Methods and systems for vacuum forming to form a final plastic product defining a notch, including providing a plastic material; providing a mold for a preform plastic product from which to form the final plastic product having a sacrificial forming feature associated with forming an inline trimmable part defining a notch area from which to form the notch, the sacrificial forming feature positioned on the mold within the notch area to be trimmed via an inline trimming operation to form the notch and shaped to selectively reduce a material thickness at a selective remaining location of the preform plastic product; disposing the plastic material on the mold to form an assembly; applying vacuum forming to the assembly to form the preform plastic product; and reducing the material thickness at the selective remaining location of the preform plastic product during vacuum forming to affect a corresponding localized stiffness reduction.

The present invention aims at providing a high-accuracy contactless measurement method for measuring the temperature of a metal thermoforming mold, which is capable of timely monitoring the metal temperature in multiple areas and also has threshold warning functionalities for delivering real-time notifications, in order to save the labor costs for long-term monitoring.

The present invention aims at providing a high-accuracy contactless measurement method for measuring the temperature of a metal thermoforming mold, which is capable of timely monitoring the metal temperature in multiple areas and also has threshold warning functionalities for delivering real-time notifications, in order to save the labor costs for long-term monitoring.

A component with a customized exterior surface and a method and tool for manufacturing the same are provided. The component may be formed via a plastic forming process with a forming tool, such that it has a surface texture formed on its exterior surface. The forming tool has at least one tool surface, which defines a mold cavity. The tool surface has a textured layer coupled thereto, such that the textured layer directly contacts a moldable material supplied to the mold cavity. The textured layer has a surface texture formed thereon resulting in the surface texture present on the textured layer being transferred to and formed on the exterior surface of the component during forming. The textured layer may be changeable or replaceable with respect to the at least one tool surface, such that a single tool may form components with different surface textures formed on the exterior surface thereof.

A reclosable package may comprise a first web thermoformed into a trough shape and a second web that encloses a product cavity with the first web. A first sealing extends over at least a portion of the first web and the second web and connects the first web and the second web. The first sealing at least partially defines a periphery of the product cavity. The package further includes a zipper element comprising a third web, a fourth web and a zipper track that is arranged at an outer border of the third web and the fourth web. The zipper element extends from an overlapping region of the first web and the second web, and the zipper track is arranged outside of the overlapping region. Furthermore, in the overlapping region, the third web is fused with the first web and the fourth web is fused with the second web.

The invention relates to thermoforming plant and their transport chains. Various aspects of the chain and chain rails are proposed. Overall the chain operates such that less wear occurs; it can also be cooled symmetrically and the film can be better heated up to the edges.

A plastic sheet cassette includes a first frame member pivotably coupled to a second frame member, and a plastic sheet is fixedly supported by male and female parts provided on the first and second frame members. A thermoforming apparatus includes a cabinet, a heating source, a vacuum source, a platform, and a fixing frame that supports the cassette so as to be removable, and is vertically movable between the heating source and the vacuum source in the cabinet. The fixing frame can be stopped or released at any desired level in the cabinet and supports the cassette so that the sheet is heated at the upper level by the heating source and is brought into close contact with a prototype at the lower level by the vacuum source for making a mold having the same shape as the prototype.

A system includes a heating section configured to heat a sheet of plastic to generate a heated sheet of plastic. The system includes a plate configured to secure a mold associated with a dental arch of a patient. The plate includes a locking mechanism. The mold includes feature configured to interface with the locking mechanism. The system further includes a thermoforming chamber configured to thermoform the heated sheet of plastic to the mold that is secured to the plate via an interface of the locking mechanism with the feature to generate a thermoformed sheet of plastic. The locking mechanism is configured to extend through the mold and overlap an upper surface of the mold to lock the mold in a z-direction that is orthogonal to a plane defined by the plate. The system further includes a cutting tool configured to trim an aligner from the thermoformed sheet of plastic.

Systems and methods for providing heat to a three-dimensional article are disclosed. The method can include inserting at least a portion of the article over a form. The method can further include inserting the form and article at least partially within an article container and moving the form and article into engagement with a flexible membrane where the membrane and the article container form an airtight chamber. The method can further include exposing the airtight chamber to a pressure less than atmospheric pressure to pull the membrane against at least a portion of the article and exposing the membrane to a heated deformable media.

Systems and methods for providing heat to a three-dimensional article are disclosed. The method can include inserting at least a portion of the article over a form. The method can further include inserting the form and article at least partially within an article container and moving the form and article into engagement with a flexible membrane where the membrane and the article container form an airtight chamber. The method can further include exposing the airtight chamber to a pressure less than atmospheric pressure to pull the membrane against at least a portion of the article and exposing the membrane to a heated deformable media.