Vacuum Former
| Name | Vacuum Former |
|---|---|
| Owner | Makers' Alliance |
| Location | Electronics |
| Training needed | yes |
| Hackable | yes |
| Model | N/A |
| Serial | N/A |
| Arrival Date | January 21, 2017 |
| Working | yes |
| Contact | Sam Harmon |
Current Status: Would require re-assembly
In January 2017, we designed and built a small Vacuum Former. 8×10“-ish build area. Using the Oven as the heat source, and either a vacuum motor or shopvac as the vacuum source.
Usage: Cut a rectangle of styrene from the roll we have to fit the frame. Staple it to the frame and cut the edges to fit. Hammering the staples in helps a bit. Put the frame in the Oven at 300-ish degrees until the plastic starts to sag. Turn on the vacuum, pull the frame from the oven (wear gloves!), flip it over, place over the buck(object to be formed) and hold it down. Your object will cool down and be formed pretty quickly.
Additional suggestion from Akron Makerspace: “With styrene watch it as it heats. It will warp, then droop, then pull tight again and start to lightly smoke. When it retightens turn on the vacuum for great results.”