The Eco-Tool – Affordable High Volume Tooling for Your Thermoformed Part

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 and shape required and then machining in channels for the water to travel through or the tool is made via an aluminum casting and water lines are adhered to the inside later after the tool has been cast.

Water cooled aluminum tools allow the thermoforming company to form part after part, back to back (such as is the case when using a rotary thermoformer), over the tool without worrying about residual heat build up in the aluminum.   If heat builds up in a thermoforming tool, it can cause the tool to expand and thus affect the size of the thermoformed part.  Residual heat build up can also cause the temperature while demolding to be elevated which can lead to warping of the thermoformed part.  For parts with tight tolerances and whose volume is high or whose lead time is short and thus requires the use of a rotary thermoformer, water cooled aluminum tools should always be utilized if possible.  However, for parts whose volume or lead time dictates they be run on a rotary thermoformer but the dimensional tolerances are a little more forgiving, Arrowhead offers a much more affordable option….the Eco-Tool™

The Eco-Tool™ is a proprietary type of thermoforming tool that Arrowhead developed to help our customers who have a part where the volume is high enough to warrant running the part on one of our rotary thermoformers but there is not enough money in the tooling budget for water cooled aluminum tooling.  Large water cool aluminum tools can be very expensive.  Arrowhead’s proprietary Eco-Tool™ technology usually ends up costing our customers anywhere from 25% – 50% of what a water-cooled aluminum tool would cost.

Due to the laminate schedule, design and unique mold configuration, Arrowhead’s Eco-Tool™ gives our customers who have invested in this tooling the ability to have their parts run on one of our rotary thermoforming machines without the risk of residual heat build up, degradation of the tool or molding parts that are warped.  Furthermore, modifying Eco-Tools can much be easier and quicker than modifying an aluminum tool.

The Eco-Tools™ are composite based thermoforming tools and are manufactured at our Muncie Plant which specializes in custom fiberglass molding.

Have a thermoformed part that you think would be a good fit for one of our Eco-Tools?  Give me a call and let’s talk about it!