Donite Plastics has been using industrial thermoforming to make plastic parts that are durable, attractive and cost-effective for nearly 40 years. As Ireland’s leading specialist in the industry, we know a thing or two when it comes to thermoformed product.
Quite often, our customers will ask us about using GRP (glass reinforced plastic) processes to manufacture their products, but our response is always the same: there are too many advantages to using thermoformed products.
Here’s why:
1: Price
What customers really love about thermoformed plastic products is the low costs and the fast turnaround times in relation to production. Thermoforming is most cost effective when producing larger volumes, meaning you’ll get more value for money. GRP is less efficient and tends to only be useful for very small production runs and creating prototypes.
2. Recyclability
One feature of thermoformed plastic parts that is attractive to potential customers today, is the fact that both the final parts and any excess material is 100% recyclable. In a society that is doing more than ever to tackle climate change, reducing your own carbon footprint is important and with GRP, the final parts are non-recyclable and the process uses a significant amount of hazardous materials.
3. Thermoforming allows for large and small parts to be made
The versatility of thermoforming means that it is easy to make parts that are both small and large. Donite Plastics is capable of producing parts from a few centimetres in size to parts that are 2.5 metres x 1.5 metres. This versatility means that we can produce different parts for a variety of industries including parts for aircrafts, medical devices and panels for agricultural equipment.
4. Design Benefits
In a world where branding is everything, the flexibility in design for thermoformed products is enticing for prospective customers. As vacuum forming is adaptable to the needs of the customer, there are many different cosmetic features that can be made. You can form incredibly detailed and sharp shapes, logos and text, with a wide variety of colours and finishes. Thermoforming allows product designers to realise the design aesthetics of their company’s logos and branding.
5. Lead Time
GRP processes are often slower, costs higher and therefore lead times longer. Thermoforming is a much quicker process, with most applications utilising a variety of tool configurations. This makes lead times shorter and the tooling and labour costs will be massively reduced. It takes seconds or minutes to create the final shape rather than hours and days.
Contact our team today on +44(0)28 9263 9995 or email contact@donite.com to discuss your thermoforming requirements.