You may not feel familiar with thermoforming, however, it is surprising to find just how often it works its way into daily life. The plastic plates you picked up for this week’s party are thermoformed. Those large plastic parts in cars and planes are thermoformed. The majority of food, medical, and retail plastic packaging is also thermoformed.
The difference between large thermoformed plastic parts for an airplane and the thin material of dinnerware is referred to as thin gauge verse thick gauge. Thin gauge means that the plastic is thin enough that it is actually fed through the machine on a roll. Thick gauge means that the plastic has to be fed through on flat sheets. Thin gauge is used for items like plastic cups, lids, trays, etc. It is usually disposable or recyclable. On the flip side thick gauge is tends to be used for more permanent items.
Now when you go to the store you can feel a little more informed about your plastic purchases.
