What is vacuum forming?
Vacuum forming is a simplified version of thermoforming, where a sheet of plastic is heated to a forming temperature, stretched onto a single-surface mold, and forced against the mold by a vacuum.
Materials needed:
Plastic sheet
Objects / mould
Vacuum forming machine
How to do it:
Place the sheet of plastic in between the frame of the vacuum forming machine and start the heating process
Wait for the plastic to heat up (ripples should vanish leaving a flat stretched surface)
Lift the frame and place the objects you wish to create a mould of on the raised platform
Push the frame onto the objects and turn on the vacuum
Turn the machine off once it has reached its maximum function ability
Remove the plastic sheet and retrieve the objects. There, your very own mould!
Reflections:
Not so successful attempt at this. Perhaps the objects I had chosen were too flat but the vacuum forming machine failed to pick up on the forms and did not give my objects their full structural integrity. What a pity! But overall, a really easy and convenient way to create your own mould especially for resin casting!
Photos:
