[TriEmbed] Anyone know a good way to get access to a vacuum forming machine?

[The MacDougals]

I have a Mattel Vac-u-form machine if you want to try it out.

 

--->Paul

 

 

From: TriEmbed <triembed-bounces at triembed.org> On Behalf Of Scott Hall via TriEmbed
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2022 11:13 PM
To: Mike Lisanke <mikelisanke at gmail.com>
Cc: SplatSpace <durham-makerspace at googlegroups.com>; Triangle Embedded Computing Interest Group <triembed at triembed.org>
Subject: Re: [TriEmbed] Anyone know a good way to get access to a vacuum forming machine?

 

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 <mailto:triembed at triembedorg> > 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 <mailto: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

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.triembed.org/pipermail/triembed_triembed.org/attachments/20221221/41f92295/attachment.htm>