Click to ExpandThis blog will cover the basics of thermoforming and how it helps different industries stay on top of the market with its practical and financial benefits. What Is Thermoforming? Thermoforming transforms plastic sheet into a 3-dimensional shape using heat, vacuum, and pressure. In this process, plastic is heated to its softening point and then stretched across a single-sided mold to be shaped. Thermoforming has three specific methods: vacuum forming, pressure forming, and twin sheet forming. Vacuum Forming Vacuum forming involves forming a part by heating plastic sheet across an open mold using a vacuum. This process uses a pressure limited to 15psi to help mold the plastic sheet. Pressure Forming Pressure forming also utilizes a vacuum and positive air pressure. However, this process generates three to four times more forming pressure than vacuum forming. Pressure forming achieves fine details and surface textures on the mold without incurring extra costs. Twin Sheet Forming Twin sheet forming requires two sheets of plastic to be heated and formed simultaneously using two molds, one at the top and the other at the bottom. In this process, a fused joint is placed around the mold’s perimeter, and air pressure is injected between the plastic sheets. Thus, this method is excellent for thermoforming plastic hollow parts with distinct upper and lower shapes. Like other manufacturing processes, these thermoforming methods also have stages. They all start with designing before moving on to prototyping, final tooling, production, and shipping. Benefits of Thermoforming Thermoforming offers several advantages that make it a promising manufacturing method for your plastic product. The benefits of thermoforming plastic include the following: Cost-efficient for various industries Excellent for manufacturing large components Has short prototyping and development lead times Easy to add details and custom designs Requires low tooling investment The advantages of thermoforming plastic make it a preferred manufacturing technique across multiple industries, including the automotive industry. This process is widely used to make exterior and interior appliques, instrument panels, and consoles. Thermoforming also serves the technology, packaging, medical, marine, HVACs, agriculture, and aerospace industries. Improve Your Product With Jamestown Plastics! Serving many industries, including automotive, medical, electronics, consumer goods, and the general industrial sectors, Jamestown Plastics is one of the most diversified plastic companies today! We provide customers with many options for completing their projects, including thermoforming. Our various facilities feature light gauge high-speed in-line thermoforming lines with robotic automation, as well as heavy gauge sheet thermoforming equipment with robotic and CNC router trimming lines. Jamestown Plastics maintains ISO 9001:2015 certification as well as offering ISO Class 7 and ISO Class 8 clean room thermoforming. We can also make your product using a wide selection of light and heavy gauge materials — ABS, PETG, HIPS, APET, RPET, PVC, PP, biodegradable materials, different types of polyethylene, acrylics, anti-static and ESD materials, and more! Using our methods and expertise, we aim to offer our customers the highest level of quality. We do all our design and tooling work in-house, so we have complete control over every aspect of a project and can reduce lead times if necessary. Tell us more about your needs, and contact us today!
Choosing the Right Plastic Products Manufacturing Partner Click to ExpandPlastic is one of the most preferred manufacturing materials due to its durability and ductility, with different components used in the medical, automotive, electrical, aerospace, marine, and construction industries. In particular, the plastic thermoforming process has upsides over other plastic, metal, and FRP manufacturing techniques, including low tooling costs and faster product development. Establishing [...]
Material Matters: Choosing the Right Medical Tray Plastic for Safety and Durability Click to Expand A medical tray serves a variety of purposes in healthcare settings, primarily in holding sterilized parts and equipment. It is also used for organizing and transporting medical instruments or facilitating efficient workflows during medical procedures. A medical tray plastic is a specialized material used to manufacture these trays. This blog discusses the types of [...]
Industries Leveraging Custom Plastic Thermoforming Plastic thermoforming has become increasingly popular as a top manufacturing process in various industries. Using heat and pressure to shape plastic sheet into proper forms provides an efficient and cost-effective solution for product manufacturing. Moreover, it presents numerous benefits over alternative manufacturing methods, including decreased tooling costs and improved material efficiency. Here are some of the [...]
Automotive Thermoforming Applications As the automotive industry continues to evolve, the need for fuel-efficient and lightweight vehicles has grown exponentially. This has led to a renewed interest in thermoforming, a technique that has existed since the 1940s. It is the process of producing parts by heating thermoplastic sheet material until it becomes pliable, then forming it into a [...]
