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A Lesson in Plastic Vacuum Forming and Its Role in Your Life

Time for a history lesson (and a bit of a physics lesson, too). But before you start rolling your eyes, thinking to yourself "but I'm done with school," think again. How often do you use a vacuum? Maybe you're a neat freak that needs everything clean, or maybe you're afraid of the vacuum as much as a small toy dog. Either way, when you get thinking about the vacuum, you'll start to learn more and more about our world and how it comes into play to change our lives.

The encyclopedia defines a vacuum as a "space that is devoid of matter such that its gaseous pressure is much less than its atmospheric pressure." When a vacuum is created the difference in air pressure creates suction, which effectively manipulates the atmospheric pressure so it pushes air into the area of lower pressure. Thought of practically, when you use your vacuum cleaner at home - the air is actually being "pushed" through the carpet and into the machine by atmospheric pressure. While vacuums range in power from the simple vacuum in your closet (a coarse vacuum) to the world-crushing force of outer space (with an atmospheric pressure virtually nothing could survive), the concept remains the same.

So then you might wonder,"How do I actually use vacuums beyond cleaning my floor?" You might not directly use vacuums every day (unless you're a superhero that can manipulate atmospheric pressure with your mind) but you do take advantage of vacuums. You do this by using vacuum formed products.

Vacuum forming, which is also commonly referred to as vacuuforming, is a method of thermoforming that forms a number of the products and materials you use every day, and it does so by (essentially) combining a plastic sheet, a powerful vacuum, and a mold. Thermoforming is one of the oldest and most common methods used to process plastic materials and form products that play major rolls in all of our everyday lives.

With a history dating back hundreds of years, vacuum forming was first used (sparingly) in the mid-twentieth century. However, once plastic was more readily available in the 50's, plastik vacuum forming experienced a surge in popularity in which many simple products like lids, containers, and food packaging was manufactured faster and more economically using the process. Today, with the creation of advanced plastics and polymers as well as more effective heating and vacuum processes, the footprint of plastic vacuum forming can be seen everywhere, from the simple products in our kitchen to thermoformed plastic components used in the aerospace industry.

The vacuum used in plastik vacuum forming uses a vacuum much stronger than the one you use in your home to exert extreme pressure on a heated sheet of plastic, this quickly and effectively molds and stretches the plastic into the mold shape created by the manufacturer. Finally, the vacuum formed plastic is cooled, trimmed, and finished to create a useable product. Every day, plastic vacuum forming is used to create all kinds of products and everyday conveniences like plastic chairs, toys, car interiors, medical products, and lunch trays.

So Next time you break out your vacuum cleaner to quickly and effectively harness the power of the atmosphere (okay okay, that might be slightly over-the-top) think about what can be done with vacuums every day and how manufacturers use them to make so many conveniences possible. From the interior of your car or the protective packaging on your electronics to the thin plastic that keeps your medicine fresh and safe, it's all the result of plastik vacuum forming. Isn't the marriage of science and ingenuity a beautiful thing?