where do you buy your styrene? i used to buy it at my university but since i graduated i cant buy from them and i havent been able to find affordable styrene anywhere
Hey Bill, it's been a while since vacuuforming for me (worked at a sign company). A little tip: at the end of the vacuum draw, if there are some imperfections where the vacuum didn't pull all the plastic, use a heat gun to reheat the plastic as the vacuum continues to draw. That should fix it.
2 years later and this video is still worth it. For your heater( you may have solved this long ago), I volunteered once building an Open 60 sailboat, they used prepregged carbon fibre/epoxy. The autoclave they built covered the whole boat and they used refective styrofoam panels with minimal wood framing. Worked like a charm! Loved the video and the trouble shooting process. Thank you!
This was actually very handy for me as im a younger diesel mechanic and i have loads of tools and this was a perfect way for me to make custom tool organizers for all of my tools even the oddball ones i own and so far its working perfect i just used black plastic and it was slightly thicker for durability. I also made a couple tool trays for a couple other guys in the shop and they love it so far! Great idea. Been trying to solve this problem for a while!
Although you are heating the plastic (to be formed), you also need to heat up the area around the form and vacuum table. As soon as the hot plastic hits the cold form and table it quickly looses heat and looses detail, thus the webbing around the bottom of the mould. Use an infrared bulb (or two) over the vacuum table to preheat the bed and form.
That was kind of difficult to watch. Several years ago (~40 years) I set up a vacuum forming operation for a company that used thousands of parts made on vacuum form machines. Seeing you struggling with starting from scratch to build a vacuum forming machine was hard to watch. All of the things that didn't work, and needed to be fixed, were very common when you're first learning about vacuum forming. I was glad to see you finally pulled a successful batch of parts. Good luck on your continued adventures in vacuum forming from the ground up. A good, wholesome video you made. It showed the good, the bad, and the ugly of starting to learn a new skill set.
best video Ive ever seen on how to make a vacuum forming table . It seems like most people treat them like its a secret or something they show the end result but no details on how to do it thanks.
Dope! I love how you showed your trials and errors, and talked through the various issues and possible solutions, etc. Super cool to see the realistic process, and appreciative that the time you put in will save us time when we take this project on. Thanks!!
I’ve started keeping a log of all my vacuform pulls: time, temperature, material used, that sort of thing. It makes it easier to keep track of what works well, and what doesn’t- especially what doesn’t.
I very much like the build! I'm moving soon and will finally have room for one in my new workshop space. Something we used to do a place I worked was put carpet padding under the master which let it pull vacuum all around. If there's a few more dollars to throw at the project instead of aluminum foil to line the box you could get a roll of Reflectix- it's great stuff and you'll bake the plastic in no time! You'll lose a LOT less heat. Also you could tape off unused areas and make a smaller vacuum area on the table to use with a smaller frame. Multiple tables in one.
Hey Bill. Just one critique for you. MDF is porous (you can actually pull a vacuum through it) so you're probably losing a lot of your vacuum potential to the underside of the table. Just give the bottom and the sides a coat of polyurethane and that will seal it right up. Good luck!
You are absolutely incorrect, MDF is extremely porous and will not hold a vacuum, try to make a vacuum camber with an MDF lid, you will find out how porous MDF really is.
A great video, most diy videos are edited and only show things going well. You had the courage to shoot from the hip and included the mistakes. I've known for years that the only way to learn is through the mistakes we make, nice job and thank you.
When casting its a good idea to pull past the object. It gets rid of the webbing ruining the result and means it can be cut off. Either be able pull past the table height or raise the master via a stand. Idk if im making any sense. Also I love the scifi panel idea.
Nice work. I watched a vacuum form machine work. The big difference is the heat is kept on even as the vacuum is pulled to completion. The heaters were above the plastic and lowered evenly using cables and pulleys.
Instead of the steel mesh, you use for the vacuum system, stick the pipes just like you would make a floor heating system. but group the above holes and place the pipes, one pipeline every 4-5 rows. also, join the pipes in each group into a single pipe. then fill between the pipes with a filling material such as silicone, liquid plastic, plaster or epoxy. After it hardens, remove the pipes. so you will have pipelines distributed into groups from a single pipe inlet. In this way, you vacuum the air in a controlled and equal amount. You put a lot of effort into making this video. Thank you for keeping us informed.
Great video! I loved watching the struggle and troubleshooting you did. It's nice to know that it is okay to not get it right the first time, and make adjustments when needed.
This was going to be my comment also, it's common sense that each second that passes the plastic is hardening! Anyway, must rush - I'm going to go throw some room temperature plastic at my mother-in-law to see if I can make a mask for Halloween.
Great video I wish that I had seen this years ago. I made mine similarly but I added strategically placed holes in the molds to allow more vacuum where the definition needs some help.
What a fun project! For the platen I would've done away with the mesh and added a ring on the elbow as a stop so that it doesn't go all the way to the top. This allows for a higher CFM since there's less air resistance. The other change would be to make your "oven" shorter so that there is less volume for the heaters to heat up alleviating some lost heat calories. Otherwise, great build :D
@@dolfinmagikpro That was my first thought but you would probably want to get yourself an old or replacement oven fan. Catch being that most of the heat is radiant heat from the heat elements so your really only blowing around the secondary heat (from the plastic). Which is also why the "10 min preheat" probably isnt doing a lot. If you sit under those heaters its hot when they are on and cold when they are not but they dont really heat a room very well only surfaces they shine their light on. If you really wanted to spread the heat out changing the curve of the reflector would be the answer although probably a real pain. Making the curve shallower would enable the IR light to spread out more giving a more even heat but the foil box is probably doing similarly assuming you are far enough away with the box height. A V shape of mylar would probably give the profile you are looking for with the reflective box the rabbit hole is never ending. Those heaters are built to focus heat and that isnt really what you want but "modification is the mother of invention" or some such.
Why not use Mylar faced styro-insulation boards for the wall material? dual purpose as it would insulate better and reflect any radiant heat back to the center of the box. Just a thought :)
Couple of thoughts on the machine, As far as tripping breakers stuff usually draws the most amps at start up so doing what you did and starting one at a time is a good idea and point to make. I think the real thing with the overhead heater not liking life was the large gaps on top. If you had closed the top gaps and do aluminum tape on the inside I bet it would of worked. Also you might want to think about getting on of those foot on/off switchs for the vac
Regarding heat. It rises and will always try to equalise. Life can be hard enough without fighting nature too.... Underside heaters and good insulation is definitely the way to go.
I loved this video. Watching things not work is every bit as instructive as watching everything work on the first take. Your frustration was fun to watch, too. You're very sympathetic as stuff goes wrong. I might suggest adding a lid to your warming box. Heat rises, so you're losing heat while it's warming up.
Instead of bolting the aluminum frame together, using some 'low temp aluminum braising rods' would create a joint stronger than tig welded aluminum. and only needs a plumbing blowtorch. as a bonus it will also fill in any imperfections for those who do not have a metal band saw. There are several you tube videos showing how to use it.
wow. I never knew about this. I've been a tig welder a long time and always recommend welding as a last resort. There are so many ways to join things without distorting them like welding has the potential to do. Thanks for the tip on the deal.
