2. Drape forming is done using a male
or female mold or tool utilizing heat
and the materials own weight
(gravity) to “drape” the part in or over
a mold. Think of when you put a
cover over a car or a piece of
furniture you are draping material
over a shape and the material takes
on that objects form.
3. If you trying to achieve a high level of
definition this is accomplished by
adding vacuum or by using a two
part tool that sandwiches the
material to produce a part with
tighter tolerances.
4. Parts that require gentle even curves
without loss of material thickness.
When clarity is important
Low production numbers
When there is not enough lead time to make
costly, extravagant, or complicated tooling
A customer wants a odd size acrylic tube or
cylinder
6. This casino
lighting fixture is
actually two hales
of .500” acrylic
drape formed and
bonded together
to create a
cylinder.
7. Here is a
throwback and it’s
not even Thursday.
Robbie the Robot’s
“head” is drape
formed acrylic!
This is made with
a vacuum assist…
8. The top of this
P.O.P (Point of
Purchase) display
is drape formed
.125” black acrylic.
Great example of
low volume with a
high dollar
appearance!
9. This is .375” bronze polycarbonate 42.500” x 72.500”
draped to a 92” radius. These panels can be found at
every bus shelter in the city of Atlanta.
10. As you can see drape forming is a cost
effective way to provide your customers with
great parts in large or small volume with quick
reasonable tool costs, quick turn time, and
competitive unit pricing.
