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Vacuum Forming

Vacuum forming heats a thermoplastic sheet until it sags and then draws it over a mould with vacuum. Tooling is inexpensive compared to injection moulding, which makes it the practical route for large covers, machine guards, packaging trays and medical shells in the 1 to 2,000 part range.

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Capabilities

What We Do

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Thick-gauge forming up to 8 mm sheet

Thick-gauge forming up to 8 mm sheet

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Pressure forming

Pressure forming for sharper detail and tighter radii

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Aluminium or epoxy tooling

Aluminium or epoxy tooling for 1–2,000 parts

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Twin-sheet and bonded assemblies

Twin-sheet and bonded assemblies

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Voided or blister packaging trays

Voided or blister packaging trays

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In-mould texturing and wood-grain finishes

In-mould texturing and wood-grain finishes

Materials

Materials

ABS and ABS/PMMA
HIPS and HDPE
Polycarbonate
PMMA acrylic
PETG and PVC
Polypropylene
Specifications

Key Specifications

SpecificationDetails
Sheet thickness0.5–8 mm
Max part size2,000 × 1,200 × 700 mm
Tool lead time5–10 days
Tolerance±0.5 mm typical
Quantity1–2,000 pcs per tool
Tool life1,000–10,000 cycles aluminium
Finishing

Surface Finishing & Post-Processing

Trimming and CNC edge finishing

Trimming and CNC edge finishing

Painting and lacquer

Painting and lacquer

Screen printing

Screen printing

Flocked interiors for trays

Flocked interiors for trays

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Vacuum forming or injection moulding?

Below a few thousand parts vacuum forming almost always wins because the tool is a fraction of the cost. Above that, cycle time and material cost start to favour injection moulding.

How sharp can corners be?

Vacuum forming stretches the sheet over the mould, so feature sharpness is limited by the radius you can draw down. Pressure forming improves definition for near-injection appearance.

Can parts be printed or painted?

Yes. Formed panels accept screen printing, pad printing, painting and in-mould graphics, and we can supply them pre-printed if you provide artwork.

Related

Vacuum Casting capabilities

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