Case Study: Their Engineers Said We Couldn’t Do it – But We Did

At Plastics Unlimited, we pride ourselves on tackling tough challenges. Recently, a customer who specializes in industrial handing and loading dock solutions, came to us with a unique issue: they needed a ten-foot-long polyethylene part that had to remain extremely flat. Their current thermoforming supplier had been unable to deliver on this requirement, as the parts would consistently warp and lose their shape during the cooling process—a common challenge when working with polyethylene due to its natural tendency to bow as it cools.

Our team at Plastics Unlimited rolled up our sleeves and got to work. Rather than approaching the problem with a conventional mindset, we put our years of expertise and problem-solving skills into action. We carefully studied the behavior of the material and devised a creative solution: intentionally designing the tooling with a one-and-a-half-inch bow.

At first glance, designing something that starts imperfectly bowed may seem counterintuitive, but we understood how polyethylene behaves during cooling. As the thermoformed parts cooled, the engineered bow naturally relaxed—resulting in a perfectly flat final product.

This project is a shining example of the innovative thinking and deep industry knowledge that Plastics Unlimited brings to every job. By working closely with our customer and thinking outside the box, we provided a reliable, high-quality solution where others had fallen short.

Whether it’s overcoming material challenges, designing smarter tooling, or finding new ways to deliver precision parts, Plastics Unlimited is committed to turning our customers’ biggest headaches into success stories.

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