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Thermoforming is an innovative way to create finished parts from flat sheets of plastic by heating the plastic sheet, forming it into a particular shape using a mold and then cooling it. Also used widely in many industries, thermoforming provides manufacturers with an inexpensive and flexible fabrication option for many applications. Therefore, thermoforming is widely recognized as an important technology to create both functional and decorative products in a variety of different industries such as those used by medical, automotive, or consumer product manufacturers. If a manufacturer requires help with a complicated assembly process, they may work with a medical injection molding company to gain access to their expertise in creating specialized thermoformed components.
In order to create a thermoplastics product through thermoforming, the process begins with heating a sheet of thermoplastic material until it becomes pliable enough to be conformed to a three-dimensional shape defined by a custom-made mold. After the part is formed into the desired shape, it must cool before trimming, resulting in a durable and high-performance product even when exposed to extreme conditions frequently found in hospitals or manufacturing facilities.
Thermoforming provides manufacturers with the capability to rapidly develop prototype parts, produce low and moderate amounts of finished goods, and to provide manufacturers the ability to respond rapidly to design changes in their products.
The process of thermoforming begins with a flat piece of plastic (for instance, ABS or polycarbonate) which is held within a frame and heated to a temperature at which it can be deformed. Once heated to an adequate temperature the material can then be deformed by means of vacuum, pressure, or air-blow onto a designated tooling creating the final part(s). The material will then receive additional cooling through ambient air or use of external equipment prior to be trimmed and inspected for dimensional compliance to the tools used to form the parts originally.
Thermoforming can be separated into two categories: thin gauge and heavy gauge. Thin gauge thermoforming is predominantly associated with creating packaging. Heavy gauge thermoforming is primarily used in the automotive, aerospace, and medical industries, where strength and durability are critical in forming larger / thicker plastic products and parts. Injection molding company services are often used alongside thermoforming to produce complex components with precision and consistency.
Heavy gauge thermoforming involves the use of a thicker than normal (greater than .060″) sheet of plastic so manufacturers can produce larger, more durable items that will maintain their structural integrity and strength in the most demanding environments. Heavy gauge products include medical device enclosures, automotive panels, and equipment housings.
Heavy gauge thermoforming uses robust molds which can be used repeatedly, therefore making it a cost-effective method for small to medium production volumes (where traditional injection molding isn’t as economical due to high up-front tooling costs). In addition to being finished products, heavy gauge items can also be secondary processed with new features, including undercuts and/or inserts, which will expand the range of applications available for heavy gauge parts.
Depending on what needs are being met, thermoplastic can be made from many different types of plastics in order to create a piece of equipment that will function as required. Some of the mechanical properties that might be required are impact resistance, heat resistance, and chemical stability.
Some of the common plastics used in thermoforming include:
Additionally, higher performance thermoplastic products such as Kydex and PETG are becoming much more common in the manufacture of specialty medical devices and the aerospace and transit industries.
Thermoforming offers manufacturers many advantages, including: low-cost tooling with fast prototyping of products; flexibility in product design changes compared to other forms of manufacturing; and the ability to create smaller to medium-sized volumes of products that would be cost prohibitive using other forms of manufacturing.
The final thermoformed products provide high-definition detail (including colour and texture) for branding or functionality. Examples of Products produced with Thermoforming include:
With the increasing use of thermoformed products in industries that require lightweight strength and customization, manufacturers are replacing metal and fiberglass with them.
Some manufacturers look at thermoforming about the type of parts they create by using injection, rotational, and blow-molding. When producing plastic pieces through the different methods; injection moulding provides us with low-cost high-volume parts. One advantage of injection moulding is that it is capable of creating complicated part designs; however, the cost of mould tooling is usually expensive to produce this type of product. Rotational moulding can provide manufacturers with hollow-shaped parts without seams, but it has a slower rate of production than the other two processes. Blow-moulded bottles would have more accurate fit and functional use compared to thermomolded or injection moulded containers.
If you are a manufacturer who requires long-lasting, uniquely shaped parts in small quantities and needs to quickly have a product ready, you should use thermoforming as your production process. Another advantage of thermoforming is that many types of thermoforming moulds can be easily changed creating a flexible manufacturing environment for manufacturers to meet rapidly changing business and regulatory requirements with limited impact on their operations.
Heavy gauge thermoformed parts are practical, cost-effective, and versatile solutions to producing long-lasting products from plastic. As a result of advancements in thermoformed plastics and the continual development of processing technologies, thermoforming manufacturers can offer imaginative solutions to the medical, automotive industries, and many other industries. Customers seeking innovative plastic-forming solutions can use thermoforming and injection-molding technology to convert their concepts into durable products of superior quality quickly and affordably.
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