GWP Group Logo
GWP Group Logo
Phone GWP Correx - 01793 754 447
01793 754 457
Mon - Fri / 08.30 - 17.00
Email GWP Correx - correx@gwp.co.uk
correx@gwp.co.uk
Free advice & quotes
GWP Packaging

Corrugated cardboard packaging expertise and innovation

GWP Protective

Widest range of protective cases with custom foam in the UK

GWP-Correx

UK leading independent Correx® packaging manufacturer

GWP Conductive

Providing cutting edge ESD safe packaging for 30+ years

GWP Coatings

Supplying sheet plants with coated corrugated material

Reduce packaging costs

A range of strategies and ideas to reduce your ongoing packaging costs

Protective packaging

Protection for your products and equipment to prevent costly damage in transit

Improve packaging efficiency

Streamline your operations, enhancing efficiency and productivity

Environmentally friendly packaging

Minimise the environmental impact of your packaging and business

Packaging design service

Custom packaging to your exact requirements, designed by an award winning team

Packaging guides and blog

A range of guides, tips and detailed articles to improve your packaging

Case studies

Examples of successful packaging, and how your business can benefit

Packaging markets

Specific industry knowledge and expertise relevant to your business

Quality standards

Accreditations / standards to ensure you get the highest packaging quality

Packaging news at GWP

The latest news, events and community projects happening at GWP Group

Vacuum Formed Trays

The Correx® experts

More than 25 years experience

Free quotes and advice

Bespoke pricing on all orders

Custom design

Tailored to your requirements

Vacuum formed trays
Vacuum formed insert trays
Vac formed packaging
Vac formed kitting trays
Thermo formed trays
Plastic handling trays

Vacuum formed packaging insert trays

Improve your parts handling using vac-formed trays

Vacuum formed trays are perfect for enhancing your totes or handling containers – offering improved protection for your parts or components and aiding efficiency and productivity.

Ideal for manufacturing industries, vacuum formed packaging inserts can be fully tailored to your specific requirements. This aids handling, part retrieval, and eliminates movement of components within the container to reduce damage. They are also ideal for clean rooms and applications that require ESD protection. Read More

Available Colours:

White Correx
Grey Correx
Black Correx
Blue Correx
  • No obligation (and no pressure) quotes for any picking bins
  • Free and impartial advice from UK-based experts
  • Competitive pricing and full customisation options

Description

More info on vacuum formed trays and inserts

Perfect for use either as a standalone handling item or (more commonly) within an outer tote box or container, there are several ways in which vacuum formed trays can improve your handling efficiency and productivity.

Firstly, vac-forme packaging inserts are incredibly light in weight, meaning they are safe and easy to handle.

They can also be layered within a tote, increasing the number of parts moved per trip and improving your staff productivity. Unlike Correx® dividers, they can also be easily removed from the totes whilst maintaining their shape and retaining their contents.

The nature of their design means they can often “nest” when not in use – saving storage space and allowing for more efficient return transit.

And whilst sampling and tooling costs are higher than comparable foam dunnage or plastic division sets, their low unit costs also make vacuum formed trays ideal for higher volume requirements.

However, their main advantage over foam inserts is that they do not suffer from “shedding” of dust or fibres, which can contaminate parts or components. These properties make them ideal for clean room applications too.

A final benefit in terms of protection (and reusability) is that vac-formed trays, being manufactured from plastic, are resistant to water and most chemicals and are easily cleaned.

Similarly, if you have a product which – if broken or faulty – could leak fluid such as oil, the plastic tray contains this in the specific recess. Containing spills or leaks prevents contamination across other parts in the same container.

Bespoke vac formed trays

While it is possible to source vacuum formed trays with standard pockets and recesses (as per kitting trays), the real benefits of using this type of plastic parts tray are through the range of customisation options available.

The shape of the recesses/pockets can be a very close fit to your specific part, product, or component. A good fit between your items and the tray offers additional protection by minimising movement during handling or transit.

Similarly, you can choose to alter the layout of any recesses within a custom plastic tray, allowing you to maximise the efficiency of your handling tote (effectively getting as many parts as possible within the outer container).

However, you can add other features, too.

Options include additional moulding of instructions or part numbers (something labelling can also achieve), and it is possible to create anti-static trays using ESD-safe material. Anti-static vacuum formed trays and packaging are an excellent solution for safely handling and storing electronics and work particularly well with GWP’s range of conductive products.

Key benefits of vacuum forming

  • Lightweight for ease of handling.
  • Minimise movement (and therefore damage) during handling.
  • Can be tailored to your product or components for optimum fit.
  • Retain shape and rigidity when removed from outer containers.
  • Can also be layered in totes for further efficiency.
  • Easy to clean, plus water, oil and grease resistant.
  • Can mould in part numbers, instructions etc.
  • Trays can fit standard totes or be manufactured to custom sizes.
  • Thin material and ability to nest save space when not in use.
  • ESD-safe (conductive) versions are available.
  • Ideal for high volume requirements and protecting valuable parts.

FAQs

Common questions about vacuum formed trays

Please see below for answers to commonly asked questions regarding vacuum formed trays and products.

However, if you can’t see the information you are looking for, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of the GWP team.

What are vacuum formed trays?

Vacuum formed trays are popular for material handling applications (i.e. moving parts or components around a factory or supply chain). The manufacture of trays involves heating plastic sheets and stretching them over a mould before being forced against it by a vacuum. Once cooled and removed from the mould, they are suitable for use as a container insert or as a standalone custom-made tray.

