US Patent 7758786 Method and apparatus for fabricating articles having textured surfaces

Decorative textured surfaces are formed on articles having curved or contoured surfaces. A reusable, flexible textured blanket is placed in a mold along with a first material charge. A pressurizer is used to both impart the texture of the blanket to the first material charge and consolidate the charge to form a textured shell. The blanket is removed from the mold and a second material charge is introduced into the mold over the shell. The application of heat and pressure consolidates the second material charge and the shell to both form and cure the completed article.