Reducing thermoforming costs – Key points at a glance
formary reduces your thermoforming costs through five targeted measures:
- Early design support: Avoid cost traps right from the design phase.
- Optimal choice of materials: Efficient thermoplastics reduce material consumption and costs.
- Digital process optimisation: A user-friendly platform for fast, transparent procurement.
- Automated supplier matching: Find the perfect manufacturers within 24 hours.
- Diversification within the network: Avoiding supply bottlenecks and keeping prices stable.
→ Enquire now
1. How does formary optimise thermoforming costs right from the design stage?
By getting involved at an early stage in the design process in accordance with the Design for Manufacturing (DFM) principle, formary identifies cost drivers as early as the design phase. We offer advice on:
- Choice of materials
- Design
- Tool planning
to develop a cost-optimised deep-drawn part. This ensures the best combination of material, stability and tool design. You can find out more about the design of deep-drawn parts in our Design Guide.
2. How does choosing the right material reduce thermoforming costs?
Choosing the right material is crucial for optimising costs in plastic deep-drawing. By analysing material properties and their behaviour during the deep-drawing process, we can recommend materials that offer high formability whilst reducing material consumption. formary analyses the specific requirements of each project and selects plastics that are both cost-effective and high-performance.
What thermoplastics does formary work with?
All-rounders & technical thermoplastics
- ABS: A versatile material with good mechanical and thermal properties (–40°C to 75°C)
- ASA: Modified ABS, UV- and weather-resistant (–20°C to 90°C)
- PC (polycarbonate): Highly heat-resistant, highly transparent, electrical insulator (–100°C to 130°C)
Transparent plastics
- PMMA (Plexiglas): Crystal-clear appearance, rigid/brittle, weather-resistant (–40°C to 70°C)
- PET-A: Cost-effective, highly transparent, particularly suitable for packaging (–10°C to 60°C)
- PET-G: Modified PET-A, very high moulding precision and transparency (–40°C to 63°C)
- PVC (rigid): High rigidity, strength, transparency, chemical resistance (–5°C to 65°C)
Chemical-resistant plastics
- HD-PE: Resistant to oils and chemicals, low hardness, good elasticity (–50°C to 85°C)
- PP: Very soft, very stretchy, particularly suitable for packaging (0°C to 100°C)
Standard/mass-produced plastics
- PS (polystyrene): Versatile, medium hardness and strength, cost-effective (–20°C to 60°C)
How can the configurator help with choosing materials?
Using the automated material recommendations in the configurator, you can receive suggestions for the most suitable thermoplastic for your thermoforming project, which we will, of course, verify once again. Factors such as material costs, availability, processability and suitability for the thermoformed product are taken into account.
ℹ️ Find out how the choice of material affects the overall cost of your thermoforming project in our new whitepaper.
3. How does the platform save time and money?
With our guided configurator, you can configure thermoformed products in just a few clicks. The customer portal offers full transparency regarding:
- Status tracking
- Changes to specifications
- direct communication with the project manager
- quick approvals
What are the benefits of the formary platform?
- Less coordination required
- Faster projects
- Lower procurement costs
Customer portal
Once an order has been placed, you can track the project status, manage approvals and communicate directly with the project manager via the customer portal. The portal thus ensures up-to-date transparency in project management and precise control over enquiries and orders, saving both time and thermoforming costs.
We explain more about how to use the formary platform in our webinar.
4. How does formary’s supplier matching service work?
formary’s matching algorithm matches your requirements in real time with a verified network of suppliers:
- Taking into account machinery, stock, skills
- Access to the capacity of certified DACH-based companies
- Instant quote usually within 24 hours
Our matching algorithm automatically selects the best manufacturer from our network. The benefits for you are:
- Access to capacity from the DACH region at any time
- Instant quote within 24 hours
ℹ️ You have several platforms to choose from and want to know the differences between formary and providers such as FACTUREE and Xometry Europe? Read our platform comparison.
5. Cost savings in deep drawing through diversification and spreading your requirements across the supplier network
Since the supply chain issues in 2022 – which were originally triggered by the COVID-19 crisis – establishing secondary sources of supply and alternative suppliers has become a common strategy for companies to reduce dependencies and the risk of delivery failures. formary automates this diversification process and distributes projects across a broad network of suppliers. This means that you can request plastic thermoformed parts from formary at any time, with consistent quality, and have them delivered within the specified delivery times.
You can find further tips on how to reduce costs in the Guide to Cost Reduction in Deep Drawing.
Reducing delivery costs with formary – A summary
By combining these five factors, formary can significantly reduce thermoforming costs and thereby improve efficiency in the procurement of plastic thermoformed parts. This enables the company to offer high-quality products at relatively low cost, delivered quickly, automatically and reliably.
For more information on how formary can help you reduce your procurement costs, please watch our webinar on procurement with formary.
