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Design Guide for rPET Thermoformed Point of Sale Display Trays in retail and merchandising: Draft, Radii and Draw Ratio

2026-10-02 Plastic News 0 views

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.

Product Overview

This category covers a family of products rather than a single item. In practice a buyer defines thermoformed point of sale display 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 counter and shelf formats; stackable for transport; multi tier and stepped designs. Materials most often specified are Polypropylene, Polystyrene, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Polyvinyl Chloride, and the choice between them changes stiffness, temperature resistance, chemical behaviour and price.

In the retail and merchandising sector the decision is usually driven by shelf presentation and print quality, with stack strength as a secondary requirement. Typical end uses include promotional packs, pegboard blisters, shelf trays.

Key Material Properties

The table below summarises the values that usually decide the material choice.

MaterialDensityTensile strengthService temperature
Polyvinyl Chloride1.38-1.45 g/cm³40-55 MPa-10°C to 60°C
Recycled PET1.35-1.40 g/cm³45-65 MPa-40°C to 70°C
Polyethylene Terephthalate1.35-1.40 g/cm³50-70 MPa-40°C to 70°C

Recycled PET is frequently the default selection here: Food-grade rPET requires a recognised recycling process plus solid-state polycondensation.

Design Rules for Thermoformed Parts

A few geometry decisions made on the drawing save weeks of tooling adjustment later.

  • Avoid undercuts unless the tool has moving sections, which adds cost to every cycle.
  • Leave a flat sealing flange of at least 6 mm when the pack has to be heat sealed or lidded.
  • Confirm the trim method early: steel rule die, CNC router or press tool each have different tolerances.
  • Use a draft angle of at least 3 degrees per side so the part releases without vacuum locks.
  • Design uniform wall thickness by avoiding abrupt depth changes in the same cavity.
  • Make corner radii at least equal to the sheet thickness; sharp corners are where holes start.

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.

Common Grades and Variants

  • Recycled PET based: lower carbon footprint than virgin resin
  • Polypropylene based: lowest density among commodity plastics
  • Polyethylene Terephthalate based: excellent barrier to CO2 and moisture
  • Polystyrene based: rigid and glossy

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.

Processing and Finishing Options

Processing method drives both cost and performance, so it should be fixed early in the design.

  • Die cutting
  • Vacuum forming
  • Pressure forming
  • Printing

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.

How to Specify Thermoformed point of sale display trays Correctly

Work through these points in order and most specification mistakes disappear.

  1. use one colour reference for the whole campaign
  2. confirm the display location and lighting conditions
  3. validate print adhesion and abrasion
  4. check stack strength for the loaded display
  5. design for flat packing to cut freight

Send this list to your supplier with the drawing and you will receive comparable quotations from every factory you contact.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you produce thermoformed point of sale display trays in Recycled PET?

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.

What packing and shipping options are available?

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.

How do you control colour consistency?

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.

What is the minimum order quantity for thermoformed point of sale display trays?

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.

How long does tooling and sampling take?

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.

Conclusion

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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