this is rad, in college we had one that could form over a mold the size of a person, but this is awesome for basic molding mods. i’m definitely gonna have to build this.

Posted at 10:37 am on Sep 1st, 2005 by seth

Sweet! that tabletop cooker is what I needed to know! I have used a vac former at an old job, and have been concocketing the plans for a homebuild. I would recommend using a Preforated metal sheet for the bottom platform. and support it with small pillars. It will create more uniform suction…

Posted at 11:11 am on Sep 1st, 2005 by axoboy

I was in the process of making one of these for exactly what was stated, making rc car bodies. Good thing too the toaster oven i was gonna use got thrown away, and i wasnt sure how to heat the lexan correctly. kudos admins

Posted at 12:17 pm on Sep 1st, 2005 by itan

See Also:

The Basics
http://www.studiocreations.com/howto/vacuumforming/index.html

Make a Vaccuform Table
http://www.studiocreations.com/howto/vacuumtable/index.html

http://www.studiocreations.com/howto/stormtrooper/index.html

Posted at 12:36 pm on Sep 1st, 2005 by Sleighboy

Man…this type of stuff is the reason I read hackaday. I would have never found that on my own. Time to start building. maybe that custom computer case isnt just a dream.

Great find.

Posted at 2:05 pm on Sep 1st, 2005 by rotgar

The best source on Vacuforming is the Thurston james book
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1558701281/qid=1125602808/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-2570915-6033664?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

has a whole section in the back on how to build your own 24″x24″ one out of common materials.

A buddy of mine built one of these for making Stormtrooper costume parts, and he detailed it here on his site:

http://www.tk560.com/vactable4.html

– badger

Posted at 3:28 pm on Sep 1st, 2005 by badger

Great article – this is going to be a very useful tool. Thanks!

Posted at 12:40 am on Sep 2nd, 2005 by stmojo

Ha, I tried click on this link while I was in school and I was filtered by WebSense under the category of “Sex”… Imagine that

Posted at 8:56 am on Sep 2nd, 2005 by CHARLIE

Coolest thing too is that styrene is what “standard” model kits are made of. Making it really easy to glue pieces together with just standard model glue.

Posted at 1:25 pm on Sep 2nd, 2005 by otomoton

I’ve built these machines for a lot of years. Here are a few little tips. Place self-stick sandpaper on your film frame to help keep the film from slipping. If you have an upper frame, put felt on the side facing the sandpaper so when you clamp them together you get a smooth even tension. We have also had good luck with strip magnets on a steel frame (depending on the weight of your film and height of your mold). InfraRed electric heaters (with the nichrome ribbon wire suspended on ceramic posts) work best because they heat faster and retain less heat when turned off. (You’ll have to bypass the temp switch, knock-over switch and fan.) This will give more consistant results when making multiple copies, back-to-back. Common drawer slide systems make an inexpensive way to move your frame down while keeping it square to your vacuum box . The bottom of the vacuum box can be multiple layers of peg-board, with the bottom layer spaced above the bottom with 1×2s or moulding. For high volume applications, cover the peg-board with perforated aluminum sheet. It is important that you get a good seal between the edges of your vacuum box and the film. If you have problems with “blow outs” in particularly deep molds, try putting a speed control on your vacuum cleaner to reduce the vacuum level.

Posted at 12:36 pm on Nov 7th, 2005 by Barry

The best place to go for vacuum former plans and vacuum forming information is http://www.VacuumFormerPlans.com

It has links to information about how to make a simple but good vacuum former, Ralis Kahn’s design and how to improve it, how to make a Thurston James type machine more cheaply, etc.

Check it out.

Posted at 1:17 pm on Jun 30th, 2007 by drcrash