Thermoform Tooling
Thermoform Tooling
Since 1990, L. L. Brown, Inc. has specialized in the production of tooling for the plastic thermoforming and vacuum forming industries. During this time, we have developed cutting-edge technology, and state-of-the-art production techniques, allowing us to produce products at a reasonable cost in a short amount of time.
- The ability to produce the most intricate mold with incredible turnaround is our hallmark.
- Our master tooling allows faster mold setups, which maximizes machine run time and decreases project tooling costs.
- Continuous shape thermoforming presents many challenges.
Thermoform Mold Production
The process of mold production begins with a design. This can either be done completely by L. L. Brown, Inc. or imported from customer files into our CAD system using a variety of different formats, including DXF, DWG, PRT, CADL, and IGES. From there, the geometry is manipulated and exported to our Computer-Aided Manufacturing software, where the mold program is written. This CAM system provides the ability to cut virtually any shape imaginable with both two and three dimensional surfaces, such as blended, 3-D swept, and NURBS. All tools are manufactured to your mounting requirements (i.e. cooling, air, mounting holes).
Master Tooling
The concept and goal behind “Master Tooling” is to allow the customer to have greater flexibility with their mold base. This means that you are able to use the same tooling build-ups for many different projects. This “master tooling” can be built with many features in mind to allow faster mold setups, maximize machine run time, and to decrease project tooling costs, all of this with the emphasis on increased productivity and profitability.
This portion of the tooling includes a cooling plate along with a series of parallels (or standoffs) that can be constructed to a given height. This entire package is then able to mount into your machine and your project tooling to it. Various height parallels can be made to give you increased flexibility in the thickness of your project tooling. Quick change cylinders are able to be incorporated into this build-up to allow for rapid changeovers and ease of installation.
Front and Rear Clamp Assemblies can be easily added to this build-up in order to pinch off and isolate the plastic sheet during forming. These sheet clamps prevent distortion by holding the sheet flat prior to engagement of the mold or plug assist.
Continuous Shape Thermoforming
One of the more common types of thermoforming is what is often referred to as continuous shape thermoforming. This process is used to produce a part of unlimited length on a thermoforming machine using an index of only two or three feet. It is of particular use to manufacturers making media for the cooling tower or waste water treatment industries.
L.L. Brown, Inc. has developed and patented a revolutionary gasket sealing tooling technology for the continuous shape thermoforming industry. This tooling technique was developed due to the difficulty in sealing the mold during the continuous shape thermoforming process. This sealing technique incorporates a custom made and replaceable gasket which allows the tooling set to seal along a very complex surface. This advancement allows the industry to maximize the mold size that can be run and produce a more economical and efficient sheet with every machine cycle.