Thermal Vacuum Forming
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The process is relatively simple. A pattern is made to represent the inside surface of the object you wish to make. It is placed into the machine along with a thin sheet of plastic. The plastic is then heated to a temperature where it becomes very flexible. The plastic is then lowered over the pattern and a vacuum system pulls the plastic down tightly over the pattern. The formed piece is then removed and trimmed. PADT operates a high-end vacuum former manufactured by EMC. It has a maximum part size of 24" x 36". The draw depth, depending upon geometry, is around 10". One of the nicer features of PADT’s machine is that it can run a wide variety of plastic sheet materials, including clear Lexan. The clear material is very useful for high quality clear lenses on consumer products. An important thing to keep in mind is that PADT’s other resources can be leveraged for use on vacuum forming projects. The prototyping staff can produce very high quality patterns using rapid prototyping devices, traditional model making, or a combination of the two. Also, PADT’s very experienced design staff is only a few steps away, ready to help with defining or refining the geometry. |
CONTACT INFORMATION Cindy Hartley
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PADT offers a complete thermal vacuum forming service for prototyping
in quantities of less than 100 pieces. Vacuum forming is a traditional
plastic manufacturing method that uses a special vacuum forming
machine and patterns. It is an extremely cost-effective way to make
multiple prototypes or small production runs of thin-walled plastic
parts.
