Vacuum Forming allows for quick and easy producing and re-creating plastic elements for industrial. Typical industry examples are producing machine and car parts, forming product packaging, production of large parts such as fascias for outdoor kiosks, enclosures for medical equipment or for construction equipment, production of Bath & Shower Trays, Car Roof Boxes, Fridge Liners or even Yoghurt Pots. Vacuum formers are also widely used by hobbyists, for creating models. Plastic Vacuum Forming is a popular replacement of complex process of Injection Moulding.
Vacuum forming is a type of thermoforming, where a plastic sheet is processed against the mold with heat and vacuum pressure. A plastic sheet is heated up by a heater to ensure it's perfectly flexible and mouldable. Once, the sheet reaches the correct temperature, it is mechanically or pneumatically forced against mold and vacuum pump removes all air from the form to shape the desired shape. Once the process of moulding thermoplastic sheet is finished, formed parts can be further reworked on CNC Machines to cut off the excess materials or grind the form.
All type of thermoplastics is suitable to be used with vacuum forming machines. The most common plastic materials, due to its features and moulding capabilities are ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), PS (Polystyrene), PE (Polyethylene) These materials can be moulded to almost any shape against a wide range of materials such as structural foam, wood or aluminium.