Fabrication and Machining

Airforme products Ltd offer both new and traditional machining and fabrication techniques and are specialists in vacuum forming, by applying these methods we can produce vacuum formed products to a very high specification.

We have the ability to chemically bond and heat bond plastics as well as welding, we can also apply these methods and expertise to a large selection of foams.

We have been supplying aircraft interior trim companies with bespoke vacuum formings and foam parts for many years often introducing them to the latest materials and techniques.

We also supply transportation trays fitted with bespoke foam inserts which enables our customers to use the same size vacuum formed tray to transport different size components helping to keep tooling cost to a minimum.


We have full trimming and fabrication facilities available, these include traditional hand finishing skills along with 5 axis and 3 axis CNC machines.

Having both these techniques available means we are able to cater for one off bespoke projects as well as long production runs without the need to involve a third party, which in turn gives us full control over delivery dead lines and also helps us to maintain our high standard of quality control throughout the vacuum forming and finishing process.

We develop all our CNC tooling in-house and configure all our CNC programs, this enables us to implement any changes required without loss of production.

Programs can be produced from a drawing or we can replicate a sample product.

Airforme and Recycling

The vacuum forming industry revolves around plastic and it is therefore essential that as a company Airforme keeps up with all the latest developments regarding plastic production and recycling, this enables us to maintain our high level of service, keeping our customers informed of the latest materials as and when they become available.

As we all know the effects of climate change are becoming more and more apparent and coupled with the growing shortage of raw materials it is now more important than ever to recycle waste material. Airforme consumes in excess of 80 tonnes of plastic per annum and every effort is made to encourage the recycling of any wastage that occurs during the manufacturing process, and as a result of our strict “no land fill” policy over 95% of our waste plastic material is recycled.

Where possible we source our materials from local suppliers, and on occasions when we cannot obtain the required materials and have to import plastics we try to predict future requirements thus reducing our carbon foot print. The plastic is delivered into us wrapped and sealed in a plastic film this is then recycled in the form of packaging for our moulds

The plastic recycling process begins with us, after we have produced and trimmed our vacuum formings there will always be a small amount of waste material which is sorted into specific plastic types and placed in reusable containers ready for collection. Once the plastic reaches the recycling plant it is washed and dried to remove any contaminations such as protective films, labels and general dirt thus ensuring the regrind is of a high standard. The clean plastic is reduced in size by shredding then placed in a granulator ready for blending.

The blending process assembles multiple small batches of the same type of plastic to which additives and enhancing agents are introduced to suit the formula required for the regrind type being produced by the recycling plant. The plastic material is now ready to be turned back into sheet plastic.

History of Vacuum Forming

Vacuum forming is one of the oldest methods of moulding plastic, with a history which can be traced back for more than a hundred years . Whilst there was a limited usage until the middle of the twentieth century, the introduction of more readily available plastics in the mid 1950s saw a rapid increase in the popularity of the process. Early product ranges consisted of the relatively simple items such as containers and lids, together with various food packaging products.



The development of many different plastic formats together with the technology advances in the industry have ensured that vacuum forming became one of the most efficient and cost effective processes of satisfying the explosion in demand for plastic products, being a relatively simple process involving vacuum, heat and air. The method employed is to use vacuum to evenly apply pressure over the material whilst heating sufficiently to allow it to be pulled down over the master tool. Once this is achieved the material is cooled rapidly using large fans until sufficiently cool to allow the material to be removed from the tool whilst retaining the shape and surface texture.

These technical advances have during the past 50/60 years have seen plastic evolve into one of the most universally utilised materials in modern manufacturing, the results are common place in our every day life, with plastic components being used in a range of products from simple disposable containers to the advances in space exploration.

Welcome to Airforme Products Limited

Specialists in Vacuum Forming

Formed in 1993, Airforme Products has provided a service for high quality Vacuum formed parts and components.

Our premises in Bristol include In-house Tooling, modern Vacuum Forming Machines, both 5-Axis and 3-Axis CNC Trimming, plus full fabrication and Trim Shop facilities.

Airforme has produced vacuum formings for a wide cross section of industries. This has enabled us to gain a vast knowledge of the vacuum forming industry, which means we are able to meet all our customer requirements from the initial prototype through development and onto production.

Typical examples of Mouldings designed and produced to suit Customer’s needs, are illustrated in the Moulds and Vacuum Forming sections.