| CPC B29C 51/262 (2013.01) [B29C 51/02 (2013.01); B29C 51/12 (2013.01); B29C 51/165 (2013.01); B29C 51/167 (2013.01); B29C 51/261 (2013.01); B29C 51/264 (2013.01); B29C 51/425 (2013.01); B29C 51/10 (2013.01); B29C 51/14 (2013.01); B29C 2791/006 (2013.01); B29C 2793/0081 (2013.01); B29K 2023/06 (2013.01); B29K 2023/12 (2013.01); B29L 2031/50 (2013.01)] | 7 Claims |
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1. A thermoforming method in which a thermoforming device is used, the thermoforming device including:
a base configured to hold a substrate,
a hot plate including a heating surface facing vertically downward,
a sheet transport portion that supplies a sheet from a core of the sheet onto the heating surface of the hot plate, wherein the sheet transport portion is between the core of the sheet and the hot plate and includes a sheet support portion, a sheet unwinding portion, a sheet cutting portion, and a cut sheet holding portion, and wherein the sheet cutting portion is between the sheet support portion and the cut sheet holding portion, and
a substrate supply portion configured to attach the substrate to the base and detach the substrate from the base, and to dispose the substrate at a substrate supply position positioned in a lower area of the sheet which is opposite to a side of the sheet in which the heating surface is provided, and
the method comprising:
attaching the substrate to the base and disposing the base at the substrate supply position;
unwinding the sheet from the core to an area between the heating surface of the hot plate and the substrate supply position by the sheet unwinding portion;
heating the unwound sheet by the hot plate;
moving the substrate supply portion to the substrate supply position;
after moving the substrate supply portion to the substrate supply position, cutting the unwound sheet in a width direction of the sheet to separate the unwound sheet from the core of the sheet by the sheet cutting portion, wherein after cutting, a first sheet end is held by the cut sheet holding portion and a second, opposing sheet end is held by the sheet unwinding portion and a sheet end of the core of the sheet is held by the sheet support portion;
causing a frame, which accommodates the base and the substrate, to be relatively close to the hot plate and to come into contact with the hot plate through the sheet; and
depressurizing the inside of a closed space enclosed by the sheet and the frame, and mold-shaping the sheet or attaching the sheet to the substrate;
wherein unwinding the sheet and heating the sheet occur in this order during attaching of the substrate to the base.
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