Vacuum forming apparatus

A vacuum forming apparatus comprising:

• a tray, two integrally connected posts positioned in back of one another and parallel linkages, a first one of said linkages being pivotally connected at one end to an inner central end portion of said tray that is positioned to face said posts and at its other end to one of said posts, said other linkage being pivotally connected to another inner central end portion of said tray at a position that is displaced from said pivotal connection of said first linkage and said other linkage being connected at its other end to the other post, and a moldable sheet positioned in said tray, a finger gripping part mounted on the outer end of said tray, said finger gripping part being operable to move said tray and the sheet retained therein and the parallel linkages upwardly in a diagonal direction toward and into flush surface to surface contact with said heating element and downwardly in a diagonal direction toward and into flush surface to surface contact with said vacuum table for molding the heated sheet into the form of a workpiece that is positioned on said table.

A vacuum forming apparatus comprising a post, heating element and a casing containing a vacuum table each connected to said post, said table being positioned at a lower level and in a forward direction away from and beyond said heating element, said post being mounted for support on said casing, a tray positioned on said vacuum table, a finger gripping part connected to and extending away from the central front of the tray and parallel linkages each pivotally connected at one end to said post at a different location from one another and to said tray to thereby restrict the movement of said tray in a diagonal inward and upward direction into engagement with said heater and in an outward and downward direction into engagement with said vacuum table, said finger gripping part being operable by the hand of an operator to manually move the tray into and out of engagement with said heating element without the hand of the operator being harmed by the intense heat of said heating element.