Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET): PET provides very good alcohol and essential oil barrier properties, good chemical resistance, and a high degree of impact resistance and tensile strength. It is commonly used for carbonated beverages, water bottles, and many food products. Pressure Forming: The pressure forming process similarly involves the heating of the plastic sheet and utilizing a vacuum to pull air away to force the sheet against a mold. But there’s an extra step. A pressing tool applies pressure once the air is removed to ensure the shaped plastic better maintains its final shape. Pressure forming is used when higher levels of details are required from the thermoforming process. Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol or PETG sheet is a rigid, transparent plastic sheet made from thermoplastic polyester. PETG offers high impact strength, glass clear clarity and light transmission with a high gloss surface finish.

Mold design features: The mold should include critical features such as multiple ventilation holes to circulate the air from the forming process and draft angles to help demold the part. Forming area: The forming area refers to the build space where the plastic pattern or design is formed. The forming area is equipped with the designed mold(s), core plug, or the mechanism that applies patterns to the preheated plastic sheet. Although a variety of processes exist, the most popular thermoforming techniques are the following: Vacuum Forming: This thermoforming process makes use of a vacuum to shape the sheet. First, the plastic sheet is heated to ensure it is flexible. The vacuum forming machine then pulls the air out, forcing the sheet against a mold. The vacuum process is known for its cost-effectiveness and the speed of the manufacturing process.PETG sheet is easily fabricated through vacuum forming, line bending, bonding or welding techniques. KYDEX® sheet is resistant to many common industrial chemicals. Details about them are provided in Technical Brief 120-A. Can KYDEX® Thermoplastic sheet be laminated to MDF via membrane pressing? Thermoplastics are the materials used for thermoforming. These materials include ABS, polystyrene, polycarbonate, PETG, etc. The choice of material depends on the manufacturing project and the required characteristics of the produced item. KYDEX® T– High impact fire-rated sheet that is less hygroscopic and usually does not require pre-drying. Offers more uniform forming with less wall thinning. Greater resistance to a broad range of corrosive chemicals and cleaning solutions.

Mold design and the right process for producing the mold is dependent on part design and the following factors: Because of its ductility and toughness, KYDEX® Thermoplastic sheet laminated to MDF or particle board can be folded into boxes via miter-folding. Technical Brief 142-B provides guidelines on miter-folding KYDEX® Thermoplastic sheet. Can KYDEX® Thermoplastic sheet be thermoformed? KYDEX® sheet is easy to laminate to MDF via membrane pressing. Technical Brief 141-A and Technical Brief 141-Boutline the procedures for membrane pressing KYDEX® sheet. Can KYDEX® Thermoplastic sheet be fabricated into boxes via miter-folding?Super tough and durable, KYDEX ® industrial sheet is a proprietary alloy thermoplastic that brings a new dimension to customers in design freedom, formability, rigidity, impact resistance, chemical resistance and fire retardance. Clamping force: Some thermoforming machinery, such as the pressure forming, twin sheet, and matched mold forming equipment, clamps down on the plastic sheet to form the finished part. The clamping force is an important consideration because it helps determine the type of material that may be used. Thermoforming forces: The tool should be strong enough to withstand the forming forces involved in the process such as vacuum forces, pressures, or mechanical actions. The intensity of those forces will depend on the material type, sheet gauge, and requirements on part quality such as surface finish and level of details. KYDEX ® 3D laminates are offered in a wide range of solid colours, metallics and highly realistic wood grains. It is also possible to mix and match KYDEX ® 3D laminates with popular HPLs and melamine boards.