ABSTRACT
Thermoforming will always represent only one part of all the possibilities for shaping plastics items, but the total market is so large that if only a fraction of it goes to thermoforming, sizeable business opportunities exist. In 1997 the growth rate for the next 5 years is anticipated to maintain 4 to 6%. The Business Communications Co., Inc. (Norwalk, CT) writes that “packaging of all types is a $100 billion business in the U.S. and that the market value of plastics used to package medical, pharmaceutical and specialty health-care products was $801 million in 1995.” The Rauch Guide (Impact Marketing Consultants, Manchester Center, VT) to the U.S. Plastics Industry states that “the U.S. sales of plastic resins and materials reached $150.5 billion in 1996. Among the several (five) technological advances that will contribute to future growth of plastics, the further development and use of barrier plastics for packaging applications occupies the first rank, the expansion of coextrusion film in flexible end uses were mentioned as second.” Both are pointing to a respectable growth in thin film thermoforming. The third reason mentioned, “the further development of plastic blends, alloys and copolymer technology,” will attain benefits also for the heavy-gauge thermoformer.
