June 2008
Two terms that you'll hear when discussing thermoforming are thin gauge and thick gauge. It's important to understand the different applications of each when figuring out what type of thermoforming company to approach for your project. Most thermoforming companies do one type or the other because the equipment for each is completely different.
Thin-Gauge vs. Thick-Gauge Thermoforming
Thin-Gauge Thermoforming
Thickness and volume are the main differentiators between thin-gauge and thick-gauge thermoforming. When you think thin-gauge or "in-line" thermoforming, think packaging materials--from clam shell packaging to medical device packaging to food packaging. Think of the packaging your razor blades or your child's favorite action figure or Barbie comes in. Think of the packaging that surgical masks come in. Think of the packaging tray that neatly holds your favorite chocolate chip cookies. Think high volume. For example, if your company produces 10 million razor blades a year, you'll need 10 million packages for the razor blades.
Thin-gauge thermoforming creates a part that's flexible--one that's meant to be bendable and compact. The materials used for thin-gauge thermoforming include clear PVC, PETG, and styrene. When it comes to many consumer products or small components that need to be packaged, thin-gauge thermoforming is the way to go. When packaging food and certain medical products, cleanliness and sterility are of the utmost importance (think of your plastic milk bottles, many of which are made from styrene, or think of the packaging that holds delicate surgical equipment, such as scalpels). A quality thin-gauge thermoforming company will have a "clean room" with proper ISO certification (usually ISO 9001:2000) where it manufactures packaging for food and medical-device applications.
Thick-Gauge Thermoforming
Thick-gauge--or "heavy-gauge"--thermoformers, such as ThermoFab, manufacture parts with a thickness in the range of .060 to .310. This thickness creates sturdy, rigid enclosures--perfect for enclosing things like the electronic equipment in super computers. Materials used in thick-gauge thermoforming include flame-retardant ABS, polycarbonate, and a PC-ABS blend. Low volume orders are common, and a quality thick-gauge thermoforming company can do economical low-volume runs.
In addition, thick-gauge thermoformers must consider aesthetics--how the enclosure looks--since the enclosure is not going to be discarded like packaging but is actually part of the product itself. For customers concerned with branding, the look of these enclosures--from color to logo placement--is an important part of the thermoforming process.
Finding a company that can meet your volume requirements and deadlines is critical. At ThermoFab, our award-winning thermoforming process takes your 3D injection files to finished parts in just 4-6 weeks.
When you're bringing a product to market, make sure you do your research into thermoforming companies early so that you can choose the right company to partner with. Email us for a copy of our white paper "3 Reasons Why the Best Ideas Never Make it to Market" to learn more.
Case in Point: Ignite!
At ThermoFab, we completed the delivery of Ignite! Learning's proprietary multimedia educational system, Curriculum on Wheels (COW), faster than international competitors' quotes. This helped get the COWs into educators' hands quickly, where they belonged.
Using a combined strategy of management and manufacturing updates implemented several years ago, we increased production turnaround by 50% -- from 6-8 weeks to 2-3 on average. This was the tipping point for Ignite Learning.
"Developing COW was a seven-month process," said Alan Davis, VP of Technology and Business Development. "When we got to the packaging, specifically the plastics component, our primary goal was to develop rapidly, without giving up decision-making control. ThermoFab's process was different than other firms, allowing us to secure a more aggressive timeline than other firms could offer. They were very fast--it was about 6 weeks from submitting the first design to receiving the first sample. Something other manufacturers couldn't do."
At ThermoFab, our turnaround time is highly competitive, so it's exciting to see how this business process makes a difference for our customers.
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,
Thomas A. King, Jr., President
ThermoFab
email: engineering@thermofab.com
phone: 888-494-9777
web: http://www.thermofab.com