Plastics are used in almost every form of manufacturing
because of their versatility and high workability. Unlike naturally occurring
minerals like iron and copper, plastic is an entirely man-made chemical product
whose internal composition can be tweaked to give us the desired hardness and
other properties. One of those plastic varieties is Thermoformable plastic.
The very first question is, what exactly are thermoformable
plastic sheets?
Thermoformability of plastic is not a property of plastic;
it is the manufacturing process that is used to make the plastic that gives it
the name. The process of thermoforming involves heating the plastic at high
temperatures close to its melting point and applying strong force to the
plastic sheets over the mold so that the plastic takes the shape of the mold.
Just dumping plastic into the furnace is not how it works;
the plastic is actually prebuilt into different shapes of uniform sizes. They
are usually in the form of plastic pellets or plastic rolls. These pellets and rolls
are made into thermoformable plastic sheets which give manufacturers a bigger
surface area to work on. These sheets can then be transported to a different
facility for further thermoforming into various molds or put in molds in the
very same factory. Force is applied either by direct contact using assist plugs
or indirectly using a vacuum or air.
The force applied to warm plastic sheets over molds made
the plastic takes the shape of the molds which are then trimmed on the sides to
remove the extra material. The extra material is recycled into raw material for the
next batch, whereas the finished plastic parts are sent for cooling and
packaging.
Plastic manufacturers generally use a variety of plastics
for manufacturing thermoformable plastic sheets, some of which are:
- Polystyrene: They are generally used for making clear plastic containers such as jars and beverage bottles. The plastic is rigid enough to resist high and low temperatures, and the hardness can be tuned up for making other items such as toys.
- PET Plastic: They are well known as the main component used to make storage bottles for cold drinks. They are as clear as polystyrene and offer better chemical resistance than other variants, but they are not as temperature resistant as polystyrene plastic.
- PVC Plastic: It is one of the hardest plastic variants out there due to its unique polymer structure. It is very hard and has high-temperature resistance, making it perfect for all kinds of wiring, plumbing and sewage pipes.
All of the plastic variants mentioned above undergo the same
the thermoforming process to be molded into the final products that are put to use.
