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Of all the plastic fabricating processes, thermoforming is uniquely suited to deliver the critical advantages of low costs for tooling and engineering as well as fast turnaround time. As a result, thermoforming is a highly beneficial process for prototype-development and low-volume production. Thermoforming involves heating a thermoplastic sheet and forming it over a mold (either male or female). Productive Plastics employs three different thermoforming processes. Each offers unique features and benefits. Once we understand the nature and scope of your project, our experts will recommend the thermoforming procedure that makes the most sense in terms of quality delivered and budgetary constraint. Our areas of expertise include: Vacuum Forming Sheet plastic is heated and formed over a mold by removing the air that sits between the mold surface and the sheet. The leading plastic thermoforming process, vacuum forming offers a number of key advantages including low tooling and engineering costs, speedy turnaround time and large size capability. Ideally suited for moderate (250 - 2,500) annual production volumes, vacuum forming delivers components molded in color for a wide range of applications Pressure Forming Sharp features and depth of detail are the major benefits of pressure forming. In this process, the sheet plastic is heated and formed by forcing the plastic onto a mold. Air pressure then works to achieve the finished product. This additional air pressure enables pressure-forming to make products that appear similar in their rich, molded detail, to injection-molded products. But a major advantage of pressure forming over injection molding is its much lower tooling cost. Products that benefit most from pressure forming include control panels, computer fronts and monitor bezels. Twin Sheet Thermoforming This process forms two plastic sheets at one time. To do so, the process utilizes opposing male or female molds, bonding each half together while they're hot. The result is a finished piece that's hollow, and looks as if it were a blow-molded product, except, of course, that it's made through the far more cost-efficient process of thermoforming. The advantages of twin sheet-forming are increased structural integrity, enclosed cross-section capability and a number of internal reinforcement options. Application candidates that might benefit most from twin sheet thermoforming include dunnage containers, pallets, double walled floors and carrying cases.
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