Full Service Manufacturing
America’s Custom Vacuum Forming Service Provider
Some plastic parts need enough surface area to cover a large section of equipment, yet every contour still has to follow the surrounding design. Forming that part from a single sheet can give you the size and three-dimensional profile your product needs without piecing together multiple sections.
Here at Design Plastics, we provide custom vacuum forming solutions for OEMs across the USA. Our team will develop the tooling around your design, form the plastic sheet to its specifications, and precisely trim the finished component for its intended application.
What Is Vacuum Forming?
During vacuum forming, a machine heats a flat thermoplastic sheet until the material grows soft enough to form. The machine positions the heated sheet over or inside a mold and removes the air between the plastic and the mold’s surface. Atmospheric pressure then presses the material against the mold so that it follows the intended contours. After the plastic cools and holds its new form, our team removes the part and trims it to its final dimensions.
Our Vacuum Forming Capabilities
Our single-sheet and multi-station thermoforming equipment can form plastic sheets up to 5 feet by 9 feet. We work with sheet thicknesses ranging from .080 inches to .50 inches, giving our team room to address different part dimensions and performance requirements with the appropriate material.
Our vacuum former machine creates the part’s contours before our 3-axis and 6-axis CNC equipment trims its perimeter, openings, and other necessary features. Our CNC trimming capacity reaches up to 5 feet by 10 feet by 3 feet, allowing us to complete larger formed components according to the approved design.
Applications of Vacuum Forming
Vacuum forming can produce a whole variety of components like panels, housings, covers, trays, storage containers, and many other parts that need broad surface coverage without unnecessary weight. A manufacturer can use the process to form a substantial section of the finished product from one continuous plastic sheet.
We specialize in producing vacuum-formed components for automotive and recreational vehicles, construction and industrial equipment, retail displays, medical equipment, and even returnable packaging. Depending on the application, the part may need to protect internal equipment, fit around controls, withstand repeated handling, or provide the finished exterior that a customer will see.
The Benefits of Vacuum Forming Services
Vacuum forming gives manufacturers a way to produce contoured parts whose size or expected quantity might not warrant injection molding tooling. Because the vacuum forming process shapes a heated sheet against one mold surface, the tooling doesn’t need to withstand the same pressure as an injection mold.
The process can also form larger components from a single sheet instead of requiring several fabricated pieces. Once the material holds the intended profile, CNC trimming allows our team to create the final perimeter and add the openings needed for mounting points, controls, hardware, or adjoining parts.
Why Choose Our Vacuum Forming Services?
As a nationally recognized vacuum forming company, Design Plastics is comprised of a team of experts devoted to providing the industry’s gold standard in vacuum forming solutions. We’ll examine how the component fits into your finished product before we develop the tooling or begin forming material. Our engineers can help refine its geometry, evaluate the requirements of the material being used, and then prepare the design for the way our state-of-the-art equipment will manufacture it.
We’ll also coordinate all the tooling, forming, and CNC trimming around the approved part. We follow our ISO 9001-certified quality management system to control those processes and evaluate our work, helping us maintain the highest quality and consistency your components need from one production run to the next.
Turn Your Part Design Into a Formed Component
A successful vacuum-forming project accounts for how the sheet will follow the mold, where the material needs to maintain its thickness, and how the component will fit after trimming. Our engineers will account for those details alongside the part’s unique dimensions, operating conditions, and expected production quantity.
Send our team your design and tell us how the finished component will function within your product. We’ll determine how our tooling, forming equipment, and CNC trimming capabilities can serve your project. Get in touch with us to request a quote today.
We’ll also coordinate all the tooling, forming, and CNC trimming around the approved part. We follow our ISO 9001-certified quality management system to control those processes and evaluate our work, helping us maintain the highest quality and consistency your components need from one production run to the next.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Industries Commonly Use Vacuum Forming?
Automotive, recreational vehicle, construction, medical, retail, and industrial manufacturers commonly use vacuum forming. The process can create equipment panels, protective covers, housings, displays, trays, and reusable packaging. The specific application will determine the material, sheet thickness, tooling, and trimming requirements our team needs to consider.
How Does Pressure Forming Differ?
Vacuum forming removes air between a heated plastic sheet and the mold, allowing atmospheric pressure to press the material against the mold’s contours. Pressure forming adds positive air pressure above the sheet. That additional force can reproduce sharper details and more pronounced surface features when the design requires them.
Is Vacuum Forming Suitable for Large Parts?
It certainly can be. Our equipment can form plastic sheets up to 5 feet by 9 feet, and our CNC trimming capacity reaches up to 5 feet by 10 feet by 3 feet. We’ll still need to review the part’s depth, geometry, material thickness, and trimming requirements to determine whether our equipment can accommodate the complete design.
How Long Does Vacuum Forming Take?
The project schedule will depend on the readiness of your design, the tooling we need to develop, the selected material, the part’s dimensions, and the number of components you need. Prototyping or design changes can add time before production. Once we review your project details, we’ll explain the work involved and discuss an anticipated schedule.
Design Plastics, Inc. has earned the prestigious ISO 9001:2015 certification through Verisys Registrars®, a trusted auditing and certification body. This certification demonstrates the company’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards in quality management and operational excellence. By adhering to the rigorous requirements set forth by the ISO 9001:2015 standard, Design Plastics, Inc. ensures that its products and services consistently meet customer and regulatory expectations. This certification reflects the company’s dedication to continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, and producing high-quality custom injection-molded and thermoformed plastic products for worldwide industry applications. This achievement underscores Design Plastics Inc.’s focus on quality, precision, and sustainability in all aspects of their manufacturing process.
HQ & Omaha Plant
3550 Keystone Drive
Omaha, NE 68134
Blair Plant
9330 State Hwy 133
Blair, NE 68008
