Thermoforming / Vacuum forming

G.W.P. manufactures plastic components by means of thermoforming for various industrial branches.

G.W.P. offers everything from a single source: Tooling and thermoformed parts including all finishing steps, surfaces and assembly. Thermoforming machines are available that can handle plates up to 1,500 x 1,000 mm and thicknesses of 0.5 to 10 mm.

Thermoforming

Thermoforming, also termed hot drawing or vacuum forming, is recommendable for plastic parts with a large surface and thin walls. Thermoformed plastic parts are manufactured in panels or films and are distinguished by their very high strength. Depending on the application, positive or negative deep drawing is used. In thermoforming, the heated plastic plate is pressed into the mold by means of a vacuum (vacuum deep drawing). Due to the process, the wall thickness of deep drawn plastic parts is uneven, and this needs to be factored into construction. The molded part is removed after cooling a specific amount and finished.

Due to the lower tooling costs in comparison to injection molding, this type plastic processing is economical especially for small batches. G.W.P. AG manufactures thermoformed parts primarily for parts with large applications such as parts with large surfaces such as jackets and protective covers.

Plastics that are used

All thermoplastics are suitable for thermoforming such as ABS, PS, PP, PA 6 or PE. Glass fiber-reinforced plastics can also be used (such as polyamides). The formability of the different polymers can however vary quite a bit.

Subsequent processing and surface finishing

Lathing, milling, drilling and grinding can be used to subsequently process thermoformed parts. The appearance and properties can be substantially influenced by the suitable surface finish. Graining of areas to be touched, wet-painting, screen printing, pad printing, chrome plating ABS, vacuum metallization (decorative) and EMC coatings (Al or Cu/NiCr).