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Plastic Moulding - Thermoforming or Vacuum Forming
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Thermoforming is the process of forming a thermoplastic sheet into a three-dimensional shape by clamping the sheet around the edge in a frame, heating it to render it soft and pliable, then applying differential pressure to make the sheet conform to the shape of a mold or die positioned below the frame. The mould or die can be made from wood, plastic, metal or almost anything that has a higher melting temperature than the thermoplastic.
The pressure can be applied entirely by vacuum, in which case the process is called vacuum forming.
When air pressure is employed to partially preform the sheet prior to application of vacuum the process becomes air-assist vacuum forming.
In another variation, mechanical pressure is applied to a plug to partially preform the sheet (plug assist forming).
In the drape forming modification, the softened sheet is lowered to drape over the high points of a male mold prior to application of vacuum.
Thermoforming is used to produce a variety of products, the main one being packaging. Packaging items such as blister packs, clam shells, product trays and display packages are typically thermoformed or vacuum formed. Other products thermoformed include toy car shells, lenses, display stands, promotional displays, illuminated signage, point of sale displays and plastic panels. Thermo forming or vacuum forming is also a useful rapid prototyping method due to the low cost of producing moulds. Moulds are often produced from wood using simple CNC machining or CNC routing methods at low-cost
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