Tooling/Mold
There are four kinds of mold types we can use in vacuum forming process:
- Block Aluminum Mold
- Casting Aluminum Mold
- Fiberglass Mold
- Wooden Mold
Mold is another necessary raw material in vacuum forming. After we received your drawings or sample, firstly we will analyze the design to check if it’s suitable for the vacuum forming process and provide suggestions based on our professional experience. After all details of the drawings are confirmed, our engineers will convert the drawing into mold drawings according to the different shrinkage rates of different materials, which also means that the material should be selected before making mold. After the CNC process, we will polish and drill vacuum holes in the mold. While forming plastic, we will install the mold into the vacuum forming machine, and after the plastic sheet is heated and melted, the mold will raise until it can attach to the sheets, then the vacuum pump under the machine will extract the air between the mold and sheet till it 100% attach, after cooling the formed sheets, finally release the mold.
There are two kinds of aluminum that we can use for making the mold, and one is casting aluminum, the other is block aluminum. We use aluminum 6061. And the other two kinds of molds are fiberglass mold and wooden mold. Which kind of mold should be chosen based on your needs and cooperation with us we can offer a lifetime guarantee: If any bad things happened to the mold, for instants, wear&tear, damage, or transformation… we will remake a new one for free.
We own our two sets of CNC machines, which can control the quality, price, sample time, and delivery date. We will provide the best service if you have any needs, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Mail: amy@dgdtxs.com.cn WhatsApp:+86 13825780422
Casting Aluminum Mold
Usually, casting aluminum mold is for solid color materials and texture materials. After forming the touched mold’s surface might have some small holes, so the surface’s appearance using casting aluminum mold is not as quality as using block aluminum mold. Solid color materials or texture materials can not see the other side from one side, using the assembly surface to form can also make the appearance surface look great. Even so, it does not matter if it has some small marks or dust on it. In fact, for solid color materials and texture materials, the effect of casting molds can achieve the same effect as block aluminum molds, but casting aluminum is cheaper.
Block Aluminum Mold
Block aluminum mold usually use for transparency products and products with a height within 100mm, also some small dimension products. Making block aluminum mold is more complicated than making casting aluminum mold. We will buy a whole piece of aluminum and use the CNC engraving into molds. Compared with the casting mold, the thickness of vacuum forming mold is around 15-20mm, too thick to drill through the aluminum, thus we will need CNC to dig out a lot aluminum, which wastes the raw materials and add more work. Block aluminum also use for small dimension products. Cause when the product is small, the raw material cost of aluminum is not much difference between the two. Basically, for transparent products, the height within 100mm products and small products, we generally recommend using block aluminum mold to make products.
We would use upper molds or auxiliary molding tools to help the products get a better forming. When the products with high heights, which require a large stretching range and are difficult to achieve with normal vacuum forming needs, so we will make an upper mold that is lowered from the top of the sheet to help shape it better.
When some products for some necessary reasons will have some under-cut deconstruction, these kinds of products after shaped can’t release off the mold, so when the products have under-cut, usually, in the production of mold, we will make a sliding aluminum block. During forming, for this under-cut part, the aluminum block slides out and also slides into the collection when the product releases the mold.
Fiberglass mold and wooden mold are also used for vacuum forming processes, but not as normal as aluminum mold. These two kinds of mold although the cost of raw materials is much cheaper than aluminum mold, have the same processing process and time spent. They are for test or sample use. If you place an order in the future, these two kinds of mold won’t be used continuously for long.
