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Thermoform tooling is the metal tool (and other machined components) that forms heated plastic into clamshells, blisters, and trays. ‘Stock’ tooling means that the tool has already been made, is owned by the thermoformer, and the parts produced are of no customization. Examples of stock packaging include simple plastic blisters and clamshells with basic dimensions and generic cavities. Stock packaging is popular in the food and retail facing markets. There is typically no cost associated with stock tooling, aside from set up charges.

Woodstock, IL-- 60-year old custom thermoforming company, Dordan Manufacturing, hires a new packaging engineer, quality control inspector, and account executive to meet the growing demands of its customers. These new hires join some who have been at Dordan for decades, bringing new enthusiasm that marries well with the insight and experience of the legacy employees. While aging manufacturers struggle with the generational divide, 3rd-generation Dordan has found success attracting new talent by continuous investment in itself-- the people, processes, and equipment.

Plastics thermoforming seems rather straight-forward: You take heated plastic sheet, push it into and pull it over a CNC-machined tool, and then die cut the formed part from the plastic 'web'. While these fundamentals exist for all thermoformers, where they differ is in their commitment to quality.

In its most basic form, the degree to which a thermoformer strives to control the movement of the plastic throughout the conversion process demonstrates the company's commitment to quality. Be it by making a package that challenges the limitations of thermoforming, or developing complex tooling to hold tigher-than-standard tolerances, quality thermoformers strive for continuous improvement. However, it is not just equipment, technology, and talent that assists in these efforts; but also, a robust quality management system that is the blueprint off which all plans are drawn and executed.

Dordan is a custom thermoforming company that specializes in the design and manufacturer of high quality packaging, like dunnage trays for automation and medical tray packaging. With all design, tooling, manufacturing, and cleanroom thermoforming in house, Dordan is a nimble supplier that utilizes its ISO 9001: 2015 certified QMS to support its core capabilities of package design and manufacturing excellence.

Below are technical briefs on our engineering, tooling, thermoforming, and cleanroom manufacturing capabilities. You can download these tech briefs here.

When determining the appropriate material thickness for thermoformed packaging, one needs to consider the trade offs between performance and cost. Typically, the thicker the plastic, the more expensive the package. Thus, many strive to use the thinnest ‘starting gauge’—that is, the thickness of the plastic sheet before its thermoformed into a package. This approach, however, can beckon impediments to the form, fit, and function of the packaging.

It is easier to build a house from scratch then renovate an existing model. By understanding four fundamentals of the thermoforming process, packaging can be designed with a strong foundation, saving time and money.

Dordan is a custom packaging thermoformer, so all pricing is based on specific project requirements. That being said, there are shared pricing indicators implicit in all medical packaging quotes. These include package size, material type and thickness, order quantity, tooling, quality control, and production environment requirements (cleanroom vs. standard). The below content is available via PDF download.

I sat down with the Manufacturing Alliance Podcast creator and producer, Tony Demakis, to discuss sustainable packaging in an hour-long podcast that aired last month. Topics covered include life cycle analysis, the New Plastics Economy, ocean trash, and more.

Every year, I put together a 'best of' list that recognizes the content which was most interesting to our followers. Scored by opens, views, clicks, and more, below is Dordan's most popular content.

Plastics in Packaging magazine published my new article on the history of thermoform tooling in its 20th Anniversary Special Supplement. This supplement is not available online for free, but I received permission from the editor to post my article here. Continue below to learn how thermoformed packaging was manufactured before machines and computers talked to each other.

All engineers understand that designing a package is one thing, and manufacturing it is another. By enlisting a thermoformer that has in house packaging engineers, product manufacturers can share, or completely outsource, the responsibility of developing the thermoform package to those highly-skilled in design-for-manufacturing methodologies. In doing so, timelines are condensed and unforeseen costs mitigated, because thermoforming engineers are able integrate the challenges and opportunities inherent in the manufacturing process into the packaging developmental process.