Ceramicx has long been campaigning for the world’s plastics thermoforming industry to increase its profile and market share – based on the growing quality and cost-effectiveness of its work. Says Ceramicx Founder Frank Wilson, ‘with every month, opportunity grows for thermoformers to win all kinds of business in many markets.’

David Russell

Ceramicx is accordingly delighted to report on a pioneering company that is offering yet further ways to advance the process and the products made.

‘David Russell,’ says Wilson, ‘is doing revolutionary work in many thermoforming areas – not least in his campaigning for high pressure forming methods and also in the progress made with the T-Sim mould simulation software.  As suppliers of perhaps the most important part of the thermoforming process – the thermo/heat – we at Ceramicx are looking forward to combining our talents with him and taking the predictive expertise and accuracy of the process to new levels.’

David Russell responds that ‘the future of thermoforming has to be infrared-based. Not only for its cost-effectiveness but also for the great accuracy and directional control it offers in service. I look forward to working with Frank and the Ceramicx team in order to offer a number of new and improved solutions to the market.

Another key strand to Russell’s work in thermoforming is use of simulation software. ‘Compared to practices in the injection moulding world this is not as well known in thermoforming as it should be,’ he says. ‘Not only does greater quality and accuracy result – but thermoformers can save time, materials and money through using bespoke programmes such as T-Sim.

T-Sim is a simulation software package, which predicts the final wall thickness distribution of a thermoforming – before any moulds are cut. The package also quickly predicts the effect of design improvements. T-Sim designs and costs can be optimised for thermoformers and toolmakers on the computer within a few hours, start up times can be reduced and the minimum materials and cycles can be used from Day One.

Russell notes that the European continent is leading the way in embracing this technique and cost-saving measure. ‘The scientific route to design and cost management is always ultimately the most effective.’ Two European thermoformers of Russell’s acquaintance used simulation software on existing jobs and reported savings of 9% and 16%. ‘A 9% cost reduction,’ he notes, ‘multiplied by thousands or perhaps millions of mouldings, is a substantial amount of cash for a company to generate for themselves without the time and cost of shop-floor experimentation.’

Moreover – in simple terms – the T-Sim software lets designers, processors and engineers see – with a high degree of accuracy – what the product will look like before it is made. Russell adds that ‘the programme’s ‘what-if’ capability allows fast improvements to design and processing conditions to optimise the product — long before tools are cut.’

The latest version of T-Sim software for thermoforming offers something moulders have long awaited – automatic optimisation of plug design for best material distribution. T-Sim also gives 3D colour maps of thickness, temperature, stress and extension. 3D cuts allow investigation of thin areas for design modification. The results can be exported for structural analysis to Ansys, IGES, DXF, Cosmos/M, Patran and LS-Dyna files.  T-Sim can also pre-distort images for the in-mould decoration process.

the programme’s ‘what-if’ capability allows fast improvements to design and processing conditions to optimise the product -- long before tools are cut

Frank Wilson summarises that ‘It’s time – both technically and commercially – for thermformers to step up to ‘state-of-the-art’ practices and to compete at the highest levels. Many OEMs and buyers have no prejudice or even interest in how their plastics parts are made – just as long as they make the grade. With David Russell, we hope to be building thermoforming systems – bespoke and standard – that lack for nothing in terms of quality and fitness for purpose.’