With formary, you can source custom plastic thermoformed parts from a single partner – from prototypes and sample production to small and large-scale series manufacturing. We support a wide range of thermoforming and vacuum forming applications, including thermoformed housings and covers, blisters, inlays, containers, workpiece carriers and load carriers.
Production & AutomationPlastic Tray
The process is also known as thermoforming, vacuum forming, vacuum thermoforming, pressure forming or plastic deep drawing. In industrial applications, thermoforming is used for both thin-gauge parts from roll material and thick-gauge parts from sheet material.
In simple terms: plastic thermoforming turns a flat plastic sheet into a shaped plastic component.
Vacuum forming uses negative pressure to pull the heated plastic sheet onto the mold surface. It is one of the most common thermoforming methods and is especially suitable for cost-efficient parts with simple to moderately complex geometries. Typical applications include trays, inlays, covers, containers and protective packaging.
Pressure forming uses compressed air to press the heated plastic sheet against the mold. This allows more detailed surfaces, sharper contours and improved dimensional accuracy compared to standard vacuum forming. Pressure forming is often used for visible components, housings, covers and technical parts with higher optical or mechanical requirements.
Twin-sheet thermoforming forms two plastic sheets separately and joins them together during the process. This creates hollow or double-walled parts with increased stiffness and lower weight. Typical applications include pallets, load carriers, housings, ducts and robust transport components.
Sheet-fed thermoforming uses individual plastic sheets. It is suitable for larger parts, thicker material gauges and components that require stability, size or complex trimming. Typical applications include machine covers, housings, containers, tubs and large industrial components.
Thermoforming plastic is unrivaled, especially for medium-sized series with tight lead times. Thermoforming combines fast implementation with cost-efficient tools and a wide variety of materials.
Developments in machine and material technology in recent years have led to plastic thermoforming increasingly replacing other applications and processes:
This makes thermoforming the “go-to” process between 3D printing (flexible, expensive) and injection molding (cost-effective for series production, high start-up costs).
| Process | Best for | Tooling cost | Unit cost | Typical use case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic thermoforming | Prototypes, small series, medium series, large parts | Low to medium | Low to medium | Trays, housings, covers, inlays, containers |
| Injection molding | Very high volumes and complex small parts | High | Very low at scale | Technical mass-produced plastic parts |
| 3D printing | Prototypes, individual parts, design validation | No tool needed | High | Samples, fit checks, prototypes |
formary provides plastic thermoformed parts for a variety of applications. Using the thermoforming process, custom plastic products are produced according to customer specifications.
Plastic thermoforming allows small series, including tool manufacturing, to be completed in as little as 2 weeks.
Compared to injection molding, tools for plastic thermoforming are significantly more affordable.
Plastic thermoforming is ideal for smaller quantities starting from a few hundred units.
A broad range of plastics, recyclates, color options, material thicknesses, and mechanical properties are available for thermoforming.
Plastic thermoforming offers various options for rapid prototyping or quick production of sample series.
Tolerance dimensions for thermoformed plastic products can meet DIN and ISO standards in many applications.
Here’s how the project works with formary to create your custom thermoformed product.
Choose your custom thermoformed part’s application case using the formary configurator.
During the guided process, provide all necessary thermoforming requirements for your plastic part.
You will receive a quote within 24 hours for your thermoformed part, including tiered pricing and tooling costs.
An experienced project manager will review your request for thermoformability and suggest optimizations.
The matching algorithm assigns your thermoformed part to the ideal thermoformer. The thermoforming process begins immediately.
