January 2008
The beauty of thermoforming is that you can thermoform product windows into the part. For example, you could have a whole translucent door or you could have a section of an opaque door that's clear. Maybe you have an area of your product where you want to see some light or some movement. Thermoforming product windows into the part can help achieve this advantage.
Thermoforming Product Windows
Create Stunning Visual Effects--All in One Part
In other words, you'll have only one part, yet it might look, for example, as if the clear sections have been molded right into an opaque part. We accomplish this by first forming the clear part, masking the clear areas, and paining the balance of it.
The painted surface can be metallic, high-gloss, as well as a number of other options. The final product will provide the "wow" factor--stunning visual effects from light to movement to everything in between. Remember, it's that "wow" factor that can help your product stand out from the competition.
No Assembly Required
Eliminating parts where possible makes assembly so much easier for the customer. It's more efficient and it cuts down on inventory: stocking one part as opposed to, say, five--without sacrificing "beauty"--makes smart business sense.
Using the Right Materials
For "clear" product windows, we usually use clear polycarbonate because of the material's exceptional fire rating of UL 94v0. Other recommended materials include custom-tinted polycarbonate, acrylic, and PETG. Thicknesses range from .08 to .150 inches.
Case in Point
Here's a product we did for U.S. Genomics. The far right door and upper door are painted a sage green. The window is actually a formed window that's tinted a soft green color. The part is all translucent. The features help transcend this product from ordinary
to wow!
People Who Make ThermoFab Fabulous: Meet Lisa
Lisa King brings a unique combination of marketing and engineering skills to her wide array of positions at ThermoFab. Her devotion to client satisfaction gives her the innate ability to nurture clients and their programs on a long-term basis.
Lisa's expertise in forecasting client needs has been a key factor in ThermoFab's sustained growth and success over the years. Her in-depth understanding of the production process allows Lisa to balance client needs with the delicate manufacturing environment.
Lisa has extensive experience in a broad range of industry--aerospace, government, and plastics. Before joining ThermoFab, she served as Lightweight Multipurpose Shelter (LMS) program manager at the U.S. Army Labs in Natick. She successfully planned and coordinated all the testing and certification of a $6.7 million tactical shelter program. When she was finished, the program went to production. Lisa also worked as a contracting officer representative for the
Army Labs managing multi-million dollar production contracts, where she assessed manufacturers'
production lines, inspected units, evaluated tested units, and managed the aspects for production release.
Lisa graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor of Science degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering. She also has successfully completed contracting officer's representative training at the U.S. Army Labs and various ThermoFab sales trainings.
Lisa is a recipient of the prestigious U.S. Army Dedication of Service award.
ThermoFab is committed to being the leader in custom plastic enclosures. Contact us today to learn how we can take you from files to finished product in just 4-6 weeks!
Sincerely,
Tom King, Jr., President
ThermoFab
email: engineering@thermofab.com
phone: 888-494-9777
web: http://www.thermofab.com