Thermoforming & Mold Tooling

Vacuum Thermoforming Plug-Assist & Tooling Clearance Calculator

Optimize syntactic foam (HYTAC) and aluminum plug-assist geometry, per-side clearance tolerances ($C = T_0 + 2.0 ext{mm}$), penetration stroke depth, and vacuum vent hole spacing for deep-draw sheet forming.

1. Input Parameters

Initial Plastic Sheet Thickness (T_0) [mm]

Extruded gauge of ABS, HIPS, Polycarbonate, or HDPE sheet before heating.

Cavity Opening Width (W_c) [mm]

Cavity Draw Depth (H_c) [mm]

Plug Material Selection

2. Calculation Results

Draw Ratio (H / W)

0.00

Plug-to-Cavity Clearance (C)

0.0 mm/side

Plug Width (W_plug)

0.0 mm

Recommended Plug Stroke (Z)

0.0 mm

3. Geometric Visualizer

Tooling & Vector Prepress Engineering Notes

Plug-Assist Thermoforming Dynamics: In deep-draw vacuum forming (draw ratio $H/W > 0.5$), standard vacuum evacuation results in severe corner thinning and non-uniform bottom thickness. A syntactic foam or heated aluminum plug pre-stretches the heated thermoplastic sheet deep into the female cavity before vacuum is applied.

Clearance & Stroke Rules: Plug clearance per side must equal initial sheet thickness plus 1.5–3.0 mm ($C = T_0 + 2.0 ext{mm}$) to prevent pinching. Plug penetration stroke should reach 75%–85% of total cavity depth.