Plastic thermoforming equipment can be divided into the following types according to the pressurization mode, automation degree and material feeding method. Their core differences are molding principles, application scenarios and productivity:
I. By Pressurization Method
Vacuum Forming Machine
Principle: heated and softened plastic sheets is pressed on the mold surface by atmospheric pressure, and the negative pressure is produced by vacuum extraction to achieve adhesion.
Features: Simple structure, low cost, suitable for mass production of geometrically simple thin-walled products (such as food packaging, disposable tableware, etc.).
The molding pressure is low, which leads to uneven product wall thickness and limited detail expression.
mold materials (such as wood, plaster, aluminum, etc.) warranty, trial production cycle is short.
Pressure Forming Machine
Principle: Compressed air or hydraulic system to apply Applyes positive pressure on the softened plate, forcing the plate to adhere to mold cavity.
Features: High molding pressure, can manufacture complex structure, uniform wall thickness products (such as car interior, medical equipment housings, etc.).
Mould requires a high degree of hardness and is usually made of steel or aluminum, making it more expensive.
Suitable for producing high precision and high strength products.
Positive and Negative Pressure Integrated Molding Machine
Principle: Using the combination of vacuum negative pressure and compressed air positive pressure, the tension and shrinkage of plate are controlled by doublepressure system.
Features: Flexibility, can handle both positive and negative pressure requirements, suitable for complex geometry (such as deep-drawn concave parts).
The product surface quality is high, the detail is clear, wall thickness distribution is more uniform.
Equipment is complex and costly and is mainly used in high value-added products (e.g. packaging of electronic components).
II. By Level of automation
Manual Molding Machine
Features: All operations (clamping, heating, vacuuming, disassembly) are manual and suitable for small batch trial or custom production.
Applicable Scenarios: laboratory, prototype development or small-scale workshops.
Semi-Automatic Molding Machine
Features: part of the process (such as heating, molding) by automatic completion of equipment, clamping, disassembly requires manual intervention, efficiency and cost.
Applicable Scenarios: Medium batch production; companies that require some flexibility but have limited budgets.
Fully Automatic Molding Machine
Features: Fully automated process (including feeding, heating, molding, cooling, dismantling), high production efficiency, suitable for large-scale continuous production.
Applicable Scenarios: food packaging, commodities and other large industries.
III. By breeding method
Batch Feeding Molding Machine
Features: Using thick plates or prefabricated billets, rotating between heating, molding and cooling stations through a rotating clamping frame allows intermittent production.
Applicable Scenarios: Large parts (e.g. car roofs, refrigerator liners) or thick-walled products.
Continuous Feeding Molding Machine
Features: adopt continuous feeding mode, ensure continuous production, suitable for small thin wall products (such as paper cup, paper plate, blister packaging).
Strengths: High efficiency, high material utilization, high automation.
IV. INTRODUCTION By Molding Process
Differential Pressure Molding Machine
How it works: Plates are bonded together by air pressure differences between the upper and lower parts of the die, including vacuum forming and pneumatic forming.
Features:
Vacuum Forming: Using atmospheric pressure, suitable for simple geometry.
Pneumatic forming: Through the action of compressed air, can form a more complex structure, so that the product has a high surface gloss.
Cover Shaping Machine:
How it works: Place the sheet on a die and bond it with mechanical or pneumatic pressure.
Features: Thick top wall, thin side and bottom border, suitable for bowls or domes.
Plunger-assisted forming machine:
How it works: Place the A plunger inside the mold; the movement of the plunger helps form the plate, reducing the problem of thinning bottom.
Features: Significantly improved uniformity of product wall thickness, suitable for products with high precision requirements.
