Patent ID: 8075819

Claim:
A method of efficiently thermoforming and trimming a part from a heated first sheet of heat deformable material, comprising the steps of forming an upper mold member and a lower mold member with at least one of the mold members defining a cavity therein, forming an upper trim frame closely surrounding the upper mold member and a lower trim frame closely surrounding the lower mold member, supporting the upper mold member and the upper trim frame with an upper platen with the upper mold member slidable within the upper trim frame, supporting the lower mold member and the lower trim frame with a lower platen and with the lower mold member slidable within the lower trim frame, locating the first sheet of material between the upper mold member and the lower mold member while the mold members are in an open position, moving the upper trim frame and the lower trim frame together to clamp a peripheral portion of the first sheet between the upper trim frame and the lower trim frame while moving the upper mold member and the lower mold member together to a close position, applying a suction within the cavity to thermoform the heated first sheet into the cavity while the peripheral portion of the first sheet is clamped between the trim frames to form the part, sliding the upper mold member and the lower mold member as a closed unit within the corresponding surrounding upper trim frame and the lower trim frame to shear the peripheral portion of the first sheet from the part, and moving the upper trim frame and upper mold member relative to the lower trim frame and lower mold member to the open position to provide for removing the trimmed part from the mold members and removing the peripheral portion of the first sheet from the trim frames.