Vacuum forming.

Today I got trained by Eric on how to use the Rep's vacuum form machine!
He showed me how to do it and helped through the steps for the first 2 sheets.  Then I did 8 more over the course of the day, getting quite comfortable with the process.

 You can use many kinds of thermo plastics in vacuum forming.  For this project we used clear 3mm PETG.  http://www.lairdplastics.com/product/materials/petg
There are thicker and colored plastics.  Eric chose 3mm to get the finer detail. 

 These components are being combined and painted to make wall sconces for End Of The Rainbow.

Clamping down the sheet of plastic to the frame which will be raised in the air and heated by the oven in the top of the unit.

The vacuum forming unit.  On top is the oven. Below is the vacuum tank connected up to the perforated table.  These are the 4 elements being formed.  Sheet of plastic is raised in the air being heated.  Takes about 2 minuets from start of heating to lowering it down and vacuuming the shapes.

4 shapes to be made.  Important to note, you can't have any undercuts on shapes or it will get sealed in.

hot plastic lowered and objects sealed in.

The plastic sets very fast 4-6 seconds.  here is the sheet removed to a table with the shapes still in. Shapes are trimmed out with tin snips

rough cut out of shapes

close up.  The forms were made up of MDF that had been cut with a cut away machine and polyurethaned heavily to withstand being used multiple times and keep the intricate detail.

The shapes then had a blank that connected underneath.  These blanks were exactly the same as the topping shape.  This was important since i needed to router around all the forms to evenly trim the plastic.  At the router table a special router bit was used that was inset by an 8th of and inch.  This left a better looking, and less brittle, edge to the pieces.  When routering I had to be careful.  The plastic wanted to crack up edges. The cracking effect is one reason we made 10 sets for the needed 8 sconces.

Trimmed and removed pieces. Ready to be taken to paint.

This particular plastic is food safe and completely recyclable.