Bending materials and Forming materials are two vastly different prospects.
Bending material, calls for it to be adjusted in one direction from one area like the samples below:
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To take a flat piece of material and bend it in one direction is not that difficult with the right materials and tools. At Snapvent Plastics we utilize this method in many circumstances to produce finished products like sign holders and at times museum bonnets sized to fit specific situations. This method can be utilized to produce quantities of units at a reasonable per unit cost depending on the design. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about your specific needs.
Forming materials is an entirely different proposition as it requires molding ovens and molds to achieve the desired results. This method would be utilized to produce a design along the lines of the following:
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In this design the entire board would have to be heated in a special oven to properly dispel waste gases safely, and have a male and female mold to clamp the material between to force the material to retain the shape you wished as it cooled. This mold must be perfect without defects as any imperfections in the mold will also transfer to the sheet as it cools. Even wood-grain can leave an imprint in materials.
This is a vastly more expensive process and is not suitable for single unit or even a low unit type production as the labor cost for the molds required and the cost of the substrate for the molds themselves preclude this from being a reality from an economic standpoint.