Farm Equipment Injection Molding & Thermoforming
Growing your farming needs with quality injection molding and thermoforming solutions. Experience on-time delivery for high-quality plastic part manufacturing.
Thermoforming & Injection Molding for Farm Equipment and Vehicles
Advanced Plastiform, Inc. is proud to be a leading supplier of custom plastics used in farm equipment and farm vehicles. From tools to tractors, equipment used in agriculture needs to be durable, long-lasting, and able to withstand even the most adverse conditions. With our experienced team and innovative thermoforming and injection molding equipment, we can not only provide the quality our clients need, but also the low cost and fast turnaround times they look for. Our clients come to us, knowing our engineering and manufacturing team will work with them to create a design, select the right thermoplastic materials, and choose the best method of manufacturing that will minimize cost and assure accuracy and consistency of every component.
High-Quality Thermoplastics
Quality starts with materials, and we use a variety of high-quality thermoplastics to manufacture farm equipment. From ABS commonly used to make seat frames to acrylic used in windshields, we can get better results because we know how to pair the right plastic to the necessary function.
Farm Equipment Injection Molding
For small components or those requiring sharp details, angles, or different widths, we use injection molding. This method involves heating plastic pellets to a liquid, and then injecting them using a high-pressure injector into a 3D mold.
Because the tooling required is double-sided and must be able to withstand high pressure from the injection, the tooling is made from steel, aluminum, or a copper alloy. The time and materials needed to design the tool raises the initial cost, but once we have the mold cast and ready for use, we can use it for both large or repeat orders. From a per-unit perspective, the cost of injection molding can be comparable to thermoforming, depending on the parts we're making.
Injection molded farm and construction equipment parts include:
- Knobs and Dials
- Levers and gear shifts
- Door handles
- Switches
- Internal components
Farm Equipment Thermoforming
Much of the custom farm equipment components we manufacture are made by thermoforming because it's generally a faster, more cost-effective method. Thermoforming is where large sheets of plastic are heated until flexible and then shaped around a custom aluminum tool to achieve the needed shape. At API, we have over 60,000 square feet dedicated to thermoforming and often work with plastic sheets as large as eight feet by nine feet, allowing us to meet nearly any design request.
We use three different types of thermoforming, depending on what kind of shape and details our clients need.
Vacuum forming
Vacuum forming removes all the air from between the plastic and the tool using a high-powered vacuum. This method is faster and less expensive than other forming methods but it's generally best used for parts that don't require sharp corners or intensive detailing.
Pressure forming
Pressure forming is a more precise method of forming, performed by using highly pressurized air to push the plastic against the tool while a vacuum removes any air between the tool and plastic. This method achieves a more clear shape and can obtain the sharp corners and details some designs require. Pressure forming applies three times the pressure of vacuum forming and creates results similar to injection molding with a faster lead time and a lower cost.
Twin sheet forming
Twin-sheet forming is generally used to create pieces with hollow cores or separate internal components, like tubes and cylinders. We take two adjacent sheets of plastic and fit them around two tools to shape them simultaneously, then fuse the two pieces together. In order for the pieces to join correctly, they must be formed in perfect alignment, so this method requires the highest level of precision.
Thermoformed construction equipment components include:
- Seat frames
- Dashboards
- Engine covers
- Bumpers
- Equipment covers
- Door interiors
Contact Us for Farm Equipment Injection Molding & Thermoforming
If you are seeking a farm equipment injection molding company you can rely on, reach out to Advanced Plastiform, Inc. Our experienced team of designers, engineers, and manufacturers will work with you to determine the best method of manufacture for your components and help you create the perfect design for your needs. We proudly serve seven states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia.
