How Do I Get a Custom Plastic Thermoforming Prototype MAde?

1. Loading the Plastic Thermoforming Material

Our professionals will load your desired plastic thermoforming material into our machines. Depending on the plastic, the raw materials may come in the form of either rolls or sheets; our facility can handle both.

2. Heating the Plastic

We’ll uniformly heat the loaded plastic material to the required forming temperature. The temperature reached and the amount of time required will vary from one material to another. Generally, the forming temperature will be 250-400ºF.

3. Forming the Plastic

Once the plastic material is heated to the proper temperature, it will be forced against the surface of the mold. We can provide both pressure forming, in which compressed air is added to push the material, and vacuum forming, in which air is evacuated between the plastic and the mold. As the material cools, it will take on the shape of the mold.

4. Releasing the Formed Plastic

After the plastic material has been shaped, cooled, and stabilized, our experts will carefully separate it from the mold. If needed, the vacuum or pressure may be reversed for a smooth release.

5. Trimming Excess Plastic

The final step is for our specialists to trim away excess plastic material that has built up around your custom prototype. We use a variety of methods for this process, including CNC routing machines and die cutters.