What is thermoforming?

Thermoforming is the process of heating a plastic panel, or sheet, until it is flexible and forming it over or in a mould. After cooling, the plastic sheet retains the shape of the mould and can be removed for further processing. Both plastic and reinforced plastics can be formed in this way.

What materials can we thermoform?

If it needs to formed to a temperature up to 200°C, we can talk! We can process the following groups of materials:

• Plastics for example ABS, PS, Plexiglas (PMMA), PET, PVC
• Reinforced plastics for example reinforced with glass or carbon fibre
• Solid Surfaces
• Foam cores

The smooth surface of our adaptive mould allows for a high-quality finish on the thermoformed part. We can also think with you if surface texture or structure is required.

Thermoforming at Curve Works

We have built three dedicated heating units. Each unit heats in a different way, allowing us to choose the most efficient method to get your sheet to the required thermoforming temperature. We then form the sheet directly on our adaptive mould. After the panel has cooled down, we have machining capabiliites to finish the product according to your desired design.

If it is a large curved surface that you need, we can thermoform individual sub-panels that fit onto our adaptive mould and assemble them together according to your requirements. If we can divide your design into an assembly of smaller panels, in principle there is no limit to how large we can go!

There are so many possibilities in terms of materials, sheet sizes, forms, panel assemblies and finishings that we can offer. Contact us today to see how we may realise your product.