Before Thermoforming
Before entering the world of plastic, Del Reedy was an aerospace engineer. After completion of his BS in Mechanical Engineering and acceptance into a doctoral program for nuclear engineering, Del spent many years working in the aerospace industry with companies like Lockheed, Fairchild, Boeing, and Aerojet General. At these companies, Del specialized in the high-temperature materials required for the interior of solid propellant rocket motors.
Some of the highlights of Del’s impressive career include the following accomplishments:
1. Working on high-temperature materials and structures to demonstrate the feasibility of the dynamic soaring vehicle, an air-breathing rocket-propelled craft;
2. Designing pressure vessels out of high-strength, high-temperature steel alloys; and
3. Participating in the development of an analytical method to predict the decompression snuffing (L*) of rocket motors.
The Formation of Sandel Products
In 1974, Del decided to quit the aerospace game and instead use his experience to create Sandel Products, 
a California-based thermoforming company. Working with the high temperature materials required for the interior of solid propellant rocket motors had given Del keen insight into just how inefficiently modern thermoforming companies were producing their tooling. By instituting his own ideas for tool production, Del was able to begin creating vacuum forming tools and finished vacuum-formed prototypes in just a few days – not six to eight weeks like his competitors.
But updating the tooling process wasn’t quite enough. Unsatisfied with the thermoforming machines currently on the market, Del also developed a vacuum forming machine that could extract a heated sheet of plastic from the oven and onto the tool in only two seconds.
Del’s specialized vacuum forming equipment and proprietary thermoforming tooling meant that straight vacuum forming techniques could now be used to produce parts with superior appearance and definition. In fact, many parts formed using his proprietary equipment and tooling have the appearance of being injection molded or pressure formed.
Custom Thermoforming in the East
In 1999, Del’s son James, who holds both a BS and an MS in Mechanical Engineering, decided to join the family business. Having moved to Ohio to marry his Midwestern sweetheart three years prior, James was in the perfect position to open the Eastern US version of Sandel Products: Plastics Design and Manufacturing, today known as FastForming.com, LLC. Serving the Eastern part of the United States, FastForming.com uses the same proprietary thermoforming tooling and specialized vacuum forming equipment as Sandel Products, allowing them to offer the same quality products.
Modern Thermoforming
Today customers throughout the United States enjoy the benefits of low tooling costs and finished sample custom thermoformed parts delivered to their doors in days. Contact Del in California or James in Ohio and experience the cost-saving benefits this unique thermoforming process provides for you!
Fastforming.com has done jobs for many well known companies. Here are a few that you may have heard of:
Raytheon
Tesla
Stanley Black & Decker
Borg Warner
Champion Spark Plugs
Stryker
Accumed
Boston Dynamics
How will this experience help me with my project?