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 thermoformed article is disclosed that includes a self-supporting structural base layer, a covering applied to a first side of the base layer, and one or more secondary features co-injected upon a second side of the base layer. The covering and the secondary features of the thermoformed article are applied to the base layer during the same molding operation. Also disclosed is a process for forming a thermoformed article that includes placing a covering in a mold tool as a first layer, placing a self-supporting structural base layer in the mold tooling as a second layer, closing the mold tooling with the covering and base layer, and co-injecting upon a side of the base layer opposite to the covering one or more secondary features.

A three-dimensional vacuum thermal insulation element having a compressed three-dimensional porous structure and a shell closed in an airtight manner. The shell includes a thermoformable barrier wall and encloses the porous structure arranged between two major surfaces of said barrier wall. The porous structure has a pressure of between less than 105 Pa and more than 10-2 Pa at ambient external temperature and pressure. The barrier wall is thermoformed at the site of said two major surfaces, between which the porous structure has a curved shape and/or reliefs and/or depressions.

A three-dimensional, vacuum thermal insulating element comprising a compressed three-dimensional porous structure, an envelope closed in an airtight manner comprising a thermoformable barrier wall, enclosing the porous structure, which is interposed between two major surfaces of the barrier wall, and where, at outside ambient temperature and pressure, a pressure between less than 10.sup.5 Pa and more than 10.sup.−2 Pa prevails. The barrier wall is thermoformed at said the two major surfaces, between which the porous structure is bent-shaped and/or has reliefs and/or depressions.

[Problem] The objective of the present invention is to provide a resin sheet that has a favorable tactile sensation and no less than a certain light transmittance and a molded article thereof.

[Solution] A resin sheet that has hair-like bodies arranged regularly on at least one surface of an underlayer and in which a continuous phase is formed without any structural boundary between the underlayer and the hair-like bodies, wherein the average height of the hair-like bodies is no less than 30 μm and no greater than 500 μm, the total light transmittance of the resin sheet measured in accordance with JIS K 7136-1 is no less than 0.1% and no greater than 20%, and the contrast ratio of the resin sheet measured in accordance with JIS K 5600 4-1 is no less than 70% and no greater than 98%.

A thermoforming method includes forming a skin comprising a plurality of plies thermoplastic resin and fiber, securing an edge of the skin to a mandrel, heating, via a heating element, the skin to a forming temperature, moving a thermoforming apparatus with respect to the mandrel, rolling at least one roller of the thermoforming apparatus along the skin in a direction away from the clamped edge of the skin in response to the thermoforming apparatus moving with respect to the mandrel, and in response to the at least one roller of the thermoforming apparatus rolling along the skin, compressing the skin between the at least one roller and the mandrel, consolidating the plurality of plies of material, and bending the skin to conform to a shape of the mandrel. The consolidated and formed skin is then cooled and removed from the mandrel.

A laminate (110) of polypropylene films (100), a luggage shell (120) constructed of the laminate (110), a method (200) of making the laminate (110), and a method (280) of making the luggage shell (120) are provided. The films (100) include a core (102) and at least one outer layer (104). The laminate (110) includes a plurality of films (100). The laminate (110) may be formed by laminating a plurality of films 100 under predetermined pressure, temperature, and time conditions. The shell (120) may be formed by deep drawing a sheet of laminate (110) while applying heat and tension to the laminate (110).

[Problem] The objective of the present invention is to provide a resin sheet that has a favorable tactile sensation and no less than a certain light transmittance and a molded article thereof. [Solution] A resin sheet that has hair-like bodies arranged regularly on at least one surface of an underlayer and in which a continuous phase is formed without any structural boundary between the underlayer and the hair-like bodies, wherein the average height of the hair-like bodies is no less than 30 μm and no greater than 500 μm, the total light transmittance of the resin sheet measured in accordance with JIS K 7136-1 is no less than 0.1% and no greater than 20%, and the contrast ratio of the resin sheet measured in accordance with JIS K 5600 4-1 is no less than 70% and no greater than 98%.

A method for manufacturing a plastic composite uses recycled thermoplastic material comprising the steps of (1) providing flakes of thermoplastic materials to be recycled; (2) mixing the thermoplastic flakes, thereby forming a thermoplastic matrix having a first melting temperature; (3) forming or providing a web-structure of a predetermined thickness from fibers having a second melting temperature higher than the first melting temperature; (4) evenly distributing the thermoplastic matrix of thermoplastic flakes over the web-structure; (5) optionally forming or providing a second web-structure and placing it over the thermoplastic matrix; (6) optionally repeating steps (4) and (5); and (7) heating the web at a temperature between the first and second temperature using a thermoforming process.

The present invention provides enthalpy exchanger elements (E, E′, PR, PF) and enthalpy exchangers comprising such elements. Furthermore, the invention discloses a method for producing such enthalpy exchanger elements and enthalpy exchangers, comprising the steps of a) providing an air-permeable sheet element (1); b) laminating at least one side (1a, 1b) of the sheet element (1) with a thin polymer film (3, 4) with water vapor transmission characteristics; and c) forming the laminated sheet element (1) into a desired shape exhibiting a three-dimensional corrugation pattern (5, 5, . . . ).