Products Description
| Product name | Equipment cover |
| Material | ABS |
| Material thickness | 4mm |
| Product thickness | around 2mm |
| Usage | equipment housing, device housing |
| Material you can choose | ABS, ABS+ASA, PC,PMMA, PE, ABS+PC |
Vacuum Forming Process: Raw Materials, Mold, Forming, Cutting, Trimming
1. Raw Materials
Vacuum forming uses thermoplastic sheets. Common materials include ABS, ASA, PETG, HIPS, and PC.
Sheet thickness typically ranges from 0.5mm to 12mm. Thinner sheets (below 2mm) are often supplied in rolls. Thicker sheets (2mm and above) are supplied as cut sheets.
For outdoor parts exposed to sunlight, ASA or ABS+ASA alloy is recommended due to UV resistance requirements.
2. Mold
The mold determines the final shape of the part.
Mold types include wood or epoxy for prototypes, and cast aluminum or machined aluminum for production runs.
Key mold features include draft angles (1–3 degrees) for easy part release, vent holes for air evacuation, and cooling channels for faster cycle times.
3. Forming
The forming process follows these steps:
The plastic sheet is clamped into a frame.
The sheet is heated until pliable.
The heated sheet is lowered over the mold.
Vacuum is applied to pull the sheet tightly against the mold surface.
The part is cooled until solid.
The formed part is released from the mold.
4. Cutting
After forming, the part is still attached to the surrounding sheet material. Cutting separates the part from the waste sheet.
Common cutting methods include CNC routing for complex shapes, pneumatic trim presses for high volume, and laser cutting for thin sheets.
5. Trimming
Trimming removes excess material, sharp edges, and flash.
Operations include edge trimming, hole drilling, and deburring. The goal is a clean, safe edge ready for assembly.
Quality checks after trimming include no sharp edges, no cracks, and dimensions within tolerance.
Material suggestion
Characteristic Material | Strength | Clear | Price | Application |
| ABS | Good-High impact | Not Avaliable | Medium | Caravan parts,vehicular parts, Electrical / Equipment Enclosures |
| Acrylic/Pmma | Medium to high strength | Yes | Medium | Signs, light cover,domes, light diffusers |
| PS | Medium to good strength | Yes(clarity not to quality of PETG/PC/PMMA) | Medium | Packaging, microgreens tray |
| PC | Very good impact strength | Yes | Expensive | Machine guard, Cover, enclosure, light cover |
| PP | Soft | Translucent | Inexpensive | Packing tray,containers,tank,enclosure, medical application |
| HDPE | Soft | Translucent | Inexpensive | Enclosure, Vehicular parts |
| PVC | Good | Yes | Inexpensive | Packaging, machine guard, car trim |
| PETG | Good-High Impact | Yes | Expensive | Medical application |
Customer visiting
Customers' feedback
"ISO9001 internationally certified factory | 20 years of experience in precision vacuum forming manufacturing | Strict quality control process ensures that each product meets international standards"
√ ISO9001 certified enterprise
√ Export-level quality control
√ Precision thermoforming process with error <0.1mm
√Support customized production solutions
√The thermoforming supplier chosen by 300+ customers worldwide
√Passed ISO9001:2015 quality system certification
√ Product defect rate <0.3%
√ 7-days fast proofing service
Our Factory
Suzhou (Swellder Plastic) is a high-end vacuum forming manufacturer located in the Xinsuo Workshop factory area of Wuzhong District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. As a leader in China's vacuum forming industry, the company focuses on the research and development and production of thick-sheet plastic products. It possesses dozens of advanced vacuum forming machines and five-axis CNC cutting machines, committed to providing customers with one-stop customized solutions from design to mass production.
Vacuum Forming Machines: Equipped with multiple large-size, high-precision vacuum forming machines, capable of handling a wide range of plastic sheet thicknesses, adapting to diverse needs from small precision parts to large structural components.
Five-Axis Cutting Machines: Utilizing an automated five-axis CNC cutting machine, it achieves precision cutting and drilling of complex three-dimensional shapes, ensuring accurate product dimensions and smooth edges, eliminating the need for secondary processing.
The company is proficient in using a variety of engineering plastics, covering high-performance and special-purpose applications:
General Materials: ABS, PC, PS, PP, PVC, PETG, HDPE
Reinforced/Composite Materials: ABS+ASA (weather-resistant and anti-aging), ABS+TPU (high toughness and impact resistance)
Specialty Materials: PMMA (high light transmittance), ABS FR V0 (flame retardant), antistatic ABS (for electronic protection)
Environmentally Friendly Materials: Providing sustainable options such as recyclable PLA and PETG.
FAQ
Q: What is the moq?
A: It depends on product materials, our moq can be adjust according to whether the material is conventional and the size of the product.
Q: How long will the sample take?
A: According to the sample drawings, samples can be produced within two weeks.
Q: What mold can we make?
A: Usually aluminum mold, but if the customer wants to see the effect first, you can also open wood mold
Q: What material is most widely used?
A: AB is the most commonly used, which can meet a lot of performance, such as shell classes, tray classes, etc., will use ABS
Q: What is the maximum part size?
A: Up to 2.8mm, supporting large vacuum forming processes.
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