Patent ID: 7879283

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a non-hollow, shaped polymeric article, comprising the steps of: providing a generally flat extruded sheet of hot polymeric material having an outer surface to a sizer assembly for non-vacuum sizing of said polymeric sheet into a non-hollow, shaped polymeric article, wherein said sizer assembly comprises: a sizer body having a product profile channel corresponding to said shaped polymeric article formed therethrough, said sizer body further comprising a plurality of independent, spaced cooling liquid inlet slots, each formed in a plane generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of said product profile channel, each forming an opening substantially around said product profile channel, said cooling liquid inlet slots being in open communication with said product profile channel, and a plurality of independent, spaced vacuum slots, each formed in a plane generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of said product profile channel, each forming an opening substantially around said product profile channel for removing cooling liquid expelled from said cooling liquid inlet slots, said vacuum slots being interspersed among, and fluidly insulated from said cooling liquid inlet slots, except in said product profile channel; providing cooling liquid to said outer surface of said extruded sheet of hot polymeric material through said cooling liquid inlet slots for cooling said extruded sheet of hot polymeric material, wherein said cooling liquid is provided in a sufficient quantity to serve as the primary means within the sizer body for removing heat from the extruded sheet of hot polymeric material; applying suction to the vacuum slots at a level sufficient for removing the cooling liquid from the product profile channel at a rate at least equal to a rate at which the cooling liquid is provided to the product profile channel but insufficient to draw said extruded sheet of hot polymeric material against said sizer body, wherein the cooling liquid quantity and suction level are balanced such that in the product profile channel a substantial portion of said outer surface of said sheet of hot polymeric material is maintained away from said sizer body by a bearing layer of cooling liquid as said sheet of hot polymeric material passes through said sizer body; and severing a length of said sheet after exiting said sizer body to produce said shaped polymeric article.