Vacuum forming is an industrial process that touches everyone’s daily life whether they know it or not. Items that are vacuum formed included disposable coffee cups, deli containers, cosmetic cases, toy car and truck bodies (for example), food containers, in-store displays and many more.

 

How Does Vacuum Forming Work? A Simplified Overview: A rigid vacuum form mold that has hundred of small holes thorough out is placed in a vacuum form chamber. The holes perforate the mold and will allow air to pass through.

 

1. The rigid mold is placed in a vacuum forming machine (as seen below). 

1. A sheet of “melt - able” plastic is placed over the mold. 

3. Close the lid - most common vacuum forming machines have lids that can be brought      

     down over the mold and locked. The machine is turned on and the chamber quickly   

     heats to a high temperature. The temperature will depend on the machine being used,    

     the plastic being melted and the mold being used.

4. Once the chamber reaches a certain temperature, the plastic sheet softens. The vacuum    

     is initiated (vacuum is pulled through the holes in the rigid mold) and pulls the     

    softened plastic sheet down onto the mold. The softened plastic conforms to whatever   

    shape the rigid mold happens to be.

 

 

TASK® 18 Castable Urethane Plastic is an aluminum filled casting resin that exhibits good heat resistance and excellent dimensional stability. Easy to use and low viscosity, use this resin if your machine temperatures do not exceed 204°F / 95° C.

 

A-30® Castable Epoxy is an aluminum filled castable epoxy resin for making vacuum forming molds that resist higher temperatures up to 300° F / 148° C continuous.