Pressure Forming

Pressure Forming Plastic Produces Tight, Crisp Features

Pressure Forming plastic is an enhancement of vacuum forming, making it one of the more advanced forms of thermoforming.  We begin the process  as with vacuum forming.  To start, we add a vessel on the opposite side of the sheet from the mold.  When when we close this vessel on the sheet, a seal is formed from the atmosphere on that side of the sheet.  Next, we add an additional 3 – 5 atmospheres of pressure inside the vessel.  The increased pressure moves the plastic faster, thus incurring less heat loss.  Additionally, when we move it under this amount of pressure we achieve tight, crisp features, such as radii, embossed texture, and undercuts.

Typical parts are instrument enclosures, and medical device enclosures, where design detail is important.