CW Thomas Thermoforming

CW Thomas Custom manufacturer of heavy gauge thermoformed plastic parts. ( START THICKNESS TO ) No proprietary products – all custom work. We utilize advanced vacuum and pressure forming techniques. We couple that with state of the art CNC trimming and assembly services to produce your item. 2 General information

CW Thomas Privately held company. Established Manufacturing location 80,000 square feet. 55 Employee’s with an average Tenure of 20+ years of service. ISO-9001: 2008 AS: 9100C 2 Full Time Shifts Non- Union A little more About Us 3

CW Thomas Aerospace – Aircraft Seating – Interior Parts Rail Transportation – Rail Car Interior Parts Medical Diagnostic Equipment Laboratory Equipment OEM’s What we do – Industries We Serve 4

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Services Engineering Services Review part design for product enhancements and manufacturing efficiencies In-House Tooling → quick turnaround times / quality Rapid prototyping Prototype and Production Parts Vacuum and pressure forming techniques Prototype parts in approximately 4 to 6 weeks State of the art CNC trimming Post-Forming Assembly (including hardware/electronics, gluing and applying fasteners and strips into a component, ultrasonic welding) Painting and printing Dock-to-stock: packaging solutions where parts are inspected and shipped in the customer's packaging and pallets 6

CW Thomas What is Thermoforming? Thermoforming is a broad based term that means to Stretch a Flat sheet of Plastic using Heat, vacuum and air pressure into a 3 dimensional Shape using a mold. It can basically be divided into 3 categories: Vacuum Forming, Pressure Forming and Twin Sheet. 7

Vacuum Forming - Machine 8

Tooling – The Heart of your Part Of the many things required for a successful Thermoformed Part perhaps the most important is the Design of the Tooling. Properly design molds and trim fixtures made from the correct choice of materials will transfer into consistent quality finished part for the life of your program. 9

Assemblies Bonded Mounting Blocks and Bosses Threaded Inserts Painting, Shielding, Screen or Pad Printing, Graphic Overlays Complete Assemblies in Your Packaging for Direct Shipment 10

Thermoforming vs. Injection Molding Both processes are viable to manufacture 3D polymer parts. How do we help the customer decide which process is best for their next project? 11

Process Overview 12 ThermoformingInjection Molding Tooling A single sided 3D form is created out of aluminum A double-sided 3D mold is created out of steel, aluminum or a beryllium-copper alloy Materials Flat sheets of thermoplastic, available in a variety of materials, finishes, colors, and thickness Thermoplastic pellets, available in a wide variety of materials and colors Production A flat sheet of plastic is heated then molded to the tool’s shape using either suction from a vacuum, or both suction and pressure The plastic pellets are heated to a liquid state and then injected into the mold Finishing The final pieces are trimmed robotically, then can be used uncoated, painted or have specialty coatings The final pieces are removed from the mold, then often need to be painted and be silk- screened or have specialty coatings

Other Considerations ThermoformingInjection Molding Tooling Costs $$$$$$$ Per-Piece Production Costs $$$$ 13 Creating a single sided thermoforming tool is much cheaper than creating a double sided mold to be used in injection molding. However, the cost of each individual part is generally cheaper with injection molding.

Cost Comparison – Sample 48” x 60” Part 14

Leadtime Thermoforming 8 Weeks Injection Molding 16 Weeks 15

Other Considerations ThermoformingInjection Molding How does it look unpainted?ExcellentHighly Variable Does it allow variable thickness within a single part? LimitedYes How large a part can it reasonably produce?5’ x 9’4’ x 4’ (on standard equipment) 16

Guidelines to choose the appropriate process Thermoforming 1. Part Size Creating large parts up to 5’ x 9’, and consolidation multiple parts into a single large part 2. Run Size Creating small to medium (100 – 3,000) runs of parts 3. Aesthetics Aesthetically pleasing unpainted part Injection Molding 1. Part Size Creating small parts with minimal consolidation 2. Run Size Creating large runs (3,000+) of small to medium- sized parts 3. Variation Creating parts with variable thickness in a single part 17

CW Thomas Process & Capabilities Pressure Forming Pressure forming provides parts that are visually identical to injection molded parts at a fraction of the tooling cost. Vacuum Forming Vacuum forming produces a one-sided part whereby the sheet color and texture provide finished part aesthetics. Large Part Vacuum Forming Reduce the number of overall components by combining multiple parts within a 5’ x 9’ sheet size.

CW Thomas versus other Formers Strong Engineering and Quality Departments If a customer visits our facility, we usually win the business Ability to process high performance polymers Expertise in challenging high performance polymers such as ABS and other Polycarbonate, Kydex / Boltaron (Acrylic/PVC) and Ultem (PEI). Capabilities to process Polyethylene/Polypropylene, PVC, Engineering resins Value-Added Services In-house tooling → quick turn-around times / quality / rapid prototyping Post forming services: assembly, painting and printing, and dock-to-stock. 19