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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.
Thousands of items are created each day using a process known as thermoforming, and it has some similarities to injection molding. Instead of using granules of plastic, this is a procedure where plastic sheets are heated and then formed into a specific shape. A mold of the product or package is created, and then the heated plastic is fitted inside and the excess plastic is trimmed away. Thermoforming companies produce products for virtually every industry, including food companies, retail companies, electronics manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and agricultural companies.
This is the basic process, but there is certainly more to the story. For one thing, there are different types of thermoforming. Vacuum forming is fairly easy to understand. The plastic sheet is heated until it reaches the ideal level of pliability then it is placed on top of the mold and vacuum is used to draw the plastic until the mold.
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.
Because this can be a complicated process, look for a thermoforming specialist that provides you with help at all stages. This includes assisting with development and design, as well as the actually production process. When calculating the total cost, many factors are considered including the type of plastic that you need as well as the amount of products that are being created. Whether you opt for injection molding, vacuum forming or pressure forming, this also affects the total cost.
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.
Thousands of items are created each day using a process known as thermoforming, and it has some similarities to injection molding. Instead of using granules of plastic, this is a procedure where plastic sheets are heated and then formed into a specific shape. A mold of the product or package is created, and then the heated plastic is fitted inside and the excess plastic is trimmed away. Thermoforming companies produce products for virtually every industry, including food companies, retail companies, electronics manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and agricultural companies.
This is the basic process, but there is certainly more to the story. For one thing, there are different types of thermoforming. Vacuum forming is fairly easy to understand. The plastic sheet is heated until it reaches the ideal level of pliability then it is placed on top of the mold and vacuum is used to draw the plastic until the mold.
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.
Because this can be a complicated process, look for a thermoforming specialist that provides you with help at all stages. This includes assisting with development and design, as well as the actually production process. When calculating the total cost, many factors are considered including the type of plastic that you need as well as the amount of products that are being created. Whether you opt for injection molding, vacuum forming or pressure forming, this also affects the total cost.
About the Author:
Lenna Stockwell enjoys writing about how stuff is made. For further info about plastic thermoforming solutions or to find out more about retail product packaging, please visit the Indepak.com website today.
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