Roll-molding

A method of molding discrete features of thermoplastic resin extending from a common, flexible base sheet, the method comprising

• introducing molten resin to a molding nip between two counter-rotating rolls consisting of a mold roll and a pressure roll, each of the mold roll and pressure roll defining and rotatable about a respective rotation axis, the mold roll and pressure roll arranged such that their rotation axes are parallel and together define a common plane containing each of the rotation axes, the mold roll having an axle supported by a frame;
• filling, with the introduced resin under pressure applied at the molding nip, molding cavities extending into the mold roll as the mold roll rotates;
• solidifying resin in the filled molding cavities, and then
• stripping the solidified resin from the molding cavities as the mold roll continues to rotate;
• wherein the solidified resin is stripped from the molding cavities after the filled molding cavities have passed a rotating reaction roll forming a pressure nip with the mold roll, the reaction roll spaced from the pressure roll by a distance less than an outer diameter of the mold roll and rotatable about an axis spaced from the common plane;
• and
• wherein the mold roll is simultaneously held against both the pressure roll and the reaction roll while the resin solidifies through more than 180 degrees of mold roll rotation before being stripped, such that during filling the molding cavities the frame applies a load to the axle to urge the mold roll toward both the pressure roll and the reaction roll to maintain pressure in the molding and pressure nips.