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US 12,564,994 B2Granted
Thermoforming process with a reformable mold
AssigneeFord Motor Company
InventorsRicardo Mireles, Daniel Ortega, Rodrigo Gallego, Emilio Ruiz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermoforming apparatus includes a mold with a plurality of sections. Each section is independently movable. The thermoforming apparatus further includes a set of electromechanical actuators. Each electromechanical actuator is attached to a screw that moves each section of the plurality of sections to specific positions. The mold is configured to press against a blank to form a product with a shape corresponding to the specific positions of the plurality of sections.
Claims15
A thermoforming apparatus comprising:
- a pair of molds, one mold of the pair of molds including a plurality of sections, each section being independently movable;
- a set of actuators, each actuator being configured to move each section of the plurality of sections to specific positions, the pair of molds being configured to press against a blank to form a product with a shape corresponding to the specific positions of the plurality of sections;
- and
- a lock mechanism that secures each section at the specific positions.
1 more element
A thermoforming assembly comprising:
- a first thermoforming apparatus and a second thermoforming apparatus, each thermoforming apparatus comprising:
- a mold with a plurality of sections, each section being independently movable;
- and
- a set of actuators, each actuator being configured to move each section of the plurality of sections to specific positions, the mold being configured to press against a blank to form a product with a shape corresponding to the specific positions of the plurality of sections,
- wherein the mold of the first thermoforming apparatus is pressed against a first side of the blank, and the mold of the second thermoforming apparatus is pressed against a second side of the blank.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.