A couple tips from an aerospace tool maker / metal worker ... now retired. I am making these while watching the video so if you address something after I say it, good on you for seeing something and taking care of it! When cutting angle to make a frame, esp alum, simply notch the top there is no need to cut all the way down the sides, you just cut a "triangle" out of the top and bend the sides, less work and a stronger frame results. Tap magic... unless it is specifically for Alum, is not to be used on alum. There is a chemical reaction with the chloronated fluid and alum, bad things result. Center punching is good, nice work. Interesting use of window hardware! 1,2,3 blocks are GREAT to use for quick measurements! Those heaters should be radiant heat so if you made a closed box and made it deeper IE more distance between the heater and the plastic, you should get a wider pattern of heat. A heat GUN can be used to spot heat for better detail under vacuum. . In addition, a cover over the plastic will also hold the heat in, without a cover you have a large radiating surface. Over all score I would give it a 9.5 out of 10. Nice job!
Bill: "So you're probably wondering..." Me: "Why you counter sunk holes that are going behind a bracket?" Bill: "... why I'm going with this aluminum." Me: "Nope. Not wondering that at all."
Nice project and video - thank you. An option that might be worth considering when connecting the aluminum angles (at 12:37+): cut off a short, straight section of the angle stock, and use it on the outside corners with rivets as the corner bracket - clamp pieces in place (one corner at a time), make sure pieces are 90 & flat on bottom, then drill two rivet holes through the brackets and long pieces that come together, insert rivets, then drill other rivet holes & insert rivets, remove clamps - this would guarantee better fit/alignment and no fasteners means quicker assembly and nothing coming loose later. 👍
My 1962 Mattle vacuform says to test the plastic by pressing the corners to see if they are playable. Also each piece of plastic has wholes all way around each side that seat the plastic on pins for even tension. It would be easy to add a few pins to the frame and drill a few holes on each side of the plastic sheets.
Rather than using a purely radiative heating scheme, which has the unevenness problems that you ran into here, is there any reason you couldn't have added a fan and made this more convective? That would be a more even heat source and would have the added advantage that you should be able to keep the plastic below the heat source, which is less prone to ... letting out smoke ... and would also be much smaller, and thus more efficient. The big issue that I can think of would be sourcing a fan (and connections) that could handle the glass-transition temps you're looking at. This would assume that the fan lives entirely inside the box; if you were to put the fan outside, you would need to heat the inlet air as well as the chamber air, which seems more difficult to me, but might work. As an aside, I found it kind of funny that your shop has a spindle sander but apparently no large hole saws. 8-)
@@punishedprops After thinking about it for a bit (like you do), If you were to keep the motor out of the heated space and just run a shaft through the wall with a metal-bladed fan inside, you could probably use inexpensive components. The hole in the wall of the oven wouldn't let out much heat, especially if it were kept close to the diameter of the shaft. (And you could even use a bearing at the wall if over-engineering is your thing.) 8-)
Great build, great video. I haven't built one of these, I'm not an expert at this and I don't play on on TV, but I did think of a couple of suggestions ... here is just one. It's a bit complex, but not so much if you plan the build around it from the start: For the heater box: 1) Cut a slot in one side, about 1-inch down from the top, and for the full width of the box (yes, this would cut through your hinges but it could be planned for in a new build. The height of the slot should be about, but a little bit bigger than 1/4 inch, but see step 5 to plan the slot dimension. 2) Next cut 2 strips of wood, say 3/8 or 1/2 inch (square in cross-section), and as long as the inside dimension of the box. 3) Attach these 2 strips of wood inside the box, on the 2 sides adjacent to the side where you cut the slot, about 1-inch down from the top of the box. The top of the strips should be even with the bottom edge of the slot you cut, in step-1. 4) Optionally, an additional similar strip of wood could be attached in a similar way to the remaining side (the side opposite to the slot). 5) Prepare a piece of wood (Plywood, MDF, Masonite, ...). Logically this would be made of the same material as the material used for the box. The thickness will be 1/4 inch, but this piece of wood has to fit into the slot cut in step-1, so if using a thicker piece of wood, the height of the slot cut in step-1 needs to match. The width of this wood needs to be lightly smaller (narrower) than the inside dimension of the box. The length needs to be about 1 inch longer than the inside dimension of the box. 6) Optionally, cut a strip of the same material, about 1 inch wide, and the length of the box. Mount this strip about 1/2 inch above the slot, using a continuous hinge, or a few individual hinges, or interlocking screw-eyes and hooks. This piece should swing (pivot) to block or allow access to the slot. 7) Insert the piece of wood cut in step-5 into the slot and push it all the way in, until it touches the opposite side of the box. This piece will be a "lid/cover" that you slide in or out as needed. Now, when you use the heat-box, you can pre-heat the box, then place your framed plastic sheet on top, and slide the cover out, and you have full instant heat.
Three things: 1: Use insulation around the box to decrease heat loss. 2: Add a plastic mirror (45 degree angle) to the bottom so you don't have to squat down for the IR Sensors. 3: Blow an air chuck into your form to release it.
Hi dear. It has been a successful business. good health to your hands. Place the heater facing down as you did at 23:30. place the vacuum system at the bottom. (I will explain the vacuum system in the next comment.) Place the plastic plate between the heater and the vacuum system. (Use a rail system to move up and down.) Turn on the heater. place the plastic plate on the middle system and lift it. Turn off the heater when it reaches the desired flexibility. start the vacuum system. Without wasting time, immediately lower the plastic plate to down. In this way, the plastic plate will not be exposed to airflow to cool. But, in the current system, during transport from right to left, the plastic plate is cooled by the airflow and comes to the vacuum system. This prevents you from getting the correct pattern.
Bill you might think about adding some wooden handles on the sides of the frame similar to old metal pans. That way you don't have to worry about gloves
You still need the gloves to help the plastic push through as you vacuum it down... plus you are always at risk of touching the frame while handling the whole thing. Handles can help sure, but keep the gloves !
I feel like if you made the heat box shorter you will get more heat and what you are looking for. Great build and had me intrigue from beginning to end👍👍
5 years later. The Garage 54 team bought one. I watched them unbox it and pull door skins. The trick they have that you don't is a vacuum reservoir launch system. In your setup, the shop vac would void an inline series of pipes or a tank ahead of the table. A dump valve would release a super duper initial suck. Your plastic is farther away and upside down in comparison to the commercial ones. A little closer to the flame might do the trick. But it's five years later.
