Vacuum forming apparatus for forming a three-dimensional surface article

An apparatus for vacuum forming a thin sheet of thermoformable plastic into an accurate three-dimensional relief reproduction of an original artwork, the sheet of plastic having printed on one side thereof a permanent image of said original artwork, said apparatus comprising:

• i) a vacuum forming female mold having a surface relief therein which is a reproduction of the surface relief of the original artwork, a multitude of vacuum forming holes being provided in said mold;
• ii) means for supporting the printed sheet of plastic proximate said mold with the printed side facing said mold, said support means supporting the image in register with said surface relief of said mold;
• iii) means for heating the plastic sheet, said heating means being mounted on means for reciprocally moving said heating means from a first position away from said mold to a second position over and spaced from the unprinted side of the plastic sheet;
• iv) means for moving the plastic sheet and said mold relative to one another to contact the plastic sheet with said mold when said heating means in said second position heats the plastic sheet to a first temperature which is below normal thermoforming temperatures;
• v) means for sealing a perimeter of the plastic sheet to a corresponding perimeter of said mold;
• vi) means for applying a vacuum to said multitude of holes in said mold when said sealing means seals the plastic sheet and the plastic sheet is at the first temperature;
• vii) said reciprocating means moving said heating means back to said second position when the plastic sheet is at a second thermoforming temperature;
• viii) means for cooling the plastic sheet with said heating means in said second position;
• ix) means for removing said vacuum from said multitude of holes when the plastic sheet is cooled by said cooling means to a third temperature, said sealing means releasing a seal between said mold and the plastic sheet to permit removal of the formed plastic sheet from the mold.