Terminology

Thermoforming: A manufacturing process where a plastic sheet is heated to a pliable forming temperature, formed to a specific shape on a mold and trimmed to create a usable product. Read more about thermoforming, here.

Vacuum Forming: This process is used in conjunction with thermalforming to create a vacuum between the mold and the plastic to provide greater detail to the plastic.

Foam Molding: A two part mixture of foam is injected into a three dimensional mold to create a desired shape. Once cured, the mold is opened, the part is removed, and the cleaned mold is set for reuse.

Injection Molding: Heated liquid plastic is injected into a three dimensional mold to create a desired shape.

Sheet Metal Forming: The cold bending and forming of sheets of metal to a desired shape. This often includes the joining of metal such as rivits and/or welding, drilling, inserts, painting and/or labeling.

Pressure Forming: A type of thermoforming that uses very strong metal tooling and air pressure to drive heated sheet plastic into cavities and shapes where vacuum is not enough. This is a very mechanized process and is used to form intricate shapes.

Drape Forming: The heating of sheets of plastic and forming them over a tool with vacuum holes created to pull the heated plastic into a desired shape. Often times, other forming personnel are used with manual pushers to guide the hot plastic into the tool cavities. This is a very skilled manual type of thermoforming and is used to create very large shapes.

Blow Molding: A process in which a heated blank of plastic is acted on with air pressure to expand the blank and fill a three dimensional tool. This process is used to make bottles, tanks, mannequins, etc.