Vacuum forms question.

[cyberpyrot]

would it be possible to use my aluminum armor to make ABS copies?

 

[BobasDent1138]

If you can press with some light pushing weight on it without it flexing then yes you can. It just needs to withstand the brief pressure of the hot plastic over it

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A

 

[Darth Voorhees]

technically you can, but it needs to be more of a block that goes straight down the sides to the table. you cant form over an arched piece of metal thats got all that open space under it, it wont work properly.

 

[cyberpyrot]

If you can press with some light pushing weight on it without it flexing then yes you can. It just needs to withstand the brief pressure of the hot plastic over it

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A

its 3/16 aluminum I could stand on it and it would not bend

- - - Updated - - -

technically you can, but it needs to be more of a block that goes straight down the sides to the table. you cant form over an arched piece of metal thats got all that open space under it, it wont work properly.

what if I filled the void with a wooden block

 

[Armydad]

Putting something under it would work, the trick will be raising the armor off of the pull table and keeping the plastic from folding over the edges of the armor trapping it in the plastic.

 

[cyberpyrot]

Here is some better pics I think I need to smooth it out a bit more. Do you think people will be interested?

 

[cyberpyrot]

Added some damage

 

[drokkul]

what if I filled the void with a wooden block

It has to be done a specific way. You would basically need to make each piece of armor the topmost point of a solid block with no undercuts on the armor plate or else it will get trapped in the plastic sheet like Armydad pointed out.

Do a google image search for "vacuum forming buck" and you should get the idea if what you need to do to each piece.

 

[redkraytdragon]

If you were to try and form those pieces as they sit, you'll never get them back out of the plastic because it will draw underneath the armor's edges into the empty voids (aka undercuts). Vacforming bucks (also known as dies sometimes) need to be solid and have flares and risers coming down and away from the piece/part getting formed (flares for angles to allow the plastic to release and risers for allowing the plastic to draw down past the desired edge of your form). There are also rules for shapes/angles that have to be followed in order to allow your plastic to release properly from the buck/die/form/mold without damaging it. Of course, as with everything, there are exceptions to those rules and they can be bent if you know what you're doing. Much of bending those rules involves theories that can only be explored/realized once you have made such a 'rule bending' mold, and usually requires some advanced knowledge of those techniques.
I would highly recommend doing more research/watch videos, etc. before attempting forming those plates. It can be done, but you're going to have to make supports for them and those supports have to be shaped a certain way as well as be touching all surface area of the inside of the plates for proper structure.
Also, keep in mind that depending on how many Inches of Hg you're pulling will determine if your plates can withstand the pull force. Also, your level of In/Hg will also be determined by your elevation, the higher your elevation the lower your achieved In/Hg and vice versa.
Either way, good luck in your endeavor.