The Vacuum former can be used to form plastic sheets onto a mould.
Currently, the vacuum former lives in the clean room, is portable and can be used as a table to move around.
Materials
The plastic sheets are in the store room.
Links
Tutorial: Create a Form
If you want to create a form, it is probably nice to watch some videos on common failures before. While the form below looks good, it is hard to pull out the air everywhere because there is the wood sheet under it. What is good though are the holes everywhere.
Size
You parts will be placed directly on the metal mesh. There is no need to attach them. Leave space inbetween so the plastik does form all the way down.
Smoothness
It is hard to take the plastic off without breaks if the form is not smooth enough or of it has places where the form is stuck in the plastic so it can not fall out.
Tutorial: Vaccum form
Setup
Plug the machine in and switch it on. The green light should be on.
Also, take the table off of cause.
Place Forms
Place the forms inside and leave space between them so the plastic has it easy to go all the way down. Make sure the lever is up.
Prepare Material
Some sheets will have a foil. This should be taken off and guarantees a smooth surface without scratches. Place the side that had the foil on facing upwards.
- Place the sheets on the frame. Make sure with your fingers that the sheet is on it.
- Bring the black frame down
- Clip the two blue levers to press it down firmly
Heat the Plastic
- Turn the heat up to maximum.
- Adjust the time. While there is a table, the following needs noticing:
- Dark and black materials heat up faster.
- Shiny and bright materials take longer.
Please edit the table:
| Material | Experimented Time |
|---|---|
| Shiny Plastic red | 200s |
| Dark black Plastic | 30s |
- Pull the heater over.
- Notice that the red time indicator is changing.
- It is nice to try when the timer is beeping to try to form it.
- When you can see smoke or steam coming up it is high time to form it!
Uncover the sheet!
Switch the pump on!
Pull the lever and you should see it slowly forming. If you pull and it is hard to do it and the plastic resists and gets bright breaky spots, stop! Put the lever down and reheat the plastic. That was not long enough!
Above, you can see two results:
- Left: The plastic steamed. The room smelled a bit. It was warm enough to fully form around the mould.
- Right: The plastic was not warm enough. Too much force was applied. At the back, the plastic slipped out of the black frame. Now, no suction and forming can be done with it any more.
Related
TODO
- Pictures of products made with it
- Where to find documentation
- Who is responsible to maintain it and to speak to if it breaks
- A checklist to go though when there is an induction going on.
- Where all the different parts are.
- Age limit and similar limits to using it.
- Who can give an induction
- Who was inducted.