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