CUSTOM THERMOFORMING
Shirley K’s provides world class service to many customers that own their own tooling.
We provide custom heavy gauge thermoforming for OEM manufacturers. The team makes the plastic parts that manufacturers use to assemble their products such as covers, enclosures, shrouds, bezels, guards, and other components. Beyond individual parts, we also produce reusable packaging for them to efficiently have their other components shipped. Service remains our primary focus in this area – customers love us and stay with us because they know they will get their parts on time, every time. For them to make their product, they have to have ours, and they know they can count on Shirley K's.
Thermoforming Capabilities
- Short run specialty equipment for competitively priced lower volumes
- Drop ship programs
- Long run rotary equipment for larger volumes
- 5-axis CNC trimming for custom thermoforming parts that need to mate up to other parts
- Assembly
Custom Program Development
Tool Transfer Services
Move a current tool to Shirley K’s to enjoy more reliable delivery or to save money.
New Tool Manufacturing
Send us a tool design and we can build you a new tool.
Part Design & Development
Send us a part design and we can design and build a new tool.
Reverse Engineering
Send us a current part and we can reverse engineer it to design and build you a new tool.
In all cases we can help with material selection to optimize for the priority characteristics of the part. We can do a simple tool transfer for an existing part or design and build new low cost tooling for new parts. We have CNC trimming to finish the part with reliable and repeatable quality.
Volume-Based Production Solutions
High volume parts - productive rotary machines
Low volume parts - quick change-over shuttle machines
World Class Service Standards
- On time, every time custom thermoforming order fulfillment
- Emergency short run specialty equipment
- Finished goods inventory programs
- Responsive customer service
Our low overhead enables us to provide competitive pricing, but it’s the service level that
keeps our customers with us year after year.
Explore Custom Thermoforming Services
These detailed pages expand on Shirley K's custom thermoforming capabilities, materials, tooling support, design work, and reusable packaging options.
Materials: ABS · Kydex · Acrylic · HDPE (HMW-HDPE)
Guides: What Is Thermoforming? · Thermoforming Tooling & Molds · Heavy Gauge vs Thin Gauge
Common Questions About Custom Thermoforming
What is custom thermoforming?
Custom thermoforming heats a thermoplastic sheet until it becomes pliable, then forms it against a mold to produce a finished part. It covers everything from thin packaging to heavy structural components, and is generally chosen when tooling cost matters more than the lowest possible per-piece cost.
How does thermoforming compare to injection molding?
Thermoform tooling is typically single-sided and less expensive to build than a matched injection mold, so the fixed cost spread across a program stays lower. Injection molding generally becomes more economical at very high volumes and for small parts with thick or intricate geometry.
What is heavy gauge thermoforming?
Heavy gauge thermoforming forms pre-cut sheet one part at a time, rather than feeding thin material continuously from a roll. It is the approach used for enclosures, covers, guards, panels, dunnage and reusable containers.
What is a tool transfer?
A tool transfer moves existing production tooling from one manufacturer to another so the same part keeps being produced without building a new mold. It is common when a buyer changes suppliers on an established program.
What information is needed to quote a custom part?
A useful quote package generally includes the part's purpose, approximate dimensions or a CAD file, expected annual volume, target timeline, any material preference, and whether tooling already exists, sits with another supplier, or has yet to be built.
Can an existing plastic part be reproduced without drawings?
Yes. A physical sample carries the geometry needed to rebuild a model and produce tooling. Material identification and which dimensions are functionally critical usually need separate review, since a sample alone does not communicate tolerances.