I think you could do without the extra screws if you glued a thin rubber gasket around the aluminum frame. That would grip the plastic better and more evenly. Also, if you regularly need to vac-form smaller pieces, it seems like you could just cut an adapter matte out two thin metal sheets that would clamp into the larger frame. Name ideas: Ooie-gooey Prop Drop, Shape Sucker, Fantastic Elastic Plastic Press (FEPP)
Okay let me just start by saying great job with the Platen and the heaters. Very similar to the commercial unit that I had to troubleshoot and Repair a number of times. I spent 17years as a lineman (high voltage electrician) at Fort Irwin Army base the national training center where they trained all the troops for Desert Shield and Desert Storm. They created mauk battles and they made US Military vehicles look like Iraqi vehicles. The parts were all made it that vacuum former. The Platen was 8' x 12' the heaters were 3 groups of elements 9000 watts each this thing ran 480 volts 3 phase. Quite impressive to watch it work. But he's where that one defferred from yours it did not use a Shop Vacuum for the vacuum source because a shop vac can't generate enough vacuum to produce the great details that a high vacuum source can. What they had was a small Rootes blower set up a vacuum pump that pulled a high vacuum on a 150 gallon air storage tank then that was coupled to the Platen through a 2" sellinoid valve and a manifold on the bottom of the Platen. This hole thing was all automated. The heaters were on top like you started to do and they had timers on them it would heat for a preset period of time then the frame that held the heated plastic was attached to 2 air rams like hydraulic cylinders only not as powerful and much faster. When the timer cut off the heater it opened air solenoid valves which quickly pushed the plastic onto the Platen where another sensor triggered the vacuum solenoid valve to open and the high vacuum was instantly applied pulling the hot plastic down to form great details it picked up the smallest of details from the mold. So if you really want to get great details ditch the shop vacuum and get your self a refrigeration service oil type vacuum pump and an old air compressor air tank probably 20 - 30 gallon and you will need to take it to a welding shop and have them cut a 2" hole in it and weld a 2" fitting in so you can connect a 2" ball valve. Those can be opened quickly there not as fast as a solenoid valve but still quite quick enough.
I worked in a modeling shop in the 90's and we built our own oven and vac table...for better definition on fine details, perforate the object being formed, especially the deep central cavities. Also, have the vacuum arrive before dropping your frame. Nice work!
Yeah...that confused me. I don't understand why it was necessary to heat it without the plastic... if anything... I would assume it would heat faster being closed off.
He was concerned with getting an even temp across the plastic at all times. I agree that pre heating wouldn’t be necessary but if you wanted to, I’d make a temp cover to improve efficiency
Love what you're doing. Just a couple of points about the heaters. They are infrared heaters. That means that they don't heat the air in the box, they only heat surfaces. So you don't need to preheat. White material reflects much of the heat away, that's why it takes so long to heat. Try building a 3"-4" deep box out of sheet metal to put over what you already have and paint the bottom of the sheet metal facing the heaters with flat black engine paint. That will turn the sheet metal box into an oven. You may need to put it closer to the heaters to get the temps you want but I doubt it since your getting close to your desired temp already. You will have to preheat it to get the sheet metal hot but it shouldn't take very long and it will be an even heat. It's pretty easy to build too.
I’m glad to see you making something that’s not perfect. Designing as you go is how many of us do things, we try one thing, and if it doesn’t work, we try to think of a better way. I think an imperfect build video is very inspiring.
Don't know if yu are familiar with ShopBot tools or not. But the hold-down boards are made of MDF like the components of your platen. On the ShopBot the boards to be cut are held down by vacuum applied right through the MDF table. So, unless you have sealed the surfaces of your platen you are losing suction all over the place. Admittedly i skipped through a bit, so i may have missed it if you did seal ... but I highly recommend it. There are a number of things i would do dramatically differently with the plastic holder ... but this is your parade. Happy forming!
I made one using 16 x 16 piece of pegboard, with about 2.5 inches between top and bottom and put a vacuum attachment on the side. Works fabulous. didn't have all day to drill holes. Mine was just for sanding small parts and not a heat form.
I built a machine a few years ago and used a router to carve the air ways into the mdf board instead of using spacers around the edge so I would have less edge seems to leak. www.vodundesigns.com/project/vacuum-forming-machine/
Love the build and look forward to trying it out soon. Just a friendly bit of advise. Welding that type of aluminum is called brazing a few of the proper brazing rods and a small torch with yellow MAP gas and your set. Lastly at least in the US most electrical code requires receptacles to be wired with 12g wire on a 20amp breaker. Only lighting circuits should on 14g wire with a 15amp breaker.
Great job! You'll get even better definition if you heat the negative with a heat gun or blow dryer. It will help negate some thermal diffusion from the plastic to the negative.
Gosh I'm reliving all the trials and tribulations of the 4'x4' one I made 20 or so years ago. 10 years later someone cut it in half and put an overhead gas fired oven. It was literally working in a sweat shop to use the machine for 8 hours...But it was cooking with gas, so about 4 minutes to heat a 4x4 sheet.
Lovely tutorial! Thanks for sharing. How come ppl don’t just use metal screen instead of drilling holes every inch? Wouldn’t there be more suction thru a screen?
ive worked in an industrial setting for vacuum forming. Another hint would be to do some mold release also having your part in an oven even at a lower temperature such as 140 that will really help you part mold with out creases or spider webs. Good Job though
Your work inspired me and I wish to suggest you to connect vacuum board with the heater side by side. Connect the work page with a hinge. After heating it turn the page over the vacuum like book page. This way you will always place the work piece on the right place. Idea😃
We made a similar vacuum table, but on a much larger scale, as we were producing pan faces for cabinet signs. We hung our 10’ X10’ plastic sheets in a cabinet then heated them till they were malleable with a torpedo heater.
Thank you for the awesome tutorial. I'm not sure how you prepped the sheet metal but you could emphasize that preparation is key when using adhesives. A lot of times they use a protective coating or even petroleum on the sheet metal so I usually clean it really well with 91% isopropyl rubbing alcohol and then I'll lightly rough it up with some 220 sandpaper. Thanks again I'm looking forward to building a table for myself for forming and laminating wood.
Love you guys ! We made ours with replacement heating elements for a range oven, only because we needed a higher temp to soften 1/4” plexiglass and lexan. Just as another fan mentioned we also use blower tip to cool down and remove the template from the plastic. Keep up the great videos. Please keep the bloopers coming!
I think you should get a piece of foam board to put on top of your frame holding the plastic sheet while you are heating it to preserve any heat passing through it. I think you might get cleaner forming out of the 'base' area of your 'buck' if you elevate it off of the platen with something smaller than the buck's outside diameter [base].
For mechanical connections that are going to go through a lot of movement, like the bolts holding the frame together, it doesn't hurt to put a little Locktite on the bolts so that it won't work its way loose over time. If you're concerned about being able to disassemble it later, use the blue kind. It'll do the job, and if you ever need to disassemble it, it'll come loose with a little force.
Great idea and build . Gonna have to try this . Don't know about the wood parts , think I would use aluminum sheet because of the heat issues. I had the original 1960's version from Mattel ,loved the thing , don't know how many times I left it on and got called to supper (14 years old ) came back an hour later and had a charred sheet in the thing . Lucky no fires .Might want to add a timed thermostat to yours .Anyway I think I'll try it..........thanks for posting this video.....Tony
Circuit breakers have a time element to them. So even though you are over current slightly, it can run that way for an hour or more before the breaker gets hot enough to trip. The more over current you are the faster it heats up.
I used peg board for mine, works good, way less drilling. Also, instead of wedging the aluminum tape then cutting all around, try putting a square of it with a corner in the corner and just have to cut 2x inside.
I used to vacuum forming an RC body a few years ago, in order to have more details you should drill some holes on the panel you want to form, don't have to be too big, just make it 3 or 4 holes depending how big or wide your panel would be, just to help the air sucked not only from the side of the panel but also from the center. That would helps you get more details.
Great video, dig the long format and exploration of mistakes and having to replan halfway. It's always how these sorta projects actually go. Doesn't look like you're having too much trouble with the suction, but might still be worth it to get a proper 4" inlet flange on the bottom of the table to connect to the hose, and caulk seal it down. I'm sure you're leaking at least some vacuum with just the wood-to-pipe connection there.
