Plastics Design & Manufacturing

Plastics Design & Manufacturing has been a leader in the custom heavy gauge thermoforming community for over 40 years. Based out of Colorado in the United States, PDM is one of the leading suppliers of custom plastic heavy-gauge thermoforming to a variety of industries including the medical industry. PDM can help with everything from engineering consultation and product development to volume production and personalized stocking programs.

Heavy-Gauge Thermoforming

PDM specializes in heavy gauge thermoforming, a process that converts a flat sheet into a functional form. We have both vacuum forming and pressure forming capabilities. PDM’s expertise in the application of heavy gauge thermoforming spans several industries and product types, including:

• Medical Instrument Skins
• Medical Device Parts
• Medical Enclosures
• Covers
• Bins
• Housings
• Enclosures
• Bezels
• Guards
• Radomes
• Aircraft Components
• Lenses

Why use custom heavy gauge thermoforming companies for medical devices and components?

Medical equipment manufacturers need hospital diagnostic and medical carts, as well as medical device outer skins that make the device look clean and modern. Custom heavy gauge thermoforming companies can produce very large pieces like MRI or CT cabinets and other equipment like chairs and hospital beds. The process of pressure and vacuum thermoforming is excellent for these multi-part or larger projects.

Vacuum Forming

Vacuum forming is the process where a plastic sheet is placed over a tool and vacuum is applied to bring the sheet tight to the tool.  PDM’s capabilities include an extensive line of thermoforming equipment to provide the highest accuracy, process control, and capacity in the western region. Our 15 forming stations range in size from 4’ x 5’ to 5’ x 9’.

Pressure Forming

Pressure forming is a complex process where the sheet is pressed into a tool, and pressure is applied to the tool, allowing for replication of sharp detail. PDM’s award-winning pressure forming capabilities allow for precise reproduction of tool definition, including textures, undercuts and reveals required in high definition, close tolerance parts produced for a variety of industries including medical, aviation, food service and technology.

Fabrication & Assembly

PDM’s custom fabrication/assembly capabilities provide high quality workmanship in secondary processing to ensure finished details meet customers’ expectations. It has the capability of processing a wide variety of thermoplastic materials, including ABS, HDPE, FR Blended Alloys (Kydex, Royalite, Boltaron), Acrylic, PETG and Polycarbonates (Lexan). We will help you select the best material for your application, including color, texture, gloss and finish. In addition, our team can provide guidance as it relates to rigidity, flame retardant, impact strength and chemical resistance.

Profile Extrusion

Plastics Design & Manufacturing’s custom profile and pipe extrusion capabilities offer our clients a wide range of versatility in production and material processing experience. Our process knowledge and integration of manufacturing controls provide our clients with the high- quality products they expect. Our 5 extruders range in size from 2″ for smaller cross sections and tubing to 3.5″ for large cross sections and pipe. These capabilities, coupled with engineering support, will take your product from concept to production in an efficient and cost-effective manner. We can handle up to 6” rectangular parts.

CNC Machining

The extensive 3-Axis and 5-Axis CNC milling centers at Plastics Design & Manufacturing are utilized for tooling development, close tolerance secondary machining of custom formed products and custom machined components utilizing engineering grade materials.

Engineering and Design Support

Our Engineering and Design Support team will assist with the design and development of your product from concept to prototype and into production. Use our experience and process knowledge to find cost effective alternatives to increase quality and productivity. We utilize SolidWorks and MasterCam software.

In-House Tooling

We manufacture our tooling in-house with the help of our highly experienced tool makers. Our extensive line of 3-Axis and 5-Axis CNC milling centers allow us to make machined aluminum tools and composite tools.

Finishing & Assembly

We offer several value-added services to finish your project right including EMI / RFI shielding, custom painting, texturing, pad printing and multi-color silk-screening. Looking to reduce your in-house assembly costs, while increasing your quality and consistency? We can help. Mechanical assembly, sub-assembly, labeling and special packaging can all be incorporated into your project.

White Papers

PDM Advantages of Thermoforming for the Medical Industry

Custom heavy-gauge thermoforming companies like Plastics Design & Manufacturing produce medical equipment parts through the pressure and vacuum thermoforming process. Download our whitepaper where we take a look at several advantages of the thermoforming process used for the medical industry…