How to Make a Mold with Vacuum Forming: Design & Material Tips

In this video we show the practical side of using vacuum former machine (Formech 508DT) to create molds based on various material. We test everyday object like toys, metalware, plasticware, wood -based material, packaging material, and clay. We also test 3D printed PLA object and various casting from plaster of Paris. In term of design parameter, we look closely at the influence of forming sheet thickness , different sheet material (Polyvinyl chloride,PVC and High Impact Polystyrene, HIPS) , influence of heating duration, effect of epoxy coating on PLA based object, effect of shapes, depth of hole, and gaps between features on the object itself. Vacuum forming is a manufacturing method used to shape plastic materials. During the vacuum forming process, a sheet of plastic is heated and then pulled around a single mold using suction. By default, vacuum forming method is a single mold process, hence the design of the object and its orientation on the forming bed need to carefully assessed to prevent undercut problem. A special thanks to Mr. Mohd Afiezan, an engineer at Ant Spirits Sdn. Bhd., for his invaluable assistance in testing the equipment. If you're interested in their services, feel free to reach out: 👉 Visit: www.antspirits.com.my 📧 Email: [email protected] | [email protected]