Mold apparatus and method for one step steam chest molding

A mold apparatus for forming a shaped laminate in one step, said laminate comprising a cladding layer and a foam backing layer, said foam backing layer having a perimeter and an edge at said perimeter, said shaped laminate formed in said apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

• a) a male mold half matable to a female mold half which open and close with respect to one another to define a mold cavity;
• b) an inlet mounted on said mold apparatus for introducing foamable materials into the mold cavity;
• c) a plurality of edge folding members carried by one of said mold halves, movable from a retracted position to an extended position, said edge folding members adapted to fold said cladding layer over at least part of said edge of said foam backing layer;
• d) a plurality of trim blades, located adjacent said edge folding members inwardly of said cavity, each of said trim blades being sequentially movable by one of a plurality of trim blade actuators, from a retracted position adjacent the cavity to an extended position engaging the other mold half to sever the cladding layer to define the finished shape of the laminate, and back to the retracted position;
• and
• e) at least one driver for opening and closing the mold halves and for moving said edge folding members from the retracted position to the extended position;
• and
• f) wherein adjacent trim blades overlap one another and are adapted to be sequenced to trim adjacent edges of said cladding layers in alternating movements to allow overlapping of said trim blades at the male mold cutting surface thereby facilitating a complete separation of excess cladding layer.

A mold apparatus for forming a shaped laminate in one step, said laminate comprising a cladding layer and a foam backing layer, said foam backing layer having a perimeter and an edge at said perimeter, said shaped laminate formed in said apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

• a) a male mold half matable to a female mold half which open and close with respect to one another to define a mold cavity;
• b) an inlet mounted on said mold apparatus for introducing foamable materials into the mold cavity;
• c) a plurality of edge folding members carried by one of said mold halves, movable from a retracted position to an extended position, said edge folding members adapted to fold said cladding layer over at least part of said edge of said foam backing layer;
• d) a plurality of trim blades, located adjacent said edge folding members inwardly of said cavity, each of said trim blades being sequentially movable by one of a plurality of trim blade actuators, from a retracted position adjacent the cavity to an extended position engaging the other mold half to sever the cladding layer to define the finished shape of the laminate, and back to the retracted position;
• and
• e) at least one driver for opening and closing the mold halves and for moving said edge folding members from the retracted position to the extended position;
• f) said molding apparatus is adapted to receive a cladding layer that partially covers a surface of said foam backing layer, thereby leaving a portion of said backing layer uncovered by said cladding layer;
• and
• g) said molding apparatus includes a plurality of compression pins and cores carried by the male mold half moveable by a compression pin actuator in the direction of die draw to a position adjacent said female mold half to compress the cladding layer onto the female mold half whereby the cladding layer is sealed against the female mold half to prevent said foamable materials from migrating under the cladding.

A mold apparatus for forming a shaped laminate in one step, said laminate comprising a cladding layer and a foam backing layer, said foam backing layer having a perimeter and an edge at said perimeter, said shaped laminate formed in said apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

• a) a male mold half matable to a female mold half which open and close with respect to one another to define a mold cavity;
• b) an inlet mounted on said mold apparatus for introducing foamable materials into the mold cavity;
• c) a plurality of edge folding members carried by one of said mold halves, movable from a retracted position to an extended position, said edge folding members adapted to fold said cladding layer over at least part of said edge of said foam backing layer;
• d) a plurality of trim blades, located adjacent said edge folding members inwardly of said cavity, each of said trim blades being sequentially movable by one of a plurality of trim blade actuators, from a retracted position adjacent the cavity to an extended position engaging the other mold half to sever the cladding layer to define the finished shape of the laminate, and back to the retracted position;
• and
• e) at least one driver for opening and closing the mold halves and for moving said edge folding members from the retracted position to the extended position;
• and
• f) an air compressor to compress the foamable materials during introduction into the mold cavity.

A method for forming a shaped laminate, said laminate comprising a cladding layer and a foam backing layer, said foam backing layer having a perimeter and an edge at said perimeter, said shaped laminate formed in said apparatus in a single operation, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a male mold half matable to a female mold half which open and close with respect to one another to define a mold cavity;
• b) providing an inlet mounted on said mold apparatus for introducing foamable materials into the mold cavity;
• c) providing a plurality of edge folding members carried by one of said mold halves, movable from a retracted position to an extended position, said edge folding members adopted to fold said cladding layer over at least part of said edge of said foam backing layer;
• d) providing a plurality of trim blades, corresponding to said plurality of edge folding members, located adjacent said edge folding members inwardly of said cavity, said trim blades being sequentially movable from a retracted position adjacent the cavity to an extended position engaging the other mold half to sever the cladding layer to define the finished shape of the laminate, and back to the retracted position;
• and
• e) providing at least one driver for opening and closing the mold halves, for moving said edge folding members from the retracted position to the extended position, and for moving said trim blades from the retracted position to the extended position;
• f) moving the edge folding members and the trim blades using at least one of said at least one driver to retracted positions;
• g) loading the cladding layer onto a surface of the edge folding members adjacent the female mold half;
• h) closing the female mold half with respect to the male mold half, using said driver, to form the mold cavity;
• i) filling the mold cavity, through the inlet, with the foamable materials;
• j) actuating each edge fold slide using at least one of the drivers to the extended position to fold the cladding layer over at least part of the edge of the foam backing layer;
• k) actuating each of the trim blades to the extended position engaging the other mold half to sever the cladding layer to define the finished shape of the laminate, and back to the retracted position;
• and
• l) opening the female mold half with respect to the male mold half to withdraw the finished shaped laminate.