Buffalo Business First: Clamtainer® revolutionizes packaging industry Buffalo Business First: It’s an exciting time at Jamestown Plastics, thanks to a brand-new product line with a catchy name and an innovative design that continues this company’s reputation for excellence. Clamtainer is a game changer in the field of transparent “clamshell” packaging and a vast improvement over flimsy traditional methodologies. Retailers and consumers alike are [...]
Dunnage Trays: Protecting Products Every Step of the Way Click to Expand Dunnage or packaging trays are specialized containers used in the manufacturing and logistics industries to securely hold and transport products or components. They are made from materials like plastic or metal and are designed to protect items from damage during storage or transit. Moreover, their configuration often matches the form of the things [...]
Unlocking the Future of Design With Plastic Thermoforming Techniques Thermoforming is a manufacturing process employed to shape thermoplastic sheet into specific designs. This method involves heating plastic sheet until it becomes pliable, then forming it over or into a mold to achieve the desired shape. Its versatility and efficiency make it a preferred choice for creating products ranging from disposable containers to intricate parts [...]
Reshoring and Nearshoring In recent years, global supply chains have encountered challenges such as trade conflicts, political volatility, natural calamities, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, numerous companies in the United States have had to reconsider their supply chain approaches. For instance, some are halting decades of outsourcing and offshoring by bringing their production back home or closer to [...]
Medical Thermoforming Applications Thermoforming is a versatile manufacturing process that entails heating plastic sheets to a malleable state and then forming it with molds. Its significance in the medical field stems from its ability to produce cost-effective, lightweight, and disposable products that meet stringent quality requirements. Moreover, its accessibility, dependability, and efficacy make it indispensable for delivering safe [...]
Electronics Thermoforming Applications While the origin of thermoforming can be traced back to the 19th Century, it was the mid-20th century when it was first introduced to the electronics sector. The process entails heating plastic sheet and shaping it into a specific form to manufacture various electronic products or packaging for those products. This approach has revolutionized the [...]
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: How to Incorporate the 3R’s Into Any Business That Deals With Plastics There is a lot of plastic in the world, with 31.9 million metric tons of plastic waste being improperly disposed of globally. Luckily, green packaging is making an indent in our society, but until it’s fully implemented, it is important to do the most we can, at both a manufacturer and consumer level, to reduce [...]
Thermoforming 101: The Process That’s Revolutionizing Product DesignThermoforming is a manufacturing process that shapes plastic sheet into specific forms using heat and pressure. It is commonly employed to produce various products, such as packaging, trays, containers, and automotive components. This method offers cost-effectiveness, rapid production cycles, and the ability to easily create complex shapes. What is thermoforming? In this article, we will answer [...]
What Is Thermoforming? Thermoforming transforms thermoplastics through a series of processes, including heat, vacuum, and pressure, applied to a plastic sheet material. It utilizes a variety of machines to produce plastic products, including high-speed in-line thermoforming lines with robotic automation, light-gauge roll-fed machines, and larger sheet-fed machines for heavy-gauge products. This process allows parts to be produced with lower [...]
Understanding the Plastic Manufacturing Process Click to Expand Plastic is a versatile material that can be molded into a wide range of shapes and sizes, making it ideal for various applications. From food packaging and containers to medical equipment and car parts, plastic manufacturing plays a crucial role in the production of items. The process begins with the selection of raw [...]
Heavy Gauge vs. Light Gauge Thermoforming Thermoforming is a versatile and cost-effective manufacturing method to create plastic parts and products. One key consideration in the process is choosing between heavy gauge and light gauge materials, which refer to the plastic sheet’s thickness. Both options have distinct benefits, contingent upon the specific project application and requirements. In this blog article, we will examine [...]
The Ultimate Guide to Plastic ManufacturingIn the plastics industry, each polymer option presents unique mechanical characteristics. As a result, it is possible to fabricate almost anything with every material, and most plastic manufacturing processes cover a vast array of product development requirements. In […]
Clamshells vs. Blisters Packaging is often the first point of contact between a customer and a product. As such, it can impact consumer perceptions. Therefore, choosing the most suitable type of packaging that protects the product and conveys the brand’s message effectively is essential. Clamshells and blisters are two popular packaging types that can provide various benefits, from [...]
Why Plastic Medical Trays Are Essential for Safe and Sterile Procedures Click to Expand Plastic medical trays are often used in healthcare settings to assist in keeping those areas contamination-free. These trays can also be used for organizing and sterilizing healthcare instruments and equipment, transporting medications and supplies, for specimen collection (providing a clean and secure environment for handling biological samples), or found within labs. Plastic medical [...]
