What Is Thermoforming
We have all studied physics at some point in our lives. The fact that the simple principle of thermoforming is used very extensively today might be little known. Each and every single product you purchase today comes in thermoformed packaging. This article discusses what thermoforming is and how it benefits the products-driven industry.
The two words consisted in "thermoforming" do pretty much the entire explaining of what the process actually is. This method utilizes heat and pressure (positive or negative) to "form" something (or mould something into a shape). It is fairly easy to understand what happens during thermoforming. Taking the example of plastic packaging, thermoforming has a popular application. A sheet of plastic is stretched using specialized equipment. How much the stretching should be is governed by the commands fed into computers. Once it is stretched correctly, heat is applied to the plastic sheet. The plastic absorbs this heat and begins to experience change in consistency. It starts to sag in the middle. When it reaches the correct consistency, it is then stretched over a mould, which is usually the shape of the product to be packaged. Once the plastic sheet is placed on the mould, vacuum pressure is applied, from below in order to suck out all the extra air bubbles entrapped in it. After extracting air bubbles, the sheet is allowed to cool down and solidify in the shape of the product. This is how thermoforming principle is used to manufacture plastic packaging for a variety of products.
Thermoforming companies have their hands full with business pouring in from all sides for providing packaging solutions. This is the era of products and services, and sale of products requires a lot of input for its packaging. The manufacturers find it simpler to outsource the packaging work to specialists. The products’ design and dimensions are communicated to the thermoforming company through appropriate means. The thermoforming company arranges for the manufacture of the required type of plastic package for the products. Although it is not necessary to always outsource this work. If you manufacture something that is not likely to change for decades to come (like a standard cell for your electronic devices), it will prove economical to buy thermoforming equipment and start manufacturing your packaging yourself. It may incur initial investment costs, but as a long-term solution it will prove to be optimal. The commission that the packaging manufacturer would otherwise scoop away would remain with you.
Plastic packaging is of different types. The two most common kinds that you see every day are the clamshell and blister packs. Blister packs are very popular with the medical industry because of the accuracy they achieve with medicine dosage and its packaging. Earlier on, the doctors used to prescribe the amount of a certain medicine to be consumed. Human error would always creep in while measurement. Therefore, already measured quantities were packed in blister packs for the patients to just pop out and consume.
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