There’s a good chance you interact with multiple thermoformed products on a daily basis, in your grocery store, your car, or probably even your fridge. But what is thermoforming, and did you realize that 3D printing is key part of the process to reduce production costs?
What is Thermoforming?
Thermoforming is a conventional plastics forming process where heat is used to bring a sheet of plastic to its sagging point, or when it becomes pliable. The heat source is removed and the plastic sheet is positioned onto a mold. A vacuum is then drawn through the mold and the sheet conforms to the surface of that mold. Thermoformed products are prevalent throughout manufacturing industries; including medical, industrial equipment, packaging, automotive and aerospace. Typical products most commonly seen are trays, various housing components, wind deflectors, tubs, and most frequently — packaging.
Disadvantages with using conventional manufacturing
Using conventional methods, creating the tools for thermoforming can be a long, grueling process. Often these tools, especially if outsourced, can take anywhere from 6-14 weeks depending on tool complexity and CNC capacity. This timeline is unattractive when you only need tooling for a short production run or a prototype tool. Typically, short-run, prototype and bridge tooling are made of a lower-cost tooling board. These materials still need to be machined to shape, and can begin to degrade after a short number of cycles, leading thermoforming companies to look for alternative solutions.
How can manufacturers benefit from FDM thermoform tooling?
Capable Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) thermoform tooling can be made in a matter of hours or days depending on the size of the tool, will be a fraction of the weight of a traditional steel or aluminum tool. The reduced weight can improve efficiencies through ease of set-up and changeover as well as other tool-handling operations. Since FDM parts are inherently porous, allowing air to be pulled directly through the tool, there’s no need to include vacuum channels. With a little bit of post processing and finishing, the tool can be made to more selectively pull vacuum allowing for more precise feature molding.
Using TriMech’s FDM 3D printing services can help you achieve increased operational efficiency, economical low-volume production, and life-cycle sustainability. FDM parts also allows for lower costs, reduced waste, and shorter lead times than traditional tooling. For a full scope on how 3D printing can improve your thermoforming operations, fill in the form below to gain access to the Stratasys FDM Thermoforming Design Guide. It will give you key design considerations and best practices that will show you how to take advantage of the multiple benefits that FDM thermoform tooling offers.
Get the guide to learn more about FDM Thermoforming
Fast, cost-efficient tool creation makes low-volume production economical and quick customization easily viable, without sacrificing design complexity.
Download the guide to get key design considerations and best practices that will help you achieve:
- Lower costs, reduced waste and shorter lead times
- Increased product complexity
- Economical low-volume production
- Life cycle sustainability
