Shape-adjustable mold, skin and interior-core structures for custom board production
First Claim
1. A process for producing an aquatic sports board having broad generally planar top and bottom surfaces and curved edge portions, comprising:
- preforming a left side board substrate portion and a right side board substrate portion, each said portion providing a convex shape-defining exterior surface and said board substrate portions being formed to be mutually symmetrical about a common longitudinal axis; and
vacuum thermoforming a structural exterior skin about the exterior convex surface of each of said board substrate portions, said structural exterior skin being formed with a layer of vacuum-thermoformed plastic conforming to said board substrate portion, said vacuum thermoforming being accomplished by heating said layer to facilitate deformation in proximity to said shape-defining exterior surface and evacuating the space between said layer and said surface such that said structural exterior skin has a single continuous surface on both sides of the point of greatest breadth of the board and through the area of sharpest curvature of the board surface, thereby forming a perimeter rail intermediately connecting the top and bottom surfaces of the board; and
joining said left side board substrate portion and said right side board substrate portion together and bonding said structural exterior skin to said substrate portions, either before or after said joining, to form a complete perimeter rail portion of the board.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A mold and construction method for forming aquatic sports boards is provided. The method and molds provide skin and interior core structures made shape-adjustable by a pre-molded perimeter rail. Division(s) in the structural exterior skin allow the skin core to be trimmed and bonded to a variety of convex, shape-defining core structures to produce a plurality of different shapes. A reusable shape-defining mold allows the board structure to be modified in shape. The mold is reversible and male/female configurations produce convex, shape-defining board substrates for a wide array of custom designs.
25 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A process for producing an aquatic sports board having broad generally planar top and bottom surfaces and curved edge portions, comprising:
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preforming a left side board substrate portion and a right side board substrate portion, each said portion providing a convex shape-defining exterior surface and said board substrate portions being formed to be mutually symmetrical about a common longitudinal axis; and vacuum thermoforming a structural exterior skin about the exterior convex surface of each of said board substrate portions, said structural exterior skin being formed with a layer of vacuum-thermoformed plastic conforming to said board substrate portion, said vacuum thermoforming being accomplished by heating said layer to facilitate deformation in proximity to said shape-defining exterior surface and evacuating the space between said layer and said surface such that said structural exterior skin has a single continuous surface on both sides of the point of greatest breadth of the board and through the area of sharpest curvature of the board surface, thereby forming a perimeter rail intermediately connecting the top and bottom surfaces of the board; and joining said left side board substrate portion and said right side board substrate portion together and bonding said structural exterior skin to said substrate portions, either before or after said joining, to form a complete perimeter rail portion of the board. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification