[lo59apache]

Ok Mr. Eddie Paul here is a chance to vindicate yourself on your video you talk about doing CAD drawings and then a wooden patter/buck to vaccum form "parts". I imagine this is plastic being molded. this could easily be taken into an interiors post.

Enlighten us on what it is that you do that could help us out here. Im thinking door panels, center consoles.

And welcome back glad to see you did not get all butt hurt

 

[Eddie Paul]

First off, I do not need to vindicate myself, but to answer your question, I use AutoCAD to rough a concept out, then I can build a 3-D model of it in Rhino to see what it looks like, this way I can add draft to the part ( so the part will release from the Plug). I then convert it into a G-Code program in Rhino Cam, put that into my 3-D router and rout a 3-D part from the drawing. This part then goes on a vacuum forming table and with 1/8” or ¼” ABS I can pull a part off of the Plug (that I just made out of wood) and repeat the process as many times as I need parts. You can make almost anything this way. In fact, I made the bodies for Tow Mater and Lightning as well as the parts of the TAXI car this way. I am making a roof for this boat now out of ¼” ABS and it will be pained later to match the boat.

Eddie Paul.

 

[lo59apache]

Is there anyway you can form the plastic with out the use of a vacumm table? that would be a stumbling block for most of us here. I have access to some machinery but I would have no idea on who to turn to on a vac table.

 

[Eddie Paul]

Is there anyway you can form the plastic with out the use of a vacumm table? that would be a stumbling block for most of us here. I have access to some machinery but I would have no idea on who to turn to on a vac table.

Sure, and it is easy and cheap, I am (not sure I can say this but...) doing a new book for (don’t think I can say the name of the publisher) and it is on working in plastic and Vacuum forming plastics if you can wait a bit ( about a week) I can put some excerpts on this forum saving me a lot of writing, I will be explaining how to build the equipment your self for very little money. (Can I say money?) gotta get baack to my boat now.... can I say boat?
Eddie Paul

 

[lo59apache]

You can say just about anything you want, just dont advertise. As for the book a "refrence" to the name would be good but I dont think a link to your website and how much to pay would be good.

Sounds like good reading does it have a money back warranty. Wait thats the real estate guys that make a fortune selling books and not investing on real eastate.

my bad :spank:

 

[Bad Rat 2]

mikey
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Know that feeling real well.... you always have friends,, when THEY need your help,, but are never there when YOU need their help ,,,,,,,, Bill

 

[heyjude076]

Is there anyway you can form the plastic with out the use of a vacumm table? that would be a stumbling block for most of us here. I have access to some machinery but I would have no idea on who to turn to on a vac table.

Just a thought here. A lot of ourdoor sign shops use vacuum tables to form their signs. Could possibly negotiate with them to "form" your piece. Construct your 3-d mold and have them do the rest for a price.

 

[Jake_Dragon]

http://www.studiocreations.com/howto/vacuumtable/index.html

 

[home brew]

Now that was interesting and looks like it is doable at home. The size of your home oven could be a limitation though. Anybody have any ideas on how to get around that? I guess you could make you own oven out of sheet metal and use a couple of home stove heating elements.

__________________
Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

 

[powerrodsmike]

Maybe you could make friends with the guy who owns local pizzaria I wonder what pizza with ABS seasoning tastes like?

Back at Poli Form I helped build some vacuum forming molds and we sent them over to a plastics forming shop in Santa Cruz. The guy was happy to do the vacuum forming part. Easy money for him with minimal responsibility.

The molds we made were the production molds for a company that made electric wheelchairs and all we needed were a set of proof parts. We farmed the abs part out because we had no oven or vacuum table. Also it was a fairly deep draw.

A few years back I made the form for a streamliner windshield made out of 1/4" lexan. I sent that out to another company for forming and they were very happy to do that part.

Later, mikey

 

[home brew]

Do you remember what it cost to do one part?

__________________
Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

 

[powerrodsmike]

Do you remember what it cost to do one part?

IIRC the windshield was about 500.00 with the cost of the lexan included. It took a half of a sheet of 1/4" lexan.

I know the cost of the windshield was high because the skill required to keep the lexan optically perfect was great. The shop owner had to do it.

It was 1988 when I helped with the molds for that wheelchair body. I never saw the bill, my boss took care of that part. The company was called Roto-Form plastics. We found them in the phone book under "plastics manufacturers"

Later, mikey

 

[lo59apache]

Just a thought here. A lot of ourdoor sign shops use vacuum tables to form their signs. Could possibly negotiate with them to "form" your piece. Construct your 3-d mold and have them do the rest for a price.

Thanks Jude, that sounds like a good idea or atleast something to follow up on.

Thanks for the link Jake

 

[Jake_Dragon]

Thanks for the link Jake

Working on cars that have been abandoned you have to sometimes figure out how to make your own parts. At one time I was looking at a way to make new clear tail light covers. But an aftermarket company started to make them and I never got past the idea stage.

 

[ajbcc2]

vacuum forming

i did a search once online for this.a long time ago....and through seeing pictures .. a vacuum box is basically a box with small holes (1/8-3/16" every inch)drilled on the top maybe a piece of that stuff you hang your tools on might work..
at the side of the box is a tube (simple nylon male connector at the hardware store) to connect to a vacuum cleaner(for suction) then you put the part you want to mold on top of the holes, making sure there is releif angle, lay a piece of the plastic over it, heat with a quartz space heater till it droops over your part, the vacuum will suck it around tight...outside the plasticsheet the holes can be blocked with paper..that is it very basically..

 

[OneMoreTime]

i did a search once online for this.a long time ago....and through seeing pictures .. a vacuum box is basically a box with small holes (1/8-3/16" every inch)drilled on the top maybe a piece of that stuff you hang your tools on might work..
at the side of the box is a tube (simple nylon male connector at the hardware store) to connect to a vacuum cleaner(for suction) then you put the part you want to mold on top of the holes, making sure there is releif angle, lay a piece of the plastic over it, heat with a quartz space heater till it droops over your part, the vacuum will suck it around tight...outside the plasticsheet the holes can be blocked with paper..that is it very basically..

Thats it..made some canopies for model airplanes that way..of course those were small parts but the principle is the same..

Sam

 

[Dusty82]

On a related note, has anyone thought about vacuum bags? This would apply more to laminating wood veneer to something like an instrument panel, glove box door, armrest, or a console insert, but I think once a person got started using this technique, the possibilities for the technique could come flooding in.

Here are a few links for your perusal. While they deal mainly with woodworking, with the exception of Chris Fouquet, who discusses making model airplane wings, the basic idea remains the same.

http://www.pilotsguide.com/rc/vacbag.shtml

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Vacuum_Veneered_Drawer_Faces.html

http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/vacuumforming.htm

Personally, I think the last link explains the process a bit better than the others, but that's just me. Chris Fouquet (the airplane guy) brings up the idea of laying up fiberglass and vacuum forming it over the mold as well. The possibilities there seem endless.

I'm thinking those "Spacebags" you see at Wal-Mart and other places could be used for smaller pieces, and Chris Fouquet has a great idea for making bags for larger items on the page linked above.

Just a thought…

 

[OneMoreTime]

Try wooden boat magazine for info on the vacuum bagging.. those guys make some huge wood veneer laminations with the vacumm bagging process..Heavens a fellow could make an entire car body with that process if so inclined..actually it is quite simple to do..

Sam