vacuum forming

[Lee]

Has anyone done any vacuum forming? Is there any other equipment available other than Mattel's vacuform?

[mrbst30]

While this is not for a comercially available vacuume forming machine, I thought this may be of interest. I do know that there was an artice on building your own vacuume forming device in Scale Auto Enthusiast Number 62, From August 1989. I am sure this is long out of print However I do happen to have a copy just floating around. Here is a ling to what they have to say. I hope it is readable ;D hope it helps
www.dementia.org/~mark/vac

[Lee]

Thanks!! I was able to copy each of the three pages into my pictures and Adobe was able to blow them up so they were readable.

I thing that I noticed in the sheet of a vacuformed kit that Christian sent me was little bumps in "key" places. I figure that little pin holes were drilled into molding form to suck the air out and draw the plastic down tight.

The big puzzle was how to contain the vacuum and your article solves that by using a frame and a circuit board.

Thanks a lot for the help.

[keroliver]

Thank you for the website. Easy to read and to understand.
Here are 2 more webpages about the same subject:
members.rogers.com/nhr/images/vf/vf.htm
www.sci-spot.com/Mechanical/vacu.htm

PS: I wondered for quite a long time how the paper or cardboard or anything else used to make it would not burn with the oven set to 275 degrees ... but it is 275 F and not 275 C. Gee, my house is safe...

[Lee]

Most interesting in that the three different articles are doing basicly the same thing but each person solving the problems a little differently.

I wonder why the heating device is not built into the vacuuming side of the unit? Of course a none melting mold would have to be used then. But then you would have heat as long as you wanted.

In all three, the bottem part of the sides and ends do not look like they are coming out in sharp detail. In what I have seen of vacuum formed pieces, the side next to the mold has the sharper detail. The side of the plastic sheet away from the vacuum would more of a rounded detail. Maybe a female mold should be used instead of a male mold.

I picture a female mold made like a little gift box top with the vehicle sunk upside down in the middle of the top. Drilling little holes, #80 drill, at each piece of chrome strip, door handle or other recess in the mold would help the vacuum to pull the plastic tight into that space. This should produce a sharp, crisp copy of the original.

[Lee]

Here is a home made unit up for bid on ebay.

cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=34056&item=5920925504&rd=1

[Cor_DutchArt]

keroliver said:

Thank you for the website. Easy to read and to understand.
Here are 2 more webpages about the same subject:
members.rogers.com/nhr/images/vf/vf.htm
www.sci-spot.com/Mechanical/vacu.htm

PS: I wondered for quite a long time how the paper or cardboard or anything else used to make it would not burn with the oven set to 275 degrees ... but it is 275 F and not 275 C. Gee, my house is safe...

Thanks a lot for these site's! I'd put them in "favorites"
right away so I can study them later.

Cor van der Meijde.

[Lee]

On ebay I bought "how to" information about vacuum forming for $1.50. It confirmed one thought that I had about using a female mold. They make their molds out of plaster of paris and then drill small holes in the mold so the vacuum will draw the plastic down tight.

I have noticed in a number of models displayed that the windshield and other windows are not flush with the body. If you are doing your own vacumm forming and are having trouble with this, try drilling a very small hole (#80) in each corner of the window mold. This will allow the vacumm to pull the plastic down tight into the mold. This will result in a very small bump where the hole is, but it can be cut/sanded away.