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  • DIY Vacuum Forming: Build your own Hobby-Vac plastic molding machine by Douglas E. Walsh book cover
  • DIY Vacuum Forming: Build your own Hobby-Vac plastic molding machine by Douglas E. Walsh book cover
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DIY Vacuum Forming: Build your own Hobby-Vac plastic molding machine

by Douglas E. Walsh

A practical guide to building a vacuum-forming machine

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A practical guide to building a vacuum-forming machine

Douglas E. Walsh’s guide centers on plans for constructing a Hobby-Vac, a machine that uses heat and vacuum to shape flat plastic sheets over molds. Its 15 chapters extend beyond assembly to cover machine use, plastic selection, mold making, and using 3D printing to create molds. The second edition adds information about heating elements and construction methods, including a source for tuned heating elements. Vacuum forming is presented as a desktop-manufacturing process that can complement 3D printing, with options ranging from a shop vacuum for thinner plastics to a vacuum pump for greater forming power.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Hobbyists and makers interested in building a vacuum-forming machine
  • Scale modelers exploring plastic forming and mold-making
  • Makerspaces or small businesses interested in desktop manufacturing

Themes

Vacuum forming and thermoformingMachine constructionPlastic selection and mold making3D printing and desktop manufacturing

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Detailed construction plans for the popular "Hobby-Vac" vacuum forming machine. (also called Thermoforming) Form flat plastic sheets over a mold using heat and vacuum. Infra-red heat is used to soften a plastic sheet, then stretch it over a mold and pull it down with vacuum. You can use a shop-vac for thin plastics or get five times more forming power with a real vacuum pump. This second edition plans set includes a source to purchase tuned heating elements. Also new information about alternate heating elements and methods of construction. 15 chapters include tips on using the machine, selecting a plastic, mold making and using 3D printing for molds. Build a low cost machine that matches the performance of commercial equipment. Great for crafts, scale modelers, makerspaces and even small businesses. Vacuum forming is the original rapid prototyping method and is a perfect companion to 3D printing. It provides another option in the world of desktop manufacturing.

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