The Art and Science of Vacuum Forming: Creating Custom Packaging Solutions

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 vs Plastic

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??