How To Thermoforming Plastic Sheets

Thermoforming polycarbonate process step 1.

How to thermoforming plastic sheets.

The sheet edges are then sealed against the rim of a female mold and vacuum is applied from the mold side. In vacuum forming heated clamps are used to clamp the hot rubbery sheet. Measure the size of the of the overall piece you need. Now this is also another crucial step that you must look into keenly.

Use a plastic cutting knife to cut the sheet down to the general overall size. Many plastic sheet materials can be shaped by thermoforming. 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. The truth is that before you even begin the actual thermoforming process you have to.

In the thermoforming process a thermoplastic sheet is heated to a temperature where it is pliable. Amorphous plastics like abs and polycarbonate generally have wide processing windows and good melt strength making them easy to thermoform. The edge is the first part to cool down and will be the thickest. The sheet is drawn against the mold surface.

Here s how the process works. It is then stretched over a mould and held in place while it cools and solidifies into the desired shape. Some plastics like hdpe and pp have narrower processing windows and lower melt strength which make them more difficult but not impossible to thermoform.