About T-ForM

The thermoforming process is at the present moment based on craftsmanship and an iterative trial and error approach. To improve the state of affairs of the European Thermoform industry (Employees: 275.000, Turnover: 27.5 Billion Euro) structurally and fight competition effectively, the T-ForM consortium is initiating this Collective Research project on a European level that will enable this industry to reduce throughput times and enable production First Time Right against lower costs. An integrated co-operation of design engineers, mould makers, thermoform specialists, software manufacturers supported by Research organizations, on a European level, is therefore a must.

Within T-ForM the following strategic objectives have been addressed:

• Objective 1: Shorten the time from part design to actual possible manufacturing by introducing design guidelines for thermoformed parts.
• Objective 2: Easy to use, predictive mould design system for thermoforming based on, and connected to, a simulation system.
• Objective 3: Optimal thermoforming parameter settings based on the optimized product & mould design and mould manufacturing.

These objectives will enabling "First Time Right" production and a throughput time reduction of 40% is expected as the trial and error approach will become obsolete. Due to this reduction it is expected that the costs will be reduced with 35%.

Industrial Association Groupings
The knowledge developed within this project will be owned by the participating Industrial Association Groupings:

	Agoria - plastiques Belgium http://www.agoria.be
	Federacion Espanola De Asociacoines Empresariales De Moldes Y Matrices Spain http://www.feamm.com
	Gesamtverband der Kunststoffverarbeitende Industrie e.V. Germany http://www.gkv.de
	Gauge and Toolmakers Association United Kingdom http://www.gtma.co.uk
	ProducentenVereniging Thermoplasten the Netherlands http://www.pvt.nl
	TMG Kunststoff Cluster Austria http://www.tmg.at