I wonder if covering the light-box with a Mylar survival blanket would help it get the temperature you want. You'd have to take the blanket off before forming, but it might help.
Love this! a few suggestions though. if you put sharpened inserts (5-6) along the edges where the sheet plastic is, it will act as teeth and "bite" the plastic holding it tight. no need to screw and unscrew each piece to hold edges of plastic. also, if you drill very fine holes on edges of the shapes in the form you will get suction from inside the mold, not just the outside making better/crisper forms. you can then reverse airflow when set and the mold will pop/release. To get rid of webs, preheat that area before the oven with a heat gun. the extra heat in that area will help it form.
Great video. Just thought I'd add something though. Sash locks are not the way forward. They are designed to push two objects apart (typically sash windows), not to pull two objects together. That's probably why you experienced the metal bending issue. Small clamp catches would probably be a better bet. Thanks and all the best.
Need to build a much smaller table, but I got some great ideas here. Thank you! Mostly just need one to do visors for helmets and cockpit canopies for a bunch of Star Wars ships. LOL Buying a 3D printer has been an incredibly deep, dark rabbit hole....
Hey Bill, nice work. I like how you figure things like I do. Especially how you failed and scrapped the first heater. I do the same all the time. BTW, you would love my Death Star walls I built. I also like how you don't get stressed but then again I didn't see off camera. Wish I had a shop like yours.
@@punishedprops it happens to all of us. BTW if I were to build this, would it matter if I reversed the angle iron. Have the lip on the outside. I'm not worried about hinges, may use clamps.
Great video! Sometime in the spring, (around May because my Michigan garage is unheated), I'm going to modify your design for a different purpose. I want to make a vacuum table clamp. I will use rubber, and a vacuum pump and install a ball valve. (plumbing). The idea is to put an acoustic guitar back inside, and vacuum the wood to scalloped braces while gluing, to create that violin style back. I think I will put a layer of plexiglass on the bottom of the MDF, to prevent air leakage. Thanks again.
You know Buddycat's food is the most important don't you? Good job. Both entertaining and informative. I really like your "can do" attitude. I'm totally supposed to be doing something else right now.
Hey just wanted to pop in and say that according to the 2017 edition of the nec. All outlet receptacles in a house circuit must be rated for 20 amps. So if your building this then make sure they are on two separate circuit that are being used to be safe. I am just a guy who is studying to be an electrician and thought it would help some people out who want to build this
37:04 Get a shop rag and dump a 1/4 cup of talcum powder in the center, bring up the corners and tie off the ball of talc. Lightly pounce that on your tool (mold) and it will act as a mold release. Use a rubber mallet on the plastic to lightly tap the mold out. You ought to heat your mold so the plastic doesn't freeze when it makes contact and get a 2nd hand GAST rotary vane vacuum pump from ebay. You need to have a slight rake angle on your mold as if its right angles and deep you'll never get the mold out and the plastic can crack.
A tiny suggestion to possibly save your hands when cutting sheet metal and grating, etc.: offset snipping shears. The WISS brand ones don't cost any more than their regular snips (and they come in either left- or right-handed versions).
Great video I have a recommended tweak for the heat box is to use foil backed ridged insulation board it keeps the heat in and helps with reflecting the heat in.
I like the idea. If you had to do it over again do you think you would consider using the heat element and controls from a retired oven? I have so many thoughts and ideas about how I would use this.
I worked in a proto type shop and our heating box had 220v heating strips. Then we used a tank that we pulled a vacuum on and a large valve to release the vacuum instantly. We vacuum formed PVC sheets 1/8 thick nice job though
I wonder if the thermometer is reading high because of the infra red light beaming up. It would be interesting to turn off the heaters and check the temperature of just the plastic. Also there would be a lot to gain by having a stronger vacuum. I was surprised at how easily the black test sheet was pulled off. Two shop vacs in series would be worth testing.
Could your old pegboard idea with glued on aluminum foil work fine for heat protection? Probably going to make something in between sizes of your small and this large one
It seems that if you had an insulating panel that would cover your heating box during the pre-heating, then it would heat up much more quickly and save energy/money.
Check out our website to see all the materials used and more build photos: punishedprops.com/2018/10/01/large-vacuumformer/
Call it "The Warm Sucker"
where do you buy your styrene? i used to buy it at my university but since i graduated i cant buy from them and i havent been able to find affordable styrene anywhere
Call it Indica
We have a couple local plastic suppliers in Seattle. Tap Plastics is our favorite!
Hey PPA, you could name it "Shape Sucker"
Hey Bill, it's been a while since vacuuforming for me (worked at a sign company). A little tip: at the end of the vacuum draw, if there are some imperfections where the vacuum didn't pull all the plastic, use a heat gun to reheat the plastic as the vacuum continues to draw. That should fix it.
How thick of material were you doing?
@@ryananthony4840He's still measuring.
2 years later and this video is still worth it. For your heater( you may have solved this long ago), I volunteered once building an Open 60 sailboat, they used prepregged carbon fibre/epoxy. The autoclave they built covered the whole boat and they used refective styrofoam panels with minimal wood framing. Worked like a charm! Loved the video and the trouble shooting process. Thank you!
Thanks so much for watching and for the tips!
This was actually very handy for me as im a younger diesel mechanic and i have loads of tools and this was a perfect way for me to make custom tool organizers for all of my tools even the oddball ones i own and so far its working perfect i just used black plastic and it was slightly thicker for durability. I also made a couple tool trays for a couple other guys in the shop and they love it so far! Great idea. Been trying to solve this problem for a while!
That's fantastic!
I know its been five years, but what plastic did you use and where did you get it?
Although you are heating the plastic (to be formed), you also need to heat up the area around the form and vacuum table. As soon as the hot plastic hits the cold form and table it quickly looses heat and looses detail, thus the webbing around the bottom of the mould. Use an infrared bulb (or two) over the vacuum table to preheat the bed and form.
That was kind of difficult to watch.
Several years ago (~40 years)
I set up a vacuum forming operation for a company that used thousands of parts made on vacuum form machines. Seeing you struggling with starting from scratch to build a vacuum forming machine was hard to watch. All of the things that didn't work, and needed to be fixed, were very common when you're first learning about vacuum forming. I was glad to see you finally pulled a successful batch of parts. Good luck on your continued adventures in vacuum forming from the ground up. A good, wholesome video you made. It showed the good, the bad, and the ugly of starting to learn a new skill set.
best video Ive ever seen on how to make a vacuum forming table . It seems like most people treat them like its a secret or something they show the end result but no details on how to do it thanks.
Thank you for always showing yourself wearing proper safety gear! It makes others more conscious of safety
Dope! I love how you showed your trials and errors, and talked through the various issues and possible solutions, etc. Super cool to see the realistic process, and appreciative that the time you put in will save us time when we take this project on. Thanks!!
I’ve started keeping a log of all my vacuform pulls: time, temperature, material used, that sort of thing. It makes it easier to keep track of what works well, and what doesn’t- especially what doesn’t.
Fantastic tip Alex!
I am making one for the first time what do you recommend
I very much like the build! I'm moving soon and will finally have room for one in my new workshop space.
