Plastic thermoforming is a hot-processing technique that uses heat to shape sheets of various types of plastic material over dedicated moulds. The Italian term "termoformatura" is used to translate both the English terms "thermoforming" and "vacuum forming", with the latter referring to a simplified version of the process.
At Bussetti e Mazza, we have a clear understanding of the various ways these techniques can be used on every type of plastic. Materials such as plexiglass, Perspex, methacrylate, PVC and Forex are processed thanks to the versatility of our machines, into any shape we design ourselves or that is specifically requested by our customers.
Modern thermoforming
A distant descendant of a technique already tried and tested in the nineteenth century, modern thermoforming starts from a semi-finished product: once a flat sheet has been thermoformed, it must then be freed of excess trim through a subsequent mechanical process. The moulds used are single-sided, meaning they shape only one surface - either positive or negative - while the sheet can be shaped under vacuum or under pressure, depending on the process chosen. The semi-finished sheet is therefore preheated in a forced-air oven and then fitted to the mould.
The success of
thermoforming, this particular technique for processing
plastic material, depends above all on the accuracy with which the mould is made, taking into account shrinkage and the positioning of the sheet after heating. Our company specialises in open-face forming of thick, large-format sheets, using ovens that can accommodate sheets up to 2000 x 3000 mm in size.
