The Effect of Selected Conditions in a Thermoforming Process on Wall Thickness Variations

Abstract

The paper reports the results of a study on the effect of selected conditions in a thermoforming process for thin polystyrene sheet by vacuum assisted drape forming on the wall thickness non-uniformity of finished parts. The investigation was performed using Statistica’s DOE module for three variables: temperatures in the external and internal zones of the heater as well as heating time of the plastic sheet. The results demonstrate that the wall thickness in the finished parts at the measuring points is primarily affected by the heating time and the temperature in the internal zone of the heater, while the temperature in the external zone only affects some regions of the finished part. The results demonstrate that a short heating time, and hence, a lower temperature of the plastic sheet lead to a more uniform deformation of both the bottom and the side walls of the finished part, and as a consequence, to smaller variations in the wall thickness. Shortening the heating time is, however, limited by the necessity of accurate reproduction of the shape of the finished part.