The 2024 Thermoforming
Capability Report
Production data from 847,000 pull cycles across six material families.
Every number on this page came off our floor.
Six Polymers.
Every Trade-Off Mapped.
We run all six material families weekly. The table below reflects median values from Q1–Q4 2024 production lots — not spec-sheet maximums, not vendor claims. Real pull-cycle averages from our Kiefel and Brown machines.
| Material | Cost / sq ft | Impact Strength | Forming Temp | Shrinkage | Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIPS High-Impact Polystyrene | $0.38 | 62 | 280–320°F | 0.4–0.6% | Opaque |
ABSPopular Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene | $0.72 | 84 | 300–360°F | 0.5–0.8% | Opaque |
PETG Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol | $0.89 | 91 | 290–340°F | 0.2–0.4% | Clear / Tinted |
HDPE High-Density Polyethylene | $0.44 | 55 | 320–380°F | 1.5–3.0% | Translucent |
PC Polycarbonate | $1.42 | 98 | 340–400°F | 0.5–0.7% | Optical clear |
TPU Thermoplastic Polyurethane | $1.85 | 78 | 300–350°F | 1.0–2.5% | Translucent |
Cycle Time by Part Depth.
847,000 Pulls. No Rounding.
Cycle time is the number engineers fight over. Here it is by draw depth across three material families — median values, not theoretical minimums. Your parts will land within ±4 seconds of these benchmarks on a calibrated run.
Key finding: ABS consistently runs 18–22% longer cycle times than HIPS at equivalent draw depths due to higher forming temperature requirements. For runs where cycle time is a cost driver, HIPS is the default recommendation unless surface or structural spec requires ABS.
When Vacuum Forming
Beats Injection Molding.
The crossover point is real and it sits at roughly 18,000 units for a medium-complexity part. Below that threshold, vacuum forming wins on total landed cost — every time. Here is why, with the actual numbers.
Packaging engineers switching from injection molding to vacuum forming at runs under 5,000 units report average cost reductions of 52–68% on tooling alone. The payback on a PETG medical tray transition typically completes inside one production quarter. We have run this calculation for 23 clients since 2022 — ask us for the anonymized case data.
Tolerance Achievability
by Mold Configuration.
Tight tolerances are achievable in vacuum forming — the variable is mold selection. The grid below maps what each configuration can reliably hold in production. Medical-grade PETG trays run on our precision-machined fixtures routinely clear ±0.005" on critical dimensions.
PETG trays formed on precision-machined Class I fixtures are produced in our ISO 7 cleanroom bay. Lot traceability, material CoA, and dimensional inspection reports ship with every medical order. FDA 21 CFR Part 820 documentation available upon request. We have supplied 14 medical device OEMs since 2019 — zero FDA observations on Formwork-supplied components.
Capability Report
The Data Is Free.
The Expertise Ships With It.
38 pages. Every table generated from our own production logs. No vendor claims, no theoretical ranges — just what actually came off the machine.
1 page · Material selection cheat sheet · No form required