For many thermoformers, if a plastic part’s volume or lead time requires that a part be run on a rotary thermoforming machine, there is only one acceptable type of tool to utilize; water cooled aluminum. A water cooled aluminum tool is usually produced by either machining a billet of aluminum to the correct size [...]
Arrowhead Plastic Engineering is a company who thermoforms plastic parts into a variety of different shapes. I am a resident of Mother Earth and don’t want to see her cluttered with debris, waste and filth. I also am a person who lives in the 21st Century and understands the benefits, conveniences and necessity of items [...]
The design phase of the product development process is probably one of the most important, if not THE most important part of the product life cycle. Without a good design, a molded fiberglass or thermoformed plastic part can be expensive to tool up, expensive to build, expensive to ship and expensive to modify. Conversely, [...]
When it comes to putting the finishing touches on your company’s product, multiple variables usually come into play. The finishing touches need to provide a look that fits your company’s image as well provide any functionality that may be required. Covers, guarding, skins, etc are usually utilized for this purpose. Many times these guards [...]
Plastic products are so common nowadays that you can find products made via plastic in nearly every store you walk into. Walk down the electronics aisle of any retail store and you are bound to find USB drives, memory cards, webcams, headphones, speakers, etc all made from plastic. Usually these products are all made [...]
Why not steel or aluminum? Metal materials such as steel, aluminum and others have been used for years in many different industries. Each of these materials has its strengths but these strengths come at a cost. Thus, I thought it would make sense to type up a little series of blog post showing some [...]
Let’s talk textures. Texture is an area in which thermoformed products have a distinct advantage over many other plastic processes such as injection molding, rotational molding, blow molding, etc. Unlike fiberglass and the aforementioned plastic processes, thermoformed (or vacuum formed) parts which require a texture don’t pick up this texture from the mold surface. The [...]
At Arrowhead Plastic Engineering, we operate 2 separate facilities in east-central Indiana. One plant specializes in fiberglass composites and the other plant thermoforms plastic parts. We are often asked, "What's the difference between the two." That's a great question with a complex answer. Fiberglass is what is considered a thermoset composite, whereas Thermoformed Plastic [...]
