Custom Plastics Engineering
Trusted leader in custom plastic manufacturing, delivering high-quality, durable plastic parts engineered with proven success and on-time delivery.
Advanced Plastiform, Inc. is a leading plastics manufacturing company who takes pride in offering low prices, fast lead times, and most importantly, durable, high-quality, custom plastics. While we often talk about the production aspect of manufacturing, one of our leading strengths is the assistance we give our clients during the product development stage.
Our engineering team, led by our President as Chief Engineer, has years of experience in plastics engineering and are experts in how to design cost-effective solutions for our customers without sacrificing the durability and quality they need. Their knowledge and experience also allows them to improve the product development process, avoiding the roadblocks that cause projects to fall behind schedule and ensure on-time delivery.
Understanding Plastics Engineering
Our plastics manufacturing company forms custom plastics through two main methods: thermoforming and injection molding. The engineering team works with the client to determine not only the design and developmental stage of the plastic product that is needed, they have to consider the ideal thermoplastic materials to use, what type of coatings or additives should be added, and they also need to determine what manufacturing process is best to ensure durability while keeping costs low.
Injection Molding
Injection molding is often used to manufacture small or intricately designed plastic parts and components. The thermoplastic material is heated to a liquid state, and a high-pressure injector forces the liquid into a custom, two-sided tool. The tools are made from copper alloy, steel, or aluminum, depending upon the force needed to shape the plastic.
Our plastics engineers design the tool and determine the material from which the tool should be designed. Their goal through this process is to ensure you get the best result at the lowest per-unit price.
Thermoforming
Much of our plastics manufacturing company is based around thermoforming plastics because it’s a more cost-effective, efficient process. Plastic sheets are heated until they are malleable, then they are shaped around a one-sided, aluminum tool that our engineers designed. There are three types of thermoforming used at Advanced Plastiforms, Inc.:
- Vacuum thermoforming - Once the plastic is heated and shaped to the tool, a high-powered vacuum is inserted between them to suction out any air and draw it more firmly against the mold. While not used for sharp angles and precise details, vacuum thermoforming is an inexpensive manufacturing method often used to make vehicle dashboards, shelving, and trunk tubs.
- Pressure thermoforming - Pressure forming involves the plastic being blasted with highly pressurized air while a vacuum draws out air between the plastic and tool. The added pressure provides higher levels of detail, sharply defined corners, and improved precision. Pressure forming can often be used as an affordable alternative to injection molding.
- Twin sheet thermoforming - For cylindrical shapes, double walled items, and hollow industrial products like bed liners, air ducts, and trash chutes, we use twin sheet thermoforming. This involves heating and shaping two sheets of plastic at the same time and then fusing them together. This method requires care and precision to ensure the sheets are properly aligned and joined at the pressed points to ensure stability and durability of the finished piece.
Plastics Engineering for All Types of Industries
Our engineering team drives the creative process in order to improve the overall quality of the plastic products while working with our production team to create highly detailed tooling that ensures accuracy and consistency with the design. Everything they do is geared toward making sure the final products are within budget, produced on time, and will meet the needs of each client.
We manufacture custom plastics for all types of industries across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, including:
- Automotive
- Medical
- Construction
- Transportation
- Refrigeration
- Recreational vehicles
- Shipping
- Furniture
- Filtration and water systems
- Material handling
- Telecommunications
Contact Our Plastics Manufacturing Company to Learn More
Since 1989, our plastics manufacturing company has had one mission - to design and produce high-quality, custom plastics for our clients. We have an experienced engineering team, a large manufacturing space, and the latest in thermoforming and injection molding technology in order to fulfill that mission every day. Our Zebulon, North Carolina headquarters gives us a central location to deliver to seven states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia.
Please contact us today by calling 919-404-2080 or filling out our form to discuss your custom plastic manufacturing needs.
