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 for thermoforming an article includes extruding a sheet of material, conditioning the sheet with a roller, thermoforming the sheet to provide a web, and cutting the web to provide the article.

A laminate, including a substrate having a microstructure on a surface thereof; and a coating layer formed on the substrate and encapsulating the microstructure of the substrate. A glass transition temperature T.sub.1 of the substrate is higher than a glass transition temperature T.sub.2 of the coating layer. A method of producing an ophthalmic lens, including deforming the laminate into a shape of the ophthalmic lens by applying heat and/or pressure at a temperature of lower than T.sub.1.

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 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 for thermoforming an article includes extruding a sheet of material, conditioning the sheet with a roller, thermoforming the sheet to provide a web, and cutting the web to provide the article.

A thermoforming system and related methods for manufacturing thermoplastic parts, such as interior panels for aircraft, may include a roll-to-roll operation and a forming press having at least one selectively rotatable tool. The rotatable tool, which may include a mold and/or a die, may be multifaceted, such that different faces of the tool have different mold arrangements for different forming characteristics.

A method and apparatus for processing a formable material having at least first and second relatively repositionable units. The first unit has a sheet die, with the second unit having a rotary drum with a peripheral forming surface for receiving flowable material from the sheet die. The first and second units can be selectively changed between an operating relationship and a setup relationship, with the latter causing at least one space to be defined/enlarged and within which an operator can maneuver to gain access to a region of at least one of the first and second units. With the first and second units in the operating relationship, moldable sheets can be processed by causing the moldable sheets to be applied, and conformed, to the peripheral forming surface on the rotary drum.

A rotary thermoforming apparatus including a rotatable drum having a plurality of cavity flats positioned on an outer surface of the drum together defining a mold cavity section of the drum, each cavity flat having one or more mold cavities, a plug assist assembly positioned adjacent each corresponding cavity flat when in a first retracted state, the plug assist assembly secured to, and rotatable with, the outer surface of the drum, each plug assist assembly having one or more plug assist members corresponding to the one or more mold cavities in the adjacent corresponding cavity flat, wherein each plug assist member is extendable into its corresponding mold cavity, and retractable from its corresponding mold cavity, wherein each plug assist assembly is extendable from the first retracted state to an extended state positioned over the corresponding cavity flat, and wherein each plug assist assembly is retractable from the extended state back to the first retracted state.

An apparatus for thermoforming plastic containers comprising a pickup station (24), a feeder (25) for feeding flat sheets (8) of thermoformable plastic material to the pickup station (24) and a plurality of thermoforming devices (3) each of which in turn comprises a shaped mould (4) and a closing element (5), the shaped moulds (4) and the closing elements (5) of said plurality of thermoforming devices (3) being simultaneously movable at least between corresponding home and forming positions; the pickup station (24) comprising a positioning device (27) for, in use, positioning a plurality of flat sheets (8) arriving from the feeder (25), in a plurality of pickup locations (28), the number of pickup locations (28) being equal to the number of thermoforming devices (3); a transferring device (26) also being provided, designed to simultaneously transfer a plurality of flat sheets (8) that are positioned in the pickup locations (28) to the closing elements (5).