Custom Thermoforming: What's The Next Big Thing?

Global Thermoforming Icon Logo
There are many different forms of custom thermoforming, with many big things on the rise in the future. Global Thermoforming is continually pushing the boundaries of technology, quality, and overall enhancements as a company. Our mission is to produce high-quality products with decades of engineering, design, and manufacturing expertise. Many people in the plastic manufacturing industry wonder what the future holds for custom thermoforming and how it can benefit them; the ideas explained below will offer some context into the thermoforming industry and what the imminent future looks like.

Global Thermoforming: An Industry Leader

As an industry leader, Global Thermoforming is highly knowledgeable on all aspects of the process. Our company goes above and beyond to ensure that customers are up-to-date with the latest technology and cutting-edge updates within their industry.

Before discussing more details about the process of thermoforming, it’s essential to recognize why choosing an experienced industry leader is key to the success of a project. Global Thermoforming builds its thermoforming tools and machines, which means that our custom products are in high demand. In addition, designing and developing products faster and fixing production problems ensures that customers can meet their deadlines.

Providing a broad array of plastic manufacturing capabilities means you have access to a wide range of offerings. Whether a customer is looking for design, finishing, assembly, or thermoformed packaging, they handle all of your needs on-site and create every component.

Quality Is Key

Quality is the most prolific characteristic of Global’s company; delivering the best quality in the thermoforming industry and striving for bigger and better things is always our number one priority. Once the customers’ product is delivered, we will be there with you every step of the way to ensure a seamless process. Customer satisfaction has always been a significant focus, which has allowed us to grow to all new heights while delivering high-quality products.

Continual improvements are significant to Global Thermoforming, which is possible due to our customer-centric approach. By getting to know each of our customers, we can develop a trusted connection to our customers and show up with expertise during every step of the manufacturing process. All in all, speed, quality and customer experience will always be at the forefront with Global Thermoforming.

What is Thermoforming?

Understanding what thermoforming is and how a business can implement it is fundamental. But, unfortunately, many people don’t even realize that thermoforming is relevant to their industry until they discover more about it and begin to understand the process.

In short, thermoforming is a manufacturing process in which plastic sheets are heated until they reach an easy-to-mold state. Then they are formed uniquely to create an array of everyday consumer products. Thermoforming is responsible for many essential items, from plastic cutlery to automotive partsmedical equipment, and so much more.

The Process: Plastic Manufacturing

Due to its moderately low upfront cost and the types of plastics used, plastic manufacturing is favored by many people. In addition, the products created from thermoforming are endless, and there is a lot of innovation behind the manufacturing process. The relatively low cost doesn’t mean that competition is lacking in custom plastic manufacturing, though. On the contrary, it is a highly competitive industry with small and large companies fighting for the top spot amongst customers.

Customization in Thermoforming

Custom thermoforming is the hot topic at the moment, so it’s important to recognize how Global Thermoforming is always using innovation and staying ahead of the curve to create custom products for our customers.

Everything that we make is unique and custom-made in its own right. Many of their parts are a component of something else we regularly produce. Understanding our full capabilities might be hard to grasp from the outside, but we are well versed and experienced in handling bigger thermoform projects as well as smaller ones.

Custom Thermoforming Near Me

The thermoforming industry is not only well equipped in terms of custom plastic manufacturing, but it is also beginning to take over metal, fiberglass, and every other style of plastic. Global Thermoforming is ahead of the curve with its plans to change metal from plastic to metal, an innovative process.

With materials becoming stronger, Global can compete with the metal industry as well. For example, automotive professionals are sending them more and more parts, making it simple for them to carry out a much larger order with Global. Secondary operations such as painting and assembly are also a massive part of what Global Thermoforming does, explored later in this discussion.

Custom Thermoforming: The Steps

When working with a new client, the steps in the customization process follow a three-step process. First, the design is decided upon and explored. Then the tooling is done, followed by forming the materials. With all three of these elements in place, we are able to produce highly detailed and custom finishing products that exceed expectations.

