A method of moulding and apparatus therefor, in which a workpiece is preheated and/or post-cooled before and/or after a moulding process, allowing optimal use of the tool for high precision moulding operations.

A panel includes a thermoset material, and an image comprising sublimation ink. The sublimation ink is absorbed in the thermoset material. The rigid component may be a rigid structure formed by the thermoset material. The panel may be for a bath or shower enclosure.

A heating apparatus is provided, and includes a blank and a heating pad in contact with one side of the blank. The heating pad has, or is formed from, a first base matrix. A first region of conductive particles is dispersed within the first base matrix, and a second region of conductive particles is dispersed within the first base matrix. An induction heater is configured to inductively heat the conductive particles within the heating pad. The first region of conductive particles is heated to a first temperature and the second region of conductive particles is heated to a second temperature, which is greater than the first temperature.

A hot press assembly is provided that comprises an upper die plate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The hot press assembly further includes a punch with an attachment surface that is positioned adjacent to the second surface of the upper die plate and a pressing surface that is positioned opposite the attachment surface. The hot press assembly also includes one or more conductive inserts that extend through the punch from the attachment surface to a predetermined distance away from the pressing surface, where each conductive insert has a thermal conductivity greater than a thermal conductivity of the punch. Methods of manufacturing a brake pad using the hot press assembly are also provided.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a shower tray trough, from a composite panel of the sandwich type, to which a mask is applied corresponding to a pattern cavity making it possible to imprint, in the thickness of the foam reinforcing slab of said composite panel, the desired recesses to form said shower tray trough. To that end, the top plate of the composite panel is heated locally, only at the zones corresponding to the recesses to be imprinted, so as to allow the deformation of said top plate and the arrangement of said recesses in the thickness of the foam slab.

This invention relates to methods for forming a polymer, including continuously depositing a polymer extrudate that is above its glass transition temperature onto a lower molding surface of a first mold in a manner that reduces shear stress in the polymer extrudate, heating the lower molding surface to maintain the polymer extrudate above the glass transition temperature, applying an upper molding surface of a second mold to at least the exposed upper surface of the polymer, allowing the polymer to transition to below the glass transition temperature while within or between the upper and lower molding surfaces, and providing heat sinks spaced relative to each other through the pressure forming zone, wherein a heat sink more advanced through the pressure forming zone is controlled to a lower temperature to progressively reduce the temperature of the polymer as it advances through the pressure forming zone.

A molding device includes: a lower mold that supports a workpiece containing a thermoplastic resin and that is heated to a first predetermined temperature; an upper mold that is opposed to the lower mold, that presses the workpiece, and that is heated to a second predetermined temperature; a transferer that moves the lower mold and the upper mold relative to each other in a transfer direction of the workpiece; and control circuitry. The lower mold includes temperature-controlled regions adjacent to one another in the transfer direction, the temperature-controlled regions including a first lower mold temperature-controlled region and a second lower mold temperature-controlled region having a temperature lower than a temperature of the first lower mold temperature-controlled region. The control circuitry changes proportions of the first and second lower mold temperature-controlled regions in the lower mold as a function of a relative position between the upper and lower molds.

The present invention relates to an interior trim component with a three-dimensional shape, wherein the interior trim component is produced from a single nonwoven material and includes a first surface and a second surface. At least one region that forms the first surface, and at least one first section and at least one second section, each of which forming a part of the second surface, wherein the first section has a first section hardness, H1 and the second section has a second section hardness, H2, and the first section hardness H1 and the second section hardness H2 are different.