“Thermoforming” is also called thermoplastic molding, it is a way of plastic processing and molding. Plastic molding is inseparable from molds. Due to different industries’ requirements, there are different choices for the materials of thermoforming molds.but for the current market, aluminum material has become the best material for thermoforming mold.
There are four kinds of thermoforming molds in the process we always talk about: wood mold, plaster mold, electroplating copper mold and aluminum mold.
Wood mold: The cost of wood is lowest, and it is easy to be cut by CNC machine. And it is also easy to manufacture and takes a short time, but the wood mold would crack under the high temperature heating, resulting difficult molding or product deformation.
Plaster mold: The advantage is that the production cycle is short and the cost is low. It only takes one to two days to make a whole mold. The disadvantage is that the surface of the plaster mold will be rough, resulting in poor product contact with the mold surface, and the mold is easily broken during production, and has poor durability. Some products with complex structures cannot be molded, and are not suitable for deep high, and complex products.
Electroplating copper mold: The advantage of using electroplated copper mold production is that the surface of the thermoforming product is smooth, the cost is moderate, and the durability is moderate. The disadvantage is that the mold production cycle is long, short service life, difficult to save and the production of precision thermoforming products cannot be completed. And if the mold needs to be modified later, the cost and process of modifying the mold are also very high and complicated.
Aluminum mold: The advantage is that the production cycle is moderate, the surface is smooth and durable, can be formed with high precision products, easy to fine casting. In the high-temperature processing of thermoforming, the aluminum material is heated quickly, uniformly heated and dissipated slowly, which is more stable for thermoforming products. In addition, the aluminum material is durable and has a long service life, even if it needs to be changed or repaired later, the aluminum mold can be better realized.
Ok, the above introduction is the thermoforming mold. Hope this article can make you have some understanding of the mold. Thanks for reading~
