thermoforming
Quick Summary
Thermoforming is a fabrication process in the plastics industry where a sheet of thermoplastic is heated above its glass transition temperature (Tg) or melting temperature (Tm). This heated sheet becomes a flexible membrane that can be shaped by vacuum or pressure into a mold. Once cooled below Tg or Tm, it becomes dimensionally stable in the mold's shape. This method is commonly used to create items like cold drink cups from polystyrene or PET. A variation, cold molding, shapes some thermoplastics without heating, using only pressure, for products like margarine cups.1
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
