The present invention provides for a mould set for fabrication of an EPS pallet, a process for making the mould set for fabrication of the EPS pallet, and a process for fabricating the EPS pallet using the mould set. The mould set includes a modular platform mould and a leg mould configured to fabricate a platform section and plurality of leg support sections of the EPS pallet, respectively. The modular platform mould includes a modularity unit which enables alternation of dimension of hollow space which is configured to receive feed of polystyrene beads and thereby enabling moulding of the platform section of varying dimensions from a single mould. The one or more leg support sections are affixed to bottom side of the platform section at predefined locations, based on weight bearing capacity and position of lifting, to form the EPS pallet. The easy customization into various sizes as per requirement using a single mould structure reduces requirement of hoarding various moulds for different dimensions of EPS pallet, thereby significantly reducing the cost of moulding operations.

A thermoforming device is described. It relates to a mold assembly including a first and second mold, and to a mold that can be used in a thermoforming device. It also relates to a method for thermoforming a product. The thermoforming device is characterized in that the thermoforming device comprises a second pre-stretcher, in addition to a first pre-stretcher and a calibration element, and that the second pre-stretcher is at least partially and moveably arranged in a second mold body. A movement relative to the second mold body and towards the same forming cavity of the first pre-stretcher, the second pre-stretcher, and the calibration element, can be individually controlled, and the second pre-stretcher at least partially surrounds the first pre-stretcher and the calibration element.

An apparatus for making containers (2) comprising a rotor (6) rotatably mounted on a supporting structure (5), a thermoforming device (7) comprising a supporting unit (11) mounted on the rotor (6) and a closing unit (12) which is stationary relative to the rotation of the rotor (6), a feeding device (8) for feeding to the supporting unit (11) a first article (13) for making a supporting skeleton (3), a positioning device (16) for positioning a sheet of thermoformable material (14) between the supporting unit (11) and the closing unit (12), and an extracting device (9) configured to extract the containers (2) from the supporting unit (11), the rotor (6) rotating in a stepping fashion to position the supporting unit (11) one after another in a loading predetermined angular position in which the feeding device (8) feeds a first article (13) to it, a thermoforming predetermined angular position in which the closing unit (12) and the supporting unit (11) are coupled for thermoforming the sheet of thermoformable material (14) on the first article (13), and an unloading predetermined angular position in which the extracting device (9) picks up the finished container (2) from the supporting unit (11).

An apparatus for making a container (2) which comprises an outer skeleton (6), which includes at least one first sheet (8) and one second sheet (9), and a layer of thermoplastic material (7) the apparatus (1) comprising a conveying element (15) which defines a housing (22), which is mounted on a supporting structure (11) and which is movable along a movement path (16) which extends from an infeed station (17) to an outfeed station (18), along the movement path (16) the apparatus (1) having a first feeding station (19), a second feeding station (20), and a thermoforming station (21) placed downstream of the feeding stations, the apparatus also comprising a first feeding device (23) at the first feeding station (19) and configured to insert the first sheet (8) into the housing (22), a second feeding device (24) at the second feeding station (20) and configured to insert the second sheet (9) into the housing (22), and a thermoforming device (31) at the thermoforming station (21) and configured to thermoform a thermoplastic material (10) on the first sheet (8) and on the second sheet (9).

A strip-shape softened resin sheet (S) which is continuously extruded from a molten resin extruder is cut to a unit resin sheet and a press molded product is manufactured by press-molding the unit resin sheet in a press-molding machine 20. Prior to press-molding the unit resin sheet (U) by the press-molding machine, the unit resin sheet (U) is heated by a heating machine 16. The heating machine 16 comprises a first heating furnace 84 and a second heating furnace 86. The first heating furnace 84 includes a series of heaters 84-3 and 84-4 whose heat source is infrared ray in a far-infrared region and the second heating furnace 86 includes a series of heaters 86-3 and 86-4 whose heat source is the infrared ray in a middle-infrared region. In the first furnace 84, the unit resin sheet (U) is continuously conveyed with a low velocity and is gradually heated by the far-infrared ray up to temperature which is slightly lower than the temperature which is suitable for press-molding the unit resin sheet (U). In the second furnace 86, the unit resin sheet (U) is stopped and is rapidly heated by the middle-infrared ray. By efficiently heating the unit resin sheet (U), a cycle time can be shortened and the production speed can be improved.

A molding system capable of reducing molding defects including first and second parison forming devices; first and second molds configured to be opened and closed; and a control unit. The first parison forming device comprises a first extruder, a first accumulator, and a first injection head, the first parison forming device is configured to form a first parison by injecting a first molten resin from the first injection head after the first molten resin extruded from the first extruder is accumulated in the first accumulator, the second parison forming device comprises a second extruder, a second accumulator, and a second injection head, the second parison forming device is configured to form a second parison by injecting a second molten resin from the second injection head after the second molten resin extruded from the second extruder is accumulated in the second accumulator.

A web transport assembly for moving flexible sheet material in a manufacturing process. The web transport assembly comprises first and second gripper chains spaced apart from one another to define a path of travel of the flexible sheet material, each of the gripper chains having a plurality of saddle links and a plurality of gripper links. First and second parallel rail structures are respectively aligned with the first and second gripper chains. In addition, upstream and downstream hubs are associated with each of the first and second gripper chains to define a continuous loop about which the associated gripper chain extends. At least one of the hubs includes a driven sprocket having a plurality of teeth engaging the associated gripper chain. The saddle links have a pair of spaced apart extension portions defining a spaced in which an associated one of the rails is received. The gripper links have a gripper mechanism that is configured to clamp a side of the flexible sheet material.

An apparatus for manufacturing a pouch-type battery case according to an embodiment may be configured to mold a pouch sheet. The apparatus for manufacturing the pouch-type battery case may include a forming device configured to mold a cup part in the pouch sheet, a first roller disposed behind the forming device in a moving direction of the pouch sheet and rotating in contact with one surface of the pouch sheet, and a second roller disposed to face the first roller with the pouch sheet therebetween and rotating in contact with the other surface opposite to the one surface of the pouch sheet. Any one of the first roller and the second roller may have an outer diameter that gradually decreases inward in a thickness direction, and the other one of the first roller and the second roller may have an outer diameter that gradually increases inward in the thickness direction.

A heated polymeric sheet material feeding process. The process may include heating a polymeric sheet in a heating zone to a forming temperature to form a heated polymeric sheet material. The process may further include transferring, while under a feeding vacuum range, the heated polymeric sheet from the heating zone to feed the heated polymeric sheet material into a forming zone under the feeding vacuum range.

The disclosure relates to a deep-drawing apparatus for deep-drawing a continuously fed film web, an associated packaging machine, and a corresponding method. A cyclically sequenced forming station, which runs along from a start position to an end position and runs back from there to the start position is provided, wherein individual format plates are sequentially firstly connected up to a forming vacuum device and then with a following holding vacuum channel. The forming vacuum device is part of the cyclically moved forming station. The holding vacuum channel includes two interlocking telescopic channel portions, a first telescopic channel portion being part of the cyclically moved forming station, and a second telescopic channel portion being mounted statically relative to the fixed machine frame.