3-Dimensional Thermoforming Computer Simulation Considering Orthotropic Property of Film

The tensile properties of the extruded PC film were measured in the extrusion direction and perpendicular to the extrusion direction. The measured properties were the elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio at the glass transition temperature of PC. The measured orthotropic properties of the film were used for the computer simulation of vacuum forming. In this simulation, three mold shapes were tested: dome, trapezoid, and cubic, and the vacuum was applied between the mold surface and the heated film. The stress, strain, thickness, and stretch ratio distributions of the film in different mold shapes were observed and compared. The thermoforming simulation method used in this study and the obtained results, considering the determined orthotropic properties, can be applied to the thermoforming of various three-dimensional shapes.