What is a Vacuum Former

A vacuum former heats a sheet of plastic until it reaches its forming temperature. This can be seen when the plastic begins to droop under its own weight. The plastic is then pulled over a mold over a vacuum.

This process is able to quickly make thin copies of an object. This process is used in many industries ranging from automotive to packaging and even medical.

 Design

My group designed and fabricated a vacuum former using only sheet metal and metal tubing.

Our project was designed using the sheet metal features in Solidworks. The vacuum former has a 24”x18”x24” volume.

Prior to fabrication, GD&T was performed on each component to eliminate interference between the components.

 Fabrication

When it came time to fabricate our prototype we utilized a water jet to cut out stock material to its flat geometry. These cutouts were then bent to shape using a sheet metal brake. Several components were also welded together.

Testing

Once the prototype was able to be fabricated it was tested.

Testing showed that the vacuum former was able to successfully heat a sheet of plastic to its forming temperature in 7-9 minutes.