Vacuum forming is one of the commonly used forming methods for plastic packaging containers. It is a secondary forming technology that uses thermoplastic sheets as the forming object. Abroad, vacuum forming is an ancient forming technology, and due to continuous development and changes, it is currently undergoing high automation, mechanization, zero waste generation, 100% raw materials becoming products, and full production line production. Large thick sheet thermoforming Let's learn about the application of large thick sheet thermoforming technology in the automotive parts industry!

　　Introduction to Large Thick Sheet Thermoforming

　　In the large thick sheet thermoforming process, according to the form of the product raw materials (sheets or rolls), it can be divided into two categories: thick-walled and thin-walled. Large thick sheet thermoforming refers to the technology where the raw material thickness exceeds 2mm and cannot be fully automatically mechanically blister-formed, requiring the use of a semi-automatic blister forming machine for thick-walled plates for processing and production.

　　 Large thick sheet thermoforming Products generally have the characteristics of large area, large height, and thick materials. The production methods of large thick sheet thermoforming and thin-walled thermoforming molds are basically the same, mainly vacuum thermoforming. These plastic products are widely used in various aspects of people's daily lives, such as automotive interior and exterior trim, transportation, building materials, packaging, medical devices, household appliances, stationery and sanitary ware, and sporting goods.

　　The processing principle of large thick sheet thermoforming is basically the same as that of ordinary blister processing. The plastic sheet is cut into a certain size, heated and softened, and deformed under the pressure difference or mechanical pressure on both sides of the sheet, then adhered to the specific contour surface of the mold, cooled and placed, and trimmed while cutting.

　　The commonly used raw materials for large thick sheet thermoforming are mainly HDPE, ABS, and ABS TPU. The basic characteristics of these three materials are briefly introduced below.

　　1) HDPE (high-density polyethylene) material: It has heat resistance, cold resistance, chemical stability, high rigidity, toughness, and excellent environmental stress cracking resistance. Main uses: 200-liter barrels, cans, pallets, large parts, yachts, blister tray lids, packaging for most automotive parts, etc.

　　2) ABS (butadiene-styrene plastic) material: It has excellent impact resistance, heat resistance, low-temperature resistance, chemical resistance, and electrical properties. It is easy to form HDPE, the product size is stable, the surface gloss is good, and the load-bearing capacity is better. In terms of low-temperature resistance, toughness, and environmental stress cracking resistance, HDPE is more advantageous. Main uses: Widely used in automobiles, electronics and electrical appliances, office and communication equipment, etc. In the packaging field, it is mainly used for mechanical hand automatic pick-and-place projects with high packaging size accuracy requirements.

　　3) ABS (TPU thermoplastic polyurethane) material: It is a new type of plate with a TPU film coated on the surface of the ABS plate based on the ABS plate production process and adding a special co-extrusion process. Products using this material have the excellent mechanical properties of ABS and the high wear resistance and tear resistance of TPU. The cost of this material is 2-3 times that of ordinary materials. Because of the high cost, the application of this material is limited. TPU characteristics: Wear resistance is very important because the material is often subjected to friction, scratches, and setbacks during use, causing gradual wear on its surface. TPU plastic material has good wear resistance, more than 5 times that of natural rubber, and is one of the materials for wear-resistant products. Generally speaking, TPU has high tear resistance, and its tear strength is excellent compared to ordinary plastics. Main uses: Mainly used in automotive interior parts. In the packaging field, it is mainly used for parts with high cleaning requirements, such as engine and transmission parts of the power system packaging.

　　The above is an introduction to Large thick sheet thermoforming the application of the technology in the automotive parts industry. If you need to know more, please feel free to contact us!