Method of thermoforming using a syntactic foam plug
AssigneeCMT Materials, Inc.
InventorsRichard W. Campbell, Noel J. Tessier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides an improved syntactic foam plug for plug assist thermoforming wherein such plug is composed of a thermoplastic material having a relatively high melting and/or glass transition temperature. Accordingly, the subject invention encompasses diminishing or removing the undesirable characteristics of thermoset syntactic plugs while increasing the ease by which these articles may be constructed for a given use, by forming such plugs from syntactic foams containing thermoplastics.
Claims27
A method of thermoforming, comprising:
- providing a thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool comprising a density of between about 0.35 g/cm3 to about 0.95 g/cm3, a melting point and/or a Tg at least 5° C. higher than a thermoforming operation design operating temperature, and a hollow filler having a lower density than the thermoplastic resin;
- disposing the thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool in a mold;
- and
- thermoforming an article in the mold using the plug assist tool.
A method of thermoforming, comprising:
- disposing a thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool in a mold, the plug assist tool comprising a density of about 0.6 g/cm3 to about 0.9 g/cm3 and a thermal conductivity of about 0.17 to about 0.23 W/m° K;
- and
- thermoforming an article in the mold using the plug assist tool;
- wherein the thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool comprises a thermoplastic resin and a hollow filler, the thermoplastic resin comprising a melting point and/or Tg at least 5° C. higher than a design operating temperature of the thermoforming operation, and the hollow filler having a density lower than the thermoplastic resin.
A method of thermoforming, comprising:
- disposing a non-thermosetting syntactic foam plug assist tool in a mold, the plug assist tool comprising a density of about 0.35 g/cm3 to about 0.95 g/cm3;
- and
- thermoforming an article in the mold using the plug assist tool;
- wherein the non-thermosetting syntactic foam plug assist tool comprises a thermoplastic resin and a hollow filler, the thermoplastic resin comprising a melting point and/or Tg at least 5° C. higher than a design operating temperature of the thermoforming operation, and the hollow filler having a density lower than the thermoplastic resin.
A method of thermoforming, comprising:
- providing a thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool comprising a density of between about 0.35 g/cm3 to about 1.23 g/cm3, a melting point and/or a Tg at least 5° C. higher than a thermoforming operation design operating temperature, and a hollow filler having a lower density than the thermoplastic resin;
- disposing the thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool in a mold;
- and
- thermoforming an article in the mold using the plug assist tool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.