A deep-drawing arrangement is for deep-drawing a continuously supplied film strip. The deep-drawing arrangement includes a transporter which revolves continuously around a fixed machine frame and which has plate elements and mold cavities and a cyclically timed deep-drawing apparatus, wherein the mold cavities can be acted on with a pressure reduction. The plate elements are permanently connected to each other via connection lines. A plate element is in the form of a connection element having at least one pressure reduction connection. The pressure reduction connection is connected to a pressure reduction source. The plate elements are permanently acted on with the pressure reduction during operation via the connection lines and the pressure reduction connection. Each plate element has at least one switching valve for connecting the pressure reduction which is permanently applied in the plate element to the associated mold cavities as required.

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 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 system includes a heating system, a forming system, a conveyor system, and a plurality of thermoforming assemblies for supporting a dental mold and a thermoforming material. The heating system includes a first heater to heat the thermoforming material when proximate the first heater, a second heater configured to heat the thermoforming material when proximate the second heater, and a temperature sensor to detect a temperature of the thermoforming material when the thermoforming material is proximate either of the first heater and the second heater. The forming system includes an actuator and a pressure system to compress the heated thermoforming material to the dental mold. The conveyor system moves the plurality of thermoforming assemblies in a stepwise movement sequence from a loading area to the heating system, from the heating system to the forming system, and from the forming system to an unloading area.

A system includes a heating system, a forming system, a conveyor system, and a plurality of thermoforming assemblies for supporting a dental mold and a thermoforming material. The heating system includes a first heater to heat the thermoforming material when proximate the first heater, a second heater configured to heat the thermoforming material when proximate the second heater, and a temperature sensor to detect a temperature of the thermoforming material when the thermoforming material is proximate either of the first heater and the second heater. The forming system includes an actuator and a pressure system to compress the heated thermoforming material to the dental mold. The conveyor system moves the plurality of thermoforming assemblies in a stepwise movement sequence from a loading area to the heating system, from the heating system to the forming system, and from the forming system to an unloading area.

A deep-drawn paper tray made of paper material, a method and an apparatus for manufacturing the tray, and a closed product package comprising the tray. The tray having a bottom and upwardly expanding side walls around the bottom, the side walls of the tray being shaped to expand through a plurality of circumferential steps dimensioned low enough for obtaining wrinkle-free side walls for the tray. The outermost step is a flat, wrinkle-free rim flange, which enables liquid and gas proof heat-sealing of a lid to form the package. The apparatus may comprise upper and lower moulding tools with concentric movable frames for forming the tray bottom and side wall steps from paper blanks, and moulding tools may be mounted onto a rotating turret carrying a paper blank through working stations arranged along the turret circumference, to shape the tray bottom and the side wall steps at the consecutive stations.

An apparatus including: a plurality of forming molds, each mold including: a leading edge; a trailing edge; a mold face; a plurality of first recesses in the mold face positioned across the mold face, each first recess in fluid communication with a first vacuum duct; a leading face extending from the leading edge in a direction away from the mold face; a trailing face extending from the trailing edge in a direction away from the mold face; wherein at least a portion of the leading face is recessed relative to the mold face proximal the leading edge or at least a portion of the trailing face is recessed relative to the mold face proximal the trailing edge; wherein the plurality of forming molds is arranged leading edge to trailing edge as a first mold belt.

A deep-drawn paper tray made of paper material, a method and an apparatus for manufacturing the tray, and a closed product package comprising the tray. The tray having a bottom and upwardly expanding side walls around the bottom, the side walls of the tray being shaped to expand through a plurality of circumferential steps dimensioned low enough for obtaining wrinkle-free side walls for the tray. The outermost step is a flat, wrinkle-free rim flange, which enables liquid and gas proof heat-sealing of a lid to form the package. The apparatus may comprise upper and lower moulding tools with concentric movable frames for forming the tray bottom and side wall steps from paper blanks, and moulding tools may be mounted onto a rotating turret carrying a paper blank through working stations arranged along the turret circumference, to shape the tray bottom and the side wall steps at the consecutive stations.

An article having an inner article layer and an outer article layer to be worn by a mammal comprising a thermally insulating layer of a reflective metalized polymeric insulation material having moisture vapour transference properties adjacent to at least one of the inner and outer article layers. An apparatus and method for producing a reflective metalized polymeric thermally insulating assembly having moisture vapour transference properties suitable for use in the article is also provided. The insulation material provides enhanced thermal retention.

A rotatable thermoforming machine for producing soluble pockets made from a soluble web. The machine has a plurality of pocket forming cavities 38a, b, c in each of which a respective pocket is formed in the soluble web. The pockets travel in a machine direction defined as the X direction and filling means 44 is arranged to at least partially fill the or each pocket formed in the soluble web. The filling means 44 comprising one or more nozzles 44, each nozzle 44 being arranged to be moveable in at least the X-direction as the or each respective pocket is filled from the filling nozzle 44.