The invention relates to a workpiece having a shape produced by thermoforming from at least one sheet (3) of plastic material, such as polycarbonate, and at least one applied element (6, 8; 7, 9) that is applied to the at least one sheet and secured there, characterised in that the securing of the at least one applied element to the at least one sheet takes place at least partially by means of crimping.

A system includes a press, an external heater and a slipper tool. The press is moveable between an open position and a closed position, and has a mold tool. The external heater is located outside the press. The slipper tool is moveable between the external heater and a mold space of the press when the press is in an open position. The slipper tool has a surface configured to receive thereon a material of a product to be molded. The surface corresponds to a molded surface of the product. When the slipper tool is at the external heater, the external heater is configured to heat the material received on the slipper tool. When the slipper tool is in the mold space and the press is in a closed position, the mold tool is configured to press the heated material against the surface of the slipper tool to mold the product.

A disclosed process includes steps of heating a foamed material by irradiation with near infrared radiation having a wavelength between 0.78 and 1.40 m to form a heated material, forming the heated material with a forming tool to obtain a formed material, and cooling the formed material and demolding to obtain a final workpiece. The foamed material may be constructed as a composite ply construction including an outer material and a foamed core between the outer material. The foamed material may contain a poly(meth)acrylimde, a polypropylene or a highly-crosslinked polyurethane.

A thermoregulation system of rotating metal cylinders in plants for the extrusion and conversion/transformation of plastic films includes heating elements applied to each rotating cylinder, wherein the heating elements are infrared heating elements, and wherein the rotating cylinder includes a metal tube rotating around a fixed shaft, which is rigidly connected to two side plates.

A skate boot shell including a tridimensional outer sub-shell made of a first material, the outer sub-shell including a first sole portion connected to first heel, ankle and side portions; a tridimensional inner sub-shell received within and connected to the outer sub-shell, an outer surface of the inner sub-shell being complementary to an inner surface of the outer sub-shell, the inner sub-shell being made of a second material different from the first material; and a tridimensional reinforcement sub-shell made of a third material different from the first and second materials and bonded inside at least one of the inner and outer sub-shells.

Methods systems and apparatuses for reducing or substantially eliminating distortion in a transparent substrate in situ are disclosed.

The method of the present invention for producing a shaped film includes a step of arranging a thermoplastic resin film to divide a space into a first space located on one surface side of the film, and a second space located on the other surface side, a step of heating the thermoplastic resin film, a step of curving the thermoplastic resin film in one space by using a difference in pressure between the first space and the second space, a step of stopping the curving step of the thermoplastic resin film in a state where at least a convex curved surface of both surfaces of the film is exposed into the space, and a step of cooling the curved film.

A method for manufacturing a preform includes heating one or more layers of fibrous material containing a plurality of discontinuous structural fibers and a predetermined percentage of thermoplastic material to a first temperature above a softening temperature of the thermoplastic material, forming the one or more layers of fibrous material containing the thermoplastic material into a predetermined shape including at least one raised or depressed region, and cooling the one or more layers of fibrous material having the predetermined shape to a second temperature below the softening temperature to harden the thermoplastic material. The predetermined shape of the one or more layers of fibrous material is retained by the hardened thermoplastic material, and the cooled one or more layers of fibrous material containing the thermoplastic material are permeable.

Molding systems and methods of using such systems are provided.

The present invention discloses a heating structure for an energy-saving hot bender, which comprises a heating chamber, a connecting rod, a drive mechanism and a hot bending mould moving passage, wherein the connecting rod is arranged on one side of the hot bending mould moving passage, the hot bending mould moving passage and the connecting rod pass through the heating chamber, the drive mechanism is connected with one side of the connecting rod and is capable of driving the connecting rod to rotate, the connecting rod is provided with a plurality of fastener groups, each of the fasteners group comprises two fasteners fixed at opposite positions, and the fasteners are sleeved on the connecting rod.