Just a note on vacuum forming to folks who might not understand the full process. The process of vacuum forming itself is relatively simple but also has many limitation of what can be made. Tooling can range from simple to very complex and though the cheapest of all plastic processing, can get expensive and if it isn't made right your parts are scrap. When you do make a part, it is usually the post-processing that can get quite complicated and expensive. Parts need to be trimmed out of their plastic prison, sometimes this can be done by hand or with cutting dies, thicker materials must be machined out. If there are any holes, slots or cutouts required, CNC machining is a must for accuracy. A vacuum fixture, much like the mold, is used to hold the part for machining, which are usually done one at a time. Being able to splash a part for a mold is not the hard part. It's finishing your molded piece of plastic that's the hard part. Note: it is sometimes possible to make cutting templates to trace cut lines to your part and then with skill and grace, trim and finish the part with a dremmel tool or router. This process is extremely tedious and is useful mainly for making a prototype or two, not dozens. Good luck with it! -Steven Dodson Kneeland, CA "Inga" the 87 Syncro |
Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of
Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection
will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!
Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com
The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.
Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.