Services
Bankier Companies provides custom thermoforming services to help businesses produce reliable plastic parts and move projects smoothly through each stage of manufacturing.
With more than 35 years of thermoforming experience, our team can help with part design, material selection, tooling, production, machining, assembly, packaging, and distribution.
We work with both thin- and heavy-wall thermoforming applications and help customers find a practical manufacturing approach based on their part, production needs, timeline, and budget.
Discuss Your Thermoforming Needs
Thermoforming is a manufacturing process that heats a sheet of plastic until it becomes flexible enough to form over a mold. After the plastic forms to the mold, it cools and is trimmed into the finished part.
Vacuum forming is a common type of thermoforming. During this process, vacuum pressure pulls the heated plastic tightly against the mold to create the desired shape and detail.
Thermoforming offers an efficient way to produce plastic parts in a wide range of sizes, shapes, materials, and production volumes.
Thermoforming can be a practical choice for prototypes, short production runs, and low- to medium-volume manufacturing. Depending on the part and application, benefits can include:
The right manufacturing process depends on your part design, material, production volume, performance needs, and budget. Our team can help evaluate those factors before production begins.
Bankier Companies supports both thin- and heavy-wall thermoforming applications.
Thin-wall thermoforming works well for lightweight plastic parts and packaging applications. Heavy-wall thermoforming uses thicker sheet material and can be a strong option for larger or more durable plastic components.
Our team reviews each project to determine the best material, tooling, and thermoforming approach for your needs.
Thermoforming and injection molding both produce custom plastic parts, but each process fits different manufacturing requirements.
| Thermoforming | Injection Molding | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Heats a plastic sheet and forms it over a mold. | Injects melted plastic resin into a mold. |
| Tooling investment | Often requires a lower upfront tooling investment. | Typically requires a higher upfront tooling investment. |
| Production volume | Well suited for prototypes and low- to medium-volume production. | Often better suited for high-volume production. |
| Production needs | Offers flexibility for projects with changing volumes or larger formed parts. | Works well when producing the same part repeatedly at scale. |
| Good fit for | Projects that prioritize tooling cost, flexibility, and lower production volumes. | Projects that require high production volumes and consistent, repeatable parts. |
Bankier Companies offers both thermoforming and injection molding. Our team can review your part design, production volume, material requirements, and budget to help determine which manufacturing process fits your project.
Choosing the right plastic affects how a thermoformed part looks, performs, and moves through production. Bankier Companies works with a variety of thermoforming materials and helps customers choose the right option for their application.
Common options include:
High-impact polystyrene, or HIPS, offers good formability and rigidity at a cost-effective price. It can work well for a variety of general-purpose thermoformed parts.
PETG is a durable plastic known for its impact resistance, clarity, and chemical resistance. It works well for applications that need both durability and clear visibility.
ABS offers strength, rigidity, and good paintability. Its durability and finishing flexibility make it a strong choice for many thermoformed plastic parts.
Other material requirements can vary by project. Our team can review factors such as strength, appearance, temperature exposure, chemical resistance, and other performance needs before recommending an option.
The right tooling plays an important role in part quality, repeatability, production time, and cost.
Bankier Companies can create the molds and trim jigs needed for thermoforming using traditional manufacturing methods or 3D printing, depending on the project.
Machined aluminum or urethane tooling can provide a durable solution for many production applications.
For some prototypes, smaller parts, and lower-volume projects, 3D-printed tooling can reduce tooling expenses and lead times. It can also provide greater flexibility when developing complex shapes.
Our team can help determine which tooling approach makes sense based on the part design, production volume, budget, and long-term manufacturing plan.
A successful thermoforming design project starts well before the plastic reaches the forming equipment. Bankier Companies can support the project through each stage.
We start by understanding the part design, application, expected production volume, performance requirements, timeline, and budget.
Our team helps choose the right plastic material based on the finished part’s appearance, performance, and function.
We create the molds and trim tooling needed to form and finish the part. Depending on the project, tooling may use traditional manufacturing methods or 3D printing.
The plastic sheet is heated until flexible, then formed over the mold. As it cools, it hardens and holds the desired shape.
After forming, excess material is removed, and the part can move into any required machining, finishing, assembly, or other secondary operations.
When a project requires additional support, Bankier Companies can continue with assembly, contract packaging, warehousing, and distribution.
Keeping more stages of the project with one manufacturing partner can reduce handoffs and create a more direct path from design to finished product.
Early project decisions can shape tooling costs, production efficiency, part quality, and long-term performance.
Bankier Companies works with your team to review part geometry, material requirements, tooling options, production volume, and other design details before production begins. Our team can recommend adjustments that make the part easier to form, improve consistency, reduce unnecessary tooling or production costs, and support better overall performance.
If your product is still in development, our product development and value engineering team can also help move a project from an initial idea through design, prototyping, tooling, manufacturing, and production.
A thermoformed part may be only one step in a larger manufacturing process.
Bankier Companies offers integrated manufacturing services that allow parts to move into additional production steps without relying on several separate vendors.
Depending on your project, we can also provide:
This integrated approach gives you one manufacturing partner that can support more of the path from part development through final delivery.
Every plastic part comes with different requirements. The right process depends on your design, material, production volume, performance needs, schedule, and budget.
Tell Bankier Companies about the part you need to manufacture. Our team can review your project, discuss your thermoforming options, and help determine a practical path from design through production and delivery.
