Inventors:
Hyung Park - Plymouth Meeting PA, US
Byung Choi - East Norriton PA, US
Se Pak - East Norriton PA, US
Gui Pak - Seoul, KR
International Classification:
B29C 55/28
Abstract:
The apparatus and method for vacuum forming a film employs a vacuum forming apparatus to form a raw film material into a patterned film material having a concavo-convex pattern. An apparatus for vacuum forming a film comprises a hollow cylindrical roller having an inner surface, an outer surface, and a plurality of vacuum passageways defined therein between the inner and outer surfaces. A mesh layer is disposed around the outer surface of the roller, forming an intermediate layer between the roller and an outer forming layer disposed around the backing layer. The forming layer is a sheet layer of a material having a having a pattern-forming array of apertures defined therethrough. A vacuum applied to an area of the inner surface of the roller draws areas of a heated film material inward against the mesh layer, forming the film material into a concavo-convex pattern.