Vacuum Forming

Vacuum forming is a simplified version of thermoforming, whereby a sheet of plastic is heated to a forming temperature, stretched onto a single-surface mold, and forced against the mold by a vacuum (suction of air). The vacuum forming process can be used to make a wide variety of products such as product packaging, speaker casings and car dashboards. The first commercial manufacturer of vacuum-formed plastics was Robinson Industries of Coleman, Michigan,USA.

Vacuum forming offers several processing advantages over other forming processes. Unlike other thermoplastic forming processes, where powder or granulate are the starting point, vacuum forming uses extruded plastic sheet.

Our vacuum forming process utilizes sophisticated pneumatic, hydraulic and heat controls thus enabling higher production speeds and more detailed vacuum formed applications.

We can produce formings up to 2 x 1 metres, in any thickness up to 10mm, in any extruded material, from any pantone colour swatch. Since the process uses low pressures, the moulds can be made of inexpensive materials and mould fabrication time can be reasonably short. Prototype and low quantity requirements of large parts, as well as medium size runs therefore become economical.

We also build assemblies incorporating mouldings with other components enabling our customers to reduce their vendor base by consolidating multiple parts vendors through us, saving them both management time and manufacturing space.We undertake a wide range of projects and our friendly and helpful team will be happy to discuss your specific requirements.We serve many markets including aerospace, scientific instruments, transport, vending, and retail/point of sale.

We have been providing quality vacuum forming machines for many years. We offer a wide range of heavy duty, compact systems which are manufactured to the highest quality standards using the latest technology by Geiss in Germany. Thermoforming machines and their more complex counterparts, vacuum forming machines, are capable of forming any material in any thickness.

These machines heat thermoplastics to a pliable temperature before stretching it over a moulded profile. The cooled plastic is then trimmed to create the final product. Vacuum forming machines are more complex than Thermoforming machines in that they introduce a vacuum in order to remove any surplus air bubbles from the process, creating a much more precise end product.