Thermoforming rewards designs that respect how a heated sheet stretches. These rules prevent most tooling rework and most thickness complaints.
The notes below come from day to day production and export work with overseas buyers.
This category covers a family of products rather than a single item. In practice a buyer defines thermoformed food trays by three things: the base resin, the format or dimension, and the performance or certification level it has to meet. Typical options in this category include 1 to 8 compartment layouts; MAP and vacuum lidding options; freezer grade to -20°C. Materials most often specified are Polystyrene, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Polypropylene, Polylactic Acid, and the choice between them changes stiffness, temperature resistance, chemical behaviour and price.
In the logistics and warehousing sector the decision is usually driven by stackability and returnability, with traceability as a secondary requirement. Typical end uses include bakey distribution crates, returnable trays, picking trays.
The table below summarises the values that usually decide the material choice.
| Material | Density | Tensile strength | Service temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polystyrene | 1.04-1.06 g/cm³ | 30-50 MPa | -20°C to 70°C |
| Polylactic Acid | 1.24 g/cm³ | 50-60 MPa | up to 55°C (HDT) |
| Polyethylene Terephthalate | 1.35-1.40 g/cm³ | 50-70 MPa | -40°C to 70°C |
Polylactic Acid is frequently the default selection here: PLA is compostable in industrial facilities, not in a backyard heap, so label it carefully.
Thermoforming rewards designs that respect how the sheet stretches. These rules prevent most tooling rework.
Send these rules to your designer together with the sheet gauge and the target cycle time; most tooling modifications come from ignoring draft and corner radii.
Beyond the base resin, most suppliers offer UV stabilised, food contact, flame retardant, anti-static and recycled content versions of the same product. Ask which additive package is included, because it is often the difference between a part that lasts three years and one that lasts ten.
Each step below has its own control points, and skipping one of them is where most defects start.
Secondary operations such as printing, welding, machining and assembly are often cheaper to do in the same factory, and they reduce the risk of mismatch between components.
Use this checklist when comparing two or three supplier quotations.
Send this list to your supplier with the drawing and you will receive comparable quotations from every factory you contact.
For standard sizes and colours the minimum is usually one pallet or one production run; for custom tooling the economic minimum depends on the tooling cost amortised over the expected volume. Send us your annual volume and we will calculate the break even point.
We can provide ISO 9001 quality system documentation, material certificates, RoHS and REACH statements, and where applicable food contact, flame retardancy or drinking water approvals. Tell us your target market and we will match the document set.
Yes. {mat1} is one of our regular materials for this item, and we can supply virgin, modified and certified grades with full traceability. Material certificates and test reports are issued per batch.
Colour is controlled with a masterbatch reference approved by the customer, and every production lot is checked against the approved sample under standard lighting before shipment.
Standard packing is export cartons on fumigation-free pallets, with custom labelling, barcode and retail packing available. We also handle consolidated containers and door to door delivery.
Share your specification and quantity with us and we will recommend the most cost effective material, tooling route and packing method for your market.
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