DRAPE FORMING

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.

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.

What jobs are best suited for drape forming? 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

EXAMPLES

This deli display/refrigerator has .375” acrylic drape formed edges.

EXAMPLES

This casino lighting fixture is actually two hales of .500” acrylic drape formed and bonded together to create a cylinder.

EXAMPLES

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…

EXAMPLES

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!

EXAMPLES

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.

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.

Acrylic Polycarbonate HDPE Polypropylene PETG Styrene ABS

Materials that can be drape formed include but are not limited to: