The Pros and Cons of Vacuum Forming

The vacuum forming process is commonly used for quickly and easily creating plastic items over a mold. It’s a popular method for developing 3D objects, especially if the parts will be made in a short run production.

Like any other type of plastic fabrication process, vacuum forming in Utah has its own set of pros and cons you should be aware of before you proceed. Here’s a quick overview of what you should know before choosing vacuum forming for your project.

Pros

• Quick: Every individual piece made in the vacuum forming process is relatively fast to produce, which makes it especially beneficial for projects on a tight timeline.
• Consistent: Through the vacuum forming process you’ll be able to create consistent shapes and sizes across batches, especially when using the same mold.
• Low cost: Manufacturing costs for this process are lower than other types of fabrication. Molding costs are also low, especially when you use cost-effective materials.
• Scalable: You can easily scale your production up or down with vacuum forming, and make new components (or fewer components) as necessary.
• Recyclable: Any excess plastic you have left over after the vacuum forming process is complete can be recycled into additional sheets to be used in future projects.
• Versatile: Mold shapes are highly customizable, allowing you to create a wide range of shapes for your products.
• Prototyping: The fast process and low cost allow you to create fast prototypes for your products in an efficient manner.

Cons

• Some extra costs: In some cases, you may have to add on extra costs to finish components, depending on what you’re looking to get out of your product.
• Small scale: While the project is scalable, you still can only make a single part or product at a time, which generally makes it best for smaller scale production needs.
• Simplicity: Though you can choose from a wide range of designs for your projects as you go through the customization process, those designs need to be relatively simple. The molds are only able to provide so much detail, so if you need a higher level of detail, you’ll need to choose a different fabrication process.
• Bubbling: If there is too much moisture getting into the process in any way, you might see unwanted bubbles beginning to form.
• Dirt: If you’re creating parts with a clear or light-colored plastic, it becomes easy for debris from the mold to show up in the final product.
• Warping: Thicker types of plastic sheets may warp during the vacuum forming process. It’s crucial to carefully stretch the plastic to avoid this issue.
• Extra care: If you don’t properly create the mold, the final product could turn out flawed. If you don’t catch that issue soon enough, it could result in an entire batch of products coming out defective.

Now is a great time to get your ideas for your business turned into reality with our plastic product manufacturing services. For more information about vacuum forming in Utah, reach out to the team at D&D Plastics today.

Categorised in: Plastic Vacuum Forming

This post was written by Writer