Vacuum Forming

What is Vacuum Forming?

Vacuum forming is a type of thermoforming process. A thermoplastic sheet is heated until it becomes pliable, then drawn down over a mould using vacuum pressure. Once the material cools and sets, it takes on the shape of the mould and is trimmed to the final part dimensions.

The result is a part that is consistent in form, lightweight in structure, and well suited to applications where thin-walled plastic geometry is needed at a competitive unit cost.

Because tooling is typically aluminium or resin-based rather than hardened steel, vacuum forming tooling costs are considerably lower than injection moulding, making it a sensible choice for projects that don’t require the tolerances or volumes that injection moulding is optimised for.

How the Vacuum Forming Process Works

1. Design and tooling: Your part design is reviewed and a mould is produced to suit. Formero manages the tooling process as part of the service, so you don’t need to source this separately.
2. Sheet heating: A thermoplastic sheet is loaded and heated to the correct forming temperature for the selected material.
3. Forming: The heated sheet is placed over the mould and vacuum pressure draws it into contact with the mould surface, capturing the part geometry.
4. Cooling and trimming: The formed part cools and sets before being removed from the mould. Excess material is trimmed to produce the final part.
5. Quality and dispatch: Parts are checked and prepared for delivery.

Vacuum Forming Applications

Vacuum formed parts are used across a wide range of industries and applications. The process is particularly well suited to:

• Packaging and product enclosures — retail and industrial packaging, blister packs, point-of-sale displays, and product inserts
• Medical and healthcare — trays, housings, and protective enclosures for medical devices and consumables
• Food storage — containers, trays, and packaging inserts using food-safe materials
• Consumer products — protective cases, product enclosures, and display packaging
• Industrial and commercial — components for wet or outdoor environments where paper-based alternatives are not suitable

Benefits of Vacuum Forming

• Lower tooling costs: Compared to injection moulding, vacuum forming tooling is significantly less expensive to produce.
• Lightweight parts: Formed parts are thin-walled by nature, which keeps component weight low.
• Stackable and space-efficient designs: Parts can be designed to nest or stack when not in use.
• Suitable for wet and outdoor environments: Unaffected by moisture, Vacuum Formed parts are ideal for cold chain, outdoor, and industrial environments.
• Recyclable materials: Many thermoplastic materials used in vacuum forming carry strong recyclability profiles, supporting responsible material use and end-of-life disposal.
• Scalable from prototypes to production: The same tooling and process used for early-run validation can be carried through into full production, removing the need to re-tool as volumes grow.
• Reusable parts: Where applications allow, vacuum formed components can be cleaned and reused across multiple cycles, improving value over the part’s lifetime.

Why Choose Formero for Vacuum Forming?

Formero manages the full vacuum forming workflow on your behalf. Rather than sourcing tooling and manufacturing separately, you work with a single point of contact who coordinates the process from design review through to delivery.

Our team brings the same approach to vacuum forming that we apply across all traditional manufacturing services: clear communication, realistic timelines, and a focus on getting the right outcome for your project rather than pushing volume.

We are Australian-owned and based in Melbourne, and we work with trusted suppliers to deliver consistent quality at competitive pricing. All project management is handled locally, so you get a responsive team throughout.

If your project involves other manufacturing requirements alongside vacuum forming, such as 3D printing for prototyping, CNC machining, or post-processing, we can coordinate those services under one roof as well.