"Many of the spherical sector windows in service today have been thermoformed and their service record is outstanding." [Stachiw]
Thermoforming is a process of 2 or 3 dimensional forming of acrylic material. It is the recommended alternative to casting 3 dimensional objects in its finished shape in molds from slurry. Casting acrylic is a process that needs years, if not decennia of experience. Only very specialized companies operating worldwide can cast 3 dimensional objects in a reasonable size. Due to the price for tool making the price is usually not acceptable. Thermoforming is a comparably simple process.
A typical thermoformed product is the
acrylic tunnel for aquaria. Its size is only limited by the flat sheet and the sizes of our ovens.
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