A thermoforming apparatus is provided having a frame, a pair of opposed platens, a toggle shaft, a kinematic linkage, a form air manifold, and a pair of articulating bearing assemblies. The pair of opposed platens is carried by the frame each with a die, one die configured to engage an opposed face of another die across a heated sheet of thermoformable material in sealed relation there between. The toggle shaft is carried by the frame for rotation. The kinematic linkage is coupled between the toggle shaft and one of the dies. The form air manifold and a source of differential pressure is coupled with a die face on one of the dies. The pair of articulating bearing assemblies is carried by the frame and configured to support the at least one toggle shaft for translation towards and away from the another die and platen. A method is also provided.

A product forming unit for manufacturing non-flat cellulose products from an air-formed cellulose blank structure (2). The product forming unit includes a blank dry-forming module with a moveable forming wire, a toggle pressing module with a toggle press and a forming mold, and an electronic control system operatively connected to the forming wire and the toggle press. The blank dry-forming module is configured for air-forming the cellulose blank structure onto the forming wire. The toggle press includes a pressing member movably arranged in a pressing direction, a toggle-mechanism drivingly connected to the pressing member, and a pressing actuator arrangement drivingly connected to the toggle-mechanism. The forming mold includes a moveable first mold part attached to the pressing member and a second mold part. The electronic control system is configured for controlling operation of the pressing actuator arrangement for performing pressing operations, which involves driving the pressing member in the pressing direction by the toggle-mechanism, and thereby forming the non-flat cellulose product from the air-formed cellulose blank structure by pressing the first mold part against the second mold part. The electronic control system is configured for intermittently feeding the forming wire between subsequent pressing operations.

A cellulose product toggle pressing module for forming non-flat cellulose products from an air-formed cellulose blank structure. The toggle pressing module includes a toggle press including pressing member movably arranged in a pressing direction, a toggle-mechanism connected to the pressing member, a pressing actuator arrangement connected to the toggle-mechanism, and an electronic control system operatively connected to the pressing actuator arrangement. The toggle pressing module includes a forming mold including a moveable first mold part attached to the pressing member and a second mold part. The electronic control system is configured for controlling operation of the pressing actuator arrangement for driving the pressing member using the toggle-mechanism in the pressing direction and forming the non-flat cellulose product from the cellulose blank structure by pressing the first mold part against the second mold part. Furthermore, the toggle press is installed with the pressing direction of the pressing member arranged primarily in a horizontal direction.

A trash compactor may include a frame, a cavity, a trash receptacle, a platen movable to compress trash collected in the trash receptacle, a set of linkages and a drive mechanism configured to drive said platen up and down, the drive mechanism further configured as one of the link elements, and a platen guide mechanism configured to restrict the motion of the platen in an up and down manner.

A trash compactor may include a frame, a cavity, a trash receptacle, a platen movable to compress trash collected in the trash receptacle, a set of linkages and a drive mechanism configured to drive said platen up and down, the drive mechanism further configured as one of the link elements, and a platen guide mechanism configured to restrict the motion of the platen in an up and down manner.

A trash compactor may include a frame, a cavity, a trash receptacle, a platen movable to compress trash collected in the trash receptacle, a set of linkages and a drive mechanism configured to drive said platen up and down, the drive mechanism further configured as one of the link elements, and a platen guide mechanism configured to restrict the motion of the platen in an up and down manner.

A trash compactor may include a frame, a cavity, a trash receptacle, a platen movable to compress trash collected in the trash receptacle, a set of linkages and a drive mechanism configured to drive said platen up and down, the drive mechanism further configured as one of the link elements, and a platen guide mechanism configured to restrict the motion of the platen in an up and down manner.

In a forming process with a press having in a frame a ram closing through the force of a cylinder with a moveable piston against a press table in a straight-line movement, the piston initially acts upon at least one knuckle joint system during the closing of the press, and a hydraulic cushion of the ram concludes the closing process with extension of the knuckle joint system in movement direction of the piston and straight-line support thereof against the frame. In a press having in a frame a ram closing through the force of a cylinder with a moveable piston against a press table in a straight-line movement, the ram is connected so as to be fixed with respect to the frame via at least two identically constructed knuckle joint systems, and the ram has a hydraulic cushion.

A trash compactor may include a frame, a cavity, a trash receptacle, a platen movable to compress trash collected in the trash receptacle, a set of linkages and a drive mechanism configured to drive said platen up and down, the drive mechanism further configured as one of the link elements, and a platen guide mechanism configured to restrict the motion of the platen in an up and down manner.

A trash compactor may include a frame, a cavity, a trash receptacle, a platen movable to compress trash collected in the trash receptacle, a set of linkages and a drive mechanism configured to drive said platen up and down, the drive mechanism further configured as one of the link elements, and a platen guide mechanism configured to restrict the motion of the platen in an up and down manner.