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Plastic sheets for vacuum forming Europe

 
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Buch
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Joined: 27 Feb 2014
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Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

PostPosted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 3:03 am    Post subject: Plastic sheets for vacuum forming Europe Reply with quote

Hi guys...

Anybody knows a place online in Europe to get plastic sheets for vacuum forming?

Don't really know what to look for....
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andy
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Location: Rochester, NY

PostPosted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 3:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If there are any hobby/train/rc shops near you they should know and probably have what you need. Sheet Styrene is what I am used to using, but there is probably a lot of new stuff out there now that will work better for what you need.

Andy
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Pro Mod
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Location: Manchester, England

PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 8:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is a UK supplier of vacuum forming materials.
http://stephen-webster.co.uk/
I've been buying from them for more than fifteen years for my modelmaking business and they've always been very reliable.
Phil
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Buch
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 10:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great! Thanks for the link.... I've been looking and looking and looking, but apparently vacuum forming sheets for hobbyists don't exist in Denmark Shocked
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joberg
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know what kind of plastic they used...maybe ABS: resistant for sure, got have a good suction on your vac-form machine.

Regular plastic has a tendency to crack over time, specially if the stretching was pushing the limit. You'll have your work cut-out for you in term of buck. If you want to reproduce the entire top + the sides (as it is in the pics) in one form, you'll have to pierce holes in your screen to make sure the ABS stretches correctly.
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Buch
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm planning to vacuum form some transparent screen covers to replicate the vintage screen look... and the bellows... Think I'll try different materials.... Problem with the bellows is the motion, it'll wear on the material for sure...

Planning on making af glas fiber body for the entire machine
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joberg
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ooohh Anders, fiberglass Shocked heavy but quite restistant over time.
Bellows are another story. Don't worry about the wear and tear (vacu-form them in black if possible Wink ) unless you're counting on doing V.K. tests every day, I wouldn't worry
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Buch
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 1:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's a method I read about, where you build a basic shape in foam and then apply thin layers of glass fiber... And then you basically melt the foam core away with acetone and get a hollow shell. Don't know if it'll work...

Thanks for the tip on the bellows, planning on using black sheets for that Very Happy
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joberg
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 8:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yep, that method works well (specially for cars and such). Blue insulating foam that you've carved to the desired shape, then, layers of epoxy with the fiberglass mesh. When everything is set and dry, take the acetone and melt the foam
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Pro Mod
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 8:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Styrene (or HIPS as it's also known) will form easily but will age and become brittle over time if it isn't painted.
ABS is a stiffer material and depending on thickness may require more of an industrial vac former.
The good think about ABS is that it doesn’t require painting.
I don't know what equipment you have access to but I have a vacuum former if you require any formings and I know how to produce the tools as well.

The method of coating foam with fibreglass and then dissolving the foam away won't work as the fibreglass resin would also dissolve it.
You'd have to use epoxy resin with the mat for this method to work.
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Buch
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 11:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the advice, Pro Mod Very Happy

I'm building a vacuum former at the moment... But if I somehow can't get it to work properly or if the vacuum isn't strong enough, I might need some help from you Very Happy

I was just watching a tutorial (in Danish) and the guy there also notes the importance of using epoxy... Luckily that's available at the DIY.
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joberg
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 4:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I did say, in my previous post, to use epoxy...not resin Wink
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Buch
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 4:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You did indeed, Joberg Very Happy

I've been seeing quite a lot of tutorials and browsing different DIY forums... Sometimes you can't see the answer when it's just in front of you Embarassed
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Buch
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 11:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Does any of you guys know if there's a rule of thumb as to the grit size on the vacuum former? I now have holes with 0,7" space between them.... The plate itself is 15"x10"...


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