Method of manufacturing information storage mediums

Abstract

Information storage mediums such as video discs and digital audio discs are fabricated by extruding a mass of electrically conductive synthetic resin into a block assembly composed of a pair of separable blocks in which the mass is molded into a cake that is then carried by one of the blocks as separated into a press in which the cake is pressed into an information storage medium or disc blank. The blank is transferred into a trimmer for trimming an overflow off the disc blank as an annular scrap, which is in turn chopped by a chopper into pieces for reuse. A disc from which the scrap has been removed is fed to a hot stamping machine in which an identification foil piece is attached with heat to the disc. The disc with the foil piece stamped thereon is punched to form a central hole by a punching machine. A predetermined number of such finished discs are stacked on a pallet in a stacker, with partition plates alternating with groups of such piled discs, and the pallet loaded with the discs is discharged from the stacker.