This is a project I’ve been putting off for far too long. It’s finally time to start making a plastic sheet vacuum forming table for armor and molds.
The basic idea is pretty straightforward. You need some kind of heating element, to warm the plastic. Some kind of frame to hold the plastic while it is heating, and to pull it down to the table. A vacuum. And a table, which is a shallow box with the vacuum plugged into it on one side, and holes in the top to pull the plastic.
For my table, it will be mostly wooden. A 1/2″ oak base, with 1″x2″ pine planks forming the sides. Pegboard for the top of the table, to diffuse the vacuum. A 5.5 HP shop vac will provide the suction, and cheap electric skillets from Wal-Mart will be the heating elements.
There are a few unknowns here. For one, my table will be rather large, 2′ x 4′. I’m not sure the vacuum will be strong enough over that area, but I can block unused areas of the pegboard to focus the vacuum, or add additional shop vacs if needed. For another, the heating elements are very non-standard. They should work, but… time will tell. If not, I can go with the expensive heating elements that are designed for use in vacuu-forming tables. Those are quite a bit more expensive, though, so I’d really rather not.
Current progress – building hollow box for table.
