Contact heater mechanisms for thermoforming machines
US4079232A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 24, 1975 |
| Grant date | Mar 14, 1978 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 24, 1995 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S72/709
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
Contact heater station mechanism for use in a thermoforming machine for particularly forming thermoplastic synthetic plastic and superplastic metal alloy sheets into shapes, such machines having a sheet transfer station, a heating station, and a forming station with relatively movable mold parts, and providing a circuit for sheet carrying carriages which index individually clamped sheets from one station to another cyclically in a path of travel. The mechanism includes platens mounted on the machine frame at the heating station to move toward and away from the path of travel of the carriages and sheets. A heater carrrier for elongate electrical resistance heaters carries a contactor plate, and is rigidly mounted to each platen in a manner to permit universal thermal expansion of the carrier and plate with respect to the platen. A motor is provided for moving each platen toward and away from a carriage indexed to the heating station to move the contactor plates into and out of heat transfer relationship with the sheet releasably clamped to the carriage.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.