Vacuum Former
This machine is located in the Machine Shop and belongs to the Plastics Special Interest Group (PIG-SIG).
Contents
Vacuum Former Usage
THIS EQUIPMENT REQUIRES TRAINING. DO NOT USE UNLESS YOU HAVE TAKEN THE CLASS AND BEEN SIGNED OFF BY A QUALIFIED INSTRUCTOR!
Model: Formech 508FS
Material Sizes:
20 in x 20 in - Default
12 in x 12 in - with Reducing Window of 11 in x 11 in
6 in x 6 in - with Reducing Window of 5 in x 5 in
Plastics Supplies
General Usage Instructions
From: Plasticsmag.com
Sheet temperature is the most critical element of the vacuum-forming process.
Know Your Temperatures!
- Uniform Sheet Temp
- Sheet Core Temp vs. Surface Temp
- Temperature difference between sheet and mold
- Temperature Zone Control, profile for the sheet.
Uniform Sheet Temperature
Oven zones may need to be adjusted to achieve uniform sheet temperature. May need to shade the temps across the sheet for certain molds.
The Core Temperature
The sheet core temperature will correspond to the material thickness. On thicker materials, you may need to heat slowly to achieve the correct core temperature.
Temperature Variance Across the Sheet
You should check all four corners and the center of your sheet. The temperature of each area should not vary more than 5 degrees. Don’t just crank up the temps, you should adjust the zone temps.
| Plastic Processing Temperatures In Degrees F |
|||||||||
| Material | Specific Gravity | Mold Surface & Demolds | Lower Processing | Orientation | Upper Temp | ||||
| ABS | 1.07 | 185 | 260 | 280 | 400 | ||||
| Acrylic | 1.15 | 185 | 300 | 325 | 425 | ||||
| Acrylic/PVC | 1.15 | 175 | 290 | 310 | 400 | ||||
| Polycarbonate | 1.20 | 280 | 335 | 350 | 400 | ||||
| Polyethersulfone | 1.37 | 400 | 525 | 560 | 700 | ||||
| Polyethersulfone, glass filled 20% | 1.51 | 410 | 535 | 560 | 720 | ||||
| Polyethelene, high density | 0.99 | 180 | 260 | 270 | 430 | ||||
| Polypropylene | 0.92 | 257 | 270 | 280 | 380 | ||||
| Polypropylene, glass filled | 1.05 | 195 | 265 | 280 | 450 | ||||
| Polysulfone | 1.24 | 325 | 375 | 415 | 575 | ||||
| Polystyrene | 1.06 | 185 | 260 | 275 | 360 | ||||
| Vinyl, rigid | 1.47 | 150 | 220 | 245 | 310 | ||||
| Vinyl, rigid foam | 0.70 | 160 | 240 | 260 | 350 | ||||
Resources and Links
- Technical specs
- General Manual including materials (Formech)
- Machine Manual (Formech) - Need to upload PDF
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/f02qy7Kc0wY
- Back to Plastics and Composites Interest Group
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