How To Thermoforming Plastic Sheets

Some plastics like hdpe and pp have narrower processing windows and lower melt strength which make them more difficult but not impossible to thermoform.

How to thermoforming plastic sheets.

The thermoplastic sheet is clamped and heated by an oven using either convection or heat until it is melted. The edge is the first part to cool down and will be the thickest. Many plastic sheet materials can be shaped by thermoforming. Essentially drape forming bottom is clamping a piece of sheet plastic in some type of clamping mechanism putting this material into a heating oven heating the plastic sheet up to a desired temperature retracting it from the oven draping it over a mold trapping the sheet just inside the clamping mechanism over the edge of the mold flange and applying a vacuum to the mold chamber.

Make sure the sheet is just big enough for the form. Amorphous plastics like abs and polycarbonate generally have wide processing windows and good melt strength making them easy to thermoform. Thermoforming polycarbonate process step 1. Measure the size of the of the overall piece you need.

The process of thermoforming plastics thermoforming is at its core the process of taking a sheet of plastic material heating it up until its pliable and forming it to a three dimensional shape then trimming and finishing it into a usable product. Use a plastic cutting knife to cut the sheet down to the general overall size. Here s how the process works. In vacuum forming heated clamps are used to clamp the hot rubbery sheet.

In the thermoforming process a thermoplastic sheet is heated to a temperature where it is pliable. The truth is that before you even begin the actual thermoforming process you have to. The sheet is drawn against the mold surface.