Plastic is all around us. Parts of our computers and smartphones are made out of plastic, thousands of products are protected using plastic packaging, and even parts of our cars are made from plastic. There are many different polymers that make up these plastics, and not only are the polymers different, the method by which products are made varies as well. Here are a few examples of how plastic is created and processed.
If you are planning on producing a large number of items, injection molding might be an option for you to consider. While injection molding can be used to create products out of metal or glass, plastic is the most common material. Granules of thermoplastic, which is plastic that becomes moldable when heated, are melted and then injected into molds and then cooled. Once cooled, the product is ejected from the mold and the process starts again with more melted plastic. The end result is very high quality, but the cost for injection molding is quite high, which is why companies often opt to use thermoforming to create their products.
Thermoforming is a very common method that is used to process plastic and transform it into something highly useful. The process begins by creating a mold of a specific product. Sheets of plastic, rather than granules, are created out of specific polymers and will then have heat applied to them in order to make them easy to shape. The plastic is placed into the mold and any extra plastic will be trimmed away. Some examples of thermoformed plastic include many types of packaging, from food packaging to the packaging of virtually millions of products that we can buy at the store.
Depending on your needs, there are multiple ways to complete the process of thermoforming. Vacuum forming is an excellent and cost effective option for those who need larger parts, prototype parts and items that simply don't have a large amount of detail. The plastic sheets are heated and then vacuum pulls the pliable thermoplastic down into the mold where it is fitted, cooled and trimmed.
When you have smaller items or highly detailed products, such as items with printing or sharp edges, you need a bit more precision, so you probably should opt for pressure forming. Pressure forming is an excellent option because it provides a high level of quality with a lower cost than injection molding. With this process, vacuum is used to draw in the plastic, but this plastic also is pressed from above to ensure that the thermoplastic fits snugly into the mold.
There are thermoforming companies that can assist you with all of the elements of creating your products, from helping with design to finding a production process that meets your needs and budget. Your costs will be affected by many aspects such as the type of plastic you use, the amount of items being produced and the type of thermoforming that is used to create the product.
If you are planning on producing a large number of items, injection molding might be an option for you to consider. While injection molding can be used to create products out of metal or glass, plastic is the most common material. Granules of thermoplastic, which is plastic that becomes moldable when heated, are melted and then injected into molds and then cooled. Once cooled, the product is ejected from the mold and the process starts again with more melted plastic. The end result is very high quality, but the cost for injection molding is quite high, which is why companies often opt to use thermoforming to create their products.
Thermoforming is a very common method that is used to process plastic and transform it into something highly useful. The process begins by creating a mold of a specific product. Sheets of plastic, rather than granules, are created out of specific polymers and will then have heat applied to them in order to make them easy to shape. The plastic is placed into the mold and any extra plastic will be trimmed away. Some examples of thermoformed plastic include many types of packaging, from food packaging to the packaging of virtually millions of products that we can buy at the store.
Depending on your needs, there are multiple ways to complete the process of thermoforming. Vacuum forming is an excellent and cost effective option for those who need larger parts, prototype parts and items that simply don't have a large amount of detail. The plastic sheets are heated and then vacuum pulls the pliable thermoplastic down into the mold where it is fitted, cooled and trimmed.
When you have smaller items or highly detailed products, such as items with printing or sharp edges, you need a bit more precision, so you probably should opt for pressure forming. Pressure forming is an excellent option because it provides a high level of quality with a lower cost than injection molding. With this process, vacuum is used to draw in the plastic, but this plastic also is pressed from above to ensure that the thermoplastic fits snugly into the mold.
There are thermoforming companies that can assist you with all of the elements of creating your products, from helping with design to finding a production process that meets your needs and budget. Your costs will be affected by many aspects such as the type of plastic you use, the amount of items being produced and the type of thermoforming that is used to create the product.
About the Author:
Lenna Stockwell enjoys blogging about how stuff is made. For further information about plastic thermoforming solutions or to find out more about retail product packaging, please go to the Indepak.com site now.
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