Blog

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.

Dordan is a full service thermoform packaging supplier of clamshells, blisters and trays with in house design, tooling, thermoforming, and cleanroom manufacturing of medical packaging. ISO 9001 certified, we have a structured and documented approach to all services, including the sales process. Here transparency and consistency allow for the development of custom thermoformed packaging that meets our customers' expectations for performance, price, and lead time. What follows are the steps taken for managing new thermoformed packaging projects at Dordan. 

Dordan has been designing custom thermoformed packaging since 1962, manufacturing packaging for electronics, automotive, medical, and consumer products. Over the last 60 years, market demands for thermoformed packaging have evolved in response to larger economic shifts and technological advancements. As a custom thermoformer, Dordan has evolved alongside these market shifts, as shown by the images below. Enjoy your walk through thermoforming time!