What is the Differences Between Three-Station and Four-Station Thermoforming Machines

What is the Differences Between Three-Station and Four-Station Thermoforming Machines

Positive-pressure and vacuum thermoforming machines are commonly used equipment for molding plastic products. With the development of technology and the diversification of market demand, the common three-station and four-station thermoforming machines on the market have become the mainstream choice. This article will discuss the difference between these two types of equipment in depth.

Working Principle of Thermoforming Machine

A multi-station thermoforming machine processes thermoplastic sheets by heating them to the softening point and then molded through the mold for the required shape of the manufacturing process. Plastic Thermoforming Machine Mainly for the production of various plastic containers ( egg Tray, fruit container, food container, package containers, etc.). fruit container, food container, package containers, etc) with thermoplastic sheets, such as PS, PET, HIPS, PP, PLA etc.

Multi-station thermoforming machines increase productivity by assigning different processes to separate workstations, which are optimized to meet different production requirements.

Workstation Division 

1. Three-station Thermoforming Machine

A three-station thermoformer typically consists of forming, cutting, and stacking stations.

2. Four-station Thermoforming Machine

A separate punching station is added to form a more subdivided process of Forming, Punching, Cutting, Stacking, etc. 

The main difference is that the 4-station machine has an additional punching station. If your plastic packaging products (such as fruit trays or seedling crates) need to be punched, you need a 4-station thermoformer to produce them. This model is designed to handle products that require punching.

Each set of molds will have different machine parameters during operation, such as temperature control and molding angle. Therefore, for the convenience of our customers, our thermoforming is equipped with a parameter storage function. Before the equipment is sent to the customer's factory, our engineers will debug each set of molds for the customer and send the produced samples to the customer for confirmation until the customer is satisfied. The engineers will store the operating parameters of the molds in the equipment, and the customer only needs to use the parameters in the next operation to start the production.

Parameter Comparison Table

Three-station and four-station thermoforming machines have their own advantages, and there is no absolute “better” choice. Considering your own product characteristics and output needs, please contact our technical team to select the optimal thermoforming solution for your production requirements.