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Heavy guage thermoforming: exciting application with tremendous oppurtunities
 

Thermoforming is a an well established application, particularly in thinner gauge since such products were driven by the needs of the packaging sector. Most of the thermoforming of thin sheet rolls have been highly automated. In the recent past, thermoforming of heavy gauge sheets has been developing at a faster pace due to increasing demand emanating from the automobile, building and construction as well as the electronic industry. Thermoforming of heavy gauge demands sheets to be heated through several heating stations to a forming station. Secondary trimming steps such as sawing, routing, shearing and drilling are usually essential to develop the finished part of a desired quality. Simple thermoforming techniques are normally not suitable since they cannot develop high pressures that are essential. Pressure forming also can not develop more than 2 bars of pressures. Another technique developed to press the hot sheet between two matched moulds provides crisp texture of the mould without using high pressures. The matched mould method and high pressure mechanical shaping eanbles thermoforming of difficult polymers as well as composites to provide the desired mechanical strength in the finished products. The greatest growth is expected in HDPE or more specifically for UHMDPE since these materials have high impact, chemical and weather resistance. PP is also increasingly finding applications for thick thermoformed products. Performance or engineering thermoplastics are also finding applications where HDPE and PP cannot be used due to their lower resistance to high source temperature.

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