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Vacuum Forming
Custom Vacuum Thermoforming

Productive Plastics is a leading provider of custom plastic vacuum forming services. Productive Plastics can provide product design and manufacturing engineering assistance in conjunction with vacuum forming contract manufacturing.
What is Vacuum Thermoforming?
Vacuum thermoforming is a plastic thermoforming manufacturing technique within the broader term of the plastic thermoforming process. In vacuum forming a 2 dimensional thermoplastic sheet material is heated to a forming optimal temperature and then positioned over a custom mold or tool. Then, the air is evacuated between the heated sheet and mold creating a vacuum that pulls the material onto the surface of the mold to create the desired 3-dimensional part shape. Once the now molded part cools and hardens, the part is removed and further processed to specification.
Why Use Vacuum Forming?
Vacuum thermoforming has advantages over other plastic, metal, and FRP production methods. Here are some potential benefits that would make vacuum forming a good choice for your plastic part:
1.LARGE PART CAPABILITY AT LOW COST

Productive Plastics can thermoform parts up to 84″ x 108″ at a fraction of the tooling cost it would take to produce the same size part with other plastic manufacturing processes, such as injection molding.
2.LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIA BENEFITS

Plastic thermoformed parts are up to 6 times lighter than steel, half the weight of aluminum, and 30 – 40% lighter than fiberglass counterparts.
3.RUGGED AND INDUSTRY COMPLIANT MATERIAL PERFORMANCE

One of the greatest advantages of thermoplastic is its versatility at the polymer level. Thermoplastic material formulations are available that meet even the strictest requirements in strength, durability, impact resistance, FST, and weather resistant of industries from aviation and mass transportation to medical device and industrial equipment.
4.MULTI-PART ASSEMBLIES AND PROJECTS

Productive Plastics utilizes advanced tooling and plastic thermoforming to produce multiple part projects with precise tolerances and attachment points for virtually zero gap assemblies.
5.MODERATE ANNUAL VOLUMES (250-5000)

Compared to most other manufacturing processes, plastic thermoforming has a significantly lower total part cost at low to moderate part volumes of approximately 250-5000 parts a year.
6.LOW TOOLING INVESTMENT

The tooling investment for plastic thermoforming can be half the cost of injection molding for a small part and up to 1/5 of the tooling investment for a large part. This is attributed to the highly engineered pressure requirements and necessary number of mold faces needed for injection molding.
7.RAPID PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Production samples delivered typically within 8-10 weeks.
8.DESIGN AESTHETICS AND BRANDING CAPABILITIES

Plastic thermoforming can produce parts with in mold complex geometry such as radii, undercuts, louvers, surface texture, and other branding. Thermoplastic can also be painted, silk screened, and capped with other materials. Integrated material color and pattern options are also available and can also alleviate the need for post production painting.
Product Development Process Summary

1. Design for Thermoforming

2. Thermoplastic Material Selection

3. Tooling Design and Construction

4. Thermoforming

5. Robotic or CNC Trimming

6. Attachments, Bonding, and Assembly

7. Finishing, Coating, and Branding
Materials Commonly Used in Vacuum Forming

Thermoplastic material options are available that meet even the strictest requirements for strength, durability, impact resistance, FST, and weather resistant of industries from aviation and mass transportation to medical device and industrial equipment. Productive Plastics has decades of experience working with the top thermoplastic material suppliers, such as Kydex, Boltaron, and Spartech and will work with your team to select the specific thermoplastic material that meets the needs of your unique application. Some of the common thermoplastic materials utilized in vacuum forming are:

Industry Standard Compliance: UL 94 V-0, FAR 25.853 (a) and (d), FMVSS 302, and many more

ABS: Broad spectrum of resins used across a number of applications. Can be formulated to meet UL flammability standards.

PC/ABS: Alloy delivers UL approval in addition to high impact performance.

HDPE: Cost effective material for industrial applications requiring high impact strength.

TPO: High impact material delivering performance in cold and high heat applications.

HIPS: Low cost resin used in many POP applications requiring excellent forming characteristics.

PVC/Acrylic: Widely used resin in micro-processor based equipment housings. Meets most stringent UL standards for flammability and can be made in wide range of colors and textures.

Terminology Note:-

Productive Plastics And The Plastics Industry Typically Use The Terms “Vacuum Forming” And “Vacuum Thermoforming” Interchangeably. Misspellings Include “Vacuumforming” And “Vacuumthermoforming”.

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