THERMOFORMING

What is thermoforming?

Thermoforming is a manufacturing process of heating a flat sheet of thermoplastic material until it softens and is stretchable.  The hot sheet is then stretched over and forced against the contours of the mold by removing air from the area between the mold and the sheet, typically by vacuum process.  After cooling, the plastic sheet retains the mold shape and detail.  The formed part is then trimmed from the sheet.  The sheet trim is usually reground and reprocessed into usable sheet.  Thermoforming offers close tolerances, tight specifications, and sharp details.

What are the benefits of thermoforming?
The most advantageous aspect of vacuum process over other plastic processes are cost effectiveness in the tooling and engineering, and shorter lead times for a quick turnaround.

• Advantages:
  -producing / manufacturing large plastic parts
  -shorter lead time for tooling and production
  -allow cost effective production run
  -flexible tooling design offers competitive advantages
  -paintable and colored plastics are available