Thick sheet thermoforming is a technology for processing and forming plastic sheets. With Thick Sheet Thermoforming years of practical experience in forming technology and the use of advanced equipment, thick sheet thermoforming is in a leading position in both forming area and forming thickness. In fact, thick sheet thermoforming is similar in principle to sheet blister forming. It is a process in which a positioned sheet is heated in an oven to a softened state, a closed space is formed in the blister forming mold and its surroundings, the air in the cavity is instantly evacuated, the sheet is closely bonded to the mold surface, cooled and molded to obtain the product. So, let's learn about the advantages and disadvantages of thick sheet thermoforming!

　　Advantages of thick sheet thermoforming:

　　1) Mold cost is less than injection molding, short development cycle, suitable for small batch production.

　　2) One mold can produce products of different materials and thicknesses.

　　 Thick Sheet Thermoforming Disadvantages:

　　1) Shape is limited, only hemispherical products can be produced.

　　2) Product dimensional accuracy is lower than injection molding.

　　Classification of thick sheet thermoforming process

　　1) Classification by mold used: Thick sheet blister molds are mainly divided into convex molds and concave molds.

　　Advantages of concave molds: Since the inner surface (a-side) does not contact the mold, the surface is bright and suitable for parts where the inner surface is the working surface, such as refrigerator and cold storage cylinders; in addition, on the basis of ensuring the inner surface dimensions, the thickness of the sheet can be reduced to save materials and make forming easier.

　　Disadvantages: Mold dimensional parameters are difficult to grasp, the internal dimensions of the mold are easy to expand, and it is difficult to reduce them. Auxiliary forming tooling is needed during blister forming.

　　Advantages of convex molds: Suitable for parts where the mold size is easy to reduce, the b-side is beautiful, and the b-side is required to be exposed, such as car instrument panels.

　　Disadvantages: The material thickness requirement is thicker than concave molding, the material elongation is large, the a-side is rough, and the a-side needs to be beautiful, such as cold storage and bathtubs.

　　2) Thick Sheet Thermoforming Different thicknesses:

　　Currently, the market mainly provides two types of blister processing. One is blister processing with a thickness of less than 2.5mm, which is generally formed by coil processing. The other is blister forming of large thick sheets with a thickness of 3-12mm, which is generally formed by sheet processing. The machines used for these two processing methods are different, so pay attention to the production capacity of the supplier when looking for a supplier.

　　Generally speaking, our thick sheet thermoforming production technology starts with the production and processing of molds. First, thermoforming molds are produced according to customer requirements and sample specifications. Under general conditions, samples of plaster molds are made first. After the customer confirms the samples and technology, wood-plastic, copper molds, and aluminum molds can be used as molds.

　　Taking plaster molds as an example, after making plaster molds for thick sheet thermoforming, they are first naturally dried completely or dried, and then, according to the concave-convex condition of the product surface, 1-2 mm holes are drilled in the depressions without affecting the packaging pattern of the product. If it is a product such as a packaging box, in order to be able to extract air during suction forming production, small holes need to be opened around it. After drilling holes in the mold, the plaster mold must be hardened. The hardening method is to soak it in alum saturated solution and air dry it.

　　Automated forming of thick sheet thermoforming is particularly suitable for mass production. The whole process from raw materials to finished products is automated, with high efficiency and stable quality. However, the product size is limited by the machine, and only products within the specified size range can be produced. The manual forming method is relatively simple, but the efficiency is low, and the labor intensity of personnel is also relatively large. In addition to different forming methods, thick sheet thermoforming also has thermosetting and thermoplastic properties. The difference is that the latter can be repeatedly produced, while the former does not have this characteristic. This is mainly related to the characteristics of the materials used.

　　The above is an introduction to the advantages and disadvantages of thick sheet thermoforming. If you want to learn more, please feel free to contact us!