Solved 3D Printing Vacuum Forming Mold

[cyclone3350]

It may be back yard engineering, but it works very well. I did this Ultimate Bipe with a beverage bottle, heat gun & a wood plug.

 

[shadeyB]

It may be back yard engineering, but it works very well. I did this Ultimate Bipe with a beverage bottle, heat gun & a wood plug.

With a little practise , it works great and you have an awesome example of this 👍

 

[Inq]

It may be back yard engineering

I hope you didn't consider that a slur. I consider that high praise. Any average engineer can throw money at a problem and make it go away. Making it go away with a 2-liter Coke bottle that would have ended up in a land-fill deserves a Nobel Prize.

 

[Inq]

It may be back yard engineering, but it works very well. I did this Ultimate Bipe with a beverage bottle, heat gun & a wood plug.

I'm trying to get a handle on what you are saying... did you use a Coke bottle to smooth a form as @shadeyB is saying... or is this model USING a Coke bottle shrunk merely by heat to form this canopy?

NOW THAT WOULD BE FM!

 

[cyclone3350]

I'm trying to get a handle on what you are saying... did you use a Coke bottle to smooth a form as @shadeyB is saying... or is this model USING a Coke bottle shrunk merely by heat to form this canopy?

NOW THAT WOULD BE FM!

Made a form from hard balsa, fiberglass it and high build primer. Cut off the bottle neck and slid the plug in. Used a Tope Flite heat and then shrunk the bottle to the plug. Trim & install on plane.

 

[telnar1236]

Is it worth sticking the PLA/ABS plastic form in the fridge and pulling it out at mold time?

I definitely agree with Tench745 on not refrigerating. The longer the plastic stays hot, the better it will conform to the mold.

 

[telnar1236]

When vac forming a canopy,
be sure to extend the base with a skirt as mentioned above to allow you to cut very close and trim to suit 👍
1. quickest option would be a block of balsa (or soft wood) and carve it to the shape your looking for 👍 it will hold great under vac form pressure
2. Cad one up and print it but you will need to fill, sand and polish to remove layer lines that will be pulled into the vac-form.
printing the plug 5 walls are enough and 0% infil is best , while printing at best resolution, 0 bottom layers and once printed fill will plaster which will ensure no collapse under the heat and pressure of vac forming.
sanding and polishing - simple paste filler or rattle can primer filler is all that’s required, but be sure to spend time filling/sanding/repeat then final polish to get the best result you can

another tip for a clean smooth finish it to heat shrink plastic or vinyl over the plug before vac forming

the above can be done with empty clear plastic drink bottles also with. A little practise 👍

I definitely need to try putting vinyl over a plug. That's a great idea!

I haven't tried the plaster technique, but it seems a bit complicated when you could just go with high infill, especially for a smaller mold. Also leaving out infill can let the print deform as it is printing, so I can't say I would recommend that. As for primer, just watch out for melting temperature. I had one can of primer that would get soft and stick to the canopy which completely ruined a mold.

 

[shadeyB]

I definitely need to try putting vinyl over a plug. That's a great idea!

I haven't tried the plaster technique, but it seems a bit complicated when you could just go with high infill, especially for a smaller mold. Also leaving out infill can let the print deform as it is printing, so I can't say I would recommend that. As for primer, just watch out for melting temperature. I had one can of primer that would get soft and stick to the canopy which completely ruined a mold.

i use plaster with my plugs and never had an issue buddy, with 5 walls also the only deform you get is on the inside.
it is also quicker than waiting on infil in the print, main reason is it is solid 👍
good shout on the primer temp 👍