Thermoforming Manufacturer Competition

Standing out in a busy industry is tough, but Global Thermoforming does an excellent job differentiating itself from its competitors. Gaining a customized project is what Global truly strives to achieve with every client, and their experience puts them ahead of the pack. Global Thermoforming always tries to understand what is most important to the client. Getting to know the client individually is also at the top of their priority list; delivering top-notch customer service is their overarching mission. Preventing errors and high-quality finished products are usually achieved by getting every detail before the tooling process begins. These are all elements that make Global different from their industry competitors.

Secondary Operations

Global also provides a wide range of secondary operations, including printing, painting, CNC trimming, drape forming, and assembly, along with their custom thermoforming services. The thermoforming process usually begins with a high-quality and expensive piece of plastic, so reducing the amount of waste is very important to Global Thermoforming as a company.

Reducing the amount of trimming needed is all down to good part design and experience in custom thermoforming. Global also offers secondary options for finishing and finalizing customers’ products. Customers can customize every element of their thermoformed plastic product with excellent in-house capabilities and custom plastic packaging.

Unknown Facts About Custom Thermoforming

Many people don’t realize that some of the critical components of the thermoforming process involve the thermoformer itself and the numerous raw materials that are transformed into consumer products.

Several specialized tools are often needed to shape the product into the desired form. The thermoformer, the mold, a heat source, and a good ventilation source are all components that make the process possible. In addition, a slight temperature variation can cause imperfections in the plastics, which every experienced thermoforming company will be aware of.

Precision is another critical part of the process, as any minor miscalculations can cause wasted materials and time. This is why it’s essential to choose an experienced thermoforming company so that you can get the most out of your time with them.

Global Thermoforming's Future Plan

Global Thermoforming is continuously striving for innovation and aims to ensure the highest of qualities for the coming years and expand and grow their offerings. They are also trying to obtain faster prototypes and 3D printing to speed up creating tools. They could even have their 3D printer that can use up to thirty materials in around five years. Of course, it’s costly to obtain, but it will help them in their industry.

More customization for their customers is also in the cards. They invest in around one or two new pieces of large equipment every year, which allows them to carry out the jobs more quickly and create a higher quality finished product.

By staying in touch with suppliers and tool makers, they will always stay on top of anything new emerging in the industry. For example, a material called PLA, a corn-based plastic, is trying to be made entirely biodegradable in ninety days. If Global could start working with this material, it could completely transform their environmentally friendly processes to a new level.

Environmental Innovation

Global is also always looking for ways to promote environmental processes and innovation. Seeking out recycling and green technologies opportunities is part of our current and future plans. For example, using LED high-efficiency lighting with motion-activated sensors is a way our energy consumption will also be dramatically reduced.

Updating our solar panels on the rooftop of our plant in Tempe, AZ, will also help us become more energy-efficient. Using 100% of the recyclable materials and being a member of the AZ Green Tier Program makes Global Thermoforming a forward-thinking and environmentally-friendly choice when choosing your next thermoformer.

The Final Word on Custom Thermoforming

In an industry with limitless possibilities, it is essential to remain grounded with the vision and focus on delivering high-class products that meet the customers’ requirements.

Global Thermoforming has proven that we can deliver this repeatedly with our customers and are looking ahead in the future to make even more innovative processes available to you.

Global Thermoforming White Logo

Have an upcoming project?

Whatever your manufacturing needs may be, Global Thermoforming can put our engineering, design, and manufacturing expertise to work for you.

Related Posts

An image of thermoformed plastics

Top 10 Benefits of Using Thermoforming

With all the benefits this process offers, it’s no surprise that the range of products and applications adopting it continues to grow. Check out the list below to learn about some of the top benefits of thermoforming and how it could improve the manufacturing process for a variety of clients and industries.

Read More »

Share this posT

Learn more about Global Thermoforming
COVID-19 Manufacturing Initiatives​