Specification sheets for thermoformed refrigerator liners and door panels are full of abbreviations. This guide translates sheet gauge, cavity layout and trim tolerance into decisions you can make.
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 refrigerator liners and door panels 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 single piece liners over 1800 mm; deep draw geometries; gauge 1.5 to 4.0 mm. Materials most often specified are Polypropylene, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, High Density Polyethylene, Polystyrene, and the choice between them changes stiffness, temperature resistance, chemical behaviour and price.
In the industrial equipment sector the decision is usually driven by thick gauge capability and flare and fire rating, with paintability as a secondary requirement. Typical end uses include protective guards, twin sheet panels, equipment covers.
The table below summarises the values that usually decide the material choice.
| Material | Density | Tensile strength | Service temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polypropylene | 0.90-0.91 g/cm³ | 25-40 MPa | -10°C to 100°C |
| Polystyrene | 1.04-1.06 g/cm³ | 30-50 MPa | -20°C to 70°C |
| Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene | 1.04-1.06 g/cm³ | 30-50 MPa | -20°C to 80°C |
Polypropylene is frequently the default selection here: PP is the lightest mainstream packaging resin and keeps its shape under repeated flexing.
These figures are typical for commercial grades and should be confirmed against the supplier's certificate for your specific lot.
When you read a supplier quotation, check that the dimension, the resin grade, the colour reference and the tolerance class are all stated. A quotation that only gives a price per piece is not comparable between suppliers.
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.
A new tool typically takes 25 to 45 days depending on cavity count and complexity, followed by T1 samples within one week. Existing tools can usually start production within 10 to 15 days of order confirmation.
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 production tolerance follows the relevant ISO or DIN tolerance class for the process; tighter tolerances are possible after machining or grinding, but they add cost. Define the tolerance only on the functional dimensions.
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.
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.
If you are planning a new industrial equipment project, send us your drawing, annual volume and target properties, and we will come back with a material proposal, a tooling plan and a budget quotation.
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