What is Thermoforming?

Thermoforming is a temperature-based method of plastic forming that allows a manufacturer to mold a sheet of plastic into a designated shape. SMI will use such a method in order to create a plastic product that is molded to a certain shape and for a specific purpose.

Plastic thermoforming is the primary process used by SMI to make blisters, car door and dashboard panels, clamshells, containers, disposable cups, lids, pickup truck bed liners, plastic pallets, refrigerator liners, trays and other similar plastic products.

Vacuum forming, or vacuuforming, is a simplified version of thermoforming that SMI employs. The process involves heating a thermoplastic sheet to a forming temperature, stretched onto or into a mold and held while a vacuum takes the air between the sheet and the mold. SMI uses a few variations of this technique.

Due to its efficiency and capacity, thermoforming is SMI’s principal plastic processing technique. Thermoforming differs from blow molding, injection molding, rotational molding and other plastic manufacturing techniques used by SMI.

SMI’s Thermoforming Techniques

SMI uses a variety of thermoforming techniques, including:

• Drape vacuum forming
• Matched mold forming
• Pressure forming
• Twin sheet forming
• Vacuum free forming
• Vacuum snap back forming