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The rapid growth of the thermoforming industry has attracted the interest of many plastic
product manufacturers who would normally consider the thermoforming process as competition to
their currently employed process, such as injection molders and blow molders. This primer is derived
from numerous in-plant short courses and the University of Winconsin-Milwaukee thermoforming course.
It discusses history, markets, machinery, heat transfer methods, polymer characteristics, molds,
guidelines for part design, and more.
From the Foreword: “This primer is a compilation of materials presented at many in-plant
short courses and the basic thermoforming course sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
It is designed for people who may not have extensive formal technical education...The primer includes
a glossary of thermoforming terms, a recommended reading list for more information, and an
extensive subject index. There are no equations.”
Target Audience: Operators, plant supervisers, sales personnel, technicians, and other employees
or students interested in a basic but broad overview of thermoforming.
Table of Contents:
Introduction to Thermoforming
Polymers and Plastics
General Forming Concepts
Machinery for the Forming Process
Methods of Heating Sheet
Sheet Stretching and Cooling
Trimming
Molds and Mold Design
Part Design
Issues of Quality Control
Set-up, Maintenance, and Troubleshooting
Glossary of Thermoforming Terms
Recommendations for Further Reading
Index
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