Something we used to do a place I worked was put carpet padding under the master which let it pull vacuum all around.
If there's a few more dollars to throw at the project instead of aluminum foil to line the box you could get a roll of Reflectix- it's great stuff and you'll bake the plastic in no time! You'll lose a LOT less heat.
Also you could tape off unused areas and make a smaller vacuum area on the table to use with a smaller frame. Multiple tables in one.
Great tips, thanks for sharing! =D
Hey Bill. Just one critique for you. MDF is porous (you can actually pull a vacuum through it) so you're probably losing a lot of your vacuum potential to the underside of the table. Just give the bottom and the sides a coat of polyurethane and that will seal it right up. Good luck!
Great addition Mark, thanks!
No way you are losing any vacuum through MDF.
That is not possible as mdf is gas tight. As it's a compressed fibres impregnated with its own binder. as. Really shitty advice doctor mdf
You are absolutely incorrect, MDF is extremely porous and will not hold a vacuum, try to make a vacuum camber with an MDF lid, you will find out how porous MDF really is.
@@cohode6290 bullshit
A great video, most diy videos are edited and only show things going well. You had the courage to shoot from the hip and included the mistakes. I've known for years that the only way to learn is through the mistakes we make, nice job and thank you.
We're really glad you found it so helpful!
When casting its a good idea to pull past the object. It gets rid of the webbing ruining the result and means it can be cut off. Either be able pull past the table height or raise the master via a stand. Idk if im making any sense. Also I love the scifi panel idea.
I get what you mean. Probably a down side to the way I built this frame. It stops at the platen.
You just need a shallow spacer under the buck that's smaller than the buck so it has some undercut.
@@punishedprops Adam Savage has the video you need :-) ua-cam.com/video/Cacr1WeKOzY/v-deo.html
Nice work. I watched a vacuum form machine work. The big difference is the heat is kept on even as the vacuum is pulled to completion. The heaters were above the plastic and lowered evenly using cables and pulleys.
Ah, that book is such an awesome resource! Awesome build. Loving the new "as we go" style.
ua-cam.com/video/hTdpXFmikvk/v-deo.html
Instead of the steel mesh, you use for the vacuum system, stick the pipes just like you would make a floor heating system. but group the above holes and place the pipes, one pipeline every 4-5 rows. also, join the pipes in each group into a single pipe. then fill between the pipes with a filling material such as silicone, liquid plastic, plaster or epoxy. After it hardens, remove the pipes. so you will have pipelines distributed into groups from a single pipe inlet. In this way, you vacuum the air in a controlled and equal amount. You put a lot of effort into making this video. Thank you for keeping us informed.
Great video! I loved watching the struggle and troubleshooting you did. It's nice to know that it is okay to not get it right the first time, and make adjustments when needed.
ua-cam.com/video/hTdpXFmikvk/v-deo.html
start the vac before you lay the sheet on.it needs no delay when applying.
This was going to be my comment also, it's common sense that each second that passes the plastic is hardening! Anyway, must rush - I'm going to go throw some room temperature plastic at my mother-in-law to see if I can make a mask for Halloween.
Your mother-in-law needs a mask? Mine came with her own!
Great video I wish that I had seen this years ago. I made mine similarly but I added strategically placed holes in the molds to allow more vacuum where the definition needs some help.
What a fun project! For the platen I would've done away with the mesh and added a ring on the elbow as a stop so that it doesn't go all the way to the top. This allows for a higher CFM since there's less air resistance. The other change would be to make your "oven" shorter so that there is less volume for the heaters to heat up alleviating some lost heat calories. Otherwise, great build :D
you need the distance to distribute the heat more evenly to the corners
Thanks for the tips!
@Brandon Winters - Wouldn't putting a small fan to circulate the air help alleviate this issue? Just a thought.
@@dolfinmagikpro That was my first thought but you would probably want to get yourself an old or replacement oven fan. Catch being that most of the heat is radiant heat from the heat elements so your really only blowing around the secondary heat (from the plastic). Which is also why the "10 min preheat" probably isnt doing a lot. If you sit under those heaters its hot when they are on and cold when they are not but they dont really heat a room very well only surfaces they shine their light on.
If you really wanted to spread the heat out changing the curve of the reflector would be the answer although probably a real pain. Making the curve shallower would enable the IR light to spread out more giving a more even heat but the foil box is probably doing similarly assuming you are far enough away with the box height. A V shape of mylar would probably give the profile you are looking for with the reflective box the rabbit hole is never ending. Those heaters are built to focus heat and that isnt really what you want but "modification is the mother of invention" or some such.
Why not use Mylar faced styro-insulation boards for the wall material? dual purpose as it would insulate better and reflect any radiant heat back to the center of the box. Just a thought :)
You made this look incredibly easy to do. Wow. You made this look incredibly easy to do. Wow.
Couple of thoughts on the machine, As far as tripping breakers stuff usually draws the most amps at start up so doing what you did and starting one at a time is a good idea and point to make. I think the real thing with the overhead heater not liking life was the large gaps on top. If you had closed the top gaps and do aluminum tape on the inside I bet it would of worked. Also you might want to think about getting on of those foot on/off switchs for the vac
Regarding heat. It rises and will always try to equalise. Life can be hard enough without fighting nature too.... Underside heaters and good insulation is definitely the way to go.
I loved this video. Watching things not work is every bit as instructive as watching everything work on the first take. Your frustration was fun to watch, too. You're very sympathetic as stuff goes wrong.
I might suggest adding a lid to your warming box. Heat rises, so you're losing heat while it's warming up.
I'm glad you could benefit from our frustration. =D
Instead of bolting the aluminum frame together, using some 'low temp aluminum braising rods' would create a joint stronger than tig welded aluminum. and only needs a plumbing blowtorch. as a bonus it will also fill in any imperfections for those who do not have a metal band saw. There are several you tube videos showing how to use it.
Very cool!... or... HOT!?
wow. I never knew about this. I've been a tig welder a long time and always recommend welding as a last resort. There are so many ways to join things without distorting them like welding has the potential to do. Thanks for the tip on the deal.
A couple tips from an aerospace tool maker / metal worker ... now retired. I am making these while watching the video so if you address something after I say it, good on you for seeing something and taking care of it!
When cutting angle to make a frame, esp alum, simply notch the top there is no need to cut all the way down the sides, you just cut a "triangle" out of the top and bend the sides, less work and a stronger frame results.
Tap magic... unless it is specifically for Alum, is not to be used on alum. There is a chemical reaction with the chloronated fluid and alum, bad things result.
Center punching is good, nice work.
Interesting use of window hardware!
1,2,3 blocks are GREAT to use for quick measurements!
Those heaters should be radiant heat so if you made a closed box and made it deeper IE more distance between the heater and the plastic, you should get a wider pattern of heat.
A heat GUN can be used to spot heat for better detail under vacuum. .
In addition, a cover over the plastic will also hold the heat in, without a cover you have a large radiating surface.
Over all score I would give it a 9.5 out of 10. Nice job!
Ha! Thanks and great tips! =)
Bill: "So you're probably wondering..."
Me: "Why you counter sunk holes that are going behind a bracket?"
Bill: "... why I'm going with this aluminum."
Me: "Nope. Not wondering that at all."
