Patent ID: 7788783

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a walk-in bathtub, the method comprising the steps of: (a) heating an acrylic sheet, wherein the outer perimeter of the sheet is heated to a higher temperature than the center of the sheet; (b) placing the heated acrylic sheet over a vacuum mold, wherein the mold is shaped like a bathtub, including a seat and a foot well; (c) drawing the heated acrylic sheet into the mold using the vacuum, wherein vacuum pressure is manually reduced when the acrylic sheet reaches the top of the seat in the mold, and wherein the vacuum is shut off before the acrylic sheet reaches the bottom of the foot well of the mold; (d) cooling the acrylic and removing the acrylic sheet thereby forming a molded acrylic tub including a seat and a foot well tub from the mold; (e) securing the molded acrylic tub to a support frame; (f) cutting a door space in one side of the molded acrylic tub, wherein the door space allows a person to step into the foot well of the tub from the side without having to step over the walls of the tub.