Sunday 18 August 2013

Uses Of Thermoformed Plastic Packaging

By Cara Torres


Thermoforming is the process of making plastic sheets pliant so that it can be formed into specific shapes in a mold and it is used mostly in manufacturing. In the oven, the temperature that is used should be high enough to make it stretch onto the mold. The cooled finish thermoformed plastic packaging is trimmed of the excess and will now become a usable product.

All of us are exposed to these kinds of plastics in our daily lives. They have replaced parts previously manufactured in wood, paper, glass or even metal. It is used in a wide range of products from food to electronics which makes it a vital part of the modern commercial and industrial enterprise. It offers close tolerance, tight specifications, and even the sharp details.

These can be modified easily and it is also easy and inexpensive to make temporary tools for making short term test designs to test the market acceptance. It is also cheaper the than blow molding and injection though it will also vary on its size. Compared to other molding processes, the time to make temporary tools is not that long.

Products are also produced much faster with this technique than other processes like rotationally processed mold or fiberglass reinforcing processes. It is also a cheaper option to steel and fiberglass, which are getting costly everyday. There are many times that the parts made of them are more or equally superior in their longevity and strength than products made of fiber glass and steel.

They will not become rusty like steel nor fragile like fiberglass and they are lightweight. Steel that is encapsulated in plastics may result in making a product that has the advantages of a plastic and the strength of metal. This process can be used to mold different kinds that can come in a wide variety of colors, finishes and textures.

Customized pre colored sheets can be given a class A finish to the final part, which gets rid of the need for post production painting. Nearly all thermoformed materials are recyclable, which results to having very little waste in the process. Instead of sending the scraps to the landfill, the excess material is collected, then granulated and extruded along with the virgin resin into a new sheet.

These materials are usually used in manufacturing industries and by commercial distributors such as electronic companies, food service, medical companies and many others. In pharmaceutical companies, the packaging should be done in clean room conditions to make sure that the blister packs and other types of package are sterile and in high quality. To protect medical equipment and keep them sterile and in great condition, they are kept in plastic trays and bags.

Cell phones and other electronic devises must be protected especially during shipment. Food service packaging can be personalized during the thermoformed process through advance vacuum techniques. Other common products include picnic plates, bowls, cups, lids for condiments, fast food take out containers and others.

They can are made in different configurations and sizes like the different design of the lids of hot beverage cups. Many businesses benefits from the flexibility and convenience of the materials like those used in pack lunches and dinners. Institutions like hospitals and schools also use thermoformed plastic packaging for their needs everyday like disposable utensils.




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