What is thick gauge vs. thin gauge plastic thermoforming?
Plastic thermoforming is a manufacturing process in which a plastic sheet is heated until it becomes soft and pliable, then formed against a mold with vacuum or pressure. Once the plastic cools and hardens, it retains the shape of the mold and is trimmed to create the finished part. There are two distinct types of thermoforming processes based on the thickness of the plastic sheet being used: thin gauge and thick gauge. These processes and the types of materials they create differ significantly.
What is Thin Gauge Thermoforming?
Thin gauge thermoforming uses plastic sheets that are up to 1.5mm thick, sometimes being as thin as just over 0.1mm. This type of thermoforming is used for the high-volume production of lightweight parts that are often disposable. Plastic materials typically used for thin gauge thermoforming include PET, PVC, PS, and PP.
Some of the products most commonly created via plastic thermoforming are:
- Disposable food packaging such as clamshells, blisters, trays, cups, and lids
- Medical packaging, including sterile blisters and single-use trays
- Consumer packaging inserts and disposable containers
What is Thick Gauge Thermoforming?
Thick gauge thermoforming uses plastic sheets that are at least 1.5mm thick and sometimes more than 12mm thick. This thermoforming technique is used for low-to-medium volume production of rigid, durable parts that are built to last. Some of the plastic materials most often used for thick gauge thermoforming are ABS, HIPS, PVC, PETG, acrylic, and polycarbonate.
Thick gauge thermoforming can produce a wide variety of products, such as:
- Equipment housings and machine guards
- Medical device enclosures
- Vehicle panels and interior components
- Kiosks and point-of-purchase displays
- Industrial trays and pallets
Thick Gauge vs. Thin Gauge Thermoforming
For a direct comparison, here’s a thick gauge vs. thin gauge thermoforming chart:
- Part Thickness: Thin gauge parts are much thinner than thick gauge parts.
- Production Volume: Thick gauge thermoforming supports low-to-medium production volume, while thin gauge thermoforming supports very high production volume.
- Part Size: Thick gauge thermoforming can create plastic parts that are very large, while thin gauge thermoforming usually produces small parts.
- Tooling Cost: Thin gauge thermoforming will generally have a lower tooling cost than thick gauge thermoforming.
- Cycle Time: The cycle time is only seconds for thin gauge thermoforming but is minutes for thick gauge thermoforming.
- Trimming: Typically, inline die cutters are used to trim thin gauge thermoformed sheets, while thick gauge thermoformed sheets are trimmed with CNC routing machines.
- Applications: Thick gauge thermoforming can produce a wide variety of durable components, while thin gauge thermoforming is mostly used for disposable packaging.
Reach out to PN Products today if you’d like a quote for our thick gauge or thin gauge thermoforming services!
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