NEWS 
For further editorial information or
electronic files contact: ThermoFlex LLC
Rol Kracoe – Kracoe Szykula & Townsend,
Inc.
PH 248-641-7500 – FAX 248-641-4779
Email: rkracoe@ksthip.com Ph: 931.815.9500 FX:
931.815.9530
E-mail: gregh@thermoflexllc.com
www.thermoflexllc.com
New Product Information — For Immediate Release
ECONOMICAL VACUUM FORMED PALLET
TRAYS IDEAL FOR ROBOTIC HANDLING
At the 2008 SouthPack exposition,
Morrison, TN-based ThermoFlex LLC, specialists in thermoforming, cast urethane
and thermoset molding of material handling components, demonstrated its
expanded capacity for vacuum forming high precision pallet-sized trays and
platforms with accuracies suitable for robotic handling and automated part
loading/unloading operations. This
expertise results in solutions that integrate the economies of vacuum forming
with the strength and precision normally associated with more expensive
injection molding operations. ThermoFlex
is able to produce containers and trays in sizes up to approximately 5 feet x 9
feet x 20-25 inches from high molecular weight polyethylene materials up to 1/2
inch thicknesses.
The design for the new tray concept
includes targeted areas where pockets are precision routed in secondary
operations to accommodate the robotic grippers for lifting the pallet to and
from loading stations. In addition,
reinforcement and stiffening points are integrated at strategic locations to
assure the tray is strong and stable.
Some of the most critical details of producing the precision
trays, according to Greg Hancock, vice-president and general manager for
ThermoFlex, are in the vacuum forming process itself. “The process requires virtually continuous
vigilance, monitoring and adjustments, if necessary,” remarks Hancock, “when
trying to achieve tighter tolerances than conventional thermoforming projects
require. The correct heating temperature
and cycle time must be maintained...likewise the cooling cycle and removal
temperature are vital, along with vacuum pressures. For the automated system or robot to do its
job, the containers must be consistently sized, strong and rigid to eliminate
deflection.”
“If the temperature is not accurately
controlled and allowed to get too high, or if the cooling cycle is
insufficient, the part will likely bend, bow, shrink or warp. If the heating cycle is too short, the
temperature drops, or if the vacuum pressure is low, finer part details may be
diminished or lost,” Hancock concludes.
With ThermoFlex engineering and
design resources, precision trays and pallets can be configured to meet the
demands of virtually all part configurations, process requirements, and robotic
handlers. To assure results, the firm
first produces a wood pattern of the tray concept from which samples are run...
adjustments can be easily and economically made during this phase. Once sampling is complete and outcomes
verified, aluminum tooling is fabricated to complete the production run.
ThermoFlex
capabilities include cast urethane molding and thermofoam operations in
addition to its vacuum forming operations.
Products include urethane coated conveyor rollers, tool protection
holders for the metalworking industry, assembly tools, bumpers, enclosures,
grippers, covers, wipers, seals and custom dunnage components. Along with its sister facility, PolyFlex
Products (
Attention to process parameters
such as temperatures and cycle times, plus incorporating effective design details
are the critical elements to ThermoFlex’s precise and economical vacuum formed
pallet trays, ideal for handling by robots and automation systems.