Steps Taken In Custom Plastic Thermoforming

By Serena Price


Generally, a plastic thermoforming process requires large amounts of heat for heating thermoplastics from pellets to pliable forms. Thereafter, the sheet can be taken away from the heat once the forming temperature is attained. A mold is then entered into the sheet prior to sealing of the both the edges. A vacuum is then used to remove the air that are entrapped between the sheet and the mold. Custom plastic thermoforming can also be done in order to meet the specific needs of an individual.

The presence of the atmospheric pressure pushes the sheet against the mold to cool both the internal and external parts. After cooling, the sheet is separated from the mold, trimmed, the finishing completed on it as per print, and then it is made ready for shipping. It recommended that the molds used should be those made of cast aluminum.

Aluminum offers the best heat transfer which enhances accurate control of the cycle times, part war-page, and part shrinkage. In order to achieve trimming and quality control, it is essential to ensure consistency in the forming process. Molds can be made in single or multiple cavities, though it depends with the size and geometry. They can also be categorized under either female or male groups.

The determinants of these groups include compatibility with the other mating parts of the assembly, aesthetic requirements, and dimensional wants of clients. Even though the material used in thermoforming comes in various forms of grains, the grains can only be placed on one side of the mold. In most cases, the sheet is formed with the smooth part against mold. The grain can be washed away to form an unpleasant appearance if the sheet is formed with grains on the mold side.

Unlike the other forms, textured molds have a number of uses. These include; enhancing the part of the female mold to have a grained finish, applying grains on both sides of the mold, and enhancing grains. The process is relatively more expensive than the other forming modes.Thermoforming can be conducted in a number of ways.

The techniques include; plug assist forming, snapback forming, pressure forming, billow forming, and twin sheet forming. The technique to be used on any job however will only depend on some of factors. For example, pressure forming can result into structural foam or injection mold appearance having a fraction of the molding tool.

Many manufacturers usually prefer pressure forming to the other types of forming due to the fact that it produces most of the details of the products being made. Similar to the other types of forming, pressure forming process adopts the basic modes thermoforming. For instance, it begins with heating the plastic sheet before forming it through molding it into a mold. Just like the name suggests, pressure forming uses a lot of air pressure so as to produce quality of products.

Even though it is an expensive process, pressure forming produces high quality items. Some of the common products formed through pressure forming include; Polycarbonate, other thermoplastic materials, ABS and Acrylic PVC. The process can also be used for molding sharp and clear molded-in details like texture, label recess or logo. It is advisable that one should only consult reliable companies for custom plastic thermoforming.




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