Thermoforming companies around the country can actually provide several services which are important for manufacturing - this may not be known to many people though. To create custom thermoformed packaging for several clients could be the topmost task which these companies are able to do. If it interests you to know more on the terms used by workers, here are a few of them.
The process by which a sheet of plastic is exposed to heat at a particular degree until it becomes highly malleable in order to make it viable for forming into many products and package shapes is called thermoforming. What warms up the plastic is either radiant heat or convection before it is forced into a mold. Excess plastic is then removed when it cools down and then you can have your finished product.
Plastic used in thermoforming is called thermoplastic. If you heard about a plastic type known as thermoset plastic, this one is quite different from the first one. Although it is true that thermoset plastic can be melted and molded too, to add heat to this particular type of plastic means that its chemistry is permanently changed thus disabling its potential to be melted down again and remolded to create a new product.
On the other hand, thermoplastic is highly recyclable and can be used and remolded numerous times. There are many different types of thermoplastic, each of which is classified using a special resin identification code. These are codes that you have seen before; they are simply a number surrounded by a triangle formed by arrows. You see them on all sorts of materials, including plastics, paper products, metal products and even glass products. These codes are used to help separate items when they arrive at recycling centers.
Of the resin identification codes, the most common would have to be 1 where it identifies thermoformed packages as well as products made out of polyethylene terephthalate. Plastic water bottles and soda bottles are amongst these products. Many of the recycling centers in the country welcome these products and in some states if you turn these bottles in to a specific type of recycling center you can have a deposit refund.
Several words and terms are still associated with thermoplastic including PVC which is "polyvinyl chloride." Of the thermoplastic, this one is the widely used type. Some other common types of thermoplastics are acrylic, nylon and Styrofoam. These plastics are all polymers which mean that its molecules are made up of large chains of monomers. Monomers refer to molecules which are capable of being bound together chemically. While there are some polymers which are naturally occurring, some are synthetic and are made by chemists.
The process by which a sheet of plastic is exposed to heat at a particular degree until it becomes highly malleable in order to make it viable for forming into many products and package shapes is called thermoforming. What warms up the plastic is either radiant heat or convection before it is forced into a mold. Excess plastic is then removed when it cools down and then you can have your finished product.
Plastic used in thermoforming is called thermoplastic. If you heard about a plastic type known as thermoset plastic, this one is quite different from the first one. Although it is true that thermoset plastic can be melted and molded too, to add heat to this particular type of plastic means that its chemistry is permanently changed thus disabling its potential to be melted down again and remolded to create a new product.
On the other hand, thermoplastic is highly recyclable and can be used and remolded numerous times. There are many different types of thermoplastic, each of which is classified using a special resin identification code. These are codes that you have seen before; they are simply a number surrounded by a triangle formed by arrows. You see them on all sorts of materials, including plastics, paper products, metal products and even glass products. These codes are used to help separate items when they arrive at recycling centers.
Of the resin identification codes, the most common would have to be 1 where it identifies thermoformed packages as well as products made out of polyethylene terephthalate. Plastic water bottles and soda bottles are amongst these products. Many of the recycling centers in the country welcome these products and in some states if you turn these bottles in to a specific type of recycling center you can have a deposit refund.
Several words and terms are still associated with thermoplastic including PVC which is "polyvinyl chloride." Of the thermoplastic, this one is the widely used type. Some other common types of thermoplastics are acrylic, nylon and Styrofoam. These plastics are all polymers which mean that its molecules are made up of large chains of monomers. Monomers refer to molecules which are capable of being bound together chemically. While there are some polymers which are naturally occurring, some are synthetic and are made by chemists.
About the Author:
Lenna Stockwell loves writing about how stuff is made. To get further details about custom thermoforming or to find out more about thermoform packaging, please check out the Indepak.com website today.
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