Thermoforming Process Setup Options

The Single Station Thermoforming, Shuttle Station Thermoforming, 3 Station Rotary Thermoforming, and 4 Station Rotary Thermoforming nodes of the Process Options Editor provide the following setup options:

Number of Tools

Impacts tooling costs.

Specifies the number of tools required for the total production volume. The value is a function of tool life and the selected thermoforming process. All processes except for Shuttle Station Thermoforming use one tool at a time. Shuttle Station Thermoforming runs two tools simultaneously and therefore requires twice the number of tools.

For 3 Station Rotary Thermoforming, 4 Station Rotary Thermoforming, and Single Station Thermoforming, the calculation is as follows:

Number of Tools = Total Production Volume / (Tool Life * Number of Cavities * Number Of Forming Stations)

  • Total Production Volume is the product of Part Annual Volume and Part Production Life, as shown in the Cost Guide in aPriori.

  • Tool Life is the product of: Number of Parts Material Dependent, Tool Life Factor, and Tool Coating Life Factor.

    • Number of Parts Material Dependent: aPriori performs a lookup in the tblToolLife table and selects the Number Shots Per Tool for the Material Type that corresponds to the selected material in the Production Scenario. If the tblToolLife table contains duplicate entries, aPriori uses the number specified by the cost model variable defaultToolLife (defined as the median value of the available data relating to tool life by part material type: 260,000 in starting point Digital Factories).

    • Tool Life Factor: this is a Digital Factory tool shop materials multiplying factor.

    • Tool Coating Life Factor: aPriori performs a lookup in the tblToolCoating table and selects the Tool Life Improvement Factor for the Coating Type that corresponds to the selected Plating of the Mold setup option. If the tblToolCoating table contains duplicate entries, aPriori sets the coating life factor to 1.

  • Number of Cavities: specified by the setup option Number of Parts per Sheet.

  • Number Of Forming Stations is 1.

  • The calculation differs slightly for Shuttle Station Thermoforming as it utilizes two forming stations. Number of Tools is given by the above calculation multiplied by Number Of Forming Stations which, for Shuttle Station Thermoforming, is 2.

With this setup option, users can override the default value.

Select Mold Material

Impacts tooling costs.

Specifies the mold material for the mold plate, water plate, plug, and pressure box. The default is Aluminum 7075 in starting point Digital Factories (specified by the Digital Factory tool shop default tool material).

Select Material for the Actions

Impacts tooling costs.

Specifies the material for core pulls. The default is Aluminum 7075 in starting point Digital Factories (specified by the Digital Factory tool shop default tool material).

Select EDM Electrode Material

Impacts tooling costs.

Specifies the EDM electrode material. The default is Carbon in starting point Digital Factories (specified by the cost model variable electrodeMaterial). Users can select Copper as an alternative from the drop-down list.

Freight Rate

Impacts tooling costs.

Specifies the freight rate to ship the tool from the tool maker to the molder, computed from mold weight.

  • Default Digital Factory rate (specified by the tool shop variable Freight Rate)

  • User-defined value

Import Duty Rate

Impacts tooling costs.

Specifies the import duty charge, computed from mold weight.

  • Default Digital Factory rate (specified by the tool shop variable Duty Rate)

  • User-defined value

SG&A Rate

Impacts tooling costs.

Specifies the percent Selling, General & Administrative costs (SG&A) applied to the tooling cost.

  • Default Digital Factory percent (specified by the tool shop variable SG&A Rate)

  • User-defined value

Margin Rate

Impacts tooling costs.

Specifies the percent margin applied to the tooling cost. The options are:

  • Default Digital Factory markup/profit percent rate (specified by the tool shop variable Mark Up Rate)

  • User-defined value