Vacuum forming is a crucial manufacturing process in the packaging industry, known for its efficiency and versatility. At Kiva Container, we specialize in vacuum forming, delivering custom packaging solutions that meet the diverse needs of our clients across various sectors. This process transforms solid plastic sheets into complex shapes using heat and vacuum, creating high-quality products designed to protect and showcase your items.
What is Vacuum Forming?
Vacuum forming is a type of thermoforming that involves heating a plastic sheet until it becomes pliable and then using a vacuum to shape it over a mold. This technique allows for the production of lightweight, durable products with precise dimensions. Kiva Container employs advanced machinery to handle both roll-fed and sheet-fed materials, accommodating various thicknesses from light-gauge trays to heavy-duty totes. Our capabilities enable us to meet the specific demands of different industries, ensuring each product is tailored for its intended use.
Advantages of Vacuum Forming
Vacuum forming excels in speed and efficiency, enabling quick turnaround times for prototypes and fast production that accelerates time-to-market. It offers cost-effective tooling, making it a smart choice for short runs or new product launches, as it typically incurs lower expenses than injection molding.
This process also provides significant design flexibility, allowing for both light-gauge and heavy-gauge products in various shapes and dimensions. The versatility of vacuum-formed products also extends to aesthetics, offering clients an array of textures, colors, and finishing options that align perfectly with their branding needs.
Kiva Container’s Capabilities in Vacuum Forming
At Kiva Container, our manufacturing process is supported by advanced machinery designed for precision and efficiency. We can work with a wide range of materials, including ABS, PET, HDPE, and PVC, allowing us to create diverse vacuum forming packaging solutions. Our facility handles materials up to 23″ by 18″ for inline forming and 46″ by 54″ for sheet-fed processes, making it easier to produce items that perfectly fit your specifications.
Beyond manufacturing, we offer various value-added services to enhance our vacuum-formed products. These include die cutting, hot stamping, and silk screening, which allow us to provide clients with finished products that are ready for packaging. Our team ensures that every item not only meets functional requirements but also aligns with your brand’s aesthetic.
Kiva Container also provides secondary processes such as routing, trimming, and electrostatic dissipative (ESD) treatments for anti-static packaging. These additional services streamline the production process, enabling us to deliver efficient and cost-effective solutions tailored to your unique needs.
Applications of Vacuum Forming
Vacuum forming plays a vital role in several industries, delivering custom packaging solutions that cater to specific requirements. Common applications include:
Aerospace Components: Lightweight and durable packaging solutions that protect critical parts during transit.
Automotive Parts: Packaging for components such as bumpers, hoods, and panels that require precise dimensions.
Consumer Goods Packaging: Ideal for electronics and toiletries, ensuring products are securely held and presented.
Medical Packaging: Antimicrobial properties in vacuum-formed components enhance safety and cleanliness.
Point-of-Purchase Displays: Eye-catching packaging that effectively showcases products in retail environments.
Pack-it with Perfection with Kiva Container
Vacuum forming is an essential process for creating custom packaging solutions that are both functional and visually appealing. With Kiva Container’s expertise in this field, businesses can achieve high-quality, tailored products that meet their unique needs. If you’re looking for effective packaging solutions, Kiva Container is here to help. Contact us today to learn more about our vacuum forming capabilities and how we can assist you in your next project.
Paper or plastic?? These days, answering that question in any store will cost you 10 cents. In the world of boxes, answering that same question could cost you 7-10 times more depending on the material you choose. As paper boxes (and their competitive prices) are almost ubiquitous today, people are shocked when they see pricing for the same box in corrugated plastic. 7-10 times more!?!? WHAT THE HECK!
The fact is, in most applications corrugated paper works great. It’s available in thicknesses ranging from E flute (.07”) all the way up to Game of Thrones Ice wall thick. With the many coating options available, it has become a very diverse material.
I know what you’re thinking… Why are you singing corrugated papers praises…? Don’t you guys convert corrugated plastic? WE DOOOO! However, we can’t be honest without acknowledging corrugated papers place in the world.
Corrugated plastic has a place as well… though it’s a little more niche. It’s exemplary when durability, longevity, cleanliness, temperature swings or solvents and liquid exposure is a concern.
For example, the United States Postal Service uses corrugated plastic bins and mail totes because of the long-term durability. In the 90’s, Dole foods switched to corrugated plastic asparagus boxes to address recycling concerns surrouding wax coated corrugated. 20 years later, they realize that they handle the cold storage better than the original boxes. REAL D went with corrugated plastic collection bins for their 3D glasses since paper corrugated (even coated) couldn’t stand up to daily abuse in movie theaters.
Today, thousands of different products including medical vials and components, ESD sensitive electronic components, automotive parts, and products that require cold storage (medical and food), are all stored, shipped, and handled using corrugated plastic. Guess it’s a pretty big niche!
Now hold on a minute… What about the 7-10 times cost increase over paper? Well that’s an interesting one… Washington State Liquor Control Board had that same issue. When they started monitoring the tote usage, they stopped counting at 40 times the use of the previously purchased heavy duty, solid fiber totes. Quite possibly the implementing of corrugated plastic totes for USPS and WSLCB could be the only government programs that actually saved money over the life of the project. When you do the math, a reusable/returnable container costing 10 times its standard corrugated competition, lasting 40 times longer is actually a 75% reduction in actual cost. A 75% reduction in cost is something you can get a raise for! Of course, it must be a reusable, returnable application, otherwise it is just expensive packaging. How do you like them apples… or asparagus??
