Vacuum and Pressure Thermoforming

Thermoforming is a process of shaping plastic sheet to conform to the contours of a mold through the use of heat and pressure.

• Vacuum forming uses a negative pressure between the sheet and the mold.
• Pressure forming uses a positive pressure on the opposite side of the sheet and a negative pressure between the sheet and the mold.  

With all thermoforming, dry sheet is heated to a controlled softening temperature, stretched to conform to the mold contours and cooled to the temperature at which the part becomes rigid and maintains the desired shape. The formed part is trimmed to eliminate edges and fabricated into the final configuration.