He's "removing" the "burrs" so the brackets are flush. Yeaaaaa, that's it.
De-burring the holes
Nice project and video - thank you. An option that might be worth considering when connecting the aluminum angles (at 12:37+): cut off a short, straight section of the angle stock, and use it on the outside corners with rivets as the corner bracket - clamp pieces in place (one corner at a time), make sure pieces are 90 & flat on bottom, then drill two rivet holes through the brackets and long pieces that come together, insert rivets, then drill other rivet holes & insert rivets, remove clamps - this would guarantee better fit/alignment and no fasteners means quicker assembly and nothing coming loose later. 👍
You should look at frank's at tested. He has one he got from Jamie thats very simple and powerful...same above type heater assembly.
I for one have never seen Frank and Bill in the same video. I'm convinced they're the same person!!
My 1962 Mattle vacuform says to test the plastic by pressing the corners to see if they are playable. Also each piece of plastic has wholes all way around each side that seat the plastic on pins for even tension. It would be easy to add a few pins to the frame and drill a few holes on each side of the plastic sheets.
Rather than using a purely radiative heating scheme, which has the unevenness problems that you ran into here, is there any reason you couldn't have added a fan and made this more convective? That would be a more even heat source and would have the added advantage that you should be able to keep the plastic below the heat source, which is less prone to ... letting out smoke ... and would also be much smaller, and thus more efficient.
The big issue that I can think of would be sourcing a fan (and connections) that could handle the glass-transition temps you're looking at. This would assume that the fan lives entirely inside the box; if you were to put the fan outside, you would need to heat the inlet air as well as the chamber air, which seems more difficult to me, but might work.
As an aside, I found it kind of funny that your shop has a spindle sander but apparently no large hole saws. 8-)
I've considered it, but I've never heard off anyone else using a fan for their vacuum former heating elements. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@punishedprops After thinking about it for a bit (like you do), If you were to keep the motor out of the heated space and just run a shaft through the wall with a metal-bladed fan inside, you could probably use inexpensive components. The hole in the wall of the oven wouldn't let out much heat, especially if it were kept close to the diameter of the shaft. (And you could even use a bearing at the wall if over-engineering is your thing.)
8-)
Great build, great video.
I haven't built one of these, I'm not an expert at this and I don't play on on TV, but I did think of a couple of suggestions ... here is just one.
It's a bit complex, but not so much if you plan the build around it from the start:
For the heater box:
1) Cut a slot in one side, about 1-inch down from the top, and for the full width of the box (yes, this would cut through your hinges but it could be planned for in a new build. The height of the slot should be about, but a little bit bigger than 1/4 inch, but see step 5 to plan the slot dimension.
2) Next cut 2 strips of wood, say 3/8 or 1/2 inch (square in cross-section), and as long as the inside dimension of the box.
3) Attach these 2 strips of wood inside the box, on the 2 sides adjacent to the side where you cut the slot, about 1-inch down from the top of the box. The top of the strips should be even with the bottom edge of the slot you cut, in step-1.
4) Optionally, an additional similar strip of wood could be attached in a similar way to the remaining side (the side opposite to the slot).
5) Prepare a piece of wood (Plywood, MDF, Masonite, ...). Logically this would be made of the same material as the material used for the box. The thickness will be 1/4 inch, but this piece of wood has to fit into the slot cut in step-1, so if using a thicker piece of wood, the height of the slot cut in step-1 needs to match. The width of this wood needs to be lightly smaller (narrower) than the inside dimension of the box. The length needs to be about 1 inch longer than the inside dimension of the box.
6) Optionally, cut a strip of the same material, about 1 inch wide, and the length of the box. Mount this strip about 1/2 inch above the slot, using a continuous hinge, or a few individual hinges, or interlocking screw-eyes and hooks. This piece should swing (pivot) to block or allow access to the slot.
7) Insert the piece of wood cut in step-5 into the slot and push it all the way in, until it touches the opposite side of the box. This piece will be a "lid/cover" that you slide in or out as needed.
Now, when you use the heat-box, you can pre-heat the box, then place your framed plastic sheet on top, and slide the cover out, and you have full instant heat.
Three things:
1: Use insulation around the box to decrease heat loss.
2: Add a plastic mirror (45 degree angle) to the bottom so you don't have to squat down for the IR Sensors.
3: Blow an air chuck into your form to release it.
Hi dear. It has been a successful business. good health to your hands. Place the heater facing down as you did at 23:30. place the vacuum system at the bottom. (I will explain the vacuum system in the next comment.) Place the plastic plate between the heater and the vacuum system. (Use a rail system to move up and down.) Turn on the heater. place the plastic plate on the middle system and lift it. Turn off the heater when it reaches the desired flexibility. start the vacuum system. Without wasting time, immediately lower the plastic plate to down. In this way, the plastic plate will not be exposed to airflow to cool. But, in the current system, during transport from right to left, the plastic plate is cooled by the airflow and comes to the vacuum system. This prevents you from getting the correct pattern.
Bill you might think about adding some wooden handles on the sides of the frame similar to old metal pans. That way you don't have to worry about gloves
That's a pretty fantastic idea!
You still need the gloves to help the plastic push through as you vacuum it down... plus you are always at risk of touching the frame while handling the whole thing. Handles can help sure, but keep the gloves !
I feel like if you made the heat box shorter you will get more heat and what you are looking for. Great build and had me intrigue from beginning to end👍👍
*tosses duplicator sitck in the trash* welp guess it wont work anymore *turns away* *looks back* and now there is 16 trash cans, ugh.
5 years later. The Garage 54 team bought one. I watched them unbox it and pull door skins. The trick they have that you don't is a vacuum reservoir launch system. In your setup, the shop vac would void an inline series of pipes or a tank ahead of the table. A dump valve would release a super duper initial suck.
Your plastic is farther away and upside down in comparison to the commercial ones. A little closer to the flame might do the trick. But it's five years later.
I think you could do without the extra screws if you glued a thin rubber gasket around the aluminum frame. That would grip the plastic better and more evenly. Also, if you regularly need to vac-form smaller pieces, it seems like you could just cut an adapter matte out two thin metal sheets that would clamp into the larger frame.
Name ideas: Ooie-gooey Prop Drop, Shape Sucker, Fantastic Elastic Plastic Press (FEPP)
That's a pretty great idea!
Another suggestion: You might get more even heating if you added a PC muffin fan inside to create internal convection (not to draw in or exhaust air).
Okay let me just start by saying great job with the Platen and the heaters. Very similar to the commercial unit that I had to troubleshoot and Repair a number of times. I spent 17years as a lineman (high voltage electrician) at Fort Irwin Army base the national training center where they trained all the troops for Desert Shield and Desert Storm. They created mauk battles and they made US Military vehicles look like Iraqi vehicles. The parts were all made it that vacuum former. The Platen was 8' x 12' the heaters were 3 groups of elements 9000 watts each this thing ran 480 volts 3 phase. Quite impressive to watch it work. But he's where that one defferred from yours it did not use a Shop Vacuum for the vacuum source because a shop vac can't generate enough vacuum to produce the great details that a high vacuum source can. What they had was a small Rootes blower set up a vacuum pump that pulled a high vacuum on a 150 gallon air storage tank then that was coupled to the Platen through a 2" sellinoid valve and a manifold on the bottom of the Platen. This hole thing was all automated. The heaters were on top like you started to do and they had timers on them it would heat for a preset period of time then the frame that held the heated plastic was attached to 2 air rams like hydraulic cylinders only not as powerful and much faster. When the timer cut off the heater it opened air solenoid valves which quickly pushed the plastic onto the Platen where another sensor triggered the vacuum solenoid valve to open and the high vacuum was instantly applied pulling the hot plastic down to form great details it picked up the smallest of details from the mold.
