Abstract A process for making a hollow, ornamental, plastic article which has a smooth interior surface to which is bonded a randomly arranged layer of pellets forming the outer surface and extending outwardly therefrom. The pellets provide a radiating and lighting surface to dissipate heat from a light source positioned within the article and diffusing the light. The article is produced by placing a layer of plastic powder upon a heated surface of a mold in the form of the article, heating the layer to make it tacky and distributing a layer of pellets of a compatible plastic material over the tacky layer of powder, and heating the pellets until they become soft and cooling the mold and article so that the pellets adhere to each other and to the layer and removing the article from the mold.
A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein step (g) entails cutting said coherent surface.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
166 words
A process for producing a smooth inner surface, rough outer surface, ornamental, hollow article comprising: a. heating the outer surface of a curved male mold surface having the inner configuration of the hollow article; b. depositing as a first layer, a thin layer of a thermoplastic composition in finely divided state on the heated outer surface of said mold; c. heating said first layer to cause the layer to fuse and become tacky; d. depositing as a second layer, a layer of coarse particles of plastic composition over said first tacky layer; e. heating said second layer particles to become Soft without complete coalescence thereof to form a layer of said coarse particles upon said first layer and be bonded thereto; f. cooling said first and second layers to form a coherent surface covering said mold surface; g. cutting said coherent surface covering into substantially equally divided portions and removing said portions from said mold surface; and h. rejoining said portions to form said hollow article.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
The process in accordance with claim 3 wherein step (e) includes controlling the heating of the particles to produce bonding at their points of contact, which, when cooled by step (f) forms a sheet of semi-fused particles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
A process in accordance with claim 3 further including: i. initially covering selected portion of the outer surface of said mold surface with a material to which said first layer is non-adherent.