In accordance with Development Plan for 2014 vigorous efforts are taken at “AutoKrAZ” to upgrade and improve production process and put new products into production. The latest addition of this year to the company’s machinery is vacuum forming machine. This machine is used to form plastic parts by drawing.  

It should be mentioned that vacuum forming of plastic sheets is one of the most rapidly growing lines of business in present-day production. The method is simple enough and cost-efficient, as no expensive additional elements are required. The machine is automatic, only clamping sheet of plastic in position and removal of finished piece are made manually. All the other operations such as heating, lifting of table with a mold, vacuum valve opening or closing, vacuum forming, cooling of finished product, air supply for dome blowing and finished product removal, table lowering are controlled by a special program run by operator.   

Workers of tool room were pressed for time to grapple with equipment and carry out commissioning activities because an order had to be completed by the due date but the company engaged in production of plastic parts for “AutoKrAZ” is in the territory of Donbass, delivery of products from which is a big problem until order and law restoration.  The whole process from order placing to delivery of components under cooperation agreement was at risk of failure. For this reason, the senior officers of “AutoKrAZ” decided to put these parts into production at the company’s facilities.   

The vacuum former has been recently put into operation, however, it has already manufactured parts for new trucks rolling off the main assembly line.  Trucks scheduled for manufacture in December will be provided with homemade parts. These parts are all-purpose and used on all the KrAZ models. To form two trumpet-shaped parts and one engine vent cap only one АВS plastic sheet is needed.

It takes only 10 minutes to form parts. A mode is selected and molds are made for each part that is put into production. After putting vacuum former into operation not only has “AutoKrAZ” safeguarded from shortages in supply of these components but also reduced their cost by eliminating transportation costs and driver trip expenses.