The food industry, however, is the most prevalent application of vacuum packaging as a process rather than product. Read More…
Leading Manufacturers
Valk Industries, Inc.
Greeneville, TN | 423-638-1284Valk’s policy is “to meet or exceed our customer’s requirements, working together as a team with honesty and integrity.” Valk’s success is due to their long standing focus on quality & customer service.
Conlet Plastics, Inc.
New Milford, CT | 860-354-0885For over 40 years, Conlet Plastics has been a leader in vacuum forming. They serve a wide variety of industries including medical, airline, automotive and signage, with high-quality products that are reasonably priced & delivered on time.
Profile Plastics, Inc.
Lake Bluff, IL | 847-604-5100Since 1960, Profile Plastics Inc. has been at the forefront of thermoforming technology. Utilizing the latest software and technology, our expert staff of engineers can design custom vacuum, pressure, and twin-sheet thermoformed solutions. Over the last 60 years, we have developed a process that allows us to deliver consistent, high volume, and precise products with superior quality. Our high quality products are manufactured with great attention to detail. ISO 9001:2008 certified.
Engineered Plastic Products, Inc.
Stirling, NJ | 908-647-3500Engineered Plastic Products custom forms & fabricates sheet thermoplastic materials, standard & specialized, for any number of industrial & commercial requirements. EPP has been widely recognized for outstanding manufacturing & service since 1958 for companies such as GE, NASA & AT&T. Custom fabricated parts can be as large as 72"x108" down to 2"x2" in any thickness up to 1 1/2". Post-forming includes all types of machining & assembly.
Arrowhead Plastic Engineering, Inc.
Muncie, IN | 765-286-0533Arrowhead has been in the heavy gauge thermoforming industry since 1972. Current machinery includes single station shuttle machines that can form parts up to 120” by 72” and rotary vacuum forming machines that can form parts up to 108” by 108”. The plant also has 5-Axis CNC routers with a cutting envelope of 120” by 60” X 48” for precision part trimming and a FARO arm for precision measuring and scanning. We have experience thermoforming a wide range of different polymers for many different industries.
SAY Plastics, Inc.
McSherrystown, PA | 717-633-6333Founded in 1986, SAY Plastics is a plastics processor specializing in OEM thermoforming. Our state-of the-art facility, located in South Central Pennsylvania, houses the latest manufacturing technologies. From our computer controlled forming equipment and our vacuum molding capabilities, to our brand new high speed CNC Routers, SAY Plastics has the tools for your next project. Our team will work with you every step of the way to ensure quality service every time.
Robinson Industries
Coleman, MI | 877-465-4055Robinson Industries offers thermoformed and injection molded reusable, heavy duty plastic pallets, packaging and more. We are one of the largest suppliers of reusable pallets to many industries.
Vacuum Packaging - Valk Industries, Inc.Food products are commonly maintained and stored through the use of vacuum packaging as the reduction of oxygen in the container improves product longevity while also increasing visibility, making it a perfect model for the vacuum packaging spokes-product. Food manufacturers package products such as meat, cheese and more in this manner. The trend is gaining momentum in domestic applications as well where small vacuum packaging systems can be used to store anything from food to blankets and clothing in secure protective plastic packaging.
The same principals of freshness, efficiency that enable food to be packaged in this manner apply to other items as vacuum packaging offers protection from moisture and other environmental contaminants such as dust and air while decreasing the amount of space needed for storage. Although most vacuum packaging causes entails large amounts of pressure being applied to a product when the air is removed, gas flushes may be used for the packaging of even fragile materials without risk of harm.
Products contained and protected through vacuum packaging are sealed in thermoplastic material through a four step process, though additional steps may be required for specialized materials. In industrial and commercial applications items are fed into a heavy duty chamber sealer.
These machines place the item into an opened plastic bag or a preformed mold, such as the blister pack or clamshell mentioned before. The chamber is then closed and a high-speed vacuum pump extracts air from the entire chamber. The open portion of the plastic is positioned on a heat strip, which seals edges creating an anaerobic environment. The chamber can then be opened and air is allowed to flow freely as the sealed package is airtight.
Domestic vacuum packaging applications employ smaller, simpler models where items are placed in a plastic bag with a specialized valve to which a vacuum or small vacuum pump is attached for the reduction of contained air. The production of vacuum packaging forms is very dissimilar from the act of packaging, but still requires the removal of air. A sheet of plastic is heated to a soft pliable state and then fed into a form station. A vacuum removes air, pulling the plastic up against a pre-made mold. The plastic is then cooled in place before reverse air flow ejects the packaging. Vacuum formed parts are often used to vacuum package other parts as they are rigid, durable and product specific.
