Vacuum thermoforming is one of the processes by which many plastic packages and products are created. Two of the plastics that we often use here at Indepak include high-impact polystyrene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. These two types of thermoplastic can be formed via vacuum thermoforming as well as injection molding.
High-impact polystyrene or HIPS is a highly versatile thermoplastic that has the added advantage of being a highly affordable vacuum thermoforming option. It also is known for its impact resistance and attractive aesthetic qualities. It’s quite easy to fabricate HIPS and it even is quite easy to glue or paint this material, making it ideal for many products.
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or ABS is similar to HIPS in many ways, a durable high-impact plastic that offers great versatility and good affordability. ABS is formed using vacuum thermoforming or injection molding, and can be used to create hard plastic items such as toys and cases. CD cases, razors and Lego bricks are created using ABS, for example.
The process of vacuum thermoforming is fairly simply to understand. At Indepak, our specialty is thin-gauge thermoforming. To create a product or package very thin sheets of thermoplastic are heated to a specific temperature, placed on a custom mold and forced onto the mold using force, in this case a suction of air or a vacuum.
There are many different types of thermoplastics in addition to HIPS and ABS, and we can help you decide which type of thermoplastic will be the best fit for your product and budget. We can create high-impact cases, trays and even parts for your product using these two types of thermoplastic. For instance, your vacuum cleaner will have parts made of high-impact plastic. The organizational trays that you place in office drawers or kitchen drawers might be created using ABS or HIPS. These are just a few examples of the versatility of these high-impact thermoplastics.
Not only can we design a great product or package using vacuum thermoforming, we help our customers with other services, as well. We can help with package fulfilment, inventory management and even shipping. Our goal is always to create the highest quality products for our clients while also providing a total solution for each and every customer.
