Vacuum Forming
Vacuum formed plastics are used as faceplates and semi-flat components in a wide range of industries, particularly in electronic equipment such as fax machines, keyboards, phones and home appliances. Also known as thermoforming, or pressure forming, the vacuum forming process begins with stock plastic sheets rather than polymer resin pellets; these sheets are heated until the polym
er reaches a flexible temperature, then they are vacuumed into an open mold, causing the heated sheets to “thermoform” to the exact shape of the die mold beneath. Twin sheet thermoforming is commonly used to create large and precision application parts such as hot tubs and interior wall panels for aerospace, but thermoforming is also a highly cost-effective means of producing three-dimensional plastic packaging. Blister packs, clamshells, plastic covers, plastic trays and other plastic packaging can be produced for low costs at high runs by vacuum forming.
