Apparatus for, and method of, moulding an article

摘要

An apparatus for, and method of, moulding an article (5) from a sheet of material (9), wherein the apparatus comprises a mould formed of a plurality of mould members (3). The sheet of material is pre-formed and is disposed on the seat (10) of the fixed table (7) of a hydraulic press. The mould members are then moved over the table to close the mould around the pre-formed sheet, such that a bottom portion (14) of each mould member holds the periphery (21) of the sheet against the surface (19) of the table. A mould clamp (2) is then lowered onto the mould members by means of the moveable table (1) of the hydraulic press. The mould clamp biases the mould members against the table and freezes the clamp in the closed position. Fluid is then introduced into the mould at high pressure from below the pre-formed sheet to force the pre-formed sheet against the internal surface of the mould thereby moulding the article. <IMAGE>