Vacuum Formed Inserts
Vacuum Formed Inserts
Vacuum Formed Plastic Packaging
Vacuum forming is an incredibly useful way of making bespoke packaging out of rigid plastic. It’s ideal for trays and inserts designed to go inside a box. It can also be the main thing protecting your product – as with clamshells and blister packs.
How does it Work?
Vacuum forming, also known as thermoforming, involves heating a sheet of plastic until it’s soft and using a vacuum to pull it tight against a mould. The plastic then cools and holds its new shape, which is ideal if you want a custom insert that fits perfectly around your product.
Vac forming is a really cost-effective way of manufacturing packaging, and can be used with a wide range of materials such as High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS), PVC or greener alternatives such as A-PET or R-PET.
We start by discussing your requirements. Different materials have different properties, so we can provide spec sheets if you need information about strength, fire resistance or conductivity. We then create CAD drawings and prototypes for approval before manufacturing the packaging itself.
Vacuum Formed Packaging
Vacuum formed trays and inserts are perfect for keeping products still and displaying them attractively. They’re used for everything from chocolate boxes and toys to packaging for toiletries, cosmetics and perfumes.
Using a plastic insert inside a box with a window works especially well for gifts – particularly if you want to combine multiple items in a set. These candles are a great example.
Trays and inserts can be designed to be stackable for ease of shipping and storage, or with handles or embossed information.
Clamshells and Blister Packaging
For small or high cost items, rigid plastic packaging can be useful for protection and to help the retailer display them more easily. This can be in the form of a card-backed blister pack, or a hinged clamshell that encloses the product completely. In either case, printed information can appear on the card or inside the transparent packaging.
Blister packs are commonly used for DIY and stationery products like glue, ink cartridges and so on. However, this type of packaging is suitable for almost any industry.
Clamshells can be heat sealed and used as secure packaging for high value items like mobile phone and computer accessories, light bulbs, or potentially dangerous items such as scissors and knives.
Colours and Designs
Blisters and clamshells are usually made using transparent plastics, but for trays and inserts we can colour-match the materials to your logo or existing packaging. We can even match the colour to a specific Pantone® number.
