Apparatus for forming a partible port in a production piece

Apparatus operative to thermoform pieces from a material blank 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 providing a mold shape for the piece to be formed, and including pressurizing means selectively pressurizing the mold chamber to cause said material blank to take the shape of said mold element;
• said mold element having a female cavity adapted to form said breakaway port section, said female cavity having a cavity surface with a plurality of grooves formed therein;
• and
• means for advancing said material blank through said oven means and said pressure molding means thereby forming a piece with a breakaway port section having the configuration of said female cavity.

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 female mold element associated with said pressure molding assembly and operative to form a breakaway port section in said piece, said female mold element being inset in said mold surface and having a female cavity associated therewith, said female mold element being on a first side of said material blank, said pressure box assembly being located on said second side of said material blank when in the mold chamber, said pressurizing means applying pressure to force a portion of said material blank so that said piece is forced against a the female mold element on said mold surface thereby forming said port section, said female cavity having a cavity surface with a plurality of grooves formed therein.