A plastic program card includes a plurality of projecting rows of plastic each having notches at selected locations. It is driven through a program unit having a different push-button switch aligned with each row of the card to be actuated by the notches therein to control different functions of the thermoforming machine. The temperature of the sheet of plastic, the positions of the moving parts of the thermoforming machine, and the position of the plastic being formed are sensed by other devices within the thermoforming machine and these devices control further operations of the machine and control the driving of the plastic program card through the program unit.