Freetech Plastics of Fremont, CA has just won what is considered the Academy Award for its industry. At the annual Society of Plastics Engineers Thermoforming Conference attended by 750 industry leaders the “Peoples Choice Award” went to Freetech Plastics for The Coherent Ultrapulse Laser (which is used for Ophthalmology & Plastic Surgery). The six covers, which enclose the unit, were judged for Quality, Aesthetics, and Difficulty of Manufacturing. Freetechs’ founder Richard Freeman said “No West Coast firm has ever won this award so it’s a real pleasure to bring this back to the Bay Area”.

Thermoforming often goes unnoticed as an industry yet you probably come in contact with products made by this process every day. These range from the package that holds the sauce for your chicken McNuggets to enclosures for medical, scientific, and Telecommunications equipment. Thermoformed parts are also used widely in the automotive industry for pick-up bed liners, camper shells, as well as truck and R-V interiors. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry made up mostly of companies doing between 1-20 million dollars per year in sales.

Freetech Plastics is one of the many key manufacturers and suppliers that help make Silicon Valley work. Freetech has been providing high quality Pressure Forming and Fabrication for the Medical, Scientific, Telecommunication, and Electronic Enclosure markets for the past 20 years. They have collaborated with several highly regarded industrial design firms to produce award-winning products. Freetech’s ability to stretch the boundaries of the Pressure Forming process to fit the designers needs has made possible many attractive yet functional designs such as Coherent’s Ultra Pulse Laser.

The Coherent Laser’s dramatic but practical design also has local Roots. It was conceived by Lunar design the award winning Palo Alto Industrial Design Firm. Lunar consistently makes Business Weeks’ Top 10 Industrial Designer list. Lunar has won 1 ID Magazine awards using Pressure Formed Parts from Freetech Plastics and consistently stays on IDs leading edge.