Thermoforming.
Vacuum Forming.
Pressure Forming.
Advantage Plastics of NY, Inc. designs and manufactures custom thermoformed plastic parts from a 55,000 sq ft facility in Winter Haven, Florida. Decades of vacuum-forming experience — we've probably already designed something very similar to your part. Manufacturer of two products that landed deals on Shark Tank, including the Tree T-PEE.
The basics of thermoforming.
Thermoforming is the process of heating thermoplastic sheet — extruded from pellet form — to a pliable state. When the sheet reaches its forming temperature, it is removed from the heat source. A mold then enters the softened sheet, the sheet is sealed on the edge of the mold, and vacuum is applied to evacuate the air trapped between the sheet and the mold. Atmospheric pressure forces the sheet against the mold.
The cooling process begins, both internally and externally. When the part reaches its set temperature, it is removed from the mold, trimmed, finished per print, and shipped. Cast aluminum molds are generally best for thermoforming — they offer superior heat transfer, allowing us to accurately control cycle times, part shrinkage, and warpage. Consistency in the forming process is essential in final trimming and quality control.
There are many thermoforming techniques: clamping, vacuum forming, plug assist forming, billow forming, pressure forming, and twin sheet forming. The technique used on any particular job depends on several factors — discussed on a part by part basis.
Five forming techniques.
One integrated shop.
Capabilities.
Process. Materials.
Every step required to take a custom thermoformed plastic part from heated sheet to finished, trimmed, and shipped — housed under one roof in Winter Haven, Florida.
Heated sheet stretched onto a single-surface mold and held by vacuum. Used for packaging, speaker casings, dashboards, turnpike signs, protective covers, and aerospace canopies.
Produces the most detail of any thermoforming method — injection-molded appearance at a fraction of the tooling cost. Typical runs: high hundreds to high thousands.
Rotary thermoforming up to 100″ × 120″ — high-throughput cells designed for repeatable, large-format production runs.
Six single-station machines up to 100″ × 108″ — flexible cells ideal for short runs, prototypes, and large dedicated parts.
Six 5-axis CNC routers up to 5′ × 10′ — precision trimming, hole placement, and finish work integrated with the forming line.
In-house laser engraving and laser cutting — branding, serialization, and clean detail cuts handled without sending parts out.
Winter Haven, Florida.
Since 1995, we have operated from a 55,000 sq ft facility in Winter Haven, FL. Inside: 3- & 4-station rotaries up to 100″ × 120″, six single-station machines up to 100″ × 108″, six 5-axis CNC routers up to 5′ × 10′, plus in-house laser-engraving and laser-cutting — all run by one experienced team.
Thermoformed product examples.
A small sample of the parts that have come off our line — from Shark Tank hits to pool heater housings to agricultural harvesting containers. Most projects start with something similar.
Industries we serve.
Tree T-PEE frost & water-saving covers, harvesting containers, irrigation parts.
Hot tub side panels and seat backs, pool heater tops, fronts, and bases.
Golf cart dashboards, tool box trays, vehicle panels, interior dash components.
Point-of-purchase displays, ATM front panels, branded fixtures and trays.
Mortar boxes, floor buffer covers, equipment housings, permit boxes.
Air conditioner drain pans, chemical-resistant bins, ducting components.
Boat lift motor covers, chain guards, weather-tolerant marine parts.
Acrylic passenger windows, fixed-wing canopies, helicopter bubbles.
Thermoforming vs.
Injection molding.
Thermoformed products can be virtually indistinguishable from injection-molded ones — but with less set-up and lead time. The cost advantage depends on volume: thermoforming wins at low-to-mid quantities; injection takes over at very high volumes.
In this example, the thermoformed tool delivers in 6 weeks for $3,500. The injection tool takes 20 weeks and runs $22,500 — a 6.4× tooling cost and more than 3× the lead time.
Why choose Advantage Plastics?
Decades of vacuum-forming experience and a 55,000 sq ft Winter Haven facility under one team. We've almost certainly designed something very similar to your part already — which means low overhead, fast quotes, and on-time delivery.
From design help to material selection to highly-trained machine operators on the floor, every step happens here. Two of our customer's products have gotten deals on Shark Tank — including the Tree T-PEE.
Ready to begin?
Are you ready to begin, or just have a question? We're here to help. Use the form below or reach out directly — we'll get back to you with a real quote and an honest lead time.