Thermoplastics
Materials needed:
- Polyester fabric
- Molds like marbles, plastic saucers, wooden blocks
- Rubber bands
Steps:
Tie molds (e.g. marbles) around the fabric. Wrap the fabric in foil. Put it in a pot of boiling water for 1 hour. Check back occasionally to see if the water has dried up. Carefully retrieve the fabric and untie the molds. Leave to dry.
Applications:
Dividers, cushions, clothing, accessories, bags
Documentation:
just before boiling
boiling for 1 hour
happy campers post-boiling
Vacuum forming
Materials needed:
- PVC
- Vacuum forming machine
- Mould
Steps:
Take your mould and place it in the middle of the machine. Place the PVC on top and wait for it to wrinkle and un-wrinkle. Then, pull the lever and wait for the PVC to balloon up, then push the mould up for the PVC to form over it.
Applications:
Packaging, enclosures, helmets
Documentation:
Reflection:
With thermoplastics, there’s a lot of room to explore with different moulds. It is a time-consuming process but generally quite a straightforward technique to master.
As for vacuum forming, it took me a few tries to get a hang of ballooning the plastic before letting it wrap around the shape for a better fit. There might be some size restrictions if you’re planning to vacuum form in large dimensions.
