[TriEmbed] [Splat Space] Re: Anyone know a good way to get access to a vacuum forming machine?

[Charles West]

@Mike, John and Nick:
Thank you for the information on construction (and I had never heard of
that Mattel toy.  Pretty cool).

@Scott and JSC
Awesome.  Sometime in January would be good, if that is doable?  There's a
proposal that's gonna be due in March and it would be great if we can
include it.  Thank you!

On Tue, Dec 20, 2022 at 11:28 PM Jeffrey Crews <cruzetti at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello, I am close to finishing the VF machine. I mostly need to get some
> aluminum angle to hold the heater above the bed, and make some platens.
> What is your time frame? Holidays slowed me down.
>
> JSC
>
> On Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 23:13 Scott Hall <scottghall1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Charles (& Mike),
>> Jeff Crews at SplatSpace has built a vacuum-forming machine from
>> scratch.  I cross-posted this message so that he might see it and respond
>> to you.
>>
>> On Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 9:56 PM Mike Lisanke via TriEmbed <
>> triembed at triembed.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Charles,
>>>
>>> Hope everything is going great for you and yours.
>>> I recall as a child using this...
>>> https://www.ebay.com/b/Mattel-Vacuform/727/bn_7114054425
>>> much later in life but still years ago, I've watched DIY Youtube videos
>>> on vacuum forming.
>>> I was interested in the tech and was surprised that a great number of
>>> vacuum draw holes was Not needed.
>>> But still it all depends on the size and requirements of the product.
>>> Your product idea seems to fit in the vacuform size and pin spacing.
>>> as I recall (after very long time) it had a great number of tiny
>>> pinholes in its forming platen.
>>> I held thin plastic sheets in a metal frame which is held against a
>>> heater (opposite of the forming platen)
>>> which is then swung into place for vacuum pump down.
>>> Anyway, I hope the story helps.
>>> I haven't worked on implementing my own (yet) because there's so much
>>> manufacturing tech to look at/choose!
>>>
>>> On Tue, Dec 20, 2022 at 9:31 PM Charles West via TriEmbed <
>>> triembed at triembed.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hello!
>>>>
>>>> I'm kinda all over the place project wise (apologies Paul), but one of
>>>> the things I am working on right now is a Phase 1 STTR grant from NASA for
>>>> a new solar sail material.
>>>>
>>>> As part of that, I'm trying to figure out the barriers to implementing
>>>> a new solar sail design called a "space tow".  It's composed of a bunch of
>>>> little solar sails all strung together like sled dogs to pull on something.
>>>>
>>>> As part of that, I am trying to see whether it's possible to form
>>>> corrugations in a thin plastic sheet (1-5 microns thick) so that it has
>>>> some rigidity and won't need reinforcement to stay planar.
>>>>
>>>> As part of that, I would like to try vacuum forming one of the sheets
>>>> and see if that can produce the desired change in shape.
>>>>
>>>> ... as part of that, I need to find, make or buy a vacuum forming
>>>> machine and give it a go.
>>>>
>>>> TL;DR:
>>>> Does anyone know where I could find a vacuum forming machine that I
>>>> could use or about their experience homebrewing one?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> Charlie
>>>>
>>>> Triangle, NC Embedded Interest Group mailing list
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Best regards,  Mike
>>>
>>> Triangle, NC Embedded Interest Group mailing list
>>>
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>
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