In this article, Danya Kraster, the author of YouTube channel "SuperCrastan", will tell you about the simple technology of vacuum forming of plastic sheet.
This technology will make it possible to produce bulk plastic products as in home conditions, and in the workshop, the garage. In this way, you can make the case of toy models, various forms for storing tools, packaging for products.
Materials
- Sheet plastic 1 mm thick
- sheet plywood
- Wooden blocks
- Wood screws
- masking tape
- Aluminum tape.
Instruments, used by the author.
- Infrared heater
- Screwdriver
- Vacuum cleaner
- Forstner drills
- Drill 1 mm in diameter
- Orbital sander
- A circular saw
- Jointing machine
- Scissors for metal
- Furniture stapler, or nail gun
- Square, tape measure, pencil, awl, plane.
Manufacturing process.
Danya acquired a sheet of ABS plastic of 3000X1000 mm in size and 1 mm thick. Such a roll cost 1,500 rubles. For small products, for example, you can use plastic dense stationery folders, they have very similar material. In principle, almost any plastic with a not very high softening temperature will do. Usually it is around 120-150 ° C. It can be polypropylene, polyethylene, and other types of plastic. Plastic bottles can also come up, only they need to be cut out a flat piece, throwing out the neck and bottom.
As auxiliary devices, you will need a household vacuum cleaner, and an infrared heater. A building hair dryer is suitable as a heat source for small workpieces. They will also have to use it in case of working with transparent plastic.
So, Dania makes two parts of a vacuum table from sheet plywood. Dimensions will be 500x400 mm. These are the top and bottom covers.
Now you need to make the sides of the wooden blocks. It is very important to work on all sides of the workpieces on the planer, because it is important to tightly join the covers.
Screws the sides to the bottom cover with wood screws.
Edges of plywood sheets can be planed to remove burrs.
Screws the top cover, and the workpiece in the form of a box is almost ready.
Then marks the grid for drilling holes. The step between the verticals and the horizontal is 20 mm.Then, at the intersection of the lines, he marks the points with an awl so that the drill does not slip.
The marking is ready, you can start drilling with a millimeter drill. Yes, there are a lot of holes, but it’s solvable. After drilling, it cleans the surface with an orbital sander.
So, the "vacuum surface" is ready. Now you need to drill a hole for connecting the hose. Danya decided to make it on the back of the box, drilling it with a Forstner drill.
Then it is important to seal the joints of the sides and covers as much as possible. Aluminum tape is perfect for this.
Now the master makes a frame according to the size of the vacuum grid. Thin scraps of bar are suitable for her.
It remains to unpack the roll of ABS plastic, and cut blanks from it to fit the frame.
The plastic sheets themselves need to be fixed on the frame. This can be done with a furniture stapler or a neiler.
First, the master tries to heat the plastic with an infrared heater on top.
As a test subject for removing the form, he will use the square. He puts it on the table, turns on the vacuum cleaner, and quickly presses the frame to the table. Since the frame is smaller than the working surface, the master simply sealed part of the holes with masking tape. The workpiece turned out to be cold enough, and the plastic itself did not warm up very well.
The wizard changed the location of the heater by placing it under the frame. Now the heating has become more even.
This time the object of copying the form will be a regular planer. The plastic warmed up well by turning on the vacuum cleaner applying a frame. This time everything turned out fine.
Well, now we need to try to mold a ring with a masking tape. Gorgeous happened.
Now you can get a sample.
After trimming on the band saw, a hamster plate was obtained. Well, or for what else you can apply.
You can go to more complex forms, for example, for the manufacture of a machine body.
It was very difficult to get a blank of this form.
But the molding went very well, even the smallest details were copied, and the texture of the tree.
Now it’s interesting to copy the hemisphere.
Parses the frame, pulls out the product.
This is the hemisphere. If you make two such blanks, you can glue the ball from them.
Thanks to the author for the simple but useful technology and device for molding sheet plastic! Now it all depends on your imagination for its application.
All good mood, good luck, and interesting ideas!