Thermoforming is a popular process commonly you can use to manufacture a wide range of plastic pallets. Like other manufacturing processes, it has unique pros and cons. A reason why plastic pallet manufactures use thermoforming alongside other processes such as injection and blow molding.

Basically, thermoforming plastic pallets involves 5 basic processes. They include:

1. Plastic pallet design

Like any other manufacturing process, thermoforming plastic begins by having the right design of the pallet. That is, whether you need a standard or customized plastic pallet, first, you need a design. It is from this design that you will choose the right tooling. Whether you need a heavy duty or euro plastic pallet will be determined by your design.

For standard plastic pallets, this will not be a problem since the designs already exist. However, when it comes to custom designs, you need to work very closely with your plastic pallet manufacturer. The reason being, you will need a technical drawing of the pallet. A CAD is a popular tool when it comes to designing.

2. Choosing material

When it comes to plastic pallets, you have two options. That is, whether to go for the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polypropylene (PP) materials. They are the main materials that produce high quality thermoformed plastic pallets. Actually, it is for this reason that they have become popular in the plastic pallet manufacturing industry.

This is due to their unique physical and chemical properties such as: impact resistance, durability, resistance to chemicals, easy to mold, safe, recyclable, high strength and non-toxic, just to mention a few.

3. Design a tooling for thermoformed plastic tooling

In thermoformed plastic pallets manufacturing, the term “tooling” basically refers to the mold. Here, you have to design a mold that conforms to the exact shape of the desired plastic pallets.

It is also one of the most challenging step in plastic pallet thermoforming process. Remember, any mistake you make at this point will replicate on the plastic pallet.

There are very many types of molds you can choose from. They vary in size, design and material. However, there are certain mold construction guidelines you have to follow.

A good plastic pallet molding equipment should guarantee the following:

  • Consistency in dimensions
  • Reduce production cost
  • Increase rate of production

 

4. Start the actual plastic pallet thermoforming process

In thermoforming, you have to heat the plastic material (PP or HDPE) to a pliable temperature, then form it (exert a reasonable amount of force using the molds) to a three-dimensional shape. Basically, this is what the whole idea is all about.

So, how do you achieve this?

  • Choose the right quantity of plastic material for the pallets
  • Heat the plastic to a pliable temperature
  • Shape it to the mold. You may use air pressure, vacuum pressure or a combination of both.
  • Cool the formed plastic pallet
  • Remove it from the mold.

The good this about thermoformed plastic pallet is that they do not have residual stresses.

5. Trim the formed pallet & do the necessary secondary operations

At times, there are some parts of the original material that may remain attached to the plastic pallet. You have to remove these excess sections. A number of companies have automated machines to do this. This will actually increase the production speed.

Also, to achieve certain objectives, you have to conduct certain secondary operations. Some of the most common secondary operations may include: painting, EMI/RFI shielding, silk screening, etc.

In short, these are the main steps involved in thermoformed plastic pallet manufacturing process.

As I stated earlier, you need to evaluate whether this process is actually suitable for the application at hand or not. So, let’s have a quick summary of the pros and cons of plastic pallet thermoforming process.

Advantages of thermoformed plastic pallet manufacturing process

The key advantages include:

Disadvantages of thermoformed plastic pallets

These include:

  • Vacuum thermoforming produces thin-walled plastic pallets that have limited impact strength.
  • Production cycle time is lower than injection molding
  • Ideal for small batch plastic pallet production

Conclusion

Thermoforming is an alternative plastic pallet manufacturing process. However, you need to consider both the pros and cons to be sure that it is the best process for the work at hand.

At WeePallet, we use both plastic pallet molding techniques depend on our customers’ needs and requirements. Contact us today for free consultation.