Vacuum Forming

1.0mm PETG Shipping Container.

Packaging for Precision Kapton Collars  (Base Only, Lid not shown)

Vacuum forming (VF) is a widely used technique for efficiently creating consistent copies of parts from thermoplastic sheet material.  

A master 3D mold is created with the desired exterior contours.  These molds must be flat-bottomed to seal tightly to the VF machine bed.  They are vented with pin-holes placed in concave details, inside corners/edges to improve mold's detail reproduction.

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During the forming process, the mold is is anchored to the VF bed.  The thermoplastic sheet is heated, softening it, and drawn down upon the mold.  Immediately after, a two-stage vacuum draws the soft sheet against the mold details through the VF bed.  When details optimize, the raw part is complete, removed and trimmed to the desired shape.

Vaquform DT2

High Tempurature FFF 3D Printer

The Vaquform DT2 is a versatile vacuum forming machine with a 13x9.8" area and 7.9" draw capacity.

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Form Volume: 13x9.8" Area

Draw Capacity: 7.9"

Mat'l Thicknesses: 0.3mm to 3.00mmMaterials:

•   PETG; Clear

•   HIPS; Opaque White

•   ABS; Neutral Gray

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