Guide: Top 5 Tips for Cost Reduction in Thermoforming

Reducing Costs in Thermoforming - Key Points at a Glance

• Part design, material selection and mold design are the most effective ways to reduce costs
• Production-optimized design sustainably lowers unit costs
• Reduced material usage directly minimizes costs
• Efficient molds improve cost-effectiveness
• Early consideration during the development phase is crucial

What causes high costs in thermoforming?

For many companies, the biggest cost drivers in thermoforming are not immediately apparent. Especially without experience in design and tooling, they often only become visible once adjustments are already requiring significant effort and incurring additional costs.

In addition to material usage, tool complexity and the associated process steps play a particularly important role. It is often underestimated that even small adjustments in the design can have a major impact. This is precisely where the greatest potential lies for reducing costs in thermoforming. We support you in designing your components to be cost-optimized from the very beginning.

5 Tips for Reducing Costs in Thermoforming

These tips can be considered right from the start of your project to keep the total cost of your plastic thermoformed parts as economical as possible.

With thermoforming tools, you have the following options:

• Produce multiple parts with a single tool
• Avoid moving parts
• Use multi-cavity tools

The choice of material also determines the costs involved in thermoforming. Therefore, you should:

• Select materials consciously and according to your needs
• Use pre-colored semi-finished products
• Reduce material usage through intelligent design

In the following sections, we explain these steps in detail.

1. Produce multiple parts with a single mold

An effective way to reduce unit costs is the efficient use of the mold. The goal is to achieve the highest possible output per cycle. Multi-cavity molds are standard practice in thermoforming and allow for the simultaneous production of multiple identical components. However, combining different components in a single mold also offers significant savings potential.

2. Avoid Moving Parts in the Tool

Complex part geometries, particularly undercuts, require the use of moving elements in the tool. These significantly increase thermoforming costs and maintenance requirements.

Therefore, you should check during the design phase whether the workpiece can be adapted to eliminate this complexity.

Typical optimizations include:

• Eliminating undercuts
• Adjusting draft angles
• Simplifying the geometry

3. Choose the material carefully and based on your specific needs

A common mistake in practice is selecting a material that offers more capabilities than are actually necessary. This so-called “oversizing” unnecessarily leads to higher costs in thermoforming. Instead, material selection should consistently follow the bottom-up principle: Choose exactly the material that precisely meets the requirements.

This ensures a more economical solution with the same functionality.

4. Use pre-colored semi-finished products for colored parts

In many projects, coloring is performed later in the process, such as through plastic painting. This adds an extra step that costs time and money.

If pre-colored semi-finished products are used instead, this step can be eliminated. However, this requires that the quantities and the supply chain allow for such procurement.

5. Reduce Material Usage Through Intelligent Design

Material is one of the biggest cost factors in thermoforming. That’s why it’s particularly worthwhile to focus on this area. Through clever design, material thickness can be reduced without compromising stability. Reinforcing structures such as ribs are often used for this purpose.

Typical benefits include:

• Lower material consumption
• Lower unit costs
• Consistent component quality

Conclusion: Reducing costs in thermoforming starts with the right design

The greatest potential for cost savings in thermoforming doesn’t arise during production, but rather during the development and design phase. By focusing early on material-efficient design, simple geometries, and tool-friendly construction, you lay the foundation for consistently low unit costs.

Tip: With our DfM analysis software, we check your data for thermoformability and determine the best cost-benefit ratio for you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cost Reduction in Thermoforming

When is a multi-cavity mold or mold optimization worthwhile?

A multi-cavity mold or mold optimization is particularly worthwhile for medium to high production volumes. As production volume increases, the investment costs are spread out more effectively, while more efficient molds and shorter cycle times significantly reduce unit costs.

Why is material selection so crucial?

The material accounts for a large portion of the total costs. An optimized selection can therefore lead to direct savings.

What should be considered when designing the part?

The part should ideally not have complex geometries or elements such as sliders and undercuts. Such features make the mold more expensive.

What makes up the total costs in thermoforming?

The total costs in thermoforming consist primarily of tooling costs, material costs, and manufacturing costs. Energy costs and labor costs are also included. Depending on the component and quantity, these components can vary in their relative importance.

Learn more in our article on the Relationship Between Unit Costs and Tooling Costs in Thermoforming.