Process of reshaping decorated plastic materials

摘要

A method of reshaping a hollow tube having a circumferential wall defining an inside and an outside of the tube and formed from at least one layer of a thermoformable plastic, with the outside of the wall having at least one decoration, which method includes the steps of juxtaposing one side of the tube with a forming element having a surface in the shape of a pattern, so that the pattern confronts the side of the tube; and heating the tube wall to an elevated forming temperature at which the plastic is capable of being thermoformed and applying a differential fluid pressure to the tube so that the prevailing pressure on the side of the tube opposite the forming element exceeds the pressure prevailing on the side with the forming element, so that the heated tube wall contacts the forming element surface pattern and is thereby formed into conformity with the shape of the pattern. Methods in which a mandrel is used as the forming element are described.