Here at FastForming, we work with all thermoformable plastics and engineering resins. Not every material is an appropriate choice for every project, so our engineers are standing by to help you select the best type of plastic for your application. In addition to price point, we base our recommendations on characteristics like density, dielectric strength, and thermal conductivity (among many, many others!).
The following list names the most common thermoformable materials, but it is by no means exhaustive:
| Type of Plastic | Variations | Also Known As… |
|---|---|---|
| Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) | General Purpose (GPABS), Flame/Fire Retardant (FRABS) | Absylux®, Bayblend®, Cycolac®, Cycoloy®, Delta®, Denka®, Lustran®, Magnum®, Novodur®, Polyman®, Royalite®, Terluran®, Toyolac® |
| Cellulose Acetate Butyrate (CAB) | Excelon®, Spartech®, Tenite®, Uvex® | |
| Polycarbonate (PC) | Calibre®, Durolon®, Durotuff®, Hopelex®, Infino®, Iupilon®, Lexan®, Lupoy®, Makroblend®, Makroclear®, Makrolon®, Mapka®, Merlon®, Panlite®, Pulse®, Sunlite®, Tarflon®, Trirex®, Wonderlite® | |
| Polyethylene (PE) | High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene (HMWPE) | Alathon®, Forar®, Hostalen®, Marlex®, Paxon®, Fortiflex®, Dowlex®, Flexomer® |
| Polyethylene-Terephthalate (PET) | Glycolized Polyethylene Terephthalate, Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) | Celanex®, Eastpac®, Ektar®, Rynite®, Mylar® |
| Polyetherimide (PEI) | Polyether Ether Ketone (PEEK) | Ultem®, Radel® |
| Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) | Acrylic®, Acrylite®, Acrysteel®, Altuglas®, Kamax®, Korad®, Lucite®, Optix®, Oroglas®, Perspex®, Plexiglas®, Polycast®, R-Cast®, XT®, Zylar® | |
| Polyphenylene Oxide and Polyphenylene Ether (PPO and PPE) | Noryl® | |
| Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS) | Ecotran®, Fortron®, Petcoal®, Ryton® Ryton R®, Supec®,Tedur®, Torelina® |
|
| Polypropylene (PP) | Homopolymer Polypropylene (HPP), Copolymer Polypropylene (CPP) | Amodel®, Fortilene®, Geolast®, Oleplate®, Olevac®, Pro-Fax® |
| Polysulfone (PSU) | Udel®, Ultrason® | |
| Polystyrene (PS) | High-Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) | Bextrene® |
| Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) aka Vinyl | Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride (CPVC, PVC-C) | Geon®, Fiberloc®, Kydex®, TempRite® |
| Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) | Teflon® | |
| Thermoplastic elastomers or Thermal Plastic Vulcanite (TPE or TPV) | Thermoplastic Olefin or Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) | Kraton®, Ontex®, Santoprene®, Sarlink®, Riteflex® |