A method for forming an article includes providing a sheet of material, optionally conditioning the sheet with a surface of a roller, forming the sheet to provide a web, and separating an article from the web to provide the article. An apparatus adapted to form the article from a sheet is provided.

A method of manufacturing a product with skin includes: attaching a preformed base material to a vacuum forming die on a back surface of the base material, disposing a skin material as a material of the skin on a front surface of a base material, and sucking the skin material through the vacuum forming die and the base material to deform a main portion of skin material so as to be in close contact with the front surface of the base material; cutting a surplus portion of the skin material not being in close contact with the front surface of the base material with a trim blade so that a distal end portion remains around the main portion, thereby forming the skin having the distal end portion; and winding the distal end portion of the skin around the back surface of the base material by a winding mechanism.

A composite article assembly arrangement includes an all-in-one assembly station for supporting certain two-workpiece or composite article assembly methodologies with a view toward a preferred lid assembly application. The all-in-one assembly station includes a stationary main base plate, opposed intermediate compactor plates, and opposed outer plates, which compactor plates and outer plates are movable relative to the stationary main base plate. One or more continuous webs bearing thermoformed first and second workpieces are directed through the assembly station, which assembly station operates to both separate the first and second workpieces from the web(s) as directed therethrough and assemble the first and second workpieces in one clapping movement of the compactor plates and outer plates relative to the main base plate. The main base plate comprises an axial alignment chamber or cavity that operates to mechanically or structurally maintain axial alignment of the first and second workpieces during workpiece assembly.

The facility comprises a plurality of processing stations (14A, 14B, 14C, 16, 18, 20, 20, 22, 24) for producing containers from a thermoplastic substrate. The facility comprises a plurality of basic conveyors (30) that cooperate with a travel track (32), for the purpose of conveying the sheets to the processing stations, the respective movements of the basic conveyors being controlled according to respective movement control commands generated by a control unit (ECU).

Example ambulation aid apparatus and associated methods of manufacture are disclosed and described herein. An example single-point supportive ambulation aid is formed as an integral part. The integral part of the example ambulation aid is formed to integrate: a body portion formed to support a user; a graspable area integrated with the body portion and providing an area to be gripped by a user; and a foot portion integrated with the body portion and providing a single point of contact with a walking surface to facilitate user movement and support in conjunction with the body portion and graspable area through the integral part.

The disclosure relates to forming shaped thermoplastic articles having smooth peripheries. Many thermoplastic articles have sharp edges formed upon molding or cutting the article from a feedstock sheet. Such sharp edges can damage thin plastic films or flesh which they contact, and smoothing the edges is desirable. Described herein are methods of forming a smooth periphery for such sharp-edged articles by rolling over the sharp edge. The smoothing operation is performed by forming a deflectable flange including a bend region separated from the potentially sharp peripheral edge by a spacer, deflecting a portion of the deflectable flange, and softening at least one bent portion of the deflectable flange to yield a smooth periphery upon cooling. A liner sheet may be attached to the feedstock sheet prior to, during, or after forming and can be peelable therefrom.

An example filter can include a pleated filter element and a preformed filter mounting element for mounting of the filter to a face piece or respirator. The filter can further include an air impermeable seal extending around a periphery of the filter, the air impermeable seal including and bonded by melted plastic material of the pleated filter element and melted plastic material of the preformed filter mounting element.

The disclosure relates to forming shaped thermoplastic articles having smooth peripheries. Many thermoplastic articles have sharp edges formed upon molding or cutting the article from a feedstock sheet. Such sharp edges can damage thin plastic films or flesh which they contact, and smoothing the edges is desirable. Described herein are methods of forming a smooth periphery for such sharp-edged articles by rolling over the sharp edge. The smoothing operation is performed by forming a deflectable flange including a bend region separated from the potentially sharp peripheral edge by a spacer, deflecting a portion of the deflectable flange, and softening at least one bent portion of the deflectable flange to yield a smooth periphery upon cooling.

Embodiments relate to automating removal of an untrimmed shell from a mold. In one embodiment, a shell removal device includes a body and a platform disposed within the body. The platform is configured to secure a mold that has an untrimmed shell formed over the mold. The shell removal device further includes a cover configured to secure the untrimmed shell to an upper surface of one or more sidewalls of the body and provide a seal between a lower surface of the untrimmed shell and the upper surface of the one or more sidewalls of the body. The shell removal device may include a media inlet in the body to permit pressurized media into the interior of the body to cause a pressure differential between an upper surface of the untrimmed shell and the lower surface of the untrimmed shell to cause the untrimmed shell to release from the mold.

A composite article assembly arrangement includes an all-in-one assembly station for supporting certain two-workpiece or composite article assembly methodologies with a view toward a preferred lid assembly application. The all-in-one assembly station includes a stationary main base plate, opposed intermediate compactor plates, and opposed outer plates, which compactor plates and outer plates are movable relative to the stationary main base plate. One or more continuous webs bearing thermoformed first and second workpieces are directed through the assembly station, which assembly station operates to both separate the first and second workpieces from the web(s) as directed therethrough and assemble the first and second workpieces in one clapping movement of the compactor plates and outer plates relative to the main base plate. The main base plate comprises an axial alignment chamber or cavity that operates to mechanically or structurally maintain axial alignment of the first and second workpieces during workpiece assembly.