What is Sheet / Film Extrusion And Thermoforming
| Thermoforming is a general extrusion process (more of a post-extrusion process) for the stock of plastic sheets / films. In this process, the plastic sheet is heated till a soft plastic is formed by the way of a mold in a new shape. In case of use of vacuum, this process if generally called Vacuum Forming. In the process of thermoforming, orientation is immensely important and largely affects the forming cycle times. Orientation is defined as the ability or available density of the sheet that is to be drawn into the mold. This sheet can have the depth range of 1 to 36 inches in general. The process of thermoforming can range from the online bended pieces (e.g. displays) to various sophisticated shapes (e.g. computer housings) that normally seem to be injection molded mainly due to the the wide range of possibilities in thermoforming like undercuts, inserts, and divided molds |