Detailed construction plans for the popular "Hobby-Vac" vacuum forming machine. (also called Thermoforming) Form flat plastic sheets over a mold using heat and vacuum. Infra-red heat is used to soften a plastic sheet, then stretch it over a mold and pull it down with vacuum. You can use a shop-vac for thin plastics or get five times more forming power with a real vacuum pump. This second edition plans set includes a source to purchase tuned heating elements. Also new information about alternate heating elements and methods of construction. 15 chapters include tips on using the machine, selecting a plastic, mold making and using 3D printing for molds. Build a low cost machine that matches the performance of commercial equipment. Great for crafts, scale modelers, makerspaces and even small businesses. Vacuum forming is the original rapid prototyping method and is a perfect companion to 3D printing. It provides another option in the world of desktop manufacturing.
DIY Vacuum Forming: Build your own Hobby-Vac plastic molding machine
Detailed construction plans for the popular "Hobby-Vac" vacuum forming machine. (also called Thermoforming) Form flat plastic sheets over a mold using heat and vacuum. Infra-red heat is used to soften a plastic sheet, then stretch it over a mold and pull it down with vacuum. You can use a shop-vac for thin plastics or get five times more forming power with a real vacuum pump. This second edition plans set includes a source to purchase tuned heating elements. Also new information about alternate heating elements and methods of construction. 15 chapters include tips on using the machine, selecting a plastic, mold making and using 3D printing for molds. Build a low cost machine that matches the performance of commercial equipment. Great for crafts, scale modelers, makerspaces and even small businesses. Vacuum forming is the original rapid prototyping method and is a perfect companion to 3D printing. It provides another option in the world of desktop manufacturing.