A method for thermoforming a laminate to a part by controlling the temperature and pressure during the thermoforming. The laminate to be thermoformed may include an adhesive layer and the part may be a metal article. A thermoforming box may be used to control one of the temperature and the pressure.

An assembly and method for steaming and/or heating a trim cover of an upholstered article is disclosed. The assembly includes a stand having a bottom end and a top end, an open frame attached to the top end of the stand and adapted to receive at least a portion of the trim cover, and a steam supply system. At least a portion of the steam supply system is adapted to fit within the frame and the steam supply system applies steam towards at least one interior steam zone of the trim cover.

Apparatus and methods of forming sheets of material are disclosed. Profile plates may be placed atop the sheets. Tabs attached to clamp frames may apply uniform pressure on the perimeters of the profile plates during the formation process.

Continuous adjustment appliances are provided that can store a large number of geometries that can be successively accessed throughout orthodontic treatment, with each geometry can correspond to an arrangement of the patient's teeth. An appliance according to the present disclosure can be stimulated to transition among the myriad geometries, which can include changes to the overall shape of the appliance as well as the position and geometry of the cavities corresponding to a patient's teeth. Methods of creating the continuous adjustment appliances and methods of treatment using the continuous adjustment appliances are also revealed.

The device intended to be thermoformed comprises a substrate capable of being thermoformed and an electrically conductive member integral with the said substrate. The electrically conductive member comprises: electrically conductive particles, an electrically conductive material, electrically conductive elements of elongated shape. The electrically conductive material has a melting point which is strictly less than the melting point of the electrically conductive particles and than the melting point of the elements of elongated shape.

The present disclosure relates to hot-fillable articles made from multilayered thermoformable film and sheet comprising oxygen scavenger compositions and polyester compositions and copolyester compositions which comprise residues of terephthalic acid, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM), 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol (TMCD), ethylene glycol (EG), and diethylene glycol (DEG), in certain compositional ranges having certain advantages and improved performance properties.

A method of manufacturing a skate boot shell, and more particularly a non-lasted skate boot shell, including shaping tridimensional outer and inner sub-shells, and bonding the shaped sub-shells together through lamination. The lamination is performed after the sub-shells are shaped and includes applying heat to the sub-shells and/or pressure on one of the sub-shells toward the other against a mold surface. A skate boot shell with multiple sub-shells is also discussed, including an outer sub-shell, and inner sub-shell and a reinforcement sub-shell.

The present invention relates to a deformable device (10), including a first thermoplastic material (40), said first material being substantially rigid at a temperature lower than a first threshold (T.sub.1) and malleable at a temperature higher than said first threshold (T.sub.1), said first threshold (T.sub.1) preferably being comprised between 40 C. and 90 C. The device includes an outer shell (16) made of at least one second flexible material (42), said outer shell defining an inner recess (18), the first material (40) filling the inner recess, the at least one second flexible material (42) forming the outer shell being in solid state at least until a second temperature threshold (T.sub.2) higher than the first threshold (T.sub.1) by 10 C., preferably by 20 C.

An orthosis for supporting a limb or a joint of a human or of a vertebrate animal, including: a sleeve which is at least partly elastic and is designed to enclose a limb or a joint, a plate made of a thermoformable material, and a pocket formed on the sleeve in order to receive the plate, the pocket having a shape adapted to that of the plate. The adherence between the plate and the inner surface of the pocket is treated in order to permit a relative movement of the plate with respect to the material forming the pocket during and after an operation of thermoforming of the plate, this being done by placing the orthosis on the limb or the joint with the plate present in the pocket. This orthosis is designed to be fitted in place and thermoformed by the user himself.

A vacuum forming apparatus is provided that forms an article having a covering bonded to the surface of a substrate in a molding space using a first mold and a second mold. The vacuum forming apparatus is provided with clamps for grasping the covering between the first and second molds arranged at the open positions. The clamps are movable between an interfering position, at which the clamps are located in the movement ranges of the first and second molds, and standby positions, at which the clamps are outside the movement ranges. After the covering is heated, the clamps grasping the covering move to the standby positions and stretch the covering. The first and second molds move to the closed positions and the article is molded between the first and second molds so that the stretched covering and the substrate are bonded to each other.