effective strand length being generally the width of said conveyor means.

15. The layup system of claim 13 wherein said first forming means forms the first strand layup in a zig-zag pattern on said longi¬ tudinal wig-wag layup conveyor.

16. A layup system comprising: a strand lay-up conveyor; first oscillating lay-up feed means for discharging elon¬ gate strands onto said conveyor to form a first lay-up; second oscillating lay-up feed means, generally spaced from said first oscillating lay-up feed means, for discharging elongate strands onto said conveyor at the same time as said first oscillating lay-up feed means to form a second lay-up interweaving with the first lay-up; and coordinating means for coordinating said first and sec¬ ond oscillating feed means to minimize strand misalignment inconsis¬ tencies at the interface between the first and second lay-ups.

17. A strand layup process, comprising the steps of: forming a first strand layup on a longitudinally moving conveyor; and forming a second strand layup on the longitudinally mov¬ ing conveyor and generally on and interfacing with the first strand layup such that the strand alignment is substantially consistent across the interface of the first and second strand layups.

18. The process of claim 17 wherein said forming steps are substantially simultaneous.

19. The process of claim 17 wherein said first strand layup forming step is from a first strand source and said second strand layup forming step is from a second strand source spaced from the first strand source.

20. The process of claim 19 wherein said forming steps include continuously forming, from the first and second strand sources, at least in part a multi-layer strand layup on the longitudi¬ nally moving conveyor.

21. The process of claim 20 further comprising forming third and fourth strand layups from third and fourth strand sources such that the first, second, third and fourth layups interlace to form the multi-layer strand layup.

22. The process of claim 20 further comprising conveying the multi-layer strand layup to a layup press.

23. The process of claim 19 wherein said first strand layup forming step includes forming the first strand layup in a zig-zag pat¬ tern on the longitudinally moving conveyor.

24. The process of claim 19 wherein said first strand layup forming step includes depositing the individual strands from the first strand source effectively one at a time on the longitudinally moving conveyor.

25. The process of claim 24 wherein said first strand layup forming step includes depositing the strands from the first strand source on the longitudinally moving conveyor over a length of the carrier that is at least as long as one and a half times the length of the strands.

26. The process of claim 19 further comprising, before said forming steps, coating the strands from the first and second strand sources with at least one resin adhesive.