Thermoforming, more commonly called vacuum forming, is the manufacture of plastic components through a pressure forming process.
Vacuum forming is performed by using a thermoplastic sheet. The sheet is heated to a flexible state and then placed over a mold and drawn into the mold to the desired shape of the finished part.
Thermoformed or vacuum formed products are becoming increasingly popular because of the low cost and convenient modification. Customized instrument panels, motor housings, simulated wood shutters, tables, trays, tractor roofs, refrigerator door liners and sinks are just a few of the many products that are thermoformed. New products are being created through thermoforming every day.
Recent engineering advancements in thermoplastic materials have greatly contributed to the production of parts and prototypes by vacuum forming techniques, giving vendors more ways to produce customer specific products.
Recently, manufacturers of the forming machines have improved their technology and can provide the molder with the means to carefully control the distribution and timing of heat.
Twin-sheet thermoforming is a promising process for making hollow or double-walled industrial parts. The process is increasingly being adopted to make fuel tanks, equipment frames, pallets, bed-liners, air ducts, and both structural chassis parts and surface panels for medical, printing, and electronic equipment.
The rise of greatly improved, new generation blends of polymers is being used in thermoforming. The blends of materials such as PPX (polypropylene blends, poly carbonate/ABS blends of material) take thermoforming into new realms of science. Issues such as the material's melt index, impact resistance, orientation and tensile strength can be specified so that the raw material conforms to a well documented specification.
