Laminating method and apparatus

A method for producing a shaped stratiform and self-supporting laminate having a substantially rigid thermoplastic substrate and a coating layer of a flexible sheet material adhering on said substrate, said method comprising the steps of

• (A) providing a molding press comprising (a) an upper mold member and a lower mold member, each of said mold members having a molding surface, said mold members being movable in a reciprocating manner relative to each other between a mutually distanced first position and a second position in which said molding surfaces are near each other to define a mold substantially corresponding with said shaped laminate;
• (b) a first cutting member on said lower mold member;
• (c) a second cutting member on said upper mold member;
• and (d) a generally annular peripheral member reciprocatingly movable relative to said upper and said lower mold members;
• said generally annular member having (1) a cutting edge for contact with said first cutting member to form a first cutting means and (2) a surface for contact with said second cutting member to form a second cutting means;
• (B) holding said upper and said lower mold member in said distanced first position thereof while holding said annular member in a position removed from said first cutting member and said second cutting member;
• (C) introducing a thermally plastified sheet of said thermoplastic substrate between said lower mold member and said annular member, said sheet extending over said molding surface of said lower mold member;
• and introducing a sheet of said flexible material for said coating layer between said upper mold member and said surface of said annular member;
• said sheet of said coating layer extending over said molding surface of said upper mold member and onto said surface of said annular member;
• (D) moving said upper mold member towards said lower mold member into said second position for molding said substrate and said flexible sheet material while maintaining said annular member in a press-cutting position where said second cutting member contacts said surface of said annular member to peripherally cut said molded flexible sheet material and to produce predetermined free edge portions thereof;
• (E) pressing said upper mold member against said lower mold member for laminatingly connecting said peripherally cut and molded sheet material with said molded and thermally plastified sheet of said thermoplastic substrate;
• (F) moving said annular member from said sheet cutting position through a shear-cutting position where said cutting edge of said annular member cooperates with said shearing edge of said lower mold member to peripherally cut said sheet of said substrate while leaving said predetermined free edge portions of said flexible sheet to extend at least in part over edge portions of said cut substrate;
• (G) moving said upper and said lower mold member into said mutually distanced first position and removing an integrally molded laminate formed of said flexible sheet material and said substrate and having laterally protruding edge portions of said flexible sheet material for subsequently covering at least a part of said edge portions of said substrate.