Thermoforming Information & Resources:
The 3 T's of Modern Thermoforming

There was a time, not that long ago, when thermoforming was thought of as the "poor stepchild" of the plastics forming industry. Though widely used during the Second World War, primarily for the production of aircraft canopies, thermoforming entered the 50's with a reputation as a brute force and ignorance manufacturing method. Take a sheet of plastic, apply some heat, apply some vacuum, form the part over a crude mold and trim it any old way you could - that was thermoforming. Wooden molds, plywood fixtures and bandsaw trim were the industry standards, and it wasn't uncommon to see an old Electrolux vacuum cleaner pressed into service as a forming machine's vacuum source.

Times have certainly changed, and a look at the "3 T's" of modern thermoforming - technology, training, and teamwork - is a great way to illustrate just how far we've come.

Continue to Section 1 - Technology...