Look around you right now and chances are you will see not one, but several items created at least partially with plastic. Packaging, computers, cars, dishes, toys and much more are made using plastic. Of course, there are several different kinds of plastic and also quite a few methods of processing these plastics in order to make consumer products or packaging. Read on and you'll discover more about the world of processing plastic.
Injection molding is one of type of processing, and in this process plastic is heated and then injected into a mold. Injection molding also can be used to create products out of metal or glass, although the use of thermoplastic granules is the most common. Thermoplastic comes in many varieties, and in general, refers to a type of plastic that can be melted and molded and then returned to the original state when cooled. Injection molding is one way to process thermoplastics, and while the finished product generally is of a high quality, this method is quite expensive and many companies prefer to use thermoforming instead.
Thermoforming is a very common type of plastic processing, and as the name suggests, this process uses heat in order to create products or packaging. Large, thin sheets of plastic are heated to a specific temperature where they become malleable, and then they are fitted into a mold. This differs from injection molding in that we are using plastic sheets rather than the plastic granules or pellets. The mold that is being used might be the mold of a water bottle, a food storage container, the blister pack that holds batteries or perhaps a plastic tray that will eventually hold cookies. Literally thousands of products are created using the process of thermoforming.
Of course with injection molding, it is easy to understand that melted plastic is injected into a mold. With sheets of thermoformed plastic, there are other ways to get the pliable sheets into a mold. One method is called vacuum forming, and this simply means that the heated, moldable plastic is basically sucked into a mold with the force of the vacuum.
Sometimes vacuum forming isn't enough and you need to add pressure as well to move along the formation process. This is known as pressure forming, and it is an ideal process when you are making plastic products with a large amount of detail, such as a molded texture or perhaps raised or recessed type on your product. The addition of pressure along with the force of the vacuum really pushes that plastic down into the mold.
Because this can be a complicated process, look for a thermoforming specialist that provides you with help at all stages. This includes assisting with development and design, as well as the actually production process. When calculating the total cost, many factors are considered including the type of plastic that you need as well as the amount of products that are being created. Whether you opt for injection molding, vacuum forming or pressure forming, this also affects the total cost.
Injection molding is one of type of processing, and in this process plastic is heated and then injected into a mold. Injection molding also can be used to create products out of metal or glass, although the use of thermoplastic granules is the most common. Thermoplastic comes in many varieties, and in general, refers to a type of plastic that can be melted and molded and then returned to the original state when cooled. Injection molding is one way to process thermoplastics, and while the finished product generally is of a high quality, this method is quite expensive and many companies prefer to use thermoforming instead.
Thermoforming is a very common type of plastic processing, and as the name suggests, this process uses heat in order to create products or packaging. Large, thin sheets of plastic are heated to a specific temperature where they become malleable, and then they are fitted into a mold. This differs from injection molding in that we are using plastic sheets rather than the plastic granules or pellets. The mold that is being used might be the mold of a water bottle, a food storage container, the blister pack that holds batteries or perhaps a plastic tray that will eventually hold cookies. Literally thousands of products are created using the process of thermoforming.
Of course with injection molding, it is easy to understand that melted plastic is injected into a mold. With sheets of thermoformed plastic, there are other ways to get the pliable sheets into a mold. One method is called vacuum forming, and this simply means that the heated, moldable plastic is basically sucked into a mold with the force of the vacuum.
Sometimes vacuum forming isn't enough and you need to add pressure as well to move along the formation process. This is known as pressure forming, and it is an ideal process when you are making plastic products with a large amount of detail, such as a molded texture or perhaps raised or recessed type on your product. The addition of pressure along with the force of the vacuum really pushes that plastic down into the mold.
Because this can be a complicated process, look for a thermoforming specialist that provides you with help at all stages. This includes assisting with development and design, as well as the actually production process. When calculating the total cost, many factors are considered including the type of plastic that you need as well as the amount of products that are being created. Whether you opt for injection molding, vacuum forming or pressure forming, this also affects the total cost.
About the Author:
Lenna Stockwell enjoys writing about how stuff is created. For further information about custom food packaging or to find out more about thermoform plastics, please go to the Indepak.com website today.
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