An apparatus for forming objects, in particular containers, and for applying respective labels thereto, includes a forming arrangement provided with a punch cooperating with a cavity of a die to make the objects by forming a sheet of thermoformable material. The cavity includes a first wall element and second walls. The first wall element is movable between a first operating position in which it receives a label and a second operating position in which it bounds the cavity in cooperation with the second walls, and supports the label in such a manner that during a subsequent forming operation the label is fixed to, in particular substantially incorporated in, the object.

An apparatus for forming sealed pouches comprising: a rotatable base forming drum having an outer surface with a plurality of base tooling cavities in the outer surface; a base stock supply mechanism for feeding a base stock film of material along a base stock path, a portion of the base stock path extending along the outer surface of the base forming drum; a system for displacing the base stock film into the base tooling cavities to form a pocket of base stock film material within each base tooling cavity; a material feed mechanism for feeding at least one material into each pocket of the base stock film; a rotatable lid forming drum having an outer surface with a plurality of lid tooling cavities in the outer surface; a lid stock supply mechanism for feeding a lid stock film of material along a lid stock path, a portion of the lid stock path extending along the outer surface of the lid forming drum; a system for displacing the lid stock film into the lid tooling cavities to form a lid recess of lid stock film material within each lid tooling cavity; a material feed mechanism for feeding a material into each lid recess of the lid stock film; and mechanism bringing the base stock web and the lid stock web into contact under pressure. In one form, the material fed into the lid recesses is a hardenable material and cooling is used to cool the lid recesses.

Improved separator film compositions, methods and systems for use in producing thermoformed dental appliances are disclosed.

A thermoforming apparatus includes a frame material having a housing region and a frame edge portion of a base material being a thermoforming target; and a heating plate having a square shaped heating surface in a plan view, and a frame section which protrudes toward the frame material from the outer peripheral edge of the heating surface, the frame section being contactable with the frame edge portion of the frame material, wherein the heating plate is provided with vacuum holes opening to the outer peripheral portion of the heating plate in a plan view at a perimeter of the frame section in the heating surface, and before adsorbing the sheet disposed between the frame edge portion of the frame material and the outer peripheral edge of the heating plate to the heating surface, a gap is included in at least a portion between the sheet and the heating surface.

A tool for stamp-forming thermoplastic components may include a frame reinforced by an infill material. The infill material (e.g., cast ceramic) is configured to provide compression resistance to the frame and to insulate the frame from heat. A forming plate is coupled to the frame, and the plate has a front face defining a forming surface of the tool. One or more inductive heating elements are configured to heat the plate, wherein each of the one or more inductive heating elements comprises a conductor (e.g., Litz wire) coupled to a susceptor material (e.g., Invar), and the one or more inductive heating elements are configured to be self-regulating with respect to temperature.

A thermoforming system has a composite plate, a loading area in which the plate is placed, a heating area in which the plate is heated, a pressing area in which the plate is formed, and at least one mold which is located in the pressing area that applies heat and pressure to the plate so that the plate is formed. The system also includes a thermoforming area which is formed by the loading area, heating area, and the pressing area and consists of at least two different surfaces located opposite each other. A rail system is located on at least one surface in the thermoforming area and allows the plate to be conveyed within the thermoforming area.

The invention is directed to a mould configuration (1) suited for use in a thermoforming forming station arranged to form one or more objects comprising a mould (2) made from a polymer material by additive manufacturing and provided a mould volume (6) consisting of a recess (6a) corresponding with the shape of the object as an upper zone (6b). A lower zone is divided from the upper zone by a recess wall (8). The lower zone (7) is provided with one or more open spaces (9) which fluidly connect the lower surface (8a) of the recess wall (8) with one or more openings (10) in the bottom (5) of the mould (2), a heat exchanger module (11) facing the bottom (5) of the mould (2) comprising cooling means (12) and cooling medium displacement means (13) and cooling medium inlet openings (14) and cooling medium outlet openings (15).

The invention relates to a thermoforming device (10), in particular for cups (1) that can be filled with a foodstuff, having a mold (11) comprising an upper part (12) and a deep-drawing mold (13) arranged underneath the upper part (12) for molding at least one cup (1) in a heated sheet of film (2), wherein the deep-drawing mold (13) forms a side wall (4) and a bottom area (5) of the at least one cup (1).

Provided is a process for thermoforming a gas and liquid permeable layer (10) of thermoplastic material having an average thickness of less than 1.0 mm, the process comprising the steps of bringing the layer of thermoplastic material, at a temperature below that required for thermoforming, into contact with a mould (16) at a temperature above that of a thermoforming temperature of the thermoplastic material; pressing the mould into contact with the layer of thermoplastic material, the contact between mould and thermoplastic material causing heat to transfer from the mould to the thermoplastic material and raising the temperature of the thermoplastic material to a thermoformable temperature; such pressing thereby causing thermoforming of the thermoplastic material to conform to the shape of the mould.

A method for manufacturing a stiffened panel, obtained from profiles and a skin, comprising a step of obtaining the profiles and of positioning each of the profiles on a mandrel, a step of laying the skin on a laying surface of a mold and then a step of laying the mandrels on the skin, the bases of the profiles being positioned against the skin, as well as a step of polymerizing or consolidating the profiles and the skin to obtain a stiffened panel. Also a tool for implementing such a method.