Thermoforming firms helped to increase quality

An EU funded research project to help thermoforming companies increase 'Right First Time' production, aims to reduce throughput time by up to 40% and reduce costs by 35%.

T-Form is an EU funded research project designed to help thermoforming companies; including mould makers, design agencies, thermoforming equipment manufacturers and end-users, to increase competitiveness through the development of a predictive mould design and manufacturing system.

The project aims to increase 'Right First Time' production, reduce throughput time by as much as 40% and reduce costs by 35%.

The project, which is being supported by the European FP6 Collective Research programme with a budget of EUR 4.8 million, is being undertaken by a consortium of European companies and trade associations.

GTMA is coordinating activities for the UK, while TNO Science and Industry is the overall European project coordinator and.

The participating research partners, PERA and Rapra Technology, in the UK, will undertake research activities on behalf of the industrial associations and thermoforming-related SMEs.

Benefits to companies participating in the project include the opportunity to guide the direction of the research and development as well as preferential access to new thermoforming process knowledge and technical developments in the form of best practice guidance, training and software tools.

In addition they will have the opportunity to collaborate with highly regarded and authoritative research establishments and become members of the specialist UK Thermoforming Group, which will cover important issues in the UK thermoforming industry.

GTMA CEO, Julia Moore, explained: "It is GTMA's objective to encourage companies in the sector, from the smallest to the largest, to adopt new ways of working to enable the full use of the possibilities of the T-ForM approach.

We would welcome the participation of thermoforming companies into the project.".

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