What is the difference between vacuum forming and thermoforming?

Vacuum forming and thermoforming are effectively the same processes, heating plastic to a malleable temperature before forming it to a specific shape. The difference in vac-forming, however, is the additional process of using a vacuum to force the plastic material to conform to the mould.

What plastic is used for vacuum forming?

Manufacturers can use several different plastics for vacuum forming. Suitable materials include vacuum forming grades of ABS, PETG sheets and – most commonly – HIPs (High Impact Polystyrene sheets). The manufacture of vacuum formed trays is most widely from HIPs.

Are vac forme trays recyclable?

You can recycle HIPS and other polystyrene materials used in manufacturing vacuum formed packaging. Being recyclable minimises environmental impact. Besides this, High Impact Polystyrene is cost-effective to produce, meaning its use is widespread in the food industry.

What is webbing in vacuum forming?

Material webbing when vacuum forming is the unwanted wrinkles that can appear in the mould when the vacuum is applied, and the plastic stretches in an unplanned manner. It can happen if the flow of the heated sheet is not adequately controlled as the tool is raised into the material.

What is draft casting, and why is it important for vacuum forming?

In engineering, the term “draft” refers to the amount of taper for moulded or cast parts perpendicular to the parting line. Engineers measure this in degrees or mm/mm (in/in). The draft or taper on the mould’s sides effectively allows the easy removal of the finished plastic from the mould.

What is meant by a male / female tool?

A male tool is a positive tool that, when formed, produces a forming that is above the clamping of the clamped sheet. With a male tool, the visible surface of the formed part is usually the top surface; therefore, the plastic sheet’s thickness can hide some of the imperfections on the tool surface (producing a more attractive surface finish). A female tool is a tool that, when formed, creates a forming below the clamped sheet’s clamping. Projects that require sharp details or deep cavities use female tools.

Are vacuum forming tools expensive?

For producing tote inserts and vacuum-formed trays, the tooling cost is significantly higher than for Correx® or plastic divisions (although the low unit costs make them competitive in high volume production). However, compared to similar tooling, such as injection moulding, vac-formed tools are relatively low cost.

What is material shedding?

If you use other types of tote inserts, such as cardboard or particularly foam inserts, shedding of material can occur over prolonged, repeated use. Shedding is where tiny particles of the foam material rub away, creating dust and fine debris, which can contaminate or damage parts (something known as FOD – foreign object debris).

Buy vacuum formed trays

Free quotes and unbiased, expert advice

GWP Correx® are UK experts in material handling products and packaging, including the manufacture of custom Correx® (corrugated plastic) products such as totes, boxes, trays, and even picking bins. However, you can also source a broader collection of vacuum formed trays, foam inserts and plastic dividers to customise your handling equipment.

This range of options (foam for low volumes, vacuum forming for high volume and Correx® divisions for flexibility) ensures that your business can source a tried and tested solution regardless of the requirements of your production line, supply chain or other application. And sourcing your totes and inserts together also guarantees perfect compatibility, as well as a truly cost-effective solution.

GWP also take pride in offering a bespoke design service, backed up by an experienced team of experts with specific knowledge of the challenges faced by various industries.

These benefits complement a knowledgeable and friendly team of support staff, material stock holding for fast lead times and no MOQs, plus free advice and guidance on the best products for your application.

Alternative options

Similar tray and insert options

As well as vac-formed trays, your business can source many alternative inserts and plastic trays (and benefit from impartial advice on the best option for your application).

Foam Trays

Plastazote® foam trays

Foam insert colours

Custom Sizes
Enquire for info

Correx inserts / layer pads

Correx® inserts and layer pads

Correx picking bin colour options

Custom Sizes
Enquire for info

Foam Divisions

Foam dunnage and dividers

Foam dunnage colours

Custom Sizes
Enquire for info

Correx dividers

Adjustable or fixed divider sets

Correx picking bin colour options

Custom Sizes
Enquire for info

Compatible Outer Containers

Containers for using with vacuum formed inserts

Euro containers

Euro containers

Huge range of light, durable & easy to handle containers

Correx collapsible tray

Handling trays

Light weight, fold flat trays to save space in storage and transit

Correx totes

Correx® totes

Materials handling solution designed to your specifiaction

Rapitainer

Rapitainer®

Line-side containers and returnable supply chain totes

Industrial transit packaging

Corrugated boxes

Custom designed single trip corrugated transit packaging

Multi trip packaging

All multi-trip

Largest range available from a single supplier

Quotes, technical info and advice

Get your no obligation, tailored quote or impartial product advice

    Required details


    Additional info


    For full details on how GWP treats your data, please view this Privacy Policy. Your information is not shared with any third party.

    Here to help

    Speak directly with one of our Correx® experts

    Fiona Churchward, GWP Conductive product adviser

    Fiona Churchward

    Product Adviser
    correx@gwp.co.uk
    01793 754 457

    Elliott Melbourne, GWP Sales Coordinator

    Elliott Melbourne

    Sales Coordinator
    correx@gwp.co.uk
    01793 754 457

    Emily Parker, GWP Correx sales office manager

    Emily Parker

    General Manager
    correx@gwp.co.uk
    01793 754 444

    Phone GWP Correx

    01793 754 457

    Mon – Fri 08.30 – 17.00

    Email GWP Correx

    correx@gwp.co.uk

    Email a handling / storage expert

    Can you see how using vacuum formed trays could have a positive impact on your handling efficiency?

    ×