So if you really want to get great details ditch the shop vacuum and get your self a refrigeration service oil type vacuum pump and an old air compressor air tank probably 20 - 30 gallon and you will need to take it to a welding shop and have them cut a 2" hole in it and weld a 2" fitting in so you can connect a 2" ball valve. Those can be opened quickly there not as fast as a solenoid valve but still quite quick enough.
FYI: Highly recommend wearing at least a dust-mask when working with MDF- creates super fine dust that is terrible for your lungs.
Sandriell he had one?
I worked in a modeling shop in the 90's and we built our own oven and vac table...for better definition on fine details, perforate the object being formed, especially the deep central cavities. Also, have the vacuum arrive before dropping your frame. Nice work!
Thanks so much!
There is no reason to preheat the box.
Yeah...that confused me. I don't understand why it was necessary to heat it without the plastic... if anything... I would assume it would heat faster being closed off.
I jumped in here to say the exact same thing. All he's doing there is wasting the initial heat (electricity). Yes, I know it's been two years...
He was concerned with getting an even temp across the plastic at all times. I agree that pre heating wouldn’t be necessary but if you wanted to, I’d make a temp cover to improve efficiency
Love what you're doing. Just a couple of points about the heaters. They are infrared heaters. That means that they don't heat the air in the box, they only heat surfaces. So you don't need to preheat. White material reflects much of the heat away, that's why it takes so long to heat. Try building a 3"-4" deep box out of sheet metal to put over what you already have and paint the bottom of the sheet metal facing the heaters with flat black engine paint. That will turn the sheet metal box into an oven. You may need to put it closer to the heaters to get the temps you want but I doubt it since your getting close to your desired temp already. You will have to preheat it to get the sheet metal hot but it shouldn't take very long and it will be an even heat. It's pretty easy to build too.
This should be the "Carbonite Chamber", also you should vacuum form a Han Solo 3D print and paint it to look like carbonite from Star Wars.
I’m glad to see you making something that’s not perfect. Designing as you go is how many of us do things, we try one thing, and if it doesn’t work, we try to think of a better way. I think an imperfect build video is very inspiring.
I made a foot switch to operate the heating coils and the vacuum, leaving my hands free. Don't need any help.
Don't know if yu are familiar with ShopBot tools or not. But the hold-down boards are made of MDF like the components of your platen. On the ShopBot the boards to be cut are held down by vacuum applied right through the MDF table. So, unless you have sealed the surfaces of your platen you are losing suction all over the place. Admittedly i skipped through a bit, so i may have missed it if you did seal ... but I highly recommend it. There are a number of things i would do dramatically differently with the plastic holder ... but this is your parade. Happy forming!
I suggest you throw that vac in reverse and invite me over for some air hockey!!
I made one using 16 x 16 piece of pegboard, with about 2.5 inches between top and bottom and put a vacuum attachment on the side. Works fabulous. didn't have all day to drill holes. Mine was just for sanding small parts and not a heat form.
Super cool!
Would have been cheaper to just cut some wood spacers and not use the wire mesh.
That's a great alternative!
I built a machine a few years ago and used a router to carve the air ways into the mdf board instead of using spacers around the edge so I would have less edge seems to leak. www.vodundesigns.com/project/vacuum-forming-machine/
@@vodundesigns3076 Wow, nice website and projects!
Yep did spacer blocks with mine. For the platen I stole the biggest cookie sheet my wife had. Been using it over 10 years now.
i was thinking about that material they use in office ceilings over lighting.
its a plastic mesh that has some height to it.
Love the build and look forward to trying it out soon. Just a friendly bit of advise. Welding that type of aluminum is called brazing a few of the proper brazing rods and a small torch with yellow MAP gas and your set. Lastly at least in the US most electrical code requires receptacles to be wired with 12g wire on a 20amp breaker. Only lighting circuits should on 14g wire with a 15amp breaker.
hrmmm... 24 x 24 = 576..?
23x23=529
He said 24 by 24 in the video.
He also says 525 not 529.
Yeah, it's like nobody learns what factoring is good for anymore:
24^2 = (4 * 6)^2 = (2 * 2 * 2 * 3)^2 = 2 * 2 * 2 * 3 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 3 =
2^6 * 3^2 = 64 * 3 * 3 = 192 * 3 = *576*
haha, clever.
Great job! You'll get even better definition if you heat the negative with a heat gun or blow dryer. It will help negate some thermal diffusion from the plastic to the negative.
ua-cam.com/video/hTdpXFmikvk/v-deo.html
Call it the holey Grill
HA! Yes!!!
Gosh I'm reliving all the trials and tribulations of the 4'x4' one I made 20 or so years ago. 10 years later someone cut it in half and put an overhead gas fired oven. It was literally working in a sweat shop to use the machine for 8 hours...But it was cooking with gas, so about 4 minutes to heat a 4x4 sheet.
OMG I already own that book! That almost never happens :D
It's such a great book!
It's one of the best books on the subject. There is so much to learn from it!
:)
Lovely tutorial! Thanks for sharing. How come ppl don’t just use metal screen instead of drilling holes every inch? Wouldn’t there be more suction thru a screen?
14:57 "0 days glitter free" hahaha.
ive worked in an industrial setting for vacuum forming. Another hint would be to do some mold release also having your part in an oven even at a lower temperature such as 140 that will really help you part mold with out creases or spider webs. Good Job though
You could also use rivets for the platten frame.
The hot box
Your work inspired me and I wish to suggest you to connect vacuum board with the heater side by side. Connect the work page with a hinge. After heating it turn the page over the vacuum like book page. This way you will always place the work piece on the right place. Idea😃
Thanks for the suggestion!
“Acme Atomic Styrene Transmutational Energy Amplification Device”
We made a similar vacuum table, but on a much larger scale, as we were producing pan faces for cabinet signs. We hung our 10’ X10’ plastic sheets in a cabinet then heated them till they were malleable with a torpedo heater.
Oh wow!
Its name is Mr melty
I like it!
Thank you for the awesome tutorial.
I'm not sure how you prepped the sheet metal but you could emphasize that preparation is key when using adhesives.
A lot of times they use a protective coating or even petroleum on the sheet metal so I usually clean it really well with 91% isopropyl rubbing alcohol and then I'll lightly rough it up with some 220 sandpaper.
Thanks again I'm looking forward to building a table for myself for forming and laminating wood.
So glad you enjoyed the video!
The Suk-o-matic 9000!!!
Love you guys ! We made ours with replacement heating elements for a range oven, only because we needed a higher temp to soften 1/4” plexiglass and lexan. Just as another fan mentioned we also use blower tip to cool down and remove the template from the plastic.
Keep up the great videos. Please keep the bloopers coming!
Woah 1/4" thick is serious! Color me impressed. =D
Name recommendation: The Vacuumator.