The three R’s… We all know them… REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
This little jingle got its start sometime in the raging 70’s (wasn’t born then so I’m not speaking from experience). Many credit U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin for kickstarting this environmental movement that eventually birthed the EPA and subsequently the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976.
As the hangover from the 70’s wore off, America has been increasingly more conscious about what it’s using and how much it’s using. So much so, that those of us lucky enough to find ourselves in the People’s Republic of California have been relegated to paper straws that disintegrate as you use them! Given that there’s still an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic thrown into the ocean on any given year, I think a normal person would agree that the three R’s are important to practice.But…
What if there’s an even better way…
Let me introduce the SIX R’s… REDUCE, REUSE, REUSE, REUSE, REUSE, RECYCLE.
My Grandpa used to tell me, ‘if three is good, six is better…’
Now, I know what you’re thinking… I’m mocking our local turtles for having straw issues… BUT, that’s not the case! At Kiva Container we have worked hard for the last 30+ years to create durable, functional, bespoke plastic packaging that absolutely can be and should be reused not once, not twice, but over and over again! Heck, we’ve got customers that are using the same product handling bins from nearly 20 years ago, you want to talk about multiple R’s! Much to the detriment of our bottom line, they’re not looking at replacing them anytime soon!
There are many ways to be conscious about your footprint on the earth, some people point to electric cars, some people point to metal or glass containers, some even point to wind and solar. We think one huge way is to buy quality products and use, reuse, reuse and reuse them. Don’t buy a new cheap trendy briefcase every two to three years, buy a quality, timeless one once, and be done. Same thing with shoes, wallets, cars, and jeans. Same can be said for material handling totes, bins, and packaging. And for that which you can’t reuse, make it out of something easy to recycle like PET, HDPE or PP. Or even better, make it out of RPET which has already been recycled at least once!! That way you’re still in the reuse stage!
Give us a call and let us help you design packaging that is reusable, returnable and ultimately sustainable. Because in the end with that kind of goal, we all win!
Whether at home or in your business, you’re probably thinking about cleaning up, organizing, and optimizing your space and products or supplies. Spring cleaning time is nearly here.
So, how can you clean up, organize, and still be environmentally friendly?
Reusable plastic packaging is one great way to get your spring cleaning and organizing done on time and with the good results you want for your business finances and management.
According to the EPA’s blog, businesses should “reuse whenever possible.” The World Economic Forum recommends increasing reusable packaging as an environmentally sound solution.
If your warehouse is using single-use plastic packaging or your logistics department has disposable plastic containers or packaging, spring is the perfect time to consider making a change.
Not only can you recycle single-use containers and packaging, you can optimize your space and rethink your shipping and storage solutions. In any location in your business, you can create a cleaner, neater, more organized environment with durable, clean, and neat reusable plastic packaging and containers.
While you’re doing spring cleaning, you may have a lot of waste you must dispose of. There’s no getting around that, but if you find a lot of single-use plastic containers or shipping and packing solutions, why not set yourself up for a sustainable year to come with reusable plastic packaging?
Next spring, you’ll find your cleaning will go much more quickly and easily. You’ll save money over time without the need to purchase disposable packaging, too. Keeping your business tidy and the environment clean is much easier with reusable plastic packaging. So give us a call at Kiva Container and make this spring cleaning the best for your business.
Have you heard how plastic is terrible for the environment? Single-use, disposable plastics aren’t green at all. Certain plastics can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. Throwing them away and burying them in a landfill almost guarantees disposable plastics will last ten or more lifetimes.
According to National Geographic, 91% of the plastic we put in the recycling bin doesn’t get recycled. Some of it is shipped overseas, and a lot of it ends up in the ocean.
What’s the solution? Don’t use disposable plastic. If you use plastic, it should be reusable. The durable qualities of plastic make it a poor choice for disposable packaging and an excellent choice for reusable packaging.
Reusable plastic packaging could be one of the greenest packaging solutions out there. Plastic’s toughness and durability makes it an excellent choice for reusable packaging.
Reusable plastic packaging is also designed to be fully recyclable when it’s time to be retired. Over 90% of single-use plastics aren’t effectively recyclable — the main reason why they aren’t recycled.
Taking advantage of plastic’s toughness and using it to benefit your business packaging needs could be one of the greenest and best financial decisions you make.
We’re sure you’ve heard the saying, “In order to love someone else, you have to love yourself first.”
You probably haven’t thought about your business the same way, but you can show your business some love through the benefits of reusable plastic packaging.
Reusable plastic packaging can show your business love in three different ways: bottom-line lower costs, environmental benefits (yes, really!), and corporate social responsibility.
You can cut your packaging, shipping, and storage budget by using reusable plastic packaging: Kiva Container is glad to work with you to show you how much you could potentially save.
Your business can also show some love to the environment with reusable plastic packaging. If you’re thinking that plastic can’t be environmentally friendly, you’re probably thinking of disposable plastics, like shopping bags and plastic straws. Durable, reusable plastic packaging from Kiva Container can be very environmentally friendly, and superior to disposable packaging.
The more people learn about the benefits of reusable plastic packaging, the more recognition it gets as a socially and environmentally responsible packaging solution. When you’re re-using plastic packaging, you’re not disposing of anything at all. And, when it comes time to retire your reusable packaging, your overall carbon footprint will be much lower than if you used any single-use packaging solution, including biodegradable, disposable ones.
Isn’t true love all about putting your loved ones first and doing what’s best for them? Why not love your business by using reusable plastic packaging?