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Dordan is happy to report it got a new water cooling tower! 

What is a water cooling tower?

In thermoforming, heated plastic sheet is shaped over and into an aluminum mold by vacuum and pressure. Once formed, the material must cool quickly to lock in dimensional accuracy. Cooling towers make this possible by supplying chilled process water that circulates through channels in the mold, pulling heat out of the plastic and stabilizing temperatures for consistent parts.

The water absorbs heat as it moves through the mold and then returns to the cooling tower, where the energy is released into the atmosphere through evaporative cooling. The cooled water is recirculated in a closed loop, ready for the next cycle. Because water is reused rather than discharged, cooling towers provide a more efficient and sustainable way to manage heat in manufacturing.

Dordan pairs central cooling towers with chillers to maintain precise temperature control. This is critical for industries such as medical and automotive packaging, where repeatability and tight tolerances are required. By managing the thermal environment of the molds, cooling towers help thermoformers balance quality, efficiency, and reliability in production.

🎥 Check out our video on the installation of our new cooling tower and learn how it helps better manage the water consumption associated with thermoforming!

Dordan Manufacturing has been producing custom thermoformed packaging since 1962. As a fourth-generation, family-owned company based in Woodstock, Illinois, we combine decades of experience with risk-based engineering and ISO-certified quality assurance to deliver reliable packaging solutions across multiple industries.

Dordan Manufacturing has 14 thermoforming lines, including two with robotics for high volume items. These robots strip plastic parts from the web after being thermoformed and die cut, allowing for consistent and efficient handling before the parts enter inspection and packaging. Dordan's engineers develop custom end-of-arm tooling for robotics in house, which integrates with the thermoform tooling, also produced in house.

A recent feature in Plastics Today explores how production environments, regulatory classifications, and process validations shape the way medical packaging is designed and manufactured. I was grateful for the opportunity to share Dordan’s perspective on how we approach quality as an ISO 13485:2016 certified medical thermoformer.

As the Midwest’s leading medtech trade show, MD&M Midwest connects medical device engineers, buyers, and manufacturers with innovations in packaging, automation, materials, and design. It’s a valuable event for healthcare professionals involved in product development, regulatory compliance, and supply chain optimization.

Dordan Manufacturing recently installed a new prototyping press—the Formech HD 1000c-T—as part of our continued investment in packaging development capabilities. This equipment upgrade enhances our ability to support customers, particularly those in the medical device industry, who often require multiple prototype iterations as part of their design and validation process.