Hi
Does anybody knows a place in San Diego or online that I could send an sculpted form and they would create the plastic vacuum formed from the sculpture? Or, does anybody close to San Diego has one of these tables big enough for pieces around 20"x20"?
Cheers
Padu
--How thick is the material you need to form? Reason I ask: there's a neat widget that's designed to go into your kitchen oven called the "formicator" (great name..). It's just as easy to make your own too. OTOH if this is a production job you'll want to go to a real machine. I've got a pal with an adequate machine but it'll only handle parts that are maybe 12" x
15" max. He's in Ventura; ping me offline if you think that'll do?
I found a couple of free plans on the internet on how to make one. While it would be interesting to have such a machine in my garage, I need to make one or two pieces only, so it would be a waste. Thanks for the offer.
Cheers
Padu
It can be done with a vacuum cleaner and kitchen oven if you have the mold and the holes to connect the vacuum. Will your mold hold up to 400 degrees? What kind of material do you plan on using? Lexan?
Is there a Tap Plastics store in San Diego? I have bought mold making material from them, although it wasn't vacuum formed. It was some paint-on goop that you peel off after it cures. It worked great for small parts, but I don't think it would work for 20"x20".
Tap Plastics will also do custom work. So maybe you can take your sculpture there, and they can make a mold. While you are there, check out their scrap bin. You can often find some good deals on acrylic panels, rods, tubes, etc. Their website is
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