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Category: Design

We’re thrilled to announce that Ray Products has been awarded the Gold prize at this year’s SPE Thermoforming Conference for our work on the Stratasys F370 Industrial-grade 3-D printer!

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE)’s annual thermoforming conference is the leading exposition where thermoformers, suppliers and clients assemble to attend workshops, discussions, and networking sessions on all things thermoforming. One of the most exciting aspects of the conference is its contest, which considers submissions from thermoformers all over the country across several manufacturing categories.

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Category: Design

Chances are, you’ve been lied to about the capabilities of thermoforming. Those lies probably weren’t intentional. They may have come from sources with an outdated or incomplete understanding of pressure forming and vacuum forming as a process.

Wherever those lies came from, it’s time to learn the truth. And there’s no better place than the webinar we’ll be hosting in partnership with Design World on November 9 at 4 p.m. EST / 1 p.m. PST.

We’ll address the most commonly told lies about thermoforming, and share truths that you can use to cut costs, improve aesthetics and performance, and slash your manufacturing timetables with thermoforming.

9 Lies You’ve Been Told About Thermoforming
& 4 Truths That Will Transform Your Next Project

Online Webinar
Speakers: Brian Ray and Jason Middleton, with moderator Leslie Langnau
Host: Design World
Thursday, November 9, 2017
4 p.m. EST / 1 p.m. PST

Register Now

Category: Design

This is the third post in our series from our Thermoforming Handbook, a guide that, until now, was only available to our customers and partners. We’re releasing the whole thing in a series of posts right here on our blog.

We’ve previously released:

If you’re someone who uses custom plastic manufacturing professionally and you’re interested in getting your own copy, just send us a message and we’ll be happy to send you one. As always, these are general guidelines. Any project or design needs to be reviewed by a qualified thermoforming professional before it goes into production, and the sooner you get one of those qualified professionals involved in the process, the smoother things tend to go.  If you’re looking for a qualified professional, we know a few who would be happy to help.

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Category: Design

This is the second post in our series from our Thermoforming Handbook, a guide that, until now, was only available to our customers and partners. We’re releasing the whole thing in a series of posts right here on our blog. Chapter 1’s blog post is right here.

If you’re someone who uses custom plastic manufacturing professionally and you’re interested in getting your own copy, just send us a message and we’ll be happy to send you one. As always, these are general guidelines. Any project or design needs to be reviewed by a qualified thermoforming professional before it goes into production, and the sooner you get one of those qualified professionals involved in the process, the smoother things tend to go.  If you’re looking for a qualified professional, we know a few who would be happy to help.

Welcome to Chapter 2 of our design guide, where we’ll learn some important design considerations when designing for thermoforming. We’ll cover draw ratios, sharp angles, undercuts, draft angles and more. Thermoforming is a very capable process, and the more you understand about its technical aspects, the more flexibility you’ll have in design.

Draw Ratios

A draw ratio is the calculation that lets you know what gauge of plastic you need to start with for any given thermoformed part.

The Importance of Stretching

Thermoforming works by stretching a sheet of plastic over a mold. The more stretching that occurs, the thinner the plastic gets.

You Want It Thick, but Not Too Thick

Using a draw ratio calculation, you can make sure you start with plastic that’s thick enough to give you the final thickness you need, but not so thick that you waste money on overly expensive materials.

 

Thermoforming with a One to One Draw Ratio

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Category: Design

This article originally appeared in the May 2015 issue of Design2Part magazine. You can download a PDF of the original here.

By Rebecca Carnes

Supplying heavy-gauge, large-part pressure forming at lower quantities has insulated Ray Products from having to face much overseas competition. The simple reason, according to Jason Middleton, the company’s vice president of sales and development, is that heavy-gauge, large-part pressure forming doesn’t outsource well. (more…)

Category: Design

This article originally appeared in the April, 2015 issue of Design2Part Magazine. You can download a PDF of the original here.

By Rebecca Carnes

Specializing in thermoformed plastic parts, Ray Products Co., Inc. understands the unique qualities needed for medical device enclosures, such as durability, aesthetics, and built-in, antimicrobial resistance. The Ontario, Calif.-based company has been manufacturing enclosures for more than 60 years, and focuses on translating that experience into high-quality medical devices. These devices include medical electronics housings; imaging (X-Ray, CT Scan, MRI) enclosures; sterile packaging; bins and trays; hospital room panels; hospital bed components; and stands and support equipment.

Medical device enclosures make up the bulk of Ray Products’ medical business, and pressure-formed and vacuum-formed enclosures can be found on surgical and diagnostic equipment in healthcare facilities across the country. (more…)

Category: Design

Say you’ve decided that pressure forming is the right process for your next plastic manufacturing project.  How do you choose the right company to pressure form with?

While we’re obviously not a neutral party in this situation, we do have some advice that will help you get on the right track.

Price Matters

It’s not a bad idea to get your first project quoted by multiple pressure formers.  If you’re not familiar with the industry and what things should cost, it can help to make sure that you’re not being taken advantage of.

But it’s important to make sure you’re considering more than just the total at the bottom of the quote sheet.

How much would it cost you if you didn’t meet your deadline?  What about the  cost of changing your mold because of unexpected problems?  Or the costs of production defects?

Look at price, but remember that the cheapest quote you get up front, might not offer the best value in the end.

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Category: Design

When it comes to manufacturing medical device enclosures, there are several processes to choose from. We know we’re a bit biased, but more often than not, pressure formed plastic really is the best option for medical device enclosures.

Here are 9 reasons why.

#1: Cost at Quantity

When you factor in both tooling and production costs, pressure forming quite often has the lowest total cost of any other process in volumes of the high-hundreds to mid-thousands. These are very common quantities in medical device enclosure manufacturing.

#2: Large Part Capability

Our pressure forming machines can create single pieces up to a full 10’x6’, with up to 40” of depth. That’s the type of size you need when you’re creating enclosures for things like MRI, CT and X-Ray machines, or ancillary equipment like beds and chairs.

#3: Huge Material Selection

When you’re pressure forming, you can choose from literally hundreds of materials. These materials can come with properties like excellent impact protection, V-0 flammability ratings and even built-in antimicrobial resistance. The same thermoplastic materials that are used for injection molding are commonly used in pressure forming. (more…)

How Can Ray Products Help You Today?