Emma Hockley, Big Bear Plastics, Thermoforming and Materials

Thermoforming

Overview

Big Bear specialise in the productionmanufacture of large and medium-sized thermoformed parts in single-

sheet, twin-sheet and pressureforming technology.

Moulding

UK’s largest single and twin sheetrotary moulding machines -up to 3.5m x 2.5m x 1.2m.

Moulding

Machining and Trimming

Assembly, Clean & Pack, Delivery

Material Selection

Big Bear has experience with awide variety of thermo-plasticmaterials enabling us to advisecustomers on the best material

selection for their product.

Airline Seat Backs

Concept and Styling

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Big Bear

History of Thermoforming

Twin Sheet

Advantages / Disadvantages

Disadvantages:

• Higher production part costs compared to injectionmoulding due to sheet extrusion, trimming and trimwaste.

• Trim waste can be granulated and re extruded.


Advantages:

• Low tooling costs compared to injection orcompression moulding or processes.

• Tooling can be tailored to type & volume of partsrequired.

• Ability to mould different thicknesses, colours & typesof materials when developing products.


Advantages continued!

• Ability to try different techniques at developmentstage before committing to production tooling.

• Ability to mould very large parts which are verydifficult and expensive to produce with othermoulding processes.

Tools for Vacuum-Forming

• Quick to produce vs. higher volume applications e.g.steel tooling for injection moulding.

• Timber, MDF & Ureol can be used for very low volume,prototype / development parts.

• For higher volumes, temperature controlled aluminiumtools are ideal.

Thermoforming Applications

Applications

Foil-Laminated ABS

PMMA - ABS

Polyolefins

• HDPE• MDPE• PP• TPE

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene

Bearex Bumpers

Warwick Sub

Warwick Sub

Innovation Award – 1st Place

Warwick Sub

“…The collaboration with the specialists at Big Bearhas been hugely beneficial and successful. To verytight time constraints, a student-designed, complexhydrodynamic nose-cone has been produced,overcoming significant manufacturing difficulties toproduce an excellent result…”

Dr Ian Tuersley, Project Director

Anti-Microbial Materials

Bio-Plastics

Emma Hockley, Big Bear Plastics, Thermoforming and Materials

Technology

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