Why process selection matters
For the same tray, the wrong process can mean 2-5x unit cost, weeks of extra lead time, or a tooling bill that eats most of your budget up front. Thermoforming and injection molding each have clear sweet spots — decide based on volume and precision first.
What thermoforming / vacuum forming is
Sheet stock (PETG/PVC/APET/PET/PP...) is heated until soft, then drawn onto a mold with vacuum or pressure. It stands out for low tooling cost (aluminum/resin/composite), fast prototyping, and suitability for medium/low volumes and thin-walled, large trays — much thinner walls than injection.
What injection molding is
Molten plastic is injected under high pressure into a steel cavity and cooled. Tooling is expensive but long-lived; per-part cost drops at high volume. Precision is high and complex 3D structures/ribs are possible, but upfront investment is large and changes are costly.
A quick comparison to help you choose
Low volume/R&D: thermoforming (tooling from a few hundred to a few thousand USD, 3-7 days sampling). Medium volume (~1k-50k pcs): thermoforming wins. High volume (>100k) with small/complex parts: injection. Dimensional accuracy: thermoforming ±0.3-0.5mm is fine for packaging trays; injection is tighter. Wall: thermoforming thin (0.2-1.5mm) & light; injection thicker & stronger.
Vacuum vs pressure forming vs injection
Vacuum forming is the cheapest with moderate detail; pressure forming adds compressed air to push sheet into finer corners and text, closer to an injection look. Only very precise, deep-drawn or undercut geometries really need injection molding. For most packaging trays, vacuum/pressure forming is more than enough.
How Jiushun helps
Not sure which process to use? Send us your application, target volume, dimensions and tolerance. Jiushun gives a free evaluation and recommends the best route — if thermoforming fits we make it directly; if injection or another process is clearly better, we tell you honestly rather than cost you money.