For those new to vacuum forming, differentiating between male and female tooling – and when you would want to use either – can be tricky. Here’s everything you need to know.
Male tool / mold
A male tool is a positive tool that when formed produces a forming that is above the clamping of the clamped sheet.
When using a male tool, the visible surface of the formed part is usually the top surface and therefore the thickness of the plastic sheet tends to hide some of the imperfections on the tool surface, producing a more attractive surface finish. Male tooling costs are also usually less expensive than those for a female tool.
Female tool / mold
A female tool is a tool that when formed produces a forming that is below the clamping of the clamped sheet. The tool does not project above the clamping of the clamped sheet.
You’d want to use a female tool for projects that require sharp details, like deep cavities with a chick base and corners. Compared to a male tool, a female tool often reduces the possibility of webbing too and its closer spacing can give you cost savings in material.
Male tool with female cavities
A male tool with female cavities is essentially a male tool which can be used to create female vacuum formings. You w may want to create female parts without having to make conventional female tools and you don’t mind the extra material cost per cycle.
Formech has some great information on male and female tooling for vacuum forming.
