Apparatus and method for forming a partible port in a production piece

Apparatus operative to thermoform a breakaway port section in a piece to be molded wherein said piece to be molded has a first thickness, said breakaway portion section normally maintaining the integrity of the piece against passage of fluids yet which is partible under mechanical pressure thereby to form a port for the passage of fluids therethrough, comprising:

• oven means for heating said piece to a preselected elevated temperature so that said piece is in a plastic state;
• a punch element having a punch surface formed with male features defining a profile for said breakaway port section;
• a striker assembly associated with said punch element, said striker assembly including a strike head mounted so that said piece may be located between said punch surface and said strike head;
• and
• force applying means for relatively forcing said strike head and said punch element against a portion of said piece on opposite sides thereof with a striking force so that said portion is squeezed between said strike head and said punch element to forge said portion against the male features of said punch element thereby forming said breakaway port section in the configuration of said male features.

Apparatus operative to thermoform pieces from a material blank which has a first thickness whereby each said piece has a breakaway port section normally maintaining the integrity of the piece against passage of fluids therethrough yet partible under mechanical pressure thereby to form a port for the passage of fluids therethrough, comprising:

• oven means for heating said material blank to a preselected elevated temperature so that said material blank is in a plastic state;
• a pressure molding means for forming said pieces, said molding means including a mold assembly and a pressure box assembly relatively movable with respect to one another between a mold open position and a mold closed position creating a mold chamber, said mold assembly having a mold element with a flat surface bounded by lid edge forming features, and including pressurizing means selectively pressurizing the mold chamber to cause said material blank to take the shape of said mold element;
• means for advancing said material blank through said oven means and said pressure molding means;
• a punch element associated with said pressure molding means, said punch element having a punch surface formed with male features projecting above said flat surface of said mold element and defining a profile for said breakaway port section;
• and
• a striker assembly associated with said pressure molding means, said striker assembly including a strike plate mounted so that said material blank is located between said punch surface and said strike plate, said striker assembly including force applying means for pressing said strike plate against a portion of said material blank to force said portion against the male features of said punch element thereby to forge said breakaway port section in the configuration of said male features.

In a thermoforming apparatus operative to thermoform plastic pieces out of a heated plastic material blank, said apparatus including an oven assembly operative to pre-heat the material blank to a preselected temperature, a pressure molding assembly operative to form said plastic pieces and means for advancing said plastic blank through said oven assembly, said pressure molding assembly including a mold section and a pressure box section relatively movable between a mold open position and a mold closed position whereby said mold and pressure box sections define a mold chamber when in the mold closed position and including a mold element having a mold configuration of the piece to be formed, said pressure molding assembly including pressurizing means associated therewith for selectively pressurizing the mold chamber to cause said material blank to take the shape of said mold element, an improvement comprising a forging assembly associated with said pressure molding assembly and operative to form a breakaway port section in said piece, said forging assembly including a punch element located on a first side of said material blank and striker means located on a second side of said material blank when the material blank is in the mold chamber, said striker means including a strike head and force applying means for applying a striking force said force applying means including a biasing spring having a restorative force operative to resiliently bias said strike head toward said punch element such that compressing said biasing spring provides with a striking force to a portion of said material blank so that said portion is forced against a male profile on said punch element thereby forming said port section.