When designing large, load-bearing plastic components, strength is often the first concern. And, it can be the hardest to solve. Traditional manufacturing methods can make achieving that durability expensive and complex. That’s where heavy-gauge thermoforming comes in. This process delivers the strength manufacturers need without high tooling costs or long lead times. Below, we’re exploring why heavy-gauge thermoforming is the go-to choice for manufacturers who won’t compromise on performance.
What is Heavy-Gauge Thermoforming?
Heavy-gauge thermoforming typically uses thicker plastic sheets than its thin-gauge counterpart. This plastic sheet is heated until it’s pliable, then formed over a mold to create the shape. From there, it’s allowed to cool and will be removed from the mold. Afterwards, it will go through trimming and finishing processes to achieve the final result.
How Heavy-Gauge Thermoforming Provides Strength and Durability
Material Engineering
As mentioned above, heavy-gauge thermoforming uses thicker plastic sheets. These sheets are designed to deliver a higher grade of strength and performance. Your chosen partner will work with you to choose the right material to meet your requirements for impact resistance, UV protection, and temperature stability. This ensures that your parts can withstand demanding conditions and offer an extended product lifespan.
Design Flexibility
In some cases, thermoforming allows designers to add structural reinforcements directly into the part. This creates durable parts that resist damage while maintaining a lighter overall structure.
Process Advantages
Thermoforming stretches and forms the sheet over a mold, creating parts with consistent wall thickness and smooth, stress-free surfaces. Other manufacturing processes might expose parts to internal stresses that can cause failure in the field. Thermoforming mitigates these issues.
The Benefits of Heavy-Gauge Thermoforming
Durability
Because heavy-gauge thermoforming uses thick sheets, the parts it creates are highly durable. Often, they can handle heavy use and exposure to weather or chemicals. Unlike thinner plastics, they won’t crack or deform easily.
Weight Reduction
Heavy-gauge thermoformed parts may be able to replace metal parts in many instances. The plastic pieces are still strong, but are much lighter, reducing overall equipment weight.
Cost-Efficiency
Thermoforming is often more economical than processes like injection molding or metal fabrication. This is especially true for low- or medium-volume production. Tooling will often cost less and be faster to produce. Additionally, repairs or design changes can be made quickly and affordably.
Aesthetic Appeal
Thermoforming allows for smooth surfaces, custom textures, and color options built right into the material. This way, you can achieve high-end results with minimal secondary operations.
Work with Allied Plastics for Your Thermoforming Needs
The right thermoforming partner greatly impacts your business. Trust the experts who have been in the industry for the last 30 years. Allied Plastics is a leading provider of plastic thermoforming services. When you partner with us, we’ll create high-quality products at competitive prices.
Located in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, our facility has some of the largest plastic thermoforming machines in the country. They’re capable of twin sheet forming, single sheet forming, drape forming, pressure forming, and sheet over forming services.
But thermoforming isn’t all we do. We’re your trusted partner from concept to completion. We have world-class engineering services, along with assembly, kitting, inventory, and logistics capabilities. And, with ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications, you can trust us for quality results, every time.
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Our team is ready to take on your next project. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.