초록 ▼

A three-dimensional work piece, such as an interior part for a car, is manufactured by keeping the blank, such as a sheet of plastic on or in the same primary mold (24) for the initial shaping step, for the foaming step, for the curing step and for the final trimming step. The primary mold (24) shut

A three-dimensional work piece, such as an interior part for a car, is manufactured by keeping the blank, such as a sheet of plastic on or in the same primary mold (24) for the initial shaping step, for the foaming step, for the curing step and for the final trimming step. The primary mold (24) shuttles back and forth in a given direction for sequential cooperation with two secondary molds (75 and 31 or 48 and 31) arranged for reciprocation in a direction extending perpendicularly to said given direction. Preferably, two primary mold members (66, 67) are arranged for horizontal back and forth shuttling in unison so that each primary mold member may cooperate with two out of three vertically reciprocable secondary molds. The efficiency is substantially doubled when each of two primary mold members (66, 67) cooperates with two out of three secondary molds. Three stations (1, 3, 10) are located next to one another so that the two primary mold members, which are rigidly connected to each other, may shuttle back and forth between two adjacent stations (1 and 3 or 1 and 10).

대표청구항 ▼

An apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional work piece, comprising a first station including primary mold means for holding an initially flat blank work piece, means movably supporting said primary mold means in said first station, first drive means operatively connected to said primary mold

An apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional work piece, comprising a first station including primary mold means for holding an initially flat blank work piece, means movably supporting said primary mold means in said first station, first drive means operatively connected to said primary mold means for reciprocating said primary mold means in a given direction, said primary mold means shaping said flat blank work piece of plastics material into a molded blank work piece which assumes the form of the primary mold means, a second station arranged next to said first station, said first drive means moving said primary mold means back and forth between said first and second stations, said second station comprising first secondary mold means (75) movably mounted for cooperation with said primary mold means which still hold the molded blank work piece, second drive means operatively connected to said first secondary mold means for moving the first secondary mold means relative to said primary mold means, second secondary mold means movably supported in said first station, third drive means operatively connected to said second secondary mold means for moving the second secondary mold means in said first station relative to said primary mold means still holding the molded blank forming said three-dimensional work piece, trimming tool means operatively supported by said first or second secondary mold means for trimming the three-dimensional work piece while it is still held by said primary mold means, and fourth drive means operatively connected to said trimming tool means for moving the trimming tool means relative to a three-dimensional plane defined by at least one of said mold means, whereby a work piece remains on said primary mold means during all operational steps of the apparatus.