System for making a panel with internal ribbing and associated methods

A method for making a panel with internal ribbing comprising:

• positioning a first pliable thermoplastic sheet over a bottom mold cavity in a bottom mold, with the bottom mold comprising articulating rib forms movable between an extended position within the bottom mold cavity and a retracted position below the bottom mold cavity;
• operating a first vacuum pump to pull a vacuum on the bottom mold cavity while the articulating rib forms are in the extended position, with the vacuum causing the first pliable thermoplastic sheet to cover inner surfaces of the bottom mold cavity and the articulating rib forms;
• positioning a second pliable thermoplastic sheet over a top mold cavity while the top mold is in an upright position;
• operating a second vacuum pump to pull a vacuum on the top mold cavity, with the vacuum causing the second pliable thermoplastic sheet to be held in place;
• and
• moving the top mold from the upright position to an inverted position so that the second pliable thermoplastic sheet comes in contact with the first pliable thermoplastic sheet, with the first and second pliable thermoplastic sheets being fused together to form the panel with internal ribbing.

A system for making a panel with internal ribbing comprising:

• a bottom mold having a bottom mold cavity that is to receive a first pliable thermoplastic sheet, and articulating rib forms movable between an extended position and a retracted position;
• a first vacuum pump configured to pull a vacuum on the bottom mold cavity while the articulating rib forms are in the extended position, with the vacuum causing the first pliable thermoplastic sheet to cover inner surfaces of the bottom mold cavity and the articulating rib forms;
• a top mold to receive a second pliable thermoplastic sheet;
• a second vacuum pump configured to pull a vacuum on the top mold, with the vacuum causing the second pliable thermoplastic sheet to be held in place while the bottom and top molds come in contact with one another so that the first and second pliable thermoplastic sheets are fused together to form the panel with internal ribbing.