I think you should get a piece of foam board to put on top of your frame holding the plastic sheet while you are heating it to preserve any heat passing through it.
I think you might get cleaner forming out of the 'base' area of your 'buck' if you elevate it off of the platen with something smaller than the buck's outside diameter [base].
For mechanical connections that are going to go through a lot of movement, like the bolts holding the frame together, it doesn't hurt to put a little Locktite on the bolts so that it won't work its way loose over time. If you're concerned about being able to disassemble it later, use the blue kind. It'll do the job, and if you ever need to disassemble it, it'll come loose with a little force.
Thanks!
Great idea and build . Gonna have to try this . Don't know about the wood parts , think I would use aluminum sheet because of the heat issues. I had the original 1960's version from Mattel ,loved the thing , don't know how many times I left it on and got called to supper (14 years old ) came back an hour later and had a charred sheet in the thing . Lucky no fires .Might want to add a timed thermostat to yours .Anyway I think I'll try it..........thanks for posting this video.....Tony
Thanks so much for watching!
Circuit breakers have a time element to them. So even though you are over current slightly, it can run that way for an hour or more before the breaker gets hot enough to trip. The more over current you are the faster it heats up.
Thanks for sharing that info!
I used peg board for mine, works good, way less drilling. Also, instead of wedging the aluminum tape then cutting all around, try putting a square of it with a corner in the corner and just have to cut 2x inside.
I used to vacuum forming an RC body a few years ago, in order to have more details you should drill some holes on the panel you want to form, don't have to be too big, just make it 3 or 4 holes depending how big or wide your panel would be, just to help the air sucked not only from the side of the panel but also from the center. That would helps you get more details.
Great video, dig the long format and exploration of mistakes and having to replan halfway. It's always how these sorta projects actually go.
Doesn't look like you're having too much trouble with the suction, but might still be worth it to get a proper 4" inlet flange on the bottom of the table to connect to the hose, and caulk seal it down. I'm sure you're leaking at least some vacuum with just the wood-to-pipe connection there.
I think the first thing I upgrade on this will be the suction, thanks for the tips!
Nice build!
Loved the panel!
Your a biilder and an artist!
Congratulations!
Try using a strip of sandpaper around the inside of the frame to help hold the plastic in place. You will need it on both the top and the bottom.
I wonder if covering the light-box with a Mylar survival blanket would help it get the temperature you want. You'd have to take the blanket off before forming, but it might help.
Love this! a few suggestions though. if you put sharpened inserts (5-6) along the edges where the sheet plastic is, it will act as teeth and "bite" the plastic holding it tight. no need to screw and unscrew each piece to hold edges of plastic. also, if you drill very fine holes on edges of the shapes in the form you will get suction from inside the mold, not just the outside making better/crisper forms. you can then reverse airflow when set and the mold will pop/release. To get rid of webs, preheat that area before the oven with a heat gun. the extra heat in that area will help it form.
Great video. Just thought I'd add something though. Sash locks are not the way forward. They are designed to push two objects apart (typically sash windows), not to pull two objects together. That's probably why you experienced the metal bending issue. Small clamp catches would probably be a better bet. Thanks and all the best.
Thanks for the tip!
Need to build a much smaller table, but I got some great ideas here. Thank you!
Mostly just need one to do visors for helmets and cockpit canopies for a bunch of Star Wars ships. LOL
Buying a 3D printer has been an incredibly deep, dark rabbit hole....
Hey Bill, nice work. I like how you figure things like I do. Especially how you failed and scrapped the first heater. I do the same all the time. BTW, you would love my Death Star walls I built. I also like how you don't get stressed but then again I didn't see off camera. Wish I had a shop like yours.
Haha! Correct, you did not see my off camera frustration. There was a little bit of it during this build. =)
@@punishedprops it happens to all of us. BTW if I were to build this, would it matter if I reversed the angle iron. Have the lip on the outside. I'm not worried about hinges, may use clamps.
Great video! Sometime in the spring, (around May because my Michigan garage is unheated), I'm going to modify your design for a different purpose. I want to make a vacuum table clamp. I will use rubber, and a vacuum pump and install a ball valve. (plumbing). The idea is to put an acoustic guitar back inside, and vacuum the wood to scalloped braces while gluing, to create that violin style back. I think I will put a layer of plexiglass on the bottom of the MDF, to prevent air leakage. Thanks again.
what about using an old dryer housing for the oven? and maybe the vaccum table? ideas?
I wonder if you get better heating, if you put a lid on the frame for isolation, so the heat does not go from the plastic into the room.
You know Buddycat's food is the most important don't you? Good job. Both entertaining and informative. I really like your "can do" attitude. I'm totally supposed to be doing something else right now.
Hey thanks for watching!
Tell us more about the chevron tape, it looks impressive.
Hey just wanted to pop in and say that according to the 2017 edition of the nec. All outlet receptacles in a house circuit must be rated for 20 amps. So if your building this then make sure they are on two separate circuit that are being used to be safe. I am just a guy who is studying to be an electrician and thought it would help some people out who want to build this
37:04 Get a shop rag and dump a 1/4 cup of talcum powder in the center, bring up the corners and tie off the ball of talc. Lightly pounce that on your tool (mold) and it will act as a mold release. Use a rubber mallet on the plastic to lightly tap the mold out. You ought to heat your mold so the plastic doesn't freeze when it makes contact and get a 2nd hand GAST rotary vane vacuum pump from ebay. You need to have a slight rake angle on your mold as if its right angles and deep you'll never get the mold out and the plastic can crack.
A tiny suggestion to possibly save your hands when cutting sheet metal and grating, etc.: offset snipping shears. The WISS brand ones don't cost any more than their regular snips (and they come in either left- or right-handed versions).
Welllll there's another tool for me to buy! =)
Great video I have a recommended tweak for the heat box is to use foil backed ridged insulation board it keeps the heat in and helps with reflecting the heat in.
Good tip!
I like the idea. If you had to do it over again do you think you would consider using the heat element and controls from a retired oven? I have so many thoughts and ideas about how I would use this.
Yeah that would have been ideal, but we had to put this together pretty quick so we went with a different option
Just a thought if you put a fan in the heater box like in a fan forced oven which would spread the heat faster and even over the area.
I worked in a proto type shop and our heating box had 220v heating strips. Then we used a tank that we pulled a vacuum on and a large valve to release the vacuum instantly. We vacuum formed PVC sheets 1/8 thick nice job though
Will be maming this and seeing if I can make clear acrylic lenses for my old glass headlights
Interesting! I haven't tried vacuum forming acrylic, I'm not sure how it will work?
@@punishedprops Well I have only seen a video on it so can't confirm it but was looking at something like this to do acrylic.
I wonder if the thermometer is reading high because of the infra red light beaming up. It would be interesting to turn off the heaters and check the temperature of just the plastic. Also there would be a lot to gain by having a stronger vacuum. I was surprised at how easily the black test sheet was pulled off. Two shop vacs in series would be worth testing.
That black test sheet looked like a dirty mat pulled off of the floor, not exactly smooth or form fitting.
Could your old pegboard idea with glued on aluminum foil work fine for heat protection? Probably going to make something in between sizes of your small and this large one
It seems that if you had an insulating panel that would cover your heating box during the pre-heating, then it would heat up much more quickly and save energy/money.