The leisure and sports equipment sector encompasses an extraordinarily wide range of products — from kayaks and canoes to protective sporting equipment, camping gear, and amusement park ride components. Vacuum forming is a key manufacturing process across many of these categories, offering the combination of complex shapes, lightweight construction, and cost-effective production that the sector demands. At Jabro Games, we work with clients across the leisure and outdoor equipment market.
Watersports Equipment
Kayak and canoe hulls, sit-on-top seat components, and paddle board accessories are produced by vacuum forming in lightweight, impact-resistant materials. Polyethylene and ABS are commonly used for their combination of toughness, UV resistance, and the ability to be formed into the compound curves that define modern watersports hull shapes. The lightweight nature of thermoformed construction is a significant advantage in equipment that must be carried to and from the water.
Protective Sports Equipment
Shin guards, elbow and knee protectors, and helmet liner components for a range of contact sports are vacuum formed from polypropylene and HDPE — materials that combine impact absorption with lightweight construction and the ability to be shaped to anatomical contours. The relatively low tooling costs of vacuum forming make it viable for the range of sizes required to accommodate different body dimensions.
Camping and Outdoor Gear
Vacuum formed components appear throughout the camping and outdoor equipment market — from hard-sided cool boxes and storage cases to equipment organiser trays and vehicle roof box components. The process produces lightweight, strong, and weatherproof components that stand up to the rigours of outdoor use.
Amusement and Play Equipment
Children’s play structures, waterslide components, and amusement ride shells and panels are produced by heavy gauge vacuum forming in impact-resistant, UV-stable materials. The ability to produce large, complex shapes cost-effectively makes vacuum forming the process of choice for the large-format components typical of this sector.
Contact Jabro Games at jabrogames.com to discuss a leisure or sports equipment application.