Textured hardcoat films are disclosed for preferable use in film insert moulding. Texture in the hardcoat film is created through the use of a textured protective overlayer, which can impart texture to the curable coating of the hardcoat film. This process preferably avoids the need to alter the composition of the curable coating to allow for texture and preferably produces a hardcoat film with a matte and reduced-glare finish. An apparatus and a method embodying the invention are disclosed.

A flat laminate element made of thermoplastic is hot-formed in a two-stage method. In a first stage, the flat laminate which includes film(s) and/or panels(n) is placed on a flat frame-shaped pallet and is heated to a forming temperature in a heating zone between two flat heat screens in a contactless manner. The edge zone of the hot flat laminate element lies on the pallet such that the laminate piece cannot be clamped in a first laminate direction but rather can be slide on the pallet in this direction. Two non-flat rigid contours which are identical or largely identical act on two opposing parallel laminate edge sections uniaxially and perpendicularly to the laminate plane and only in the first laminate direction, i.e. monodirectionally, and shape the entire heated laminate element into a monodirectionally molded blank.

A flat laminate element made of thermoplastic is hot-formed in a two-stage method. In a first stage, the flat laminate which includes film(s) and/or panels(n) is placed on a flat frame-shaped pallet and is heated to a forming temperature in a heating zone between two flat heat screens in a contactless manner. The edge zone of the hot flat laminate element lies on the pallet such that the laminate piece cannot be clamped in a first laminate direction but rather can be slide on the pallet in this direction. Two non-flat rigid contours which are identical or largely identical act on two opposing parallel laminate edge sections uniaxially and perpendicularly to the laminate plane and only in the first laminate direction, i.e. monodirectionally, and shape the entire heated laminate element into a monodirectionally molded blank.

A resin sheet material 2 in a state of being stretched in a longitudinal direction is held by a stretching and bending mechanism 3, and heated and softened by a heating unit 5. The softened resin sheet material 2 is stretched by pulling the ends in the longitudinal direction and ends in a transverse direction of the resin sheet material by the stretching and bending mechanism 3. The stretched resin sheet material 2 is bent by the stretching and bending mechanism 3, and molded by vacuum forming by a resin molding unit 6.

A resin sheet material 2 in a state of being stretched in a longitudinal direction is held by a stretching and bending mechanism 3, and heated and softened by a heating unit 5. The softened resin sheet material 2 is stretched by pulling the ends in the longitudinal direction and ends in a transverse direction of the resin sheet material by the stretching and bending mechanism 3. The stretched resin sheet material 2 is bent by the stretching and bending mechanism 3, and molded by vacuum forming by a resin molding unit 6.

A method of producing a molded article includes: laminating an adhesive sheet including an acrylic-based polymer and a polymerization initiator onto resin film, to produce a resin laminate; and covering an adherend with the resin film while the resin laminate is pressed against the adherend, and the resin film is stretched following a surface shape of the adherend. In planar view, the resin laminate is larger than the adherend. The covering step includes heating the resin laminate at 100 C. or higher and 180 C. or lower, superposing the resin laminate on the adherend planarly and pressing the resin laminate and the adherend under a reduced pressure environment, and then applying pressure to an environment opposite to the adherend with respect to the resin film The adhesive sheet has an exothermic peak of 100 C. or higher and 180 C. or lower in differential scanning calorimetry at a temperature raising rate of 10 C./min.

A method of producing a molded article includes: laminating an adhesive sheet including an acrylic-based polymer and a polymerization initiator onto resin film, to produce a resin laminate; and covering an adherend with the resin film while the resin laminate is pressed against the adherend, and the resin film is stretched following a surface shape of the adherend. In planar view, the resin laminate is larger than the adherend. The covering step includes heating the resin laminate at 100 C. or higher and 180 C. or lower, superposing the resin laminate on the adherend planarly and pressing the resin laminate and the adherend under a reduced pressure environment, and then applying pressure to an environment opposite to the adherend with respect to the resin film The adhesive sheet has an exothermic peak of 100 C. or higher and 180 C. or lower in differential scanning calorimetry at a temperature raising rate of 10 C./min.

A skinned panel for stably molding a thin skin material and a molding method thereof. An extruding device is configured to extrude a pair of multilayered resin sheets, each of which has a lamination structure of an inner layer made of a foamed resin and an outer layer made of a non-foamed resin that is changed into a skin material of a sandwich panel as a skinned panel. The pair of the resin sheets is abutted to the circumferential part of the pair of the split molds for producing sealed spaces. The sealed spaces are sucked for pressing the pair of the resin sheets onto cavities of the pair of the split molds. Accordingly, the pair of the resin sheets is formed in a shape substantially identical to the outline of the sandwich panel.

A method for forming a fiber reinforced thermoplastic part may comprise the steps of locating a thermoplastic material over a mold tool, heating the thermoplastic material to a pliable forming temperature, conforming the thermoplastic material to a mold surface of the mold tool, and depositing a plurality of fiber strips over the thermoplastic material.

Mould assembly for injection moulding a personalised hollow breast prosthesis, wherein the mould assembly comprises: a front mould being a female mould of a front side of a patients breast and comprising a first mould surface, a rear mould being a female mould of a patients mastectomized chest and comprising a second mould surface, a mould core comprising a mould core main body being a scaled positive mould of a combination of the patients breast and the patients mastectomized chest, wherein the mould core is smaller than the combination, a support configured to support the mould core main body in an assembled state of the mould assembly, wherein an injection opening is defined by any of the front mould, the rear mould, and the mould core, and wherein in the assembled state the mould core is located between the front mould and the rear mould in order for a mould core surface to be located at a distance from the first mould surface and the second mould surface, wherein in the assembled state an inner volume is defined by the front mould, the rear mould and mould core and is configured to be filled with an injection moulding material.