Thermoformed Enclosure Panel For 3D Printer
The article below details this award winning thermoformed enclosure panel. We are always excited when we walk away from a thermoforming show with a first place award. Our team is proud of our custom plastics thermoforming capabilities. We feel that all our hard work was worth it every time we leave a show with an award. We would love to help with your custom plastic part! Our capabilities in twin sheet forming, pressure forming and vacuum forming make us the perfect choice for your thermoforming project. We begin each project employing Design For Manufacturing (DFM). From beginning all the way through to your finished project, we assist you in making the best choices. First we need to determine the appropriate process for your thermoformed part. Contact us today for more information.
Article from the magazine Plastics Engineering
The Multipart Assembly Award was won by Associated Thermoforming, Inc., for the enclosure panel assembly for the InVision 3D Solid Printer manufactured by 3D Systems. The enclosure skins, and several secondary structures upon which attachment hardware is mounted, are made from painted, flame-retardant ABS of various starting gauges. The drawer front with a red handle is a twin-sheet formed part that features an invisible parting line. The smoke-tinted, curved door on the front of the printer is compression/drape formed. Materials were extruded by Spartech Corp. and Sheffield Plastics, Inc.
Additionally, many of the parts include significant undercuts, achieved with fully automatic articulating core pulls. Associated Thermoforming designed the molds, and then had them made by several moldmakers, including Portage Casting and Mold, American Tool and Engineering, and Custom Tooling and Fabrication.
These parts demonstrate ATI’s ability to create complex molds and trim features that mate together with automotive tolerances.
