In thermoforming, one of the main difficulties is to avoid the presence of weak thickness in the most deformed zones. After the heating stage, a bubbling step, leading to a first rate of deformation, is often used. In this work, we assess how the initial bubbling deformation can be controlled in order to obtain a homogeneous final thickness of the product. Experiments are performed on a multilayer sheet product. An industrial mould, corresponding to a casing of a nonlicensed car, was adapted on a lab thermoformer. After presenting experimental thermal profiles of the multilayer sheets measured during the heating stage, a first geometric model is investigated to predict the thickness distribution. Numerical results are compared with measurements.
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